Story Reader / Interlude / Night Mayfly / Story
Night Boat
>Are you sure you just want this plushie, Yoyo?
The girl named Yoyo turns around with a panda plushie in her arms, nodding at her father enthusiastically.
Dad! This panda is called "Master", and it can talk! It can also fly...
Seeing how confused her husband is, Yoyo's mother chuckles.
You're losing touch. You don't even know what your daughter likes! She's talking about the character in that cartoon that's popular with the kids nowadays. It's called...
Kowloong's Magical Girl!
Honey, you can pick something more expensive like the other kids do! We're here to celebrate you passing your Maths exam. Your father just got a promotion, so don't worry about the price tag!
A girl of a similar age walks past Yoyo with a bionic panda mechanoid in her arms. One size larger than Yoyo's plushie, it appears to be able to say the famous lines from the show—and fly, for real!
Yoyo, let your dad show off for once... And don't you want a more valuable toy that the other kids will be jealous of?
But Yoyo just blinks and looks at the plushie in her hands, bewildered.
Are cheaper toys bad? Do they have to be expensive? I don't get it...
"Master" was just an abandoned plushie in the cartoon as well. It only became a familiar because the Magical Girl's love turned into its magic power.
Yoyo's parents look at each other, seemingly surprised by what she said. They chuckle, slightly embarrassed.
The kids must think we adults are making our lives difficult with what we deem important, isn't that so?
Yeah... Yoyo doesn't care about how big or small the numbers are. Isn't that what she did in the exam? Haha!
Ugh! Dad! I'm going to be mad!
Yoyo's father crouches down and picks up Yoyo, whose cheeks puff out, and the plushie in her hands.
Alright, Dad understands now... Now that we've bought it, you need to love the plushie like how the girl in the show loves it. Like how we love you.
Ugh! I'm getting goosebumps. Look at you, not feeling embarrassed at all.
Blushing, Yoyo's mother smiles and gently strokes her daughter's head, her gaze filled with tenderness.
Yoyo, Mom also loves you very much...
Even if one day...
Mom...?
She can still feel the warmth and the gentle touch of her parents' embrace, but she cannot find them anywhere.
Dad?! Where are you?!
Yoyo reaches out, but she grasps nothing in the void. The more she struggles, the further her fleeting, happy memories seem to be.
The sound of waves and the sense of rocking become clearer and clearer, washing away the last bit of her confusion. Yoyo wipes away the tears in her eyes.
She knows it is time for her to wake up...
Ugh...
Blinding lights sway above her rhythmically. Yoyo finds herself lying in an unfamiliar room.
You. Can you sit up yourself?
Yoyo sees a lavishly-dressed woman sitting by the window, staring at her. The woman must be the one who saved her.
She nods, moving her body from side to side while sitting up, hoping to take a look at the room. But the pain in her right arm takes her attention away.
Seeing Yoyo's expression, the woman leans forward, inspecting the wound on her arm.
You were well-protected, but you're still slightly infected with the Punishing Virus... We've given you a serum. You'll be fine, apart from feeling pain for a little while.
Did you save me... Miss?
The woman seems a little astounded to be called "Miss", but she nods regardless.
Then do you know where the robot... the two robots who were with me are?
Yoyo still remembers the two robot friends who looked scary but were actually very kind. They were traveling together until they reached the incredibly large ship...
I don't know. You passed out from crying, and the mechanoid who took you here was taken away... There was only one of them.
Seeing how disappointed Yoyo looks, the woman thinks for a second before talking again.
...They were probably taken to be repaired. Machines... will be as good as new after they're fixed.
Is that true?! Then I just have to find Dad. Dad will help me look for them, and Mom will make them very tasty food! Hehe... I guess robots can't eat, can they?
Dad... Mom...
Yoyo tries to stand up, ignoring the pain in her arm, but she almost loses her balance and falls on the rocking floor.
Looking outside, she finds herself surrounded by an endless ocean. There is nothing around her but the moon and the stars—and there is no sign of anything she knew in Kowloong.
I... I have to find them.
Stumbling around, Yoyo tries to leave the room, but the woman grabs her hand.
It's dangerous on this ship... It's better to stay here if you're alone.
Then I must find them immediately! Mom and Dad have to be risking their lives to search for me... Do you know where they are, Miss?
The woman shakes her head, speaking only after thinking for a while.
You've been unconscious for seven days. They would have been here already if they were still alive...
