Klukai/Profile

Klukai

Story

Profile

Quotes

"I can't sleep yet, I still have work to do..."

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Journals

Record 1

This military Doll, formerly known by her personal codename "416", has absolute confidence in herself and aspires to make every member of H.I.D.E. 404 an elite. After the former leader Leva was seconded to the Non-Military Forces Administration along with Lenna, she took over as the leader, finished recruiting new members, and expanded 404 from a single squad to a covert organization with two excellent combat teams. Her neural cloud gradually matured during this process.

Klukai considers herself an elite Doll and sets her own standards appropriately. As such, both her strength and strictness are unquestionable. To those who know Klukai well, however, it's clear that underneath this cold, strong-willed facade lies a very simple wish—to keep everything safe.
Klukai firmly believes that only by becoming strong can one gain the ability to protect and the right to choose. Justifying the meaning of her name, Klukai hopes that she can become akin to a fierce crocodile, seizing a broader sky for 404 and giving "those who do not exist" the confidence to stand proud. However, all this gentleness and cherishing is buried under the strict requirements set by this unrestrained leader.

Times have changed, and so has her identity, but this has only strengthened the relationship between Klukai and the Commander. This also makes her believe that, when all is said and done, the only Doll who can stand by the Commander's side is her.

Record 2

No one knows when exactly, but one day Squad 404 began embarking on missions with just two members.
416 looked at the battlefield where victory was already certain and couldn't help but fall into contemplation. Although the mission was completed, this time it proved to be an arduous task due to insufficient firepower. She and Gr G11 would probably have to undergo maintenance.
"Leva and Lenna... when will their secondment be over... I really don't want you to forcefully wake me up every time you need a partner for a task..."
Gr G11's untimely complaint angered 416, especially considering the names she mentioned.
That's right. Ever since the day Kalina long-term seconded those two, all of 404's regular tasks turned into duo missions—just 416 and Gr G11.
"Looks like you'd prefer to get wrecked by that bullet storm and end up in an underground broker's scrap refitting station." 416 frowned, probably at the thought of the other two members of 404.
With just two members, Squad 404 was definitely incomplete.
How much longer would it be until those two return to 404? Will they ever come back at all?
An inexplicable irritation lingered in her heart, likely because she was subconsciously rejecting such an outcome.
"Well, it's probably simply because of the heavy damage we sustained just now."
Thinking this, 416 dragged Gr G11 along, throwing her into the transport vehicle for the return trip.

Record 3

"Ugh... you really bought it..."
Gr G11 let out a brief sigh at the sight of a brand-new motorbike parked in the base.
One of the transport vehicles commonly used by Squad 404 was destroyed during one of the recent missions. In order to arrive at the location of the next mission on time, they had to rent a motorbike from an underground broker. Perhaps the driving experience was too good, or perhaps riding a motorbike made the overly tense 416 feel a brief sense of freedom and release. Either way, 416 didn't hesitate to order a bike of her own even for a second.
Moreover, now that all missions were conducted by just two people, an overly bulky vehicle would simply be a hindrance.
However, Gr G11 seemed utterly uninterested in 416's newly ordered bike. She lazily yawned and was just about to go back to her beanbag.
"We have a mission coming up in two hours. Where do you think you're going?"
"Like you said, there's two hours left... I'm still a bit sleepy, so I'll just take a short..."
"Idiot, it's precisely because you're such a lazybones that executing missions is so troublesome."
416 grabbed Gr G11 just as she was about to leave, interrupting her mid-sentence, and pushed her onto the rear seat of the motorbike.
"Eh... isn't it because half of our combat power is put on a secondment..?"
"I specifically requested a safety harness for the rear seat. Keep complaining and I'll change the mudguard to a Gr G11 model..."
Seeing her sit down obediently, 416 stepped on the gas.
Since then, 416 seems to come to enjoy taking Gr G11 for a ride, though the latter wasn't always so willing to come along.

Record 4

416 didn't approve of the idea of expanding Squad 404 at first.
On the one hand, it was because the Dolls' resumes Leva handed her weren't really all that satisfactory to her. On the other hand, though—
True to the original meaning of Squad 404, what 416 and the others initially wanted to fight for was perhaps something ordinary Dolls had always possessed. A safe haven for illegal Dolls, something that just wasn't suitable for those ordinary Dolls.
It all began with 416 saving Gr G11 on impulse, completely changing the latter's life as a result. At that time, she realized that, even if it was well-intentioned, taking matters into one's own hands could still change a person's fate.
If Leva hadn't forcibly stuffed new Dolls into 404 under the pretext of completing missions, or if Gr G11—whose fate was changed—hadn't chimed in, 416 might not have accepted all this so quickly.
However, once a decision was made, 416 immediately regained her usual determination and pride.
Restoring the squad's missing combat power was of utmost priority. Even without Leva and Lenna, 404 must keep moving towards the future instead of disbanding. To achieve this goal, and to be responsible to the members who entrusted 404 with their fates, 416 decided to accept the mantle of leadership.
Hearing this news, though, Leva smiled and passed 416 the handover documents she had prepared in advance—an entire stack all at once. Only then did 416 realize that she had likely been tricked again.
"So you've been planning to dump this ungrateful job on me all along?!"
"You've made such a grand declaration. Time to deliver, new leader of Squad 404." Leva's wink was as sly as always.

