Ch.115115. Filthy.

“Haaaam… I slept well.”

I felt refreshed after finally getting a good night’s sleep in a warm room on a soft bed.

Alexander might have been an impressive Snowmobile, but it seems nothing can beat a bed and pillow designed specifically for sleeping.

Unlike waking up on the hard seat, my body wasn’t stiff at all. I moved around freely, sat up, and carefully transferred myself to the wheelchair I’d placed beside the bed.

“Ugh. My hair is all stuck together.”

I wonder how long I slept?

Judging by how completely refreshed I feel, probably much longer than I thought.

There was no clock or window in the room, so I had no way of knowing how much time had passed.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen any clocks or windows during my entire time exploring this place.

It seems they were deliberately excluded to create a sense of isolation from the outside world.

Though there’s a peaceful garden outside the building.

Beyond that lies the homeland of those who arrived here.

A place that’s already been destroyed, impossible to return to.

Since memories of the cherished past only bring bittersweet pain,

they’ve hidden it away so people can forget, at least while they’re in here.

Not a bad idea.

I nod and wipe the damp corner of my mouth where I’d drooled.

Just as I was about to head to the bathroom to freshen up…

“…I guess I forgot to turn it off.”

My eyes met directly with the camera of the Drone that was still floating around, recording me.

I must have fallen asleep so quickly that I didn’t even think about turning the Drone off.

[Did you sleep well?]

[You were sleeping so deeply.]

[You must have been tired.]

[Seeing you just waking up makes you seem more relatable somehow.]

[lol]

“My goodness, you were watching while I slept? What’s so interesting about that?”

The message window starts flooding with responses the moment I acknowledge the camera.

Judging by how quickly they’re responding, they must have been watching the broadcast the entire time I was asleep…

What’s so entertaining about watching me sleep? I really don’t understand.

Wouldn’t it be better to play games or watch movies during that time?

“…Well, I guess everyone has their reasons for watching.”

It’s a bit awkward, but there must be a reason for their behavior.

Maybe there’s nothing else worth watching during this time slot.

Or perhaps the people who were watching earlier went to bed, and now it’s viewers from the opposite side of the world waiting for me.

After all, this is a broadcast from the “future” that can’t be seen anywhere else,

so it’s not strange that many people would want to watch 24/7.

…Or maybe they just have an odd hobby of observing people while they sleep.

“Well. This makes me feel like a celebrity.”

Whatever the reason, reading the welcoming messages as soon as I woke up made me happy.

People expressing their excitement, hoping to see more fascinating and fun experiences like yesterday.

As much as I’d like to immediately leave the room and show them various things as they want…

“Sorry to those who’ve been waiting, but I need to turn off the Drone for a bit.”

There was something I needed to do first.

Before more people come to watch me, I need to fix my messy hair and clean up my disheveled appearance.

[?]

[Really?]

[Do you know how long I’ve been waiting!]

As I operated the Controller to land the hovering Drone on my lap, those who sensed the broadcast was about to end threw question mark-shaped anchors trying to stop me.

“…No matter what, showing myself bathing would be too embarrassing.”

Even though I’m easygoing enough not to mind showing my mummy-like appearance or sleeping face, I still have some minimum standards.

I want to communicate and share my life as much as possible, just as people want, but… shouldn’t I be guaranteed at least some privacy?

“I’ll turn it back on after I wash up and change clothes. Go have something to eat while you wait.”

Honestly, I’m pretty grimy, aren’t I? With those final words, I stopped the Drone.

I don’t know how it works, but the message window linked to the broadcast disappeared from my view as well.

“Hmm, come to think of it, if it’s a live broadcast, it’s more like a chat window.”

Before, I wasn’t sure if what the Drone recorded was transmitted in real-time or uploaded as videos after some delay.

So I thought the responses came with significant delays, messages sent after reviewing the footage.

Now that I know it’s a live broadcast, should I call them “chats” rather than “messages”?

…It might take quite some time to adjust, since I’ve thought of them as messages for so long.

Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter what I call them.

“If this thing tries to move on its own, please stop it.”

“Woof!”

I covered the Drone with a blanket after its night-long service, and also covered its lens with a cap just in case.

Sometimes it flies around on its own even when I haven’t turned it on.

If it happens this time, I’ve asked Puppy to stop it, so it should be fine.

Normally I would have asked Robot, but he’s been nowhere to be seen for a while.

Though the Robot thinks and acts independently, and has often wandered off on his own, it’s rare for him to leave without saying anything like this.

“He probably left to check on something?”

I felt empty without the Robot who was always by my side.

But I wasn’t too worried.

He’s a smart robot, even if he acts silly sometimes.

He wouldn’t do anything dangerous without a good reason. And there’s no need to in this situation.

If I wait, he’ll probably return soon, perfectly fine.

“…I was dirtier than I thought.”

The black knit I’d been wearing for so long and the skirt I had to wear because of my bandages.

After hanging all my clothes on the rack and looking at myself naked in the mirror… I saw what looked like a homeless person.

I couldn’t properly wash for a while after the last time I bathed on a clear day, so this was inevitable, but…

This is too much.

