My Beloved, My Precious. (4)
My Beloved, My Precious. (4)
Where am I?
Everything around me was stained black; I couldn't see a thing.
A space where not even a single speck of light entered.
At the same time, a strange place where my own body was clearly visible.
"Where is this..."
Could this be the afterlife?
Or maybe it was the space one arrives at when operations completely cease.
I wasn't sure since this was the first time my operation had ceased due to a lack of power supply, but...
'Did Makina make it out safely?'
It was a facility that hadn't seen maintenance for over a hundred years.
What if a problem arose with the elevator leading to the surface?
What if it stopped while heading up to the surface?
"Puhut. I have way too many worries."
Laughter burst out of me at the sight of myself worrying about Makina even in a situation like this.
Could this be what a parent's heart feels like?
When I clasped my cold, chilled hands together, I felt a faint warmth.
"Makina... please, stay happy."
Even if the outside world isn't as beautiful as the stories I told you, please.
However, I believed.
That Makina would surely live well.
After all, Makina takes after my wife.
And at the same time, she takes after me too.
'And Euripides as well.'
In a way, she could be called the child of three people.
My wife gave her a body, Euripides gave her a mind, and I gave her a soul.
Thinking like that made me feel as if my remaining gloominess flew far away.
'Yeah, then that's enough.'
The proof that the three of us existed in this world remained in the form of Makina.
It would be a lie to say I had no lingering regrets, but it wasn't something I couldn't shake off either.
In the first place, my wish was for Makina to safely escape the Underground Laboratory.
"...Makina."
However, that was only what my brain thought.
My chest, my heart, my soul—they didn't feel that way.
"I wanted to talk a little more."
And, I wanted to hug her a little more.
Even if it had happened inside a virtual space, to Makina and me, it was no different from reality.
Who could possibly say that the warmth we shared back then was a lie?
"Now it's really the end."
Far away, I saw a light.
A faint light beckoning me to come over quickly.
Watching the cluster of light radiating as if telling me to hurry up and come now that I had shaken off my regrets, I slowly moved my feet.
'Is that place Heaven, or Hell?'
It didn't matter where.
I only hoped that she would be there.
There were so many stories I wanted to tell her.
I wanted to smile and brag that we had a daughter who looked just like her.
"I'm here."
A murmur, unsure of who it was directed to.
With that single sentence as the end, I threw my body toward the cluster of light.
[Dea!]
"...Ah?"
And then, what I saw was none other than Makina.
As my eyes widened in response to Makina's unexpected appearance, Makina smiled brightly.
...I can't understand.
My mind went completely blank.
[Dea, can you see me? I'm right here!]
Makina waved her hand.
Uh, u-uh... I can see you, but...
'This isn't a dream, right...?'
Or maybe a revolving lantern of past memories?
I pinched my cheek, but I didn't feel any pain.
As expected, maybe having someone else pinch it would be more effective.
[Dea, Dea? You can hear my voice, right?!]
"U-Uh-huh... I hear you loud and clear."
[Waaah, Dea! I really missed you!]
"I missed you too, Makina."
Makina was jumping up and down right in front of my eyes.
Or rather, to be precise, only her upper body was brimming with excitement.
I'm glad she seems to be doing well.
Seeing Makina's smile put my mind at ease.
Now I truly have no regrets even if I die—
[Uh-uh, forbidden expression! That is absolutely forbidden, Dea!]
"Eh?"
[If you keep making that face, I'll tease you!]
"Tease me?"
Am I getting tormented even in my life flashing before my eyes?
The moment I tilted my head at Makina's words, something appeared in midair.
A sharp triangle.
And even an angled tail attached behind it.
'Huh, this looks just like...'
It looks like a mouse pointer.
As I was thinking that absently, the thing that looked like a mouse pointer smoothly began to move.
And then, slyly approaching toward me, it poked my body relentlessly.
Poke, poke-poke, poke—
"Ow?! Ouch?!!?"
W-Why does it hurt?
It felt like being pricked with sharp needles.
When tears welled in my eyes from the sudden pain, Makina's eyes went wide.
Apparently, she hadn't expected it to hurt me.
[A-Ah, did it hurt? Th-That... I didn't know it would hurt...]
"I-I'm okay. It didn't hurt that much... I-I was just startled."
In truth, it hurt immensely.
However, I told a white lie so as not to worry Makina.
Because I didn't want to see Makina make a tearful face.
"By the way, what happened? I should be in the Underground Laboratory."
[Ah, regarding that—um, Seo-ajeossi!]
