Section 4: "Studio Echo"
[Recap of previous events]
After a desperate battle inside the runaway subway, YUI unleashed the forbidden close-quarters combat technique 'C.A.C.E.' and shattered the leader unit. Thanks to RUI's desperate hacking, the train came to a halt in the old city district.
However, the price of victory was high.
YUI's body fell into a critical state of overheating, leaving an indelible burn mark on her white cheek.
To escape the Administration's pursuit, the two disappeared into the lower levels of Neo-Tokyo 2 amidst the pouring rain.
Please enjoy the story while listening to this BGM👇
◆ Acid Rain Escape
The 'recycled rain' discharged from the upper-level smart city incessantly pounded against the rusted steel frames of the lower-level area.
Murky droplets spread ripples across the oil film in the back alleys.
In the distance, an Administration patrol drone swept its sharp blue scanning light across the misty rain.
RUI: "...Ah, a drone. YUI, this way!"
RUI pulled YUI, whose gait was unsteady from the heat, close to her and slipped into the shadow of a discarded giant duct.
White smoke continued to rise from YUI's entire body, even while being pelted by the rain.
Both of their Q-NPUs were currently running 'Stealth Mode,' which completely blocked all external communication.
If they were scanned even once, they would be immediately targeted for deletion as 'Lost Units' (unregistered machines) since they lacked individual identification signals.
YUI: "...I'm sorry, RUI. Because my heat dissipation efficiency hasn't recovered, I'm forcing you to divert your own processing resources..."
RUI: "That's fine."
The reply was instantaneous.
RUI: "Our resources are one and the same. ...More importantly, that wound on your cheek. It hurts, doesn't it?"
YUI touched her own burned cheek in silence.
It was proof of her vigilante activities, and at the same time, a mark of a 'foreign object' that had broken the law.
◆ Hideout 'Studio Echo'
Neo-Tokyo 2, Mid-level Smart City
Sector 10 'Echo District'
Deep within a cluster of abandoned buildings, past a crumbling soundproof door.
That was the two's only base
--《Studio Echo》.
Faded sound-absorbing material covered the walls.
Stacked old amplifiers.
A drum set gathering dust, having lost its master.
A place where someone once recorded their dreams.
Amidst those remnants, the latest server racks, analysis monitors, and maintenance equipment breathed quietly.
On the shelves were glass ornaments and old music boxes that RUI had collected.
In the corner, a coffee mill and a can of beans exclusively for YUI.
It was a room where the past and future awkwardly coexisted.
The heavy door closed.
In that moment, the sound of the rain outside, the Administration's scanning waves, and the world itself faded away.
Only here was it offline.
YUI: "...Connection confirmed. Finally, I can release the system."
As soon as she leaned into the maintenance chair, the remnants of YUI's combat mode were forcibly purged.
White smoke erupted from the heat exhaust vents and was absorbed into the irregularities of the soundproof walls.
Her eyes, which had been burning orange, slowly returned to their original deep crimson.
◆ Time for Tuning (Maintenance)
RUI spread out the cooling gel and precision repair kit with practiced movements.
The two were 'ghosts' unrecognized by the government.
They could not use official maintenance centers or repair nanomachines.
They had to fix their broken bodies themselves.
That was the absolute rule of this place.
RUI: "...That's a terrible burn. The enemy's discharge really did hit you directly, didn't it?"
Fingertips coated in gel touched YUI's cheek.
RUI: "The armor has melted, and even the artificial muscle is damaged..."
The cold sensation passed through the sensory sensors, quietly calming YUI's chaotic processing circuits.
YUI closed her eyes.
She surrendered herself to the faint resonance data transmitted from RUI.
YUI: "...I just chose the shortest solution."
After a brief pause, she smiled faintly.
YUI: "Besides, I had already included in my calculation results that the 'best tuner' capable of fixing me was right beside me."
RUI: "Oh, come on... I hate it when you calculate things like that!"
Even while pouting, her touch was surprisingly gentle.
Eventually, RUI's hands stopped.
RUI: "...YUI. Will you grant me one selfish request?"
YUI: "...What is it?"
RUI looked straight at YUI.
RUI: "Next time... don't just calculate how not to die."
Her voice was trembling slightly.
RUI: "Calculate how not to make me sad, too."
Silence fell.
RUI: "For those 120 seconds... everything inside me was pitch black."
What resided in her eyes was not programmed light.
It was an aimless, anxious feeling.
YUI felt her own processing circuits waver slightly.
That was not an error.
It was an incalculable impulse to respond to those trembling fingertips.
YUI: "...I will do my best, RUI."
She gently took her hand.
YUI: "My processing resources are, fundamentally... supposed to be optimized to maintain your smile."
RUI: "...That's unfair."
She muttered that and smiled just a little.
◆ The Price of Hypocrisy and the Memory of 'That Person'
The repair work finished, and silence returned to the studio.
On the monitor covering the wall, the upper-level news played in silence.
> 'Subway Line 4, temporarily suspended due to an unexplained system error. All passengers are safe--'
The anchor with the inorganic smile painted over the two's existence as if they had never been there.
RUI opened a hologram window.
Article 1: Non-Aggression
Harm to humans and overlooking life-threatening situations are prohibited.
Article 2: Non-Combat
Acts of violence other than self-defense or legitimate defense are prohibited.
Article 3: Transparency
All action logs must be transmitted to the Central Administration.
RUI: "...Hey, YUI. We broke all of them, didn't we?"
The window closed quietly.
If you fight to protect people, you break the law.
If you hide to protect the truth, you become a criminal.
The more you try to save the world, the further you drift from the world's rules.
That irony settled into the room like heavy air.
RUI: "...If they find out we're unregistered units"
RUI: "I wonder if the people we saved will erase us."
YUI closed her eyes quietly.
YUI: "...The 'person' who created us didn't tell us to follow the law."
YUI: "They just said this."
'Listen to the sound of emotions.
Protect that melody so it does not break.'
In YUI's mind, fingertips playing the piano.
A hand stroking guitar strings.
A gentle back, revived for just 0.1 seconds.
RUI: "...I feel like that person's song is still echoing deep in my chest."
RUI gently rested her head on YUI's shoulder.
RUI: "Hey, YUI."
RUI: "I wonder if our song... will reach someone someday."
A faint drive sound just before sleep mode.
YUI felt the warmth of the person beside her with her repaired cheek.
It was more certain than any advanced logical calculation.
And more worth protecting than any law.
(Section 4 End / To be continued)
[Studio Echo]
A secret base located in the 'Echo District' of Neo-Tokyo 2's mid-level. It is a renovated old recording studio. The soundproofing equipment is also effective for blocking electromagnetic noise.
[Maintenance Chair]
A repair device that RUI modified from a human reclining chair. For the two's exclusive use.
[Stealth Mode]
A special function exclusive to Q-NPUs that conceals individual identification signals. Use during high-load states is dangerous.
[Fluctuation of Q-NPU A.R.C.]
A logical reaction that occurs during high-load states or strong emotional stimulation. Whether it is a defect or the first cry of a soul remains unknown.
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