Testa's Final Journey

Even an artificial life can dream.

In my case, I always maintained the appropriate data storage, accessing memory information during hibernation mode and deciding what was necessary and what was not.

Of course, I did recall experiences from my past during this process.

Whether it was the same as the dreams humans had—I was not sure, but in the sense that they were images recalled based on memory, there should be no complaints about calling them dreams.

So, this must surely have been an illusion that had appeared in my memory.

The land was still faintly covered with snow.

Bathed in the warmth from the sun, a young girl crouched on the ground, her back rounded, her black hair waving in the mountain breeze, gazing excitedly at a spot barely visible through the snow.

Approaching her, I looked to where her gaze was fixed on a butterbur sprout peeking out from the melting snow, surrounded by ice yet reaching straight for the blue sky, striving for the light.

Icy meltwater. The faint scent of earth lingered in the air.

Here, the end of the harsh winter and the gentle blossoming of spring collided.

A breeze blew softly.

The young girl, having stood up without my noticing, stared intently at me.

Her face was tiny, no larger than the palm of my hand.

Testa, why do you sometimes become silent, saying nothing at all?

Her voice was youthful and clear, blending with the still chilly air.

Above her cheeks, red from the cold, her eyes sparkled with the reflection of the sun.

I have . . . an illness.

I saw my reflection in her round eyes.

My rugged, steel-covered body was shining with an unnervingly smooth sheen.

Unlike the girl's skin, it was distinctly metallic.

Illness? Can robots get sick?

Alas, such is the case.

The girl pursed her lips in wonder.

As though the meaning of my words slowly dawned on her, her expression turned to one of worry.

I see . . . In that case we must make sure you get treated.

As she spoke, the girl stood on her tiptoes and reached as far as she could towards my face.

Realizing she couldn't reach me, she began to jump, still trying to reach my face.

Seeing her struggle so hard, I couldn't help but bend down to meet her.

Finally, her innocent hands, reaching as far as they possibly could, touched my cold, metallic cheek.

Testa, your face is cold, so I'll warm it up for you. We'll make you better, okay?

While uttering her childish words, the girl smiled bravely.

What came from her palm was human warmth, the tremor of her pumping blood, and the fragility of a life akin to a flower.

Yes . . . I must recover quickly.

A slight pang of guilt stabbed at my heart.

The words I uttered were merely wistful thinking.

Pulling my face closer for a moment, the girl broke into a soft smile, flashing her pearly white teeth. Her eyes crinkled as she gazed up at me, a smile of innocence, a clear division between human and machine.

Suddenly, the surroundings were enveloped in a dazzling light.

The light gently embraced the girl's figure, extending far and wide across the land and the sky.

Oh . . .

My hand reached out unconsciously but was met with nothing but air.

The girl's smile at the edge of the snow, her figure blurred by the sunlight, eventually melted away into the spring breeze.

The warmth on her cheeks had vanished and knowing she was now out of reach filled my heart with a sudden emptiness.

Yet, the guilt from before never faded away.

Before I knew it, darkness had enveloped the surroundings.

Standing alone in the pitch-black darkness, I heard a voice emanating from somewhere.

If you give up now, I will never forgive you—

Why I remembered those words at that moment, I couldn't say.

But the fire of reason, lurking within me, flared up, and I gradually felt my senses returning.

It's okay. I'm okay—

With those words, I began to return to reality.

Back to the reality that awaited me and the mission I had to fulfill.

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was a tiny spider.

It seemed to be hanging on a thread from my own bowed head, and as I pinched the thread and tilted my gaze, the spider, dark red in color, appeared to be floating against the distant sunset.

The surrounding mountains had lost their vibrant green, and the world was gradually melting into darkness. The shadow of my steel-plated body overlapped with the face of a quietly breathing woman, her eyes shut.

It seems I had dozed off without realizing it.