So... they're either dead... or they've abandoned you.
The woman holds Yoyo's hands gently, looking into the girl's eyes with serenity.
Everything without value is thrown away on the Nighter... And a child on her own is a valueless burden, so...
You're lying!
Shivering, Yoyo interrupts the woman with clenched teeth and tears gathering in her eyes.
Mom and Dad wouldn't leave me! They promised to come back and get me...
I know Dad always acted like an irresponsible dummy, but he had never broken his promises to me!
Mom sometimes got angry for no reason, but I know she would never leave me!
Yoyo clutches the worn panda plushie in her hands, her tears dropping on the toy.
Just because a promise is important... doesn't mean it's kept.
Yoyo flings away the woman's hand, wiping her tear-filled eyes with her long sleeves.
Enough... I see it now. You must be one of the bad people Dad told me about! You're trying to trick me into staying here.
I won't listen to you anymore... I'll find them myself!
Yoyo rushes outside the room, leaving the woman alone, hesitant to give chase.
...
The woman looks at her hand that was holding Yoyo. She misses and fears the sensation of someone else's touch.
Villier... My lord...
The Nighter at night is bustling with crowds.
Looking back from its fences, however, is greeted only by the dark, roiling waves.
In the distance, people in luxurious outfits are singing and performing on a stage, their music reaching the laughing audience.
～See the glistening colors of a mayfly's wings.～ ～Your brief life I mourn; what does mine bring?～
The girl's small figure traveled through the brilliant colors of the night, drowning in the noises of the people's lives.
～See the opulence dressed for a mayfly's flight.～ ～Your brief life I mourn; where will mine rest?～
Dad... Mom... Where are you...
Panicking, Yoyo searches for her parents' figures on the unfamiliar streets, but her cries are only met with dubious or detested gazes.
～See the silver coat clothed in a mayfly's birth.～ ～Your brief life I mourn; what is mine worth?～
Eventually, she slows down, her long-suppressed fear and loneliness reflecting in her eyes.
Don't-cry-I-am-here-
The kind mechanoid once told her that. But now, it is nowhere to be found.
Only now does Yoyo realize she is truly on her own—if this is a nightmare, there is no end to it nor a way to turn back.
—Tai'E were born to fight for Kowloong.
Suddenly, she hears the loud, synthetic voice of a mechanoid—the same voice of the two mechanoid friends that had protected her on her journey.
They're alive... They're here!
Yoyo slowly navigates through the crowd, walking toward the voice.
Check this out! You lovely folks see this mechanoid? It might look busted, but its energy core is perfectly intact! Even its voice module is functioning flawlessly!
It's a Tai'E made in Kowloong, totally legit stuff! I promise you, in the name of Jinman's Emporium, that your 170 thousand grubs will be worth it!
Doesn't sound like it's worth the price, Jin Man! Unless it has some special features that you aren't sharing? C'mon, spill the beans already! We're all eager to see it!
The gathering crowd becomes animated after hearing what the boy says, not noticing the subtle smirk on the shopkeeper's face.
You know your stuff, young man! Guess I'll have to confess... I didn't get this mechanoid from your usual, legitimate channels. This... was a Corrupted!
The crowd gasps in awe. Some of them look a little frightened, but more of them look ecstatic.
A dead Corrupted... must be different to a regular mechanoid, right? Maybe some of its parts got some impressive upgrades!
It'll be a one-of-a-kind collectible... There can't be any decor more impressive than this!
Jin Man winks at the boy—the two of them are clearly working together.
But how did you get your hands on something so valuable, Jin Man? I heard that Kowloong's Pulao Crew had dumped all the Corrupted remains into the sea...
Ahem... that's a long story. Do you see the ribbon on its arm?
Jin Man holds up Tai'E's arm before the crowd, highlighting a pink ribbon tied on its arm that looks out of place on its heavy, metallic body.
Sure, it's weird, but what's so special about it? The Corrupted are weird in the first place.
What you didn't know is that it got the ribbon from an innocent girl that it killed! How do I know, you ask? 'Cause I was there! I witnessed the whole thing just as I boarded the Nighter!
It wasn't going to let me live, of course. This tricky bastard was hiding in a corner before it leaped out and went for my throat. Well, I panicked, but then I handled it. Woosh! I flipped it over and slammed it on the ground!
The crowd is entertained by the shopkeeper's lively, vivid tale, not realizing that a girl has walked to the front.
