Ch.167167. Before Epilogue – Picked Up

It’s warm…

Even though I know nothing.

I’m disoriented, but it’s so warm and nice…

That cold plastic I picked up there…?

Plastic, it’s warmer than plastic.

It’s cozy.

A blanket heavily wrapping around my body, a blanket…?

Blanket…

That’s what it feels like.

My head hurts so much.

My head hurts so much.

When I opened my eyes, what I saw was.

White… hair.

A person, a person…?

“You’re awake?”

“…”

“Not talking… Well, I guess… for someone picked up from a place like that. You must still be in shock.”

“…?”

“Since the Boss brought you in, somehow we need to raise you… Hah. So, what’s your name?”

“…”

“…You don’t know your name?”

“…”

The white-haired person in front of me is pounding their chest.

Are they frustrated…?

Why…?

Did they eat something wrong…?

What did they eat wrong…?

If you eat something wrong… what should you do?

Should you spit it out…?

To spit it out… you need to press on the stomach.

Press on the stomach…?

“…! Ugh…!”

“Uh, yes…? Sud-suddenly…? If you move suddenly, you’ll get hur-?! Kyaah?! What are you doing?!”

Heimlich… something, whatever…

I can’t remember.

My head hurts too much.

Why do I remember something like this?

That doesn’t matter, I need to save this person first.

They’re different from those people who threw things at me and yelled.

They kept me warm and protected me.

It’s warm.

They gave me warmth.

So, I need to save them.

To save them, I need to remove what’s stuck.

I need to go behind them and thrust upward with all my strength…!

“W-wait! Stop, stop…! It tickles!”

The white-haired person is stopping me from going behind them to hug them.

The way they’re desperately laughing while stopping me is so strange.

Their strength… is stronger than mine…?

“Pfft… huff… pfuheng, s-stop! It tickles, it tickles… ugh… you’re a strange one too, huh?”

“…?”

“Right… I guess the Boss wouldn’t bring an ordinary human here. At least when they bring in raw material, it’s usually because they have some use…”

The white-haired person rambles on about things I don’t understand.

I’m not answering, just staring blankly.

“Hmm… but, you. Can you understand what I’m saying?”

They asked something.

To me.

Looking at me, with a questioning tone at the end.

But…

What did they ask…?

“Hah… really. You can’t understand language…? That can’t be. Did you really grow up in the forest…? Probably not. A strange one like this…? Naturally occurring? Ugh… with strength like that, you’re definitely a strange one. That’s not the grip strength of an ordinary human.”

What are they muttering about…?

“Anyway! Phew… just stay here for now. I’ll go ask the Boss and come back. Oh, don’t go anywhere strange. There are a lot of dangerous things here, you know?”

“…?”

“Ugh… how do I explain this to someone who doesn’t understand language…? Door! Don’t go out!”

With big gestures, they point to the part that leads outside, and cross their arms at me, shaking their head.

“No! Absolutely not! Okay? Big sister… big sister. Yes, you trust big sister, right?”

“…”

Because I don’t understand, I just stare with that kind of look.

“Ugh…! Alright! I’ll explain until you understand! I’ll even make you talk today! Ugh!”

“…?”

* * *

“So, what did big sister say?”

“…Door, don’t, go out. Stay.”

“That’s right. You stay here. Wait.”

“…Wait.”

“Good. Phew… how should I teach this… ah, books? W-wait a minute! I’ll bring some books? No, there should be a printer… ugh. There’s no internet here except the intranet… it’s super slow with all the bypasses… just wait a bit! I’ll bring some readable books by tomorrow!”

“…Books?”

“Yes. Books. You need to study!”

“…Stu-dy?”

When I make a face showing resistance, the white-haired woman.

The woman who called herself Ellis.

“…Do you know what studying is? No, how could you… Does the word ‘study’ naturally sound negative to everyone?”

“…Negative?”

“Bad. It sounds bad, I mean. Hmm… studying. It would be better to do it, right? After seeing nothing but skeleton-like things and gross monsters and men all day, someone cute like you comes to Eden. I’d like to be friends with you.”

“…Bad?”

“Hmm… I’ll bring books first. Stay here.”

“…Okay. Stay. Here.”

Ellis pats my head.

Pat…ting?

Patting.

This is patting.

I like patting.

Patting feels good…

“Hehe… you’re too cute, what should I do… really.”

“Hehe…”

“That’s good. I wish you could stay just like this. Really.”

“Mmm…”

The patting time was brief, and Ellis left the room.

…Something’s missing.

…

The warmth that was here until just now is gone…

…Lonely?

I’m lonely.

Being lonely…

Yes… I’m lonely…

Until Ellis returned, I stayed in the blanket for a long time, doing nothing.

Because it was the only warm thing.

Because it was the only warm thing in this lonely room.

Warm things…

Soft things…

Still, I’m cold…

Somehow, I’m cold…

It’s not that my body is cold…

I’m cold.

My heart, here, here is cold.

* * *

“Ellis!”

“Hi, did you wait well?”

“Hehe… Ellis…”

“Yes, yes. You stayed put nicely?”

“Ellis! Ellis! Elliiis!!”

“Hmm? Ah… sorry. I was later than expected, wasn’t I? That doctor… said he wanted to see you, so he asked me to wait until he finished his work. But don’t worry, I got books from him in return.”

