Chapter 03.3 "The Stirring of the Bug (Or the Decision at Nine Point Two Meters)"
The heavy crystal doors of the 'Aurora Cocoon' parted silently to the left and right.
At that moment‚ the heavenly fragrance that filled the store was abruptly knocked down by the sharp ozone smell of the outside world and the heavy bass from thousands of magitech cars crawling along the ground.
I casually picked up the shabby cat on the tray respectfully offered by the store clerk — in the exact crude motion I would have used in the slums. However‚ the amber-colored guide (Amber Trace) flawlessly corrected every single movement of my fingertips into "the gestures of a whimsical young lady cherishing a beloved antique."
I readjusted the beloved scrap of iron in my arms and took a step into the torrent of light and sound.
The "glittering hell" I had been bathed in right after crawling out of the slums had once only ravaged my retinas and left me frozen in place. But now it was different. Even the ultra-vivid holographic advertisements with their saturation pushed to the limit‚ and the auroras emitted by the magitech cars — all of them were swallowed by the radiance I currently wore and bent down submissively at my feet.
What repelled the mad flood of light before it could reach my skin was none other than the mana silk dress enveloping me.
(……This dress‚ it feels almost like it's alive.)
The amber glow it had emitted during fitting had already settled‚ and now it maintained an absolute "pure white" that stood out even more within the clamor of extreme colors. The supreme armor I had donned before the mirror clung to my porcelain skin as if it had fused with it. With every step‚ the highest-grade silk rippled elegantly in accordance with my movements. Its majestic presence drew the gazes of passersby like magnets — and then made them hurriedly avert their eyes‚ as if to say they were not worthy of looking upon it.
The "false mass" I wore physically pushed back the privileged classes around me. Just as my consciousness was beginning to melt into that twisted pleasure—
『Good grief. You don't have time to melt over the reactions of the rabble. Maintaining that armor of information alone is evaporating mana from your forged account by the second.』
The scrap of iron in my arms let out a cold mechanical whir.
Noah's sarcasm forcibly dragged my consciousness‚ which had been drowning in omnipotence‚ back to reality.
"……I know. But this color. Isn't it too pure white and actually standing out?"
『No. Rulers automatically delete information they judge as "not worth seeing" from their perception filters. The forged VIP tag you are currently wearing is an overwhelmingly dazzling "pass" designed to forcibly break through their retinal UI. — But don't misunderstand‚ Lily.』
The amber-colored notes (instructions) projected onto my retinas blinked and urged me to quicken my walking rhythm.
『Asteria's audit AI is quite the busybody. Even the slightest blink or depth of breath from you is recorded as an inconsistency (bug) with your attributes (tags). This guide is information camouflage to prevent the accumulation of those "red logs." If you deviate even one step from this trace‚ be prepared for the risk of your very existence being erased to skyrocket. ……Now‚ raise your chin three times. Keep your gaze always fifteen degrees downward.』
The Amber Trace forcibly drove my skeleton‚ subduing my instinct to flee.
Through the amber-colored vision (Amber Vision)‚ the "three-centimeter rifts" lurking behind the brilliant extreme colors appeared as vivid grids. The world was not perfect. With each distortion that Noah successively exposed‚ an arrogant arc naturally carved itself at the corners of my mouth.
Now I was the one looking down on the world that had betrayed me‚ from the gaps in its information—.
At that moment‚ an amber-colored timer in the corner of my vision quietly began counting down.
『——Four minutes and thirty seconds remaining until passing the target's intersection. Now‚ as we discussed during fitting‚ the contact mission with the bishop's right-hand man begins.』
With Noah's declaration‚ the first deadly tightrope — to hurl the enormous "lie" I carried onto a real member of the privileged class — quietly opened its curtains.
The crowd filling the main avenue was drowning in the "sea of happy information" projected onto their respective retinal UIs‚ banishing even those walking right beside them beyond the bounds of recognition. Within that turbid flow of extreme colors‚ only my figure clad in the pure white dress floated up as a serene blank space.
Without disturbing my walking rhythm in the slightest‚ I gracefully slipped the shabby cat I had been carrying into the VIP-exclusive auto-follow hover cart that the store had prepared to run parallel with me. The cart immediately increased its speed — and without following a perfect schedule or caring about my pace‚ it began mercilessly pulling away with ruthless acceleration.
"……Hey‚ my feet have been feeling strange for a while now."
Without vibrating my throat‚ I threw the edge of my thoughts deep into the link.
