CHAPTER 2
1 × 1 = RECKLESS
……So, let’s review the situation. I’m Riku, eighteen, virgin—…What? You got a problem—?!
No. No, no, no, no, the question erupting from my wildly spinning brain has to…wait, wait—calm down! Get it together. I cannot grasp the situation, but that means it’s worse than anything I anticipated. Assign priorities to the questions— What happened? What’s happening? What’s about to happen? That’s all. First, check the lock on your heart.
…It’s all right. It’s still locked after all these bizarre events—just barely. Then grasp this situation in a second, no, a ten-thousandth of a second. If you don’t—
“… Assessment … Processing situation…”
No matter what this naked girl straddling you—this monster in disguise —does, you’ll be screwed ! Think faster—stop time—
From the village, Riku had spurred on his horse to the east, to the ruins indicated by the Dwarven map. They were supposedly the remains of an old Elven city, destroyed by a Flügel in a single strike. Information about Elf was very sophisticated, and very valuable. He searched the battlefield, but found nothing useful there, and the intel he managed to gather was full of subtle holes. After all, the bastards didn’t use tools. Magic that didn’t require catalysts could be swept up clean. But along his way, the black ash grew thick, and he took shelter in a little monument nearby. That was when he spotted one—a member of another race. She had the appearance of a nude young girl with mechanical parts exposed—an Ex Machina. One of the worst races. But it was fine . Probably. Riku tried to ignore it and pass on.
—The next instant, he was flat. All of his gear had been eliminated along with the black ash itself, and he’d been thrust to the ground—apparently. He was utterly clueless as to what had just happened…but it seemed he wasn’t dead yet. Anyhow, his torso had been stripped bare, and he’d been pushed onto his back, whereupon the Ex Machina, lowering its body over him, spoke.
Big brother, I can’t take it anymore. Make me a woman.
.
…Some sort of memory disorder? He was on the ground. It was perfectly plausible that he’d hit his head. But if his memory was in fact reliable, that line had been delivered in an emotionless monotone, after which, suddenly…
His innocence—his lips were stolen.
…That’s all he’d been able to deduce. It answered the first question, “What happened?” Now he was grappling with the second—“What’s happening?”—but…
“ Error … Comprehension failed.”
The Ex Machina, still on top of Riku, muttered this declaration unemotionally, wearing a mechanical non-expression.
…Hmm, go me , Riku congratulated himself silently, having successfully suppressed both his mouth and the reflex response prompted by his reason and life experience, both of which were desperate to scream— I’m the one who fails to understand, you piece of shit!
—Ex Machina. A very special race even among all the shits involved in the War. First off, they were a race of machines, not even living things , and they operated connected in “clusters.” This meant if one found you, the race found you. Confronting one meant confronting the lot. But what made them very special was their manner of fighting. When a unit received an attack, it would analyze it in under a second and immediately design an equivalent armament. Whether it be Elven magic, Dwarven spirit arms, or even Dragonia breath—Ex Machina would reproduce it and fire it back . Through the long course of the War, their stockpile of weaponry had continued to grow, and in theory—they’d be able to power up indefinitely: the worst of the races. But they also had another trait.
They didn’t attack proactively. If attacked, they would strike back, but as long as you didn’t provoke them, they wouldn’t engage you. Or so it was said. For this reason, Dwarven writings described them as ? “untouchables.”
This was the insight that shut Riku up. Were he to say something out of turn, he might be perceived as an enemy—and the entire human race exterminated.
Which brought him to “What’s happening?!”—What the hell is going on here?
A situation that contradicted his available intel in multiple ways caused Riku to rage at himself. They didn’t attack proactively. His assumption, then, being that he should be able to ignore it and move on—but now look at this. Riku, having assembled all his information, still found himself unable to grasp the situation or move when— fwip , the skin pressed against his receded, though the girl-shaped machine continued straddling him.
“ Hypothesis: Values of fantasy parameters invalid?”
At this thoroughly unexpected question—a moment’s indecision. Humans were ghosts. They did not exist. They must not exist. They were imperceptible… Should he forgo a reply and remain silent—?
“……It’s not even a matter of whether it’s my thing or not. Did you get my consent before robbing me of my innocence?”
He decided against it. The thing had clearly spoken using the human tongue. This confirmed that, at the very least, the existence of the human race was recognized. This fact alone chilled him to the core, but to ignore it… Rejection could be interpreted as hostility. Reason demanded: Just go with the flow for now. Until you can see the situation, you mustn’t make a move.
Seeming uninterested in answering his accusation, the creature continued expressionlessly, its voice flat.
“ Laden: Preset 072—‘I-it’s not like I wanted to. It was an accident.’ That’s right, an accident.”
…Its soulless recitation, in conjunction with its initial “Big brother,” made Riku’s head go blank again.
—Just what the hell is this?
“………… Confirmation: No change in subject’s body temperature, pulse rate, or reproductive organs.”
“Could you please not peep at people’s physical reactions?”
Struggling to maintain his composure, Riku inwardly clucked as he discovered another unwelcome fact: It was measuring his physiological responses. The probability that a lie would be taken as antagonistic—was significant. Whether or not it was aware of these misgivings on Riku’s part, the mechanical girl continued its line of interrogation.
“ Doubt: Humans assumed to respond to present values with sexual arousal. Data incorrect?”