The time it had taken from shutdown to reboot was about ten minutes, which—while long by recent standards—was not slow enough to be of concern. My thoughts were exceptionally normal.

Gradually grasping the situation, I gently placed the swaying spider on my finger and released it onto the grass below. After watching it scurry along the ground, I spoke to my master, the woman who had been sleeping on a weathered bench nearby.

Haru, wake up please. The day is already fading.

However, her response was short.

Mmm.

A sleepy voice. I was hesitant to disturb her sleep as it might spoil her mood, but I deemed it necessary to wake her.

Given the late summer season, one could sleep without a blanket during the day, but as evening approached, the inland area rapidly became chilly.

The cold would affect a human.

Especially when wearing just a thin shirt, even someone as healthy as her might fall ill.

I keep telling her to wear warmer clothes when sleeping, but it seemed with her that advice went in one ear and out the other. Moreover, for a young lady to sleep exposing her stomach in that way was rather improper.

Haru, you might catch a cold sleeping here. There seems to be a house nearby, let's rest there, in a proper bed.

I shook her shoulder, and with another groan, my master finally sat up.

Her eyes, still half closed, glared at me unhappily.

Hey, sleepyhead.

She playfully thumped my torso.

Despite having been asleep herself, she called me a sleepyhead? The nerve of her.

But alas, it seemed she had taken a nap waiting for me to reboot after an unexpected shutdown. She yawned, her eyes fixed intently on me, suggesting she hadn't been in a deep sleep.

You okay, Testa?

Haru mumbled as she shielded her eyes from the sun. Perhaps because she had just woken up, her voice seemed a bit subdued.

Yes, all good.

I responded calmly, trying not to worry her. Feeling that that wasn't quite enough, I added another comment jokingly.

Ah, I had a good sleep.

I faked a yawn for good measure.

My master remained silent for a while but eventually let out a relieved sigh. Then, quite contrary to her sharp gaze, she let out a rather cute sneeze.

Since there's a house nearby, why don't you rest indoors? If we stay out here, you'll be walking around with a runny nose tomorrow, which I think would be quite unseemly.

Tch.

An annoyed clucking of the tongue.

One of her bad habits that never seemed to change.

What's so unseemly about it? It's not like anyone's around to see anyway.

From the way she spoke, she seemed to be in a foul mood. The past few days had been spent in a tent with a sleeping bag, so she had been accumulating a fair amount of fatigue and stress.

As you've pointed out, unfortunately, there are no signs of life nearby.

It was only in the afternoon that we had finally reached this long-abandoned village. The place was as silent as if it was submerged under the sea. The old street lamps were no longer in use, the power lines had been cut, and most of the poles were leaning precariously. The houses sat with their windows shattered, the wind blowing straight through them.

This village was a ghost town.

Damn, all this way for nothing. Looking around, there's no way a medical engineer could be here.

Well, it was good exercise at least. The weather was nice, and it was perfect for a bit of rejuvenation.

Maybe you're fine with just sunlight, but I'm not a machine. Moving around makes me hungry, idiot.

After receiving a stern remark from my master, I smoothly extended a mechanical arm from my waist, removed the scale-like solar panels on my back, and stowed them inside the outer shell.

Haru finally got up, slung the backpack she had used as a pillow over her shoulders, and unholstered the pistol at her waist to check it.

Testa, how many bullets are left?

There are twenty bullets remaining. But, with the materials for explosives we found during our survey of the area and the stored acid, we can make more gunpowder. Then, if we resize and clean the cartridges, we'll have another thirty or so rounds.

Huh, I don't quite understand, but at least we don't have to worry about ammo.

My master stared blankly at the pistol in her hand.

The black barrel of the gun, reflecting the crimson light from the sunset, glinted ominously.

A tool that could easily take a human life with just the pull of a trigger.

One that I had crafted myself for Haru and handed over to her.

Well, I'll leave the bullets to you, you big buffoon.

Perhaps it was out of concern for me, who had fallen silent at the sight of the gun, that Haru changed the mood with such a mocking remark.