With my consciousness sharpened to the extreme‚ I folded my knees at smooth angles and kicked the asphalt silently with my toes. The task of synchronizing my body with the "absolute walking method (notes)" indicated by the amber-colored guidelines (Amber Trace) went beyond elegance and was closer to the operation of a precision machine.
The shabby cat arrogantly perched on the relentlessly advancing cart continued to emit an eerily constant heat while engraving an inorganic countdown in the corner of my vision.
『Of course. I'm burning the motion instructions for the "supreme lady" that I calculated to compensate for your immature cerebellum onto your retinas in real time. — One minute remaining. At the intersection ahead‚ the bishop's aide — known as the "Silver Beak" — will pass by. Not a single second of delay‚ not a single centimeter of stride deviation is permitted.』
"Silver Beak…… The cold-hearted collector said to be the bishop's right arm‚ right?"
『That's right. The instant he turns the corner and passes you — deliberately stop your heartbeat for exactly two beats. That unnaturally profound "serenity" and the overwhelming "numbers" emitted by your armor of information (dress) will decisively bug his retinal UI. It will become the perfect lure (lure) to make him report the appearance of an "unanalyzable powerhouse" to the bishop.』
In the corner of my vision‚ the limit value (limit) reading 『Distance to main unit: 9.2 meters』 began flashing with an ominous warning color.
The cart carrying Noah as its "heart" advanced along the shortest route while maintaining the maximum allowable distance‚ as if abandoning me as I dragged my pained feet. Those living in the surrounding light zones (high-rank areas) were drowning in their own information spaces. The voices of the thousands of people who should have been there were completely shut out by the system — leaving only an eerie silence.
Within that silence‚ only the high-frequency wing sounds of security drones patrolling overhead sliced through the air like razors.
The residents showed not the slightest suspicion that I was "slum waste‚" merely narrowing their eyes at the absolute radiance of my mana and quietly making way.
(……My feet hurt. It's like I have to keep stepping on transparent piano keys without missing a single note.)
Every time my muscle tension reached its limit and my stride threatened to deviate even slightly from the instructions (notes)‚ the dress's liquid metal hardened like a cast to physically correct my posture‚ sending sharp pain as a penalty. The mana silk quietly absorbed the cold sweat trying to run down my back‚ converted it into body heat‚ and evaporated it.
Overhead‚ the vines of magitech plants crawled along building walls‚ glowing toward the ultramarine sky and swaying in the wind‚ playing sounds like crystal bells. My heart nearly found peace for a moment in that refined beauty — and then it happened.
『Your heart rate is rising‚ Lily. Getting drunk on the applause of incompetent spectators is something you do after the stage is over. ……Listen‚ right now you are walking across my chessboard as the first domino to kill the world. Purge any unnecessary emotions.』
"I know. ……It's just‚ I'm a little scared. If I keep moving exactly as Noah says‚ I worry that one day 'me' will disappear completely."
『……Heh. That very fear is the only safety device preventing you from becoming a mere doll. ……Oops‚ target approach confirmed. Three‚ two‚ one——』
With Noah's signal‚ the Amber Trace's guidance grew even more precise‚ filling my retinas.
Around the corner ahead — the figure of a man wearing a silver badge entered my vision. The Amber Vision violently repelled the violently dense mana drifting around him along with the warning 『Unanalyzable』 in red-black. The bishop's right arm — its numerical mass alone threatened to scorch my vision.
Biting down on my terror and intense pain with my molars‚ I desperately clung to the cold‚ correct answer Noah presented — while affixing a beautiful and fatally arrogant smile to my lips.
While deflecting the mana pressure from the approaching 'Silver Beak' — enough to scorch my vision — at the edge of my consciousness‚ I elegantly encroached upon the extremely colorful main street step by step. The amber-colored information dancing in the corner of my vision exposed everything that composed this city. The faint distortions lurking in the seams of supposedly perfect architecture. The debt-ridden‚ gaudy brilliance worn by the wealthy passersby.
The world continued to hammer rawly against my mind‚ as if it were an exposed neural circuit.
"……Hey‚ Noah. This amber-colored world somehow makes me feel like I've become a god."
『Has arrogance put on clothes and started walking? Let me warn you — a god is far more lonely and boring than that.』
On the cart several meters ahead‚ the shabby cat exhaled waste heat in exasperation — and that was when it happened.
Suddenly‚ within the atmosphere filled with supreme perfume‚ a faint 'smell of iron rust and mud' mixed in.
『——Lily. Don't look left. Do not deviate your gaze even one millimeter from the guide.』
Noah's sharp warning. However‚ my survival instinct reacted to "the same scent as myself" faster than the system (Noah)'s instructions‚ and my eyes swam three centimeters to the left.
