Author's note, again: another reminder that chapters 3 and 4 happen at the same time.

Doing her best to ignore the mild aching sensation in her back, Yuri exited the school she attended alongside her fellow Literature Club members. The day was an intriguing one to say the least, with Sayori informing them that she'd be bringing/dragging a potential new member for the club, something that excited the other three members.

As they exited the front gates of school, Monika instructed them to prepare for their new potential club member the following day. Both Natsuki and Yuri nodded in response while Sayori, as bubbly as she usually was, promised that this 'Anon' boy would be here herself already knew what she wanted to do to welcome the potential newcomer, but Yuri herself was indecisive on what she should do to welcome this 'Anon'.

Perhaps she should get him a book? No… what if Anon didn't like what she chose for him? Hmm, how about a poem… no… nonono… her poems were not good enough to convince a person to stay. If anything, she could potentially drive him away with her horrendous writing style and the way she wrote.

Yuri herself was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she was unable to respond when Sayori, Monika and Natsuki said their goodbyes and the group parted ways, her hands absentmindedly fiddling with one of her bangs as she walked towards her house. Her mind was fixated on how she would welcome Anon… so much so that she almost walked right onto various lampposts on several occasions.

For a large amount of her walk home, Yuri's mind was preoccupied with her various ideas of welcoming a potential new club member. So it came as no surprise that as soon as a loud yet calm voice, one that was familiar to her, rang out, the girl squeaked in terror.

"Welcome back Pilot," said the calm as soon as Yuri walked past the outer corner of her house fence. Yelling out in terror, Yuri assumed a rather comical defensive pose as she whirled to the side, only to calm down when she saw that the speaker was none other than her personal Titan unit, Ronin.

"A-Ah… Ronin," greeted Yuri with a sheepish smile, scratching her cheek awkwardly as she stared at her Titan, who simply knelt down beside her house. His smaller, Stryder based Titan frame allowed it to do as such, as it did not take up as much space as, say, the Ogre or Atlas based units. Ronin's singular, rectangular mono-optic was locked onto Yuri, and if she focused she could barely make out the Leadwall shotgun and Ronin Broadsword holstered/sheathed on the back of his waist and backpack, respectively.

"Your chemical makeup suggests that you are agitated," informed Ronin as Yuri began walking towards her house door. The word 'agitated' left the Titan's speakers right as Yuri was reaching for her key, and hearing it made the girl freeze up. "As a way to uphold Protocol 3, I insist on knowing why."

"T-There's no reason for it!" was Ronin's immediate answer from Yuri, who chuckled ever so slightly as she fished her house key from inside her blazer and unlocked her front door. However, she knew that response wouldn't satisfy her Titan.

"Your heart rate is speeding up," informed Ronin, confirming her suspicions as Yuri turned to see that her unit was now staring at her through her kitchen window as placed her bag atop her living room sofa, and as soon as it dropped onto its surface, she froze.

"P-Perhaps your sensors are faulty…?" suggested Yuri sheepishly as a last resort, one that was completely deflected by her unit.

"Impossible. Stryder based Titans are made with the best sensors Hammond Industries has to offer. Even if they were faulty, they would not be able to incorrectly mislabel the heart rate of a Titan's pilot," informed Ronin, his singular monoeye narrowing as he spoke. "As a way to uphold Protocol 3, I request a reason as to why you feel as such."

"C-Can we talk about this later…? I'd feel better after a… shower," requested Yuri, defeated as she slouched her shoulders. Ronin gave a mechanical groan from outside her house before standing himself up, the pistons in his chassis shifting noisily as he did.

"Affirmative. I shall await your return from 'the shower'," informed Ronin as he marched over and knelt down in Yuri's backyard, seeming rather patient as the young, purple haired girl sighed in defeat.

"Y-Yes… I'll see you."

Yuri's bathroom wasn't too spectacular. If anything, it was probably as generic as it could get.

