i 5f46cfb4d10d4d86

by Unknown

  Sighing, Riku smiled bitterly and picked up the white pawn piece——

  ——..........

  "....Guuu.....I say, could you be more merciful, I'm busy trying to wash your hair."

  While washing ShuVi's hair with his left hand, Riku stil had think carefully,

  causing him to sigh.

  Contrary to that, ShuVi gave a stare while muttering.

  "So,rry...."

  "...Why are you (Sorry)."

  No, he was aware of it. But Riku felt a bit self-loathing, so he started acting as

  the fool——

  ".....After that, a detailed investigation was carried out...."

  ShuVi who was unable to understand the subtleties of the [Heart], said self-

  reflecting words.

  "....Unreasonable....For the assailant to question the victim's [Heart]. Cannot, obtain correct data...."

  Assailant and victim——Riku felt it was unexpected for these words to come

  right out of an Ex-Machina.

  At the same time, he felt a mysterious sense of disgust at himself to hear that a

  [Mere Ex-Machinas] could say these kind words. Riku then said in a perfunctory

  manner.

  "Like this...Before this your reaction is slow eh."

  "?.....Although, ShuVi....and Humans, are different......But we have [Central

  connecting nerves]...."

  "It's not that kind of meaning...."

  Riku's bitter smile was mixed with a sigh, but ShuVi who stil looked the same

  seriously nodded.

  "....Even, so........ShuVi doesn't, have any ideas...."

  "........."

  "...ShuVi, really....Wants to understand, Riku's heart....No, lies..."

  No——il usion, Riku strongly admitted.

  The depressed ShuVi lowered her head and caused uneasy sounds——Riku

  could only sigh at her.

  "Don't mind it......I was just a tad bit emotional."

  Even though it was a strange thing, Riku reflected that he had not yet organised

  his own emotions.

  Al the things he had done weren't proper either. Riku was certain about this

  point.

  But on top of this, the grim fact that was right before him, apologized for

  spreading destruction upon humanity?

  It was too unreasonable. But——Riku thought. If there was no apology, then

  there was nothing more irrational than this.

  ——in fact, he himself, was becoming abnormal.

  The usual Riku would be capable of controlling himself, but unknowingly, he

  couldn't control himself at that time.

  It probably wasn't due to ShuVi's words right. So why——

  Looking at Riku who was thinking such a thing, ShuVi blankly asked.

  "....Emotions....is not.....Capable of obtaining?"

  "Yes. Emotions——for example, you were hit because of anger, but this can't

  solve anything, right?"

  "But, Riku, Wanted...To hit ShuVi..."

  ".....That was just a figure of speech. No, who knows——to be honest I'm not so

  sure about it."

  The dialogue was once again interrupted. The sound of water dripping and the

  heat dulled Riku's mind......

  Breaking the silence that continued for a while was ShuVi.

  "...Riku, why.....Closed up your [Heart]....Hmm?"

  "You... are you really reflecting? THIS KIND OF SMALL PROBLEM RELATING

  TO ONE'S HEART——"

  He shouted at ShuVi——ShuVi used those glass-like red eyes to look back,

  Riku immediately stopped yel ing.

  The Ex-Machina that doesn't have a [Heart]——It didn't matter whether she had

  a [Heart] or not——but she definitely meant no harm.

  .....This guy really wanted to understand what a [Heart] truly means eh, Riku

  confirmed it in his heart.

  Compared to the rational, calculative, ruthless——Riku, she was different.

  She only took the [Real Riku that has a heart]——as a valuable object of

  observation.

  ——*kacha*

  ——feeling that the [Lock] has been taken down, Riku sighed.

  "....By not doing this, it is impossible to survive in this kind of world..."

  Closing his eyes, the scenery outside of the cave emerged in his eyes.

  ——red burning sky, green land covered with black ash, the scene that

  continued even beyond the horizon.

  Without a mask, walking outside the dying world would result in certain death

  ——or maybe the world was already dead.

  "....That, because, ShuVi and the other races....?"

  "....I don't know..."

  In fact, Riku became clueless about it. No, from the start——

  "It doesn't matter who was right and who was wrong.....The actual problem is,

  Imanity has to seal their [Hearts] in order to continue surviving, or perhaps self-

  degration is the only way to survive in this world——this is too unreasonable."

  "....Unreasonable......Unreasonable. What is, unreasonable....?"

  ————what?

  Facing ShuVi's quiet muttering of words, Riku couldn't help but want to laugh at

  her, but.

  Ahhhh, indeed——Riku corrected his own ideas. Logically, with a rational

  observation——there was nothing unreasonable about it.

  It was simply just——

  "The strong survives, the weak dies. No meaning, no reasons. This was how the

  world was constructed...Feeling that it is [Unreasonable] is probably the

  [Heart]....Although, I'm not very sure."

  While washing ShuVi's hair, Riku's heart held the thought of giving up.

  ShuVi slowly said.

  "....Don't want....Riku, hurt...What, to do....?"

  ——?

  Suddenly, feeling that there was a sense of violation with what she said, Riku

  asked.

