Ch.112112. Cradle.

# 112.

“Now that I think about it, there were a bunch of strange things here earlier. Should we take a look before we go?”

I must be getting hungry too. While moving my wheelchair toward the cafeteria, one of the rooms I had visited earlier caught my eye.

Given that the wheelchair brought me here, it must be an important place.

I was too flustered then to get a proper look.

Should I go in and check it out?

The white doors slid open sideways as I approached with a mechanical whirr.

Though not as large as the library, the fairly spacious and dim room contained a row of eggs so large that a person could easily fit inside one with room to spare.

“Wow. If we could cook these, we’d have enough to eat until our stomachs burst.”

“You’re not actually planning to cook them, are you?”

“If I could eat them, nothing would stop me! Though obviously they’re not meant to be eaten.”

I approached one of the eggs and knocked on its surface, causing a distinctive metallic sound to echo through the space.

When I gently placed my hand on the surface, I could feel warmth and vibrations similar to a heartbeat.

“Does anyone know what these devices are for?”

[How would we know that!]

[I’ve been watching for days and still have no idea what this broadcast is about. Or what it’s trying to accomplish.]

[Is that robot following you a real robot? Not some kind of CG?]

I asked the drone just in case, but predictably received only unhelpful answers.

I wasn’t particularly disappointed since I hadn’t expected much to begin with, but seriously, how long were they going to keep talking like this?

Maybe they were acting this way because this was the first time they could communicate with me in real-time?

Well, thinking about everything that had happened so far, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Had there ever been a day when I didn’t receive messages like these while with the drone? I don’t think so.

Slightly frustrated by their unchanging behavior, I raised my voice.

“Alright, now that we can have a proper conversation, let me tell you something. This world I live in is real—at least to me. The robot following me, these machines here, and even this damned world where everyone left me behind—they’re all real to me.”

We’re all confused and curious about many things.

But the die has been cast, and we all need to move forward.

Instead of repeating obvious things or dwelling on the past, it’s time for more constructive conversation.

My words were mixed with no small amount of emotion as I sighed.

I knew I was being a bit emotional, but I couldn’t help it.

Fake. False. Acting.

I couldn’t help feeling upset whenever I saw such words in the rapidly appearing and disappearing messages.

If only my entire life had been just an act as they suspected, that would have been better.

If only I were an actor in a movie created by some wealthy eccentric, and after the cameras stopped rolling, I could live an ordinary life in an ordinary world like everyone else—that would have been wonderful.

The casual words from people living ordinary lives stung painfully, even without malicious intent.

I didn’t want to read messages that made me view my life as sad.

“So please, stop asking whether my life is fake. I’ll try my best to answer any other questions, even if I have to rack my insufficient knowledge. I know you, like me, must have mountains of questions about me, this robot, and this world.”

Any words would be fine as long as they didn’t question whether my life was fake.

Of course, as time passed, others who hadn’t heard my plea would ask the same questions, but…

I’ll be satisfied if it works just for this moment.

“I don’t know much more than you do, so I can’t give correct answers to all questions, but I’ll try my best. In return, sometimes tell me about the world you live in. I have wonderful friends, but I still feel lonely at times.”

Let’s say we’ll be in good hands for however long we’ll see each other.

My sincerity must have gotten through, as the messages I disliked noticeably decreased.

Instead, the message window filled with all sorts of strange comments, starting with self-introductions and questions about my age and name. But I enjoyed this kind of interaction.

“So—what exactly are these eggs?”

Somehow I’d become a teacher responsible for satisfying countless people’s curiosities.

But even a teacher can’t explain what they don’t know.

To resolve everyone’s questions, including my own, I needed to find out for myself.

[Cradle-A419]

[Normal operation]

“So it’s called a ‘Cradle.’ And what’s inside… I’m guessing it’s a living person.”

[That big egg is called a Cradle?]

[I only see a white shell—what do you see?]

“Ah, you can’t see it. It’s nothing special, just a somewhat unique… ability? Skill? I’m not sure what to call it. Think of it like AR lenses that I acquired in the city I visited while you were gone.”

I looked up as I spoke, wondering if they knew what that was, even if they were from the past.

Thick lines extended from the top of the eggs, crossing the ceiling to connect with a device in the center of the room.

The central device, resembling a mix of Eastern and Western towers, had numerous monitors attached to it.

Each monitor connected to the thick lines displayed different videos.

“Are these movies or videos? Something seems off.”

A person relaxing in a beautiful landscape that couldn’t exist in reality.

Someone laughing and chatting with people who had unusual purple and blue skin.

A beautiful star floating alone in the pale void of space.

“…My goodness.”

As I examined the videos and approached the device to touch various parts, I couldn’t help but be shocked.

Each video on the monitors showed the landscapes created by the consciousness of the people sleeping inside those Cradles.

“I wonder what it feels like to be in there. Do they even remember they were once human?”

After briefly explaining the nature of the device to everyone, I began experimenting with the controls.

Do the people inside still maintain their sense of self from reality?

If so, is there any way I could reach them through signals or messages from my side?

Is there a way to get them out?

I spent quite some time trying, hoping I might fulfill my wish to meet a living person in this reality.

