BATTER 11

He always stepped through the damp patches of shade, moving forward one pace at a time. Because there was no hesitation in his stride, the distance between him and the hunkered figure closed rapidly. It didn’t take long before he reached a point where he couldn’t possibly get any closer.

Baron looked down at the defenseless crown of a head and a pale nape. The neck, visible through strands of long hair, looked excessively fragile and soft. The detective’s gaze traveled down the other man’s spine. Like his neck, the slender back showed no movement at all. Usually, the shoulder blades of a living, breathing creature would rise and fall, however minutely.

Is he dead? Maybe. He looks dead.

Baron glanced back for a moment. Then, he reflexively reached his hand toward the neck where no air seemed to pass. Right then, the figure moved for the first time. It was to lift his head. Since a car’s headlights were pointed toward them, Baron could see everything clearly. He, too, could see Baron through the deep backlighting. Two pairs of eyes met within the heatless white light.

The being had eyes that were excessively beautiful and clear. Because of that, Baron realized he wasn’t human. When Baron took a step back, the man smiled brightly and offered a greeting.

“Hello. A friend, lover, and family for the lonely you. I am S2—2, who will always love you. I am glad you are safe.”

It was such a consistent and precise smile that Baron could immediately recall the smile of light he’d seen when his vision was blurred from blood loss. He couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

“Ha… Hahahaha!”

Baron covered his forehead with one hand and bowed his head. He usually laughed often, but it had been quite a while since he’d laughed this loudly. Right, only an android wouldn’t value its own life. After all, they were made specifically not to treasure themselves.

Whether the android failed to grasp the context of the laughter or not, he stared blankly at Baron for a moment before laughing along with him. Possessing the voice of a young man, his laughter was also lovely.

“You look happy. Your laughter is loud and high-pitched. I am happy as well!”

Baron slowly stopped laughing and faced him.

“Why are you happy?”

“Because you are happy.”

“Right, right. I like the positivity.”

Baron conceded lightly. If it was the S2 line, it was a companion android designed to perform every intimate role from friend to family—a significant luxury item. Although the S2—2 was an old model produced over twenty years ago, at a glance, he was almost indistinguishable from a human, so he would be considered quite a precious commodity here in the Lower City.

While Baron was thinking of who the owner might be, the android suddenly reached out and yanked Baron’s shirt up. A solid upper body, like a wild animal that hadn’t forgotten how to run, was revealed beneath it. It was a physique so flawless it could make an enemy jealous, yet scars of various shapes and vividness remained across the hard muscles.

Without hesitation, the android’s fingers fumbled over a sunken mark near the ribcage and flank. Those fingers, likely made of silicone or artificial protein, were quite soft. Since he sensed zero intent to attack, Baron merely pulled one corner of his mouth into a smirk. Well, look at this.

“Is an android allowed to sexually harass someone?”

The one who had been stroking the surgical scar snapped his head up. His blue eyes, devoid of any broken capillaries or spots, sparkled.

“You received proper treatment! Considering the severity of the injury at the time, this shows a very fast healing rate. This, too, is a happy thing. Do you have any other aftereffects? And how is the companion who was with you?”

The slightly awkward nuance was the typical speech pattern of an older generation android. Instead of answering the question, Baron threw another one back.

“You’re the one who treated us, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right! In preparation for emergencies, I have learned treatments for various fatal injuries such as fractures, burns, cuts, stabs, and gunshot wounds.”

“Whoa, impressive.”

Baron gave a short response of agreement and pulled down the hem of his shirt, which had been hiked up to his chest. Because the clothes had been pulled so suddenly, the button holding the chest area together had popped off. Through the gap, the boundary where his muscles dipped was clearly visible. Baron spoke as he straightened his disheveled clothing.

“Setting aside how you knew for a second… why did you save us?”

“Because perceiving that a human is in a situation requiring help and not responding would go against my programming.”

What a funny guy. How could a fellow like this wander around the Lower City without being dismantled yet? Baron asked with a smile in his downcast eyes.

“Hey there, pretty boy, darling. Do you even know who I am?”

Eyes wearing a chronic smile looked at him. The android faced him with his head tilted slightly. During the brief silence, Baron assumed he had completed his analysis. After a short deduction, the android replied with a bright smile.

“You are the person I love!”

“You’re moving a bit fast there. Why?”

Without any sign of fluster, Baron asked for the reason nonchalantly. The android continued with the same smiling face.

“Because I am S2—2, a friend, lover, and family for the lonely you, who will always love you.”

“Mhm.”

An old model is definitely an old model, Baron thought as he peered into the android’s face, which was smiling with childlike innocence. He had a face that was meticulously decorative and extravagant. Early products of the S2 line were manufactured with distinct appearances to satisfy the owner’s desire for exclusivity. However, that didn’t mean they possessed great independence or uniqueness. Since they were made to love anyone, they had to have an appearance that could be loved by anyone.

For this reason, one could find traces of every beautiful thing in his face: silk, radiance, a lake, peonies, glass beads, sugar, paint, a young mammal with a flushed nose, lamb’s wool, a buffalo’s horn, the transparent iridescent wings of an insect, the spellbinding tail feathers of a peacock, the luster of a well-maintained instrument, and the round, soft curves of a childhood hill.

Scientists and designers had unearthed the common secrets of ancient aesthetics and breathed them into him. He blinked his elaborately designed eyes. In his indigo orbs with a bright lime-green glow, there was a sheen that looked momentarily like tears. Baron tucked the pistol he’d been holding into his back pocket and asked.

“Do you have a name? Don’t give me the product name.”

“Of course. Please call me Bijou. If you want something more lovely, you can call me Juju.”

“Juju? That sounds a bit like a dummy.”

Baron deliberately curled the corners of his eyes mischievously. Then, without getting flustered, the android merely whispered like a bashful young man.

“Because everyone who falls in love becomes a little fool.”

“Is that so? But you must know that being called a dummy is an insult.”

“But the spelling is different. It’s the ‘jou’ from Bijou.”

“You speak French, too?”

“Of course. Including the French and English you mentioned, I support a total of sixteen languages. Can you imagine how many poems I could recite for you?”

“That’s something.”

He wondered if the poems this thing could recite included those from countries that had now become part of the sea or the desert. Instead of the curiosity that had just surfaced, Baron pulled out another question.

“Who is your owner?”

“Owner?”

“The human who bought you. Or, I don’t know, assembled or built you.”

“If you limit the meaning of ‘owner’ to a purchase, then I have no owner.”

He answered without hesitation. Baron cocked an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Because I have never been sold.”

Never having been officially sold usually meant one of two things. Either he was taken out through illegal channels before being sold, or he was a defective product unfit for sale and slated for disposal. If it were the former, he would have been sold even on the black market, so the latter case seemed more plausible.