Chapter 16 - Return

"What percentage are you at now?" Ifrit asked.

Her tone was ordinary enough, though it also had the petulant edge of someone in a bad mood.

Ash, walking beside her, replied, "Did you not ask me that earlier?"

"It might have changed by now."

"... Six percent."

"Damn it."

Quite some time had passed since they crossed the blast door.

The red warning lights and sirens that had made the place seem like hell were long behind them. Apparently, the area defended by the Sentinels had clearly defined boundaries.

Even the intermittent cries of Grotesques were now barely audible—a sign that the immediate danger was over, at least for the moment.

And so the three made their way through the ruins at a relatively leisurely pace, though they kept their guard up.

"It is charging properly, right?"

"It is."

There was, however, something a little different about their appearance.

A thin cable ran from the charging port on Ifrit's shoulder—on her drone launcher, to be precise—to Ash's battery pack.

With Ash's battery nearly depleted, Ifrit was reluctantly sharing her reserve power with him.

The problem was that the cable was short, forcing them to walk in an awkward posture, almost leaning against each other.

From behind, they looked for all the world like a loving couple taking a stroll, pressed close together.

That was why Ifrit had been pouting all this time. She clearly wasn't pleased with the situation.

'It feels weird! It just does!'

She kept grumbling to herself. But that didn't mean she could simply yank out the cable.

If enemies appeared, Ash was the only one currently capable of putting up a proper fight. She had exhausted all her ammunition, and Akina had no combat ability whatsoever.

Both practically and morally, charging Ash's battery was the right thing to do. Not that knowing that made the strange feeling go away.

"Pfft."

Akina, following behind them, let out a little laugh. She clapped a hand over her mouth, apparently surprised at herself, but everyone had already heard.

"Do not laugh, Miss Akina."

"Don't laugh, Akina."

At their simultaneous reactions, Akina hastily nodded. But the laughter lingering around her eyes remained.

"... What percentage now?"

"It has not even been thirty seconds since you asked."

"Ugh! Just tell me what percentage!"

"Six percent. Still not enough."

"Argh!"

And so the affectionate couple walked through the ruins, joined by a thin cable, doing their best to ignore Akina's occasional giggles.

* * *

By the time Ash's battery reached 13%, the three had emerged from the ruins.

The parched wasteland could hardly be called a pleasant view, but they felt a definite sense of freedom.

Open space stretched out in every direction.

It brought the relief of knowing there would be no more surprise battles.

At last, they reached the rendezvous point.

"Here?"

"Yes."

Ash disconnected the cable.

"Thank you for your assistance, my lady."

Ifrit unplugged her end as well and sighed.

"Forget it. I needed you charged too."

As she coiled the cable and put it away, she said something rather out of the blue.

"You know Vortex Energy, right?"

The question seemed to come from nowhere, leaving Ash puzzled, but he nodded.

"Of course. One of Sanctum's megacorps, is it not?"

"I heard they recently managed to unearth some new technology. What was it called? KERS, or something?"

"Huh? Wasn't that just a rumor?"

Ifrit shook her head at Akina's sudden interjection.

"It's true. Halloween took part in the campaign to retake the Nexus back then too. Those Vortex bastards got their hands on it in the end, but anyway. If you can, try getting hold of it. KERS."

Ash tilted his head.

"What is this KERS, that you would recommend it?"

"I'm not a Technomancer, so I don't really know. From what I heard, it's technology that recovers kinetic energy and feeds it back into your battery. Basically, moving around gives you a certain amount of charge."

"Oh... You mean it generates power simply through movement?"

She shrugged.

"Of course, it probably won't be all that efficient. It's a prototype. Still, wouldn't it save you from having to borrow electricity from someone else like this?"

Her words might have sounded sarcastic at first, but they weren't. If anything, they were sincere advice.

To Ash, electricity was like innate vital energy. If he exhausted it, he could cease functioning. If that happened at the worst possible moment, Akina would be left alone in the middle of the ruins.

The result would be death for them both.

It was plain as day.

'... KERS.'

Storing the unfamiliar acronym deep within his main core, Ash sincerely cupped his fist in his palm in salute.

"Thank you for the information. I shall also take your advice to heart, my lady."

Beside him, Akina followed his lead and bowed her head.

"Thank you."

Seemingly uncomfortable, Ifrit waved her hands.

"Oh, stop! You're giving me goosebumps. Besides, it's easier said than done. Getting hold of one will probably be fucking hard. It's cutting-edge technology, after all."

"Even so, I remain grateful."

"Ughhh."

Ifrit shuddered all over in exasperation, then turned away.

"Well, I'm off. My car's over there."

Watching her, Akina's blue eyes darted about as though she were debating something. Then she called after her.

"... Ifrit! Wait a moment!"

Akina scampered over and rummaged inside her clothes. What emerged in her hand was the pistol Ifrit had flung to the floor during the battle: the Bloody Heart Mk.7.

"Huh? Why do you have that?"

Ifrit's eyes widened.

"Hehe. When I opened my eyes after the Deep Dive, it was lying right at my feet. So I grabbed it right away!"

"Hmm? And?"

"... To be honest, for a tiny moment I wondered if I could keep it... But it belongs to someone! So I should give it back!"

Akina smiled sheepishly.

"Hehe. Took me a little while to return it, didn't it?"

"..."

Ifrit stared at Akina for a moment, then turned toward Ash. He was shaking his head with his face in his hand.

Suddenly, she burst out laughing.

"Pahaha! What even are you?"