Calling me a buffoon is one thing, but adding 'big' . . . that's a bit much.

Pfft. Look who's talking—you're huge! And let's be real, you can be a bit of a buffoon sometimes. Plus, you're a bit on the hefty side. You should really consider going on a diet.

It's absurd to ask such a thing of a machine. Anyways, I understand your concern about the bullets. They will be ready by tomorrow.

I shifted my weight to my other leg, as if from human-like fatigue. I nodded to myself in agreement of the situation.

Refining bullets, repairing weapons—those were the roles assigned to me by humans.

Sixteen years ago, I was brought into this world as the walking combat-support robot Testarossa 1.0. My purpose was performing weapon repairs and modifications in remote areas such as deserts and forests or enemy combat zones, where access to supplies was difficult. Bluntly put, my job was to to manufacture tools for killing humans.

Being powered primarily by solar energy, on days as sunny as today, the amount of energy generated by my solar power greatly exceeded my consumption. With the stored electric power and resources, I could repair a variety of weapons using my AI, which had accumulated a significant amount of knowledge over the years. Here in this village, there were several metal manufacturing plants, and I was currently removing impurities from metals in an electric furnace for refining repair parts which was located in the lower part of my torso.

Naturally, to carry out weapon repairs as a single entity, it was necessary to incorporate a small electric furnace, a casting machine, and precision mechanical arms capable of working on tiny, complex things. Additionally, since mobility was a prerequisite, it was essential to minimize weight, but even so, my body length easily exceeded two meters. With a spherical body and limbs like those of primates, particularly in the arms, I was built to break through exterior walls in urban combat. Indeed, looking solely at my body, one might say I did resemble something of an ape-like being. However, my current appearance was the result of adding too many features based on user demands. Originally, I had been designed as a four-legged being, and a tail of sorts still revealed something of the original design. The developers who manufactured me even affectionately called me "Fat Lizard," a slightly dishonorable nickname that alluded to a sort of reptilian origin.

Of course Haru was aware of my past, which I had told her about myself, and now she tended to call me things like "gorilla" or "fatso."

I just wanted her to know a bit more about my origins and how I came to exist, but it seemed that the only thing that stuck in her mind was Fat Lizard.

Truly, conveying my true feelings is always difficult.

Alright, let's get some more sleep.

Storing the pistol back at her hip, my master began strolling away. Although her height of 160 cm might not be considered tall for a woman, her black hair which shone in the setting sun was clean, and the nape of her neck peeking out from her scarf showed smooth and unblemished skin. Her slender body, covered by a light shirt, extended into lithe limbs devoid of any excess fat.

If she remained silent, she would undoubtedly be a perfect woman, I sighed inwardly. From ahead, a sound reminiscent of a puppy choking on something drifted towards me.

It seems my master's stomach was growling. It would be truly uncouth to laugh at this moment, so I reluctantly remained silent, and soon her ears began to turn red.

Testa . . . do we still have enough food supplies?

After a meaningful pause, I responded to my master's question.

We have enough for half a day.

As I turned to face her, my master's stern face filled my field of vision.

Well, if it's drinking water, we have a week's supply. Please don't worry.

How am I supposed to relax? No food and a piece of junk making bad jokes. It's annoying.

Getting irritated is not good. I must say it's a waste of energy.

Shut up. Tomorrow, we're going full force to find some food. If we can't, I'll chop off your tail and eat it.

What a violent thing to say. Even though I was called a lizard, I lacked the function to regrow a tail if it got eaten, so I would have appreciated some consideration.

As I entertained such trivial worries, my master spoke up hesitantly.

And . . . if you're feeling off or something, tell me right away. It'd be a real bummer if you just stopped working suddenly.

I wasn't sure if there were any precursors to such a condition, but I didn't want to leave her feeling uneasy.

Yes.

That was all I could reply.

However, it seemed that wasn't enough to satisfy her.

