Chapter 28
Chapter 28
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Talking Machine (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Inside the logistics warehouse of the grocery store.
There was only one chair, so naturally, Walter and I ended up perching on top of some product boxes.
Since the boxes were filled with cat food, there was no need to sit carefully.
And then.
Between the awkwardly seated pair of us was the self-proclaimed android girl whose identity we couldn't quite pin down—.
'What the hell is this situation?'
I scratched my head and handed Walter a milk bottle I'd brought along in advance.
Walter frowned at the sight of the milk bottle.
"...Why milk all of a sudden?"
"I saw you panting like crazy earlier. You must've run here in a real hurry. Drink this and catch your breath."
With that, I gulped down the pure white milk.
Ahh, must be the imported stuff.
It had a rich, undiluted flavor with no water added.
Walter stared down at the milk bottle I'd given him, looking a bit sheepish.
"Still, why milk of all things...?"
"You don't like milk?"
In response to my question, Walter twisted open the cap of the milk bottle.
"It's not that I hate it, but this is that stuff, right? Milk from the dairy business run by the mafia family. Tsk, it just feels a bit off to me. Though I've heard the quality is pretty good."
"......For real?"
In Area 49, "mafia family" brought only one group to mind.
I was hearing this for the first time.
Mafia and a milk business, of all things.
'What is this, Al Capone?'
Walter downed the milk I'd given him in one clean go.
I turned my gaze to the android girl sitting there tensely.
"Anna, was it?"
"...Yes."
"You're not gonna drink any milk, huh."
"It's not that I won't—it's that I can't..."
Same difference.
Anna was clutching the ragged cloth she wore like a lifeline, and she looked pretty uneasy just sitting here like this.
For the record, Walter was the same.
"First off, Grandpa Walter."
"Grandpa, what?"
"Just calling you 'Mr. Walter' feels off somehow."
As someone from a Confucian society of Eastern etiquette, I couldn't just casually call an elder by his name.
Besides, the title wasn't the important part.
"You definitely told me before that you didn't have a daughter, that you were single."
Back when I'd first visited Walter's shop.
We'd had that exact conversation.
- Yes, I'm here to buy some stuff.
- Hm, you're welcome anytime.
- How's your daughter doing?
- ...I'm single.
It had been a joking question, so I'd nearly forgotten about it.
At my bombshell statement, Anna's gaze—which had been fixed on the floor—shifted to Walter.
Walter let out a sigh and offered an excuse.
"...Yeah. That's what I said back then. But try to see it from my side a little."
Thud.
The sound of the empty glass bottle hitting the floor rang out louder than expected.
"As you know, security in Area 49 isn't great. I can't just go around bragging about having a daughter. If word got out about a female android, every thug in the area would come knocking without a second thought."
"Hm."
It sounded like a perfectly reasonable explanation to me.
But Walter's daughter just scoffed lightly.
"Ha, that's all a big fat lie."
As Anna snapped her head up, the cloth hood she wore slipped back.
She had quite a pretty face.
"He just doesn't want to tell anyone about me existing. I'm just a robot with my daughter's memories— not a real, living daughter."
"...That's not it."
"I'm just a stand-in for his dead daughter anyway—"
"Enough!!"
Walter's roar made the air heavy.
No, family disputes are something they should sort out themselves.
Why bring the drama all the way here...?
But breaking through that heavy atmosphere to say so was tough.
Walter stared at his daughter with unwavering eyes.
"You are my daughter. For real. Don't go saying that kind of thing anywhere."
"......"
Anna quietly shut her mouth at Walter's words.
But from her sullen expression, it seemed his words hadn't fully gotten through.
Screech.
Anna pushed back the metal chair and stood up.
Walter asked with a panicked look.
"Wh-where are you going now?"
"...The sink. What, can't I even wash up?"
Do androids go through puberty or something?
Anna glanced around before heading toward the bathroom.
Feeling a complicated mix of emotions, I patted Walter on the back in consolation.
"Th-that must be tough on you... "
"...It's fine. She's always had that personality. The sudden runaway this time too—nothing new."
Not a doting dad, but a genius-level daughter, huh.
There were probably circumstances between them that I couldn't understand.
Since I was an outsider anyway,
I had no words of advice to offer.
Just sit quietly and listen.
After a brief silence, Walter cautiously opened his mouth.
"...Do you have a daughter, by any chance?"
"Huh??"
This crazy old man—how old does he think I am...?
......
No, wait, it's possible.
If I got married super young.
I calmed down the Confucian dragon in me that was about to flee my body.
For reference, South Korea's average marriage age was 33—I definitely wasn't late.
"No daughter, but I do have a little sister. Yours is probably around the same age, no rebellious phase or anything... "
Walter chuckled at my words.
"That kid takes after me, so she's got a sharp personality too. Anyway, I think of Anna as my real daughter. I did back then, and I will going forward."