“…Books? Debt…?”

“Hmm… you need to study, right?”

“…Study.”

“Yes. You need to study. But before that… we’re going to do something like a health check.”

“…Health check?”

“Checking whether you’re healthy or not… that kind of thing. We’ve decided to protect you, I heard. So to keep you from getting sick. You know?”

“…?”

“I mean. Hmm… you know what being sick is, right?”

“…Being sick, don’t like.”

“Right… we’re trying to find out if you have any sickness or not.”

“…?”

“Phew… Doctor. What are we going to do? I’m not sure if she’ll cooperate with the examination.”

“The machine does the examination. You know that.”

“What if she gets scared of the machine and won’t go in?”

“Then we’ll have to force her in.”

“To a child like this?”

“What choice do we have? It’s the Boss’s orders.”

“Hah… if that’s the case. We just need to do the examination and that’s it, right? Will you teach her?”

“Before that, she needs to meet the Boss.”

“Huh…? Why would the Boss want to see a child who can barely speak?”

“How would I know the Boss’s great intentions? I just follow them.”

“Hah… well, if the Boss says so… that must be right. That must be right…”

“Yes. We just need to follow.”

“Phew… alright… shall we go for the examination first?”

“…Will it hurt?”

“It won’t hurt at all. Just… a machine that makes loud noises…”

“There’s no noise at all, just guidance voice.”

“Aish, really.”

The white-haired Ellis gets angry at the person in the white coat.

“…?”

“Anyway. Just… lie down comfortably. They might touch your body a bit…”

“…Stay still…?”

“Yes. Oh, right… well. Yes. Just stay still. Can you stay still and behave?”

“Yes. Stay still…!”

White-haired Ellis pats my head.

This, I like…

Like like like like like like… hehe…

* * *

I feel bad.

I feel really bad.

I don’t like this.

I really don’t like it.

Cold things touch my body as they please.

I feel bad.

It doesn’t hurt.

You didn’t lie. Ellis.

You didn’t lie, but you made me feel bad.

Ellis, you’re bad.

“Hmm? Are you upset? Your lips are sticking out this much.”

“Hmph.”

“Come on… I told you it would be a bit like that. Right? We’re going to see the Boss now. Are you going to be like that?”

“…”

“Then… I’ll pat you, so will you stop being angry?”

Pat pat…?

Will you keep doing it?

I love pat pat, I really love it…!

“Your eyes are shining again. Okay, okay. I was wrong, so today I’ll do whatever you want all day.”

“Pat pat…!”

“Yes, yes. Pfft… you’re so simple. Is that what makes you cuter?”

“I love pat pat…! Love, love! Hehe…”

“Like a puppy… ah, so cute… oh.”

“It’s time.”

I don’t like that cold human.

I like Ellis.

She’s warm and nice.

I like warmth.

I like it…

Ellis said she’d pat me if I listen to her.

I listen to Ellis… follow her.

When I followed her.

Someone warmer than Ellis appeared.

Thewarmththatihitsmeassoonthedooropensissowarmifeellikeimightpassoutitsstrangelywarmandsowarmifeellikewantingtogetcloseitfeelssogoodiwanttobepattedalotpleasepetmepleasehugmepleasekeepmewarmplesseacceptmepleasesacceptmepleasesacceptmepleaseembracemepleasememememememememememememe…

“…Ellis, you’ve come.”

“Yes, Boss. This child.”

“Yes… how are the examination results?”

“If she regularly enters the ‘recovery machine’ in the lab, her condition can be ‘improved’ and ‘maintained.’ All results are normal.”

“Boss! This child doesn’t have a name. Could you possibly give her one? Since you took her in… could you give her a name…!”

“A name… is that alright.”

“Name, warm person… name given, good. Please, give name…”

“Huh…? You understand honorifics?”

“Honorifics…?”

“She’s so smart…! Quickly, Boss! Give her a name so she can be a great help to Eden! If you give her a name, I’ll take her right away and teach her, and make her work as much as one person, no, even more. So, please?”

“You’re excited, Ellis. A name… I will give her one.”

“Really? Thank you! Thank you!”

“Thank you…!”

“A name…”

Eyes like grapes.

They shine like amethyst.

And, small and cute.

Do you know.

Grape vines survive through their toughness and entanglement.

It reminds me of the grapevine that strives to bear its sweet fruit.

Little one, how cold were you in that forest?

I consider it a blessing that you can continue your tough life like a grapevine in that cold forest.

And, I deeply regret that our current society is too dull to take in such a pitiful child.

Vine. Yes, little grapevine (Vignette).

My precious Vine.

Alright, your name is.

Vine, that is your name.

* * *

“Vine!”

“What is it, Elli?”

“Your first mission is coming up soon, how do you feel?”

“Feel? Isn’t it obviously good? The Boss has given permission! I can finally be of help to the Boss! How happy I am… hehe…”

“Are you going to be able to sleep tonight?”

“Elli, help me.”

“Hmm? Well… sure! Want to sleep in my room tonight?”

“Yes! But, but I’m now a proper member too! D-don’t treat me like a little sister!”

“Heh? Then does our Vine not need my pats anymore? Is it okay if I don’t hug you?”

“Th-that’s…!”

“Pfft… let’s go quickly.”

“Elli!”