Ch.66013 Work Record – To the Sky (3)

“There’s nothing more annoying than having to crack passwords that someone just randomly generated without any thought… The effort required is completely different!”

It seemed the decryption had begun. She was doing it on her personal PC, physically separated from the server computer that housed the transparent eye sitting like a tumor in the middle of her living room, so there was no worry about contamination.

Watching her, I reached out and stroked her fluffy hair as I had mentioned earlier. I expected to hear a growling sound like when petting a Chihuahua, but she was more docile than I thought.

Her grumbling voice quieted down, and after watching the decryption process for a moment, she turned her chair around to face me. She had the expression of someone with something to say.

“Arthur, do you know why Icarus fell to his death?”

“Because he flew too close to the sun?”

Kay shook her head. With an unexpectedly serious expression, she said:

“No, it was because of human stupidity. Ancient Greeks didn’t know that in the troposphere, it only gets colder as you go up, and that to experience increasing heat, you’d need to reach the thermosphere, which is practically outer space. They believed otherwise and killed Icarus in their story.”

Kay was someone who became anxious when she wasn’t acting arrogant. She was the type who bit her lips and rolled her eyes nervously when she couldn’t make prickly, rude remarks. A hedgehog type.

Is this person worried about me? Thinking that might be the case, I nodded lightly, and she continued. It was neither a prickly comment nor an anxious one.

“It’s just… ugh, I’m not good at this kind of talk. You’re really something! But you’d probably just stupidly stand there and say, ‘I’m just doing what I was trained to do.’ What’s impressive is that you can apply what you’ve learned directly in the field.”

I should accept that her inability to give straightforward compliments was just like her. I also remembered showing her my own instability and anxiety the last time.

“No matter how much knowledge you have, the way you casually conversed with the management AI that intercepted us while breaking into Belwether’s security… I’ve seen you bluff your way to winning the pot many times, and you’re unmatched as a rear infiltration offline operator. Yet you still act like some naive rookie.”

“Aren’t you placing too much trust in a rookie who’s only been employed for a month?”

Kay’s expression quickly turned sulky, as if she knew I was deliberately playing dumb. She grumbled again:

“What rookie who’s been employed for a month? Most people wouldn’t doubt if I said you were a new agent whose records were erased in advance by Belwether’s special operations division for a secret mission.”

“That kind of talk suits you better. Yes, yes. Let’s say I’m an amazing person, then what?”

“I’m just saying don’t quit because you’re afraid your wings will melt and you’ll crash to the ground. You know, I’ve been stuck in this hole for years, maintaining this shitty status quo because I didn’t have the confidence to deal with the transparent eye or the courage to report it to Belwether. I know what that feels like. I’d hate to see you end up the same way.”

I reached out to stroke her hair again. This time, rather than being docile, I briefly felt her head nuzzling against my palm, seeking warmth. This enhanced body was an incredibly sensitive thing.

“At least you didn’t release the transparent eye or just turn off your conscience saying ‘It wasn’t my doing.’ Because you’ve maintained the status quo until now, maybe that’s why there’s no burning high-rise with red graffiti saying ‘Androids are free!'”

I leaned forward to face her. What I had learned to join the security team, and what I had learned and done since joining the security patrol division, was just one thing. It was a useful skill even during my mercenary days.

“Do you know what Belwether teaches as most important to the security team?”

“I don’t know exactly, but is it ‘be efficient’?”

Were they really that obsessed with efficiency…? I wasn’t sure. They did seem to be that efficiency-obsessed. I smiled a little before answering.

“That firearms are tools for killing, training is the honing of skills for killing, and our job is to kill people.”

It wasn’t a nihilistic statement, nor was it telling us to feel guilty. It meant we should find what would help us endure the repetition of killing. Those who couldn’t find it eventually requested department reassignment.

Until now, only that part had been important, but now the next part mattered more. Human stupidity caused the mythical Icarus to fall to his death. I wasn’t stupid.

“After acknowledging that and thinking about what’s worth killing for, anyone becomes an expert. My records may have been erased, but I was trained my whole life to work in that security team, and I did well for six months. So…”

I paused briefly. I told Kay what I wanted to say. It was the first time I’d wanted to say something like this to someone.

“I’m going to kill Walter, Belwether’s tumor, and the transparent eye, all of them. All I’m lacking are implants, and Kay can help with that. If you can’t help, I’ll get them implanted separately. I have no intention of giving up.”

