SPGM Ch 3

BANG—!

A heavy flowerpot struck the man’s forehead. The man’s head, having fully received the impact, snapped back. He stared blankly at the ceiling with an oblique gaze. As he blinked, a red liquid flowed down over his eyelids. Jason, panting and having thrown the pot, let out a cry of alarm.

“What the hell is that! Is that blood? Is it actually bleeding?”

“Blood?”

The man raised his hand and touched his forehead. The red liquid was smeared thickly on his hand. The man’s green eyes lit up with an intriguing light. He, understanding his own existence, knew that it was fake, but the presence of blood, experienced for the first time in his life, stimulated his curiosity. The man brought his blood-stained hand to his mouth. As he licked it clean, Jason approached him, startled.

“You crazy…! Why the hell are you eating that! It’s disgusting!”

“I’m curious.”

It’s the first time I’ve seen this. He added these words, and Jason’s face turned red and blue.

“Don’t talk back! Damn it, I hate real blood. Wait, no. Come to think of it, that’s not real. No, even so…. Ugh, why do they add such useless options without permission? It’s annoying…!”

After rambling to himself for a while, Jason tugged at his sleeve. He approached the man to wipe the blood away, then stopped. His gaze was fixed on the streak of blood staining the statue-like face.

“…….”

Jason, staring blankly at the man’s face, suddenly started to giggle.

“Never mind. Let’s just leave it. Blood suits you anyway.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You like blood.”

When did he ever stop complaining and being irritated? Jason kept giggling with a look of ecstasy. You are a cruel killer, so a face stained with blood suits you. The man, listening intently to Jason’s muttering to himself, asked quizzically.

“You say I’m a cruel killer?”

“Yes. You’re a cruel killer who knows neither blood nor tears. A very ruthless man.”

“If you’re a killer, you kill people.”

“Yes, that’s right! You’re a hitman! You’re a cruel guy who kills people easily as long as you get paid! But you weren’t ruthless from the start. You experienced an accident where you lost your parents when you were young….”

“That’s strange.”

The man fiddled with his bloodstained fingertips and interrupted.

“You shouldn’t kill people. No. You shouldn’t kill any living thing carelessly.”

Jason’s face, flushed with excitement, instantly cooled. The man frowned, staring intently at the changed demeanor of his companion.

“Why are you suddenly angry? You did this before too.”

“…Don’t talk back.”

“But I’m curious.”

“Shut up! I told you not to talk back! You should just shut up when I tell you to!”

Veins bulged on Jason’s forehead. His eyes, with burst blood vessels, turned red. Heaving his chest and letting out ragged breaths, Jason threw an ink bottle that was lying on the desk. It hit his cheek, crashed to the floor, and shattered with a sharp shriek.

“…….”

Feeling something called pain, the man looked at the black ink that spread like blood and his companion’s face, which was redder than blood. He asked,

“Is expressing my opinion honestly what you call talking back?”

“Yes.”

“And the reason you’re angry is because of my talking back?”

“Yes.”

“Then if I don’t express my opinion, there’s no reason for you to get angry?”

“Yes.”

Expressing an opinion contrary to the other person’s words is the same as talking back. Talking back makes the other person angry. In order not to anger the other person, one must accept the other person’s words without expressing one’s own opinion. Although it was different from the perception instilled in him and different from the theory, the man understood that the real world was full of infinite variables.

Don’t talk back. Shut up when told to. I don’t know what “shut up” means, but considering the context, it’s probably close to meaning “close your mouth”. The man quickly organized his thoughts and nodded.

“I understand. I got it.”

“…….”

Jason, who was breathlessly silent, softened his gaze. He then clicked his tongue, looking at the ink stain that soiled the floor.

“Damn it. I should’ve added the master recognition option, even if I had to go into debt….”

🎥

“I have a story that fits your art style. I’m sure it will create a great synergy.”

When he heard those words, Jason couldn’t contain the anger that was rising to the top of his head.

“Are you telling me to shut up and just be a drawing machine?”

“Author, it’s not something to take so negatively. I’m saying this with your best interests at heart….”

BANG! Jason slammed his mug on the table and shouted fiercely.

