28. Goodbye
"It's crowded..."
I muttered, looking at the long line of vehicles stretching before us.
The starport wasn't far, but it seemed like it would take a while to get there.
Since the ordinance changed and the starport's location was made public, the number of humanoid robots heading to see it had surged, creating a 24-hour rush hour.
"We might get there faster on foot," Kana said, her voice tinged with impatience, her foot tapping restlessly like a child unable to contain her excitement.
"Want to do that, then?" I suggested.
Kana's eyes sparkled for a moment, but the light quickly dimmed, clouded with hesitation. The reason was obvious.
"But..." She glanced at Zero Strike. "Zero-chan would be left alone."
"I'm fine with that," Zero Strike replied nonchalantly.
"My role is just transportation. If I'm slowing you down by being your ride, I'm only getting in the way. That'd be more painful for me, so I'd rather you guys get off soon."
Hearing Zero Strike's honest feelings, we decided to part ways here.
I stepped off the lunar rover first, then took Kana's hand to help her down from Zero Strike.
"Thank you for everything," Kana said, her voice filled with heartfelt gratitude as she leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on Zero Strike's brick-like head—the First Pitch Head. At that, its head took on a faint reddish hue, like actual brick, and its indicator lights gleamed with a vibrant, sparkling green.
I added my own words of thanks.
"Thanks to you, we made it to Nocturne Artemis in one go. Without you, we might've run out of power in the wilderness and ended up corroding somewhere on the lunar surface."
"You're exaggerating," Zero Strike laughed. "Someone would've found and helped you. Kana-chan was right there with you, after all."
"Will we meet again?" Kana asked, her tone carrying a sincere hope for a reunion.
A silence lingered for about 0.7 seconds. The honk of someone's horn rang out like a bird's chirp, breaking the brief yet seemingly endless quiet.
"Who knows," I said, summing it up bluntly.
"If we don't make it to Earth, maybe we'll see each other again."
"But," Kana interjected, "even if we go to Earth, we might come back to the Moon someday."
"But if you meet a human..." Zero Strike posed the question. "Would you really want to come back to a place like this? You'd probably stay on Earth forever."
"Then Zero-chan should come to Earth!" Kana said innocently.
Zero Strike burst into hearty laughter.
"No way, I'm not going to Earth. I was born to roam the Moon."
"But running on Earth could be fun, too, right? No lunar rover has ever driven there. You could be the first!"
"Nah, it's instinctually impossible. No dopamine rush for it—or, to use a human analogy, my algorithms just don't work that way. I can only move on the Moon. If I went to Earth, I'd probably end up stuffed in a museum or a kids' space exhibit, like a taxidermied animal."
"I see..."
I felt genuine regret.
I wanted Zero Strike to come with us.
Part of it was attachment, but there were practical reasons, too.
Earth is 64 times the volume of the Moon, with six times the gravity. Getting around would be tough. But there was no choice but to let it go.
"If you don't want to go, it's better not to," I concluded.
Zero Strike nodded cleanly in agreement.
"Exactly. Looks like this is where we part ways. It's a shame, but I'm rooting for you guys to make it to Earth."
"Thank you," Kana said, her voice trembling with emotion.
Zero Strike continued, "No, thank *you*. Because of you, I got to roam the Moon again as a lunar rover. You're my lifesavers. I'll never forget you. If you don't make it to Earth, come find me anytime. Even if I'm on the far side of the Moon, I'll come running the moment you call."
"Yeah," I said, giving a wave.
"See you, then. Goodbye."
Zero Strike sent us an adorable yet somehow sultry wink, alternating between us, then turned toward a side path.
It was an empty road, unconnected to the starport—a shortcut to slip away from the main thoroughfare.
Kana and I watched Zero Strike's retreating form for a while.
When it turned the next corner and vanished completely from my visible-light-only field of vision, I shifted my gaze to Kana. She still seemed to sense Zero Strike's presence, but when she noticed my look, she quickly turned to face me.
"Shall we go?" I said.
Kana gripped my hand tightly.
Through the gloves she made, I could feel the intense, electric heat of her body temperature radiating through.
"Yeah, let's go," she replied.