"One, two, three, four... eight, nine, ten..."
The number of people was exactly two doll forces. How can this be called "only a few"?
In addition to the four at the beginning, the six dolls with large bags at the back included three who could still be recognized as IDW, and the other three were G36s, who looked almost identical. So many dolls placed inside Griffin could easily handle a low-intensity encounter or ambush.
Yet, Renault casually claimed there weren't many...
"Commander, we've collected all the belongings of Springfield and Type 80. Their quarters at the headquarters haven't been reclaimed yet, so we brought out everything inside," G36 reported.
Of course, G36 only told half the story. Springfield, WA2000, and Type 80 were dolls whose items took longer to sort. G43 and M3 were less fortunate, as their belongings had already been packed up and ready to be discarded.
Luckily, they came in time. But the items these two left behind were mostly snacks about to expire and some books and papers. The bulk of the items were bedding and other things, which were not necessities for dolls and had to be bought out of their own pockets. Naturally, they packed these things together to take them away.
It was fortunate that there were no outrageously large items among the doll belongings. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for G36 alone, even with the help of those who hadn't changed their bodies.
For Angelia's question, Renault didn't explain.
Following MDR's directions, he returned Helian to her dormitory. After saying goodbye to Gentiane, he left G&K HQ unimpeded.
In the end, Angelia and Gentiane knew only that Renault had gotten some video data and the belongings of Springfield and Type 80. They had no clue if Renault had any deeper motives.
Meanwhile, checking G&K HQ was giving Angelia and Gentiane a headache.
It was a serious headache. Almost all the human employees had suddenly fainted, leaving only those responsible for daily maintenance and guard duties. Angelia developed a new respect for Renault's methods.
The renowned security contractor, Griffin and Kryuger, was as weak as a small child before Renault.
If Angelia and Gentiane weren't there to oversee things, the employees might never have understood what happened.
As for the surveillance equipment, they doubted Renault hadn't tampered with it.
..
Renault's return to the spaceship was smooth, without encountering any trouble.
Because Renault, MDR, and the G36 girls walked separately, people focused on him as the airship's owner. Outsiders couldn't distinguish his dolls at all.
After all, with so many dolls in the city, recognizing Renault's was difficult. Most of his dolls, except a few who hadn't changed bodies and the unlucky reporter, could freely switch identification codes, making it easy for those with bad intentions to mistake them for Griffin's.
As Renault's group of dolls returned to the airship, Springfield and the others also finished their purchases. The city that was initially chaotic due to signal interference gradually returned to normal.
Apart from some tabloid reports about the reappearance of the mysterious ship, it was as if Renault and his group had never appeared.
...
"Stg-44? Why are you still doing laundry? Isn't there a washing machine in the laundry room? Hand washing could damage your bionic skin, and the repair costs might be deducted from your salary," WA2000 called out.
She found Stg-44 squatting in front of a large basin, hand washing clothes from Griffin HQ.
"Ahem, hand washing is a bit cleaner!" Stg-44 replied, embarrassed. She couldn't just admit she had a cleanliness fetish. Although G36 and the girls packed her clothes initially, they had gathered dust at Griffin's special base in Sector S09.
"Alright! Put it down and hurry up to eat! Otherwise, G43 will snatch your favorite dishes!"
"Hey! Wait! Wait! I'm coming!"
By the time they arrived at the dining hall, G36 had already prepared a big meal with Sophia and Yulia.
Springfield and the girls had decorated the dining room with ornaments and ribbons, making it look like a festival.
Renault found the lively atmosphere refreshing; he hadn't encountered such liveliness in years. Previous years had been lively but not to this extent, and there hadn't been festivals before.
The dolls' willingness to celebrate was a good thing.
MDR even bought a special video recording device to capture it all live.
...
"Tsk, why does other people's food always smell better? That MDR is really good at this. Gentiane, why don't you apply to headquarters to transfer MDR to our side?" Kalina suggested as she watched MDR's live performance.
"Forget it, it's just luck this time. They don't come to give us Christmas gifts every year," Gentiane sighed, glancing at a Christmas tree not far away.
The tree was a gift from Renault, sent with a box of ingredients. According to Simonov who delivered it, someone suggested celebrating in a snowy place for a more festive feel. That's why they passed over the S05 sector.
Who knows if there will be a next time...
...
"Whew, finally done."
Helianthus took off her monocle, rubbed her eyes, and touched the gift box in her coat pocket.
She wanted to open it immediately but decided to wait for the holiday tomorrow.
"Endure a little longer, Helian! You can do it! Just hold on until tomorrow! Your record of not receiving any Christmas gifts is about to be broken!"