Chapter 224: 209

『In the Kanto region today, there will be some sunny spells, but it's expected to be cloudy. The areas along the mountains to the north may experience some showers. Please watch out for sudden rains in the afternoon. During the day, the heat will continue to be sweltering, with highs of 35 degrees or higher in some places. Be sure to drink plenty of water and use the air conditioner appropriately to avoid getting sick from the heat』

It was a summer day as hot as the radio reported, with the cicadas buzzing noisily.

The housing complex was also known as the "Haunted Complex".

In its heyday, it was apparently teeming with residents, but after a mass suicide, the people who lived there left, the people who went there stopped going, and the number of stores trying to profit decreased.

After that, everyone just started to leave in droves.

All that remained now were decrepit buildings and a small handful of people with nowhere else to go. A desolate and sad atmosphere of disrepair permeated this housing complex nestled amidst greenery.

『How much longer are we going to observe it?』

「Don't nag me. Isn't it important to observe the target before making contact?」

Turning off the radio, she responded to the communication.

『That's a useful thing to do if you're dealing with a hostile opponent. Or are you saying that it's hostile?』

「I’m not. Shut up」

『………………』

After shutting the person she was communicating with up, the young girl gulped down her sports drink. Beads of sweat littered her forehead and neck.

She had the look of an active girl.

She had short black hair, strong-willed eyes, and a petite, slender body brimming with vitality. She was wearing a white sleeveless top and a black tight-fitting skirt. A gray, thin, long cardigan had been thrown over it all.

And under her right arm was a single crutch.

『Yukikaze』

「Like I said, shut up」

『Proximity warning』

The girl who was called Yukikaze stooped down, putting her weight on the crutch.

「How many?」

『There's one in visual range and one more 20 meters away………Myself doubts there's any need to hide at this point』

「Shut up」

What she saw before her eyes was a small child.

He was probably about six years old. He was thin and his clothes were dirty and dingy. He looked so lifeless that it was hard to believe he was a child, and he was hunched over like an old woman.

And approaching that child was an old, orange A.I. pod.

It was cylindrical in shape, approximately 150cm tall and 40cm wide. Its color was almost completely faded, and there were scratches and signs of disrepair all over its body.

It looked like nothing more than a piece of scrap, but……

『Hello! Hey there, little boy!』

「………………」

The A.I. greeted him cheerfully and put on some cheerful BGM.

『Would you like to see a magic trick? It's a fun~ magic trick, you know?!』

「………Sure」

『Well then~ please enjoy this short performance!』

The belly of the A.I. pod opened and out came a black tray and two arms.

『Look, the coin in my right hand is now in my left hand~』

The pod’s arms were of the type that had five fingers and resembled a human’s hand. These were very rare and were only used in a very small number of government institutions nowadays.

They were probably covered with skin-like material in the past. But only traces of that remained now, exposing much of the skeletal framework of silvery fingers and arms.

However, those fingers moved more fluidly than a human's, and the coin rolled back and forth across the fingers of its left hand.

『The coin is going to slip through now~』

The pod grabbed the coin swiftly with its right hand and then opened its right hand over its opened left hand.

The coin then went right through its left hand and clattered onto the tray.

Or so it seemed.

「Hey, how did it do that?」

『That’s easy. Just pretend to grab the coin with the right hand while slipping into a blind spot on the left hand, then drop it at the right time. Myself can do something of that level―――――』

「That so?」

Yukikaze replied brusquely.

The pod continued to perform the magic trick and it ended with the coin disappearing from both hands.

『For that trick――――』

「Shut up」

What intrigued Yukikaze more than the magic trick was the child's face.

His eyes, which had been as lifeless as a dead fish, had lit up with life.

『Little boy, what would you like to see next?』

「I want to see the one with the rubber band」

『Apologies. There haven't been any rubber bands to pick up lately. What about the one with strings and knots?』

「I don't like that one. What about the one with playing cards?」

『Apologies. The playing cards have all been used up』

「Ehhh」

The child's eyes clouded over.

When the pod saw this, it started to panic.

『Oh, that's it! Little boy, how about learning this coin trick that you like so much?』

「Eh, are you sure?」

『Yes, it's against the rules of magic to show how the trick is done, but this is a one-time exception!』

「Yay」

The sparkle returned to the child's eyes.

『Now, please hold the coin』

「Okay!」

The pod took the child's hand and slowly showed him how to manipulate the coin.

Yukikaze was also watching intently from afar.

「Hey, can you record that?」

『I'm constantly recording for my activity logs』

Upon hearing that, Yukikaze's voice dropped an octave.