My master crossed her arms and furrowed her brow, directing a prickly gaze my way.

This is the start of the usual lecture.

Really, you're kind of too rigid. Overthinking things.

Yes.

And despite your large size, you fuss over the little things, and you're also just kind of a drag.

Yes.

No one wants to see a gloomy gorilla at the zoo. Get it?

You really do say whatever you want . . . After all, I am a lizard.

She had always been sharp-tongued. It was a bad habit that just wouldn't go away.

Of course, I understood that there was concern behind her hard words, having known her for years. However, she could be seen as a crude, uneducated woman, which was regrettable as it tarnished her image. Therefore, I had to continue to caution her strongly.

Well, just relax a bit more. You're smart, after all. Be more adaptable.

Flexible, you mean?

I let my arms hang down further as if my muscles had relaxed.

You look even more like a gorilla now.

Haru burst out laughing.

The evening breeze carried a slight scent of Haru, a mix of human sweat and the lingering smell of gunpowder, with a faint sweet fragrance. She liked looking at flowers, so the pollen from the flowers she saw on the mountain path must have caused it, I thought, grateful for this small source of happiness.

Come on, pay attention. Let's get going.

Haru led the way down the path as dusk continued to fall.

I hurried to keep pace.

And suddenly, I was seized by a sudden worry.

How long will I be able to keep watching her back like this?

Life is not eternal. Even for a machine, there are no exceptions.

AIMD—Artificial Intelligence Mental Disorder.

A mental disorder in artificial intelligence caused by logical self-contradiction.

The name of the disease that was gnawing away at my body.

Eroding intelligence over time, and eventually, leading to a total shutdown where not even a reboot would be possible—a fatal condition unique to artificial intelligence.

The day after spending a night in a dusty abandoned house, we visited a river a short way from the village.

Yesterday I received instructions from my master to secure provisions. In my search this morning, I discovered grains suitable for human consumption nearby.

It's too mushy and tastes terrible.

She dismissed it with a kick, and I was ordered to further investigate the surroundings. To secure a valuable protein source for my master, I headed to a nearby riverbank. As we walked, I talked soothingly to the hungry Haru, and we finally reached the spot around noon.

Walking downstream along the river, we found plenty of animals by the waterside as expected. Not far from some birds resting on the rocks, a beast about two meters long, probably from the bovine family, was busy drinking from the river.

Testa, can we eat that slow-looking one?

A detailed analysis is necessary, but it should be edible if cooked properly. However, we don't have any ammunition left for the hunting shotgun.

The usual will do.

Following her instructions, I opened the hatch on my back. Using the elongated mechanical arm stored in my waist for precision machinery manufacturing, I removed a small-caliber rifle from within and placed it in Haru's hands.

As soon as she received the gun, Haru quickly lay on her stomach on a large rock by the riverbank and fixed the beast in her sights. At this point, all I could do was watch the trajectory of the bullets fired by my master.

As a combat support robot, I excelled in weapon repair as well as exploration and information gathering. However, I generally lacked the ability to attack directly. More precisely, while capable of attacking, I lacked the supporting software, and my movement was not particularly quick, making me unsuitable for direct physical combat. My primary function was weapon repair, and ironically on the battlefield, I was often used as a mobile weapons depot and left the fighting to the soldiers.

The beast that Haru had in sight had no idea that it was on the brink of death, dipping its body into the flowing water without a care. After thoroughly soaking its fur, it seemed to enjoy shaking its body dry.

Haru slowly drew breath into her lungs and then held it.

Her finger already resting on the trigger.

Right beside the muzzle, two white butterflies fluttered about, engaged in a sort of aerial dance.

The afternoon was filled with the sounds of chirping of birds and the gentle babbling of the river.

The next moment—a deafening boom tore through the tranquil air.

Startled by the loud noise, the birds took off into the sky one after another.

The beast dropped instantaneously to the ground; the bullet lodged in its head.

