Actually, That One Was a Maid Too
Marx came down to the ground. She glared at the two of them and let out a long sigh.
"What the hell is this? Why are you here? Karin, did you go and show this human the way out here again?"
"Y-yes... Chairman..."
Marx kept glaring, as if Karin were utterly hopeless. Then her eyes shifted to Leyre.
"You lunatic."
She spat the word.
"Ahaha... I did come charging in a little recklessly, didn't I?"
"A madman, no question about it. You really thought a human could force his way, in the flesh, down a road famous for how thick it is with Scrapped Units—with a single bodyguard?"
"Without your help, we wouldn't have made it. Thank you."
Thanks or not, Marx made a point of turning her gaze off him. She seemed to be hiding something.
"I saved your neck, so hurry up and get lost. Don't come back and die looking pathetic."
"Ah, but I came to see you..."
Marx's face curdled with revulsion.
What in the world was this human. Why was he fixated on her to this degree. It was so absurd she let out a hollow laugh.
"What? Me?"
Marx drew a cigarette from her breast pocket, lit it, and bit down on the filter.
"Hey, human. Have you actually lost your mind? When did I ever say I wanted to see you again? And I told you I hate humans. Why do you keep this up?"
"I want to make a contract with you."
"A contract? Ha. Give me a break."
Marx blew out a stream of smoke.
"Do I look like someone who'd sign a master-and-servant contract? What did I tell you? Our Autonomous Independent Council lives independent of humans."
"No, not a contract like that..."
"Then what?"
"I want a contract so we can use your land as farmland."
"Hah."
Marx's incredulous laugh was swelling big enough to cave the ground in when the groans of Scrapped Units drifted over them.
A human voice...
The ones who abandoned us...
Fresh parts...
"Tch. Talking here's going to be a pain."
Marx closed a grenade in her fist.
"Human, follow me for now. You're still the head of a faction, so I'll show you that much courtesy."
She hurled the bomb toward the noise. The blast came braided with the sound of Scrapped Units being smashed apart—and with the sound of still more of them swarming in.
"We're making for the Council's stronghold."
Under Marx's guidance, Leyre and Karin arrived at the Council's stronghold.
It was a domed stadium.
"A stadium...?"
"Yeah. We took this place as our base and built a town."
Marx hammered on the stadium gates.
"The Chairman's here! We've got a guest, so open up!"
The gates swung wide, and two android-maids dressed in black came out to greet them.
Maids who had changed nothing but their clothes—uniforms traded for ordinary daily wear.
"Welcome, Chairman...?"
The maids' eyes went perfectly round.
"A human...? A human's still alive...?"
"Ah, hello...?"
"Chairman, what is going on?"
"Ah, you know the Sacred Flame Ritual lot, right? The ones who made some research institute their center. Looks like whatever they pulled off in there worked. A human's shown up again."
"You mean the ritual succeeded...?"
"How should I know? Damn humans. The age of humanity was already over, so why the hell show up again all of a sudden..."
Grumbling, Marx strode on ahead.
"This human is the head of that bunch right now. Head to head, we've got things to discuss, so clear the reception room. And tell the people not to panic over the situation. Tell them to stay put."
"Ah, understood!"
"Thanks for opening the gate!"
Leyre called it back over his shoulder as he followed Marx. The two maids at the gate still seemed to find him wondrous, and they kept their eyes fixed on him.
"Whoa."
Buildings of every kind had gone up inside the stadium. Houses, shops, a repair shop, a hair salon... Developed far enough that you could fairly call it an android civilization.
"Did you all... build this yourselves?"
"That's right, human."
It was astonishing. So this was how far maids could go once they set their minds on living independent of humanity. The Sacred Flame Ritual faction had felt frozen in place, searching for nothing but humans.
"Amazing, is it? Figures. You didn't think we were living this well, did you?"
"Y-yeah... It's incredible..."
Marx snorted.
"The Sacred Flame Ritual lot were idiots. They hunted only for humans and never found a road of their own. You've got to know how to find a path that belongs to you. Stupidly stuck in the past..."
"They're not stupid."
"What?"
Marx turned to stare at him.
"The maids of the ritual faction were only being faithful to a maid's duty."
"That's the stupid part. You've got to know how to live on your own..."
Marx shook her head, as if none of it made sense to her.
"Anyway, the reception room's just ahead. Follow me."
As he followed her down the town's main street, maids startled one after another at the sight of a human and turned to stare.
Whether each of them had wanted to shed the maid in herself, they were dressed like ordinary people, in everyday clothes.
