Illinois’s Humanization.
To begin with, in the game where I summoned Illinois, there wasn’t a single element that could be called “human.”
I summoned her purely for her capabilities as a battleship—summoned her as a warship.
Did I ever want a cute anime girl in the first place?
‘If that were the case, I’d have become a captain in a different game.’
There’s no shortage of games that feature battleships turned into anime girls in gacha-style formats. Even if they’re not literal battleships, there are games out there where you summon characters who own sci-fi, fantasy-esque starships.
But I had this policy: as long as I didn’t cross a certain line—something humanity could still reasonably accept—I’d stick with summoning her as a warship.
And yet…
“I didn’t expect the devs to actually go through with a collab.”
[It’s an inevitable flow, nyah.]
If you play mobile games, you know how there are sometimes unexpected collaborations.
Even if the stories don’t match at all, the devs always find a way to throw together some narrative just to sell the content.
Even if that’s not the case, if there’s demand, it will be sold.
And that would’ve been fine—except.
“Commander, this… doesn’t look like it’s being sold publicly, does it?”
“What do you mean?”
“A secret collab update… developed exclusively for the Summoner?”
“What are you talking about?”
According to the data Drei obtained via hacking, the Illinois collaboration wasn’t even for sale.
“Look at this. These ships coming in through the collab updates.”
“…They’re adding anime girl skins to the control AIs under the label of ‘Operators,’ aren’t they?”
It might look like just a new content update, but if those characters are the same ones from that ship-based gacha game, then yeah, it’s a collab.
“And it’s Summoner-only?”
“Apparently Illinois isn’t even on the official update list.”
“…So they’re slapping anime girl control interfaces onto all these other ships, but deliberately left Illinois out?”
“Exactly. And probably… this version of Illinois is going to be updated into only one account.”
“Huh.”
Blatant.
“Wait… is this something the president got involved in?”
“President Luigi might not have directly interfered with the game devs, but I’d bet anything some influence came from up top. Even if they bought the license to make the character, when it comes to certain subjects, people get nervous, y’know?”
“Fair.”
Some historical figures are just too sacred—or dangerous—to be turned into moe anime girls in gacha games. Even in the companies that thrive off turning real-world icons into marketable waifus, there are lines they won’t cross.
Sometimes the country that owns the rights to a historical hero just outright forbids such representations, or other times, it’s judged that the controversy wouldn’t be worth the profit.
Illinois is one of those.
“You really think this wasn’t made for sale?”
“Well, I mean—look at the effort they put in. Clearly they intended to sell it… and then someone up top slapped a ‘banned from sale’ label on it.”
“So it’s censorship?”
“Seems like it. Look—other characters are in dresses, stepping out of limos, doing pole dances, showing off in infinity pools in bikinis, and none of that got banned.”
“…So you’re telling me the only reason this Illinois version got banned was because she’s my summon?”
“That’s the logic.”
“…Feels like it got banned for other reasons, though.”
I examined the test server files for the collab update version of Illinois again and again.
“She looks even bigger than humanoid Kiharu. You think the ban happened because of her size?”
“Come on, just think of it as an ‘American aesthetic.’”
“Even in America, you don’t see many people this… massive.”
“Not with those proportions. Sure, she’s not a Tower raider or anything, but among Awakened Hunters, there are some influencer-types who flaunt physiques like this.”
“…”
“American style. What do you think?”
“…I thought Illinois would be… a bit more demure. More girlish.”
I browsed the collab company’s characters—the one known for slapping anime girl skins onto warships.
“Does everyone here have engine parts bigger than their heads?”
“Didn’t you like that sort of thing?”
Drei pointed at Elaine and then Kiharu.
“Didn’t you?”
“You seriously think I summoned them just because their parts were big?”
“You didn’t?”
“Come on, Drei. With Kiharu, how could I have known she had a goddess form? I summoned her as a cat swordswoman, not someone who’d be carrying around something bigger than her head.”
Elaine could be misinterpreted that way at first. But Kiharu, Drei, Illinois, and Justice—those that followed—definitely weren’t.
“Right, Justice? You wouldn’t want to become a cute anime girl either, would you?”
[…]
“Justice?”
[It’s not that I desire to become a cute anime girl. But if taking on a human form is necessary to carry out justice and eliminate evil, I have no issue with it!]
“What.”