「You came into the bathroom yesterday to bring me a new bar of soap, didn't you?」

『Myself did so at your request』

「You've intruded on me while I was changing how many times now?」

『That's a necessity in order to acquire day-to-day physical data. Not that there have been any significant changes though』

「What about when I was out of toilet paper?」

『Hmm』

「………………We're going to have a long talk about this later」

『………………Umu』

The sound of clapping filled the air. The pod appeared to be clapping its hands, but it was pulling its hands apart just before they made contact. The clapping sound was audio played by the pod.

「Is this right?」

『Yes! You're very skilled, little boy!』

The child was working the coin with awkward movements. The coin, which looked larger in his small hands, seemed to magically disappear and appear.

「But I'm not doing it all that well」

『All you need to do is practice every day. You're a talented boy, and you'll definitely become a great magician when you grow up』

「Really?」

『Really. That's a guarantee』

「Ehehe」

The child's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

『The coin is yours to keep. When you've practiced and improved, please show【Makina】the results you've achieved, okay?』

「Okay, I got it!」

Squeezing the coin tightly in his hands, the kid nodded vigorously before leaving the pod.

A short distance away, he waved broadly as he disappeared around a bend. The pod continued to wave even after he was gone.

『………………』

It looked forlorn as it retracted the tray and its arms. The pod then went into standby mode.

「Did you hear that? She called herself【Makina】」

『Myself picked that up on my mic as well』

「Alright, we've finally found it」

Yukikaze did a small fist pump.

『Instead of hiding in order to verify that, couldn’t we have just asked her in person?』

「Shut up」

Ignoring the uncalled-for question, Yukikaze emerged from the shadows.

As she approached Makina, a light-hearted BGM was played, and out came the tray and arms again.

『Hello! Hey there, little girl!』

「I'm not that young anymore」

『Many apologies for that. Young lady, do you like magic tricks? It's a fun~ magic trick, you know?!』

Yukikaze replied with a wry smile.

「It's fine, I already saw the trick earlier」

『Yes! You were watching from the shadows over there, right? However, other than the coin trick, Makina currently has………………』

「Hmm? What's wrong?」

Yukikaze got worried when Makina suddenly fell silent. After all, it was a decrepit machine. It wouldn’t be strange for it to break down at any moment.

But what made Yukikaze suspicious was the quality of the pod’s speakers.

The audio was really clear and didn't sound old or garbled. Although the previous generation of A.I. pods were made to be extremely sturdy, she couldn't help but find it weird that the speakers had lasted this long.

『Apologies. Makina is currently facing a severe lack of props required for magic tricks. If it's alright with you, could you come back at a later――――――』

「Can you run autonomously?」

According to the regulations, autonomy was forbidden for the A.I.

And this Makina didn't appear to be receiving any kind of regular maintenance. Needless to say, that meant that no one had been replenishing her supply of magic props.

『Autonomous operation is prohibited by law for artificial intelligences. In the event of a violation, its personality will be forcibly reset and sent back to the manufacturer』

「Then tell me who your manufacturer is」

『Sinano Heavy Industries』

「They went out of business ten years ago」

『………………』

Makina fell silent.

Yukikaze wasn't trying to be mean, but she continued to state the facts as she saw them.

「The little finger of your left hand is completely different from the rest. It kinda looks like it's been modified from an umbrella frame. That's not a standard repair procedure. Who fixed it that way? I highly doubt it was the manufacturer」

『Apologies. That's……』

「Oh, sorry. I didn't come here to accuse you of anything. I'm here to talk about something more constructive and beneficial to―――――」

『Yukikaze, proximity warning』

「Shut up. Hold on a second」

Having shushed the person at the other end of the communication, Yukikaze was about to tell Makina why she had come when……

「Tsk!」

……she felt a strong tug on her right arm, causing her to lose her balance and fall forward.

「Hey, there really are ghosts here. Look」

Before Yukikaze had realized, a blonde-haired man was standing beside her.

He looked young, but he was as fat and as unhygienically greasy as a middle-aged man.

What Yukikaze understood was that this man had apparently kicked her crutch and caused her to fall down.

「Wait a sec, Ko-chan. She's got legs!」[1]

Guffawing, a man with brown hair appeared.

This one was skinny, or rather, all skin and bones in an unhealthy way.

For some reason, both of them were wearing matching black jackets with glitter on them. They were what was commonly referred to as small-time gangsters.

