BATTER 15

The head, kicked by his foot, lulled to one side, revealing a face that could barely be described as having features. It was a humanoid that merely walked on two legs with similar body proportions, not even bothering to mimic a human.

The intruder robot’s upper casing was composed of metal and plastic, and its appearance wasn’t particularly distinctive. Aside from the fact that the area near the right side of the head where the bullet had passed was almost entirely shattered, it didn’t seem to have any defining character. Baron gave the humanoid’s shoulder a few taps with the tip of his boot.

“Hey, wake up.”

“I estimate that the primary circuits have been damaged by the gunfire.”

The one who had scurried after him knelt beside Baron, hugging his own knees.

“It’s fine. You just have to hit it a few times.”

Traditionally, for machines, a good smack was the best medicine. Baron hunkered down and tapped the guy’s head a few times with his hand. This, too, was a strike that required a bit of technique. After being thumped a few times like that, a flickering light came on within the shattered plastic face.

“See? Told you.”

“I’ll take note of that!”

As the power came back on, the damaged humanoid’s hand twitched. Baron firmly stomped on its weapon-mounted arm to keep it from rising. A creaking metallic sound came from the suppressed robot’s joints. If it had been a human, that kick would have snapped a bone. Baron interrogated it with an arrogant air.

“Who sent you, tin can?”

“Ne…ga…tive… (Refusal)…”

“Heh. Fine, don’t talk if you don’t want to.”

I’ll just pop the hood and rip out the memory anyway. He didn’t bother saying the second part out loud. However, the humanoid made a noise as if it were trying to say something more. As it did, the noise grew worse, turning into an unpleasant metallic screech.

“Ope…ra…tion… read…y… (Reporting for duty)…”

The light cast behind the plastic screen also began to flash unsteadily. Blink, blink, blink. And finally, acrid smoke rose from the shattered head. Baron hissed a short curse and grabbed the humanoid’s head. Since it was similar in stature to a human, he had to take a posture that looked almost like he was embracing the thing. Even so, he knew it was too late the very next instant.

“Ah, shit.”

The mechanical body of the now completely non-functional humanoid went limp. Baron felt the weight of the heavy limbs sagging over his forearm. The permanently powered-down alloy torso was chillingly heavy. In an instant, a wave of discomfort shuddered up his spine.

His inner ear, pierced by a foul, nauseating sensation, began to throb violently. His heart, pumping blood rapidly, felt like a stiff lump of meat. Baron drew a deep breath, trying his best not to associate anything with the weight that felt strangely familiar.

“Right, this is the most certain way.”

The heat from the machine whose database had been completely destroyed was eerily similar to body temperature. Baron skillfully sat the humanoid’s upper body up and checked the back of its head. When he opened the socket terminal on the back of the guy’s skull, a strong smell of burning wafted out. Data recovery is only possible if there’s a device left to recover from; in this state, it would be impossible for anyone short of the Creator.

There was… no way to restore the memories of a physically totaled machine.

That much was a fact that hadn’t changed even after decades. There was likely no one in this city who knew that as painfully well as Baron.

Baron smacked his lips bitterly.

“Burned the memory out completely. This is why I like machines. They’re always so certain, aren’t they?”

There was no need to get sentimental over one of the many machines scattered around. As he slowly brushed himself off and stood up, the humanoid slumped back to the floor. Baron stared down at the hunk of scrap metal lying there as if dead, then lay down on the bed with his back to it.

The stupid blonde android was still hunkered down, staring at the guy. His back looked like that of a boy encountering a dead bird for the first time in his life. His back, bathed in the indoor light, looked exceptionally pale and transparent. Baron projected human sorrow onto him. Are machines designed to pity other machines, too?

Baron rolled his eyes toward the ceiling directly above. The wallpaper, soaked in all kinds of smoke over a long time, was mottled and stained. Fixing his gaze on a yellowish smudge, Baron tossed out a remark laced with a chuckle.

“Why, do you feel sorry for him?”

“Are you going to leave him like that?”

“I guess you want me to bury him or something.”

“No. I was speaking about the possibility that the attacker has companions and the risk that our location has been discovered by them.”

“Hmm, you’re actually kind of charming when you suddenly get all cold and analytical.”

Still lying down, Baron fumbled near his chest and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes. He put the first one his hand caught between his lips and slowly lit it. After taking a deep drag of the stiff tobacco and exhaling, a single stream of hazy smoke drifted up. Baron flicked the ash into the ashtray by the bedside. While his head remained fixed on the falling ash, his pupils rolled over toward the blonde android.

“It looked like what that guy wanted was an android. Haha, so that means at least I’m not the one dying, right?”

His thin lips quirked into a smirk. Only then did the blonde android turn around with those transparent eyes.

“Well, even if they bring actual rifles next time… it’s just more evidence.”

Baron chuckled and put the cigarette back in his mouth. At that moment, he felt the mattress nearby sink deep. The blonde android had moved right up next to him. He crossed the boundary between human and object without hesitation, closing the distance. A distance that was excessively private while simultaneously imbuing the moment it was crossed with meaning. Baron did not avoid him as he drew very close.

However, what touched his lips was not a nose or a tongue, but a slender white fingertip. It was a hand as soft as lips, though. The surface of the inner finger passed over his right cheek, and soon, the entire soft palm covered the side of Baron’s face. He could feel those fingers even through his curly brown hair.

Baron looked down at what the guy was doing while keeping the burning cigarette in his mouth. A man of messy habits, he felt no need to avoid it. He simply tilted his head to the side as he always did. Usually, this is when they want a kiss. Do androids want romantic kisses, too? Subjectively and independently?

But instead of offering up his own soft flesh, the being abruptly took the cigarette held between Baron’s lips. The question that followed the unannounced confiscation was even more absurd.

“Are you injured?”

The smoker, suddenly robbed of his cigarette, couldn’t help but wear an incredulous expression.

“What are you doing? A robot rebellion?”

“I detected a rapid rise in your stress levels.”

“How’d you know? I actually just got a bit upset because my cigarette was taken away.”

How nice would it be if he were someone who could trade nonsense for nonsense. But the guy, possessing a firm purpose, was nothing but clear and earnest.

“No, this was detected prior to your smoking. Dilated pupils, increased heart rate, and muscle contractions—I can tell through your biometric data that your sympathetic nervous system is over-activated. Are you currently experiencing pain, tension, agitation, or anxiety?”

He’d seemed airheaded the whole time, yet he was incredibly sharp in the most useless areas. Baron’s calloused fingers snatched the cigarette back from the android’s hand. When Baron tried to smoke the retrieved cigarette again, a white hand intervened once more. After waving his hands here and there in the air, Baron felt a strange sense of futility.

The being, with his thorough sense of responsibility, didn’t miss that moment and grabbed the cigarette. This time, as if determined not to have it taken back, he even rubbed it between his fingertips to put the fire out completely. The android, who was both stupid and brazen, held his head high and offered advice.

“Smoking acts as a stimulant that irritates the autonomic nervous system. Therefore, it is not a recommended activity in your current state.”

“Then buy me a drink.”

“Drinking for the sake of relaxation is one of the primary symptoms of alcohol dependence.”

“If I wanted to live a long and healthy life, I wouldn’t be sitting here like this, would I?”