3 3 301 DialogEnable —Two kilometers away from the conservation area 001 rebuild.
4 4 301 A hole punctures the clouds at the edge of the dull, gray sky, allowing the soft glow of the sun to go through and cast a light on a towering building.
5 5 201 1 500486
6 6 401 2 215
7 7 301 1 The wind blows past the buildings, gently bashing against the lady's clothes.
8 8 301 She stands in the gap of a broken railing at the edge of a balcony, where the birds of the city claim their domains.
9 9 301 Underneath an eye-catching, old-fashioned floppy hat is a pair of golden pupils staring into the distance.
10 10 301 In theory, she can stand there until the reinforcing bars decay and break as long as the parts that maintain her balance remain functional.
11 11 301 The slender figure built with an amalgamation of metal alloys is more powerful than the strongest body made with flesh and blood.
12 12 401 1 50
13 13 301 But why is she standing there?
14 14 301 However you view it, she still looks like a pigeon that is alone and helpless, lost in an intense debate of whether to fall.
15 15 301 Leaving her be does not seem like a good idea, but recalling your last encounter, you figure you should be more cautious in case she thinks you are hostile again.
16 16 301 You open your arms and position them visibly before you, approaching the lady carefully.
17 17 301 Then she sees you, her eyes clear as a peaceful pond like before.
18 18 401 1 36
19 19 301 Haicma "Get some fresh air on the balcony and take in the scenery." I was simply following the instruction. 1
20 20 302 ... 21 (I worried too much...) 21
21 21 301 Haicma Since some of the buildings are blocking the view, I've calculated that this is the best location to do so. 1
22 22 401 1 205
23 23 301 Haicma Do you have any suggestions? 1
24 24 301 ...
25 25 301 You think back. You are here on this balcony because you noticed the strayed Construct after you dodged a falling object.
26 26 301 And you almost became the first recorded commandant to be heavily wounded by a fallen railing.
27 27 302 (Express all your queries) 28
28 28 301 Haicma ...I was sent here to scout the area. Currently, I'm on my maintenance break. 1
29 29 301 Haicma About the metal railing— 1
30 30 301 Haicma It was occupying the best location to "get some fresh air on the balcony" according to my calculations, so I proceeded to remove it. 1
31 31 301 She says it casually as if all she has done was putting a book away as she holds down her hair gently to keep the wind from blowing it back.
32 32 302 There's something I want to know personally... 33
33 33 302 Why not a hilltop if you just want some fresh air? 34
34 34 301 Haicma According to the diaries, getting fresh air on the balcony can relieve stress. 1
35 35 302 So the balcony is also a factor... And you're stressed? 36
36 36 301 Haicma Stressed about the diaries. 1
37 37 301 She holds up a bundle of neatly strapped notebooks.
38 38 301 Haicma This is the most I can collect in a day, and, presumably, they are still not enough. 1
39 39 302 What do you mean? 40
40 40 301 Haicma Instead of these incomplete journals, I require more comprehensive records. 1
41 41 301 More comprehensive?
42 42 301 Haicma A diary should contain everything its author does in one solar day. 1
43 43 301 Your spider-sense is tingling.
44 44 301 Haicma For example... records on activities, records on thoughts, records on visuals, records on audio, records on smell... 1
45 45 302 Wait a sec... 46
46 46 301 Haicma Records on touch, records on simulated emotions, records on frame status... 1
47 47 302 Hold on. 48
48 48 301 Haicma Records on combat, records on weapon maintenance, records on injuries... 1
49 49 301 The girl before you is speaking non-stop at incredible speed. It is even wilder than that guy from Babylonia who fudges his report summary.
50 50 301 "Isn't it great that we don't have to breathe? How sick it is to say everything in one go?—A certain Construct"
51 51 301 But if you do not stop her right here, her M.I.N.D. will deviate.
52 52 302 Hold on! 53
53 53 301 Haicma ... 1
54 54 301 Haicma Was there something wrong with the sequence? Or did I forget something? 1
55 55 302 You only need to journal the important things. 56
56 56 301 Haicma Important things? 1
57 57 301 Haicma I believe the data sets I mentioned are highly prioritized. 1
58 58 302 And above them? 59
59 59 301 Haicma ...Please clarify. What is more important than data about yourself? 1
60 60 302 Let's say there's something before you. 61
61 61 302 Something that can make you forget your data for a while. 62
62 62 302 That's what you put down in a diary. 63
63 63 204 1
64 64 301 Haicma ... 1
65 65 302 Look. You don't see health data in that diary, right? 66
66 66 301 Haicma "October 21st. Took some meds today for my upset stomach..." 1
67 67 301 Haicma Error report and maintenance report. 1
68 68 302 ... 69
69 69 302 But were you drawn to that or the other content? 70
70 70 401 1 208
71 71 301 She falls silent. 1
72 72 301 It seems that she can still understand, albeit in a less straightforward way. If words are the problem...