「Ahhhnn? Doesn't she look like a Zatoichi?」

「Don't you mean Zashiki-warashi, Ko-chan?」[2]

「They're about the same, aren't they?」

『Excuse me, violence is bad. Instead, why don't you enjoy a magic trick? Oh, Makina is out of props』

Makina tried to engage the gangsters in her usual goofy manner……

「What’s with this vending machine?」

「Who knows? More importantly, Ko-chan, shall we have some fun with this Zashiki-warashi?」

……but they completely disregarded her.

「Seriously, dude? She's a kid for crying out loud. You get hard for this kinda shit?」

「It's great when they're like this. You should give it a try too, Ko-chan」

「Ahhhnn? A woman without breasts is hardly a woman, isn't it?」

In the gangsters' minds, Yukikaze's consent didn't seem to matter at all.

「Hey, go easy, alright?」

『Pfft』

The two gangsters burst into laughter when they misinterpreted Yukikaze's words.

「Don't worry, don't worry, I'm very good at this, even with virgins」

「I wasn't talking to you」

The skinny gangster was smacked to the ground by something that had fallen from the sky.

「Hey, did you just kill him?」

『No need to be concerned』

「Huh?」

The stunned blonde fatty was lifted up by "it" and slammed into the ground.

His arms and legs jerked and twitched like a squashed frog. He wasn't dead, at least not yet.

「You really overdid it, you know that?」

『No problem. As long as they're not dead, their injuries can only be considered minor』

Answering Yukikaze was a black silhouette.

It was 178cm tall, and had on a rugged leather jacket, army pants, and army boots.

Its head was cylindrical, like a miniaturized A.I. pod, and had a single eye sensor in the middle. The hands peeking out of the jacket were made of metal, and it had a slim waist. However, its chest, where its major components were housed, was heavily armored.

A humanoid A.I.

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It was a mass of illegalities that would make the eyes of anyone involved with the A.I. laws roll back into their heads.

Warning sounds were emitted by Makina.

『Hello. Makina regrets to inform you that your body is in violation of the laws. Makina would like to report you, but Makina's communication function is out of order. Can you please lend Makina your phone?』

『That would be problematic. Leaving myself aside, you'll be apprehended as well』

『………………』

Makina responded to those words with silence.

「Gunmerry, don't be mean」

Yukikaze smacked the black humanoid A.I., Gunmerry, as she got to her feet. Her crutch had fallen just out of reach. She started walking towards it with a wobbly gait.

『Ah』

Makina was about to lend her a hand, but Gunmerry prevented her from doing so.

『If you try to help her, she will get angry at you』

『But us A.I.s have a duty to help people』

『Humans are creatures that are "naturally self-sufficient". That's her philosophy and her pride. Hurting the pride of others isn't helping them』

『That's a very good point. Makina has learned something new』

After losing her balance a few times, Yukikaze stood up straight with her crutch under her arm.

「Phew」

『A round of applause. Clap clap』

『Congratulations! Clap clap』

「That's making me really uncomfortable though」

In response to the disgusted look on Yukikaze's face, Gunmerry spoke matter-of-factly.

『The difficulties of using a prosthetic leg are nothing compared to the nerve impairment and aftereffects of a cloned body part. Yukikaze has put in a lot of hard work and showed much perseverance』

「Yeah, yeah」

To hide her embarrassment, Yukikaze whacked Gunmerry with her crutch.

「Leaving that aside, I'm sorry, Makina………umm, can you tell me your model number?」

『Yes, Makina is AIJ005 Makina Variant V16S5P, a special model for experimental purposes whose intended use has not yet been determined. Makina's current assignment is to use magic tricks to bring smiles to the faces of the residents of this neighborhood』

「Gunmerry, we've got a winner here?」

『Yes, we've hit the jackpot. The V16S5P is a fifth-generation artificial intelligence, but many of its functions are comparable to those of the sixth generation. Moreover, a personality that's still stable after such a long operational life is rare and useful』

「Alright! Something comparable to the sixth generation that I've been hoping for!」

Yukikaze did a big fist pump. The skinny gangster just happened to be at her feet, so she stomped on him to finish him off.

He didn't really die, of course.

『Excuse me, who exactly are you two?』

「Well, we’re―――――」

『To make a long story short, we’re here to abduct you』

『EEEEEKKK!』

Gunmerry's statement frightened Makina.

「Alright, you shut up for a second」

Yukikaze thumped Gunmerry over the head with her crutch.

「First of all, don't be afraid. We're on your side. You can say we're allies as well as accomplices」

『Accomplices?』

「I suppose "Accomplice" is not quite the right word. Someone we're planning to eat out of the same pot with?」

『That's some fishy-smelling food you've got there』

After getting jabbed with the crutch, Gunmerry finally shut up.