Immediately afterward‚ the liquid metal lace that had been fixing my posture tightened around my neck with a 'creak‚' and a dissonant warning noise (noise) stabbed sharply into the depths of my brain.
『Warning: Gaze point error. 【Personality Integration Rate: 99.2% → 94.1%】』
In the corner of my vision‚ the numbers that were my lifeline were scraped away like sand.
But — at the end of that leftward vision. In the dead angle of a pure white carved trash bin‚ invisible from the vibrant main avenue‚ there was a "rift" in the world.
"……Ah."
A small exclamation leaked from the back of my throat.
There stood a boy. Like me‚ a "monochrome" shadow stripped of color. Covered in mud and hugging his knees while trembling‚ his figure was an ominous stain that should not exist in this light-filled high-rank area.
Above the boy's head‚ a security drone hovered coldly‚ emitting a metallic buzzing like a bee.
『Warning: Confirmed illegal intrusion from lower strata. ……Existence deletion (delete) sequence on standby.』
The amber-colored vision (Amber Vision) hammered merciless data into my brain. Around the boy‚ the character strings indicating his identity crumbled like sand and grayed out toward the underlying system code.
『Target: Slum origin. Remaining mana: Zero. ——Until delete: Sixty seconds.』
(Lie…… He's still so small.)
The drone's red light of murderous intent mercilessly pierced the boy's terrified eyes.
While the 'Silver Beak''s heart-crushing pressure bore down from the front‚ on the left dead angle a boy was about to be completely erased from the world. Two despairs simultaneously made my breathing shallow.
『Lily‚ don't stop. The auto cart won't wait for your sentimentality. ……Forty seconds until contact. If you解除 the attribute camouflage to save a mere noise‚ not only will the contact success rate drop‚ but the personality integration rate is predicted to plummet by fifteen percent. Asteria's audit log will turn completely red.』
"……But Noah. That drone is about to——!"
『Ignore it. In our game board‚ there is not even one millimeter of computational rationality in processing that noise. ……Your destination lies beyond that trash bin.』
"Trash bin……? Did you just say that?"
A boiling heat welled up from the soles of my feet.
To Noah‚ that boy was nothing more than "scenery (noise)" hidden in the shadow of the trash bin. That fact burned my chest more sharply than the heat of the dress.
The mana silk judged my sudden heart rate spike as "attribute inconsistency" and sent a faint warning current down my spine.
『Warning: Abnormal heart rate. 【Personality Integration Rate: 94.1% → 88.5%】』
At the same time‚ the alert reading 『Distance to main unit: 9.4 meters…… 9.5 meters』 in the corner of my vision began flashing as if spitting blood. The cart carrying Noah continued advancing mercilessly‚ leaving behind me as I nearly stopped.
The footsteps of the 'Silver Beak‚' now only a few meters ahead‚ echoed as a heavy bass that creaked my ribcage. Red-black alerts scorching my retinas filled half my vision and spat out that monstrous number with noise mixed in.
『——Estimated Mana Rank: SSS (Measurement Limit)』
Amid the extreme pressure of the "lethal dose of violence" before my eyes and the receding "lifeline (Noah)‚" my consciousness remained nailed to the boy vanishing at the left edge of my vision.
"Noah. You may be immortal and unable to understand pain or death‚ but—"
Even while affixing the elegant young lady's smile to my cheeks‚ the dress's liquid metal judged my movements as 'error' and constricted my limbs with enough force to crush bones. The violent correction ignored subcutaneous bleeding. I swallowed even that intense pain as fuel for my anger.
"I understand. The cold despair that child feels when being erased from the world. ……Hey‚ Noah. The truth is‚ I'm really scared too. Of being found by Asteria and erased without a trace."
『……』
"But…… I won't let you say I forgot the third precept."
『The third precept…… "Do not abandon those who are the same waste (dead end)" huh. Good grief. ……Your personality integration rate is already about to drop below the eighties. At this rate‚ before you can even make contact with the bishop's aide (target)‚ you as a piece will be automatically processed as "trash." Even so‚ are you willing to sacrifice yourself for that noise worth less than a single yen?』
"Yes. It's like a curse…… that allows me to continue this con game."
The drone's red light pulsed even more violently.
The countdown above the boy's head dropped below 'thirty seconds.'
The surrounding wealthy people regarded the scene as nothing more than "cleanup work‚" passing by while humming and continuing to indulge in luxury.
On the cart that had reached the limit distance — the shabby cat that turned to look back at me had eyes harboring deep abyssal amber‚ burning quietly and terrifyingly coldly.