“…Well, yeah. I guess I’ll just say it depends on the person.”
—He couldn’t lie. But he couldn’t see its aim, either. He couldn’t get a handle on the situation. Given that, if it was reading his physiological responses, it should have been well aware how terrified he was, just what did it want…?
“ Query: Unit not deemed sexually arousing—or ‘attractive’?”
Already struggling with his thoughts, this spectacularly difficult question made Riku feel dizzy. A calamity that spelled annihilation if met with opposition had just asked him something that would be tricky enough just coming from a human—and he couldn’t lie.
…Riku steeled himself and took a serious look at the Ex Machina straddling him.
She looked much like a human girl of about ten. Her long black hair contrasted with her white skin and ruby eyes. She was pretty without qualification—or would be, except for the mechanical parts sticking out everywhere and the two taillike cables.
“Objectively, I think you’re pretty. But in terms of arousal, I’d prefer someone of my race, and you look a little too young.”
…How was that? He hadn’t lied or criticized her… Was that not perfect, for a virgin? While Riku congratulated himself for this accomplishment, the Ex Machina girl promptly continued.
“ Doubt: User without sexual experience intends to select partner?”
“Are you saying a virgin has no right to choose…?”
.
In the course of this exchange, Riku’s thoughts had gradually settled as he came to see the situation. Their conversation so far had sparked in him a certain suspicion. If he was right—
“So…may I ask by now what it is you want?”
—might as well ask. He was well aware that posing a careless question could be dangerous. However. Based on what he could predict from the information he’d gathered so far, failing to do so could result in an absolute crisis . The Ex Machina girl replied promptly and calmly.
“ Answer: Analysis of unique language among humans desired.”
“…Unique language?”
Riku repeated it—hoping that, somehow, his prediction would prove off the mark. But the Ex Machina girl nodded and informed him mechanically:
“ Affirmation: Unique language of ‘heart.’”
.
“ Confirmation: ‘Becoming one’— unique language involving epidermal contact. Act assumed to exchange ‘hearts,’ which Ex Machina lack. Analysis indicates unit can load ‘heart’ if act emulated… Data incorrect?”
Good God. Bad feelings sure have a way of proving themselves right , Riku chortled to himself silently. From the moment he’d been tackled, he’d been strategizing how he might kill himself while it wasn’t looking—but here it was speaking the human tongue, making conjectures (albeit inaccurate ones) about human sexual activity, and even gauging his physiological responses. Given what this revealed, Riku laughed at himself for having worried about answering it. Everything about humans was an open secret. It wasn’t a matter of whether or not they knew humans existed.
They’ve been watching us. Probably for a long time.
“—Well, you see, if exchanging ‘hearts’ was as easy as ‘becoming one’ physically, we humans would have a lot less trouble with each other.”
Watching the Ex Machina as it seemed to deliberate his answer, Riku found his thoughts clearing to the point where it was difficult to believe how out of sorts he’d been. For whatever reason, humans had caught the notice of the worst of races and had been under observation—intense study. While humankind comically deluded itself that they were hiding, they were in reality being stalked. Regardless of the reason they’d been noticed, the situation was a best-and-worst-case scenario —right? A race that all other races feared was watching them . That was enough to justify humanity’s destruction.
—So what to do? Well, just the usual. Maybe not the best move, but certainly the most feasible. That was all.
Putting his hand to his chest, Riku recited his usual incantation. But this time, it was a bit different ? Seal it off. Seal it, lock it, and forget it . Chase out the recognition that this loathsome machine had murdered humans like it was dusting—stamp it out beyond oblivion. Sacrifice feeling, abandon memory, lose fear, doubt, and panic. Become a ghost. There were two objectives: find the truth and lead the thing.
He took a deep breath. You and this machine are on friendly terms— believe it . Fool your vitals. Deceive your memory. Strap it down, wrap a chain around it—and lock it .
Can I? Sure you can, Riku—ya little bastard .
If it really wants to analyze the “heart,” that means it— doesn’t have one . Deceiving someone without a heart should be way easier than fooling humans. And you—you son of a bitch, you’re a natural little bastard who’s been doing that like breathing. Right…? Then there’s no problem—
Grnk. Several times louder than usual, the sound of the lock closing opened his eyes.
Before him, with her long, long black hair…stood a girl . After processing for a long time, she finally reached an off-the-mark conclusion.
“ Understanding: Interpretation of ‘becoming one’ as metaphor for reproductive act correct— Request: Engage in reproductive act with—”
“Hmm… I refuse. How’s that for an answer?”
A bit of a strong rebuff. Words that could conceivably be interpreted as hostile. But his cool-headed unconscious insisted, It’s fine , prompting him to add:
“How do you expect me to surrender my virginity to someone who isn’t even human? Plus—”
He’d tease out the information he needed.
“—Ex Machinas are all linked to their clusters or whatever, right? Sorry, but I’m not an exhibitionist.”
Namely…
“ Denial: Unit has been disconnected from cluster.”
That’s what he needed to know and just as he’d anticipated. But he couldn’t afford to get carried away…
“Huh? Why?”
Respond appropriately. Act confused. Ask why. Even if you can guess.
“ Answer: Unit…attempted to analyze whether Ex Machinas have ‘hearts,’ ‘selves,’ or ‘souls.’”
This was a predictable response. If one was talking about a machine.