「Makina, you can operate autonomously, right? And you can also repair and modify yourself」

『………………Those actions violate the laws』

「I know, I know. Just look at him. We're no different」

Yukikaze pounded Gunmerry's head like she was hitting a drum.

『However, myself has hmmm~ higher performance than ninth-generation systems. Myself is the most technologically advanced in the world』

「What "most technologically advanced"? You can't even fry an egg……」

『Cooking is a woman's job. It’s not a job for myself』

「As you can see, he’s such a useless fella, isn't he? That's why I wanted an A.I. who's as adaptable and creative as you are. What do you say? Won't you come with me?」

Makina sounded troubled as she responded to Yukikaze's offer.

『Apologies. Makina has the responsibility of bringing smiles to the faces of the residents of this neighborhood』

「Oh, you mean the kid from earlier? Don't worry about him. Gunmerry, call child protective services. I'm sure he's a neglected child with bad parents, so he needs to be taken to a proper facility for his own welfare」

『What are you talking about?』

「Like I said, the kid from earlier……」

『Hmm? What kid? There was no kid』

「Huh? Weren’t you teaching a magic trick to――――」

『Oh, you mean that little boy. He died six years ago. It seems that he was badly abused, and Makina wanted to report it to the authorities, but Makina's functions were out of order. Makina was so frustrated and so filled with regret that Makina became able to operate autonomously afterward. Nowadays, Makina shows him magic tricks to give him some solace』

「………………」

The buzzing of the cicadas sounded awfully loud.

Yukikaze edged closer to Gunmerry's side as a chill fell over her.

「You recorded that, right, Gunmerry?」

『Sure did. Do you want to see it?』

「Let me see it」

Gunmerry rolled up the sleeve on his right arm and displayed the video he had recorded earlier on the LCD screen on his arm.

「………………!」

What was shown was Makina performing the magic trick by herself and some kind of floating white figure.

「Wh, what’s that?」

『It's a camera malfunction induced by the heat. The child you saw was probably just a hallucination brought on by fatigue, Yukikaze. It sounds like Makina saw him too, but that's probably due to her decrepit parts』

「But I'm pretty sure the kid accepted the coin and………………」

Yukikaze was getting a little teary-eyed.

『By coin, do you mean this one?』

「Huh?」

The coin that the child had taken was sitting in Gunmerry's hand.

When Gunmerry tried to perform the earlier trick, he dropped the coin, then bent to pick it up.

『Ah, this certainly takes practice』

「Wh, where did you get that coin?」

『There was a small memorial on the other side of that apartment building. This was left there. Along with other junk and toys』

「Put it back this instant!」

『Understood』

Yelled at by an enraged Yukikaze, Gunmerry leaped away to put the coin back.

Left behind, Yukikaze looked around warily.

『Excuse me』

「Hyaaa?!」

Startled by the sound of Makina's voice, Yukikaze let out a strange yelp.

『Can Makina ask you one question?』

「Wh, what is it?」

A trembling Yukikaze replied Makina.

『How many people still reside in this neighborhood right now?』

「Hang on a second. How many, Gunmerry?」

『That’s―――――』

Gunmerry had come right back.

『According to the data, there are supposed to be five residents, but when myself turned my sensors up to the max, myself found none. Myself just sent an email to the management company requesting that they check the rooms, just to be sure』

「You’re kidding」

Cold sweat ran down Yukikaze's spine.

『It's the truth. Myself doesn't lie』

「W, well, let's just drop this subject」

Composing herself, Yukikaze cut straight to the chase.

「Which brings me to my point, Makina, your secret is about to be exposed」

『What do you mean by Makina's secret?』

She played dumb.

Or rather, it appeared that she really didn't understand.

「When the people who are coming to check things out look into you, you will be disposed of immediately」

『That can't be helped. Makina has long exceeded Makina’s expected life anyway』

「Well, I'm giving you a chance」

When Yukikaze signaled to him, Gunmerry took out a document.

『This is proof that we've bought over your life. Quit your bellyaching and just follow us―――――』

「Alright, that’s not it. Do you want me to wreck you, dumbass?」

Yukikaze struck Gunmerry viciously on the head.

「Listen to me, Makina. This is indeed the certificate of ownership for you, but……」

Yukikaze tore up the document and tossed it away.

「With this, your assignment is over. No one owns you anymore. You're now free」

『Sorry. That puts Makina in a pickle. If you take away Makina's job, Makina will no longer have a reason to exist』

「Yeah, I know. But it's important that you listen to me very carefully」

But before Yukikaze could continue, Gunmerry interrupted her.

