Ch.124The End. Farewell.

No one spoke aloud about the approaching farewell.

There was no need to say it because everyone already knew.

Messages are delayed, and words that should be conveyed scatter in fragments.

The cracks that formed have deepened with time, making proper communication impossible now.

“How much time do we have left?”

I muttered in a small voice amid time that was melting, crumbling, and eventually disappearing. No answer came.

The two realities that had been firmly fixed were beginning to distort.

It was proof that our reality had moved toward different paths, beyond what the fixation device could hold together.

I wished I could stop here.

Even if all I could see were messages in rigid fonts.

Because each moment of seeing what I saw together, of chattering together, was incredibly precious to me.

If I let go now, maybe we could stay together a little longer.

That voice came to me several times a day.

But.

Because of that.

Because those people were so precious.

I couldn’t stop here.

The reason I was still alive when I should have perished and become one with the world long ago.

It was because there were people who gave me hope and purpose in life.

So.

For those precious ones who gave me a reason to live in this world.

For those who created time for me to become a better version of myself.

I had to deliver a future without the countless deaths, hunger, and anxiety about the future that I had experienced.

So I firmly believed that everything I did wasn’t hastening our lonely farewell.

It was delivering happiness, and until the final moment, I conveyed everything I had learned here.

The properties of matter and the secrets of time.

The vast flow of the universe and how to guide what we call “coincidence.”

I refined humanity’s knowledge and time—which couldn’t continue due to unfortunate accidents and insufficient time—here where the concept of time was lost.

And I passed it on to those who would live a brilliant future for countless generations.

“This is the last one. I’ve done all I can, and I’ve conveyed everything I could. The rest… is up to you now.”

And finally, at the moment when I had conveyed all meaningful knowledge from this place.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM——

“—What?!”

As if it had fulfilled its role, Paradise began to collapse.

CRACK! Starting with a sharp tearing sound like metal screaming echoing through the space, grinding noises like misaligned gears came from all directions.

Something collapsed, and thunderous sounds erupted as metal plates and various objects collided in succession.

It wasn’t difficult to know where all this had started.

“Mori?!”

“I’m fine, first check the fixation device— Aah!”

I was clearly sitting still in my chair, but I felt strong inertia as if I had been running at high speed and suddenly stopped.

Following the thunderous noise, a violent tremor caused books to pour from the shelves. The Drone on its stand toppled over, and the message window that was always visible collapsed like fragments and disappeared.

I wanted to check what was happening, but the violent tremors brought back memories of being trapped under debris, making it impossible for me to walk.

It was a story from long ago, but I resented my stiffened legs for holding me back at such a crucial moment.

“Get under the desk. Quickly!”

“I told you I’m fine, check the device first…!”

If this had been my room or the dining hall, the impact of the shaking would have been less. But I was in the library, and countless books were still falling behind me. If the tremors grew stronger, that huge bookshelf might collapse on me.

“You know it’s already over, Mori!”

“But…!”

Saying he couldn’t leave me alone, the Robot forcibly pushed me under the desk. This wasn’t the time, but was it really over? I needed to confirm if we had to part like this. My thoughts raced with the sudden change.

THUD—

That’s when it happened. Something fell where I had been standing. The model spinning endlessly within a rectangular translucent frame was definitely something I had created.

“…I guess you’re right. It really is over.”

The fallen model soon turned to dust and scattered.

I tried to create something to support the bookshelves or desk, just in case, but no matter how hard I concentrated, nothing materialized. Clearly, there were problems with the various systems maintaining Paradise.

“…Is time angry that we’ve been holding it back?”

“Maybe. But right now, let’s focus on survival rather than complicated thoughts.”

“…I don’t know.”

Even after getting under the desk, the vibrations continued for a long time.

Everything was collapsing, breaking, and disappearing.

I hadn’t even said a proper goodbye yet.

I hadn’t heard them say they were happy because of me.

I didn’t want to face the reality that was approaching so suddenly and vividly, so I curled up, covered my ears, and closed my eyes.

“…”

And when it was all over.