“It didn’t use to be this noticeable.”

Is it because my hair has grown longer? Or because I’ve lost weight?

Beyond just being dirty, I look pitiful.

Like a discarded doll with burst seams and missing stuffing, abandoned by a telephone pole on a rainy, deserted street.

If that’s the case, I guess I’m a doll with a burst leg?

“Well, I’d be a defective product anyway, with nothing but injuries.”

Anyway, I couldn’t stay like this.

I immediately grabbed the shower head and turned on the warm water.

Normally I shouldn’t wash so recklessly with the wounds still on my legs, but…

The doctor said it was okay to wash a bit as long as I didn’t completely submerge my legs in water.

If anything happens, I can always ask to have my bandages changed.

“Hmm, it seems too long.”

The warm water felt good against my skin, and I was washing thoroughly with various cleansing products I’d never used even as a child, shocked by how dirty I was.

Suddenly, I realized my hair had grown too long.

I didn’t notice when it was tucked inside my coat, but now that it was wet and clinging to my body, the length was beyond what I’d imagined.

Long enough to use as a scarf if I cut it off now.

“Now that it’s warm, maybe I should cut it?”

The only reason I let my hair grow was for warmth.

If I’m going to stay in a warm place like this, there’s no need to keep long hair.

Muttering that I’d have to think about it later, I roughly squeezed out the water and came out.

The reason I’m not deeply considering it right now is simple.

Because right now, I need to do something much more important than worrying about hair.

“Alright, with a refreshed body and mind!”

…Time to play games!

* * *

“So where did he go? I thought he’d be in the infirmary, but he’s not here either.”

I had planned to go straight to gaming after getting clean and changing into fresh clothes.

But I felt empty without my friend who was always by my side, so I’ve been wandering around aimlessly.

“I wonder if anyone knows…?”

[I just came back from eating and it’s really on!]

[Is he going to play games? Or watch another movie? When will he go to the library?]

[Are you talking about that robot?]

[Is this the future broadcast?]

[It seems more ordinary than I thought… what happened to his legs?]

[Wow, why are there so many chats?]

[All I know is that he left the room right before you woke up.]

“Ah. I appreciate everyone watching me, but please speak a little slower. My eyes are going to fall out.”

Dozens, hundreds of messages pass by in the blink of an eye.

Naturally, the content of each message is different.

I’m trying my best to focus and understand the meaning of the sentences, but even that is difficult.

I need to find a way to filter or divide the window into multiple sections as soon as possible.

“Anyway, you don’t know the details? Where did he really go?”

[Won’t he come back if you wait?]

“I tried waiting, but…”

The empty space keeps bothering me, making it difficult to just wait.

“…Maybe I should go outside.”

I’ve checked many places – the rooms we visited yesterday, the room full of exercise equipment, the planetarium, the electrical room marked “No Entry,” and the Phenomenon Fixation Device control room.

Despite checking so many places, my friend was nowhere to be found.

I even called out loudly in the hallway, but there was no answer, which makes me think he must have gone outside.

“…Why?”

Did he go out for a change of scenery?

A robot?

I said he’d be fine because he’s a smart robot, but by now I was getting a bit worried.

Even humans who seem to be living well can suddenly end their lives overnight.

I said he was fine, but after forcibly replacing parts like that, is he really okay?

What if there’s actually a major problem that he’s keeping secret?

My thoughts, which become particularly extreme when it comes to death, easily conjured images of the robot dying.

Before I knew it, I was moving my wheelchair toward the lobby, heading outside.

“Ah! Ms. Mori. You’re already up?”

“…Huh?”

—And just as I opened the lobby door to go outside, I came face to face with my friend who was leisurely trimming trees and grass.

He looked so peaceful that I felt foolish for having worried even for a moment.

…I should have just played games instead.

“What are you doing out here?”

“I was trying to bring Alexander to the lobby, but trees and bushes were blocking the way, so I’m clearing them.”

In the direction the Robot pointed, Alexander was stuck, unable to move because of trees and bushes.

“It didn’t seem right to leave him outside alone.”

“…You’re saying such human-like things.”

Is it because I’ve always treated Alexander as if he were alive?

I couldn’t help but smile at how he regarded Alexander as a real companion.

“Well, he is our comrade who went through hardships with us, so leaving just Alexander out here would be a bit harsh.”

“Right?”

I praised the Robot for his thoughtfulness while watching him work.

He was trimming bushes with garden shears from who knows where, and carefully moving trees by scooping soil with his large hands.

…Come to think of it, he said he was a city maintenance robot, right?

Watching him skillfully tending to the garden in the bright sunlight was somehow soothing.

I leaned back in my wheelchair and watched him for a while.

“Hmm. It’s going back even after this?”

But as soon as the Robot moved a tree…

It decomposed and scattered under the influence of the Phenomenon Fixation Devices set up throughout the garden, then returned to its original state.

The Robot scratched his head at the sight of everything returning to normal, then started repeating what he had done.

I smacked my forehead.

…So that’s why it was taking so long!