My Beloved, My Precious. (1)
My Beloved, My Precious. (1)
I guided the man to where Makina was.
It didn't matter what kind of person the man was.
Because if not this person, there would be no more chances, so I had no choice but to pick him.
"This child is...?"
["It is the host body of Deus Ex Machina, Makina."]
"It's a machine, right?"
["It is an entity fused of machine and organism. To be precise, it consists of 52.3% machine and 47.7% organism."]
I answered the man's words faithfully.
Since I had shown him Makina, it was only natural to do so.
Answer everything he is curious about, and ensure he takes Makina out safely.
A faithfulness solely for that purpose.
"If it consists of organisms, I suppose that means there is a human part to it..."
["Yes. As evidence of that, Subject Name Makina is currently suffering from malnutrition and dehydration."]
"What?!"
I could feel that the man was flustered.
Certainly, hearing that an entity he thought was a machine was in a state of malnutrition and dehydration was enough to surprise him.
"That means she might die! Wait, hold on."
Exclaiming urgently, the man began rummaging through the backpack he was carrying on his back.
Then he pulled out something that looked like a syringe from inside it.
["What is that? I will not allow the injection of unverified medication into the Princess."]
"This is a nutrient supplement used in emergencies. She won't get better right away, but it'll enable her to hold on."
["..."]
Is that really true?
What if those words were a lie?
What if a strange drug was inside that syringe, causing harm to Makina?
I couldn't trust him.
But I had to trust him.
"May I use it, Dea?"
["Why are you asking? No means of resistance exist for me. If that is what you desire, shouldn't you just do so?"]
Once again, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
The man was asking whether he could use the syringe.
As if he would use another method if I said I didn't want him to.
Just like that.
I wanted to know the reason.
What on earth was his reason for asking the artificial intelligence before him whether he could use it or not?
"Because I felt like Dea didn't want me to."
["..."]
Because he felt like I didn't want him to?
The current me had no eyes, no nose, no mouth, and no face.
The very thing that could be called an expression did not exist.
Unless I voiced a denial, the man shouldn't have been able to notice anything.
Yet the man noticed.
And surprisingly accurately at that.
"Believe me. Because I truly want to save this child."
There was power in his voice.
The man before my eyes truly wanted to save Makina.
I was confused.
Why on earth?
["Why do you go so far as to speak like that?"]
"Because a human saving a human needs no reason."
Right, that was it.
I burst out laughing inwardly.
Although I still couldn't trust the man, I decided to believe his words instead of him.
["I beg of you. Please, save the Princess."]
"Of course. Just leave it to me."
Nodding his head, the man inserted the syringe into Makina's body and pressed the plunger.
Watching the liquid inside the transparent cylinder slowly decrease, I prayed earnestly in my heart.
Please let Makina be safe.
Please, let Makina be able to get out of here without any harm.
[ Vital signs of Subject Name Makina are improving. ]
["...Ah."]
I let out a short gasp.
The man's words were true.
["Thank you so, so much..."]
I expressed my gratitude.
If possible, I wanted to do many things for him, but the current me had nothing I could do for him.
"No need for thanks. I just did what naturally ought to be done."
["Thanks to that natural deed, the Princess was able to save her life."]
I paused for a moment to choose my words.
Because even while there was nothing I could do for him, I still wanted to do something for the man.
["May blessings be upon you."]
"..."
The man was silent.
Was he surprised by the fact that I said such a thing?
Remembering the moment I first met Euripides, laughter burst out.
Looking at me laughing "fufu," the man spoke.
"This child, did you say her name was Makina?"
["Yes, that is correct."]
"I don't know what kind of relationship you two have, but Makina must be a truly precious existence to you."
["Yes, she is a precious existence that cannot be replaced by anything."]
I looked at Makina through my visual sensors.
Even just looking at her brought a smile.
If I were inside the data space, I would surely be smiling like a fool.
[ Time remaining until facility shutdown: 00:00:10 ]
["So, please take good care of her."]
"..."
The man did not answer.
He merely nodded his head.
[ Time remaining until facility shutdown: 00:00:06 ]
The end was approaching.
What would it feel like for power to shut down?
Of course, there was a possibility that this wasn't the end.
Someday, power might be supplied to the facility again, allowing it to operate.
'Or maybe I'll be forgotten forever like this.'
That's why I opened my mouth once more.
