11. Drive-Thru (Part 2)
I decided to cover the bill.
I grabbed a Space Spicy Burger and Cyber Cider set, while Jinri was automatically assigned the Big Bang & Black Hole Limited Set, which we both took.
First, I inserted a straw into the Cyber Cider and took a sip. My energy level, which had plummeted to 0.000001%, instantly recovered to 7%.
After that emergency recharge, I unwrapped the burger and started eating. The soft carbon-fiber buns had an incredibly light density, giving an airy, almost inflated texture. The patty was filled with a juicy, molten-metal-like flavor I'd never tasted before, with a tingling, electric-current-like bite that was exhilarating.
Jinri was also enjoying her set—a burger packed with Mercury's seafood—when the autopilot resumed, and we soon merged onto the highway. We continued eating, gazing at the industrial area lined with lights that shimmered like a sea of stars in the background.
Silence during a meal is bad for digestion, so I spoke up to Jinri.
"So, why were you being chased?"
"You're asking now?"
Jinri looked stunned but began explaining anyway.
"I actually killed someone."
Her sudden confession made me pause mid-chew.
"Why?"
"It's not like I killed them because I wanted to," Jinri continued.
"It was a car accident."
"You hit a human?"
"Yeah," her voice darkened. "At first, I thought it was a humanoid robot, so I figured it wasn't a big deal injury-wise and just drove off."
"That's pretty bad."
"Well, I thought it was their fault for crossing the road. This is a car-priority city, after all. Legally speaking, the person who jumped onto the asphalt had far greater fault. A hit-and-run should've just gotten me a warning at most."
"But?"
"But the victim was human."
A silence settled over the car.
Jinri took a sip of her Dark Matter Cola before continuing.
"Being human, their body was naturally frail. They died instantly."
"That's rough," I said offhandedly. "Not a cyborg or anything? Since we're on Mars, a regular human's fragile protein-based body shouldn't be able to survive here. You'd need some kind of body modification to make it on Mars."
"That's the thing—they hadn't modified anything except their brain. They were wearing a bulky spacesuit in this sweltering city, but it was such a primitive model, barely enough to keep their protein lump of a body breathing."
"So, instant death was inevitable."
A question suddenly occurred to me.
"If they died, how'd you get caught? No one else should've reported it."
Another memory surfaced.
On Mars, only reports from the victim themselves are accepted. If the victim dies, there's no one to report the crime, so Jinri should've escaped police pursuit.
"Well," Jinri said with a resigned expression, "their main body was still alive. On Venus."
"Oh…"
I understood instantly.
"An avatar?"
"Yeah. Their main body was a fully modified, 100% cyborg, built to live comfortably even in Venus's harsher environment. They were using their original protein-based human body as a sort of avatar sub-body for a tourist trip to Mars."
According to her explanation, the cyborg's main body had flown from Venus to Mars, analyzed the visual data recorded just before the avatar's death, identified Jinri, and reported her to the city police.
"That's some bad luck," I said sympathetically.
She gave a surprisingly bright smile.
"Well, it was three years ago. Ancient history by now."
"Three years?!"
I raised my voice in shock.
"You've been chased by the police for three years?"
"Yup. I'm used to it by now."
"…"
I was floored, thinking it over before blurting out, "Why don't you just leave this city?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, isn't it a hassle? Living every day, every hour, every second just running away?"
"Well, it's not like my whole life is just running away… but yeah, I guess most of my time is spent escaping."
Jinri's expression turned vacant, as if she'd only just realized it.
"Yeah…"
Then, her face lit up with sudden joy.
She sprang up from her seat.
In the process, the lid of her Dark Matter Cola flew off and was flung out of the car. Some cola spilled, wetting her seat, but the car's AI immediately activated its cleaning system, leaving the seat shinier than before.
Still, the cola on Jinri's hand remained. I handed her a wet wipe.
Filled with negative-ion-rich electrolyte fluid, the wipe was clean enough to satisfy even the most germophobic. Jinri wiped her hand and, as if casting off lingering regrets, casually tossed the wipe out of the moving car.
Looking back, the discarded wipe fluttered like a fragile bird finally freed, dissolving into the headlights of the pursuing cars.
"Me too," Jinri declared.
"I'll leave Tropical Night City. That way, I can escape the police forever!"
"But," I voiced a concern, "what if the next country doesn't grant you extraterritorial rights? Interpol might coordinate and keep treating you as a criminal."
"Then I'll deal with it when the time comes!"
With a refreshed attitude, Jinri clenched both fists in a victorious pose, a gesture that filled the highway with a sense of liberation.
"First, I'll leave this city—my hometown where I've lived my whole life!"
"Environment matters, doesn't it?" I muttered.
Suddenly, Jinri leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.
It was a fizzy, cola-scented kiss, bursting like carbonation.
"Let's," her shout echoed across the highway, "drive-thru this city!"
Rubbing away post-meal drowsiness, I couldn't help but raise one hand and shout "Yeah!" in response, chugging the rest of my Cyber Cider.