Ame no Hi no Iris Vol 1 Chapter 3.14
battery=01:16:56
Sounds of sirens echoed all around us, but the truck continued to pa.s.s through the city.
"Lilith, Lilith, are you okay!?"
In the trailer of the truck, I frantically called Lilith.
Her face twisted in agony. There were fist-sized holes on her chest and her abdomen, the exposed tubes splattering oil all around like mad snakes.
"Iris......"
"Wha- what is is?"
So that I would hear her words clearer, I shifted my face closer.
She said in a hoa.r.s.e voice: "Get down the car immediately after pa.s.sing the busy street."
"But......" I looked at her wounds. She was unquestionably badly hurt— no, deathly hurt. On the other hand, I could not move because I lost my lower body. My system that used the three main circuits was unharmed. However, Lilith was different. The large amount of machine oil that flowed out showed evidently that her important circuits was damaged.
Even so, she still raised her upper torso. Then, she coughed out black machine oil.
"Lilith!"
"Im okay." She used the back of her left hand to wipe away the machine oil at the corner of her mouth, smiling forcedly at me, "This is just a small matter."
In contrast with her words, black liquid flowed continuously out from her chest and her abdomen.
After the truck drove for about five minutes, we pa.s.sed the center of the city, and arrived at a deserted suburban path.
"Okay, jump down."
Lilith hugged me. I cursed my inability to move while feeling shocked because of her hardiness.
Taking the chance when the truck decelerated, Lilith jumped down from the trailer— instead of saying jumped, its actually more like rolled. The truck did not notice us and left just like that.
Lilith stood up unsteadily and looked around. Its fortunate that n.o.body was around us.
"Ah, lets go inside."
An old house was in front of Lilith. The name of the agent of the a.s.set and the words For Sale were written on the signboard.
Lilith carried me on her back again, walking towards the backyard of the house with unsteady steps. Being carried on her back, I couldnt do anything.
We pa.s.sed through the entrance and walked into the yard. It was a barren land that was full of weeds.
She lied down below the eaves. As long as people dont walk into the yard, they wouldnt see us from the road.
"Lilith......"
I called her name like I was sighing.
Liliths body couldnt hold on anymore. Probably because her posture wasnt good when she jumped down, quite a few wires and the circuits were exposed from the holes where she was shot. The tubes that were leaking currents twitched like a living creature, creating sparks all around.
—If this goes on, her battery level......
"Heh heh...... This is bad......" Lilith said in a relaxed tone and touched her chest while retaining her posture. She wanted to use her hands to stuff the exposed circuits back into her body, but it was useless.
"Iris."
"What is it?"
"Well......"
She took out a square box from the hole on her chest.
It was a card box that was stained black by the machine oil.
"Open it."
I opened the box according to her instructions, and a plastic card was placed in it. The familiar name of a bank was written on it.
"...... A cash card?" I looked at Lilith.
"Thats right. The pa.s.sword is HRM019, my certification number."
I didnt know what she wanted to say. Why is she handing the cash card to me now?
"Also, at the bottom of the card box......" Lilith quietly instructed me, "Theres a paper right? Openit."
I opened the paper at the bottom of the box according to her instructions. It was a map of Oval City and a neighboring city. Only one place was circled with a pencil.
"Its a junk parts store."
While saying that, black machine oil trickled down from the corner of her mouth.
"Remember? I mentioned it to you before this. A robot called Lightning."
Lightning— that seemed to be the name of a robot that works at a junk parts store that Lilith mentioned before this. A large robot that is similar to Volkov.
"Go there and ask him to fix you."
"O...... Okay."
"Be careful when you move. You must hide immediately after that, I recommend you to hide below cars. And also—"
I uneasily interrupted her. "Wa- wait a minute. A- arent you going as well?"
"Idiot. ...... Of course I cant go like this."
"After I reached the junk parts store, Ill ask them to come help you. So, you just wait he—"
This time, Lilith interrupted me. "Iris, listen."
