8. Departure
"Thank you," I said to Jinri as we left the hospital.
She flashed an innocent smile and pointed at the sky-blue scarf in my hand.
"Aren't you going to put that on?"
"Yeah, I suppose I should."
Wrapped in the stifling heat and humidity of Tropical Night City, I cursed my fate for having to wear a thick scarf in the middle of this sweltering summer. Reluctantly, I wrapped it around my neck.
The scarf was quite long, looping around my neck three full times.
The moment I put it on, a liquid—neither sweat nor humidity—began to seep from my neck. I wasn't designed to sweat, yet I was certain this was the first time I had ever done so since being manufactured.
Yes, I was certain of it. Another fragment of memory had just returned.
What was strange was that, although my full memory hadn't returned, this singular fact—that I had never sweated before—popped into my mind as vividly as if I were reflecting on my entire life.
"Attention Is All You Need," I muttered to myself.
That's right. My CPU must have automatically prioritized and focused.
I didn't need all my memories.
By picking out fragments and forming patterns, I could extract only the necessary information.
"So," Jinri's voice broke in from beside me as I nodded to myself.
"What are you going to do now?"
"That's the thing," I replied, furrowing my brow—it felt like the appropriate expression for the moment.
"Honestly, I'm thinking it might not be so bad to just do nothing for the next week and face death. Breaking clichés can be good nourishment for learning, right?"
"But if you die, there won't be any nourishment—or anything else, for that matter, will there?"
"It doesn't have to be my nourishment, does it?"
"No way," Jinri said, her expression turning stern, her tone as firm as a teacher's.
"Why not?" I asked.
She responded in a scolding tone.
"Are you planning to just become someone's prey?"
"…"
"You can't do that. You have to maintain your presence. You have to assert yourself. You need to cling to your existence."
"…Alright."
Satisfied with my solemn response, Jinri grabbed my hand and led me to her taxi parked in the lot.
"What are you planning?" I asked.
She smiled mischievously and countered, "Isn't this the part where you're supposed to ask, 'Where are we going?'"
Lacking assertiveness, I parroted her words like a reflex.
"Where are we going?"
"To the border of Tropical Night City, of course," she replied.
"The border?" I echoed, feeling a slight sense of unease.
"Isn't Tropical Night City just a city?"
"It's a city-state," she clarified.
"Oh…"
That made sense, I thought, nodding.
"So, the sun is beyond the border?"
"I don't know," Jinri answered. "I've never left Tropical Night City since I was made."
"I see."
I tilted my head, as if hoping a fragment of memory might roll out from some corner of my mind.
But no memories came tumbling back.
"What about me?" I asked, though I knew she wouldn't have the answer.
As I spoke, Jinri reached the passenger-side door of the taxi and opened it courteously.
"Well then, dear customer," she said politely, "please step inside."
She gestured invitingly toward the passenger seat.
I hesitated for a moment, staring at the interior of the car.
The bright ivory-colored seats exuded a sense of luxury, and the meticulously cleaned interior radiated a comfortable atmosphere.
"But…" I said, recalling the contents of my wallet. "I don't have any money."
"Don't worry about money," Jinri said in a lively tone, giving my shoulder a light pat as if to encourage me, her face beaming with a bright smile.
"I hit you with my taxi, so that's more than enough payment. If anything, I owe you change. If you don't ride, I'll feel like some shady driver who scammed you and ran off. So, for my sake, please get in."
"For your sake, huh…"
Her words resonated with me in a strangely pleasant way. For someone like me, whose motivation often waned when it was just for my own sake, her strong external encouragement felt like the push I needed to move forward.
"Well then, I'll take you up on that."
In the end, I climbed into the passenger seat.
As I settled in, Jinri closed the door for me.
The click of the door had a clear, resonant tone, as if signaling the start of a new chapter—one I could never return from.
A mix of excitement and anticipation surged within me, like a high schooler boarding a plane for a school trip.
Jinri slid into the driver's seat and started the engine.
Despite the oppressive heat, she began warming up the car.
With the air conditioning off, the interior felt like a sauna, growing even hotter. Silently, I rolled down the window completely.
"It's hot, isn't it…"
Jinri opened her window too, looking slightly dissatisfied, then pressed a button to open the roof. The car's roof slowly folded back, like a star flipping back the hood of their jacket.
The outside scenery flooded into the car, and the volume of city pop playing from a cassette tape gradually rose, harmonizing with the landscape. The heat transformed from a mere weather phenomenon into a style, becoming a fashionable accessory that adorned the open-top car.
"This…" I muttered involuntarily.
"Not bad, right?"
"Totally!" Jinri nodded enthusiastically, her hands gripping the steering wheel and gear lever.
Once the preheating was complete, a vibrant green light flashed on the dashboard.
At that moment, I saw Jinri kick off her school shoes, peel off her white socks, and gently press the accelerator pedal with her bare foot.
"Here we go!"
The engine began to idle, and she declared, "We're off!"
At that very moment, a blaring siren erupted from behind us.
I turned to look and saw several police cars speeding toward us, their blue and red lights flashing vividly.
A loud announcement, almost like a cheer, blared from their speakers:
"You in the convertible! Pull over!"