“I don’t want to hear it. I’m not a machine that churns out drawings. I’m a cartoonist. A cartoonist who expresses my story with my drawings! What you just said is no different from telling me to waste my drawings on someone else’s story. That’s an insult to me! I’m really angry.”

Facing the furious Jason, the editor bowed his head like a sinner. If your story was good in the first place, would I have said this, you psychopath? Who is it that truly trivializes and ignores cartoons? If you want to show off your drawing skills, go do it somewhere else. The lips hidden behind his hair spat out silent curses, but Jason couldn’t see them.

“I have nothing more to say. Let’s get up.”

Jason, fuming, got up. He slowed down as he left the cafe, but there was no sign of anyone following him. Glancing back at the cafe window, he saw the editor leisurely drinking coffee. Jason gritted his teeth at his attitude, which ignored him to the end. Returning to his studio, he received a rejection notice for the next project he had proposed.

‘Why doesn’t anyone recognize me?’

They recognize those inferior writers. They love those inadequate writers. Why am I, who is superior to them, not loved? Why am I not acknowledged? Why, why, why? What am I lacking?

Jason was furious. He was enraged by the ignorance of those who failed to recognize his worth.

‘I’m different. You’re stupid, so you don’t recognize my worth. I am the true artist. I don’t need help from machines. Convenience is just a luxury. Everything has to be done by my hand, from this pen nib. This is real art.’

Jason increasingly isolated himself. The best student in town. The child who would become a great artist. The titles that shone upon him in his childhood took root in Jason’s heart as an eternally burning ember. Arrogant, he couldn’t acknowledge his shortcomings, and protected himself by denigrating even the sincere advice of others.

Compared to Area A, where technology had advanced dazzlingly, Area C, where Jason lived, was slow to develop. In Area A, where humanoids were commercialized, machines replaced labor, but the people of Area C built their lives with their own manpower, and machines were merely supplementary help.

However, this place too could not stop the tide of change. Humans, tired of labor, began to rely on machines and realized that advanced technology could enrich their lives. At the same time, the criteria for the value of life’s forms were divided, followed by disputes, but that, too, was nothing more than a demonstration of arriving at the flow of change.

Before long, Area C naturally began to accept machines. But Jason didn’t follow that trend at all. He still rejected drawings drawn with the help of machines and information seen through machines. Stuck in the past, he made no progress and lived in a world of his own.

He was able to start serializing cartoons because his drawing skills were excellent, but his ambiguous world failed to resonate with others. His first work failed miserably, and so did the next one he managed to start.

‘I don’t understand what he’s trying to say? Ha, it makes me feel like I’m going crazy just looking at it? You’re just too stupid to understand. What? He clearly has no talent for storytelling? The character design and drawing style are the only good things? How dare you say that with that hole in your face…! The author is clearly self-inserting into the protagonist. Now even the drawing style doesn’t feel appealing anymore. Especially the main character, Zero, just seems like a crazy guy…?’

Jason, who rejected machines, yet looked up reviews of his work through machines, gritted his teeth. He was enraged by the harsh criticism. The failure of his next project, into which he had poured so much affection and passion, stained him with malice.

But it was tiring to hate everyone. It was better to have one target of resentment. He chose the character he created, ‘Zero’, as the target of his resentment.

Thus, Zero became both the character Jason cherished the most and the character he hated the most.

“Congratulations. You’ve won.”

Picking up a lottery ticket on the street at such a time was a complete coincidence. Struggling with poverty, he became rich overnight. It was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck, but unfortunately, Jason’s mind was different from others. Embracing the opportunity to design a new life, he began to feel twisted desires rather than sound hopes.

‘Zero, everyone mocks and hates you, but no one hates you as much as I do. But I understand you. Because I created you. Perhaps I’m the only one who hates you the most and loves you the most. Ah…. I wish I could meet him. If he existed before me….’

Then, something came to Jason’s mind.

‘Humanoid.’

I’ve heard that you can get custom-made humanoids on the black market. With this money…. Yes. Maybe I can really meet ‘Zero’.