Haru exhaled deeply and slowly rose from the large rock. Her gaze was as sharp as usual, but as she crossed the river to approach the dead animal, she clasped her hands and stood silently in a moment of solemnity.

The sounds of living creatures that had been echoing just before now seemed like a dream as the area fell silent.

Haru's short hair gently swayed in the forest breeze.

Illuminated by the sun, her black hair shimmered softly like ocean waves, glinting in the light.

Suddenly, I felt a pang of loneliness. Watching my master blend into the peaceful landscape, I felt a dizzying sense of melancholy, as if Haru might disappear to somewhere far away. Prayer had always been a foreign concept to me.

After a while, my master turned back, a hand on her head to try and keep her hair from blowing into her face.

Testa, help me carry this.

Certainly.

I immediately shifted to a forward-leaning position, using both hands to maintain balance as I crossed the river.

Looks like there's quite a bit of meat on here. We'll have to be sure not to waste any of it.

Haru gently stroked the belly of the deceased animal.

Eating all of this would certainly exceed the calorie intake for an average woman.

Then make it last by turning it into jerky or something. You're good at processing, right?

Hmm. While I am indeed skilled, that’s quite an unreasonable request.

I am a robot designed for repairing weapons. I have no experience making smoked meat.

It was a modest resistance to maintain my pride, but a mischievous smile soon returned.

Idiot. Facing new challenges and using your brain to figure things out is pretty important, you know. I read something similar in a book once. It might even help with your condition.

It might have sounded like a careless suggestion, but at least from my master's tone, she truly believed in the possibility.

Well then, no helping it. Understood.

In the end, that day I was tasked with making smoked meat for the first time. Although it was a quick makeshift attempt, it seemed to have satisfied my master adequately.

Not bad, Testa. Looks like you're switching careers to a maid robot now.

I stored my master's words of praise in my memory, and that day, I shifted into rest mode feeling a profound sense of satisfaction.

Zzz . . . Zzz . . .

Haru, please wake up. Haru.

I reluctantly woke my master, who was snoring softly.

Hmm . . . Isn't it still dark outside? Are you okay?

She was groggy from sleep, but her gaze quickly sharpened.

She must have noticed something odd outside.

However, unlike me, Haru didn't seem particularly concerned.

By the way, how did you even fit through the door with that size of yours?

I shrugged off the verbal jab, pointing to the damaged back door and floor. As expected, Haru furrowed her brow.

No wonder it was so cold.

Haru muttered under her breath.

More importantly, there are signs of life approaching us.

Humans . . . ?

From the information available, they are definitely human.

Before I could even respond, Haru had already jumped out of bed. She grabbed the pistol that was by her pillow and clucked her tongue in irritation.

Disturbing a maiden's sleep, what tactless buffoons. Where are they?

2.8 kilometers to the south-southwest, approaching at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour by vehicle. They will be here in two minutes. There are three occupants. From the shape of the vehicle, it appears to be a civilian car, not a combat vehicle.

Upon hearing this, Haru gazed pensively at her pistol. Suddenly, as if snapped out of a trance, she tucked the gun into her waistband.

Aren't you going to fight?

If we just show up guns blazing, they’ll have no choice but to retaliate, won’t they?

They might attack without warning.

If that happens, we'll handle it. Besides, you'll protect me, right?

Despite the potential looming danger, my master was remarkably laid-back. Of course, I intended to protect her no matter what happened, but I couldn't bring myself to agree with her casual approach.

I could suddenly shut down. We mustn’t be careless.

Of course, if that happens we'll just have to fight. Just wipe them all out, right?

I was taken aback for a moment. It was the kind of response I had hoped for, yet hearing it put so bluntly from her made me suddenly unsure of my own thoughts.

But there was no time left to ponder. I had no choice but to go along with her suggestion.

Haru aimed a kick at the rotting wooden wall and nestled herself into the resultant hole she had created.