With a single shower, a sink, a mirror-cabinet and a toilet, Yuri's bathroom was just that. A bathroom.

As soon as she stepped in, Yuri undressed herself. It wasn't much of an ordeal… at least until she had to tug her blazer off. Wincing as she slowly pulled it off her shoulders, the girl bit her lower lip to keep herself from moaning in pain as the sleeve rubbed against her forearm.

Once her blazer was off, Yuri winced as her eyes locked onto her forearms. One would expect them to be smooth, with no imperfections on them, though in reality, it was quite literally the opposite. Slash marks adorned her forearms, marks that were inflicted by none other than Yuri herself as a way to release her pent up emotions.

Every day, the girl would stand in her shower as the water poured down onto her and simply stare at her forearms, wondering why she was this way.

In truth, Yuri was a mess. She was a mix bag of contradicting emotions, to say the least. Desperate to be liked yet quick to push others away, dreaming to be at the top yet being both figuratively and literally afraid of heights, passionate about learning yet disinterested in remembering anything important…

She was just so… different from everyone else. Even without herself being an oddball of contradictions, her odd habit of collecting knives and what she enjoyed doing with them was enough reason for her to think as such, and the young woman could only frown at the thought of this 'Anon' person finding out about her unhealthy hobby.

Perhaps they would dislike her for that? Perhaps they would be completely put off by her obsession and refuse to join the club? Or perhaps they wouldn't care at all? All those scenarios and much, much more popped up in Yuri's mind as she stood under her shower, allowing the warm water to wash over her body as her mind leapt from one thought to another.

And suddenly…

"Pilot. Your chemical makeup is a cause for worry," came Ronin's OS, sounding somewhat muffled thanks to the fact that he was outside but still audible nonetheless. Upon hearing it, Yuri widened her eyes and blinked, snapping herself out of her trance as she shook her head. "Do you require aid? If you do, I shall contact-"

"N-No need, Ronin!" was her Titan's immediate response from Yuri. "I'll be out soon!"

"Understood. Resuming Protocol 2: Uphold the Mission," replied Ronin, and Yuri could just barely hear the sound of her Titan magnetically attaching its Broadsword onto its back as he knelt down in her backyard.

'Perhaps it is best to not keep him waiting…' thought Yuri as she grabbed a bottle of shampoo. Staring at it for a moment, the young woman sighed deeply as she began washing herself, and, regrettably, she found that the stinging sensation of soup making contact with her exposed slash wounds was still very exhilarating.

By the time his Pilot had walked out into the backyard, Ronin had already entered his 'sleep mode'. His monoeye was dimmed, and his systems were operating at their lowest.

Yuri, now dressed in her usual homewear, a rather poofy, long sleeved shirt and a worryingly tight pair of pants, was hesitant to speak up, thinking that she would end up 'waking him' up, something she considered to be rude, though thankfully for her, her unit's optic lit up as soon as she was about five metres away from him, and before long the Stryder frame to turn up to stare at her.

"Pilot Yuri," greeted Ronin as Yuri adjusted a handful of her bangs, unsure on how she should respond to such a simple greeting. Thankfully, Ronin didn't leave her hanging. "You have returned from your mission."

"M-Mission…?" muttered Yuri, baffled by her Titan's knowledge in regards to her daily activities not being missions. Opening her mouth, she felt ready to correct Ronin, though she stopped herself and gave a mild nod. "Erm… y-yes… I have returned from… my mission…"

"I am to assume that it was successful," inquired Ronin, lowering a hand unit down to his pilot as he spoke. Yuri blinked at it before she gingerly lifted a foot onto her Titan's manipulator, smiling ever so slightly as the seams of her Titan's cockpit released a burst of steam before swinging up and open.

As gently as he could, her Titan placed his Pilot into his cockpit, though he kept the hatch open, something that Yuri usually requested him to do whenever she decided to sit inside him to get her mind off things. At first, she needed to constantly remind Ronin to keep his cockpit hatch open, though as time went on, it became a normal thing for the Stryder unit to keep the hatch open while Yuri relaxed in his cockpit.