Jason felt thrilled. And after a long search, he learned of a humanoid maker living in seclusion in Area C. The doctor, named ‘Mana’, was famous for making the most beautiful humanoids. Only he could perfectly embody ‘Zero’.

I’m enclosing a drawing. His name is ‘Zero’. He feeds on hatred rather than love. You may not understand, Doctor, but at some point, I started thinking this way. Perhaps what makes ‘Zero’ exist is the ‘negativity’ directed towards him. Now it feels awkward to imagine him being ‘loved’ by others, not me. For some reason, it even makes me feel negative.

I want other people’s ‘affection’ to be poison to him. Poison…. Poison is fatal and life-threatening to humans. Then what is fatal to a humanoid? No matter how much ego is instilled and they are considered a new kind of humanity, they are still just machines…. Is it the battery?

Ah, that’s good, now that I’ve written it down. Let’s go with the battery. He can only charge his battery with ‘negative’ emotions. Conversely, ‘positive’ emotions deplete his battery.

Hmm, but negative emotions come to mind easily, but I can’t think of any specific positive emotions. Positive emotions…. It must be ‘affection’, right? The positive emotions I have for him stem from ‘affection’.

🎥

“Ha, damn it….”

[50%]

Zero, sitting on the sofa, looked at the number written on the back of his hand and turned his head. After receiving a sudden phone call, Jason had been pacing around the living room with an anxious look on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“…You don’t need to know.”

If I don’t need to know, shouldn’t you act like you don’t care? Zero, hiding his thoughts beneath a calm expression, closed his mouth. Because Jason hates it when he talks back.

“Damn it, why now of all times….”

Blood beaded on his gnawed fingertips. Jason, frowning at the tingling pain, approached Zero. He brought his finger to his tightly closed lips and smeared the blood on them. Zero licked it off, as if accustomed to it. Jason, blushing, stared at Zero with intensely darkened eyes. For a moment, he blinked, and Zero, after glancing down at the back of his hand, quickly looked back at Jason.

[49%]

Jason, panting with increasingly ragged breaths, gulped and said,

“I have to leave the house for a few days.”

“You mean you’re leaving?”

“…Yes.”

He didn’t seem to like it at all. Jason roughly rubbed his dry face.

“The hospital called. My mother is about to….”

“About to?”

“…….”

Even though he knew it was an innocent question, Jason’s mood sank. Frowning deeply, he glared at Zero.

“Die.”

“Then I won’t be able to see her anymore.”

WHAM! A fist struck his head. Zero’s upper body staggered. The emotionless green eyes quickly darted to the back of his hand.

[50%]

“…….”

The number went up.

“Yes! I can’t see her. I can’t! Damn it, I know even if you don’t tell me!”

Jason yelled and collapsed. He picked up whatever he could see and threw it, sobbing. Mother, mother…. Zero, understanding that his actions, akin to a tantrum, stemmed from grief, handed him a towel. Jason wiped his face, soiled with tears and snot, and let out a tired breath.

“…I can’t take you with me.”

Zero nodded slightly. Ever since he first opened his eyes, he had never been outside. The same was true for Jason. Cooped up in the small house, Jason always took care of his life through delivery orders.

“But I’m so worried about leaving you alone…. What if Zero runs away, what if you’re not here when I come back….”

Jason muttered, tearing at his hair, and then fixed his gaze on Zero.

“Don’t go out, Zero. It’s very dangerous outside.”

“Is it?”

“Yes, it is. The outside world is dangerous. The world is full of evil. Only this place, this house, is safe. So you can’t go out. Absolutely, absolutely not.”

It was like brainwashing. Zero, rubbing his heavy head and looking impassively at Jason, nodded. Despite receiving confirmation, Jason, still not reassured, immediately called somewhere. Soon the doorbell rang, and he went to the front door and came back carrying a heavy box.

The box was filled with nails, a hammer, chains, and padlocks. After that, the sound of hammering resonated throughout his house day and night for a while. A neighbor, unable to bear the noise, came to his door and hurled curses, but Jason didn’t care. Continuing to hammer slowly with his frail body, he finally blocked all the windows in the house.

“…Zero.”

On the day he left the house, Jason hesitated at the front door and looked at Zero.