It’d be nice if they speak our language.

Approximately 100 meters away, just southwest of this house.

Seconds later, the sound of brakes screeched nearby. The life signs were still those of three people.

Please be careful. It appears all of them are armed with rifles.

As my master peered outside, she finally caught sight of them.

Oh, there they are—humans.

She said with evident pleasure.

The beings who emerged from the vehicle were indeed a trio of males: one towering over 180 cm, another with a beard obscuring much of his face, and sandwiched between them, a stout man with a cigarette in his mouth, apparently giving directions to his comrades. They looked like locals, with their dark skin typical of the region's residents, each holding an assault rifle.

However, it was clear they weren't particularly well trained. They casually held their weapons at waist level, with the muzzles almost touching the ground. Moreover, the strange antenna-like device attached to their vehicle, presumably a countermeasure against artificial intelligences, emitted a special electromagnetic wave, but it was hardly enough to try to disable an AI like me with military-grade shielding.

Hopefully, we can have a bit of a chat.

Haru gave me a quick glance.

Follow my lead and translate for me.

Haru spoke briskly, and without waiting for a reply, she quickly headed towards the door.

Reluctantly, I followed along, positioning myself right beside her.

Please, don’t do anything reckless.

Acknowledging the advice with a nod, Haru used her foot to gently nudge the door open while keeping her hands raised.

The sudden noise startled the men, who instinctively aimed their guns at my master.

Tell them that I don't intend to resist.

I immediately translated her words.

It appeared to be an unexpected surrender for them. The men glanced at each other, confused, and the cigarette holding man, likely their leader, covered his mouth, and gave further instructions to his comrades.

After a while, the presumed leader responded in the same language I had used.

He's asking, 'What's with the robotic voice?'

Just a translator. I’m not good at talking.

Haru gestured with a jerk of her chin to prompt more interpreting, though it seemed pointless to continue the conversation given the circumstances. Reluctantly, I obeyed her command.

Of course, I remained vigilant, ready for whatever might happen next. My entire neural network was sharply focused on protecting my master.

Then, the man, who had been calm until now, suddenly raised his voice sharply.

He's asking, 'What happened to the robot that was with you?'

Tell him 'He's sound asleep.' Also, let him know we have a few questions of our own.

Despite the hostile demeanor of the men, Haru was still not ready to give up on dialogue. She was likely trying to extract information about the medical engineer for my sake, and respecting her thoughtfulness, I continued to translate, despite the doubt in my mind.

But then, suddenly—

A flash of light erupted from the enemy's gun barrels.

The sound of gunfire ripped through the air. The volley of bullets, clearly intended to kill Haru, caught us completely off guard.

Sensing the slightest muscle twitch from the enemy thanks to my biosensors, I pushed Haru behind me faster than the bullets could reach us. I then crouched down, shielding her with my entire body. The sound of bullets colliding with me continued without interruption.

Of course, my armored shell, covered in specialized steel plates, wasn't even scratched by such gunfire.

Haru leaned against my back, remaining still for a while. As she touched the slightly trembling steel plates with her palm, she waited for the attack to subside with her breathing unchanged.

At that moment, I remembered Haru's earlier words.

Just wipe them all out, right?

A brief sense of worry flashed through my mind.

However, I had to act. Seizing the moment as they were reloading, Haru leapt from behind me as she drew the gun from her waistband.

She pulled the trigger in the blink of an eye.

The bullet, which shot from the barrel of Haru's gun, found its mark in the forehead of the tallest man. He dropped instantly, blood spraying from his wound.

The remaining two men quickly returned fire, but their bullets, fired in panic, stood no chance against the swift onslaught of their adversary.

That's a waste of bullets.

With a dismissive grunt, Haru charged towards the bearded man. Caught by surprise, the man's eyes widened in shock, his mouth opening in a scream of despair.

But the only sound that escaped was a strange, garbled noise.

