"—It’s Junkhead."
As I introduced him, the red light of the mono-eye narrowed into a thin, flickering slit.
The mechanical head paused for a beat with theatrical gravity before his neck rotated toward me with a metallic creak.
"Hmph. It has become quite lively, INDEED."
His voice was muffled, projecting through a speaker. A dry laugh echoed from deep within his metallic throat. He turned his gaze back to me, his tone carrying the ghost of a smile.
"I thought you preferred quieter places in the past, THOUGH."
"Isn't there a saying that when you get older, the noise becomes more calming?"
"Perhaps that is SO. ...AND."
Junkhead’s mono-eye slid smoothly toward the space behind my shoulder.
Kaya and Lucia were there. Kaya watched with a look of pointed displeasure, while Lucia wore a quiet, unreadable smile. The red light lingered for a moment, tracing the silhouette of Kaya’s frame. It was a heavy gaze, as if he were overlaying an old photograph with the image currently before him to confirm a match.
"Let’s get on with the introductions," I urged.
Kaya raised a hand with an air of boredom.
"Kaya. Like he said before, I’m the Repairman’s partner. ...Though the 'former' part is the key point."
She delivered the last sentence with a smile that was strangely pregnant with meaning. Lucia blinked in confusion, and Sebastian’s eyebrows twitched for a fraction of a second.
"Hmph... 'Former,' EH?"
Junkhead’s voice dropped an octave.
"A nostalgic name. ...How many decades has it BEEN? Your shape and form seem different from back then, BUT well, such things DO happen."
"We’ll save that story for another time."
I cut him off and leaned back against my chair.
"We’re here to talk business, aren't we?"
"THAT IS RIGHT."
The mono-eye swiveled back to me.
"It is only polite that we start from our SIDE."
Junkhead placed a small device in the center of the table. The thin metal plate activated, and a hologram rose silently into the air—a 3D map of the Subplate. It depicted a layered structure far more detailed than the standard maps used by the Doctor or myself.
"Regarding the matter I requested of you, I am glad to see it proceeded without ISSUE."
The red light flickered toward me once before returning to the hologram.
"Regarding what happened after THAT, we also took action, just in case. Of course, it is not that I did not trust YOU."
Hmph. Glad to see he’s as fieldwork-oriented as ever.
He was the type to wander about aimlessly without a single direct subordinate. In this world, that usually meant you’d reached a level where no one dared complain about your methods. Whether he noticed my cynical look or not, the mechanical head continued.
"I apologize for the trouble caused to your PLACE. 'Subversive Elements' have been increasing within Eradicata. It is a side effect of the organization growing too LARGE. Thinking it might be related, I was searching for leads on our end as WELL."
A corner of the hologram glowed. It was a layer even further below the Subplate, marked as a "Blank Area" on public maps. The "Flower Field" where the Order’s people were stationed was in this same layer, though the highlighted position was slightly offset.
"I dived a bit too deep BELOW. It is our—Eradicata’s—jurisdiction, BUT... I am sorry the transmission did not CONNECT."
I shrugged, and Junkhead let out a laugh, his metallic shoulder plates grinding together.
"The people doing business in the underworld all want to hide their secret spots in 'The Deepest Below.' Eradicata is no exception, EITHER."
"That’s the first I've heard of it."
"OF COURSE. Only a few even among the Executives KNOW. Besides, you did little internal work, AFTER ALL. But there was a young one who caught the scent and was searching The Deepest BELOW."
The light of the mono-eye intensified. The face of that brat who had his throat slit on the Order's grounds flashed through my mind.
"I see."
I let out a slow breath while tapping the edge of the table. That explained why he ran into a "separate party." The kid probably thought he was being scouted by the Order, but from the Order’s perspective, they realized their secrets were being probed. They must have decided that if he was going to be a nuisance, they might as well drag him in and keep him on a short leash.
"And then, once things settled down, you conveniently show up here, hoping to build a bridge to Rainburg 'if all goes well.'"
I glanced at Sebas and Lucia before returning my gaze to Junkhead.
"Your reach is as wide as ever."
"NATURALLY. As I said before, we have grown large, TOO. We must increase our WORK."
Junkhead shrugged theatrically and turned his mono-eye toward Sebastian.
"Besides, it is a beneficial arrangement for your side as WELL. SURELY."
The elder butler let out a short, thoughtful hum.
"……Indeed. A pipeline with an organization that controls such a vast portion of the Subplate would be beneficial for the Rainburg Family. I shall discuss the matter positively with the Master."
"It helps that you are quick to UNDERSTAND."
Junkhead’s mono-eye narrowed with satisfaction.
"Then it’s our turn."
I pulled out my terminal and called up the target file from the data I had extracted.
"Eradicata Deputy Executive, Ezel Klein. He was planning to betray the organization by teaming up with the Order. In exchange for a drug supply, he was handling their kidnapping requests."
Ezel's profile and photograph floated above the table. The mono-eye remained silent, prompting me to continue.
"I took care of him downstairs just now."
"HO."
A quiet, heavy pressure bled into Junkhead's voice.
"I SEE."
After a few seconds of silence, Junkhead spoke in a low, gravelly groan.