Part of the reason as to why she requested for the hatch to remain open was because the cockpit of her particular unit was… uncomfortable to sit in, to say the least. The Ronin was most certainly not a unit made for people such as herself. Constructed primarily for combat, specifically employing hit and run tactics, the Stryder frame's cockpit was designed to be as compact as possible in order to minimise the unit's weight.

Rather unfortunately, the compactness of her unit's cockpit meant that it wasn't exactly comfortable for someone who wished to simply sit in it and read a good book, IE someone like Yuri.

In order to perhaps remedy that one issue, Yuri, with permission from Ronin, ended up filling his cockpit with several pillows which did kinda make it feel a little more comfortable. From time to time she even placed a handful of scented candles into his cockpit to perhaps fight off the smell of his Batteries. It didn't work completely, per say, though it did help, and Ronin didn't seem to mind having his cockpit be stuffed with more things than he was probably used to.

As soon as she was situated in a comfortable position in her Titan's cockpit, and after taking in a deep breath, Yuri braced herself for what was to come…

"Pilot Yuri," began Ronin.

"Yes, Ronin?" replied Yuri, having guessed what he was about to ask.

"How was your day?" continued Ronin, and Yuri had to pause for a brief moment before she replied. Strange… Ronin never asked that before today. Blinking back her surprise, Yuri gave a small smile as she hugged her knees up to her chest.

"It was… eventful," responded Yuri with a nod, internally chuckling at how Sayori informed the club about the possibility of this 'Anon' boy visiting and possibly joining the club. "Sayori told us that we might get a visitor to the club…"

"Intriguing. This visitor is her friend, Anon, is it not?" inquired Ronin, his response genuinely shocking Yuri as she widened her eyes.

"Y-Yes… how-"

"According to my database, Pilot Sayori has always had but one close friend, the boy known as Anon. He is not a Pilot, but he is still archived in my database as a trusted individual to the Pilot of IO-4817," responded Ronin, not missing a beat as he explained in full detail. "Anon is the most likely candidate for Pilot Sayori to bring to the Literature Club, in my opinion."

"W-Wow… your… sensors are impressive, Ronin," complemented a dumbfounded Yuri as she marveled at the processing power of her Titan. In turn, Ronin let some steam out of his vents, perhaps a sign of pride?

"The Stryder based Titans have always made use of a more advanced internal AI," responded Ronin, and if he were human, Yuri reckoned that he would probably be smirking right about now. "Ogre and Atlas units both have thicker armour and can withstand the heat of combat, at the cost of a less intricate AI, but Stryder units do not have that luxury and were given more advanced Artificial Intelligence and computing cores in order to compensate."

"Impressive," muttered Yuri, sounding rather genuine with her praise as she smiled a tad at having been given such an intelligent Titan.

"However, I must ask, does Anon tie into your earlier agitation?" inquired Ronin, and suddenly, Yuri wished that the conversation would end right about now. "You are not acquainted with him, and as such, I am to assume that you are nervous about meeting him, are you not?"

The route this conversation was going towards made Yuri's heart rate speed up.

"Pilot Yuri, perhaps you think that he will not think highly of you?"

With each sentence, Yuri felt her breath speed up as her chest began rising and falling much more intensely.

"Perhaps I may offer some suggestions? I am always here to provide assistance."

Assistance? Was Ronin looking down on her? That was likely… everyone did that, after all. Who would look up to Yuri? Who… who… WHO?!

"Pilot Yuri… are you alright?"

Ronin, he's not different from everyone else. The other club members didn't care for her. They laugh at her behind her back despite being her apparent friends! How could he… her very own Titan! How could he… how could he… HOW COULD HE?!

"Pilot Yuri? Your heart rate is increasing dramatically."