"Akina Greenwood."

"Wow. This girl's really something."

Ifrit laughed so hard she clutched her stomach. Then her heart-shaped eyes suddenly gleamed, and she tugged on Akina's cheeks.

"Owwwww."

Ash, who had come over in the meantime, said, "Pull harder."

"What's this? You're not stopping me this time?"

"I see no reason to."

"Hahaha!"

Only after a good, hearty laugh did Ifrit release Akina's cheeks. Cradling her swollen cheeks, Akina still held out the hand carrying the pistol.

"Here!"

But Ifrit merely shook her head.

"Don't need it."

"What?"

"The damn thing kicks like hell, and the caliber's so big you can't carry much ammo. I've got a separate main weapon anyway. I only lugged that pistol around because I had to do product placement."

"But..."

"So you use it, Ash."

Ash looked at Ifrit.

"Are you certain?"

"Remember what I told you in the ruins?"

"That I would need a means of attacking at range?"

"Yeah. Sure, your swordsmanship is mind-blowingly good, but there'll definitely be times when that alone isn't enough."

Ifrit stroked Akina's hair.

"... Not if you're going to protect a Technomancer during a Deep Dive."

For an instant, sadness passed through her eyes.

"But..."

"Oh! If it bothers you that much, think of it as an appearance fee. I actually filmed you without asking earlier. People loved it."

Ifrit flashed him a grin.

"So let's call it even."

Ash accepted the pistol without further protest. It felt heavy in his hand.

As she had said, perhaps a day would come when this gun saved his life and Akina's.

"I do not know what filming without asking entails, but if that is your wish, my lady, so be it."

It was then that a vehicle appeared in the distance, approaching with a deep rumble of its engine. It was shared limousine 302, the one Ash and Akina had arrived in.

"Here it is."

Seeing it, Ifrit turned away without fuss, her pale purple hair fluttering lightly.

Then she glanced back over her shoulder.

"See you around. Both of you."

Ash nodded.

"Of course. There is still the matter of the five hundred thousand credits you owe us, is there not?"

"No, that's not what I..."

Her face scrunched up, and she simply waved a couple of times without another word.

The slender woman's retreating figure quickly blended into the wasteland. At the same time, shared limousine 302 arrived.

"... Let us go as well."

"All right."

Ash and Akina boarded the shared limousine.

Unlike on the outward journey, the limousine was empty. Of all those Pathfinders, only five remained, including the two of them.

The others were probably all dead.

That was what exploring the Outer meant.

Every moment was a crossroads between life and death.

They had managed to board the limousine home this time, but there was no knowing what would happen next time.

Realizing that, Ash and Akina fell silent for a while. Soon the limousine set off toward Sanctum with a deep rumble of its engine.

The vehicle rattled, desolate scenery flashing past its windows.

Watching it, Akina spoke.

"Mister."

"Go on."

"About Ifrit."

Ash silently turned to look at her.

"At first, I just assumed she must be crazy because she was with Halloween Entertainment. But I don't think she is. I guess you could say she seemed like a better person than I expected... Hehe. It sounds funny even as I'm saying it. An idol seeming like a decent person."

She was looking out the window, so he couldn't see her expression, but the confusion in her words was impossible to hide.

After a moment, Ash replied.

"She is a decent person."

"Right?"

"At the same time, she is a woman who slaughtered REST-men without any reason."

Akina turned toward him.

"Couldn't she have had her own reasons?"

"Perhaps. But that is beside the point."

"... What?"

"What matters is that no person has only one side to them."

Akina tilted her head.

Ash regarded her for a moment, then looked out the window again and continued quietly.

"We cannot fully fathom even the thoughts of a mere beast. How much less, then, can we fathom a human heart?"

"..."

"What is shown is not the whole, and so what we see is only a tiny part. We must not make the mistake of passing hasty judgment on the strength of a single side."

Akina furrowed her brow, apparently pondering his words, then shook her head vigorously.

"Sometimes what you say is way too difficult, Mister. So what's your point?"

Ash's optical sensors turned toward her.

"That you, Miss Akina, are my benefactor, a Technomancer, a cheerful young girl, and a thief who enjoys stealing things."

"... Why did this suddenly become about that?"

Akina's face flushed scarlet.

"A-anyway! We made a pretty tidy profit this time..."

Akina continued chattering for quite some time. But perhaps exhausted by the succession of desperate battles and constant tension, her voice gradually began to fade.

By sunset, only the quiet sound of her gentle breathing could be heard.

Ash looked down at the girl asleep against him, then tilted his body slightly, adjusting his posture so she could lean on him more comfortably.

He could feel a faint warmth through his steel arm.

How much more time had passed?

An immense wall of light emerged amid the blazing red sunset. Sanctum.

Through the window, Ash gazed at the city's dazzling panorama, which nevertheless seemed somehow cold and empty.

A strange feeling came over him.

When he had first arrived, the city had looked like a den of ghosts. Now, it no longer felt particularly unfamiliar.

'To think that looking at Sanctum... would make me feel I had come home.'

Then his conversation with Akina came back to him.

Perhaps he too had judged Sanctum too hastily after seeing only one side of it. Ash found himself dwelling on that thought.

Limousine 302 drove on.

Soon, like a river joining the sea, it slipped smoothly through Sanctum's immense gate.

It was not only number 302.

Countless vehicles appeared across the wasteland, converging on Sanctum. Every one of them was probably full of empty seats.

The ruins and the sunset that had blazed red were now fading into the distance behind them.