Kay, who had been quietly listening to my slow but certain words, shuddered from her waist to the top of her head before speaking. Her usual mischievousness was back.

“You’re the only one who could say such things without changing expression. Ah, it gives me goosebumps, but I don’t dislike it. Living clinging to this shitty status quo, I’ve learned something: people become terribly miserable when they can’t do what they want to do right now. Do what you want to do, Arthur. Helping me is just a bonus!”

I’d heard similar words from Mr. Günter. Kay talked a lot and often said unnecessary things, but sometimes she hit the nail on the head. What she had said had at least worked on Eve.

“I asked you for information for my work before, right? This time I’ll help you, so help me next time. No, you actually made things more complicated because I needed it.”

“That’s enough! It’s fine if you’re not helping me but using me for mutual benefit. Just don’t get tied down by your transparent eye. Don’t believe tomorrow will be better.”

When I heard Mr. Günter’s words, I only felt bewilderment. Just bewilderment and a little fear at seeing a madman who had given his reason and mind to efficiency. But now, I was beginning to understand.

There was something I wanted to say. Though I was only expressing it in words now, it was a thought I’d always had. It seemed to have crystallized as I navigated through this chaos.

“Don’t worry. Since the day my head was cut off, I decided not to believe in the word ‘tomorrow.’ For me, there’s only today. Just this pathetic today that would keep lying down unless I drag it forward myself.”

Was I making the same expression as Mr. Günter when he talked to me about frustration? I couldn’t tell. I could detect each movement of my facial muscles, but I couldn’t visualize the expression from those sensations.

Judging by Kay’s grin, my face probably wasn’t too frightening. Reassured, I watched as Kay came back out to check on the transparent eye and said mischievously:

“Well, since I don’t want to leave evidence that a regular employee whose records were erased by Belwether and a hacker who infiltrated Belwether were together on the day Belwether’s security was breached… and I don’t want to make Eve jealous either, you should get going!”

Our serious conversation came to an abrupt halt at that name. I chuckled before saying:

“Surely Eve wouldn’t be jealous over something like that…”

I briefly recalled how she had asked if someone else had visited first when she heard Chance had arrived at the house before her. My pause lasted only half a second.

“There’s no way she would. You worry too much, Kay.”

Kay, who had been grinning mischievously, burst out laughing.

“I saw you pause for just a moment. I thought she was just this cold, picky person who always shouts ‘Don’t do that!’ at everything, but she’s not like that, is she?”

“Is that so? Says the hacker who pretends to be arrogant after ruining her life trying to hack Belwether because she was bored with her too-normal life?”

Kay covered her mouth with her palm and made a big “Huh!” sound, but her eyes were still smiling. By now, we could joke with each other comfortably.

“Oh? That’s quite a cutting remark… I want to call you ‘guy with both neck and career cut off!’ but I don’t want to get hit by a Belwether-made bioweapon, so I won’t!”

That mischievous statement was as good as a farewell. She waved her hand, which had been replaced with a prosthetic. I waved back, and then we exchanged proper goodbyes.

“It does feel a bit better to say it out loud like it’s no big deal. Have a good night. Let me know when the decryption is done.”

“I agree! The documents probably aren’t encrypted that heavily, so it might be done by tomorrow! Sleep with anticipation, Arthur. Take care!”

With my mind feeling a bit lighter, though nothing had actually happened to make it so, I left Kay’s apartment and returned to mine. For having slept in preparation for something that might happen at any moment, nothing much had occurred.

What should I do in the early morning today? I should have thought about the encryption… But in the end, the only place I had to return to was my apartment. It was still far from dawn.

There’s no better way to realize how much of a workaholic you’ve been than to reflect on how you spent your days off. I returned home and sat on the still-too-soft bed.

Just sitting on it made my body tense. It felt like the sinking wouldn’t stop, like I might plummet all the way to the floor.

It would be fortunate if there was a floor. The irrational, inefficient thought reflexively arose that I might fall into an endless soft pit the moment I sat down. Still inefficient.

Nevertheless, with the thought of at least trying to use the bed, I placed the hologram planter Eve had given me on the bedside table. I picked up the planter lightly. It was a pot with a single chamomile flower.