As the Robot had said, everything had ended.

People often say.

If humans strive endlessly, there’s nothing they can’t achieve. No matter how difficult things are, if you struggle enough, everyone can be saved.

But the world is so complex and difficult that sometimes, that’s not always the case.

“Sigh… it’s cold. I should put on the clothes I used to wear. Where did I put them?”

“I’ll get them for you. Rest here for a moment.”

“No, let’s go together. I hate being alone more.”

As expected, the Time Fixation Device was shattered beyond recognition.

And it seemed that the vibrations caused by the unraveling of tightly woven time had created problems with other devices as well.

The corridors that had always been brightly lit were now dimly illuminated with minimal lighting. The temperature had dropped, making it as cold as winter.

The same was true for the Cradle, where an unidentifiable sticky liquid was flowing from the place where those who had fled to an eternal paradise to escape pain were sleeping.

If I hadn’t come here, they could have lived longer. Although they had already lost most of their sense of self and felt no pain, I couldn’t help but feel guilty and look away.

“…I’m glad at least you’re okay.”

“Squeak…”

When the Robot forcibly opened the door to my room, we saw the Puppy huddled and trembling in the room, which was a mess with the ceiling collapsed. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be injured.

I hugged the trembling Puppy to calm it down and began putting on the clothes the Robot handed me. Baggy pants, a thick knit sweater, and a long coat. Though it had been a while, the familiar clothes made everything that had happened here feel like a long dream.

“I guess I don’t need these things anymore. I don’t know why I kept them until now.”

The bag I received along with the clothes still contained items I used when traveling around the world.

Small items like rope, canned food, and a torch. Grumbling about why I hadn’t taken them out earlier when there was nowhere to go, I put down the miscellaneous luggage and packed only what I needed.

“…Alright. Let’s go now.”

With a much lighter bag on my back and the Drone that could no longer fly tucked under my arm, I left the room and began walking slowly down the corridor. To say goodbye to everything I had encountered in this passing life.

“Welcome. What kind of meal would you like?”

“You still say the same thing even in this situation.”

The kitchen was first. The Robot, who was organizing the overturned tables and chairs, greeted me as usual.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll be coming here to eat anymore. And probably not after I’m gone either.”

Once, I had promised my friends that when the day came for me to leave this world first, they would make sure I wasn’t lonely.

Although I hadn’t had affectionate conversations or emotional exchanges with the Robot like with my dearest friend and the Puppy, as it was a robot that only repeated its assigned tasks, I had grown somewhat attached to it after relying on it for so long.

So I held the Robot to prevent it from falling and turned off its power.

Even though most of the power had been cut off except for the backup power, and the Robot would soon run out of battery and fall asleep anyway.

I thought it was better than repeating meaningless actions in the flow of time and suddenly collapsing.

I carefully laid it on the floor, believing that would be better for the Robot too.

“Ah. Welcome. You show up now when you never appeared when I called for you.”

Next, I visited the Doctor Robot who had worried about my health along with my friend.

Despite knowing this was the last time, the Robot, who was nagging as usual, was trapped under a collapsed medicine shelf.

“…I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? This is just a simple disaster and has nothing to do with you, patient. Don’t make that face. It’s not good for your health.”

“I’m asking this only now, but what exactly is good for health?”

“What else? Smiling brightly, living an active life… Well, more importantly, it’s the environment. Just for today, I won’t nag you.”

“Honestly, there were many difficult days because of you… but thank you. Really.”

“Haha. It’s hard to hear a word of thanks. You too… have been…”

“You’ve been through a lot.” As those words scattered into the air, the Robot stopped functioning. And I wasn’t the one who stopped it.

“…Mori. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Perhaps because it was the Robot I had interacted with most closely after my friends, the emotional impact was significant. It was even difficult to suppress the tears that welled up to my throat.

After that, I said goodbye to various robots, big and small, that I had met while staying here.

Feeling somewhat sad, I looked around all the spaces where I had stayed one last time and then came out to the ruined garden.

“Let’s go now.”

“Be careful going up.”