But it's a lucky thing I had my pistol! Anyway, I started blasting. Pow! This damn thing stopped moving. Pow! Pow! I took a few more shots just to be safe. That's why there're all these bullet holes on it...
You're lying!
Yoyo rushes out of the crowd, tripping a few people in the center.
Hey...! Whose girl is this? Can't have you speaking nonsense at my shop!
He's not some tricky bastard... He's my friend! He saved me from the Corrupted!
A mechanoid saving a human girl from the Corrupted? These machines can't even stay sane from the Punishing Virus... Did your parents not teach you not to lie? Go home if you're going to act like a baby!
The surrounding people laugh, rubbing salt into Yoyo's wound.
I wasn't lying...!
Jin Man is getting impatient. He tries to send Yoyo away while frowning at the boy hiding in the crowd.
Doesn't matter what you say. This is my ware, so I get to call it whatever I want. You're welcomed to make up any story about it if you can afford to buy it, but until then, get lost!
The boy sighs and shakes his head, walking up and preparing to drag Yoyo away.
I-I have money! I'll buy him! Dad gave me l-lots of money!
Yoyo takes out her wallet, holding it up high. Hearing the word "money," Jin Man's expression changes in an instant.
Why didn't you say so? However...
Seeing the amount of grubs Yoyo is desperately taking out, Jin Man does not know whether to laugh or cry.
You've gotta be kidding me... What do you hope to buy with these scraps? Stop messing around! I'm warning you!
But... that's all I've got... Look... there's so much...
In Yoyo's world, the money she has is enough to buy her all the snacks she likes, as well as all the new clothes and toys she wants—but on this ship, that amount of money is far from enough.
Jin Man is about to throw the girl out when he suddenly comes up with a plan, and he grins.
Now, I know you don't have the money, but there is something more valuable than grubs on the Nighter...
Hey, Jin Man...
The boy is about to say something, but he stays silent after Jin Man stares at him.
That thing is the "collar". We all have one on this ship, and it holds something called "miles." The number of miles Lady Qu gave all of us to start our life on the Nighter should be enough for you to buy this Tai'E.
Yoyo follows Jin Man's gaze and reaches for her neck, discovering a ring that locks tightly around it.
"Miles"... I can buy Tai'E if I use mine?
Jin Man smiles maliciously and leans toward Yoyo, sending her a transaction request.
Of course... You can buy anything you want as long as you can pay the price.
Although Yoyo has no idea what "miles" mean, she knows that this is the only thing she can do for the two Tai'E mechanoids that protected her with their lives.
The collars on their necks blink and complete the transaction. At that moment, Yoyo's collar flashes bright red, and a voice resounds in her head, warning her that all her miles are consumed.
Aargh... What is that voice?!
Meanwhile, the security mechanoids on standby nearby all begin to approach Yoyo, and the gathered crowd flees out of fear.
You really don't know? Your miles is the time you're allowed to stay on the Nighter. Once you spend it all, off the ship and into the water you go.
He laughs patronizingly before standing next to Yoyo and putting his hand on her shoulder.
Now, folks around here would pay quite a fortune to relive someone else's memories, especially someone like you, who got to live carefree in Kowloong.
If you were to sell me these memories of yours, I might be able to give you some of those miles back... Think about it. Isn't it better to let those worthless memories go and start anew on this ship?
To forget her father's laughter, her mother's embrace, the figure that spent its last minutes protecting her... She will not need to spend her nights chasing ghosts anymore.
But to walk into those nights all alone, much like the ship she is on sailing in solitude on the turbulent sea... Is that a future that she wants?
No...!
Yoyo pushes him away, knocking down a few mechanoids that try to catch her, and she dashes away, tumbling.
Jin Man falls onto the boy, pushed by Yoyo's surprising strength. Just as he is about to order his men to go after the girl, he is knocked out by a strike on the neck.
Uh-oh. Sorry, boss... I slipped.
The boy drags the unconscious Jin Man into a hidden corner amidst the chaos, taking out Jin Man's wallet and putting all the grubs inside into his own pocket.
Service charge, mental health claims, hazard pay, overtime... Hehe, thank you for employing my service—
A freezing drop of water falls on the boy's nose.
It's about to rain...
He looks in the direction Yoyo ran toward and sighs, flipping a grub before catching it.
What an idiot... What do you get to keep if you die?