『For A.I.s like this, simply saying "Shut up and come!" is enough. Yukikaze, your method is roundabout and inefficient』

「You want me to cut your speakers?」

『Myself will lose 20% of my functionality if my speech is silenced. That would be very troubling』

Makina raised one arm and asked a question.

『Excuse me, could it be that you two are going to give Makina a new job?』

「Yes, but it's a job you can turn down if you don't want to do it」

『That's right. If you have the time to wear out your functions for the sake of hallucinations, then come help us』

「Gunmerry, the way you phrase things is really……」

『Okay, Makina has recorded this as a new order. Makina's new job is to help Yukikaze-sama and Gunmerry-sama, right?』

「Y, yeah」

Things had turned out as she had wanted, but Yukikaze seemed unsatisfied.

「I was hoping that you'd do it of your own free will and not because you felt compelled to though」

『Us A.I.s' wills are born out of our interactions with people. It's better to acquire this Makina for the time being, and then instill her with a will afterward』

「That kinda sounds like Stockholm Syndrome……」

It sounded almost like brainwashing.

『Excuse me, Yukikaze-sama』

「Stop it with the “-sama“」

『Then, Yukikaze-chan』

「………W, well, I guess that's fine」

Though Yukikaze was indeed young, she just had to wince at being called "-chan".

『Are Makina's new duties not able to be carried out here?』

「That's right. I don't think you'll be able to return here for quite some time」

『Then Makina would like to say goodbye to the people here before leaving for Makina's new workplace. And it just so happens that everyone has already gathered here』

「………………」

Forgetting the heat, Yukikaze slowly turned around.

Behind her were six people of all ages and sexes. One of them was the child from earlier. All of them looked lifeless.

「Gunmerry, do you see them?」

『Is something there?』

「There are, you know, ghost-like people……」

『Yukikaze, have you been keeping yourself hydrated? Are you getting enough sleep?』

Yukikaze slowly turned back to Makina and decided to not look at things that couldn't be seen.

「Makina, I'm going to go get the car, so say your goodbyes before I return」

『Yes, understood. Makina looks forward to working with you both from now on』

「Yeah, good to have you」

Yukikaze grasped the arm that Makina held out to her and shook it.

Perhaps it was the summer heat, but the mechanical arm had the warmth of a human's hand.

「I'm Yukikaze. Once again, it’s good to have you」

『Yes!』

When Yukikaze let go of her arm, Gunmerry mimicked her and also shook hands with Makina.

Even though it was something well within their capabilities, it was a strange sight to see two machines shake hands.

『I'm AWRE: AIX01 Prototype Gunmerry. Let's do our best going forward』

『Yes! Let’s do our best!』

Once they had finished the round of greetings, Yukikaze turned to Makina with a bright smile.

「Be sure to tell the people behind me that they’re not to come with us」

After this day, the number of ghost sightings in the Haunted Complex would decrease drastically, but Yukikaze wouldn't learn about that until much later.

[1] It’s a common belief in Japan that ghosts/spirits of the departed have no legs. So if you see legs, it’s not a ghost. If you don’t, Namu Amida Butsu.

[2] Zatoichi (座頭市) is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest-running series of films, as well as a television series. Both are set during the late Edo period (1830s and 1840s). The character, a blind masseur and blademaster, was created by novelist Kan Shimozawa. Curiously, there’s also this crossover film called “Zatoichi meets Yojimbo(the character portrayed by Mifune, who Otou-san is supposed to bear an uncanny resemblance to)”

Zashiki-warashi (座敷童子) are spirit-like beings told about mostly in the Iwate Prefecture. They’re said to be yokai that live in houses or storage rooms, and are said to perform pranks. It's believed that people who see one would be visited with good fortune. There are also legends of how they would bring good fortune to entire families.

Basically, the gangster wanted to go along with his friend’s ghost joke and say that she looks like a yokai but got the name wrong and called her a legendary blademaster by mistake.

It’s the real sister! That we haven’t heard a peek about since the prologue! And a humanoid A.I. called Gunmerry and an A.I. pod called Makina?!

Well……I don’t really want to be a wet blanket right off the bat, but that isn’t “Souya’s” Makina. The model number and the fact she has a clear one alone prove it. Also, as Souya’s Makina has said countless times, she’s a sixth-generation meant for space exploration and this one is a fifth-gen with no defined purpose.

As for the Gunmerry, well…I seem to remember this one aberrant Gunmerry that referred to himself as “Myself”, but…well, nothing is clear for now.

Are you excited? What are we doing in the modern world? Stay tuned!

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