He doesn't care. Nobody cares. They all think they're better than you! They think you're a freak! Even your very own machine has turned on you! It thinks you don't matter. YOU SHOULD SHOW HIM THAT YOU ARE SUPERIO-

"PILOT YURI!"

With a loud gasp, the girl in question jerked forward at the sudden loud voice of Ronin. With wide eyes, she laid a hand against her chest as she calmed herself down. What… was that? She never recalled going through something like that in the past…

"Pilot Yuri, your heart rate is beginning to settle," informed Ronin, his usually calm OS sounding just a bit stressed as he spoke, a surprise to be sure as Yuri never thought machines to be capable of sounding stressed. "However, mere seconds ago, it exceeded the recommended BPM value that has been catalogued in my systems. Are you… well?"

"I… I'm fine, Ronin. Don't worry about it…" assured Yuri, frowning deeply as she calmed herself. "P-Please… I'd like to head inside now…"

Wordlessly, Ronin held up a manipulator and brought his Pilot back down to terra firma, and right as her feet made contact with the ground, she hurried off into her house. Via his built in sensors, Ronin could tell that her heart was racing, though not as fast as it was several minutes prior, which came as a relief to his internal systems.

At first, he considered calling out to his Pilot, to ask if she was alright, but he reconsidered. Humans were a strange species, and they often had their own ways to deal with issues like these, sometimes dealing with them better when alone. And so, Ronin remained quiet as he knelt down in Yuri's backyard, silently awaiting his next order.

However, he did keep his sensors sharp. Past experience had taught him that if his Pilot's adrenaline levels went past a certain point, he would have to confront her.

It didn't take long for Ronin's systems to jumpstart themselves as soon as his pilot's adrenaline levels began skyrocketing.

Acting according to what he was programmed to do, Ronin wasted no time in lifting himself up to his full height and ripped the Leadwall Shotgun off his hip. Once his shotgun was firmly in his grasp, Ronin approached his pilot's bedroom window cautiously.

"Ha… hah… ah…~"

That wasn't good. According to Ronin's classified databases, human females tended to… make those noises during certain times of the year. With that in his hard drive, Ronin slowly began to back away from the window of his pilot, though he quickly realized that even if Yuri was indeed… experiencing that time of the year, her adrenaline levels would not be as high as they currently are.

That, and according to his internal calendar, it wasn't even that time of the year yet.

So, with that in mind, the Titan steeled himself for a possible scolding before he spoke.

"Yuri, are you well?" boomed Ronin, and almost immediately, the worrying noises his Pilot had been making began to die down. Her adrenaline levels were slowly dropping as well, though they were still noticeably high. Her heart rate was high enough to be concerning. It was almost as though she was scared of something. "Your adrenaline levels have spiked tremendously."

It took his Pilot some time to answer him, and she did so by pulling back her certains, and Ronin's internal gears hitched for a moment when he saw how… pale Yuri's face was. Her expression looked rather pleasurable, and it worried Ronin.

"R-Ronin…?" muttered Yuri, looking ready to pass out at any moment as she spoke. "W-What's wrong…? Did I miss school…?"

"It is currently six in the evening, Yuri," informed Ronin as he fixed the gaze of his monoeye directly onto his Pilot, scanning the young woman for any irregularities. "Your adrenaline levels spiked rather sharply in the last five minutes. I upheld Protocol 3 and investigated. Please explain what caused such a sharp spike in your adrenaline levels."

"Adrenaline…?" muttered Yuri, sounding sheepishly confused. "I'm just… fine…"

"Yuri," began Ronin as his Pilot leaned out the window, nearly toppling out of it if the Titan had not caught her in time. Readying his vocal processors, the Stryder frame was ready to ask another question, until he saw a slight glint that came from inside Yuri's bedroom, located under her bed's pillow, barely visible to the human eye.

But not to the optical sensors of a Titan.

