#k7s

You have a taste for dumb jocks who could kill you.

If someone had told you that, let’s say, about a year ago, you would’ve been offended. Also, vehemently disagreed.

Now, well… You would still be offended. Less for your own sake and more on Rumble and Frenzy’s behalf.

Not that the statement was inaccurate—strictly speaking—just mean-spirited.

Rumble and Frenzy weren’t dumb, for one. They just didn’t always think things through and could be a bit volatile, and often they just didn’t care because the lulz were more of a priority than being sensible.

Which, okay, was stereotypical ‘dumb jock’ or even ‘frat bro’ behaviour.

As for the ‘could kill you’ bit, yeah. Physically, Rumble and Frenzy would have no trouble. You were a ‘squishy’; they were mechs who weighed probably about as much as a motorbike. But you were pretty confident they wouldn’t kill you. Unless, well, unless they were commanded… You wouldn’t think too closely about that, actually. The bottom line was that they wouldn’t want to.

[...]

You returned to the makeshift bed with your stuff and dumped it all on the foot of the ‘bed’. “Got some other stuff, too.”

“I wondered if ya’ got lost”, Rumble chirped.

“Or cold feet”, Frenzy added, sprawled across the bed again.

“Guys, this is a bit ambitious with no pre-planning!” You picked up the towels and flung one apiece at the mech’s heads. “It’s not your bits on the line if something goes awry, so, please, humour me. And put those down to protect the bedding.”

Rumble snorted as he peeled the towel off his face and spread it out on his side with an indulgent flourish. You could sense Rumble gearing up for a snarky remark when the other towel hit your face.

What went around, came around, apparently.

You gasped at Frenzy in antic affront. “How dare you?”

“Easily. Whatcha gonna do about it, squishy?” He leered.

You gaped, then snapped your jaw closed and stalked closer over the mattress, towel hanging from one hand. You shoved Frenzy on the chest.

He tipped back, body pliant in a way nothing made of metal had any right to be, and wasn't unless he did it on purpose.

You stepped over him and plopped down to straddle his waist with enough force that it would've knocked the wind out of a human on the receiving end of such treatment. You shoved the towel in his face. “I’ll make you regret it, you little shit! Eat it!”

His hands crawled up your thighs like mechanical spiders and pinched your sides.

Yelping, you grabbed and batted his hands off, the sting dissipating like ripples in water. With one of his forefingers held in a vice grip and his other hand pinned against his plating under your hand, you wordlessly growled at his partially towel-covered grin.

Frenzy revved something in his frame then, a response that vibrated through you in every spot your bodies met, rattling your bones wherever your flesh didn’t provide adequate cushioning. For a breath, you were too surprised, too mystified, to do anything but settle into the strange sensation, but then the discomfort caught up with you, and you scrambled off him.

Rumble had left you and Frenzy to your horsing around. Now, he pulled you against his side.

Frenzy tugged the towel away from his face and sat back up.

“Ya’ okay?” the mechs asked in unison, voices blending into each other with an uncanny exactness. Their attentions were fully on you, two red-lit visors on alien faces, their bodies similar, like electronics or vehicles of the same model were, paintwork the sole immediate distinguishing factor.

You shifted, shoulders climbing towards your ears. “Yeah”, you decided. “What the fuck was that?”

“My sonic drums”, Frenzy said, giving his chest plates a fillip. “Don't worry, I didn’t go anywhere near a volume that'd hurt ya’.”

Rumble made a noise halfway between a scoff and a snort. “That doesn’t sound as comfortin’ as you think, Frenz.”

“I was more worried about the fillings getting vibrated out of my teeth, actually”, you quipped. “That would suck.” Maybe that was a good sign. He hadn't been about to bust your eardrums by accident.

You ducked out under Rumble's arm and grabbed the towel from Frenzy’s lap.

Frenzy caught hold of it as if to stop you, but let you pull it through his fingers. He shifted off the mattresses as you spread the towel on his side and helped you straighten it before sitting down on it again.

You pecked a quick kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

Even if I were to leave today, surely no one would care.

Sometimes I think about it.