“Don’t go out. Absolutely, absolutely not.”

Even though he knew he’d made it impossible for him to leave, he said it anyway. I understand. Jason stared at Zero, who nodded slightly, with anxious eyes for a long time. Only after the beeping of his mobile device urged him on did he leave the house.

THUD—! THUD—! The sound of hammering came from outside. Jason, having sealed the door, hurried away.

Zero had never imagined Jason being absent. Humans feel loneliness and desolation in absence, so Zero suddenly wondered if he would feel the same. He was not human, but he had been instilled with human-like intelligence and ego.

But his absence brought Zero unexpected comfort. Zero realized that absence could sometimes be stillness and peace.

However, he didn’t know how to spend his first time alone. Jason had taken the portable computer, the only means by which he could learn about the world, and all that was left in his house were his manuscripts and old comic books.

Left with no choice, Zero looked at Jason’s comic book, in which he was drawn. The ‘Zero’ in the comic clearly had the same face as him, but it felt alien, perhaps because it was a flat drawing. The reason he couldn’t identify it as himself might be due to the gap between it and reality.

The guy in the comic book freely roamed the world, but he couldn’t. However, he didn’t feel any regret about it. Zero simply accepted what was given to him.

In any case, Zero learned about his origins by reading Jason’s comic books. That he lost his parents when he was young and was subjected to human experimentation by villains. That he gained strange scars and abnormal strength from it and became a hitman.

It was a setting in the comic book that had nothing to do with his current self, but it was still his origin, so it wouldn’t hurt to know. However, thinking about himself made him curious.

Why did Jason bother to create me? What does he want from me? Is it to be a friend or a family substitute?

“Then why does my battery charge every time Jason gets angry at me?”

Finally, it became clear. That his battery was affected by Jason’s emotional changes and actions. That it was better for him if he wielded violence with a knife in his mouth than if he showered him with praise with an ecstatic look on his face.

But getting angry and resorting to violence were bad behaviors. You shouldn’t do such things to friends or family. If I am such a being to Jason, shouldn’t a battery, equivalent to a human lifespan, be separated from such irrational behavior?

That means maybe Jason,

“Perhaps hates me.”

Perhaps he existed only to be hated.

Zero thought.

🎥

A faint sound of wind could be heard. Zero, staring blankly at the ceiling, turned his head. Concentrating and listening carefully, he could find where the sound originated.

He got up from the sofa and headed towards the window. He pulled back the drab blackout curtains, and a loosely nailed plywood board dangled from the window frame. There wasn’t even a lock. It seemed Jason, tired of the constant hammering, had simply covered it with the curtains without properly fixing it.

Thud, Zero ripped off the plywood and opened the window. It didn’t open even halfway, but it was enough to look outside.

A garden messed up with overgrown, unkempt grass. Old houses clustered together, visible through the square windowpanes. A gloomy grey sky.

It was the first time Zero had seen the outside world.

From then on, Zero stared out the window endlessly. He took in everything, the people passing by on the street, the sun floating in the sky, or the movement of the clouds, the shadows of the world moving with time. He absorbed the world where light existed and the world where only darkness existed.

Late one night, as he was watching the street scene reflected in the flickering old streetlight, he heard the sound of a car engine in the distance, and a huge dump truck stopped in front of Jason’s house. Soon, a man got out of the car. The small man, wearing a uniform that shone brightly even in the darkness, sighed with a weary face.

This is so boring, so boring. I’m so bored with life, I could die. The man muttered listlessly and emptied the trash can with a familiar gesture. Dragging his feet towards the passenger seat, the man suddenly felt a gaze and turned his head. And at that moment, he felt his heart stop.

“…….”

Clutching his wildly beating heart, the man walked as if possessed. Zero also stared intently at the approaching man. The man, having come close to the half-open window, asked in a trembling voice,

“Wh, who, who are you…?”

It was a known fact among the villagers that the owner of this house was a lunatic. The man, who had occasionally seen Jason, with his small and gloomy face, stared at Zero in disbelief.

“Th, this is, this is definitely where that strange guy lives…. Wh, why is someone like you….”

“Strange guy?”