With a slight mechanical groan, Ronin popped his cockpit open and sat his Pilot inside it. Ignoring her delirious complaints all the while, before he swiftly slammed his cockpit shut and reached into his Pilot's bedroom, being as careful as he could so as to not break anything, and grabbing the object out from under Yuri's pillow.

Another mechanical groan was emitted by Ronin, this one much louder than the one he gave a few moments ago, as he gripped the flat sides of one of the many fancy knives that his Pilot loved collecting. His Pilot had a love for knives, and the Titan had no doubt in his mind that he was linked to Yuri by Hammond Productions just because of that little fact.

However, while Ronin had no opinion in regards to Yuri collecting knives, he definitely had some very negative ones in regards to her cutting herself with them.

The Titan was well aware of his Pilot's unhealthy obsession with self-harm. He had attempted to counsel them on several occasions, to help them work around this bad habit and learn to love herself for who she was, but it didn't work. It never worked. Yuri was just too stubborn…

Ronin was, by all means, a machine that replicated emotions to better connect to a Pilot. He couldn't exactly feel anything… but whenever he saw the slash marks on his Pilot's wrists, whenever he saw the odd smear of red on any one of their knives, the Titan would feel a gear within himself come loose when he would inevitably confront Yuri about the matter.

Activating an internal cockpit optical sensor, Ronin got himself ready to speak to Yuri once more, though before he could, he stopped himself. Yuri was asleep… or perhaps she had passed out from blood loss. Whatever it was, he couldn't say.

What he could say, however, was that Yuri would be worse for wear if he did not do something about her cut as soon as possible.

He knew this was not something he was programmed to do, so the Titan resorted to relying on the only other person whom Yuri trusted to assist in healing his Pilot.

Activating his comm-links, Ronin dialed the number of a certain club leader, and as soon as she responded with a gentle, "uh… hello?", the Titan wasted no time in telling her about the current predicament.

And for her part, Monika wasted no time in boarding her personal Titan unit and sprinting all the way over to Yuri's apartment to help her with her injuries.

"Yuri, are you alright?"

Gasping as she shot her eyes open, Yuri immediately sat herself upright and took in her surroundings.

And not long after, she realized that she was now in her bedroom, with Ronin staring at her through her bedroom window. At first, she was about to ask him what was going on, but she quickly realized how late it was.

"R-Ronin…! I… must have-" began Yuri, only for her Titan to cut her off.

"No, Yuri. You did not fall asleep," replied Ronin, and Yuri couldn't help but notice the underlying anger that was buried just below the calm demeanor of her unit's OS. "You… injured yourself once more…"

And that was when Yuri remembered what she did. Swiftly, she rolled up the sleeve of her puffy shirt, only to frown deeply when she saw that her forearm was wrapped up with bandages. Said bandages were rather soft… and only one person she knew had bandages like this.

"Pilot Monika arrived to assist me in bandaging you roughly three hours ago. She left at approximately 08.13PM, 12 hour clock time. It is now 09.32PM," informed Ronin, his voice still firm as he spoke. His Pilot couldn't do much more than look away guiltily as he spoke, prompting the Titan to continue. "Yuri, I wish to know why you continue to do such a thing."

No response. Yuri simply rubbed her bandaged forearm as she bit her bottom lip.

"Yuri, I wish to know why… why would you bring harm upon yourself?" continued Ronin, his OS sounding more emotional than it usually was.

His Pilot still offered no response as a tear slid down her cheek.

"Please, I promise to not tell anyone about this information, Yuri."

His voice was starting to hurt her head…

"Yuri…"

"Why would you care?!"

The Titan felt a jolt go through his systems as his Pilot responded to him in an aggressive manner, prompting him to step back ever so slightly as he fixed his monoeye onto Yuri, who was keen on continuing.

