BATTER 26

“I think the inflammation from the fracture is causing the pain. On a scale of one to ten, where would you say your pain level sits right now?”

The teacher shook her head instead of giving a specific number. It was meant to signal that it didn’t hurt much, but she seemed to have absolutely no talent for acting tough. At that, Bijou fumbled near his own wrist and wedged a fingernail into a thin, faint crevice.

With a soft click, a small rectangular compartment popped open. Inside the slot, which was about two knuckles wide, white pills were lined up in a row. As the teacher looked back and forth between the pills and Bijou with a face slicked with cold sweat, the gentle Bijou began his explanation.

“These are painkillers I always carry with me. They will reduce the inflammation and the pain. Do you happen to have any underlying gastrointestinal conditions?”

“…No.”

“That is a relief. Please take this. It can be consumed without water. And make sure to avoid alcohol while taking this medication.”

The pill was placed into the teacher’s left palm. After hesitating, she finally swallowed it in one go. A bitter, revolting taste spread instantly through her mouth. She puckered her lips, working through the taste, before finally managing to speak.

“Why… are you being so nice to me? I’m going to sell you off.”

“Because I love you.”

At this answer, Baron couldn’t help but let out a silent laugh. Blessings upon the one who loves! Bijou pulled the corners of his mouth into a serene smile. He looked like a flower bursting into full bloom the moment it hit the sunlight.

“I was designed to alleviate human suffering and to love humanity. Therefore, I do not resent you.”

“Is that so…”

There was no confidence in the teacher’s voice as she replied. One could even read the fragile expressions of shame or guilt on her face. Was it because the shell of this gentle being smiling inches away looked too much like a human? Or had the pain of the broken bone worn down her mental flexibility? After a long pause, the young teacher asked in a trembling voice.

“Do you not hate anyone? Can you truly forgive everyone?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then, even for me…”

The words sounded as if they were being squeezed out through a long-held sense of guilt. Baron already knew exactly what words would follow. Whether the theory of innate goodness is right or wrong, the average human wants to be a “good person.” Even if they raise children like livestock, even if they administer general anesthesia while spinning common lies, even if they cut open a soft belly to extract a still-healthy, clean heart and liver—even if they played a part in all of that—they still want to be a good person. And so, they seek forgiveness. To erase the pain.

Baron stood leaning at an angle, his face devoid of interest. Suddenly, he sensed a presence coming from the direction of container number two. Trixie was peeking her face through the slightly ajar door. Noticing this belatedly, the teacher quickly wiped her eyes. Trixie, who had been so insolent in front of Baron, was incredibly kind and polite toward the teacher.

“Teacher, does it hurt?”

“Trixie? What are you doing up?”

“Just…”

Trixie glossed it over and came running out. The child, scary enough to aim a real lethal weapon, sat on the teacher’s lap. Trixie stared intently at the teacher’s injury with worried eyes.

“Please don’t be in pain. I’ll help you with anything.”

“You’re already helping enough.”

The teacher, who just a moment ago had a face so weak it could have been torn to shreds, put on a perfect smile. She brushed back the girl’s slightly messy bangs and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. Trixie still looked sad and afraid. To a casual observer, they looked like a young mother and daughter. Even though the two had completely different faces and were of different races, the intangible threads they had tied to each other wove them together until they looked alike.

Baron took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. That kid will be a king. All for the sake of the teacher who created her and stole her away on a whim. Meanwhile, the teacher stood up and took the child’s hand.

“Let’s go to bed, okay?”

Trixie nodded. The teacher headed for the door with the child. Toward their retreating backs, Baron tossed out a casual goodnight.

“Don’t raise her with too much heart, teacher.”

It was a crooked smile, as if mocking a fool. The teacher seemed to pause for a moment, turning her head just enough for the tip of her nose to show. Their eyes did not meet. Then, she went back into the room. Baron stared blankly at the closed door before entering the opposite one.

Their room was at the end of the line of containers. Next to some random junk, a frameless folding bed sat lonely with a single blanket. As Baron lay down on the bed, Bijou, who had been keeping his distance a few steps back, lay down beside him. When Baron turned his head, a slender palm gently cupped his right cheek. Baron enjoyed the smooth, flawless sensation and chuckled for no particular reason.

“Well, do you feel something?”

An infinitely blue pair of eyes sat about a span away. Their surface was so smooth, like a silver-backed mirror, that it felt like they could reflect one’s image perfectly. What would he have to throw to break them? What kind of pebble could cause a ripple in that bluish, polished philanthropy? He didn’t find the answer to his dilemma. The machine whispered quietly.

“I feel sadness.”

“Me?”

Baron’s eyes widened. It was certainly rare for him to reveal the entirety of his irises like that. A deep shadow carved itself between his brows. He soon burst into a loud, frantic laugh. He laughed for a good while, his shoulders shaking violently, before finally lifting his head. Bijou’s eyes were still as deep blue as a Madonna’s robes.

“I feel your sadness… Why is that?”

“My car’s windshield is completely trashed, isn’t it? How could I not be sad?”

He answered dismissively with a twitch of his nose. To this, Bijou countered without a second’s hesitation.

“If that were the case, you wouldn’t have enjoyed a reckless operation enough to damage the car in the first place.”

“Did it look like I was enjoying myself?”

Baron wagged his dark eyebrows playfully. The teeth revealed by the edge of his grin were full of apparent joy.

“Because you were laughing so happily.”

“Haha, you’re quite the analyst, honey.”

“You just laughed now, too. But emotions are not displayed solely through the movement of facial muscles. That is why I still feel your sadness. It is a conclusion reached through high cortisol levels, decreased brainstem activity, and increased reactivity in the amygdala.”

Now that’s a scientific brand of sadness. Baron gave a short laugh and pulled Bijou’s hand away. In those eyes that always laughed so skillfully, there seemed to be no room for sorrow. He narrowed his eyes and teased Bijou.

“Then why don’t you guess why I’m sad, too? You’re an AI. You surpassed humans a long time ago.”

Even at the mocking words, Bijou merely smiled steadily. Beyond that perfectly human and beautiful smile lay electronic circuits embodying centuries of technology. An elite, permanent brain, spine, heart, and nerves that never age, only evolve infinitely. There was a time when humanity suffered from the neurosis that they would eventually be ruled by them, but like most anxieties, humanity’s fear of machines never came to pass.

Born wrapped in steel placentas and numerical umbilical cords, they saw no reason to rule over humanity. Homo sapiens, whose bones and muscles wore down so easily, were unfit even as slaves. There was no reason for a machine to covet diamond mines or oil fields on another continent. Or perhaps they had learned there was no reason to obtain those things through overt domination. Thus, the beautiful, wise, and foolish machine lay quietly beside Baron Lin, whispering quickly according to the human’s command.