Goodness. You look so distressed, I'd think you just swallowed a fish bone whole. Lighten up. I'm not here on any official business today. I merely have a favor to ask of you.
I'm in the same club as Ortho's brother, Idia, who sought me out at a club meeting for aid. He said that he wanted to swap out body parts to give Ortho a performance upgrade, but he couldn't do it alone.
He just doesn't have many friends. I imagine it took a lot of courage on his part just to approach me. But he did it. He came out of his shell for the sake of his precious kin. Ortho, with his mechanical body, and Idia, who goes to such lengths for his "brother"... Does it not make your spirit soar? My heart melts for such beautiful brotherly love. Doesn't it make you want to chip in and support them somehow?
It would be rude to visit empty-handed, so I brought a gift—a photo I took of the teachers' lounge the night before last. Specifically, a picture of you fighting with Professor Trein's pet and making a mess of the whole lounge.
Dear me. From what I hear, the professor's searching for the culprit even as we speak. And here I am, worried sick about Ortho... Why, I could absentmindedly drop this picture in front of the professor at any moment. If only I could solve Ortho's conundrum. Then maybe I could find the presence of mind to keep a secret.
Heh heh. Did I not tell you I had the matter well in hand? Now then, time is money, as they say. Let's get to work, shall we? Are you all set on your end, Idia?
Heh. Believe me, it's my pleasure to be here. Anyway, I'd like you to lie down and stay still. I don't want you trying to help, understood? After all, isn't swapping out parts more or less the same as performing surgery? It would be terrible if anything happened to you.
Hey, [MC]. Are we just sittin' here and lookin' pretty, or what? Azul handled all the complicated parts assembly. I mean, he's good with his hands, so it makes sense to me...
You see that part way in the back that's glowing blue? That's what we're swapping out today. Your job is to pull it out and put a new part back in the same place.
Idia's handling Ortho's program management, and I've got to type in a password that gets updated every 15 seconds. I'm afraid we've both got our hands full. The sheer amount of security here is downright tedious.
I-I mean, Ortho's internals are super valuable. I made the security extra tight 'cause I didn't want anything getting stolen, but... *cough* I ended up making it SO secure that it's impossible for one person to handle alone. I'm gonna need to patch that. Heh.
Sure, it's all yours. Not like I need this junk. Anyway, I worked my tail off, so you better erase that photo. And I want my tuna! I've got a perfect memory when it comes to my favorite fishy delight.
Absolutely. I'm nothing if not a man of my word. I'll erase the picture and give you your tuna, and you won't harbor any ill will about what transpired today. If you find these terms agreeable, I'd like your signature to ensure no issues arise further down the line.
All you wanted was just one can of tuna? You're a saint, Grim! If you'd sold my swapped-out part, you could've had an all-you-can-eat tuna buffet, but you gave it to Azul Ashengrotto instead.
Please. Who could be foolish enough to sell off a piece of technomantic equipment handcrafted by the renowned genius Idia himself? I'll be holding onto this until the value appreciates even further. Given time, it will.