“That’s disappointing. It seems there’s no way for someone who’s entered to ever come out again.”

No matter what method I tried, there was no way to bring back to reality someone who had once touched “Paradise.”

Most of those who had freed themselves from the constraints and objective representation of their physical bodies had lost their original selves.

Even those still living in somewhat human form were living in worlds they had dreamed of, forgetting reality.

If they ever felt discomfort with such a life or felt they had nothing more to desire…

The device would reset their memories to the beginning, allowing them to feel eternal satisfaction.

The name of this entire system was “From Cradle to Cradle.”

Considering that the phrase it was modeled after, “From cradle to grave,” represented human life and death, it was quite an appropriate name.

Although the physical bodies sleeping in the Cradles had completely deteriorated except for the parts maintaining consciousness…

Their consciousness still dwelled in an artificially created paradise, allowing them to dream happy dreams forever.

“I wonder if that empty egg over there is a gift left for me?”

In the corner was a Cradle without an owner. As if it were meant to be used when the time came.

I approached the wide-open egg and examined its surprisingly empty interior—then slammed the lid shut.

[Are you allowed to close that?]

[Can you open it again? Isn’t it important?!]

“Will it open again? I’m not sure. Actually, it doesn’t matter whether it opens or not. I have no desire to live if it means losing ‘myself.'”

Even if I could live forever until paradise disappeared…

I believe life has no meaning once you’ve lost your sense of ‘self.’

“Now that we’ve seen everything, let’s go. Let’s not disturb their sleep.”

On my way out, I looked at the monitors again.

I couldn’t see the faces of those who had already lost their form.

But those who could still make expressions were all smiling. Just smiling.

Surely their lives must be happy.

Yet just as we can’t feel the vitality in the four simple words “they are smiling”…

To me, they looked no different from the dead.

“My goodness, there’s so much food here?!”

“Wow. Everything’s well-preserved without spoiling. Looks like we don’t have to worry about starving anymore, right?”

“Oh my. I feel like I’m dreaming. I didn’t accidentally end up inside one of those eggs, did I?!”

“If you’re curious, should I kick your leg to check?”

“…You’re joking, right?”

My stomach was now genuinely growling, so I headed straight to the cafeteria.

The large food storage connected to the cafeteria contained such a diverse and abundant supply of preserved food that I couldn’t help but smile.

If I weren’t confined to this wheelchair, I might have been bouncing around gathering food.

Like an excited child, I filled my plate with ingredients and brought it to the empty cafeteria, handing it to the Chef Robot.

[Your meal is ready. Enjoy your meal.]

“Wow. That was quick.”

“Impressive friend you have there.”

“Can’t you cook like this?”

“I don’t have a cooking module among the modules I brought.”

“Really? Then you can learn while we’re staying here.”

“With that friend around, do I really need to learn…?”

“You never know. I think there’s no harm in learning.”

After chatting and reading messages for a few minutes, the completed dish was ready.

I carried the food to a nearby table, talking while watching the Chef Robot which, unlike my friend, couldn’t express emotions but still functioned perfectly.

“There are faint scratch marks here. Everyone must have lived here before going into those things.”

Though the table was clean, likely due to the robots’ constant maintenance, there were still faint traces of human use.

[Hey, about those machines you called ‘Cradles’ earlier. With all this food and such a nice place, why did everyone go inside them?]

“Hmm… good question.”

As I traced the scratches on the white marble table with my fork and knife, I spotted a particularly interesting message among the flood of comments.

Why would they enter the eggs so early when there was still plenty of food and this was a good place to live?

I rested my chin on my hand, pondering—and found the answer while looking at the empty cafeteria.

“I think they all lived out here together at first, then after one person went in, everyone followed… It would be lonely and boring to be the only one left outside when all your friends had gone in.”

Unlike me, who only had the drone and robot as friends, the people who lived here must have been friends with each other.

So it wouldn’t be strange for them to feel lonely as their close companions disappeared one by one.

If something was never there to begin with, you might not notice, but when something that was there disappears, the emptiness feels much greater.

“Or maybe the people who made it this far had such deep attachments to life that they immediately entered the Cradles upon arrival, thinking it was good enough just to be alive, even knowing they couldn’t return to reality.”

Though that doesn’t apply to me, since I have no other friends and don’t desire eternal life.

[Hmm, I kind of get it.]

[I don’t know. If it were me, I’d stay outside as long as possible before going in at the very end.]

[If happiness is guaranteed, there’s no reason not to go in. Better than risking something happening that prevents you from entering, right?]

[Ah, that’s a good point.]

Is it because there are so many people sending messages?

It was amusing to watch how they would talk among themselves, ponder, and try to find answers even after just a few words from me.

Warm food, messages to exchange opinions in real-time, a warm indoor space…

These were things I could only imagine before.

Thinking how glad I was to be alive, I put the steaming food in my mouth.

“…Delicious.”

Soft pasta and fresh salad.

Baguette cut into bite-sized pieces and well-cooked sausage.

It was a relatively ordinary menu, but…

Maybe because it had been so long since I’d eaten such a normal meal, or since I’d eaten food prepared by someone else…

Though the food clearly had no salt, it tasted a bit moist and salty.