Photosfere

**Photosfere** (光力塊, *Kouryokukai*), fan translated as **Solar Mass**, is a scientifically advanced mega-corporation of energy products. They developed **Photochthon** (光土, *Koudo*) and **Photoleum** (光油, *Kouyu*).

With massive influence, it sponsors and developes schools and shopping malls. The company has an untouchable presence in space and cultivates a positive corporate image - behind that facade they have a disregard for spaceling life, use extreme methods to defend their goals and develop a privileged elite based on their company structure.

They seek to eliminate engineer Hajime Damemaru for not selling the rights to his inventions. Zaha Sanko, Shimada Death, and Avakian are also targeted for being powerful adversaries.

## Projects

### Treegun

Leviathan-class elementary school ship, **Treegun** (タイボクガン *Taibokugan*) - Sanko's elementary school, where he masked his identity among children from influential and rich parents. Children of Photosfere officials were sent to the school as well (usually appearing as stuck-up bullies). There are about two million students from planets all over the universe attending.

The massive school with its own dorms, gardens and shops has a tight security where no adults are allowed to enter. Instead, the students are being supervised and taught by friendly Photosfere robots addressed as **Mx. Photoleum** (光油先生, *Kouyu-sensei*). At night, the meek teachers merge with each other to transform into uncanny giants running on several limbs - to catch any kids on a stroll outside of their rooms.

The school heavily promotes their own products and teaches the students to work with them, as well as working on and building spaceships. Additionally, they embedded tracking devices into the bodies of students so they cannot run away or sneak out at night.

### Marutech

**Marutech** (マルテクヤ *Marutekuya*)Chapter 7 are the company's uncrewed shopping vessels floating in space. Though it has lax entry conditions in order to attract customers, they function with a sensitive self destruction mechanism to ward off space pirates. Customers may stay inside the Marutech for no more than twelve hours, or the ship will self destruct as well.

The products have a wide range from furniture to food, media, toys and technology. The walls can be scaled with "shopping carts" (rideable transportation robots that resemble bug exoskeletons) to enter gaping holes that lead to the relevant aisles. The carts have product number readers for self check-outs. The purchases are then carried around by **Fleshbots** (生ロボ *Nama robo*), dead spacelings turned cyborg for heavy lifting tasks (cheaper to create than your common robot). The Fleshbots walk in tunnels unavailable to the general public between the aisles, and are steered by a larger AI.

The Fleshbots developed by Photosfere are not actually corpses, but alive and controlled by machine surgery and powerful drugsChapter 8. Obsolete bots throw themselves into a trash pit.

## Products

* **Photoleowave** (光油レンジ *Kouyu renji*)Chapter 2 - A type of microwave oven that instantly cooks and bakes your food. Older models may cause temporary blindness due to flashing lights.
* **Phylactery** (護符束 *Gofu taba*)Chapter 3 - An amulet bundle embedded into the students of the *Treegun*, it moves around in the body to avoid detection. During night time, it automatically puts the students to sleep. The robotic teachers register and detect students based on their phylacteries. Avakian is able to extract the bundle from within Sanko due to Dark Flesh he attached to it.
* **Photochthon container** (光土コンテナ *Koudo kontena*)Chapter 3 - These inventions compress and carry an unknown amount of belongings with the light technology of the Photosfere. When handled correctly, items prone to rot can be preserved almost indefinitely and remain unchanged, even preserving heat.

## References

1. ↑ "Mx" is a gender neutral title.
2. ↑ There is no explanation given why this process is beneficial or cheaper compared to just using corpses.