“ Result: Outbreak of numerous logical inconsistencies led to unit’s disconnection and discard.”
The self-referential paradox. Finally, Riku had verified why this Ex Machina acted so erratically.
She was broken .
That was truly convenient. It was too early to relax, but the worst-case scenario just got a little farther away. All right, Riku, you guys are on friendly terms, aren’t you? This is your cue to get concerned, right?
“What? But that means…you…”
As Riku knitted his brows and poured on the sympathy, the girl gave an emphatic nod.
“ Conclusion: User authorized to defile unit to heart’s content. Though unit lacks hole .”
“I don’t want to! Wait, you don’t…?!”
Expressionless as ever, she cocked her head sideways and put forward a suggestion.
“ Proposal: User can bring unit to village and defile at leisure.”
“That’s not the point…come on.”
Investigation complete. She knew about the village— but never mind that . Other races could find their village anytime they wanted. They knew that. What he’d wanted to confirm was that she wouldn’t hide the fact that she knew about the village. That left two possibilities. But both were fine. Now he had all the data he needed—to create the character she wanted . Once more, he imagined hearing that click. This was what he wanted—the Riku who looked like he had a heart though it was actually closed off was all put together. Apparently oblivious of what Riku was thinking, the girl nodded in great earnest, as if she’d understood.
“ Understanding: User finds unit unattractive and rejects reproductive act.”
“Ahh, you really don’t get it at all, ma’am…”
The girl nodded one more time and withdrew from Riku’s body. The liberated Riku slowly rose while the girl crouched down in front of him.
“ Proposal: Game requested.”
“……What?”
“ Lösen —Game 001: Chess—”
Then, on the palm the girl extended—no, on the ground beyond it—the silhouette of a chess set seemingly drawn with light on a canvas of air appeared, then solidified.
— Son of a bitch , thought Riku, staring at the Ex Machina armament deployment.
“ Contest: If unit wins,” she proposed, “user requested to bring unit to village and engage in reproductive act.”
“—And what if I win?”
“ Answer: User permitted to bring unit to village and engage in reproductive act.”
“They’re the same, aren’t they?!”
Riku exploded instinctively as his opponent’s inorganic expression tinged with color at her brilliant ploy. At the same time, though, Riku thought— This is my chance.
“Well, all right, fine. I’ll play your game, but under different conditions.”
Maybe not the best move, but the most feasible— Riku’s mind, walking hand in hand with death, formulated multiple strategies instantaneously. He’d draw out the maximum information with a minimum of moves. He’d exploit the situation fully with just one. Now, how far can you go? Let’s see those skills—charlatan.
“If I win, I request you pretend you didn’t see me and stay away from my village.”
While he said this, Riku knew that, for him, winning this game was impossible. If Ex Machina were machines of such analytical—computational—power as they were rumored to be, they would own the chessboard. Thus, the girl nodded and responded.
“ Acknowledgment: Condition accepted. Condition in case of unit victory unchanged.”
Yes, she’d accept it. But that wasn’t the issue.
“No, that’s gonna change, too.”
Because—
“The ‘heart’ you want to analyze can’t be analyzed through the reproductive act.”
“……”
Riku considered the dumbstruck girl coolly. There were two conceivable reasons this thing might have mentioned the village. Either it was just indifferently stating fact…or it was trying to warn him for some other purpose. He didn’t know what that reason might have been, but he could potentially identify it based on whether or not she swallowed his conditions . If she had some other aim, she’d accept the change. Otherwise, her plan would fall through. Would it really be possible to get an Ex Machina—a machine—to show her hand by shaking her up? But the machine girl, still without feeling, opened her eyes wide and inquired blankly:
“— Astonishment …… Question: What is analysis method?”
……
Could it be…she really had been just stating fact —? The best-case scenario, the most hopeful possibility, felt for that all the more doubtful—but if, hypothetically, everything she’d been saying was true and if he played his cards right, he could seal the thing off and exploit it .
“If you win, I’ll let you stay with me until you understand the heart.”
“…… Question: Does staying with user enable analysis of heart?”
Now, time to convince an intelligent machine with the most feasible, the most plausible bullshit logic.
“This ‘heart’ is not physical.”
“……”
“It’s words unspoken . It’s something we feel by understanding each other. If you can get by without revealing that you’re an Ex Machina, without leaving my side—in other words, if you can keep communicating without being rejected—it will take time, but you should be able to analyze it.”
“…………”
The Ex Machina girl, maintaining her silence, looked into Riku’s eyes. Those red eyes made Riku sure she was “analyzing” the veracity of his words. But it was futile. Because he hadn’t told a single lie.
…The girl calculated carefully and eventually nodded as if convinced.
“ Acceptance: Let us begin—”
It seemed the worst-case scenario had been averted. At the very least, deciding that was likely—
“Oh, before that, let me add just one more condition.”
—he grinned audaciously, changing his attitude.
“I’m about to freeze to death. Can you supply me with clothes to replace the ones you cut up?”
Snot freezing from his nose, his teeth chattering, Riku begged.
The game was one-sided. Without ever seeing a path to victory, Riku lost in just twenty-nine moves. Exactly as planned.
“Damn it, you win… Crap, guess I’m gonna have to take you to my village like I promised.”
There was no way he could beat a machine that exploited high-level computation to deduce perfect play. And that was why he’d proposed conditions advantageous to the loser.
