"Hal?"
"Ley?"
"Yeah, Halley."
"Halley?"
"Yeah."
Johndo and Jamedo: ...
Jawed: ...
"Uh... well, Halley then. And, why? Does that name have any meaning?" One guy couldn't help but ask.
Meaning? Actually, it's nothing that special.
It's just Jawed's answer to a question from long ago.
The name of someone from the past.
A lost person, uncertain, yet still moving forward. Like a celestial body above, though wandering, still blazing as it races onward.
"I just feel like it might suit her," Jawed said.
"Boo! So you just made it up on the spot?! That's so uncaring!"
"True! What a shallow guy!"
"Haaizz... it's not like that," Jawed sighed. He turned to look the girl, only to see her standing there in a daze.
"Har... lay," she softly murmured.
"Mm, so what do you think of this name? It's just a temporary name, so you can use another one if you want," Jawed asked.
"Ah, no, I... although I don't understand what it means, it sounds very beautiful. I really like it, thank you."
She replied gently, then continued to softly repeat the name, as if trying to engrave it into her mind.
"Ahem! Alright, let's consider the biggest problem solved. Now then, let's move on to the main business!" Jamedo, or maybe Johndo, cut in.
"That's right, the time has come. The most sacred, most beautiful moment! The moment most worthy of my pitiful salary!"
"And that is—the moment to sign the rider-Mecha Human contract!!!"
Jawed kept a straight face and ignored the two of them. Well, this kind of scene has become familiar already.
"Let's... just go ahead then, shall we, uh, Halley?"
"Mm," Halley responded, accepting her new identity.
Leaving the two overexcited guys aside, the two of them were then led deeper into the building, into a sealed room.
At the center of the room was a large glass chamber, with a large, brightly glowing crystal inside.
"In order to sign a rider–Mecha Human contract, first you'll need to create a rider profile and a Mecha Human profile. The rider profile is simple. As for the Mecha Human profile, since this is your first time, we'll need to record the performance of your Mecha Human."
A staff member inside welcomed Jawed's group, then guided Halley to the glass chamber.
"Don't worry, there's nothing complicated. You just need to go in and place your hand on the Mecha Crystal. We'll handle the difficult part," he reassured her.
"Mm, I understand," the girl replied softly, then slowly stepped into the chamber.
Each step she took, her heart beat a little faster. Inside, she felt anticipation and anxiety.
Until when she stopped in front of the crystal, all that anxiety suddenly calmed.
It seemed that the stone carried a gentle, warm aura, soothing her soul.
Warm, like an origin.
Following the instructions, she slowly reached her hand toward the stone—that Mecha Crystal. The moment she touched it, it felt as if a connection had been formed, linking her mind with it.
Meanwhile, outside the chamber, another staff member explained the performance parameters of a Mecha Human to Jawed.
"There are many factors contributing to a Mecha Human's performance. But since you're new, you'll only need to pay attention to the basic stats, which is the foundational strength of a Mecha Human. Though, I suppose telling you that is unnecessary."
The staff member spoke sarcastically. Being able to have such a breathtaking Mecha girl, this guy must be some kind of rich young master. If so, that Mecha girl had to be top-tier.
Was there even a need to guess?
As he finished speaking, suddenly a large holographic screen appeared before everyone.
————————MECHA HUMAN PROFILE————————
[Name: *!@*(!**... @1! [Temporary Name: Halley]
[Type: Chaos]
[Level: C]
[Speed: 275/1000]
[Acceleration: 275/1000]
[Stamina: 200/500]
[Stability: 200/500]
[Rune Board: 0/30]
[Enchantments: N/A]
-A.I Assistant Evaluation: Hmm..... trash. Stronger on bed than on the track.
————————————————————————
The staff member who had just mocked Jawed fell silent. After a while, he finally spoke hesitantly:
"Well, uh... about her stats, they're actually not that bad. Just a bit lower than the average Chaos-type C-rank Mecha Human.... well, actually, a bit more than just a little. But it's fine, she'll get stronger after upgrades later... probably."
Jawed said nothing. He looked into the glass chamber, seeing Halley looking back at him.
She couldn't hear anything, but judging from everyone's expressions, she could probably imagine the result.
