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.
"Oh." The girl put on a surprised look, but didn't say anything further.
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, cap... mister, can I ask you something?" Before Jawed could do anything, the girl suddenly spoke.
"Huh?"
"So um, what if what you're doing won't change anything? I mean, sure, leaving your girl in a place full of those shady-looking guys won't end well for her. But what if, just if, even after you save her, things then still don't turn out any better? If that's the case, then why bother trying at all?"
Her gaze drifted into the distance, unclear what she was thinking. She let out a soft sigh.
After saying that, she turned to look at him, wanting to hear his answer this time. A time different from the others.
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.
"Hey, you're not even going to answer me? It's rude to ignore a lady, you know!"
Jawed kept running, never once looking back, only replying as he ran:
"Sorry. I can't see the future, so I don't know whether if any of those what-ifs will happen. But hey, life's always fifty-fifty, so why not give it a try?"
At his reply, the girl said nothing more. Only her hand tightened slightly.
"Then... what if that fifty percent can never happen, no matter how many times you try?" she whispered softly.
Until the guy's figure disappeared beyond the factory doors, the driver, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke:
"Hmm, that guy seems interesting, doesn't he" A calm, composed woman voice echoed.
"Huh? You're not even curious about my relationship with him, but that's what you care about instead, Seine?"
"No I'm not. He couldn't be your boyfriend anyway. After all, the idea of someone falling for you is nearly impossible."
"Mou, how could you say something like that?! What if I end up single forever because you jinxed me? Ugh, my life is so miserable~. Why do I have such a pretty Mecha sister who loves jinxing her rider like that?!"
Despite Kori's exaggerated complaints, the older girl remained completely expressionless. Well, she did take out her phone and snap numerous pictures of the little girl's cute expression.
"That aside, I am actually curious," Seine suddenly cut in. "The question you asked him, you once asked me something similar, but never explained why. What exactly is it that's so hard to talk about? Can you tell me, my rider?"
Hearing that gentle voice, Kori fell silent for a moment. In the end, she only shook her head slightly and let out a faint laugh.
"It's nothing that serious. I just happened to read a book on causality before, and it got me thinking, if someone could know in advance what's going to happen, would the final outcome change? But honestly, from what we've already seen, it doesn't seem possible."
"It seems like a person's ending is already a constant from the very beginning. That's why it's called an ending."
The older girl, Seine, fell silent at that, offering no further comment.
....