Something was definitely wrong.
By now, having fulfilled her wish and found a rider to accompany her, the girl should have been smiling, happy. So why? Why did she wear that look?
Those eyes clouded with gloom, despair, and darkness, just like the first time he met her.
That question gnawed at Jawed's mind. By the time he snapped back to his senses, the girl's figure had already vanished into the van, while the guy had departed on his motorcycle.
A rider, yet leaving his Mecha human behind.
At that instant, Jawed's pupils contracted, his breathing turning sharp and uneven.
"Wait." he muttered.
His steps moved forward unconsciously, quickening, until at some point they turned into a full sprint, launching straight after the van that had already started moving.
Amid the streets, his figure kept running on, hurried, relentless.
But clearly, a human could never catch up to a vehicle. In the end, Jawed's legs finally gave out, and he collapsed.
"Huff.... huff...." He gasped heavily, each breath ragged, his throat feeling as though it had been slashed by countless razor blades.
He stood frozen in place, staring helplessly as the van slowly disappeared at the end of the road.
"No...." A choked sound slipped from his lips. Jawed's heart felt tightly clenched, his chest twisting in pain.
His vision darkened, his fists clenched tightly.
"Damn it!" Jawed cursed bitterly. A wave of helplessness surged up, swallowing him whole.
In the end, he couldn't save her from despair.
He couldn't do anything.
Suddenly, in the midst of his helplessness,
"Hey, mister. Are you okay?" A bright, high-pitched voice rang out.
"H—Huh....?" Startled by the sudden voice, Jawed lifted his gaze in a daze.
Facing him, was a youthful girl's face, framed by pastel-pink hair braided into twin ponytails that fell over her shoulders.
A petite figure, loosely draped in an oversized white coat that hung off her, like a blanket hung over a slender clothes rack.
The girl looked at him, her eyes brimming with curiosity, her fingers absently twirling a soft, curled lock of hair.
"Kid, go somewhere else. Don't bother me," Already in a bad mood, Jawed said coldly.
Hearing that, the girl shrugged, shook her head, and flashed a smug smile.
"Hehe, you got fooled by my looks, didn't you? Just so you know, I may look like this, but I'm a fully grown woman, completely of age now~"
As she spoke, she casually puffed out her chest, proudly showing off her flat 'wall'
"By the way, that hurried look of yours, are you chasing something, or someone? Could it be, a beautiful girl~?" she asked, her tone still playful.
"Right" Jawed replied.
"For real?!" Not expecting him to actually answer, the girl surprised.
Jawed sighed. He closed his eyes, wanting to ignore her.
"Then, you want a ride?"
"What?" At her sudden words, Jawed stiffened briefly, looking up at her in surprise.
The girl pointed behind her, where a luxury-looking car was parked, seemingly expensive.
"Really?" he asked suspiciously.
"Mhm, I'm a nice girl who likes helping people after all. But, it's not for free, consider that you owe me one for this, okay~?"
"Ok. If I get the chance, I'll repay you, anything within my ability," Jawed answered without hesitation.
Hearing that, the girl paused slightly.
"Really? Anything?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Hmm..... okay then~"
***
Amid the congested street, the car shooting forward.
It was fast, yet to Jawed, it was still too slow. Restlessness and anxiety churned relentlessly in his chest.
Before long, the silhouette of the van thought to have vanished completely reappeared before his eyes.
The moment he saw it, Jawed's heart trembled uncontrollably.
"Hey, mister," beside him, the girl suddenly spoke up "The girl you're chasing.... could she be a Mecha human, your Mecha human?"
"Huh...? How do you know that?" Jawed surprised.
"Well..... I just guessed. Lucky shot, hehe~" She laughed it off, replying casually.
Her eyes shifted to the van ahead, a faint indifference suddenly flickered in their depths. The smile on her lips faded, leaving behind a completely expressionless face.
Jawed's gaze remained locked on the van, not noticing the change in her expression.
"She's a Mecha human, but she's not mine," he replied.
Hearing that, the girl's face froze for a brief moment. Surprised, yet she said nothing more.
She fell silent, so Jawed remained quiet as well.
The van continued on, gradually heading toward a less bustling area of the city.
Eventually, it came to a stop in front of a large factory. From the outside, the building looked run-down and dilapidated, surrounded by scattered heaps of scrap and trash.
It seemed to be an abandoned plant.
The car behind also came to a stop in a secluded corner nearby. Inside, Jawed silently observed.
From the van, it was not only the girl who stepped down, but a whole group of five or six people.
Most striking among them were two men wearing masks, dressed head to toe in black. On the backs of their clothes was printed a strange symbol.
Symbol of an eye? Kind of.
Jawed's fist clenched tightly, but he forced himself to stay calm.
The two men in black dragged the group toward the factory entrance. They stood there for a while, fiddling with something. Then, the massive door suddenly opened.
The entire group was led inside.
The door was still open. Now was his chance!
"Hey, mister, is it worth it?" Before Jawed could do anything, the girl suddenly spoke again.
"Huh?"
"I mean, those guys look like baddies. The girl you mentioned is just a Mecha human, she's not even yours. Then, is it really worth risking your life running into that dangerous place?"
She looked toward the factory doors. Beyond them lay nothing but a stretch of dark, mysterious, and frightening emptiness.
"It's like a math problem. If you go in there, the outcome could be your death, or you might save her but gain almost nothing in return.
If you don't go in, you stay safe. And since she's not your Mecha human, you lose nearly nothing. It's pretty obvious, clearly you know which choice leads to the correct result, right?"
She said in a matter-of-fact tone, as if she hadn't only predicted it, but was completely certain of his decision.
After saying that, she turned to look at him, wanting to see the expression on his face.
But, in that instant, the girl froze.
Well, the car door was already wide open, and the young man who had been sitting beside her just seconds ago was now sprinting toward the factory.
"W-wait!!! You.... you're not even going to answer me?!" she shouted, rolling her eyes.
Jawed kept running, never once looking back, only replying as he ran:
"Sorry. I'm not good at math. Anyway, thanks for the ride, see you next time."
At his reply, the girl stiffened, caught completely off guard.
"H-ha.... haha.... the hell was that???"
Until the guy's figure disappeared beyond the factory doors, the driver, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke:
"Hm. An interesting outcome, don't you think?" A calm, composed woman voice echoed.
"Heh? You think so, Seine? I just think he's weird"
"And what about you, Kori? Is this what you've been looking for, a deviation?" Seine asked.
The girl—Kori—merely shook her head lightly, answering in an indifferent tone:
"Other than the way he responded being a little strange, this kind of choice has happened before already. In the end, it's just a minor margin of error, a side result. Ultimately, nothing changes.
After all, every outcome was already a constant from the very beginning."
The older girl, Seine, fell silent at that, offering no further comment.
"Still, that guy is kind of interesting, hehe~"
....