73 73 302 What about painting? 74
74 74 204 1 7
75 75 301 Haicma Painting? 1
76 76 302 Pictures are more direct than words. 77
77 77 302 Paint one picture every day about the most important thing you've seen that day. 78
78 78 301 Haicma Just one? 1
79 79 204 1
80 80 301 Haicma I see. To eliminate the chance that I record everything onto my paintings... 1
81 81 301 Haicma The viability of this experiment is estimated to be high. Despite having recorded all visual data in my internal memory drive, I believe this external recording is the closest approximation to being human. 1
82 82 301 A 24-hour footage record? You cannot believe they have installed this function for the Constructs in conservation areas...
83 83 301 Still, she is not very guarded for a Construct that acts alone.
84 84 302 Aren't you worried that I might be tricking you? 85
85 85 301 Haicma Given that your heart rate has not fluctuated, the possibility of you lying to me is low. 1
86 86 301 Haicma And your suggestion is indeed viable. It doesn't matter if it was a lie. 1
87 87 302 You should still be more careful. 88
88 88 204 1 1
89 89 401 1 205
90 90 301 Haicma That's not necessary. From the data I've collected, you pose no threat. 1
91 91 301 Looking her in the eyes, you immediately remember the day you met and how quickly she subdued you.
92 92 301 Maybe it is the light, but you seem to notice a slight change in her tranquil expression.
93 93 302 ... 96 You're smiling, aren't you? 94
94 94 204 1
95 95 301 Haicma Smiling... Are you recommending I smile right now? 1
96 96 204 1
97 97 401 1 208
98 98 301 ...Never mind. Now is not the time to dwell on it.
99 99 301 You should return to your mission, now that you have confirmed her safety.
100 100 301 After all, the airdrops have begun. The conservation area nearby needs you to bring back enough supplies.
101 101 301 Haicma Are you leaving? 1
102 102 302 Yeah. Let's save it for next time if there's something else. 103
103 103 301 Haicma Next time? The chances of us meeting again have decreased from 1.4% to 0.12%. This possibility is negligible. 1
104 104 301 Haicma If there's something else you want to say, I recommend you say it now. 1
105 105 301 Why does her description unnerve you...?
106 106 302 Can you tell me your name? 107
107 107 301 Haicma Haicma. 1
108 108 301 Haicma... You repeat the name, and you are pretty sure it is not on any deployment list you have seen.
109 109 301 You figure the higher-ups must have been pushing for more Constructs so that they can save the starving conservation areas from despair.
110 110 302 You don't believe in miracles, do you, Haicma? 111
111 111 301 Haicma Miracles? The occurrences of impossible odds? 1
112 112 301 Perhaps it is just a spur of the moment, or perhaps you have been affected by the dropping estimated success rate in the rescue report, but you do not want her to draw that conclusion.
113 113 302 If we keep trying, maybe our efforts will turn into a miracle. 114
114 114 301 Haicma That is just your one-sided perspective. Miracles are merely after-the-fact conclusions. 1
115 115 302 But miracles exist. The conservation area is one of them, and so is this encounter. 116
116 116 301 Haicma A correction: we had a 1.4% chance of encountering each other this time. That is a higher possibility than what humans have traditionally considered a miracle. 1
117 117 302 So, if we meet again after this... 118
118 118 302 Will you believe in miracles, then? 119
119 119 301 Haicma Why do you keep pushing me to believe in miracles? 1
120 120 302 Because sending you to this conservation area... 121
121 121 302 ...Is to create miracles in the first place. 122
122 122 401 1 36
123 123 301 Haicma ... 1
124 124 301 Haicma gazes at the human's departing figure.
125 125 301 "If you knew that my purpose was not what you expected, you would have understood why your statement was false from the very start."
126 126 301 Her processor has long arrived at this conclusion, but Haicma cannot communicate this message no matter what.
127 127 301 She might have agreed with the human if she were a Construct. They may be machines physically, but they still share the same souls as humans.
128 128 301 Which is why Constructs are not accepted into the Church of Machina.
129 129 204 1
130 130 301 Haicma Machines do not make mistakes. It has always been like that. 1
131 131 301 She does not worry about being heard. The human has long vanished at the end of the corridor after waving goodbye.
132 132 301 She watches that corner until a passing breeze rattles the paper.
133 133 301 She should also go now...
134 134 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Haicma I must prepare for my paintings. 1
138 138 301 AniZhuanchangEnd 1 When the night has come, and the land is quiet, Haicma, having returned to her base, takes out a piece of paper and places it on a drawing board.
139 139 401 2 910
140 140 301 Slowly, the empty world is filled with colors and lines.
141 141 301 In the center of it is the departing figure of a human, walking farther and father away.
142 142 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin This is Haicma's first painting in many years.