Record 5

"...I have no intention of digging into your reasons for leaving Griffin, but when do you plan to discuss your current situation with me?"
Having typed this message into the communicator, Klukai hesitated for a second before sending it.
Over the years, she hadn't received a single reply from that person. Fortunately, 404's intelligence network allowed Klukai to receive occasional updates about their situation.
Knowing that the other party was safe and sound was enough for Klukai to be able to retain patience and composure.
Otherwise, neither the Boojums from the contamination zones, nor the "agreement" that was seemingly ineffective against 404 could've stopped her.

"..." Klukai looked at the chat window again. The only messages in it were hers.
The dates of messages sent spanned years. It would've been impossible for the other party to miss all of them.
Klukai knew full well about the trauma the sands of time caused that person. All of her old acquaintances were made helpless in the face of the shifting tides.
Sometimes, silence doesn't stem from disgust or estrangement.
Not being involved doesn't necessarily mean non-interference or harmlessness.
She herself is now the leader of Squad 404. That change in perspective also allowed her to see more secrets and crises.
It's just a pity that she still can't share her perspective with that person.
"Klukai... if you're not going to sleep... at least be quiet..." Mechty complained, half-asleep. Only then did Klukai realize that she had been tossing around everything in her reach while in her state of contemplation.
In the end, Klukai deleted the message she had just composed and quickly typed the same short question as always:
"Where are you?"
Only this time, she attached her geolocation data as well. This was undoubtedly a dangerous move for the covert 404, but Klukai had no doubts about the other party's credibility.
"I'm waiting for your response. Wherever you are, I'm right here."
"No matter what the agreement entails, I only care about your response."
That silent tacit understanding was always entangled in the airwaves.

Record 6

Although I've been familiar with Klukai's capabilities for a long time, I'm still amazed by her incredible focus and outstanding reflexes whenever I see her in the training ground.
Every shot during shooting practice inevitably hits the bullseye. She is miles ahead in the physical training as well, frequently beating the training records on the Elmo's system. Be it close combat or tactical drills, she's flawless in every single aspect.
"Commander, you were spectating my simulation training just now, right?"
As soon as the training ended, Klukai found me in the resting area.
"Your performance was perfect. You're going to increase the peer pressure this way."
"If the only thing increased is pressure, then they're only good for being left behind in tears."
"So, Miss Elite Doll, is there any reason you invited me to watch your training?"
In response to my question, Klukai sent me a special training plan.
"Ahem, well, I don't want to be dragged down by this bunch either, so... this plan can keep them from falling too far behind."
"I remember training has a limited effect on improving a Doll's abilities. Hardware is the main factor determining a Doll's upper power limit."
"I used to think so too, Commander." Klukai seemed to have anticipated my words. "But the truth is, a Doll with impeccable hardware can still fail if they lack experience."
This seemingly made Klukai recall something. Perhaps it was past experiences. She was so confident in her strength from the very beginning, but this had been the cause of some of her failures.
Now, however, it seems like she considers the problems more comprehensively instead of just blindly obsessing over pursuing victory.
"In any case, Commander, please give it a good thought."

Record 7

Another gift arrived in the ops room today.
Judging by the style, it should be yet another gift from a certain elite Doll who often goes out on missions.
After all, every time Klukai comes back after completing a mission, she brings me gifts of various sizes.
"Commander, you've already seen the items, right?" Klukai's call was perfectly timed.
It was hard to miss such a large supply crate in the ops room. Aside from various supplies, the crate also contained a set of motorbike gear just my size.
Let's pretend, just for a second, that it's normal to give supplies as gifts...
Though I often purchase clothes for Dolls, it's really rare for it to be the other way around.
"So, have you tried that gear on?"
"It's a perfect fit. How did you know my size?"
"It's but a simple matter for an Elite Doll. Anyway... I'm counting on you to go for a ride with me on your next day off. Don't worry, I'll have your bike ready."
So that was the reason for this gift.
"Considering how busy you are, I'll handle some of your work for you. If you have any sense... you would postpone some of the non-urgent matters."

Record 8

Although 404 have boarded the Elmo, they still maintain independent operation. In comparison to other Dolls, Klukai has always emphasized the cooperative nature of our relationship.
In my opinion, however, those are nothing more than insistent words. The missions of the Elmo and 404 have long since been intertwined, yet she still stubbornly carries out regular fee settlements with me.
Perhaps this is Klukai's way of maintaining her dignity.
I understand her self-esteem goes against her being treated as an accessory or a weakling, but that has never been the case anyway.
"Commander, this is 404's expense list for this quarter. Take a look. If there are no issues, I'll make the payment."
Each expense is carefully listed in the spreadsheet, ranging from costly items like frame maintenance and replacement to trivial things like individual members' broken cups.
"Klukai, there's actually no need to submit this. You've helped out with the Elmo's missions a lot... but you've never taken a single cent as compensation. It's already enough to cover all this."
"That's different. The ones I don't charge for are missions I assist you with on my own."
"How is that different? Since we're collaborating, both sides should clearly settle the accounts, right?"
There it is again, the Klukai's signature "you don't understand anything" look. Every time she looks at me like this, I can't help but start reflecting on myself.
"In your eyes... if I'm still Klukai, the leader of 404, then from your perspective, we are still in a cooperative relationship... As such, it's natural for 404 to pay its fees."
"Then in your eyes, am I not also your Command—" Ah, it seems that I finally understand a part of it.
"I don't want money, and you're not my Commander... I'm different from other Dolls... but as far as Dolls like me go, I am all you need."

Private Meeting Logs

Klukai

Commander, there's a few things that I'd like to confirm with you.

I'll need you to answer some questions I have... Treat it with the seriousness you would have for a mission.

So... are you free to do that at the moment?

Alright. Wait for me, I'll be right back.