A chillingly low voice resonated. A strange thrill ran through the man’s body. Roughly rubbing the goosebumps that had risen on his arms, the man nodded vigorously.

“Th, the guy who lives in this house, he’s, he’s not right in the head. Everyone who lives here knows. He’s bad-tempered, rude and….”

“Jason?”

“Ye, yes! Then why is someone like you in the house of that kind of guy….”

The man, thrilled that Zero had responded to his words, lit up his eyes. Then he suddenly noticed the appearance of the old house. The front door locked with chains and padlocks and the windows covered with plywood. The sight, which prevented anyone from seeing the inside, let alone the view from the inside, was clearly a sign of confinement.

“Oh my god, th, that crazy guy…. That crazy guy has locked you up, hasn’t he? How could he do such a thing…!”

The agitated man stamped his feet. Zero, observing the man, who resembled Jason in his frail demeanor despite their different appearances, opened his mouth.

“What are you?”

“Ar, are you asking about me?”

“Yes.”

Oh my god, he asked about me. He’s curious about me! The man, ecstatic, let out a strange moan. Then, composing his expression at Zero’s gaze, he said his name in a trembling voice.

“Ah, Al. My name is Al. Wh, what’s yours?”

“Zero.”

“Zero…. That’s a cool name.”

It sounds like a code name, doesn’t it? The man murmured dreamily and asked Zero,

“Zero, be honest with me.”

“About what?”

“You’re being held captive right now, aren’t you? Is that psychopath holding something over you?”

Before Zero could open his mouth, the man interrupted.

“Are you here of your own volition? Are you able to go outside freely? Aren’t you locked up?”

“…….”

Zero fell into thought. Is he here of his own volition? He was simply here because he was here. He didn’t exist with any particular volition. Then, can he go outside freely? No. He cannot go outside. Then is he locked up? Since he cannot leave a certain place, it could be considered that he is locked up. Zero organized his thoughts and nodded.

“As I thought…!”

The man’s forehead bulged with anger. At the same time, feeling a strange thrill, he stared at Zero with gleaming eyes. Zero frowned, seeing Jason’s image in his eyes for a moment.

“I…!”

Fingers that couldn’t quite reach Zero caressed the window. He said in a voice both pleading and firm,

“I’ll save you.”

I’ll save you from that psychopath. The man said as if making a vow, and then disappeared with the dump truck. And it was from that day on that the man left flowers at the window every dawn.

The red roses were the first gift Zero had ever received. Having learned the joy of gifts, he began to wait for dawn at some point. He began to wonder about the existence of various flowers because of the roses, and he became curious about the different appearances of people, various occupations, and different aspects of the world because of Al. This was the change that occurred during the ten days Jason was away from home.

“…Strange. Something feels different.”

Fortunately, his mother’s health began to improve. Jason, who had prepared to part with her forever, returned home with a somewhat relieved heart.

The house, after ten days, was the same as when he left. The firmly locked front door and the windows covered with plywood. And thanks to that, the unseen interior. Relieved, Jason unlocked the door and entered the house. Zero, who was lying on the sofa, greeted him, and Jason’s mood was heightened by the sight of him after a long time.

But that was only for a moment. Jason felt an unknown anxiety as he looked at Zero. Because for some reason, Zero seemed different. Even he couldn’t be sure exactly why, but an unknown feeling told him.

That something was strange. That something had changed.

Consumed by anxiety, Jason pressed Zero. But Zero, as always, treated him with a calm demeanor. As if to say that he hadn’t changed at all. Jason became confused.

Was he overreacting? Maybe he was tired from the long journey. Yes, he was just being sensitive. Contrary to his expectations that he would run away, Zero was still here by his side.

It was one day, as Jason came to this conclusion, that,

Knock, knock.

Someone visited the house. Jason, who never reacted to visitors, moved his hand silently. Scratch, scratch—the sound of the pen nib was overlaid by another rough knock.

BANG, BANG—!

“Mr. Jason Miller.”

BANG, BANG, BANG—!

“Mr. Jason Miller, I know you’re in there.”

“Damn it, how annoying…!”