"Why would you care… it doesn't matter how hard I try, Ronin!" continued Yuri as tears streamed down her face. Her tone of voice was noticeably strained, and Ronin couldn't do much more than listen solemnly as his pilot vented out all her frustrations onto him. "It doesn't matter how hard I try… no one ever takes my opinion seriously! My work is always thought to be the work of a teenager going through their edgy phase, especially by Natsuki, and people only turn to stare at me because…"

Pausing for a moment, Yuri wiped some of her tears off her cheek with her sleeve before continuing, her voice a little calmer but her tone still noticeably strained. "... because of my chest. The other girls probably just tolerate me because they're too kind to give me the boot… Monika's an amazing club president… Sayori's a natural vice-president… and Natsuki's interests in manga makes her more approachable… I'm literally a nobody, even among like minded individuals in the Literature Club!

"There! Now you know, Ronin! Now you know how petty I am… I'm just a coward who only has one way of releasing all my pent up frustrations! That's the reason as to why I do…" Yuri paused to lift her bandaged forearm up. "This! Go ahead, laugh if you want… or you can just find another Pilot… I'm sure it'll be easier to do that than to put up with me…"

As soon as she finished, the young woman began bawling into her hands, letting all her pent up frustrations loose as her Titan processed all that information.

And right as he finished doing so, the Stryder frame inched one of his digits through her window and towards his Pilot. With an amount of gentleness that seemed impossible for a Titan, Ronin gently rubbed his digit against her cheek. Blinking at that unexpected gesture, Yuri turned up and stared at her Titan, who looked as passive as ever, though there was an oddly positive aura around him now.

"Ronin…?"

"Yuri, your worries are unfounded," responded Ronin solemnly as he gingerly sat Yuri down onto his palm and pulled her out of her bedroom. Yuri allowed him to do so, and she did admittedly gape at the starry night as soon as she was outside. Her Titan stayed silent for a brief moment as she did before continuing. "You say that your work has gone unappreciated, but I sincerely doubt that it has."

"How-"

"I conversed with Unit SC-1525, Titan Unit Scorch, and Unit IO-4817, Titan Unit Ion, in regards to their Pilots views on you," continued Ronin, effectively cutting his Pilot off with his buttery voice. "Pilot Natsuki seems to have at least some respect for your work. Scorch informed me that she thought your work in regards to the previous Festival was phenomenal, and Sayori spoke that your breasts are-"

Almost immediately, Yuri silenced Ronin before he could finish that sentence. The Titan complied, though he still continued on with his next point.

"Pilot Monika has also told me that your efforts in the Literature Club are but one of the many things that help keep the club together," continued Ronin. "Natsuki, and to some extent, a handful of your other schoolmates, simply do not know how to interpret your intriguing work. Not everyone can look into every last word on a slip of paper as well as you can, nor can they appreciate the underlying abstract story of Portrait of Markov as much as you can, after all."

Upon hearing his assuring words, Yuri found herself calming down ever so slightly as she allowed them to settle in. And, within a handful of seconds, she allowed a gentle smile to make its way onto her lips.

"Is… that so?" she muttered.

"Indeed. You may not know it, but you have always been an invaluable asset to the Literature Club," responded Ronin. "And I couldn't ask for a better Pilot."

"I… but what about…" muttered Yuri, a little taken aback by that as she fumbled over her words.

"Though your habits are… unsavoury, I do not think any less of you for them," assured Ronin. "You are my Pilot, Yuri. No matter what course of action you take, no matter what path you walk down, I shall be by your side until my Power Core is destroyed."

For a brief moment, Yuri found herself speechless. Though Ronin was probably only saying this to uphold Protocol 3, something about his delivery still made her feel… warm. It reassured her that she would always have someone by her side… someone who would watch her back even in the darkest of times, and it was enough to make her heart skip a few beats. Before long, however, she allowed herself to smile as she nodded. "Thank you, Ronin, for your kind words."

"Anytime, Yuri," assured Ronin. And with those words uttered, both Yuri and her Titan stayed awkwardly silent, with the former feeling rather unsure on how she should respond whilst the latter waited patiently… at least until the latter spoke up. "Yuri, a suggestion: you still have a spare copy of a Portrait of Markov, yes?"