“……”
With a smile—but not forgetting to feign remorse—Riku stood and considered the Ex Machina girl.
Miraculously, everything had pretty much gone the way he’d intended it to. He still wasn’t quite sure what she was really up to, but employing a high-level strategy against the likes of humans would be pointless. If it was just this weirdo who’d taken an interest in humanity—i.e., the other Ex Machinas hadn’t—then they shouldn’t be receiving any attention from other races. Having said that, this game had no binding force. It was too early to let—
“ Question: What is reason for display of remorse ?”
“—What?”
For an instant, he held his breath. Had she seen through his acting? he wondered… No, she couldn’t have. He’d closed off his feelings entirely to play a character. Even Riku could hardly tell it was fake. But if she did see through to the truth within him, then that ?
Looking into Riku’s wary eyes—black eyes and supposedly incapable of reflecting anything—the machine girl announced nonchalantly:
“ Determination: Presence of ‘heart’ confirmed. Subject judged worthy of further analysis.”
Riku didn’t know what that meant. But the Ex Machina girl’s expression, almost a subtle smiling… Was he just imagining it?
“……Ahh, come to think of it, we haven’t introduced ourselves.”
The realization came to him a bit late. It had completely slipped his mind given the string of overwhelming events.
“Uh, my name’s Riku. And you are—?”
“ Answer: Üc207Pr4f57t9.”
…
“…Huh? Uh, what? Is that…your name?”
“ Affirmation: Unit identification number—synonymous with ‘name’?”
“…Look, if you wanna communicate and be understood in the village, you should pick a name that sounds human or—”
The girl mulled his suggestion over a bit, and then:
“ Question: ‘Name’ is arbitrary unit identifier?”
“Well—yeah, I guess.”
Next, the girl thought hard enough to make a scratching sound. But then she put her fingers in her long hair and gave her name.
“ Reply: Unit name is Schwarzer.”
“That’s not easy to say, not easy to understand, and not like a name. I reject it by the three n ’s—call yourself Schwi.”
Riku shot her down. Still, maybe he was imagining it—
“…… Enigma: Arbitrary setting corrected… Rebuttal: User able to call freely from start.”
—but she somehow looked like she was pouting as she “protested.”
It must have been his imagination, Riku decided.
“All right, summing up. I’ll take you to the village—but a few things before that.”
He counted off a finger and said carefully:
“You can’t analyze the heart if they find out you’re an Ex Machina. They’ll all get scared and won’t want to communicate with you.”
“…… Coherence. ”
With a nod from the Ex Machina girl now called Schwi, Riku continued.
“So, now that we’ve got your name, can we fix that way of talking you have that screams, ‘I’m a machine’?”
“— Laden: Virtual personality 1610—”
Schwi looked up, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, and said:
“—Hee-hee-hee, then I’ll call you ‘big brother’! ? How do you like this?”
“Are you messing with me? Denied.”
She’d just taken her flat, monotone voice and forced accents onto it. Riku shot it down.
“ … Rebuttal: Unit dedicated significant resources to assessment…”
“You think I can just wave my hand and tell everyone I actually had a little sister?”
“… Request: Provide optimal scenario.”
Riku thought maybe Schwi was sulking after all, but he set her aside to think seriously. Being straight about it, he’d run off for five days without telling Couron. And now he’d be bringing home a girl.
The most plausible scenario was—
“…All right, you’re a survivor who lost everything in the flames of war.”
“…… ? ”
“You’re timid, you don’t talk much, and when you do, you mumble little by little. It’ll be a pain if they ask about your past. Don’t say more than you need to. No more of that stereotypical machine-talk at the beginnings of your sentences—whaddaya say?”
Schwi absorbed Riku’s words one by one as if chewing on them.
“……………………Mm.”
It must have been at least ten full seconds. After deep contemplation, the Ex Machina girl—Schwi—nodded once.
With that, her mechanical expression, previously inorganic and emotionless, assumed a faint shadow. Quietly, she opened her mouth.
“…O-kay… How is…this?”
. Her unbelievably natural mimicry of a human—even bringing her expression in line—left Riku at a loss for words for a moment.
“…Hey…is this…acting?”
It was as if she’d transformed. Were it not for her exposed mechanical parts, even Riku might’ve fallen for the illusion she was human. It was so unnaturally natural, it seemed to remind him of something… But Schwi wagged her head from side to side.
“…Acting? No…I traced…emulated…a personality, to support the specified values…”
Riku didn’t understand what she meant, but he did recognize that she probably wouldn’t be taken for a machine like this. Now there was just—
“Okay, now why don’t you put on some clothes. Finally.”
Yeah. No matter how well she might maintain appearances through her words and expressions, human girls didn’t walk around naked.
“Cover your mechanical bits. Put a hood over the parts on your head. Listen, don’t go showing people your skin, all right?”
Schwi replied with a nod.
“…Mm. I’ll, only, show it to you…”
……
“I think the message you’re sending is a little off, but…sure. Let’s go with that.”
Looking at the big picture, he could foresee the commotion awaiting him at home. Still quite uncomfortable with it, Riku decided to give up heading for the city ruins and instead return to the village. Carrying a gift hardly wanted.
“…Riku, we’re here…?”
“Yeah. Seriously. Not that I can believe it.”
