Ch.17Science Non-Fiction! (4)

#017

“Is today Judy’s day off?”

Dexter, who wasn’t usually one to keep track of others’ days off, pondered for a moment before deciding it would be faster to just check the message.

-Did any other guards contact you today by any chance?

Judy’s message was the first contact he’d received today.

>Mr. Goswell was the first.

Judy replied immediately to Dexter’s response.

-Really? I heard the warden might be having an office party with some of the guards soon.

Office party.

A gathering where team members build relationships while eating together—in other words, a company dinner.

He’d thought they might have one eventually, but to think it would be with the warden, the highest-ranking person in the prison.

>Ugh, that’s a bit… Will you go if you’re invited?

-It’s not like I can refuse even if I’m invited. 🙁

True, it wouldn’t be easy for a newcomer to decline.

>That’s a good point. Anyway, thanks for letting me know. Rest well.

-You rest well too! 🙂

“An office party, huh.”

Dexter had assumed it would just be gathering briefly during lunch to eat together.

Unlike typical office workers, prison guards who work 12-hour shifts starting early in the morning would be quite tired if they had to gather in the evening.

‘But why the sudden invitation?’

Dexter recalled Warden Robert, whom he’d only seen in photos.

When he searched online for Robert Branson, the prison warden and CEO of P&J Secure, he appeared to be quite handsome.

He seemed like someone who would have been popular in his youth, and certainly remained popular now.

‘I heard his wife is over 20 years younger than him.’

He briefly thought of the warden’s wife, who was reportedly a former model from Northern Europe.

She wasn’t Dexter’s type, it seemed.

Robert’s brightly shining wavy blonde hair was styled in a somewhat long fashion, reminiscent of 80s movie protagonists that Dexter occasionally watched as a student.

‘He looked very cheerful, but I’ll have to see whether that’s just on the surface or if his inside matches his outside.’

From what Dexter had heard from guards and administrative staff, Robert was known for his eccentric behavior.

‘When I asked what kind of eccentricity they meant, they said what kind of person abandons a perfectly good company to run a prison?’

Well, that is eccentric in its own way.

‘Universe X is such a successful company, yet he abandoned it to suddenly run a prison. He’s certainly a puzzling character.’

Dexter was also curious about what connection Robert and OSA had, given that his company was on the list of businesses supporting aliens.

‘I should casually ask about it later, or maybe ask OSA directly.’

Dexter checked Judy’s message once more as he headed home.

“…Ugh, the smell of alcohol.”

Even when he wanted to get a bit drunk, the nanobots would eventually expel the alcohol from his body, so there was no helping it.

After showering again, Dexter briefly looked at the scenery outside before sitting back down on the sofa.

“…”

There was nothing to do.

“Am I really supposed to live like this? Just sitting around on my days off.”

It wasn’t that he had absolutely nothing he wanted to do, but he lacked motivation.

As Dexter racked his brain trying to figure out what to do, his eyes drifted toward the refrigerator.

‘Do I have any food at home?’

When he opened the refrigerator, he saw its meager contents.

“Beer, juice, water, sauce and… nothing to eat.”

‘Maybe I should go to the supermarket?’

It would take Dexter some time to make a trip to the supermarket.

To get from Honeygood Springs to the large supermarket in the Las Vegas suburbs, he’d have to pass by the prison and drive for quite a while.

‘About 30 minutes or so.’

He usually went after work, but yesterday he had forgotten and gone straight home, so he’d missed his chance to shop.

‘I could do some grocery shopping and then take a look around Las Vegas before coming back?’

Dexter thought it was a bit of a problem to be idling around with nothing to do when he was in Las Vegas, America’s biggest casino city with plenty of entertainment options.

‘At my prime age, shouldn’t I be going out and having fun?’

He worried that living like this, he might never properly meet a woman and end up dying alone.

‘What’s wrong with me? Burnout syndrome or something?’

After living an extraordinary daily life, he had escaped to Earth because he was tired of that routine, so it did seem like burnout syndrome.

Shaking his head, Dexter went outside and drove his pickup truck toward the supermarket.

As he drove down the straight Highway 95, Dexter found it fascinating that the Nevada desert was nothing but dirt and sand, except for the occasional plants and trees.

“Who would have thought a gambling city would emerge in the middle of this wasteland?”

Of course, Honeygood Springs got its name from the fact that Native Americans, also called American Indians, kept bees there.

This meant that Las Vegas was originally an area where some people lived.

But the fact that about 600,000 people now live in this wasteland, rather than just a few small villages, would be amazing to anyone.

“Seeing this, maybe a gambling city will appear on Mars someday too.”

That’s still a distant prospect.

It will take a lot more time before Earth people can migrate to Mars.

As Dexter passed through the wasteland area, buildings began to appear sporadically.

Passing by a golf course full of lush green grass despite being in the middle of a desert, Dexter arrived at the large supermarket he was looking for.

There were surprisingly many people despite it being a weekday morning.

“Things I need to buy: spaghetti noodles and… what else was it?”

One reason Dexter liked large supermarkets was that there was so much to look at.

‘It has a completely different flavor from space.’

Just as there are people on Earth who sell things from the back of their trucks, there are also people who sell convenience store-level goods from small spaceships.

In the case of mile-long spaceships, there are also massive logistics companies where crew members live and work.

These spaceships either supply passing large spaceships or stay on planets for long periods to provide necessary goods.