"Then isn't that that?"
"I thought so too, but..."
Walter let out a long sigh.
Hearts don't always move the way we want them to.
"Well, anyway, thanks for looking after my daughter."
"...She came to find you."
I hadn't done anything yet.
After a moment's thought, I added a needless comment.
"She came because she heard rumors about you sharing food around here, or maybe she wanted to try eating something once."
"......"
"I'm not in a position to say much, but maybe it's time for some honest talk between you two."
I cleared away the glass bottle on the floor and stood up, leaning on the cat food box.
"I'll make this milk on the house, special this time."
"...It was paid?"
"Of course."
Walter laughed heartily at my words.
Heh heh heh...
My words must've sounded like a joke.
Today was the perfect chance for the grocery store's first sale...
Anyway.
The two of them left the grocery store like that.
"Thanks for staying quiet the whole time."
The turret's lens, which had stealthily descended from the ceiling, turned toward me.
"What do you mean...? Oh."
I sensed presences behind the logistics warehouse and nodded.
No need to check—it was obviously Michael and Liberra.
They must've been worried about me.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
'...An android.'
Honestly, I didn't know much about it.
This world probably had its share of issues on the topic too.
But at least, it wasn't easy to just see androids as simple robots.
Take Nova right in front of me, for starters.
"Right?"
"Hey, just empathize with me."
It felt like a tiny sigh followed my utterly shameless words.
Anyway, even Nova thought the same.
It would've been nice if the story ended peacefully here.
Unfortunately,
this was Risk City.
A city of violence, corruption, despair, and depravity.
A few dozen minutes after parting with Walter.
A godawful voice echoed in my brain.
I shot up from the chair like a live fish flopping around.
It was almost instinctual.
The turret's lens swiveled toward me in utter confusion.
I quickly scanned the surroundings.
This wasn't just an increased probability—it straight-up announced that it had triggered.
'...What the hell now?'
The unnecessarily cheery female voice forced my actions like PTSD.
I had no choice but to tense up.
Last time this voice rang out, a truck had crashed into the grocery store entrance right after.
But.
There was nothing unusual around me.
As I showed signs of panic, Nova's voice trembled faintly.
"Hold on."
I focused solely on checking the area.
It definitely wasn't a hallucination.
Like a siren's warning,
The woman's voice in my head clearly signaled the danger heading my way.
I kicked open the back door of the grocery store.
Bang!!
The homeless folks jumped at the noise and stared at me in bewilderment.
I first confirmed Liberra and Michael.
"Hotdog Man?"
"...Why do you look so panicked?"
But both were fine.
My bizarrely heightened senses told me nothing had happened near the grocery store.
Then.
I asked Michael without a second thought.
"Which way did Walter go?"
"Walter? You mean the old man who was just here...?"
"That way."
Liberra cut off the cautious Michael and pointed in the direction.
"Got it. You two wait inside the store. If anything feels off, bring all the other homeless folks in too."
I bolted without waiting for a reply.
Blood pumped from my heart surged through my body.
Very quickly.
With each step, the alley scenery leaped forward by meters.
The force of my steps cracked the concrete, but I left the repairs to the roads department.
My sharpened senses detected an ominous feeling.
And then.
I spotted an old man collapsed at the end of the alley.
The ground was already soaked in red blood.
"...Walter!!"
The wound was worse than it looked.
His abdomen seemed stabbed—like every breath made blood bubble up.
119—no, this was 911 territory?
Wait, someone said medical services don't even come to Area 49...
My thoughts raced.
"Is there anywhere nearby to treat..."
At the same time, bloody foam bubbled from Walter's mouth.
Probably damaged his trachea or lungs too.
But his eyes still burned fiercely.
"Stay still. The wound will open more—"
Ignoring me, he shoved a business card into my hand.
A card I remembered seeing recently.
"Take... my daughter... Cough!!"
"Just calm down first..."
"......!!"
Walter flailed his hand wildly.
Meaning: leave him and go find his missing daughter.
But I couldn't just abandon a critically injured man in the middle of an alley.
That's when.
"...I'll take responsibility for Mr. Walter. There's a place around here where he can be treated."
Liberra's voice came from right behind me.
Normally, I'd question how she followed me, but.
"You sure?"
"Yes, trust me."
"...I'm counting on you."
This was an emergency.
Our little one was all I could rely on.
Liberra swiftly tore cloth to start first aid on Walter's wound.
Extremely skilled handling.
I checked the bloodstained business card from Walter, then pulled another crumpled one from my pocket.
The exact same design.
It read "Hole Paradise" along with an address.
Crunch.
Something cracked in my tightly clenched fist.
No time for a satisfying rage outburst.
I confirmed the address and kicked off the ground again.
For real.
This time, they wouldn't get away with it.