Jason threw his pen and glared at the front door. He was knocking so hard that the floor vibrated. Jason stormed to the front door and shouted fiercely.

“Get the hell out of here! I’ll call the police!”

“I’ll take your report later, Mr. Miller. This is the police. We are investigating a murder case that occurred in the village, so please cooperate. If you refuse, we have no choice but to force entry.”

“A, a murder case?”

Incidents and accidents were frequent in the village, but there had never been a murder. Jason flinched and gestured to Zero. Zero crawled under the work desk, as he was used to, and pulled the chair. Due to his large size, he wasn’t completely hidden, but the house was such a mess that it could more or less deceive the eye.

“Mr. Miller, if you don’t cooperate, we will force the door open.”

“Go, go ahead and open it. What a short temper.”

Cursing, Jason undid the complicated lock. As the clicking sound rang out, the insistent knocking suddenly stopped. Suddenly, the surroundings became strangely quiet.

Even though he hadn’t committed any crime, Jason felt a strange discomfort, anxiety, and pressure, as one usually does when facing the police, and slowly opened the door. Then, instead of a burly policeman, a small man stood before him. His pale face grinned at Jason.

“Jason Miller.”

“What, you….”

The rest of the sentence, “You’re not a police officer,” couldn’t be uttered. Because the man had struck Jason’s head. He collapsed limply and began convulsing. He couldn’t understand what had happened to him.

“Ah, he’s heavy….”

The man, having swung the heavy baseball bat widely, staggered. The end of the bat, having cut through the air, thudded against the floor. Blood splattered everywhere from the surface of the bat. The man, following its trail with his eyes, looked at Jason, who was staring at him. And he swung the bat again.

THWACK—!

“You should’ve.”

THWACK—!

“Just.”

THWACK—!

“Behaved.”

After three consecutive blows, all of Jason’s movements ceased. Just as he threw the bat away with a relieved look, he heard the sound of a chair scraping. The man turned his head. A frozen Zero was looking at him.

“Ah, Zero! You were there?”

“…….”

“I came to keep my promise. Remember what I said?”

The man, smiling brightly, rushed into Zero’s arms. Burying his face in his firm, broad chest, he said in a voice filled with joy,

“That I would save you.”

“…….”

Zero stared blankly at the small man tightly hugging his waist, then lifted his gaze. A body sprawled on the blood-soaked floor. Jason, in a gruesome state, didn’t move.

“…Jason.”

He was dead.

“Oh dear, you look quite shocked. It’s alright, Zero. That trash can’t hurt you anymore. Because he’s dead. Ah, don’t worry about the body either. I’ll just put him in the garbage truck. I’ll take care of everything.”

“…….”

“You don’t have to be locked up in this dirty house anymore. Come with me to my house.”

The man lifted his face from Zero’s chest and met his gaze.

“I love you. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you.”

Flushed cheeks and softly crinkling eyes. Gentle words uttered with a deeply curving smile. An attitude full of favor rather than negativity.

“…….”

Cheeks splattered with blood and gleaming eyes. Venomous words spoken with a grotesquely torn smile. Zero raised his hand. He stiffly looked down and checked the back of his hand.

[40%]

[39%]

[38%]

[37%]

[36%]

The number quickly dropped, displaying a number Zero had never seen before on the back of his hand. The decreasing number meant his battery was draining. The moment it dwindled to 0, it was, for Zero,

“Zero?”

No different from death.

“Zero!”

Zero roughly pushed the clinging man away and crossed the living room. The man, staring blankly at him heading for the front door, quickly ran and blocked his way. Calling Zero’s name with pleading eyes, he grabbed his left hand. A heat as intense as his reddened skin spread to his fingertips, and the number decreased as his intense desire poured into him.

[32%]

Zero felt his vision darken.

“Ja…!”

THWACK—! A heavy sensation spread across Zero’s palm. The man hit his head on the floor with a thud and twitched his limbs. The man, muttering something with his sluggish tongue, looked just like Jason a while ago. Staring blankly at the spreading blood, Zero turned around.

Click, he unlocked the front door. Light poured in as he opened the loosened door.

“…….”

Zero, his whole body taking in the overwhelming pressure of the blinding light, took a step. His slow, toddler-like steps gradually quickened.