"Regarding the Ezel matter, I am SORRY. I made you perform an unnecessary KILLING."
"It would have become a necessary killing sooner or later."
"It is no consolation, but I shall accept that GRACIOUSLY."
A metallic finger traced Ezel's face in the hologram.
"He was showing suspicious movements, but it seems I let him swim for too LONG. It is NO GOOD. When one gets old, one becomes quite sluggish, it IS NO GOOD."
The mono-eye whirred as it contracted, harboring a self-deprecating light. Lucia watched the scene with a conflicted expression, while Sebas narrowed his eyes, looking between Junkhead and me as if weighing our connection.
"So, the reason you brought this up is because 'The Deepest Below' is involved, right?"
"AH, THAT IS IT."
Junkhead pulled the hologram's viewpoint sharply downward. Beneath the Subplate, a region like a gaping void appeared between leaden plates and massive support pillars.
"It is land in 'The Deepest Below' owned by ERADICATA. Until now, it was used for warehouses and experimental sites, BUT..."
"So it connects to the heart of the Order?"
"To be precise, it was built 'to connect.' A long, long time AGO."
Junkhead looked up at the ceiling as if staring into the distant past.
"We were the ones who built that entire AREA. Back when Neo Babel was still just a 'Completed Blueprint.' ...My, how NOSTALGIC."
"Hey now, this isn't the time for a history lesson."
Kaya giggled at my exasperated tone.
"Even though you actually like these kinds of stories, Rei."
"I'm saying it's not the time for it while we're working."
Junkhead’s shoulders shook with amusement.
"ANYWAY, I shall permit entry there for this time ONLY. It is Eradicata 'Property,' but on the surface, it is still a 'Blank Area.' We have been intentionally overlooking the fact that the Order is using part of it without PERMISSION."
"Intentionally, huh."
"It is easier to follow the tail of your prey if you let them dive deep, ISN’T IT?"
The mono-eye gleamed with a predatory light.
"I say again, it is for this time ONLY. Anything more will have to wait for another TIME."
"Fair enough."
Once the exchange was finished, Junkhead brushed the hem of his coat and stood up.
"Well then, it is about TIME. If an old man stays in one spot for too long, it starts to affect his HIPS."
"Do prosthetic bodies even get back pain?"
"THEY DO. Though it is mostly a matter of FEELING."
The elder executive turned to Sebas.
"Master Sebastian. I hope that we can continue to have good dealings in the FUTURE."
Junkhead offered his farewell in a way that pointedly bypassed Lucia, the supposed highest-ranking person in the room.
"Yes. ...The feeling is mutual," Sebas replied with a polite bow.
Lucia didn't seem offended; she simply returned a gentle smile. We left the private room and headed toward the lobby. Near the entrance, a hologram sign projected a false sky. As we reached the automatic doors, Junkhead suddenly slowed his pace.
"……There is one thing I wish to ASK."
His voice was low, meant only for my ears. Behind us, Sebas was busy at the payment terminal while Lucia whispered with Kaya. In that brief moment, it felt as if the mechanical man and I were isolated from the rest of the world.
"What is it?"
"That boy, you called him KAYA."
The mono-eye flickered toward the back. He was looking at Kaya’s profile as she spoke with animated gestures.
"WHO is she?"
Junkhead knew my secrets. He knew I could read thoughts—at least a portion of that power. And he knew that decades ago, Kaya and I were so synchronized that we spent half our time speaking "inside our heads" because words were too slow.
"Yeah," I said, thrusting my hands into my pockets with a faint smile. "She’s Kaya, and she isn’t."
"How ABSTRACT."
"Someone like you should be able to read between the lines."
A brief silence followed. Junkhead’s mono-eye narrowed slowly in understanding.
"...If you have a plan, I do not MIND. Even if it is dangerous, it is fine as long as it is INTERESTING."
"Same as ever, you dangerous old man."
"It is the knack for SURVIVAL. ...AND, what about that doll over THERE?"
The mono-eye slid toward Lucia. She stood with perfect posture, wearing a slightly stiff smile. Most people would have seen it as a sign of high-bred refinement.
"A 'Decoy.' Or a 'Trump Card.' Something like that," I answered, the corner of my mouth quirking up.
I wanted Junkhead to "get a scent" of Sebastian’s strategy. It was a safer play to have him guessing.
The mechanical man let out a faint, hollow laugh. "You have obtained a fine TOY."
"Right back at you."
The automatic doors slid open, and the artificial night breeze of the Upper District rushed in. It smelled of ozone and cooling water—a world away from the stench of rot that permeated the lower levels.
I glanced back to see Kaya and Lucia walking side by side.
"So, you see, the night view of the upper layers used to have way fewer neons back then—"
"Is that so? I've hardly ever been allowed outside the estate..."
Kaya was talking with her whole body, and Lucia was listening with wide, curious eyes. Their laughter drifted out into the street.
"WELL THEN."
Junkhead spoke while staring out at the cityscape.
"Next is 'The Deepest Below.' Shall we have a showing of the old miniature garden built by this old FOGEY?"
"Yeah."
I looked in the same direction. Beneath the glittering lights of the Upper District, the darkness still sat in heavy, suffocating layers.