This time, it was not words spoken to the man, but words spoken to Makina.
There were words I desperately wanted to tell Makina.
[ Time remaining until facility shutdown: 00:00:01 ]
["My precious daughter, Makina. Please, be happy—"]
***
"Huh?"
Devouring the food and drinks, Makina tilted her head.
She was no longer hungry.
Nor was she thirsty.
"What's wrong, daughter?"
"No, ummm..."
Dea, holding a fork, asked Makina.
A voice that seemed to ask why she stopped eating when she was enjoying it so much.
At Dea's question, Makina had no choice but to smile awkwardly.
'I'm full...'
Her stomach was full.
She thought she could eat forever if it was in a dream.
Even while looking at the piece of steak hanging from the fork, she wasn't particularly hungry.
"Are you full?"
"Yeees..."
Dea's smile deepened.
At the gentle gaze directed at her, Makina also smiled back.
"Then shall we head to bed soon?"
"Uh..."
Didn't she say they had to go to school?
Makina tilted her head, but Dea merely pulled Makina's hand and led her to the room.
'It's a dream, so it'll be fine.'
Information existed in the database that dreams usually lacked coherence.
If so, even if she woke up to go to school, she could still go to sleep while eating.
At the belated realization, Makina nodded her head.
"I'm turning off the light, okay?"
Having returned to the room and laid down on the bed like that, Dea placed her hand on the room's light switch and spoke.
If she turns that off, will she just close the door and leave?
At the anxiety that Dea might disappear, Makina shook her head side to side.
No matter how much it was inside a dream, she thought it would be scary if Dea wasn't in front of her eyes.
"I'm not sleepy, omma."
"...Is that so?"
Dea approached and sat on the edge of the bed.
A bitter smile hung on the corners of her mouth.
Why was it?
'Maybe it's because I won't sleep. But, I really can't fall asleep...'
Makina pouted her lips.
Telling her to sleep when she wasn't sleepy felt a bit too harsh.
I want to be with Dea!
Carrying such meaning, Makina held onto Dea's hand tightly.
"Should omma sing a lullaby for you, daughter?"
"A lullaby? Yeees, I want to hear it."
An experience for the first time.
Since Dea had never sung anything at all, she looked forward to it even more.
Ggudeok, ggudeok, ggudeok.
Nodding her head with so much anticipation, the blanket fluttered.
"You have to understand even if omma doesn't sing very well, okay?"
"Yes!"
Makina was confident.
Confident that she would never fall asleep.
As omma goes to the sea—
"...Ah."
To dive for seafood—
A gentle voice.
A song she felt like she had heard before, yet had never heard.
Deep inside the database, faint remaining lyrics caressed Makina's eardrum.
The baby stays at home—
Crying all alone—
A hand patting her body lying on the bed.
The sound of singing flowing softly.
Although she certainly thought she wouldn't fall asleep, Makina's body began to gradually go limp.
"Omma..."
Whispered by the wind—
To the small song—
Why was it?
She felt sadness.
At the tender, wistful voice that seemed to be sending her off, Makina desperately grabbed Dea's hand.
But the strength in her grip lasted only a moment.
Stops crying at once—
"Don't... leave..."
Makina reflexively muttered.
Desperately like that, even though she would surely be able to meet her when she woke up from the dream.
And falls fast asleep—
"Dea..."
Ending with that final word, Makina closed her eyes.
Looking at the child who had fallen into sleep, Dea held her breath.
As if even the sound of her breathing would be a disturbance.
"...Sweet dreams, my baby."
Being able to meet you made me truly happy.
Having you as my daughter made me truly happy.
So I hope you will be as happy as I was.
Dea whispered in a tiny voice that wouldn't disturb Makina's sleep.
"I am so glad we could meet, even if only like this."
At the very, very end.
Dea's willpower broke through the limitations of the machine and entered Makina's dream.
A dream is, after all, the expression of the subconscious.
Her love for Makina had been conveyed at the exact moment Dea's consciousness was severed.
"I wanted to tell you so many more stories."
Sharing conversations, sharing happiness, sharing love—
Wanting to become a family like that and walk through this world step by step.
But a dream is a dream because one eventually wakes up from it.
Stroking Makina's head, Dea slowly stood up.
"I love you, my daughter."
Ending with those words, Dea's figure vanished.
No one was left in the room.