The survival knife he had been carrying had been plunged into his throat. Haru yanked it out, and thurst it back into his mouth, causing a spray of blood to erupt from the back of his skull and flow down his neck.

In that moment of chaos, clear dismay was evident on the leader's face. He roared in an attempt to shake off the impending fear and opened fire again towards my master.

However, his wild shooting only hit the collapsing body of the bearded man, not even grazing Haru. It seemed impossible. She had dodged the bullets with ease, as if she could see the trajectory of the bullets.

Haru, having swiftly closed the distance, grabbed the leader's shoulder and kicked off the ground, leaping over the man as she sliced the knife through the side of his body all in one fluid motion.

The man was oblivious to his own wounds. Haru immediately crouched down and, spinning on both legs, delivered a fierce kick to the freshly opened up abdomen of the man.

Gah!

The man screamed and fell to the ground. He desperately tried to reach for his gun as his last resort, but Haru mercilessly slashed his hand even as he struggled in vain.

Another scream echoed. By the time I rushed to my master's side, everything was over. The man, now completely devoid of any will to fight, was curled up letting out pitiful groans.

Attacking a frail woman with her hands up, that’s not very nice.

Wait! Please wait! Spare me, I beg you . . . !

Now suddenly fluent, the man began to plead for his life in the same language as Haru.

What’s that? You understand my words?

I'm sorry. I truly meant no harm.

No harm meant, yet you attack? How does that make sense?

The man continued to apologize.

I'm sorry.

He bowed low on the ground as if prostrating himself, his movements no doubt a result of enduring the pain from his stabbed abdomen as well.

It was then that we finally noticed the device attached to the man’s ear.

A small auditory sensor. It seemed this was how he had been tracking our location.

So you were eavesdropping on our voices from afar, huh? Creep.

I heard gunfire in the forest during the day. These days, a functioning AI robot is a rarity. That’s why I planned to kill you and take the big one.

Sensing that the truth was his only chance of survival, the words poured desperately from the man's mouth.

Unfortunately, Haru seemed to have already lost interest in him. Picking up the discarded assault rifle, she stared at its barrel for a moment before swinging around to point it at the man.

Stop, please! I’ll share my food, anything!

Unfortunately for you, I’m all set for food. My partner here is into making smoked jerky, you know. I do have one question. Do you know where I can find a machine doctor?

A machine doctor . . . You mean a medical engineer?

The man was silent for a while, but finally, he sighed in resignation and shook his head.

Right, that’s all I needed to hear. Any last words?

Please, I won’t make such a foolish mistake again. What we did was wrong.

The man continued his pleas in agony.

The pool of blood spreading on the ground shimmered eerily beneath the moonlight.

Food, wealth, even my family has been taken. Humans will gladly resort to inhumanity when pushed. You can't fight human nature. Maybe we appeared that way to you. But I just didn’t want to be robbed anymore. Not my life, not even what my life has become now . . .

Given his gaping wound in his stomach, it was almost a miracle he could still speak.

Either way, he wasn't going to survive. Realizing this, somehow letting him go now seemed necessary.

It was an odd contradiction.

Please . . . just spare my life . . .

Looking at the man, gasping for breath, I unconsciously called out Haru's name.

But I could see in her eyes that she had already decided his fate.

You understood me, right? I asked if you had any last words.

Fear flashed across the man's face, quickly giving way to resignation. Perhaps no longer feeling pain, his body relaxed, and he lay on the ground like a rag doll, gazing blankly up at Haru.

Oh, God . . .

Following his whisper, a gunshot rang out.

The noise echoed in the silence all around.

Even as splatters of the man's blood flecked her cheek, Haru remained motionless.

She then quietly lowered the gun, muttering indifferently.

Where in this world is there a god?

In the pre-dawn hours, her black hair illuminated by the moonlight was as hauntingly beautiful as when she had hunted beasts during the day.

But my master didn't offer any more thought to the corpse lying before us.