  "Why should you care about me? If you only wanted to understand the [Heart],

  just like yesterday, no hesitation——"

  "....I, am....Sorry....."

  "Ah~ I really don't want to repeat the old stuff. But what I say isn't wrong. Taking my reasons into account——"

  There is none. Was being unable to communicate with others a reason?

  So there was no need to worry about Riku, if not, perhaps pursuing the case

  could lure out his [Truthful words]——

  "...............I, don't know."

  Riku frowned upon hearing an unclear answer from the Ex-Machina girl for the

  first time.

  "...I, don't know. But, Riku's injury....Want to avoid..."

  "Oh~ allowing the other party to remain the same, otherwise you will be unable

  to obtain accurate data, like so?"

  Riku half-jokingly said, with an entirely logical and business-like tone——but.

  ".......Wrong....Feeling.....There is, unidentified reason.....But..."

  Unknowingly, ShuVi looked downwards and said in a trembling voice.

  ——

  He was convinced of the sense of violation. The speculation when Riku first met

  ShuVi——was indeed correct.

  This Ex-Machina girl——ShuVi—was broken. She wasn't normal.

  The proclamation before, she said [Injured] without being conscious of it, this

  was obvious.

  ——Machinery? A self-proclaimed person who couldn't analyse the [Heart] could

  get hurt?

  "Hey, originally, from the cluster link....you were abandoned, right?"

  "....Un."

  She even said the reasons and details behind why she was abandoned. A self-

  referential paradox, a failed theory that caused a fault and so on.

  Was she really her
self? If she didn't have the blurry [Heart] humans possessed,

  it was an extremely difficult question to avoid.

  She was abandoned——it was natural for it to happen. But——

  "In order to return back to the cluster, you want to analyse the [Heart] no matter what. But it is not related to harming me right——"

  "?.....No, don't want, to go back...oh?"

  ——un?

  "Ah, if not, then you, heard a command to analyse the [Heart] then?"

  "?....It was, interest.....Own judgement...."

  "What interest——you, your feelings, unless you say that it isn't the [Heart]?"

  Riku who was struggling to understand what she meant said——suddenly,

  ShuVi froze.

  ".........?...................?......I don't know."

  "Ah? What?"

  ".....I, don't know...Riku, positive. But, ShuVi, can't, feel, important factor...Why?"

  "Eh, you are asking me?"

  Being asked so seriously, Riku's expression twitched, ShuVi continued——

  "....Waiting for answer, examples——"

  "...Anything is fine, Riku is fine if he is Riku, no interest, no meaning, no

  relations, rejected to sync, prioritize analyzing, not analyse but comprehend

  ——————"

  "Oi, oi. OI OI OI! THERE IS SMOKE COMING FROM YOUR HEAD, OI!?"

  Seeing the stunned ShuVi expounding smoke out, Riku couldn't help but be

  strickened.

  ——but that was only for a few seconds. Surveying around the area, ShuVi

  finally looked at Riku and nodded,

  "Conclusion. Looks like......Don't want to go back."

  "You really are ambiguous."

  "...Basis...Can't be certain....But this may be correct."

  "Really ambiguous."

  Facing against Riku who had a bitter smile due to the diverging topic that got

  weirder and weirder, ShuVi suddenly.

  "...That, is so.....Checkmate."

  ——ah

  "You.....Talking to me so that I become unable to concentrate eh? One more

  time."

  ".....Un."

  Looking at the Ex-Machina who was nodding her head, RIku felt a sense of

  violation and a sense of restlessness.

  ——that little smile, could an imitation or a calculation replicate it out?——

  "....Anyways."

  Putting aside the previous topic, Riku said, looking fatigued.

  "You....Your hair is too long. I can't finish washing this. A little more and I'm gonna faint from this heat."

  "....If, its fine...Cut short the hair...?"

  "No, no need to cut it short.....You really are elusive aren't you...."

  Muttering, Riku told himself——I understand.

  This guy is an Ex-Machina, something that can unintentionally kil off humans.

  Similar to other races, trampling on Imanity for too many times.

  Vigilance around her cannot be slackened, His rationality shouted. But——why.

  A girl who is constantly worried about the length of her hair, Riku didn't see the

  logic out of this.

  Riku couldn't help but laugh softly.

  Part 9

  How long has it been since ShuVi came into the colony?

  Because there wasn't a proper calender, if an approximate estimate was to be

  made, she had stayed in the colony for [About a year] already.

  Time flies, Riku felt. It was a few days, yet it felt like an eternity to him——....

  ".....I say, exactly how many people are in the Old Deus race?"

  Playing a chess game with ShuVi in a narrow bedroom, Riku unhappily raised

  his face and asked.

  "...In theory there is an [Unlimited] number.....The amount of concepts, are

  proportional....But most of them don't meet....The conditions to live."

  Riku had a grim expression in response to ShuVi's uncertain answer.

  Riku sighed, having to face the truth that he was losing from just a move, as

  Riku continued thinking of the next trick, he continued.

  "The Old Deus are mainly divided into the [God of War], the [Forest god] and

  others right?"

  Although the things they do are similar, in war they were completely different.