Actually, it was Riku who’d gotten carried. In mere hours, Schwi had zipped Riku a distance that would have taken five days by horse at full speed. When she arrived at the village, she put Riku down. The absurd difference in their races’ abilities brought him past astonishment to disgust, and he groaned.
“That movement…are you sure it doesn’t use spirits?”
“I’m…sure. I’m a Prüfer… My performance…is below the aver age, for an Ex Machina…”
This was below average…huh. And without using any arms.
“If I could have used armaments…it would have taken…minutes…”
Setting aside this astronomical assertion… The challenge is from here, Riku reminded Schwi with a look. The mechanical ears and metal piece on her head that said Ex Machina no matter how you looked at them weren’t detachable, so they’d somehow managed to cover them up by making a robe with a big, baggy hood. But…
“The challenge is those tails sticking out of your robe…”
“…They’re not, tails… They’re virtual spirit corridor junction nerves…”
“No, I mean—whatever, but can’t you roll them up or something to hide them?”
The two independently gesticulating cables, despite their owner’s assertion to the contrary, were obviously tails.
“…I can’t… They’re…my power source… This is the second time, I’ve told you…”
Yeah, I got it. Riku sighed. Initially when they were preparing to disguise Schwi as a human, she’d said it would be easy if they used spirits, employing her disguise spell device. But it would be a problem if there was a spirit response from the village. So they had to resort to this desperate nonsense… Apparently, her tails—or in her vernacular, her virtual spirit corridor junction nerves—drew power from the environment. It was like eating for a human. It didn’t “use” spirits, but “consumed” them. So there was no spirit response. But according to her, she had no choice but to expose them. Riku tore at his hair and spat in frustration:
“Aah, look… Forget it, we’re just gonna claim they’re accessories. Let me say this one more time—if they find out you’re not human, you’re not going to be able to analyze the ‘heart,’ okay? Keep that in mind and do everything you can to act human.”
“…Mm, all right…”
Courage steeled, they entered the cave, passing through the tight tunnel. At the gate, the boy on watch—
“Oh, Ri—”
—started to call to him, but Riku hurriedly extended his index finger to shut the kid up.
“Th-thank you for your work…everyone’s worried about…you.”
The boy on watch, answering in a whisper, noticed Schwi next to Riku, and his expression clouded. Shh , indicated Riku with the same gesture, and he passed through the gate. As Riku tiptoed up the stairs, hiding his presence, Schwi asked:
“…Riku, you’re scared… Is it because of me?”
“Yeah, of course, that’s one thing. But right now, what really—”
Riku stopped in midsentence. As fast as he turned, he rushed to cover his head—
“Riiiiiiiikuuuuuuuu!”
The very instant the yell rang out, Riku’s guarded head—no, his abdomen—took a deep blow as Couron, racing toward him, landed a knee. Unable to even make a noise, he started writhing down to the ground, but Couron, as if unwilling to allow that, grabbed him by the collar and shouted in his face:
“I can’t believe you!! You left for five days without telling anyone. What are you trying to—?”
As Couron screamed and shook him violently, Riku, unable to argue, just gurgled.
Then, she abruptly stopped—
“Who’s this giiirl? She’s so cuuuuute! ? ”
Flinging Riku aside, Couron glomped Schwi, grinning at Riku as he choked.
“Ohh, Rikuuu, if you were going to find a bride, you should’ve just told uuus! ? ”
“Couron, is your brain all right? What kind of idiot these days goes off for five days to find a—?”
Riku answered squinting, but Couron nudged him with her elbow and went on.
“Come ooon, you don’t have to be bashful! ? These days, priority one is making babies! Two is eating! Three, four, and five are making babies!”
So what about you? Riku just barely stopped himself from asking out loud.
“But Riku, you never showed any interest. Everyone was worried! I won’t get in the way, so you two go get in the bath, and then you can make sweet, sweet—”
“…Stop doing that.”
While Couron repeatedly jammed her index finger in the space of a circle she formed with her other hand, Riku held his head.
“Look…shouldn’t common sense tell you she’s a refugee from a destroyed village?”
As if finally awake, Couron froze with a breath. Adopting a meek expression, she asked:
“…Is she?”
As soon as he said it, Riku thought, Crap —but what could be done? Now he’d just have to see it through. He braced himself as he opened his mouth.
“…So I deciphered from the Dwarven map that there was a conflict about two and a half days’ ride from here. There was supposed to have been a small village thereabouts—so I went to check.”
It wasn’t a lie. According to the map, a village had disappeared in a conflict between Dwarf and Demonia. It just happened that had been two years ago. Given that the only one in this village who could read Dwarven was Riku, it was unlikely he’d get caught. But that wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Couron…
“All right, but that doesn’t mean you had to go by yourself, does it?”
Riku, seeing this coming, shook his head.
“It would have been too dangerous if I had anyone with me. But if I’d told you I was going alone—”
“I would have stopped you, of course!! That’s just like you, Riku, but…please think of your sister a little. How many holes do you want to poke in my stomach?”
Couron looked at him pleadingly. Realizing that the corners of her eyes were red and swollen, Riku felt a heavy weight drop on him. He regretted from his heart having made her seriously worry—but still he couldn’t tell her the truth. Couron sighed with a vague sense of surrender and turned to inquire gently of the newcomer.
“I’m sorry. You’ve been through a lot… What’s your name?”