It didn't seem good.
"Well... anyway, we've finished measuring her performance. Now please go outside and wait for a bit while we complete the rest of the profile."
***
"Are you okay?" Jawed asked Halley. She had been silent ever since they left that room.
In response, the girl merely let out a soft sigh.
"When asking others to become my rider, I just saw they scanned me with some kind of device and shook their heads, so back then I only knew that my performance was bad. Now I can finally see just how bad it really is. To be honest, I'm not really disappointed or sad, since I already knew beforehand anyway."
It was just that, upon truly realizing her weakness, she recalled the cold gazes she had once faced.
"It's just that, the guy who bought me and the others said that the weak can never achieve anything. Then, for someone as weak as me, would I ever be able to reach my goal? Probably not, right?"
"…"
Jawed didn't respond, and she didn't press him either.
"I don't agree with that," After a while. Jawed suddenly spoke up.
"Um?"
"I mean, if the weak can't do anything, then where do the strong come from?"
Everyone starts out weak. Some may be less weak than others, but in the end, they are still weak.
It's just that, there are those who refuse to accept being weaklings and determined to climb higher. From that, the strong are born.
"So forget what that guy said. He sounded like some edgy lord trying to aura farming. And if it still bothers you, then let's move forward together, climb up from being weak until we become strong, then find that guy on the racetrack and make him eat our dust, okay?"
Halley didn't reply, but her gaze changed slightly.
All the strong were once weak, huh
If she's already this weak, then she can't get any weaker. So then, the only choice left is to become stronger, right?
...
After a while, a staff member came out from inside and informed them that their profiles had been completed.
"This is your rider profile. Since you haven't participated in any races yet, it's currently level 1, which means you're not allowed to join any official races, nor can you ride your Mecha Human for more than 5 kilometers per day."
The staff member said to Jawed.
The conditions of the profile at this level sounded rather strict, but since a rider like him doesn't need to take a driving test like ordinary drivers, not being allowed to drive freely was understandable.
Next came the contract signing process. This part was fairly simple; they just needed to fill in their names on a set of online documents.
After signing, the status on Halley's profile changed to [Temporary Contract].
"Congratulations to both of you on completing the contract! Congratulations to you for becoming the Master of this beautiful girl!"
The J duo appeared out of nowhere, setting off fireworks as loud remix music blasted alongside the lively sounds of drums and gongs.
"Wait," Jawed suddenly spoke, cutting off their celebration.
"Huh?"
"Why 'Master'? If she becomes my Mecha Human, does that mean she has to call me 'Master'?" Jawed frowned.
"Well, no. Most riders make their Mecha Humans call them 'Master,' but the form of address is up to you. We don't enforce it. Is there a problem?"
"I just don't like what 'Master' implies. That's not the kind of relationship we have. She's not my possession."
Hearing that, the two froze for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Then choose something yourself," they said.
Jawed thought for a moment, then spoke:
"Then, how about 'partner'? What do you think, Halley?"
"Partner, huh..... I like it. I'm very happy to be your partner," Halley replied.
For some reason, that name gave her a sense of familiarity, and safety.
"Oh, right, sorry about this, Halley." Jawed scratched his head. "I've just ran out of money for rent, so I guess until earning some from racing, we'll probably... have to sleep under the bridge."
"Mm, it's okay. I'm used to the cold under bridges," Halley replied.
"Ah, as for that, you don't need to worry," the two staff members suddenly spoke up. "Jawed, right? Since the two of you are now under the witness protection program, to ensure your safety, aside from giving you new identities, we'll also provide you with a secure residence under the organization's protection. And it's completely on the house, literally!"
"Really?!!" Jawed and Halley's eyes lit up.
The two looked at each other, joy reflecting in their eyes.
Jawed's joy, for.... well, not having to sleep under bridges.
The girl's joy, because of that; and because now, she had someone to walk alongside her in this unfamiliar world.
"Then, it's a pleasure working with you, partner."
"Um, same here, partner."
The two smiled at each other. A new beginning, perhaps not too bright, just new, awaited them.
...
...
"...I'm so happy, big brother...."
A voice echoed through the void, fading into the darkness.
...