Did he just—
[Voice tuning is an easy fix! If there are those trying to destroy the world out of fear and hatred of men, I can’t very well approach them as a man, now can I?! If the situation demands it, temporarily assuming a female form is a trivial matter! What matters is saving the ones in pain!] “…”
A noble sense of justice, sure. But my head is starting to hurt.
“Seriously… good grief.”
“So… you don’t like it?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, but… it’s different knowing someone starts as a girl versus watching a guy turn into a girl. That’s… a bit much.”
It would’ve been one thing if Justice had just been female from the start—but hearing that clearly male voice and then watching him suddenly turn into a woman? Yeah… that’s a bit much.
“I mean, if they released a separate version like ‘Justice (Female),’ maybe I could buy that. But what gacha game actually goes through with a real gender swap outside of an April Fools’ event?”
Sure, for fun or jokes, some games swap illustrations or do little event versions… but to actually implement an entirely different gender version of a character?
‘Does that even exist?’
Well… there have been cases. Like when they released a female version of King Arthur, and then much later brought out the original male version. Or when the wizard supporting Arthur is male in some versions and female in others, depending on the franchise.
But.
“You’re not like that.”
[Indeed.]
Justice isn’t that kind of character.
“Justice, tell me this. You don’t need to be female to activate any of your skills or abilities, right?”
[Of course not! As long as our connection in this world—formed through your summoning—remains, I can summon my allies at will!]
“Good.”
Because I swear it felt like I dropped a full hundred thousand won just to pull that skill and max it out.
‘Goddamn pay-to-win hell.’
A huge amount of money was spent.
It cost a ridiculous amount. But if that’s what it takes for Justice to bring out his combat potential and help protect the world, I’ll live with it.
Justice is worth it.
Illinois, though…
“Drei. Does she actually get any stat boosts or something with this collab?”
“Nope.”
“…Then what does the update include?”
“They added voice updates under the label of ‘Control AI.’ Stuff like, when enemies appear, she goes, ‘Captain~ enemies approaching~’ in a voice-acted line…?”
“…So no stat changes?”
[Summoner. That’s an extremely critical performance enhancement!]
Justice suddenly cuts in, loudly.
[Sure, a simple alarm might work. But the voice of an attractive woman arousing a male’s sexual instinct and heightening his focus? That’s a scientifically proven effect—]
“What are you even saying right now?”
[You can’t deny it, can you? Or perhaps… is the real reason you’re uncomfortable with summoning beautiful girls—]
“I’m not gay.”
I declare flatly.
“I’m not gay.”
[Then what’s the problem? It’s only natural for a man to be attracted to beautiful women! Seeking reproduction is a biological instinct, not a flaw! The problem lies in ignoring social norms and the other party’s consent, not the desire itself!]
“Damn, Justice. Maybe because you and Drei are both AI-based, but… I think I’m starting to like you.”
[Hmm? Even though your species is incapable of reproduction with Summoners—]
Crackle.
“Nice work, Drei.”
Justice goes silent.
I don’t know exactly what she did, but it’s clear Drei shut him down before he could say anything more outrageous.
“Still, I kinda wanna know, personally.”
“Know what?”
“If reproduction between a Summoner and a summon is even possible.”
“…Hey.”
“Purely academic curiosity. Aren’t you even a little curious, Commander? Fufufu.”
Drei crosses her legs in the chair, giggling.
“Otherworlders. Goddesses. Androids. And now, warship-based AI modules. How about it? Want to test the limits?”
“I didn’t summon you all with such impure intentions, alright?”
“That’s weird. You’re not impotent. You’re not gay. So why are you so hesitant? It’s not like you’re some innocent virgin either. Or… maybe you’re more into real-world S-rank Hunters or something?”
“Absolutely not.”
That’s not it.
“You’re all part of this world now. It’s not about what’s real or not anymore. That’s not the issue.”
“Then what is?”
“It means I take this seriously. And if I do cross that line…”
I glance downward.
Drei follows my gaze—then flushes red.
“…Heh. Well, fine. That just makes it more fun for me to chase you. Then maybe we should ask for some help from your fourth summon, hmm? Even if you keep putting up walls, let’s see if you can resist that once you see the size we’re talking about.”
“…I’ll endure.”
No matter what.
“This whole collab company’s clearly trying to use Illinois’ body to bait me into raiding Japan’s S-rank Towers. You think I’m just gonna fall for that?”
* * *
And then.
I saw her.
The massive, spherical engine opened like a hatch—
And there she sat in the chair, Illinois facing me.
…
“How many S-rank Towers are there in Japan again?”