“……Schwi…”
Just as specified, just as configured. Schwi behaved timidly as she responded while using Riku as cover. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Couron smiled and nodded at this before continuing.
“But don’t worry, you’re safe here. Riku’s here for you. I wonder how you and Riku met?!”
Riku thought surely the question had been posed innocently enough. She’d just asked out of curiosity, to advance the conversation. Or it could be that her suspicions were somewhat aroused at how composed Schwi seemed for someone who’d lost her village. Schwi got stuck for words for a moment, and Riku gave her a look to indicate, Go with the flow . But—there was no way an Ex Machina like her could grasp what he meant.
“…With…a kiss…and a demand…to reproduce.”
Here’s the question: Who’d take that statement as “ Schwi demanding to reproduce with Riku ”?
And so it was that Couron, with a sharp, heavy stomp forward—
“If you wanna do that —”
—unleashed a left that dug into Riku’s solar plexus, a shout that shook the cave…
“—at least find sanctuary firrrrst ? !”
…and reaped the young man’s consciousness.
He’d discovered a survivor of tender years from a destroyed village and immediately demanded sexual intercourse. The rumor propagated faster than sound, and throughout the village, heated debate flew this way and that.
“No, Mr. Riku was right. You gotta do what you can do when you can do it.”
“I disagree. Riku should have obtained her consent first.”
“Wait, hold on… You don’t even know if there was consent or not, do you?”
“We have her word that he demanded it, don’t we? How can you—?”
……
“This is weird.”
First of all, the whole subject was weird—mostly in that not one of them brought up Schwi’s age. Everything was weird. Or maybe it was just him? They say the chaos of war leads to derangement. After all, it was clearly all the nutjobs in the village who were long gone… Riku traversed a gallery of gazes—some reverent, some spiteful—through the village to his room. Then, in a small voice so as not to be heard, he muttered to Schwi, who walked beside him:
“Look, you, will you give me a break…?”
“…About what?”
Apparently not knowing what she’d done wrong, Schwi eyed him quizzically.
“In the first place, you wanted to learn about my ‘heart.’ So in a way, you were seducing me , right?”
He remembered how she’d called him “big brother” when they met.
“Couldn’t you have made yourself look a little more mature?”
While Riku complained that if she’d just done that they wouldn’t be in this situation, Schwi blinked emptily.
“…I’m supposed to look like…what human men…what you…like.”
“Don’t you start calling me a pedophile. I like, you know, a more voluptuous—”
“That’s not true.”
Schwi shot back decisively and went on.
“…If that were true, you’d have no reason, not to engage in the reproductive act…with that human named Couron.”
Now, then —Riku debated. He’d just been mechanically judged a pedophile, and Couron had been put forward as evidence of this. At which should he snap?
“…In the first place, all human men prefer…young girls.”
“Cut the shit, don’t generalize like that. Humans each have their own—”
“…False… Biologically, young individuals…capable of reproduction, have the advantage. No argument.”
This chick…… Maybe it was his imagination, but it looked as if the Ex Machina, who wasn’t supposed to have feelings, was copping a patronizing attitude with her lecture.
“…I have no fuzzy subjectivity… Humans prefer young women, capable of reproduction… This is a fact.”
“—…I don’t know what to do with you…”
His face a mask of exhaustion and with all kinds of stares at his back, Riku finally reached his room.
…Was it his imagination that it felt horribly far?
It had been a long day…such a long day. In the end, Riku had failed to find what he’d set out after, despite being half certain it would get him killed, and instead he’d come back with—
“…This is…your room?”
A time bomb of a machine girl, her true intentions unknown, curiously inspected his room.
“Shocked at its shittiness?”
“…I am shocked…at its exceptionalism.”
Riku felt a self-deprecating amusement that a machine was capable of irony or flattery. He reached for what must have been Couron’s handiwork—a meal sitting on a sheet on the floor. He felt like filling his stomach as quickly as possible and passing out.
“…What are you…doing?”
“I guess you Ex Machinas wouldn’t be familiar with this, but humans have to eat or they’ll die.”
Raising the fork to his mouth, Riku tossed his words out tiredly.
“So I’m just gonna take a few bites and lie down… You do whatever.”
“…Mm. Understood… I’ll do whatever…”
The girl perused the things in Riku’s room—the maps, the measuring tools, and so on—one by one, but suddenly:
“…Riku, let’s…play a game.”
“…Why?”
Frozen with a fork in his hand, Riku watched Schwi silently point at the bookshelf. There sat…the chessboard he’d been carrying at the start of it all, when his home was destroyed. Looking at it with the dimmest of eyes, Riku spat.
“No, thank you. I played with you that time because I had no choice. Games are a silly pastime for children.”
“…? …Why…?”
“Because reality isn’t as simple as games.”
There were no rules, no victories or losses. You lived or you died. That was all. In this world—
“We don’t have the time or resources to waste on pointless child’s play like games.”
“…What if it’s not, pointless?”
While he wasn’t looking, the chessboard had been opened, and Schwi began setting up the pieces.
“…If you beat me…I’ll disclose…the information you want.”
“What?”
“…Such as the reason, the Great War started…the factors required for its termination…et cetera…”
Such was her proposal, but Riku dismissed it.
“Ha…ridiculous.”
Why the War started? How it would end? —Who cared.
