BATTER 22

Bijou gave a bright smile and adjusted his posture so that the teacher’s arm was easily accessible. The lower portion of his right arm was swollen heavily. It would have been quite painful if he were awake. After staring intently at the injured area for some time, the android provided his cheery diagnosis.

“Fortunately, it is a very clean fracture. Of course, while it is always best to receive treatment from a specialist, this is at a level that I can re-set myself. In fact, since he is unconscious, it will be much easier!”

“Huh?”

Then, without hesitation, Bijou snapped the twisted bone back into its proper position. No specific sound followed, but the children surrounding them let out an Ack! of screams. In the midst of the utterly petrified children, Bijou used skillful and rapid hands to transform the magazine and the outer coat into materials for a splint, which he then applied.

Just as he had said he had helped injured people before, his dexterity was no less impressive than that of a paramedic. Having finished the emergency first aid quickly, Bijou looked around with a proud, kind face.

“I have provided help, but as I stated a moment ago, specialist treatment is necessary to avoid other complications and bacterial infection. Is there…?”

“If you’re about to bring up health insurance, it’s probably better if you don’t.”

Baron let out a Haha laugh and leaned his head casually against Bijou’s shoulder. There are no doctors or hospitals around here that could be called specialists. Even if there were, it was obvious that with their low-tier health insurance, it would be difficult to even see a doctor’s face once. In the end, the only thing available in the vicinity were medicated patches used for pain relief. Baron looked down for a moment at the teacher’s cold, sweat-beaded face, then shifted his gaze to the small, young faces gathered close around.

“Hey there, kids. Care to give me your names and ranks?”

“…”

“It’s just that I’d like to ask a few questions, see.”

Their immature eyes rolled around helplessly, glancing at each other, not knowing what to do. This is why kids were such a pain. Seduction doesn’t work, you have to scare them just the right amount, and controlling your strength is difficult. Baron revised his question more precisely. This time, he added a kind hand gesture, pointing at Bijou.

“Do you recognize him from before?”

“…”

A proper answer did not come back this time, either. The way they were hesitating, shifting and fidgeting like puppies that needed to do their business, made it certain that they were hiding something, but they wouldn’t open their mouths. Just then, the girl who had acted as their guide this far stepped out as if blocking his path.

“Don’t bully my younger siblings. Speak to me.”

“Trixie, big sister…!”

It seemed this brave child’s name was Trixie. She was likely three or four years older than her siblings at most, but she was playing the role of big sister to perfection. In the girl’s hand was the airsoft gun he had seen earlier. Baron cocked an eyebrow.

“You do know that thing is essentially a toy gun, right?”

“It would sting if I shot you in the eyeball.”

Trixie shot back, not backing down. If she was good enough to snipe the center of his forehead, her skills weren’t bad. Baron was starting to like this feisty kid.

“Ah, of all kinds of kids, I actually prefer the ill-mannered ones.”

Well-behaved, timid children make him uncomfortable. He found the insolent brats who were quick to swear and didn’t know how to be scared of adults much more comfortable. Perhaps it was because he’d discovered a common denominator or something like that. Baron laughed with a light exhale and faced Trixie. Her eyes were as black and intense as coal, as if soot would rub off on you.

“Is that Trixie, short for Beatrix?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a very princess-like name. You’ll grow up to be king.”

As long as she doesn’t do something foolish like aiming at an enemy with an airsoft gun again, that is. Yet she seemed to be a kid after all, as he could see her expression soften considerably at being called a princess. Baron casually sat on the edge of the field cot where the teacher was lying, bringing himself down to eye level.

“Who gave you that name?”

“Teacher.”

“How did you two meet, I wonder?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Haha, maybe you were kidnapped, perhaps?”

Considering his actual line of work, it wasn’t a very ethical joke. To the bad joke, Trixie countered without backing down.

“It doesn’t matter. In any case, Teacher is the one who took care of us.”

“Oh, that’s quite unconditional.”