“You be careful too. Hold the Puppy well.”

I began climbing the ladder, the only thing in this Paradise that looked rusty while everything else seemed new.

“It’s no different from the outside here.”

The rooftop, which I reached after climbing the ladder for quite some time, was covered in snow, perhaps because it was beyond the range of the temperature maintenance system.

I moved away from the ladder and walked aimlessly forward in this empty place.

The full moon looked down on me, who was now just alive without any purpose or anything else.

“When was it? I feel like I’ve been in this situation before.”

“When we stopped by the village below, on the church rooftop.”

“Ah. Right. That happened too.”

“I had such a hard time stopping you when you were drunk then.”

“You’re still holding onto that? Is it because you’re a robot?”

“I would have remembered even if I wasn’t a robot.”

“Woof!”

“See? Even this one remembers.”

“Well, this one is also a robot.”

Walking aimlessly in a place where there’s nothing to see around or above, chatting with my friends. My body was shivering from the outside cold I hadn’t felt in a long time, but this situation wasn’t all bad.

“Well then… I should say goodbye to them too, finally.”

After walking for quite some time, I suddenly stopped, held up the Drone high, and faced its camera.

Although the Drone could no longer fly, it was still powered on. There was no way to know if the camera was working since messages were no longer visible, or if it was connected to those people even if it was working.

But for some reason, as I stared at the lens, I felt as if countless people were watching me at this very moment.

“If you’re watching, there are probably more people watching me than usual.”

Hundreds of millions? Billions? Maybe over ten billion people might be watching me for the last time. The thought made me feel quite good. Under the beautifully risen moon, with countless people watching me, it’s the best situation for saying goodbye.

“Everyone, good evening. Come to think of it, it’s been a really long time since I greeted like this. After I holed up in the library, I lived for a while without properly greeting anyone. I guess there was no need for such greetings when everyone knew what I would do at similar times every day.”

As my emotions dulled and I began to doubt my actions, I couldn’t talk to the camera for long. But whether it was because of the situation that might be the last, or because of the familiar clothes and scenery, words flowed smoothly as if I had returned to the beginning.

“You’ve all been through a lot. I merely reorganized what was already organized and filled in the gaps, but for you, each piece must have been world-shaking. Well, if I had to pick the person who struggled the most, it would still be me.”

No messages come back no matter how much I talk. But not being able to see reactions to my words also means I can say everything I want to say without worrying about others’ gazes or reactions.

“I’m saying this now, but I think the people who couldn’t adapt to the changing world and cursed me were a bit too harsh. Everyone knew what kind of world I was living in.”

Honest words toward those who blamed me for making the world complex, difficult, and confusing.

“Of course, people who struggled to keep up with the rapidly changing world and couldn’t easily get along with others might have envied my situation. But not wanting to meet anyone and actually having no one around feel different.”

Words I wanted to say to those who seemed to purely envy my situation.

“By the way, do you remember what I asked before? I asked you to create a book in my name in your world when I became wise enough. I think at least the formula I discovered at the very end deserves to have my name attached to it… I know it’s greedy, but couldn’t you do that much, like giving a gift to a departing friend?”

Whether the broadcast was actually connected or not, since this was the last broadcast, I talked for a long time, making somewhat forceful requests. Until the moon, which had just begun to rise, reached its zenith.

“…Sigh. I think I’ve said almost everything I wanted to say.”

Emotions, memories, reminiscences, regrets—I’ve said everything that came to mind.

It’s still disappointing not to see reactions, but if I were to see reactions now, I might get emotional. This is just right.

“It’s a shame I can’t directly see you living in a wonderful future unlike me. But you’re not fools, so I’m sure you’ll live well?”

Saying that just imagining it makes me happy, I smiled for the first time in a long time and stood up.

“I don’t think we’ll see each other again, so I’ll say goodbye in advance.”

I asked the Robot to hold the Drone, walked back a few steps, and gave an exaggerated farewell.

“Good night. Good morning. Have a good evening.”

With those words, I turned off the Drone’s power.

I tried to turn it back on just in case, but the Drone didn’t light up.