I am not regretting it at all. Given the stress, discomfort, and concern for others, I don't think I'm particularly strong, so it's easier to live alone without worrying about anyone.

Since I am an orphan, I have no important memories so I could just let them go. Everyone says "I'm sorry", they always have something to do, you need some power to get along.

Above all, in my case, I am not good at communicating with people, I need more power, the total amount of energy is also very low.

So, after graduating from high school, I chose a way of life that does not use power, regardless of people as much as possible.

After living quietly in a room in an apartment with no neighbors, part-time work was changing, cleaning work, night traffic control and factory work, things you can do only in silence.

If you live calmly as a plant, you don't have to do much, there is nothing good or bad. So I'm satisfied, but sometimes I wonder what would happen if it disappeared.

If I were absent from work, I would be contacted for that part-time job, but if they got no response, they would surely give up.

If I fell behind in renting the apartment, I would receive a reminder, but if they find out that I no longer exist, they can terminate the contract without looking for me.

I still have no friends at school or on the premises.

When I will leave, I suddenly think that my existence will melt and disappear, without anyone's concern.

Somewhere in my mind, I want solidarity with people, although the connection with people bothers me.

There's recently one thing I'm addicted to, it's a certain SNS game that I install.

It is an experience based game, in which the mission is emitted through an in-app bulletin board and is executed in real life, and thus you get points.

Missions can be shared between players, or they can be issued by someone who appears to be operating.

Participating in a mission makes you feel that you have fulfilled the request of someone you do not know, even indirectly, and when you join a large-scale mission, you work with someone else in the city to do something. Makes me feel scarlet with a weak person.

The missions are broadcast in many places in Tokyo, and to participate in the missions, many people often appear in the center of Tokyo in vacation.

Even today, he is walking in the night city of Shizume-cho, holding his stomach.

He was not used to crowds in the city, and he crossed the intersection, writhing so as not to hit people. The mission in which he participates is very simple. Just go to the designated place.

The mission was not an invitation on the bulletin board, but was issued to an individual. For missions that do not require a number of players, a mission can be issued by randomly selecting a player. In such cases, you generally get more points than open recruitment missions.

The destination that shone on the map on the screen was almost over. His steps were lighter.

Some of the things that attracted me to this game were the weak words towards humans and the slightest stimuli that fall into everyday life like plants, but the most fascinating part was the "magic" hidden in the game.

Complete various missions and collect points to rank up in the game. And if you rank above a certain level... you will gain the power of "magic" that can be used in the real world.

What idiot, he laughed when he first saw this rumor on the bulletin board. But sometimes, he saw it. The way those in the first rank act, they don't really appear to be ordinary humans and avoid strange powers.

Knowing that there is an unknown world in this world, I felt comfortable changing the color of the world.

I felt that the game was suspicious and that the mission system could easily be used for crimes, but once I saw the world I didn't know and was fascinated by it, I wanted to go further.

The mission's designated location was an alley in Shizume-cho. When the destination sign on the app map and your current location mark overlap, the in-game pet parrot character appears and gives the message: "Mission Complete! One Hundred Jungle Points Added!"

One hundred points is a big thing for me, I'm still in a lower range. This is an exceptional point for a mission that is only to reach the designated place. Perhaps it was a service mission to promote the habit of participating in missions. I smiled when I thought I was going to rank up soon.

At that moment, something appeared from behind.

"Hey."

Had finished. I was wondering if he was the mission issuer. What if it's a dating mission? If you post in the hope that a pretty girl will come, a person like me may be irritated. ... No, the mission emitter was the one that seems to be running. If not related to the game ...

They look at each other while thinking of various things in an instant.

And strengthened his entire body.

There was a fox-faced person.

A fox face that appears to be laughing softly, enjoying the red light of sunset from behind and floating in the backlight.

It was creepy and all the hair on my body was screaming.

"What… what...?"

My voice was shaking.

The man in the fox mask shook his shoulders. He laughed.

"Do not be afraid."

He said it out loud in a cat voice, slowly taking off his fox mask.

The eyes that came out from under the mask met his eyes.

Gently.