Ch.116116. Game.

“Ah, I’m so glad you came, Mori. I would’ve been stuck like this forever.”

“Idiot, you should’ve called me from the beginning.”

“I didn’t want to wake you when you were sleeping so peacefully.”

In the end, we had to temporarily deactivate the nearby Phenomenon Fixation Device before Alexander could enter the lobby.

“You must have known from the start that the device would prevent this.”

“I didn’t realize the restrictions would be this severe.”

“If you’d tried a few times, you would’ve figured it out right away. Why didn’t you think to turn it off?”

“We’re programmed to be unable to do anything in front of devices belonging to higher tiers than ourselves.”

I sighed at the Robot’s explanation that it didn’t even dare approach the device.

“Then you should have given up and come to get me. What would you have done if I hadn’t come because I was playing games?”

“Well, I thought I might find a compromise and manage on my own! If it seemed completely hopeless, wouldn’t I have done that? Thankfully, you came looking for me before that point.”

“You’re good with words.”

If it were me, I would have immediately looked for another solution after the first attempt.

Seeing how the Robot repeated the same actions despite knowing about the Phenomenon Fixation Device, I guess robots will be robots after all.

…Or not?

Maybe it’s just stubborn?

I laughed to myself, thinking the Robot’s behavior was actually kind of cute, even though I was regretting having praised it for being smart when it was acting so foolishly.

“It feels really awkward having this here.”

I looked up at Alexander, now inside the lobby.

An old Snowmobile sitting in the middle of the grand, spacious lobby.

The lobby was so vast that having one Snowmobile parked there didn’t cause any space issues.

But weathered Alexander stood out dramatically against the near-perfect surroundings.

“Looking at it now, Alexander has changed a lot too. When we first met, it was shiny and impressive.”

The factory in the middle of the Snowfield.

When I first met Alexander after climbing up the complex rails, it was so cool that I nearly fell in love with it.

But after all the driving, wandering, and more driving…

Worn down, battered, and broken, that original appearance was long gone.

The paint had peeled off the body, which was covered in scars. The cargo compartment was dented, and the driver’s seat—once small but warm—had been stripped of everything except the steering wheel.

“It couldn’t be helped without proper maintenance all this time.”

“I thought only you and I had changed significantly until now.”

The Robot with construction robot arms forcibly attached to its side, looking ridiculous.

Me, confined to a wheelchair to the point where talking hurt more than my legs.

Alexander, with its driver’s seat and body—what could be considered its head and torso—damaged.

Somehow the Puppy was the only one unscathed.

Or should I be grateful that at least the Puppy was safe?

“Kwuing.”

“Huh?”

Did it feel left out for being the only one intact?

When the Puppy suddenly started scratching at my wheelchair, I picked it up, and it immediately showed me its paw.

Looking closely, I could see a tiny scratch I hadn’t noticed before.

…This little rascal isn’t making fun of us, is it?

“Even if my legs heal, I won’t be able to ride it anymore like this.”

I put the cheeky Puppy back on the floor and gently touched the driver’s seat that was barely more than a frame, muttering quietly.

“Well, it’s a miracle we made it this far at all.”

Even if the driver’s seat had been intact, the engine was already at its limit.

Just like our food, the fuel had run out too, so no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t have gone much further anyway.

“…It feels strange. We always traveled together.”

Now it can neither run, nor does it need to run anymore.

If an object’s existence is tied to its purpose and value…

This place, where our long journey ended, was both Alexander’s final destination and its grave.

Though not as emotionally connected as friends or the Puppy…

Parting with a long-time companion was still sad.

“—Should we decorate it later?”

“…Decorate?”

“It completed its mission splendidly, so we could dress it up as a way of honoring it!”

Did the Robot notice the blue tinge in my thoughts? It started saying something completely out of the blue.

“Pfft, what’s that about?”

“Wouldn’t it be cool to put up a sign saying something like ‘The Greatest Vehicle on Earth That Carried the Last Human’?”

…The greatest vehicle on earth, huh?

I couldn’t help but laugh as I imagined Alexander decorated grandly with such a sign in front of it.

It was a bit childish, but I had to admit it suited my taste.

“Yeah. That’s not bad.”

It’s inevitable to feel sad about parting, but at least it’s not the worst kind of farewell.

So I smile.

So that the time we spent together remains a good memory for both of us.

I’ll probably stop by occasionally to see how it’s doing.

But I bid farewell to a partner with whom I would no longer journey.

You did well.

[Wait, is that the JelX series?! They made that many?!]

[Thanks for giving me a reason to live longer.]

[I can’t die until I’ve tried them all! …So when exactly are they being released?]

“Ugh, so noisy.”

After saying goodbye to Alexander, I entered the game room to ease my melancholy mood, only to be bombarded with message notifications.

Even though there was no TTS reading them aloud, the messages were so passionate that I wanted to cover my ears. It seemed everyone was just as serious about games as I was.

“Really, aren’t you all a bit too excited?”

[How can we not be excited!]

[When is that being released? Can you check for us?]

[Does anything even slightly famous get preserved here? Or is there a specific standard?]

[But isn’t this a big problem from the company’s perspective?]

[Just try playing any game! I’m curious what it feels like!]

The good thing was that since everyone was focused on the same topic—games—I could understand the content even as messages scrolled by quickly.

In this moment, couldn’t we say everyone was united in heart and mind, transcending time and borders?

“Actually, I’m just like you all. My heart’s been pounding since the moment I walked in here.”

Just as the room where we watched movies had preserved most famous visual media,

this place was filled with games that no gaming enthusiast could fail to recognize.

From masterpieces that dominated their era to series that had been loved for centuries.

Anyone with even a slight interest in games would be excited by this sight.

A single case on the shelf and a poster on the wall.