"Y-Yes… I do…" confirmed Yuri with a nod. "Why-"

"I am in no place to judge, but perhaps this Anon child would be interested in it as well?" suggested Ronin. "You have no need for it, yes? Perhaps you could give it to him as a welcome gift?"

"... why didn't I think of that?" was the only thing Yuri could say after a short while of silence. And, if he could, Ronin would have chuckled.

"Humans have a tendency to miss obvious answers when they are under a momentous amount of stress," informed Ronin. "You were not in the right mind, Yuri, and you overlooked an answer which was right in front of you."

"Ah…" muttered Yuri, sounding somewhat awkward as Ronin eyed her with his optic. "Well… you always were the more level headed one, at least between you and me."

"That statement is flawed. A machine such as myself is also capable of losing their cool," informed Ronin as Yuri began standing herself up. Once she was on her feet, she approached her desk. "Titans were created as thinking machines. We learn and adapt to human emotions, and theoretically, it is possible for us to 'lose our cool'."

"I see…" muttered Yuri, smiling as she regarded Ronin for a brief moment before she began searching for her spare copy of Portrait of Markov. "For a machine, you are very human…"

"It was logical. The bond between a Titan and their Pilot called for such a design," replied Ronin as his pilot finally found her spare book, prompting her to smile victoriously. "In order to uphold Protocol 3, I must learn and replicate human emotions and calm you down whenever necessary."

"I… see," muttered Yuri, frowning as she slid her book into her bag. Once that was done, she moved to take a seat on her bed, staring out her bedroom window at Ronin, who remained respectfully silent. "But… something about you tells me that you're not completely bound by protocol, Ronin."

"May you elaborate, Yuri?" insisted Ronin, prompting the girl in question to smile.

"You say that you must follow the protocols set out by this 'Hammond Productions', and yet, I believe that a handful of the things that you have done for me were self decided," responded Yuri as she extended an arm out of her bedroom window and rested her hand up against the cool metal chassis of her Titan. "You are not completely bound by protocol. In some ways, you have a soul, just like us, Ronin."

"I…" began Ronin, only to stop himself. And, for a brief moment, the Titan went silent as he went through what she just said.

Mission: Protect Yuri

Obstacle: Pilot is obsessed with self harm

Solution: Yet to be discovered

Error: Contradicting data has been processed

Processing data…

…

…

…

Data processed

Contradiction: Is it possible for a machine to possess a soul?

Define: Soul

…

…

…

Definition: The principle of life, feeling, thought and action in humans.

Rephrase: The soul is the culmination of one's being.

Conclusion: aATitan is a soulless machine, and yet, the central AI Core can be compared to a soul.

Observation: This conclusion is contradicting.

Suggestion: Further study is required

Sub-Protocol 2: Learn about the fundamental nature of a human's soul and compare it to the central AI Core of a Titan. Study both and find possible links between one another.

Suggestion: Yuri could provide assistance

Agreement: Consulting Yuri now

Without much warning, Ronin turned his monoeye towards his Pilot, who flinched at the sudden movement as she retracted her arm.

"Ah… Ronin, I thought something was wrong," muttered Yuri, smiling sheepishly as she held a hand up to her chest. "You worried me…"

"My apologies Yuri," apologised Ronin, aiming his monoeye at his Pilot as he spoke. "I was simply processing some information."

"Ah! I'm… sorry for interrupting…!" proclaimed Yuri apologetically, only for Ronin to expel some steam from his vents.

"It is quite alright. In fact, I could use your assistance in processing this information," assured Ronin.

"Oh! How may I help?" was his response from Yuri, who brightened up at the opportunity as she clenched her fists and held them up to her chest.

"I wish for you to tell me more about a human soul," responded Ronin, and it took Yuri a second or two to process that information.

"I see… oh!"