The liquid metal fixing my spine pulsed with sharp heat as if to sever my thoughts.
The mana silk of the dress‚ which judged my will to stop as "abnormality (error)‚" hardened with enough force to snap my skeleton in order to maintain the merciless predetermined route (notes) walking posture.
『……Incomprehensible‚ Lily. That sentimentality of yours is worthless trash with not even one millimeter of value on this board. Understand that deviating from the shortest route is synonymous with abandoning revenge against the bishop.』
Noah's cold factual confirmation stabbed directly into my medulla.
In the corner of my vision‚ in the amber-colored information space (Amber Vision)‚ vivid red logs like flowing blood were being violently overwritten at ferocious speed.
『——Warning. Fatal error due to attribute mismatch. 【Personality Integration Rate: 81.2%……79.0%……64.5%……】』
The numbers that were my lifeline collapsed silently in sync with my heartbeat.
『……Confirmed sharp drop in success rate and integration rate. Lily‚ immediately return to the walking trace. Only a few seconds remain before Asteria's audit AI recognizes you as a virus.』
"……No……!"
I resisted the dress's forceful posture correction (cast) with a force as if biting into my own legs.
The rigidity of the machine (dress) trying to make me walk and my will trying to stop clashed head-on on the battlefield that was my body. The toes gripping the asphalt creaked with an unpleasant sound. The muscles in my legs began convulsing madly‚ as if simultaneously pierced by thousands of fine needles.
(It hurts…… my bones‚ they're breaking……!)
It was exactly at that instant.
Right beside me as I nearly vomited blood from the intense pain‚ the target 'Silver Beak' — an SSS-rank violent mass enough to rupture my retinas — passed by. For a brief moment‚ his sharp silver gaze brushed my mud-stained hem. However‚ the overwhelming mana pressure emitted by the dress concealed the rift‚ and the man walked away with clear wariness on his face at the appearance of an 'unanalyzable powerhouse.'
The liquid metal crawling across my back emitted heat as if burning from friction‚ mercilessly searing my porcelain skin.
Yet the merciless countdown engraved in the corner of my vision continued to hasten the death sentence‚ paying no heed to my pain or desperate tightrope walk.
『Until delete: 15 seconds』
The merciless red glow flashing above the boy's head. Right beside it lined up the blood-letter-like red log of 『Personality Integration Rate: 52%』 presented by Noah.
Was it the "numbers" that would determine the future? Or the "bug" about to disappear before my eyes?
"Noah…… I told you……!"
A roar mixed with blood leaked from the back of my throat.
All color vanished from my vision‚ and only the red-black numbers expanded violently. The auto cart continued advancing mercilessly‚ pulling me further away‚ and the indicator showing the distance to the main unit (shabby cat) vibrated with a flesh-singeing warning sound in the zone just before the limit at '9.6 meters.'
One more step. If the cart moved a few more centimeters away — my body would completely leave the system's barrier and be burned to death by the security drone as "waste."
"……That's why I told you‚ Noah. I'll pay this thirty-two percent debt…… no matter what it takes……!"
Forcibly suppressing the heart-exploding load‚ I came to a complete stop at the very edge of the 9.6-meter boundary line.
The recoil from overcoming the merciless walking correction of the dress ran through my entire body as intense pain. The hem of the dress kicked up mud from the asphalt‚ staining the pure white silk.
At that instant‚ the auto cart that had been advancing mercilessly at the limit '9.6 meters' point slammed on emergency brakes (lock) with an unpleasant warning sound.
It was not that Noah had shown me mercy. The VIP cart's safety protocol had mistakenly recognized the extremely lowered 【Personality Integration Rate】 and rough heartbeat as "an abnormality in the owner‚" triggering an emergency system freeze.
Noah's computation had not fallen silent. Even now‚ calm digital text in the corner of my vision continued to urge retreat.
Even so‚ I had stopped.
Only the mud staining my pure white hem proved the answer I had chosen.
This was not the perfect "correct answer" derived by Noah. It was a fatal "wrong answer" that my will had chosen‚ at the cost of scorching my own body.
In the corner of my vision‚ the merciless numbers measuring the boy's life marked '05' and swelled red as if to scorch my retinas.
Noah's constructed 'success rate' graph had collapsed into a rightward plunge‚ now a mere shadow of its former self.
『……Good grief. My calculations were off by thirty-two percent. The price for this will be far higher than you can imagine‚ Lily.』
Noah's voice coldly soaked my medulla. But I no longer apologized.