Every time the camera captured these items, people reacted emotionally, and a smile bloomed on my face too.

“Wow, I used to play this all the time when I was young.”

Of course, there were games from series I enjoyed in my childhood.

I don’t know if the world ended shortly after I fell asleep, or if the game company went bankrupt.

The game pack I recognized was at the end of a shelf collecting the series.

[So there are over 100 titles just in this one series? Good grief.]

[The game released last year was so fun, I wonder how much more innovative and enjoyable those would be. I wish I could play them…]

[The difference between the games we know and these is so vast it’s just laughable.]

[I’m more amazed that the company didn’t go bankrupt for hundreds of years.]

Is it because it’s such a traditional series?

I was slightly surprised by the atmosphere suggesting people knew which game I had picked up, even though I’d only shown the title.

“Since the machine is right here, should I show you curious folks a little bit?”

[It’s not that you want to play it yourself?]

[Just looking at your expression, it seems like you’re the one who wants to play.]

[You’re just showing off.]

[I’m so jealous….]

“…You’re all quite perceptive.”

A flower blooming in winter stands out much more than one blooming in spring.

Apparently, my face was like that too.

With the corners of my mouth and my voice unusually elevated, I awkwardly smiled and admitted after having all my thoughts read.

“You’re right. I’m the one who wants to play.”

In days when the only things I could do when bored were solitary contemplation or throwing stones as far as possible.

And now, right before my eyes, appeared games that were both nostalgic and beloved.

Who could possibly refuse?

“But I wonder if I should show this to you—?”

Instead of simply admitting it, I decided to be a little mischievous.

It seemed absurd that they would envy me just for games, knowing how I had lived.

I understand their desire to play, but they shouldn’t say such things while living in a world so lively they don’t need games.

“For ordinary people like you and me, all of this might just be fun and interesting, but from the perspective of the company that made—or will have to make—these games, wouldn’t this be a disaster?”

Besides, as some people had been pointing out since earlier.

Because I was showing future games, companies that were supposed to be developing these games could suffer significant damage.

What if someone watched me playing and then developed and patented the settings, systems, gimmicks, or device features that appeared in the game first?

Of course, even without laws, there’s such a thing as ethics, so not many people would be brave enough to blatantly copy.

But this kind of exposure would inevitably be an emergency from a company’s perspective.

They would worry about invisible competitors stealing technology and games that should have been theirs.

And the expectations of people waiting for upcoming games would rise accordingly.

“Hahaha. Everyone got angry the moment I said I wouldn’t show you. Alright, alright.”

In the end, I decided to just show it anyway.

By that logic, I shouldn’t have shown any of the numerous machines and devices I’d displayed so far.

Even if games that should have been released don’t come out because of me, and different games are released instead.

…It’s all unrelated to me anyway.

It’s better to enjoy things while you can.

After that, I enjoyed various games using different devices.

I became a traveler running freely across vast plains that couldn’t be seen in reality.

I became a detective solving various cases in a bustling city.

I became a scholar venturing into space to record the characteristics of mysteriously shaped alien creatures.

I even became a soccer player performing in the middle of a stadium watched by countless people.

Each game was realistic as if reality had been brought into it, with excellent immersion that made them truly enjoyable.

I was so immersed that when I took off the helmet to look for the next game, I still thought I was a soccer player and tried to walk on my own feet like in the game, only to scream “Ack—” and collapse.

Perhaps the Cradle was made based on games like these.

“…Hmm. What should I try next?”

But something was strange. The more games I played, the more my interest oddly diminished. I couldn’t concentrate.

They say it’s natural to get tired of even the most fun games when repeated.

But it had only been about half a day? There must be hundreds or thousands more games I hadn’t tried yet?

“…Maybe I’ll stop playing games here.”

Come to think of it, I always dreamed while playing games.

Not grand dreams like becoming a great hero to defeat the demon lord.

But dreams like wanting to travel around a wonderful world like this and make friends with many people.

The kind of ordinary dream that any boy who had to stay cooped up in his room might have.

But now I know. No matter how many people I meet or beautiful scenery I see, none of it will ever happen to me in reality.

Rather, the more I see such things in games, the greater the gap between reality and games becomes.

I couldn’t simply enjoy games anymore.

“Let’s stop for today.”

So I decided to quit. It was also time to eat and receive treatment.

I didn’t think I could enjoy playing any more anyway.

“Now that I roughly know what rooms there are and I’ve played enough, I should go to the library.”

Besides, I had a task I needed to do that had been requested of me.

As something only I could do, I needed to be more focused on reality than anyone else.

After filling my stomach, I returned to the library and looked around.

A universe of knowledge where physical books and information existing only as data floated like stars.

In one corner of the room, there was an incongruously antique desk with what looked like a docking station for the Drone.

Was I supposed to sit there and study together with it?

“I’ve never been very interested in studying since I was young. This is going to be tough.”

It was a world where I didn’t need to go to school. I wasn’t in any condition to attend school either.

All I had learned in my life was really basic knowledge and shallow information I’d picked up from videos I watched when bored.

Muttering that I hoped it would be easy enough for a layperson to understand, I pulled out a book.

[Theoretical Framework for Cross-Reality Synchronization in Quantum Chrono-Locking Systems]

“…What on earth does this mean?”

The moment I read the title, I felt a headache coming on.

Theoretical framework for cross-reality synchronization in quantum time-locking systems?

The problem wasn’t the content—I couldn’t even understand the words in the title.

“Surely not all the books here are like this?”

Novels, poems, and other literary books were recorded in the museum.

That meant the books here were likely to be theoretical academic works.

I looked around the room.

Endlessly long and tall bookshelves stretched out, so high that there were ladder mechanisms to climb up and down them.

…When am I ever going to read all of this?