When Makina called out to someone, footstep sounds echoed from afar, and soon stopped right beside Makina.
A massive physique.
Wasn't he almost 1.5 to 2 times Makina's size?
Standing together, the difference in size felt even more stark.
"Makina, who is the person next to you?"
[Hello, Dea. Long time no see... or maybe not?]
"Ah, you are..."
It was a voice I had heard before.
Right, back then I heard it through a respirator.
Shifting my gaze toward his face, a kind smile caught my eye first.
Even though I had merely seen his smile, my guard lowered.
[Seo. Call me Seo.]
"Yes, Seo-nim. Thank you for saving Makina."
I bowed my head deeply.
He was the very person who had saved Makina's life.
I must show proper courtesy.
At my greeting, Seo-nim's expression stiffened slightly.
...Was there something uncomfortable about my behavior?
[Hey, Dea—]
As I stiffened in turn at Seo-nim's reaction, Seo-nim called my name.
No, it was the moment he was trying to call my name.
[More importantly, Seo-ajeossi. I clicked with the mouse and Dea felt pain! You said he wouldn't feel pain!]
Suddenly, Makina popped out from beside Seo-nim.
[Wait, Makina!]
Seo-nim let out a flustered voice.
Makina clings to him, and Seo-nim pushes her away.
Watching that sight made something tickle inside my chest.
...Tickle?
'I don't think it's a tickling sensation...'
Something like a more murky and sticky emotion.
Not a soft tickle, but an itch like a sharp object scraping down.
Envy.
It was jealousy, the feeling that that spot should have been mine.
'Calm down, don't harbor such emotions toward our benefactor. That's just what happened because Makina clung to him.'
Looking at Seo-nim's expression, I calmed my heart.
Seeing Makina, whom I thought I would never see again, recklessly clinging to a strange man like that must have heightened my emotions.
However, I am an adult with a mature mind.
Naturally, I could endure something of this level.
[If you keep pouncing like that, it's uncomfortable to move the mouse—]
Click
Perhaps due to the intense tussle, Seo-nim didn't seem to realize that his hand was clicking the mouse.
A tiny click sound heard amid the commotion.
Along with that sound, the mouse pointer that had been sitting still moved as if teleporting.
And then...
Flutter—
"Kyaa!?"
...The hem of my clothes was lifted.
[...]
[...]
"..."
Although I barely managed to grab it before it went all the way up, they must have seen it.
Honestly, I didn't feel embarrassed about having shown my underwear.
It was far more embarrassing that I shrieked like a little girl with a "Kyaak!" in the middle of that whole series of events.
However, the most embarrassing thing was this.
That the bickering between the two of them, Makina and Seo-nim, came to a halt at my girl-like scream.
Even worse, their eyes were even directed at me beyond the monitor.
"...Please forget it."
I felt as if the masculinity inside me was cracking.
"Kyaak," I said. "Kyaak."
Ehehe, what's with "Kyaak"?
Gloominess washed over me along with a small monologue.
[I-I'll forget it! No, wait. I didn't see anything!]
[I, I didn't see anything either!]
The two of them shouted in panic.
What didn't they see?
My underwear? Or me screaming like a little girl?
I decided not to bother asking back.
Because whatever answer came out of their mouths, I felt like I would inevitably be hurt.
"Phew... Anyway, Seo-nim."
[Uh, uh... Yeah.]
Seo-nim nodded with a half-dazed expression.
Toward that Seo-nim, I bowed my head once more.
"Thank you so much for saving me."
The first one was a thank-you greeting for saving Makina.
This one was a thank-you greeting for saving me.
[Ahaha, I don't think I did anything to deserve this much thanks...]
"Not at all. If it weren't for you, I would never have been able to meet Makina again."
It was a facility operating for a whopping 100 years without maintenance.
When the power suddenly cut off due to a power shortage in such an aging facility, there was no way the data inside would remain intact.
If Seo-nim hadn't pulled me out as well, the data constituting me surely would have ended up a complete mess.
[No. I merely transferred you into Makina's body.]
[That's right! Seo-ajeossi only did simple work! It's all thanks to me, Dea!]
I wanted to press the issue about transferring my data to Makina without thinking things through, but—
Well, since the result is good, let's just let it slide.
Saying harsh words to someone who acted with good intentions felt a bit off anyway.
"Yeah, that's true. Thank you so much to Makina as well."
So I simply wrapped it up with a thank-you greeting.
Makina showing off haughtily after receiving my thank-you greeting was an added bonus.
As expected of my daughter, so cute.