Becoming a part of the scenery he had only seen through a narrow window, he passed the small garden overgrown with weeds and the old streetlight that dimly but persistently emitted light. Like the dump truck that left a trail of exhaust fumes, he ran endlessly down the endless road. Not with the expectation and joy of stepping into the real world, but with the fear of death.

He ran like that for a long time.

🎥

DING-DONG, DING-DONG, DING-DONG, DING-DONG—

The doorbell, which had been ringing at regular intervals, became increasingly frantic. It was a sound devoid of any leisure. The tweezers holding the lens trembled. Mana roughly threw the tool down and opened a drawer. Gripping the carefully placed pistol, he quickly released the safety. He headed to the front door to shoot the intruder who wouldn’t stop ringing the doorbell.

DING-DONG, DING-DONG, DING-DONG—

Even then, the doorbell continued to ring. Mana, putting strength into the finger on the trigger, opened the door.

CLICK—

At the end of the quickly aimed barrel was not a head, but a chest. The figure’s shadowed form was so dark that it made him momentarily wonder if it was night. Mana slowly raised his hand, along with his gaze, and aimed the gun at the figure’s forehead. But what he actually touched was not skin, but the surface of a helmet. A faint vibration could be felt from the end of the gun, which had bumped against it with a thud.

It was at that moment.

The man abruptly raised his hand and took off his helmet. The face, hidden by messy, disheveled hair, was revealed in the blowing wind. Mana’s golden eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the whole process.

“You are….”

Among the hundreds of humanoids he had created, one of his most beautiful masterpieces had come to him looking like a homeless vagrant.

🎥

“So you ran away just like that?”

Zero, shaking the water from his wet hair, nodded. The face, stripped of its foul-smelling clothes and the grime, was exactly as Mana remembered. To think he had been in such a state with that face. Recalling the image, which made him nauseous just thinking about it, he asked with a disgusted look,

“Why did you look like that?”

“I thought I would stop.”

“You thought you would stop?”

At the puzzled voice, Zero’s expression darkened. Frowning, he forced out a low, deep voice.

“Everyone….”

“Everyone?”

“Everyone said they, …loved me.”

“What does that, ah….”

Mana, who had a look of annoyance, suddenly let out a gasp. Because he finally remembered the unique characteristic of Zero that he had forgotten. Certainly, the masterpiece he had created was different from other humanoids.

“Your battery must have been drained.”

The fact that the battery drained when receiving others’ ‘affection’ was a requirement of the client who commissioned the creation of the real Zero. The cartoonist, mentally unstable, had a twisted affection for his character, and in the end, he entrusted Mana with the task of realizing this bizarre form. It was Mana himself who, intrigued by it, created the Zero before him.

“When it dropped to 2%, I really thought I would stop.”

Zero pressed the back of his left hand and frowned. The half-glove, which he hadn’t taken off even while showering, was tattered in places. He wondered what the number on the back of his hand was now. Curious, Mana asked bluntly,

“Anyway, the fact that you didn’t stop means you recharged your battery. So how much is it charged now?”

Meeting his gaze, which contained not a shred of pity, Zero opened his mouth.

“100%.”

“…What?”

Did I hear that wrong? Just as he was doubting his ears, a firm answer came back. Zero pulled down his half-glove and showed the back of his hand. The number 100% was indeed inscribed on his pale skin.

“No, how could….”

At that moment, Mana remembered Zero’s appearance from a while ago, which was disgusting just to look at, and clicked his tongue. The black helmet covering his face and the clothes that seemed to transmit a stench with just a brief touch. It was an appearance that evoked disgust, beyond mere unpleasantness. Zero’s battery recharges when he receives ‘negative’ emotions.

“Yes, now I understand. That’s why you were in such a state.”

“That’s right. People generally don’t approach me when I look like this.”

His voice, as he replied, was tinged with exhaustion, as if he had been through a lot. Zero, recalling his difficult past, stared at the back of his hand with a distant look.

“At first, I thought being hated would be easy. Because Jason said so. That everyone hates and loathes me. So I thought it would be easy to charge the battery.”