There are even entire planets that function as department stores.

They don’t just cater to the planet’s residents but to travelers from across the universe.

Some places require you to take a plane just to see different sections.

‘When an old man who came to that planet at age 20 said he hadn’t seen all the sections even as he approached 80, that says it all.’

Dexter thought this while looking at a can of tomatoes with an old man pictured on it.

But now, he appreciated this ordinary daily life.

‘Walking around slowly and looking at things like this isn’t so bad.’

After spending a long time in space, one quickly gets tired of big, flashy, impressive things.

Even beautiful natural scenery becomes boring after a week, and no matter how delicious food is, eating it every day makes you not want to see it for a while—that’s human psychology.

‘Ordinary is the best.’

That’s why Dexter had come to Earth.

As he wandered around the supermarket, he spotted a familiar figure from behind.

“Dad! Can’t I just get this one thing?”

“No.”

Chief Guard Raymond and a little girl not even half his height were clinging to him, pointing at cereal.

“Awww. Why not?”

“What did Daddy say this morning?”

“No sugary cereal… but Sugar Bombs are so tasty!”

“Sugar Bombs are especially not allowed.”

“Awwww!”

“Acting cute won’t work either.”

‘So he has a daughter.’

A smiling Black woman and a middle school-aged boy absorbed in his phone screen were following behind Raymond.

“Didn’t Mom tell you? That strategy doesn’t work on Dad.”

Hearing his wife’s words, Raymond turned his head with an exaggerated gesture.

“What? Strategy? Where did our daughter learn such naughty things?”

Raymond pretended to be angry, putting his hands on his hips.

“Aww. Mom! I told you not to tell him!”

Raymond’s daughter immediately looked like she was about to cry.

Seeing Raymond bickering with his young daughter, Dexter couldn’t help but smile.

“Like something out of a dream family.”

Just as Dexter was watching them fondly, Raymond’s head suddenly turned in his direction.

“…!”

Dexter quickly turned away and quietly headed to another aisle.

Raymond was looking around, trying to find whoever had been watching him.

“Honey, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“No, I just thought I saw someone I know… Maybe I was mistaken.”

Dexter sighed in relief as he saw Raymond turn his attention elsewhere and head to another aisle with his family.

‘Phew. But why did I hide?’

Dexter had no reason to hide, yet he did.

‘I could have just greeted him normally, why did I do that?’

As Dexter was scratching the back of his head, someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You…”

“Huh.”

That familiar cave-like voice.

As Dexter slowly turned around, there was Raymond looking at him.

“Why did you run away?”

Dexter fumbled and said:

“No, I, well. I thought you might be embarrassed?”

“Why would spending time with my family be embarrassing?”

When Raymond spoke in a serious voice, Dexter pondered his words for a moment.

“No, that’s not what I meant. Um, how should I put it. You’re always so stern and serious at work, and then seeing you talking with your daughter, it just felt…”

‘Something, something like that. It’s hard to describe this feeling.’

Raymond listened quietly to Dexter’s words, then seemed to realize something.

“Ah, I think I understand what you’re saying. But I can’t always be serious with my family.”

Seeing Raymond’s lips curl up ever so slightly as he thought about his family, Dexter was surprised.

‘He can smile too?’

Since he’d only ever seen Raymond with an expressionless or angry face, his smile seemed completely out of place.

“Wow, Dad knows how to smile?”

“Dad’s smiling?”

Seeing Raymond’s son and daughter gaping in surprise behind him, Dexter said:

“Um, Chief Guard?”

“What is it?”

Dexter grinned and said:

“You should smile more broadly at home too.”

At Dexter’s words, Raymond’s lips turned down again.

Raymond stared at Dexter for a moment, then cleared his throat and said:

“Ahem. This is my wife Janelle, my son Terrence, and my youngest, Leticia.”

As Raymond stiffly introduced his family, Janelle stepped forward to shake Dexter’s hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m his wife, Janelle. This one gives you a lot of trouble, I’m sure.”

“I’m Dexter. I haven’t been at Honeygood long, I’m new.”

“Hello, mister.”

Seeing Leticia, who looked like she was just about to start elementary school, greeting him, Dexter smiled broadly and replied:

“Hi there.”

Dexter continued:

“I thought the Chief Guard was so stern that he must live alone, but I had no idea he had such a handsome son and pretty daughter! And your wife looks almost like a Hollywood actress.”

“You flatter me.”

Janelle laughed as she responded to Dexter’s compliment.

Watching this, Raymond blinked once, then seemed to remember something and approached Dexter.

“I hate to talk about work on your day off, but how are things with Blueberg? Is he doing well?”

As Raymond spoke in a low voice, Dexter replied in an equally quiet tone:

“Well, his, um, frenzy, I guess you could call it. That’s decreased a lot. And he seems to have gained weight compared to before.”

Worried that the child nearby might hear, he tried to phrase his words as carefully as possible.

“That’s good to hear. Keep looking after him.”

“Yes, of course.”

Dexter nodded at Raymond’s words and stepped back.

It was time to part ways again.

“Chief Guard. Enjoy your day off with your family. I’ll get back to my shopping now.”

“Ah, yes. Take care.”

As Raymond gave a light farewell and Leticia waved at Dexter, he smiled and waved back.

They looked like a happy family.

‘Family, huh.’

It was a word he had forgotten.

‘I wonder if I could create a family someday.’

It was still a future he couldn’t quite imagine.