A small animal was running around inside a glass case.
It chased a black sphere that hung from the tip of its tail as it spun around.
“When did this guy start doing this?”
“Since it was donated to this museum.”
“What?”
“Since 492 years, 7 days, 4 hours, 12 minutes, and 7 seconds ago.”
“……What kind of weapon is it?”
“KONEKO was a weapon designed to imitate an extinct pet animal. It was said that it was originally developed by a private millitary company. This weapon causes the soldiers confronting it to feel an instinctive sense of maternal love and want to protect it, halving their combat ability. This weapon was thought to have been inspired by an anecdote from the distant past where the pet animal it was based on was tied to soldiers as a shield to reduce the moral of the soldiers confronting them.”
The unfamiliar little animal with ears and a tail continued to spin around in a persistent manner.
The glass case was covered with graffiti that read ‘You’ll turn into butter!’
“So, did it work?”
“This weapon was successful in evoking protective feelings, but it was so elaborate an imitation of the original animal that it was also curious, fickle, selfish, and timid. In addition to its issue of being unpredictable, it also had no offensive capabilites on its own.”
“Then, what did they do……?”
“The solution was to simplify the thinking routine, make some extentions to the tail and add a blaster cannon to the tip.”
“I see.”
“As a result, this beloved weapon continues to spin around, chasing something flickering at the edge of its vision, the shining black ball at the tip of its tail. It’s so adorable.”
Fufufu, the guide laughed.
“Is that so……”
“That’s right. It’s very popular with guests. It’s also the model for our museum’s mascot.”
Saying that, she took out a pamphlet from her pocket which seemed to have a design of the KONEKO spinning around.
“There are also stuffed animals available at the shop.”
“If it’s all right, I’ll think about it for now.”
It was still too early to talk about the shop, which was right before the exit. The museum tour had only just begun.