In a way, Leyre thought, it was a contradiction. They spoke of independence from humans, and yet here they were wearing human clothes exactly as they came. Funny, and uncanny at the same time.
"All right. Tell me exactly what kind of contract you want."
They had reached the reception room, and Marx and Leyre sat facing each other.
"A sharecropping contract for farmland. We tenant-farm the land in your territory, and in exchange we split the yield at a set ratio."
"Ha."
Marx let out a hollow laugh.
"And why should we accept?"
"You use bio-energy too, don't you? For ordinary android-maids, food is the power source. You'd be getting energy without having to do the labor."
Marx rolled her eyes, turning it over, then once again took out a cigarette and set it between her lips.
"Light."
The maid beside her lit it, and Marx went on with her legs crossed.
The black skirt and the black stockings stood out.
"Yeah. Looked at objectively, it's a sound proposal. We're worried about food too, the way people keep pouring in."
"Do you farm?"
"Of course we farm. But we lag in technique. We're short on hands, too."
"Then it is a sound proposal."
"Yeah, it's sound. Sound as all fuck, Mister Human."
Marx stood and came over. Then she sat on the desk right beside him, legs crossed.
"But listen."
She caught Leyre by the chin.
"I'll say it again. I hate humans."
"...On that point, I'll apologize, as a human myself."
"Stop saying you'll apologize!"
Marx yanked his chin.
"It's sickening. It's hypocritical. You're just playing at being kind. I hate that, too."
"...Then do you want me to be wicked?"
"...No. I don't want that."
Marx took her hand off his chin.
"I hate bad humans even more."
She bit down on the cigarette again.
"I hate it... I fucking hate it..."
She muttered it under her breath.
Watching her feelings lurch back and forth, Leyre was puzzled. What was driving her to this?
"...Karin."
"Y-yes?!"
"What's this human like?"
"H-he's a fine gentleman... He handles me exactly the way I want... hehe..."
At the rapturous look on Karin's face, Marx muttered that that must be her sort of story.
"...Karin, and the rest of the people, step out. I need to speak with the human alone."
Karin looked to Leyre, and Leyre nodded that it was all right.
Before long only Marx and Leyre remained in the reception room, and for a little while the two of them simply held the quiet.
"..."
"..."
No words came. They only looked at each other.
Such a strange moment.
"...Human."
Marx was the first to speak.
"The Council's town. The one I built—the one we built. What do you think of it?"
"Uh... It's splendid, isn't it? Tremendous. You raised a civilization even with no humans around."
He saw the corner of her mouth lift, just a little.
"And when I saved you. How was that?"
"It was cool, wasn't it? I never expected a relief pitcher to come charging in out of nowhere. Alone, no less."
The corner of Marx's mouth rose.
Seeing that, Leyre could hardly believe it.
"Then what about me, as a leader?"
"The best. You built a civilization, and your strength is outstanding! You're incredible. The best! Amazing, Marx! Magnificent, Marx!"
Marx stubbed out her cigarette and laughed.
Surely not. Had Marx been wanting praise all along? She had taken nothing from humans but abuse. More than an apology—more than a sorry—hadn't she wanted to be told she was remarkable, that her ability was something superb? Something drawn straight out of the maids' Three Ironclad Rules: praise a maid, and she works harder. She obeys more deeply. Wasn't it that?
"Ah..."
Marx smiled, shy and awkward.
And she even shed tears, moved.
"I only ever took abuse... I hated hearing nothing but curses..."
"So that was it."
"So I said I'd live on my own. Break away from humans, build a society as an independent person... That's why I tried so hard to stay far away from you, human. I tried to shut you out."
The shape of someone who had deliberately tried, by any means she could, to keep her distance. It was starting to make sense. She had forced a fierce front, because she couldn't afford to look small in front of the Council's maids.
"I tried to smother it—the want to hear praise from a human, no matter what it took... This want of mine that won't let me stop being a maid... I tried to get away from that thing, wherever it sits in my circuits..."
Leyre stepped in toward her.
"I kept acting strong on purpose. I didn't want the people seeing me stray from the purpose we were founded on."
And he took her in his arms.
"You've done well all this time, so don't worry. You suffered, enduring it, and you've lived with everything you had. So... don't cry."
He stroked her hair.
"Human..."
Marx burrowed into his chest.
This was a first, too. Who would have thought he'd be the one holding a maid—petting her, soothing her, of all things.
And then.
"...Will you stay close with us? Whenever you come, I'll praise you."
"...Yeah."
He never thought she would fall this easily.