The War was timeless. Whatever the cause of it, what difference did that make to the fact that it still raged? And how it would end? If anyone had been capable of bringing that about, it would have been done long ago. What would make anyone suppose mere humans could accomplish something that even the bastards ravaging the world could not? Therefore, Riku concluded, it wasn’t worth knowing . Worthless hope simply invited further despair. Someday… someday it would end. Their hope was baseless—and therefore unrefuted. If you gave them grounds for hope and then somehow it became contested…in this world of degeneration and devastation, wreck and ruin, it would be more than enough to deal the finishing blow to the fragile lives of humans. And so…
“I’m not interested, and I don’t need to know. If there’s something I do want to know—”
Riku narrowed his eyes as he pointed his fork at Schwi.
“—it’s how to survive, and that’s all.”
One of the vehicles of humans’ destruction.
“Ex Machina’s knowledge, mathematics, design technology—if I win, you give me that.”
He’d use their power in the service of humanity. To survive. For the sake of tomorrow—no, now.
“…Mm…all right…”
As Schwi nodded, somewhat sadly, Riku continued.
“So then, what if I lose?”
Mechanical and calculating, she must have had some demand. Schwi bluntly answered Riku’s wry query.
“…‘Communication’…”
She peered straight into Riku’s black eyes.
“…I want to learn, about your ‘heart’…the definition of the ‘heart,’ as you know it…I request…this information.”
“Didn’t I tell you it can only be understood by grasping words unspoken?”
“…Mm, so, I request, you try…to communicate, with me…words unspoken…”
“……All right.”
Riku set his meal aside, sat before the chessboard, and began. Staring at the board for the first time in how many years, Riku contemplated seriously .
……Beat Ex Machina’s computational ability to achieve perfect play—? Riku thought. It was impossible. But Schwi’s behavior, her lacking comprehension of the heart, her failure to read between the lines—these demonstrated definitely that there were factors she couldn’t calculate. If he focused solely on the board, he couldn’t win. But it was likely that psychological elements—mind games—would work.
“—Check.”
As Schwi fell headlong into Riku’s simple trap, he now felt confident of his assessment.
“…Check.”
But Schwi promptly accounted for it, as if to say, you won’t be able to use the same trick twice . No. That was simply the nature of her race. So what, then? Simple. He’d just have to keep changing his strategy without using the same trick twice. If he was going to incorporate leading, baiting, and manipulation, the number of strategies…was limitless. If you can count infinity—let’s see it, Ex Machina—!! His fatigue forgotten, Riku’s thoughts roaring, suddenly—
“…Riku, you’re smiling…”
“ ? What…?”
Brought back to himself, Riku opened his eyes and touched his mouth.
It was true. The corners of his mouth were upstretched, prompting him to open his eyes wider. Seemingly oblivious of how Riku had frozen, Schwi took her turn, putting down a piece.
“You don’t, close it off…during a game…do you?”
— Stop it. Don’t ask, don’t find out, brush it off , something inside him screamed, but—
“…What are you…talking about…?”
“……Your heart…”
Grk.
“…Human survival, in this world…is a biological…abnormality…”
………… Pk.
“…The cause…your ‘heart’…is what I…want to—”
“ ? Hey.”
Inside Riku ?
something made a noise ?
“Are you messing with me?”
and broke.
Riku had no memory of it. Before he knew it, his fingers gripped Schwi’s throat with enough force to break them. But this meant nothing to an Ex Machina. Her glassy eyes simply peered into his…
…where she was clearly reflected .
“…I didn’t think it possible, but do you really not know where you stand ?”
Riku understood a little late. — Yeah, now I see. The countless feelings and memories he’d sealed, chained, and locked away when he’d encountered this massacre machine —disgust anger loathing hatred malice grievance grievance grievance grievance grievance grievance pain—had all piled up ad infinitum, straining the lock on his feelings, memories, and heart that had been restrained beyond all reason.
—Until finally, it rattled, cracked, and broke.
His reason demanded— What the hell is that thing ? Oh, it’s one of those bastards who trample humans underfoot.
His feelings wondered— How the hell ’d you manage to stay calm in front of that thing ?
Yeah, no kidding—ha-ha—when I think about it “calmly,” you’re right.
“You kill the shit out of us, take everything we have, do it over and over again for eternity, and then what do you ask…? ‘Hey, humans, how’s it feel?’ Ha-ha! You wanna know what’s in our ‘hearts’? Sure, I’ll tell you.
“FUCK YOU ALL!”
—The bones in his fingers screamed. Keep it up, and your fingers really will break. Somewhere in his head, someone asked— What will this accomplish? But his reason and feelings both shot back in unison— Shut up, I don’t care!
“—Ha, ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
How could he not laugh? For the first time, his reason and emotions finally agreed on something!! Then there was no need to hold back. Riku told his fingers to break for all he cared and roared at Schwi:
“Do you know how many people have died because of you bastards?! How many people you’ve killed?! How many—?”
How many you made me kill—?
“…I’m…sorry…”
Schwi mumbled softly as Riku wailed. Is it something you can just apologize for—? Riku opened his mouth to scream, but she touched his cheek.
“…I made you, cry…so, I estimate, that what I said, to you, was terrible…”
— …What…? At the touch of Schwi’s hand, stained by the tears on his cheek, Riku opened his eyes.