Would children who don’t even know what a splint is know the meaning of “unconditional”? Judging by their expressions, it seems they don’t. What on earth did this teacher teach his students? He certainly didn’t seem to have taught them shooting and taking cover. If he had, he would have sent these kids instead of that cheap humanoid. Baron continued his questions, gesturing with his chin in the direction where Bijou was standing.

“You know him, right? S2-2, that smooth, blonde beauty of an android.”

“I know.”

“Honey, do you know them?”

Bijou shook his head from side to side. Because he shook it so violently, his long blonde hair flapped, smacking both his cheeks. He looks pretty, but the slightly dim-witted way he acts is like a large dog with long fur. Baron merely made a pretense of smiling and faced Trixie.

“It seems your knowledge is one-sided. How did you know?”

At this question, Trixie swallowed hard. Her adorable Adam’s apple could be clearly seen slowly swelling and falling.

“The bounty…”

“Hmm?”

“The—the bounty was set.”

“No way, that guy… even for me, it’s the first…”

Baron, who had only been thinking of the police bureau databases, cut off his snort of laughter and stilled his expression. A smile that looked like crumpling stiff cardboard spread slowly from his mouth.

“You mean someone assigned a first-come-first-served contract to all the mercenaries of the Undercity?”

“I don’t know who it is. But, if we bring that robot back without damaging him…”

Baron cocked his eyebrow once more. Trixie, deciding there was nothing left to hide, finalized her answer with a look of futility.

“They said they would pay 100 million dollars.”

“Wow.”

At the unrealistic amount, an exclamation naturally escaped Baron’s lips. He didn’t know who the client was, but they certainly were an extraordinarily generous person. If it was 100 million dollars, it was a massive fortune that would allow all of these kids to clean up their dismal container life and migrate to Mars.

“Well, that certainly is a tempting piece of news…”

Baron looked at Bijou with eyes containing a deeply amused smile. Bijou, even after hearing that a bounty had been placed on him, was taking care of the children with an innocent face. Is he an older brother, an older sister? Looking at the pronouns used for me, I think he was perhaps designed assuming ‘older brother’. In any case, you’re an older brother, right? Gauging from the conversations that could be heard, it seemed a friendly atmosphere had already developed over there.

In context, it was a hilarious situation in many ways, but since he is an android who can be anything from a lover to family, one could say he is fulfilling his full function. While chuckling at the scene that was quite fitting in its own way, Trixie re-armed herself. The muzzle of the gun is black. This time, it’s not a toy.

“Thank you for bringing Teacher back. But now, you need to leave. Leave that android behind.”

Asking him to meekly leave behind 100 million dollars, she is one greedy kid. However, as a child, it might be an even stranger state of mind not to be greedy. Trixie pitched a fit by putting on a stern look and aiming the muzzle of the gun. In times like this, it’s best to be firm. Now, now, you must not do that.

“When did you deactivate the safety, I wonder. You do know the recoil is severe when you shoot, right?”

“How could I not know?”

Trixie’s cheek trembled faintly. Conversely, her small hands tightened their grip on the black gun barrel even more fiercely. Baron laughed, Haha, and raised both hands to around shoulder height, as if in surrender.

“While your teacher is on sick leave, how about I give you all a make-up lesson?”

Trixie narrowed her brows as if to say, What on earth are you talking about? It was instantaneous. It seemed the stance of his feet planted on the floor shifted slightly, then a booted foot that cut through the air like a flash of lightning kicked away the pistol held in the child’s hand. The instantly deflected pistol flew far and tumbled away. In that time, Baron lifted the startled child by the scruff of her neck like a kitten. As her weight was not much different from a kitten’s either, Baron advised with a laugh, Haha.

“Your eyes are good and you’re quick, but your body is still small and your muscles aren’t developed, so once I’m within close range, that’s it for you. It’s much, much better to secure an escape route, hide somewhere, and snipe. Dominate the big adults while looking down from high up, princess.”

“L—let, let, let me go!”