Her tone was quite determined, but her gaze started to fade. The gleam in her eyes darkened, indicating that her battery level was getting low.
"I cant go on anymore."
Hearing that, my chest tightened.
"Lilith, dont say that. As long as I ask the person in the junk parts store, you would......"
Lilith shook her head vigorously, liquid flowing down from her neck. "No, you cant be fixed if you dont have enough money. Definitely not."
"Lilith, wait a minute. I cant just leave you here and go."
I pleaded while gazing at her. However, Lilith shook her head and said: "Never mind, hurry up."
Abandoning Lilith and running away alone. I cant and wont do this.
I handed the card box back to her. "...... No. I definitely wouldnt want to escape alone. Thats why Im not accepting this."
At that instant.
"Iris Rain Umbrella!" Lilith grabbed my shoulder with her left hand, widening her eyes so much that its scary, "Dont be so naive!"
Her angry roar made me cringe. Her ferocity swayed my whole body.
"Listen, you must live on! If only you have that card, you can be repaired! But I cant go on anymore! So only you can be fixed!"
"Bu- but!"
"Have courage! You must have the courage to live on even if youre alone! This world isnt that simple! If you get weak, youll be turned into sc.r.a.p metal!"
She violently coughed out some machine oil. The black liquid splattered onto my face as well.
Even so, she still continued.
"Alright, go! Faster!"
"But, but!"
"Iris! Dont trouble me anymore!"
Lilith stared at me with a clouded expression. While holding her hands, I said repeatedly like a spoiled child: "No, I dont want to......"
Just like that, I refused her for quite some time.
A gentle smile suddenly surfaced on Liliths face.
She lifted her left hand, lightly touching my face. Her hand was stained with machine oil. "Iris. Let me tell you something......"
Lilith said as though she was educating me.
"This world...... is more random than you think. ...... This place is unexpectedly full of seams, as long as you think of ways, youll be able to live on."
Her slender fingers touched me lovingly, while I just stared blankly as the light in her eyes gradually faded.
"Thats why its okay. Even if youre alone, you can still live on. ...... Have some confidence. Because—"
She looked directly at my eyes, saying in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
"Youre a robot that was loved up till the last second."
After saying that, power left Liliths hand and it fell from my face.
I did not speak.
What Lilith said must be correct. Compared to myself, who doesnt know about anything, she who lived on with her own power would probably be right.
However, even so, I still have some parts that I could not agree with.
What should I do? If it were to be Professor, what would she do at these time?
Thats right, Professor would—
"Lilith, listen to me."
I opened the cover on my chest, taking out the gray cigarette case. That was a memento keeping the group photo between Professor and I. After opening the lid, I took out the 8-shaped circlet cigarette in it.
"Before this, Professor told me. Were just like this 8-shaped circlet cigarettes. ...... See, this would break the 8 into two circlets......"
I broke the 8-shaped cigarette in half. One circlet would be used for someone who wants to quit smoking, the other part would be used as an ashtray. After that, I pressed the two circlets together again.
"See, itll be a 0 if theres only one, and itll be another 0 over here. But youll get a 8 when you combine them. Combining them would make them more powerful— that is the number 8, and they are us.
That was a view that I learnt from Professor, a casual remark by Professor in one of her special lectures. Seeing Professors circlet cigarette, I remembered that.
Lilith stared at the cigarette in my hands, mumbling in an almost unperceivable voice: "Isnt this...... too hypocritical......" The gleam in her eyes was almost completely lost.
I dont care if its hypocritical. I just dont wish for her to die, dont wish for her to lose hope for life. So, I continued to say.
"Professor and I, Lilith and Volkov, and Lilith and I right now, were just like the 8-shaped cigarettes, two of us can be combined. It wouldnt do there isnt two. So, Lilith—"
My electronic voice sounded rather like my original voice at this moment.
"Ill definitely save you."
Lilith did not speak.
She just blinked and closed her eyes.
At this moment, her battery finally finished.