Jawed had many things he wanted to ask.
But first, he had to fill the empty stomachs of both himself and this Mecha girl.
The canned minced meat, reheated, was mushy and pasty, crumbling like powder, its taste worse than chewing finely ground scrap metal. Even so, the girl ate heartily, her eyes sparkling, as if what she was eating were a rare delicacy, rather than minced meat.
"Is it really that good?"
"Mm, it's delicious. I've never eaten anything this good before," the girl replied, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed on a mouthful of minced meat.
Seeing that, Jawed let out a helpless, amused smile.
Well, at least the way she was eagerly eating now made her look truly lively, at the very least, she no longer gave off that lifeless air she had earlier.
Finally, seeing that she was satisfied, Jawed spoke up:
"So, you're a Mecha human?"
"U-Um." She nodded, her voice still carrying a hint of timidity.
Jawed drew in a deep breath. Although he had seen Mecha humans with his own eyes before, he still couldn't believe that they could look no different from pure humans.
But, if their appearance was human, and they ate food just like humans, then did they also—
"Is it necessary for you to go to the toilet?"
"Ah, um... Huh?" Hearing his words clearly, the girl froze, her expression filled with awkwardness.
Realizing what he had just said, Jawed fell silent. He gave a light cough, changing the subject:
"Ahem, let's skip that. First, I still don't know your name. Could you tell me?"
"My name? I-I don't have one." She said, her voice grew heavy. "Or rather, I think I once did. But it seems I forgot it a long time ago."
A stunned look spread across Jawed's face, and he couldn't help but ask:
"When we first met, you said you had no home, no family. Now, you're telling me you don't even have a name? How did it end up like that?!"
Hearing his question, the girl's expression dimmed slightly, an empty light flickering in her eyes.
After a moment, she finally spoke softly:
"I…. I don't know, I can't remember anything. I don't remember who I am, everything around me feels unfamiliar. The only thing I can remember is that I am a Mecha human. And, I have a desire."
"A desire?"
"I-I want to race on the track."
Hearing her words, Jawed was slightly taken aback.
"You want to race? But why? I mean, given your situation, how would that help you?"
"I don't know why. It's just..... just that, there's something inside me keeps pushing me toward racing. I'm lost, and that strange urge is the only thing guiding me. I just hope that, once I step onto the racetrack, I can remember who I am, and escape this feeling of being lost."
She replied, a faint, fragile hope appearing in her eyes, as though it could be extinguished at any moment.
As for Jawed, he fell into brief contemplation.
Finding yourself, huh? On the racetrack riddled with injustice, in this dark and corrupt racing world, was it really possible to find oneself?
He wondered, falling into silence. After a long while, Jawed finally spoke:
"About that, you're a Mecha human, right? You just need to find a rider to partner up with, and then you'll be able to race. What's so difficult about that?"
However, upon hearing his words, the girl only shook her head dejectedly:
"I..... they said my performance is too low, that I'm a substandard Mecha human. They said I can only become a logistics Mecha human, and I can't go onto the racetrack."
Hearing her words, Jawed frowned slightly.
He had heard that Mecha humans possessed an intense longing for glory and a burning passion for racing, treating it as the meaning of their lives. Everything would become meaningless, if they never had the chance to race.
And yet, there were still Mecha humans who lacked the qualifications to race, just like low-performance motorcycles that no one would choose.
They could never step onto the track, and could only do the same ordinary work as humans.
In fact, those Mecha girls seemed to be confined to the lowest-tier jobs, because he had never once seen any successful Mecha human appear on the financial news.
He had seen Mecha humans like that working at construction sites, places where people from the lower strata like himself labored.
In their eyes, he could see weariness, resentment, and despair.
Jawed couldn't empathize with the Mecha humans, who treated racing as their very reason for living.
But the feeling of living a meaningless, empty life, maybe he could understand.
The feeling that everything was dull, painful, and hopeless.
Just like how he felt right now.
He looked at the girl. Right now, she was bowing her head, her heavy gaze fixed on the floor.
In the depths of her eyes, the last tiny spark of hope seemed to have gone out, leaving behind nothing but endless darkness.
Seeing that, Jawed fell silent.
Within him, once again, that sharp pain pierced his chest, just like when he met her.
He didn't know why, but he couldn't accept letting her sink into such despair.
After a brief silence, Jawed suddenly spoke:
"I think, there might be a way to help you achieve your desire."
"R-really?" Hearing that, the girl lifted her head, a glimmer of anticipation lighting up her shimmering eyes.
"Yeah, there is an organization that supports Mecha humans like you, called the World Mecha Human Rights Association. I'll take you there, I'm sure they can help you find a suitable rider."
In this world, there existed an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of Mecha humans and handling their issues, similar to human rights organizations.
However, witnessing the real conditions of many Mecha humans, he couldn't help but wonder whether that organization truly served any purpose.
Still, at this moment, it seemed like the only one that might be able to help her.
"I..... th-thank you..... thank you so much!" The girl spoke, her voice trembling with emotion.
"All right, all right, don't get too emotional. I didn't really do much, seriously."
Jawed smiled helplessly. Seeing the joy and renewed hope shining in her eyes, his own heart felt a little lighter.
"For now, since it's still raining, you can stay here tonight. Other matters could wait until tomorrow," he said.
"I... I can really stay here?" she asked, her voice still trembling slightly.
"Yeah. There's a bed in my room, you can use that. As for me, uh, well..... help me fix the sofa, okay?"
Jawed glanced at the sofa embedded in the floor, drawing in a sharp breath.
Mecha humans possess physical strength many times greater than that of an ordinary human.
The Mecha humans at his construction site could casually lift steel beams weighing several tons with one hand, while scrolling through their phones with ease.
Even though he had heard that Mecha humans, for some reason, couldn't attack humans, at this moment, a chill still ran down his spine, making him instinctively stepped back.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Let me fix it for yo....." The girl's words faltered.
Because, right at the crack in the floor, there was another wriggling black spot.
And guess what? It even flew!!!
"Kyaahhhhhh!!!!!!! Another monster!!!!"
"Wait, hold on, stop, STOPPPPPP!!!" Jawed cried out in a hurry, but.... ah well, that creature had it coming anyway.
BANG—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
***
Night fell.
Inside the bedroom, tranquility enveloped the space. There was no sound, other than the faint, gentle breathing of the girl.
After days of wandering, she must have been utterly exhausted, quickly sinking into a deep sleep.
Outside, on the sofa, Jawed was still awake, lying there in quiet contemplation.
He thought about the chance encounter today, about everything that had happened afterward.
Actually, the girl's problem could have been easily resolved from the very beginning. She needed a rider to accompany her, then right in front of her stood the number one racer on the earth.
But, even if it was to help her, Jawed had no desire to involve himself with racing ever again.
Now, the words "racing" no longer existed in his life.
Of course, he couldn't simply abandon her now, abandon someone who carried the same look of desperation like him.
But at this moment, there was little he could do to help her.
Hopefully, that Mecha human association would truly be able to find a rider for her.
Hopefully, it would be a good rider.
Hopefully,.....
"Haizz...." Jawed let out a troubled sigh.
He gently closed his eyes, letting his mind gradually merge into the dark, murky night.
....