BATTER 55

In the middle of several pairs of watchful eyes, Lawrence offered a calm denial. At least one of them is reasonable, thank god. By this point, Harrison, who had been panting for quite some time, finally circled around to stand behind Lawrence. Having caught his breath, his voice was steady and composed.

“Whatever your reasons are, I understand that you aren’t willing to just hand over Mr. Bijou, and I have a rough idea of what you’re planning. But isn’t the risk far too high?”

“It’s fine, I actually like that sort of thing,” Baron replied with a grin, speaking as if it were a joke. Harrison simply maintained a sour expression. A deep sigh seemed to emanate from his entire face.

“I’m not joking. If your explanation is correct, these aren’t just some common street thugs, which means people like us won’t even be able to get near the destination. Can you handle it? It’s an impossible task even if we put a team together. If you’re planning to ask the people here for help…”

“Haha, the doctor has a sense of humor. The people in this neighborhood have probably forgotten how to even pull a trigger.”

“You know that well, it seems.”

“Though I wouldn’t say the same for the robots in this neighborhood.”

Baron cocked an eyebrow. Noticing the implication, Harrison couldn’t hide his flustered state. His slack jaw moved wordlessly before he grabbed Lawrence’s sturdy shoulder and pulled the machine toward himself.

“I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“Don’t know? You and I both know exactly what I mean.”

He gestured with his chin toward Lawrence. Under the lights, the model number shimmered clearly on the humanoid’s chest. 7H-2390. Just as Baron had said while sitting on the operating table, the 7H-2390 was not a medical model.

“A humanoid manufactured for the care of human children. Except the methods for that protection were ‘somewhat’ violent, leading to a total recall after a series of conflicts.”

The humanoid, which lacked realized facial features, remained perfectly serene. In contrast, the human doctor couldn’t stop his hands from twitching nervously.

“Obsessively following the child designated for protection, or perceiving parents as threats and opening fire to inflict fatal wounds. Should we say it was recalled because it was just too capable?”

Being capable isn’t a crime, though. Baron winked at Harrison’s stone-cold face.

“A friend of mine bought stock in that company and lost everything. That’s how I remembered.”

“And so?” Harrison asked.

His tone was rigid, a sharp contrast to Baron’s playful wink. His rounded eyes turned sharp in an instant.

“What is it you want?”

What sharpened those black pupils was a concern born of a very human affection. He was getting scared in advance, like a parent who won’t let a child near the water or out in the dark. Harrison clearly cherished this robot that didn’t even have a proper face. How very human. Baron shrugged and added:

“I think you’ve misunderstood. I have no intention of suggesting we go out and start a shootout together.”

―Then what is it you require?

The response came in a kind, level voice. Lawrence lowered Harrison’s tense hand from his shoulder and looked at Baron. A faint light seeped from the “eyes” made of simple geometric shapes. Resembling a car headlight or a shadowless surgical lamp rather than a human eye, the gaze was emotionless and dry, which actually made it easier to face.

“Your model carries a tracking device for ‘child protection.’ Do you still have it?”

―I do.

“Plant it on him. Somewhere it can’t be found. Can you do it?”

―It is possible, provided I have the subject’s permission.

“Is there ever a time he says no?” Baron replied with a hint of a sneer.

As silence fell between Lawrence and Baron, a small brat sitting on the table hopped down. It was Trixie.

“You’re going to go save the teacher, right?”

The child, whose skin at the back of her neck was gnarled and distorted, spoke in her usual bold voice. Baron narrowed the space between his knees, allowing the girl to stand beside him.

“I’m going too.”

“Oh, really?”

One eyebrow shot up with interest. It was a brave attitude for someone with such bloodshot eyes, and Baron appreciated that kind of courage. However, how practical it was was a different matter. Leaning his chin on his hand and looking down at Trixie with a rebel’s gaze, Baron spoke curtly.

“Why bother?”

“If you’re with a child, they won’t be suspicious.”

Trixie stepped closer and gripped Baron’s knee firmly. Unlike her trembling small fists, her pronunciation and gaze were clear. She could have stomped her feet and thrown a fit, but Trixie was just as cold-blooded as Baron. It was a sad thing. The child, well aware of her physical limitations and status, was preoccupied with how she could use them as a tool.

“I don’t know who those guys are or what they do, but they won’t think a man with a child is their enemy…!”

A laugh that was barely audible escaped through Baron’s teeth as he listened to the proposal. It sounded a bit like a sigh. He gently pushed the child’s forehead back with his palm. The eyes that emitted a light like the tip of a welding torch moved away. To meet those eyes, Baron leaned way down and put on a playful face.

“But your acting is terrible, Princess. Anyone looking at us would think I’m a kidnapper.”

“Is that my fault?”

“Besides, if you get so much as a scratch while following me, your teacher will try to kill me.”

No matter how smart he had been in a clean laboratory, the teacher who had come out into the world with a string of clones in tow was both stupid and weak-hearted. It was obvious he’d throw a fit if he found out his student had been put in danger. Baron thought it would be better to lose his other eye than to deal with that.

“Also, I’m not big on borrowing other people’s hands.”

“Don’t be so full of yourse—mmph.”

As Trixie tried to snap back, another kid pulled her away. She seemed to have much more to say, but she remained muffled by her friends for a while. While watching that peaceful scene, Harrison, his face clouded with worry, spoke up instead.

“Instead of just planting a tracker, how about aiming for the moment of the hostage exchange?”

“Those guys don’t want to leave witnesses if they can help it. If another human shows up at the exchange site, they’ll just shoot again.”

From their very first visit, those guys had come prepared with counterfeit bills and rifles. From that point on, any strategy involving a companion to look for an opening became useless. They likely had no intention of letting a companion leave alive anyway. An ambush while lying in wait was also far too risky. Given the incident Baron Lin had caused just 24 hours ago, their guard would be sky-high.

The only reason he had been able to trade an eye for a rescue was that they had underestimated their opponent. But now, those guys knew what kind of mad dog lived in the neighborhood.

Even so, a dog is just a dog. It dies if you hit a vital spot. Baron let out a weary, long sigh and muttered.

“Maybe I should’ve teased him a bit less…”

There had been no need to kindly point out exactly which parts were meat and which were metal. Baron slumped loosely into the chair. His neck dropped back over the headrest. With his chin pointing toward the ceiling, the world looked upside down. As the blood flowed in reverse, the skin of his forehead felt dull.

Just then, the children who had been huddled together like a flock of birds near the ceiling moved aside. Blonde hair fluttered in the gap. Suddenly, the stupid android was standing there upside down, looking down at him. Baron gave a faint smile and jerked his chin.

“Hey. You finish saying everything you needed to say?”

“Yes.”

“I thought it’d take you a lot longer.”

Baron used his core to sit himself back up as he added the comment. Bijou pulled the inexplicably excited Trixie into his arms and stroked her hair as he answered.

“Something like today is not a first.”

“Then you should’ve made an emergency manual or something.”

“Until now, well, it was mostly just the work of common thugs.”