Chapter 138: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 138: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (8)
A was assigned to be A.T.’s Bioroid handler for the third time. While this was his first time being her dedicated handler, they had lived together previously when she was stationed with the hangar engineer team for her basic lifestyle training.
Since the goal wasn't to teach specific technical skills or provide professional education, but rather to provide social training through shared daily life, he didn't feel the need to take on an overwhelming sense of responsibility.
A’s philosophy when handling a Bioroid was simple: show them a glimpse of a normal daily routine while building enough personal experience to avoid clashing with the Bioroid’s programmed values.
Bioroid lifestyle training was, after all, about learning how to interact with others in an everyday setting; there was no need to treat every moment like a lecture.
Roy, who currently served as a Soldier in the same 54th Aviation Corps, had been created just a few years ago to investigate the inhabitants of an invaded planet. During his time as a Bioroid, he had lived with the Hangar 1 engineer team.
Back then, A had simply acted as he always did, and in the process, he hadn't exerted any particularly strong influence over Roy.
"Roy."
While having dinner after work, A ran into Roy at the cafeteria, and the two exchanged greetings.
Roy sat across from A and began his meal. As A ate, he called out to him quietly.
"Yes? What is it, Senior?"
Roy, who usually had no reason to be called on during a meal, lifted his face from his tray at the sound of A’s voice.
"Let me ask you something."
"Sure. Ask away."
A was still bothered by what A.T. had said after returning from her mission. A Bioroid who perceived herself as a consumable. He hadn't encountered that type during his previous two stints with Bioroid lifestyle training.
Even Roy was the type to cherish his own body to an extreme degree. Since most people valued themselves rather than viewing their bodies as disposable goods, A hadn't given it much thought before.
"Are there Bioroids who consider their own lives to be consumables?"
"Why? Is your junior like that?"
As a former Bioroid himself, Roy seemed to want A.T. to treat him as a senior. Unfortunately, due to A’s influence—who treated Roy with utter lack of gravity—A.T. didn't show even a shred of inclination to view Roy as her superior.
Roy consistently treated A.T. like a junior whenever he spoke, but from A’s perspective, watching them was like watching someone try to force two mismatched gears together.
"Yeah. It’s never happened before, so I was a bit taken aback."
"It’s not unheard of," Roy replied calmly.
A was slightly surprised by Roy’s nonchalant answer. He hadn't expected Roy, who valued his own life so fiercely, to speak so matter-of-factly about it.
"It’s not that they don't exist; it’s just that not everyone is like that. The environment within their accumulated memories has a huge impact. In my case, as you know, Senior, my life is more precious than anything."
Roy’s point was this: just as there are many types of humans who differ based on their upbringing and environment, a Bioroid’s values change depending on the environment experienced by the previous models.
Above all, just as a "first experience" is important to a human, a Bioroid is heavily influenced by the environment the very first model of their line encountered.
In other words, it wasn't that Bioroids naturally devalued their own lives, but rather that some viewed themselves lightly because they knew they could be replaced at any time before reaching the Kaijin stage.
According to the former Bioroid, while it wasn't the case for the majority, it wasn't uncommon to see Bioroids with that mindset.
"It might be baffling from your perspective, Senior, but honestly, from my perspective as a former Bioroid, it’s not that strange of a situation."
"I see. Got it."
Hearing Roy’s words, A decided not to reach a definitive conclusion on the matter for now. More than anything, it wasn't a problem that necessarily had a "correct" answer.
It was a philosophy occasionally found among Bioroids. Since she was still a Bioroid with a designation and a serial number—not yet a Kaijin—there was no immediate need to force a change in her perspective.
Besides, A didn't consider himself the kind of person who could change someone else’s deep-seated convictions.
*
A’s room was pitch black. He was buried under his covers in a deep sleep when someone opened the door to his quarters and stepped inside.
The figure passed through the living room and entered the bedroom. After watching the sleeping A for a moment, the figure switched on the light.
"!"
Even through the blankets, A felt the shift in light and squirmed. The intruder grabbed the edge of the bedsheet A was lying on and yanked it upward, dumping the sleeping man onto the floor.
