Track 3: Me + Nari + Food + Gii + “That” = Energy!

As soon as I got home, I immediately turned to Nari. 

I asked him to help me gather intel and develop my plan.  

“If I can be of use,” he answered without hesitation.

It’s great that I don’t have to spill the details! 

While Gii was cooking dinner, I was in the middle of developing a groundbreaking invention in my room. 

“Yowa-sama, I have completed the investigation. All the data I’ve gathered is here.” 

“So quick!”

I looked through the data Nari collected. It’s records from a maniacal private site that collects data on homicides, murders, and incidents. 

It was like what Samejima said before. This android destruction case seems to be similar to the M.O. of a serial killer. 

A heart-shaped hole in its belly and on the head…

“The first victim had one flower on its head, and the next victim had two…the number of flowers seems to increase with each incident~” 

“There is an 87.95% probability that this is the culprit's numbering system.” 

“Hmm-♪”

Not only that, but there seems to be some info control on the incident itself, and it looks like lots of the details that haven’t been widely talked about are being compiled.

Buuuut the information is still superficial~ ...I guess I’ll have to break into the Metropolitan Police Department’s database after all~.

I couldn’t find any detailed information on regular sites, but oh well..whatever!

I’ll wrap up my information gathering and just ask Nari to help me!

“I don’t mind, but I wonder why you chose me.” 

“It’s because you’re the best man for the job, duh!”

“Is that so? There are others who can help as well.”

“Reeaaaally?”

I lifted my head up. The sparks flying from the welding joint illuminated a red glow on Nari’s expressionless face. 

“I’ve been trying to keep it low-key, but Nari, you’re an android, right?” 

“...Why do you ask that—”

Nari’s fingertips jerked and froze as he rarely showed surprise. 

I took out my “Doki Doki Biological Pulse Collecting Caterpillar” from my pocket and held it up. 

“Using this caterpillar,  I can pick up mechanical signals from Nari’s body♪”

“A caterpillar…?”

“Mhm! Inside, it is a cluster of technology, but the outer skin is made of organic flesh. Look, it's squishy♪!”

“Putting the ‘outer skin’ talk aside, Yowa-sama, please keep this matter confidential…”

“No worries! I never intended to tell anyone from the start. Anyways, you understand the reason now, right? Androids can understand the feelings of machines. They are excellent in net diving and they can create many things. They can even talk to broken objects!” 

“So you want to use my abilities to solve the case, am I right?”

“Precisely! You’re my Watson¹!”

Nari’s expression relaxed as if he was convinced. 

With that settled, he assisted me in developing tools to detect the culprit and apprehend them. 

“I have heard that the police are very wary of the destruction of androids and see them as a sign of a potential precursor to serious crimes. It is similar to how stray cat killings can escalate into murder.” 

“Yep. Samejima rushed over when it happened too.”

“Are you planning on solving the case, Yowa-sama?”

“There is a possibility that my interests might lead us to a solution.” 

And like that, I talked about various other things with Nari. 

——

“Dinner is ready.”

“Uwohhh! I was getting tired of waiting for you, Gii~♪”

Gii brought me some steaming hot food. 

“Then I shall excuse myself for the time being. Please call for me again after your meal.”

Then Nari left the room.

——

After eating dinner among the many parts scattered throughout the room and then doing “that” —

“Blood…I don’t have enough blood left…”

“I’m going to give you my boiled spinach! Open your mouth.”

“Nom…nomnom…yummy… Even though I was the one who made it.”

I told Gii about the incident as he devoured the boiled spinach with a very pale face. 

“Nomnom… A serial killer…?”

Gii is so out of touch with the world that he widened his eyes in surprise upon learning that such a thing even existed. 

“So you think the culprit might be an alien too?”

“I’m 90% certain that’s the case! That person felt just like me.”

“You think the smell of the space cuisine is suspicious?” 

“It’s not only that, but yes!” 

“But even if he is the culprit, it’s going to be hard for human detectives to apprehend him.” 

“Yep, it looks like he can also change his appearance at will.”

When I said that, Gii leaned forward a little bit and looked into my face. 

“Come to think of it, you can also take on different forms too, Netaro.”

“Yep! I’m currently constructing my chromosomes as XY, but I can remove the Y and make them XX instead! Would that excite you more, Gii?” 

“W-well…I don’t really…Either one is fine.”

“Why is your face getting red~?”

“M-maybe my blood is flowing again… What about you?” 

“I don’t care about chromosomes! I don’t even care about the species.”

“As expected of an alien,” Gii said while laughing. But then he stopped and began to ponder, crossing his arms with a thoughtful expression. 

“But then again, a heart-shaped hole in the chest and flowers on the head is pretty symbolic…”

“Is it?? What’s so symbolic about it?”

“It sounds like an expression of romantic infatuation²I think…Well, maybe just in a symbolic sense. I’ve had customers coming in to buy flowers for someone they like, so it made me think…like that.” 

Romance. 

Yet another concept I see often, but just couldn’t grasp.

But I see…

Hmm~ It seems that those are the emotions Gii sensed from this incident. 

“What was the flower they had on their head?”

“It was a red flower that looked like a cup.”

“Maybe they’re tulips. In flower language, they convey the meaning of “love²”...so it might be about love, not romance.”