Then were my words properly conveyed?

Hoping they were, I threw myself into the accumulated snow. The sky I looked up at was full of stars.

“This is the most beautiful sky I’ve ever seen. It’s a wonderful day. My friends will now live happily in a changed world, and I’ve successfully completed what I set out to do.”

“Mori.”

“Yes, don’t you think so too?”

“Since it’s the last time. You don’t have to pretend to be okay.”

“…”

“I saw you put some alcohol in your bag earlier. Would you like some?”

“…Yes.”

“You’ve been through a lot. Really.”

I put the alcohol the Robot handed me in my mouth. The taste was still terrible. My throat instantly became so hot it hurt.

Maybe that’s why tears kept flowing from my eyes.

“With this, it’s done, right? This was the best I could do, right?”

My body and heart ached. It was painfully difficult. I wanted to give up so many times.

No matter how much I learned, there was always more to learn, and just following the written text felt suffocating, like I would die.

But I couldn’t stop because there were far more people supporting and expecting things from me than those who criticized me.

After running like crazy, I now had fears about things I couldn’t confirm.

After all this effort, what if those people end up experiencing something similar to what I did?

What if these future technologies cause people to fight and quarrel, leading to an earlier extinction?

That’s just one of the future possibilities I can’t confirm, and when you think about it, it’s not my fault.

But the thought that after all this effort, the results might not be entirely good kept me up at night for days on end.

Being immersed in such thoughts all day, it was natural to wonder if things would have been different if I had been a little wiser and could have refined and delivered only the necessary knowledge, or if I had been more eloquent and could have left wonderful words to prevent people from fighting.

The reason I pretended to be okay, maintaining an expressionless face despite the compulsion that was suffocating me, was because I was afraid my anxiety would negatively affect those who should live in a bright future. And also because I was afraid I would collapse due to my negative emotions.

And now that everything is over, as the Robot said, there’s no need to hide my anxiety and sadness anymore.

“…Hic, sob.”

Many emotions that I had somehow suppressed until now burst forth. The tears wouldn’t stop. This was only the second time I had cried so severely since I first fell into this world.

The difference was that unlike then, when I cried because the future life seemed bleak, now I was crying with everything finished and feeling relieved.

After crying for a long time and clearing my head by pouring out my emotions, I thought while buried in the snow.

“…Where does happiness come from?”

Life is always painful.

It’s a long process of struggling with all your might to chase the fleeting happiness that comes amid constant pain.

If that’s the case, if the essence of life is to chase happiness due to deficiency.

Now, like this, when I’ve accomplished everything I could and wanted to do—when I no longer desire anything from this life—can I call this a state of happiness?

“—Then can I say I’ve lived a relatively happy life?”

There are as many regrets as the snow piled up here.

I still regret that if I had moved a little faster, if I had made better choices among the various options given, I could have accomplished more and provided a better future.

But within the given path, I did my best. And I have no regrets for having done my best.

Even if this world and all the universes this star belongs to disappear someday, and even if this moment repeats after infinite time passes, I would have made the same choices.

Thinking like that, I can say my life was invaluably worthwhile.

Even if others don’t think so, if I, living my one and only life, am satisfied, that’s enough.

“You know. Thank you for everything until now. Both of you.”

“That’s what I should be saying. I, who should have quietly disappeared in that city, was able to see and feel many things coming all the way here because of you, Mori.”

“Woof!”

“…Yes. That’s right, that’s enough. If we were all happy, that’s enough. Sleep well, everyone. Sweet dreams.”

“If the day comes when we open our eyes again, I hope to see you under a clear sky, Mori.”

“Me too.”

Day was breaking.

With even the Robot and Puppy fallen into deep sleep now.

The world, where truly only I remained, was incredibly quiet.

It would never become noisy again.

“…It really feels like I’ve had a long dream.”

If there really is a heaven, or a next life, I hope I can meet everyone then…

The medicine I got from the Robot in the Underground City was terribly bitter.

The metal rod in my mouth was so cold.

But, I wasn’t afraid.