"Oof!"
With a loud thud, A was jolted awake instantly. With eyes that weren't quite fully open yet, he identified the person who had woken him.
"Senior. You are late."
A.T. stood motionless in front of the bed, looking down at A sprawled on the floor without a change in expression. A let out a long sigh.
"Why?"
"Morning roll call is already over. I thought you were oversleeping like last time, so I came to wake you."
"Uuugh!"
A squirmed on the floor at A.T.’s words and pulled the blanket back over his head.
"! You must get up and go to work immediately."
"I’m off-duty today!"
Engineers lived busy lives, making it difficult to have proper holidays. Instead, they had shifts with lighter workloads that were effectively "days off" in all but name, and those on light duty would take rests whenever they could.
However, A—whose only hobby was watching dramas and who served as a team leader in the hangar—usually went to work even on his light-duty days rather than resting.
On the rare occasion he had a true day off, he spent the entire time in his room with no intention of leaving his quarters. A.T., who couldn't possibly know A’s lifestyle habits, remained standing and staring at him even after hearing he was off-duty.
Feeling her gaze, A realized that sleeping in was a lost cause. He threw off the blanket and stood up.
"Look. Seira didn't come to wake me up, did she?"
"No."
"What did I tell you when I left work yesterday?"
"You told me to get plenty of rest tomorrow."
"And what does that mean?"
"I do not quite know."
This was A’s first day off since A.T. had arrived at the 54th Aviation Corps. A.T. didn't understand the concept of a day off. A sat on the floor next to the bed and gestured for A.T. to sit in front of him.
"Being 'off-duty' means there is no work scheduled for today."
"…Then who will work in the hangar?"
"The team members will."
"Who will perform your role, Senior?"
"The team members… Look, a day off is a day for resting. On my day off, other people handle my responsibilities."
Having understood the concept of a day off, A.T. let out an "Ah" and nodded.
However, another thought seemed to occur to her. She furrowed her brow and looked at the floor before quickly looking back up.
"Then what should I do?"
"…You can just rest too."
There was no need for A.T. to follow A around on his day off. Even as her lifestyle handler, he felt they should both be guaranteed their own space on holidays.
But for A.T., the concept of "resting" simply didn't exist. Even after being told to rest, she had no reaction.
Seeing A.T. staring blankly at him as if she still didn't understand the instruction to "rest," A realized roughly how the situation was unfolding.
"It’s a day where you do nothing. You must have rested before, right?"
"…The concept of 'rest' exists within the memories of the previous serial numbers."
He didn't need to hear any more. The memories left behind by the previous iterations of her serial number contained the concept of rest. In other words, the previous units had taken breaks from time to time.
However, A.T., who had been assigned to the 54th Aviation Corps immediately after becoming the new unit, had never actually experienced "rest" for herself yet.
"Just go to your room and watch TV, or space out, or do whatever."
Do I really have to teach her how to rest? A thought as he stood up. He shoved his hand under his shirt, scratched his torso lazily, and walked out to the living room.
"Looks like I’m giving up my holiday. Come here."
A.T., who had been sitting there thinking about the concept of rest while watching A leave, stood up at his voice and followed him into the living room.
A lay down on the sofa, covered himself with a throw blanket, and turned on the TV with the remote.
"I’m warning you now, spending a day off with me is boring."
He bent his legs to make space and gestured with his chin for A.T. to sit. A.T. sat at the edge of the sofa where A’s body was curled up and turned her gaze toward the TV, where a drama was playing.
The drama featured a grey-haired female protagonist and a black-haired male protagonist. A.T., knowing nothing of the story, watched the screen silently before looking at A.
A’s eyes were fixed on the TV. His expression shifted slightly with every turn of the plot.
"What is that?"
A.T., who had been alternating her gaze between A and the TV, finally asked a question. A looked at her from his reclined position; her eyes were filled with curiosity.
"You know what a TV is, right?"
"Yes. I am aware."
"What’s playing there is called a 'drama.' It’s a broadcast of actors performing according to a script."