Of course, it was fake. It was just a hologram created by projector light, passing through your hand if you tried to stroke it. Only its appearance was fake; the sentiment behind it was real, so it wasn’t meaningless.

I held the base of the hologram planter and turned it gently. When it rotated about halfway clockwise, there was a click, and a pre-entered message appeared instead of the flower. That’s how it worked.

I wondered what message Eve had written. I had teased her quite a bit at the department store, so I thought she might have written something bold, but the message was simple:

‘Probably Friday dawn, right?’

Just as I had naturally predicted Eve’s actions, she seemed to have timed when I would open this message. It was still Thursday night, despite having slept for eight hours.

I chuckled slightly, but it was a pleasant chuckle. I picked up my phone, which I was gradually getting used to, and contacted Eve. After a few rings, I heard a slightly echoing voice.

“Hello, Arthur. It’s always nice when someone calls first. Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing special… It’s Thursday night. Right?”

When I pointed out the date and time, I heard a sigh. It was still echoing, and I briefly heard the sound of a few water drops falling into water. The computational assist device is nearly waterproof.

“You couldn’t have looked at it a few hours later, Arthur? Then I would have gotten you. Really, is that why you called? Seriously… you never let me win.”

“As if I’d call just to brag about winning? I was just curious if you had turned yours yet.”

I briefly heard the sound of water rippling, and fingers lightly tapping the edge of a bathtub. It was because the noise cancellation function wasn’t turned on.

If she knew this… While I was curious about her reaction, I had a feeling she might take another day off tomorrow, so I decided to stay silent. With the sensation of steam in my ears, I made myself a bit more comfortable.

“Not yet. Honestly, I don’t think you’d write anything bad… But, you know. I’m a coward. I’ve been picking up the hologram planter and putting it down… thinking ‘Let me get my head straight first.’ That’s what I’ve been doing.”

“I didn’t write anything special, so you can just open it. I’m not that mischievous, am I?”

I heard a slight splash, and the echo in her voice grew closer. Sitting upright on the bed suddenly felt ridiculous. Eve’s voice continued:

“Not mischievous, huh. I thought you were very serious and ki… Phew. Kind, but seeing how you keep teasing me with words, I almost lost my affection for you.”

The word “kind” still seemed difficult for her to use. It’s unavoidable for someone who shot a person trying to help her due to a misunderstanding, resulting in his death with only a hologram containing his memories remaining.

Hearing this made me want to say something else. Forgetting the softness of the bed, I climbed fully onto it and lay down with my back against the headboard. I wasn’t fully aware of it.

“How serious a person am I? Even now, I’m holding back from saying something.”

“What are you talking about, Arthur?”

Her voice had a hint of shallow curiosity. I decided to ask just once more before speaking. Once again, I heard the sound of water gently parting.

“Can I really say it?”

“The last time I worried about you investigating me was the last time, Arthur. You can say it. I’m starting to get really curious.”

She used to be afraid that I might have discovered something about her when hearing such words, but I was already someone who had gone with her to meet the cult leader of Hollow Creek.

What she knew was what I knew, and I was confident that no matter what I had discovered, it couldn’t be more than what I had learned in that small house with a garden. What I heard there was everything.

Since this didn’t require such serious contemplation, I decided to speak. I was… honestly looking forward to Eve’s reaction. Yes, sometimes there are things that feel like a sin just to think about.

“It seems like your noise cancellation function is turned off?”

As soon as I finished speaking, there was a big splash, and then the call ended. Half-lying on the bed, I tried to hold back my laughter for a moment before finally bursting into laughter.

Minutes later, messages started pouring in. She was sending messages in an obviously flustered tone saying it was nothing and we’d see each other tomorrow. It would take quite a while for the corners of my mouth to come down.

In the midst of chuckling, I heard Chance’s voice. I had given him connection permissions, but this was the first time he had initiated contact.

“Agent Arthur Murphy?”

“Phew… Yes, Chance. What’s up?”

“May I also add one more thing?”

Since Chance was connected to the camera and could see my expression, I nodded lightly. Chance’s usually dry voice wasn’t so dry:

“The soft bed doesn’t seem to be bothering you that much. Perhaps it’s thanks to the call. I assess that it’s not the call itself that helps. What helps is the person on the other end of the call.”

Only then did I realize how comfortably I had been lying, half-buried in the bed, enjoying this silly conversation. It was a strange feeling. Definitely not a bad one.