It wasn’t at all. Zero, fearing he might stop because of the man who killed Jason, thought that getting away from him was the only way to survive. He thought he would be free if he left the mansion and ran away from them. He was wrong. He realized he had made a bad choice only after stepping out into the world. Because he realized his appearance caught people’s attention.

Everyone who passed by stared at him as if mesmerized. There was simple admiration in those gazes, but most of them contained something viscous.

Those who approached him barefoot and offered him their shoes. All the kindness, covering him with clothes, offering him food and shelter, did not stem from pure intentions.

Like Jason, or the garbage man, Al. The people who approached Zero didn’t hide their desires. Without knowing that it was poison to Zero.

From then on, Zero hid his face. At first, it was just stealing a hat to wear, but that wasn’t enough to avert their gazes. He always lowered his head and avoided people’s eyes, heading to deserted places, wandering the streets at night rather than during the day. Perhaps thanks to such efforts, the battery level didn’t fall below 2%, but it was never a number he could be reassured by.

How can I charge the battery? Jason clearly said that everyone hates and loathes me. Why don’t they even utter a curse, let alone resort to violence?

‘How can I….’

“Argh, aaargh—!”

Late at night, as he was huddled in a garbage can, trembling with anxiety, a commotion suddenly erupted in the alley across from him. Men with flashy hair were beating up a small man. Looking closely, he saw that the men were focusing their attacks on the head of the figure lying on the ground.

“You arrogant piece of shit, fuck. You think you can have a bike that even I can’t have?”

“Forget the bike, you little shit. You think that helmet will hide your disgusting face?”

The crouching man tapped on something covering the face of the figure lying on the ground. A whimpering moan escaped from within the black, hard surface. Zero’s gaze was drawn to it as if possessed.

“…Helmet.”

A hungry glint flickered in his green eyes beneath the hat. There was something right in front of him that could completely cover his face.

“I, I’m sorry! I won’t ride it, I’ll never ride it again. I’ll never appear before you again, so please stop…! Please…!”

“If you’re.”

THWACK!

“Sorry.”

THWACK!

“Hand.”

THWACK!

“Over the bike, you piece of shit.”

Every time a kick landed, the inside of the helmet vibrated. The prone man felt as if his brain was being tossed around. Choking on his pain, the man burst into tears. He desperately clung to the kicking legs and pleaded,

“I’ll, I’ll give it to you! I’ll give it to you, so please stop…!”

“Ah, fuck. Disgusting! Hey, are you going to let go of me? Do you really want to die…?”

The annoyed voice was abruptly cut off. The fierce kicks stopped. Even the leg he had been holding onto twitched. What’s going on? Puzzled by the sudden silence, the man lifted his head. The men who had been violent were looking at something. Following their gaze, he saw someone approaching them from across the street.

“Wh, what, who are you…!”

The men hesitated at the sight of Zero, whose hat was pulled low. His height and build, which required them to crane their necks to meet his eyes, exuded an aura of intimidation. The streetlight illuminating the alley wasn’t working properly either. The presence of the man, whose face was indiscernible in the deep darkness, instilled fear.

As Zero approached, the terrified men fled. The man left alone cowered in fear.

“Sp, spare me….”

“That thing. It’s called a helmet.”

“…He, helmet?”

What? Does he want me to take it off? Does he mean he’ll hit my bare face? The man burst into tears and clutched his head, wailing.

“Pl, please don’t hit me. Please….”

“No, that’s not what I….

Zero trailed off and bent down. Crouching, he pointed at his hat and the man’s helmet.

“I want to trade.”

“…Tr, trade?”

“Yes. I’ll give you my hat, so give me your helmet.”

No matter how much he crouched, he couldn’t hide his intimidating physique. He wasn’t being violent at the moment, but there was no telling how he would change if his request was refused. The man quickly got up and took off his helmet.

“He, here….”

Zero took the helmet the man offered him with his head bowed. As his cold fingertips brushed against him, the man involuntarily raised his head. At that moment, Zero abruptly reached out and covered his eyes, putting the hat on him. Leaving the man frozen in surprise, Zero put on the helmet. Touching the tinted shield, he asked,