A.T. fell silent again, processing the information. It was her time for organizing new data in her head. Having spent a few days with her, A had learned this trait of hers and waited for her to finish.
"Is it a method of producing a specific story and disseminating it through media to induce various emotions?"
"Correct."
At A’s firm confirmation, A.T.’s eyebrows twitched upward slightly. It wasn't a large change in expression, but it was the reaction she gave whenever she felt a sense of pride in being right.
"Why is that woman crying so much?"
On the screen, the female protagonist was weeping as she clung to the male protagonist, unable to accept their breakup.
Deciding it would be too difficult to explain the entire drama from the beginning, A gave her a brief summary.
"That man and that woman are enemies, and the man knew her identity and was monitoring her. But as they got closer, they started dating. Then the woman found out his true identity, and that’s where the trouble started."
With the brief explanation, A.T. understood the flow without needing to think deeply and turned her gaze back to the TV.
"Do you find this interesting, Senior?"
A flinched and looked at A.T. again. It wasn't a question implying he was watching something boring; she was genuinely curious if he enjoyed the drama.
"Well… it’s not so much that it’s 'fun,' it’s more that there’s nothing else to watch, so I’m just watching this."
Then A let out a dry chuckle.
"To be honest, even now, I don't really get the plot point of falling in love with a surveillance target. Oh, and I’m also watching because the actress is pretty."
"Is that person considered pretty?"
"Tastes vary, but I think she’s pretty."
A.T. watched the TV in silence after his answer. A also returned to the screen in silence. After watching a couple of episodes, his stomach let out a loud growl.
"I’m hungry. Did you eat breakfast?"
"No. You did not come, so I came straight here."
Since A had woken up much later than his usual mealtime, missing breakfast wasn't a big deal for him. However, feeling slightly guilty that A.T. had missed a meal because of him, he sat bolt upright on the sofa.
"Let’s go eat."
"Understood."
A went into the dressing room and changed into civilian clothes. When he came out, A.T.’s brow furrowed for a split second. A wondered what was wrong but didn't pay it much mind as he led her out of the room.
Just as he closed the door and turned toward the cafeteria, he ran into Seira walking from the opposite direction.
"Going to eat?"
"Yeah."
"I thought you’d be holed up in your room since it’s your day off. What a surprise to see you out for food…"
Seira, who had been speaking to A as usual, noticed a presence behind him. She lowered her gaze and locked eyes with A.T., who was staring intently at her.
"Why is she here?"
"She didn't know I was off-duty and came to wake me up, so we watched a drama together. We’re heading to eat because we’re hungry."
Seira’s eyebrows twitched as she processed the situation from his brief explanation. A.T. continued to stare at Seira, who was staring right back.
"I will be the one to wake Senior from now on, so you do not have to come, Seira."
"What on earth is this one babbling about?"
Seira forced a smile to keep her temper in check, but her narrowed eyes and twitching brow gave her away.
"Let’s just go eat and not fight."
Hating to get caught in the middle of others' squabbles, A mediated the conversation and headed for the cafeteria.
As the three of them walked side-by-side with A in the middle, A brought up something that had been weighing on his mind.
"By the way, A.T. You said before that you’re a Bioroid who can be replaced at any time."
"Yes."
Seira was a bit surprised to hear A suddenly bring up something from the past, but she was also curious about A.T.’s thoughts, so she listened in silence.
"Who told you that?"
"The Record Handler."
"Ah, that son of a… I mean, that guy did?"
The one who had instilled the idea that she was a replaceable Bioroid was none other than Baltor—the Bioroid Record Handler whom A had already had a bad first encounter with at the hangar.
Disgusted that a man he already disliked had planted such a negative self-image in a Bioroid, A was about to curse when he caught A.T. looking at him and quickly checked himself.
"Don't go doing anything stupid later."
Seira spoke up out of caution, worried that A’s growing resentment toward Baltor might lead him to cause trouble. A gave a half-hearted reply—"I won't, I won't"—and quickened his pace toward the cafeteria to avoid the lecture he felt was coming.