Nihil turned around, confused by the noise.
What he saw froze him in place.
0604 was lying on the floor.
And then he saw it.
Her right leg—from the knee down—had cleanly separated from her body.
The limb rested a foot away, the low-heeled shoe still perfectly fastened.
-Are you okay?!
He managed to shout, shock overriding his exhaustion.
-Let me help you.
-Th-thank you.
She replied, with surreal calm.
She hadn't screamed. She showed no pain—only mild discomfort, as if she had dropped a pen.
Carefully, Nihil lifted her. She was surprisingly light—like a finely carved wooden mannequin—and laid her down on the couch.
Then he went to pick up the leg.
Nihil held the severed limb with both hands, feeling its inert weight and the cold texture of the skin-like material beneath the nylon stocking.
-Uh… here.
He said, passing it to her with monumental awkwardness.
-I think this is yours.
She took it with the same naturalness one might accept a borrowed umbrella.
-Yes. I suppose it is.
'Thank God she's playing along,' Nihil thought, relieved.
This had to be just as uncomfortable for her as it was for him.
-Are you sure you're okay?-Yes… you don't need to worry about this.
She replied, pulling her phone from her jacket pocket and beginning to type with quick, precise fingers.
-Do you need help getting back to the bank?
-That won't be necessary. I already called someone to come pick me up.
-…Alright.
A new silence fell between them—but this time it was different.
No longer the tense silence between creditor and debtor, but the awkward, absurd silence of two people in a frankly ridiculous situation.
A bank employee sitting on his couch, holding her own leg like a misplaced accessory.Nihil standing in front of her, not knowing where to put his hands.
-Sorry for asking, but… doesn't that hurt?
Nihil ventured, unable to contain his curiosity.
0604 looked up from her phone.
Then, slowly, she gestured with her chin toward Nihil's face and bony hands.
-Does that hurt?
0604 asked. Her tone wasn't accusatory—just genuinely inquisitive.
Nihil froze.
The question was so obvious, so blunt, that it struck straight at the core of his own warped normalcy.
A strange sound escaped his throat—somewhere between a cough and a stifled laugh.
-Touché.
She looked at him.He looked at her.
And then, as if an invisible spring snapped in both of them, the tension broke.
-Pfff… hahahaha—
Nihil's laughter started low, a nervous release.
A similar sound—softer and more restrained, but unmistakably laughter—came from 0604.
For a moment, they both laughed at the utter absurdity of existence there, in a cheap room, surrounded by the consequences of terrible decisions and mechanical failures.
-And this… does it happen often?
Nihil managed to say between laughs, wiping a nonexistent tear from the edge of his eye socket.
-Once a month, more or less.
She replied, her laughter fading, but a warm glimmer remaining in her eyes.
-Can I ask why? Or is it a secret?
-If I tell you… the bank will come after you.
She said, lowering her voice in a clearly teasing tone, even as her face maintained professional composure.
Nihil let out a louder laugh.
-Well, the bank can't take much more from me anyway!
-…Fair point.
She admitted, one corner of her mouth curving into something that was almost a smile.
-Then?
-She looked at her leg resting in her lap, then pointed to the badge on her chest.
-It's because of my seniority. See the number on my badge?
-0604.
-Exactly. I was the 604th unit to be created. Being one of the earliest models, my… optimal service expiration date is approaching. These "incidents" are normal for older models like me.
'Expiration date.'
The words echoed with terrifying coldness.
She wasn't a person with an injury—she was a product nearing programmed obsolescence.
-I see.
Nihil murmured, unsure what else to say.
-Now it's my turn to ask.
0604 said, fixing her eyes on him again.
-Seems fair.
-Why did you accept something as terrible as that contract?
Nihil blinked.
-…You don't beat around the bush, do you?-I answered you.
She said simply—and she was right.
-I know… let's just say I didn't see many alternatives when I arrived here.
-So you're new to the city?
-Correct. I arrived yesterday… well, I arrived four days ago. I was sure I'd only slept a few hours, but it turns out I fell into a coma for three full days.
This time, it was 0604 who showed a hint of genuine surprise.
-Wow. I don't even know if that counts as sleeping.
-Hahaha, maybe it's just my body accepting the inevitable end.
Nihil joked, with a dark humor that was already familiar to him.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
The loud, urgent knocking cut the moment short.
Probably Vesna, checking to make sure there hadn't been a murder.
-I think that's my friend.
-Oh. I'll open the door.
Nihil stood and hurried to the door—but when he opened it, it wasn't the energetic demon landlady.
Instead, a tall, massive shadow filled the doorway.
It was a body of metal—an immaculate suit of matte-black armor—easily over eight feet tall.
Three red points of light, arranged in a triangle where its "head" should be, lit up and lowered to focus on him.
A heavy, mechanical gaze scanned him from head to toe.
-Is 0604 here?
The voice was soft, feminine—yet it vibrated with a deep metallic quality that made it sound both delicate and potentially threatening.
This wasn't a synthesized android voice; it was real—filtered through a helmet or emanating from within the armor itself.
-Y-yes…
Nihil managed, stepping aside.
-Come in. She's on the couch.
The armor entered, its weight making the floor tremble slightly. Its red "eyes" immediately locked onto the scene: 0604 on the couch, her detached leg resting beside her.
The reaction was instant.
With surprising speed for its size, it rushed toward her.
-ARE YOU OKAY?!
The voice roared from inside the helmet, amplified by the metal, filled with an anguish that sounded strangely human.
-I already told you that you don't need to make such a fuss every time this happens.
0604 scolded, her usual calm irritation intact.
-HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME NOT TO PANIC WHEN THIS IS HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY?!
-Tch… just help me get to the car so I can go to the workshop and have my leg repaired.
A mechanical sigh—a hiss of compressed air—escaped the armor.
-…Alright.
The metal figure picked up the severed leg with exquisite care and inspected it, metallic fingers probing the break.
-Thank you for your hospitality, Nihil. And for the conversation as well.
-No problem, 0604.
She hesitated for a moment.
-…Call me Lyra. That's my name.
Lyra.
A name.
Not a number.
A gift of identity.
-Very well, Lyra. I hope this whole leg situation gets resolved.
-Don't worry about it.
She replied, watching her companion, who now held the leg under one arm like a rolled blueprint.
-Oh, before I forget—can I borrow your phone?
-Sure.
She took it and typed quickly, with a skill that belied her status as an "old model," before handing it back.
-Here. I added my number. You know—if you need help or information… about your case.
Nihil looked at the screen.
A new contact: Lyra (BANK – Management Dept.)
-…Thank you.
Nihil replied—and this time the gratitude was genuine, tinged with confusion that went far beyond the comedic situation.
Suddenly, her friend lifted her into her arms with ease, like a porcelain doll.
-Time to go, Lyra.
-Okay~
Lyra sang, already comfortable.
The armor turned, its three red eyes fixing on Nihil again. The voice that emerged was lower—just for him.
-…Thank you for helping her. I truly appreciate it. Not everyone is kind to bank employees.
-It was a pleasure.
Nihil replied—and for once, it wasn't just a courtesy.
-…Bye.
-See you later, Nihil.
Lyra said from her friend's arms.
-Take care.
He watched them leave—the massive metal silhouette carrying the broken-legged woman with tenderness.
The door closed, and silence returned to Room 13.