BATTER 14

When he switched it on, it actually worked reasonably well. That didn’t mean there was anything worth watching, though. He turned it back off and looked behind him to see the guy sitting demurely on the edge of the bed. Baron plopped down a few spans away from him.

The mattress sank deep with the squeak of compressing springs. The being naturally leaned toward Baron, lying on his side to look up at him. His slightly pressed cheek looked soft. Without much thought, Baron poked the exposed cheek.

“What kind of android is this limp?”

“Does that cause you discomfort?”

“No, just saying.”

The texture against his fingertip was uncannily similar to human flesh. Baron rubbed his fingers together where they had touched the machine’s skin. The guy was still wearing that breezy, silly grin.

“You said you’ve been helping the injured for a long time?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What kind of people? I bet there were plenty of lowlife thugs in the mix.”

“If you are referring to individuals engaged in illegal and violent activities, then yes, that is correct.”

“I have a feeling there were also people who didn’t appreciate you wandering around like that.”

“Why is that?”

“If I left someone out there to die and some guy treated them and sent them back alive, wouldn’t I feel pretty damn shitty?”

The being remained lying there on his cheek. His answer exceeded expectations.

“The context implies a negative meaning. Do you believe ‘shit’ to be a bad thing?”

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Baron let out a loud laugh, completely flabbergasted. Seeing as he was laughing, the being must have figured it was a good thing, because he laughed right along with him. Baron crossed his arms and looked down at him.

“Darling, if you were really this stupid, there’s no way you’d still be operational.”

Whether he was actually listening or not, the being adjusted his position. He lay there with his chin propped in his hands like a flower bud—a pose that looked like it belonged on an old retro poster.

“You say a lot of people like you because you save them? You know what that means.”

There surely were idiots who showed favor because of this pretty artificial protein shell, but that couldn’t be everything. Baron leaned down to meet those bright blue eyes.

“It means there are just as many people who hate you.”

“That is not important.”

You naive brat, that’s actually the most important part. Baron pulled the corner of his mouth into a mocking smirk.

“Do you have no self-awareness regarding how awkward your existence is, S2—2?”

“…”

“In cases like this, I usually assume the other party is committing perjury.”

“That is not the case.”

It was the answer heard most often in interrogation rooms. No, it’s not like that, it’s a misunderstanding, I didn’t do it. Baron skillfully shifted the topic. The words he babbled while curving his drooping eyes sounded utterly trivial.

“You know what? This motel was built by saying ‘to hell with building codes,’ so the walls are paper-thin.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. So you can hear exactly what someone’s doing on the other side. Considering there’s only one bed per room, it’s not a great combination.”

Unless you have a hobby for eavesdropping, that is. Despite the unnecessary dirty joke, the being maintained his fresh smile. What a little charmer. Baron tilted his head crookedly. Perhaps because of that, his mouth seemed to twist along with it.

“Anyway, let me change the question, darling.”

Baron pressed his index finger over his own smiling lips. If you draw a deep breath through the nose and hold it for a moment, letting the saliva just pool under the tongue—only then can you hear it. Sounds that cannot be consciously stopped slowly revealed themselves, having found nowhere to hide.

The sound of a beating heart, the hum of the motel’s climate control, and a sound that wasn’t coming from this room. A sound that wasn’t ours. Baron grinned, baring his teeth.

“Is that a friend of yours standing behind that wall?”

He jerked his chin. The being went silent again. The “guy” a single wall away also held his breath as if paralyzed. A few seconds of silence. In the atmosphere that had turned razor-sharp in an instant, Baron’s gaze fixed on one spot. The door. The light on the lock pad, which wouldn’t open without a card key, flickered on. Red. Red. Red. Blue.

Beep-ring!

A gun barrel poked through the opening door. Just before it spat fire, Baron dove to the floor and pulled his pistol from his back pocket. He could have pulled it faster if it weren’t for the stupid android clinging to him like a moth trying to “protect” him.

“I will protect you! I will protect you!”

“Ah, get off me!”

Psh-t, psh-t. Silent bullets whizzed overhead and embedded themselves. Baron shook off the cloying being and aimed his barrel at the intruder. The bullet fired instantly, shoving the intruder’s shoulder back. He felt the hair on his neck stand up as his back jolted from the recoil. It was likely a stray shot from the intruder. There was no need to waste luck by turning around to check. Baron quickly pulled the second trigger.

“Watch out!”

The guy he’d just managed to push away pressed down on Baron’s head. Thanks to that, he accidentally shot the intruder in the head when he had intended to hit the shoulder. Damn. The intruder collapsed faster than the embarrassment could set in. Thud. The intruder fell backward, and a silence resembling peace returned. Baron let out a sigh and sat up. The bridge of his nose, which had been slammed face-first into the floor, was quite sore. While he was rubbing his nose, the being—who had been attempting “protection” a step behind—sat down next to him.

“Seriously, what are you doing?”

“Because I am designed to activate a basic protection program when a violent situation occurs…”

“No, darling. In times like this, staying still is how you help me.”

“No.”

Along with the backtalk, he held out a bullet. It was the object that had been lodged in the floor near where Baron’s head had been moments ago.

“There may be a margin of error, but I estimate that if I had not made you duck at that moment, this bullet would have penetrated your left ear or cheekbone.”

The bullet rolled into Baron’s palm. He felt the weight of heavy metal. Baron rolled the handed-over bullet in his hand and stared at him.

“Even so, in a situation like this, it would’ve been better to look out for your own body first.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“Think whatever you like.”

As if to show him something, Baron pinched the bullet between his thumb and index finger. It was slightly larger than a standard round, with several hawk-claw-like needles attached to the head. It looked designed to latch onto something and dig in.

“This is an anti-humanoid round. It works by discharging an electromagnetic pulse after making direct contact with the target to shut down operations.”

“So it’s the type that emits a pulse in this vicinity?”

“Yeah, so be careful.”

When the being tried to touch the bullet, Baron curled his palm shut around it. It was hard, heavy, and cool.

“I mean, you could beat a human to death with this if you tried… but it’s not exactly a rational method. However, there’s nothing better than this for dealing with an android.”

Baron’s half-closed eyes crinkled into long creases. He gestured with a glance toward the intruder lying near the door.

“It looks like this guy’s target was a machine, doesn’t it?”

The tail end of his sentence rose as if to tease. The stupid android raised his eyebrows with a smiling face, as if it were nothing. Baron tucked the bullet into his inner jacket pocket and spoke.

“Did you know there was a guy tailing you ever since the underpass?”

A dark silhouette reflected in the car’s side mirror. Someone who was visible even when the guy got into the passenger seat. He’d been standing in the alley while Baron paid for the motel. Baron stood up slowly and approached the fallen intruder. His black boot gave a nudge to the shoulder of the motionless body.