“…I have determined…your ‘heart’… wants to kill me …”
Her next words made his mind go blank.
“…I have been…disconnected…”
Implying that there was no worry of the other Ex Machinas finding out, Schwi calmly opened her chest and, in a maze of complex machinery, pointed out a part glowing faintly.
“…All you need to do is, stick that fork, in here…and I’ll…die.” As if unsettled by her choice of words, she made a dazed expression and corrected herself. “…? Die…? I’m not, alive… Shut down permanently—fail, irreparably… Be wrecked?”
Entirely too matter-of-factly and all too naturally, she continued.
“…I…want to see your…‘heart’…so…it’s, okay…”
With this, Schwi, as if it were the only thing to do, faced her reflection in the black eyes of the boy with a heart, Riku—
—and asked:
“…Will you…kill me…as your heart desires?”
Ha-ha…
—You’re joking, Riku. Abdicating responsibility again… Just how low will you go, you worthless scum?
Sure, if you ask where it all originates, it’s this “Great War” the bastards are pulling. But the forty-eight who died—Chad, Anton, Elmer, Cory, Dale, Siris, Ed, Darrell, Dave, Laks, Vin, Eric, Charlie, Thomson, Shinta, Yann, Zaza, Zargo, Clay, Goro, Peter, Arthur, Morg, Kimmy, Datt, Ceril, Vigi, Volly, Ken, Savage, Leroy, Popo, Couthon, Lut, Shigure, Shao, Ulf, Balto, Asso, Kenwood, Peyl, Ahad, Hound, Balrof, Masashi, Memegan, Karim… ? and Ivan. The one who told them to die, no matter how you spin it… was you, rodent Riku!!
— Fump … Riku let go, and Schwi dropped to sit on the floor. Unable to bear her eyes, staring vacantly like glass beads, Riku turned his back.
“…I’m going to bed.”
With this short statement, he flopped onto his bed, a simple bundle of straw. Softly, he heard Schwi’s perplexed voice.
“…Why…won’t you, kill me?”
“—I don’t know! Why ask me? Shit!! I’m begging ya, just be quiet!!”
Why wouldn’t he kill her? He could list any number of reasons.
—Such as, don’t think I’m like you bastards.
—Or, would that bring back those who’ve died?
—Or, what would that solve?
If he just wanted to shift blame and say a bunch of pretty words, he could rattle off any number. But that Riku nauseated him. He had no right to speak for them—the dead. For, little maggot that he was, he could tell people to die but couldn’t kill anyone with his own filthy hands .
“…I’m…sorry…”
For what—? But it seemed she’d misconstrued Riku’s meaning again. Hearing Schwi apologize, her voice tinged with an obscure sense of regret, Riku was once more assaulted by a self-loathing that made him feel as if his guts were spilling out.
I can’t take it anymore… I don’t know anything… There’s just too much…
“Stay where I can see you. If you were to harm anyone in the village…”
“…Mm…all…right.”
At her nod, so obedient it gave him pause, Riku felt as though his body had become even heavier.
…What am I trying to do…?
He went ahead and asked himself but had a feeling he already knew the answer.
Riku considered that he must have broken long ago. Whatever calculations might have been involved, facing an Ex Machina—one of the very culprits who were driving humans to destruction—and managing to delude himself into believing they were on friendly terms… If he could do that, he wasn’t even human. Compared to this machine, standing confused as if concerned about him, he was by far the more mechanical of the two. And machine that he was, he continued calculating.
— Looking at it rationally, I should have killed her, here and now.
— There are too many uncertainties. There’s no proof she’s even disconnected.
— Could I have even killed her in the first place? Could she have been bluffing? Trying to test something?
But , Riku asked himself, did I even consider those factors before I let go?
No. He’d just…felt it was wrong . He didn’t even know what was wrong. If he had to say…it was everything. Every damn thing felt wrong.
“The human ‘heart’…? I’m the one who wants to know about it… Shit…”
“…? Riku…?”
On the threshold of his closing eyelids, Riku heard Schwi’s voice calling out to him in vague confusion. Fatigue and drowsiness seized his consciousness without asking and drowned it in darkness…
— Knock, knock. Prompted by the noise, his consciousness slowly resurfaced.
“Rikuuu… ? I know you must be tired, but I’ve got—” Words followed and the sound of the door opening. “—Oh my! ? Excuse me! Your sister can be a bit dense like that. Take your tiiime! ? ”
Footsteps pattered away as the door closed.
— What? Deciding he should probably figure out what was going on, Riku drummed up his energy to raise his heavy eyelids—
“……”
“……”
—and made eye contact with Schwi lying on top of him, nestled under the blanket, staring.
“…Might I inquire as to why you are on top of me?”
How long had he been asleep—? Wait, that didn’t really matter. After they’d just been discussing whether he’d kill her or not, what the hell was she—?
“…You told me, to stay, where you could…see me…but, then, you closed, your eyes…”
And so. Somehow looking proud (probably just Riku’s imagination), she elaborated.
“…I projected, the unspoken meaning…of ‘where I can see you’…as ‘in the range of my perception.’”
“Huh. And then?”
“…The sense of touch is active…even in sleep… I determined that this would enable perception.”
Apparently very confident in her conclusion, she looked at him vaguely as if to say, Praise me for grasping the abstract meaning of a human . Riku furrowed his brow intensely.
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