  Facing the doubt in Riku's heart, ShuVi nodded her head.

  "......The former is Artosh.....The Flügel's, creator....The latter is

  Cainasu...Creator of, the Elves."

  But, Riku wasn't listening to ShuVi.

  During the dialogue and the chess game, Riku suddenly thought of something in

  the midst of thinking up tactics to win.

  No matter how many times he challenged, no matter how many times the best

  tactics were used——he had the feeling of being surpassed.

  .....In his childhood, he would always see the person who he couldn't win no

  matter what, a teenager who had a rebellious smile.

  "I say——is there a God of Games?"

  ——he only thought of this as a possibility. He only realized how absurd it was

  after saying it out, but Riku seriously answered back.

  "....There is. But....There is not confirmation of the [Divine

  marrow].....Speculation, does not fulfil the conditions for living."

  I'd really gotten accustomed to holding a conversation with ShuVi in this year eh,

  Riku thought to himself while giving a better smile.

  The specific situation is unclear, that was the case.

  The Old Deus is a form of concept. Since there is the concept for games,

  naturally the God of Games existed.

  But its [Real existence] would have to rely on whether there was any [Divine

  marrow].

  "Simply put....There isn't any for now right——"

  Checkmated. Riku stood up, his scores to add another black star.

  "I say, I'd already told you, there is no need to use that kind of tone when there is only the two of us."

  "...Un...The central unit for processing sound while thinking, seems....To be

  irreversible...."

  "Un, speaking in a way where even humans can listen?"

  "....It seems. Unable to return, to original."

  What an ambiguous answer, to speak in such an old manner, Riku walked out of

  the room with ShuVi while carrying a wry look.

  ——while walking outside the room, the colony was of a different atmosphere

  compared to a year ago.

  Looking at ShuVi who was beside him, Riku admitted. Since she came, there

  was a substantial increase in the amount of ideas.

  She took the initiative to help calculate and design even when no one asked her.

  With her help, the accuracy of measuring tools and enemy-detection items

  improved drastically. The performance of Coron's telescope also improved, the

  efficiency of growing livestock has also made progress.

  The necessity of going out for investigations also decreased. There was enough

  food to even have a [Reserve]——in addition.

  "Yo! Riku. I see you're having a leisurely time with your wife in the room again eh."

  "Didn't I say she's not my wife you baldy! Just go and spend your lifetime with your telescope already!"

  "ShuVi-chan~ Thank you always for playing with the children~"

  Obviously, the number of smiles in the colony also increased.

  Because if they just stayed in the colony, humans could live without having to

  face the fear of death.

  But looking at this scene, Riku's expression cast a slight shadow.

  ——I know. This is just a temporary peace, the calm before the storm.

  This brief moment of having [Good times], woul
d fade away like dust when the

  proclaimed Gods unintentionally stepped onto their heads.

  Forgetting about this reality and getting immersed in a moment of calmness got

  be said to be a blessing.

  But eventually, this kind of life would disappear. It could be tommorow or

  perhaps today——or maybe even now.

  Was it because the people were given too much hope? Riku frowned when he

  thought of this. However, what could they do aside from doing this?"

  Pretending to not see despair, believing this place to be safe, living until the day the war ends?

  Riku considered that he might be able to achieve this——

  "Oi, boss! Stop playing around with your wife's crotch, you should come help us repair the leak from this side!"

  "——un~, if you want to get pounded then just say it. I'l gladly provide the

  language of the [Fist] no matter how much of it you want."

  Riku rolled up his sleeve and gave a stiff smile before heading to the direction of

  the sound——leaving behind ShuVi, ShuVi stood rooted to the ground in a daze,

  waiting motionlessly until Riku came back.

  "——Che~vit~chan~♪"

  ShuVi wordlessly turned back when she suddenly got hugged. A smiling Coron

  stood there.

  "Alone~ What are you doing? ~Not going with Riku?"

  "...Riku, didn't call me....To, follow..."

  "Wahaaaa! ShuVi-chan, just forget about that man and marry me!? What kind of

  stupid husband would leave such a cuuu~tee wife behind right?~, rub rub rub

  rub——"

  "....Riku, isn't....stupid..."

  Seeing ShuVi who gently pouted her lips, Coron squinted her eyes and inquired.

  "I say ShuVi-chan. As the older sister, when I say these kind of words——"

  "....Riku said before....[Just ignore the self-proclaiming sister]...."

  "Ahahaha~♪...I'l give that brat a little something later~♪, anyways!"

  Cough cough*, stopping the current topic, Coron succinctly asked.

  "Which part of Riku is ShuVi-chan attracted to~?"

  "....Attracted, to?...."

  "Un~, I asked what part of him do you [Like]~, you understand~❤ "

  ——suddenly, ShuVi discovered that she was [Nervous].

  She didn't know why. It must have been the side-effect of mimicking human

  behavior.

  But this time, in contrast to Coron's cheerful expression——ShuVi felt that she

  was being probed.

  After some careful thoughts. For her who has yet to finish analyzing the [Heart].

  So naturally she had not analysed the emotion known as [Like], she also could