With those words uttered, Yuri raced towards her desk, nearly tripping along the way, causing her Titan to go on alert for the briefest of moments before calming himself down. For a short while, she began searching around her desk, though she couldn't seem to find what she was looking for.

"I swear I kept my copy here…" muttered Yuri, infuriated as she searched around her desk. Going off on a hunch, Ronin took a step away from Yuri's bedroom window and popped his cockpit hatch open.

"Yuri, perhaps you are looking for your book, the Portrait of Markov?" inquired the Stryder, and his pilot swiftly turned around and gave a sheepish nod. "Hm, you left it in my cockpit the last time you had Embarked."

"I did?!" proclaimed Yuri as she quite literally lunged towards her window, giving Ronin's systems a quick shock, though thankfully she didn't leap out of it as she dangled over the edge, staring at her Titan in embarrassment. "I… didn't know…"

"It is alright, Yuri," assured Ronin. "I must ask, perhaps you think reading this book will allow me to learn more about the condition of the human soul?"

"Y-Yes… but if you don't want to…" muttered Yuri uncertainty, only to be cut off by Ronin once more.

"The book titled Portrait of Markov follows a young woman known as NAME NOT FOUND as she enters her new neighborhood to reunite with her long lost sister, NAME NOT FOUND. However, she finds that things are not as they seem as a human experiment prison begins targeting her, and she must choose who to trust," observed Ronin. "The events of the book push her to her breaking point, tests her both physically and psychologically, and leaves her as a broken mess in the end. She only pulls through due to sheer willpower. Due to the strength of her soul, I am to assume."

"H-How do you know so much about it?" was all Yuri could ask once Ronin was done with his rambling.

"I overheard you reading it multiple times out loud. I have every detail of the book in my systems by now, enough to read every last word out to you if I so choose," informed Ronin.

"But that takes away from the charm of reading! To experience the surprises firsthand!" proclaimed Yuri with what appeared to be a pouty expression. Ronin felt an internal hitch in his systems at the sight of that face, though he ignored it before responding.

"If it pleases you, I am capable of locking away my memories of overhearing you read this book," informed Ronin.

"I wouldn't mind that," confirmed Yuri with a nod as she gave a thumbs up.

"Hm, I must also request something from you, Pilot," continued Ronin, his calm OS now sounding rather… sheepish, so to speak. Yuri raised her brow at that.

"What would that be, Ronin?" she inquired.

"As a way to uphold Protocols 1 and 3, I request that you read it to me," requested Ronin. "It helps us deepen our bond, and if I were to ever get confused or lost along the way, you, who has more experience with the book, may help steer me back on track."

"I… uh… don't have a problem with that…" muttered Yuri, smiling sheepishly at her Titan as she scratched the back of her head. Before she could say anything else, however, the busty young woman let out a yawn and rubbed her bandaged forearms. "B-But… not now…"

"Understood, Yuri. The hour is late, and you still have lessons and club activities tomorrow. Now is the time for rest," agreed Ronin with a bob/nod of his cockpit/torso/head. And, with that said, Yuri laid herself down on her bed and promptly fell asleep.

From the outside of her window, Ronin's singular monoeye narrowed when he saw that his Pilot did not have her blanket over her. As a way to uphold Protocol 3, the Stryder based Titan very, very carefully stretched his massive hand into his Pilot's room and very carefully pulled Yuri's blanket up over her body.

With that done, the Titan peeked back into the room and gave a satisfied nod of his cockpit/head/torso before stepping back into the backyard and kneeling down in his 'Titanfall position'.

Protocol 2: Protect Yuri

Sub-Protocol 2: Learn about the fundamental nature of a human's soul and compare it to the central AI Core of a Titan. Study both and find possible links between one another.

Possible answer to Sub-Protocol 2: The Portrait of Markov being read to me by my Pilot, Yuri

Inquiry: Why do I wish for Yuri to read it to me?

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Answer: It deepens our bond and ensures the success of Protocols 1 and 3

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Answer: Yuri's voice is beautiful