At the break of dawn, we decided to leave the village. After replenishing our supplies with some food and ammunition, we set out back towards the east.

Haru had barely uttered a word since yesterday.

It wasn't her first time taking a life. We had often faced sudden attacks like last night's. Sometimes it was for food, sometimes it was for her, and other times, like yesterday, they aimed for my intelligence, forcing my master to make life-saving decisions each time.

As soon as Haru was ready, I conducted a survey report on the car the men had used last night.

Indeed, it's quite an old model. There seems to be no match with any model in my memory bank. It appears to be powered by gasoline.

Whatever. Can you make more of it?

Refining is possible. However, I can't remove impurities to a high degree of precision, so there would be some risks. There's also hardly any fuel left in the vehicle.

Tch. It's just a piece of junk after all. Besides, even if it did work, it's useless if you can't ride in it. Let's keep walking.

Haru seemed to have lost interest and started walking off at a brisk pace.

I followed immediately. On this empty land, the sounds of human and metal footsteps continued to echo in the silence.

She was turning eighteen that year. Her cheeks, once round, were now smooth as flower petals bearing dew, and her once ruddy, low nose had paled, jutting out as if to reflect her strong-willed nature.

And then, the way she handled herself in combat last night. Even without me, protecting herself would be no trouble at all for her.

Yet . . . I couldn't help but feel anxious.

What stuck in my mind was Haru's demeanor last night. She killed mercilessly, ignoring the defenseless and mortally wounded man's pleas. I couldn't criticize her choice. It had been an ambush aimed at taking our lives. Ensuring the assailant's death was necessary to protect us.

If so, why was I then possessed by the foolish thought of letting the man go? What was I trying to prove by doing so?

In that moment, I couldn't find the answer to the question that suddenly welled up in my thoughts.

Amid these recurring emotions, I realized at some point that I had lost my auditory functions.

Hmm? I can't hear anything.

Suddenly, my consciousness began to fade.

I detected the anomaly quickly, but before I could address it, all systems began to shut down. I tried desperately to inform my master of the situation, but I was losing control over my speech functions as well.

Haru . . .

I called out for my master in my mind, but it was too soft to reach her ears.

My remaining visual functions faded, and the world was enveloped in white light.

Beckoned to the world of memories, I couldn't resist.

. . .

Am I dreaming again?

What memory was I in?

It felt a bit warm. I could also hear the sound of flowing water somewhere.

In any case, I had to return to reality soon.

I couldn't leave my master alone in reality.

But how . . . ?

How could I return?

That's what I couldn't figure out.

Ah . . . I heard a young voice calling my name in the distance.

The girl in the dream. The girl who vanished like an illusion.

My precious . . .

Hey, Testa. Are you okay?

When I woke, Haru's worried face filled my field of vision.

Haru . . .

Apparently, it was just a brief anomaly that lasted a few seconds. The reboot also appeared to have gone without any hitches.

Before I realized it, my master's palms were gently cradling my cheeks.

Her fingertips already reached high enough to do so without me having to stoop.

Are you really okay, Testa?

The warmth, indistinguishable from the illusion, spread across my metallic skin.

The reality that would never fade into the light reignited the flame of consciousness within me.

Yes, I'm fine. Thank you . . .

Before I could finish my thanks, Haru, with a stern look on her face, suddenly slapped me across the cheek.

And just like before, she flashed her neatly aligned white teeth.

Haha, are you awake now?

My master smiled like a mischievous child.

The creases at the corners of her eyes stretched, soft as the lines of a petal.

That hurts . . .

You don't have pain receptors, do you?

Watching my master laugh heartily, I too felt a lightness spread through my body.

Yes. I'm alright. I'm still okay . . .

To protect human lives, I had been made to create weapons that could take them.

That was my original mission.

But now, it wasn't just that.

The passing seasons. Countless lives begun and ended in repetition.

In this world, only humans were fading away.

Living together with Haru.

That was my new mission.