Forcibly paralyzing the convulsions in my legs that had continued resisting the merciless posture correction with the intense heat emitted by the dress's liquid metal — I took one step‚ kicking up mud‚ and stood blocking the boy's path.
From the drone's irradiation port‚ a death-laden high-frequency drive sound filled the avenue along with the smell of scorched ozone.
I glared directly at the drone's red lens and desperately overlaid a terrified trembling voice with the tone of an "arrogant young lady."
"——Wait. Where exactly are you pointing that filthy light?"
I thrust my convulsing fingertips into space at a deliberately arrogant angle.
An "ad-lib" lie of my own‚ spoken with my own throat for the first time — not in Noah's perfect script.
『Warning: Attribute — Anonymous Highest-Rank VIP. ……Verification complete. This unit shall process the illegal intruder from the lower strata in accordance with regulations——』
"The path that the bishop's aide‚ Lord 'Silver Beak‚' just passed moments ago. Do you intend to scatter the blood of trash here and ruin his mood?"
It was a bluff. However‚ the drone's lens flickered slightly at those words combining my "attribute" and "situation." I did not miss the opening and pressed the blade of my words further.
"Besides‚ this child is a disposable servant (toy) I just bought moments ago to carry my luggage. Does a mere system have the right to arbitrarily destroy my personal property for which I paid an enormous amount of mana?"
The drone's sensors were exposed to the pure white mana silk and the immense forged VIP tag's radiance hidden within it. In the corner of my vision‚ the red alert of 『Personality Integration Rate: 52%』 was flashing violently.
The drone weighed the two contradictory pieces of data on the scales of its computation circuit — the "inconsistent log" that seemed about to collapse and the "absolute arrogance as a VIP" that my words thrust forward——.
『……Approved. The eccentric definition of personal property by an asset holder is recognized as priority protocol. ……Delete sequence discarded. Excuse me‚ young lady.』
The red murderous intent reversed as if by magic into amber-colored "blind obedience."
The drone tilted its body as if bowing and disappeared toward the distant night sky‚ leaving behind the sharp tearing drive sound as it cut through the air.
What remained were only the mud-covered‚ cowering boy and myself standing clad in armor of information.
The boy looked up at my pure white hem with a dazed expression‚ not even understanding that he had been saved. I neither touched him nor spoke gentle words to him; I simply gave a cold nod of my chin and began walking.
(……I'm sorry. But for now‚ this is all I can do. Live…… you absolutely must live……!)
I perfectly buried my inner scream beneath the mask of a smile.
The amber-colored guidelines (Amber Trace) reactivated and began driving my feet back onto the predetermined route. With feet creaking from the penalty pain‚ I took a step from the limit distance (9.6 meters) and pulled the hover cart back into the safety zone. Having confirmed this‚ the cart quietly resumed its lead.
『……Success rate recovered to sixty-six percent. ……Hmm. That vulgar improvisation of yours was a bit more "comedic" than my equations‚ but I shall acknowledge the result.』
On the cart several meters ahead‚ the shabby cat exhaled displeased waste heat and laughed lowly deep in the link.
In the prison's suite room‚ Noah was surely savoring this failure-ridden outcome with a cup of cooled black tea in hand. Just imagining it made a muddy heat swirl in the pit of my stomach. I wondered how far that cold observer truly understood the meaning of the dangerous game of how much noise the "bug" that was me had carved into Asteria's retinas.
"Thirty-two percent loss…… I said I'd take responsibility‚ didn't I‚ Noah?"
『Can you? After dirtying my plan this much.』
"Yes. I'll make up for that shortfall with my acting from now on — with a 'perfect lie' even better than before. ……Don't expect any apology. I simply followed my own precepts (rules)."
『……Heh. You say right to my face that you'll pile on another thirty-two percent lie. ……Very well‚ Lily Ardent. If you intend to shoulder that responsibility yourself without seeking anyone's approval.』
Noah's voice remained completely devoid of any warmth as always. However‚ there — like a researcher faced with an unknown variable that had thrown off his calculations — only a warped pleasure faintly seeped through.
『——As a piece you fail‚ but as a co-conspirator it's not a bad choice.』
For a moment‚ I insolently and defiantly flicked away Noah's presence that had floated up on my retinas.
Our two strides were no longer one-sided domination.
The perfect intelligence (Noah) continued to present cold correct answers. The fatal bug (Lily) chose a different path even after knowing the optimal solution.
That resonance carved faint amber cracks into this color-stripped city — and I vanished into the light.
Chapter 03.3 "The Stirring of the Bug (Or‚ the Decision at Nine Point Two Meters)" End
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