Ch.9090. Human.

90.

“Still, the communication was cut off. I think the fact that the communication that had been working fine until now was cut off means something must have changed.”

“That’s probably true. It would be stranger if nothing changed after showing such a major historical event all at once. But we can’t know whether it changed in the right direction—or if humanity has truly escaped the fate of extinction.”

“Well. Like you said, humans do repeat the same mistakes… but they also learn new things from those mistakes, and have developed by constantly recognizing and correcting their errors. No matter how distant the future is, I believe that after seeing and hearing this world through me, everyone will work together.”

Humans are weak. Not just physically, but mentally as well. They’re so weak that when faced with great pain or hardship, they can’t escape it and may even take their own lives. As the Robot said, they have selfish aspects and have repeatedly committed the same sins.

However, the reason humanity has existed until now is because of their noble will to not succumb to such weaknesses, to overcome trials and pain, to dream of a better future, and to make those dreams reality.

If there are people who start wars, stain their hands with blood, and hurt others for their own benefit, there are also those who willingly extend their hands to help others despite not having much themselves, sharing precious things with strangers on the opposite side of the world whose faces and names they don’t even know.

Because I believe in these positive aspects of humanity, I believe that past humanity has changed, even if just a little. Even if they don’t change immediately, I believe they will someday.

It’s okay if not everyone is noble. Just as a single bright light can illuminate its surroundings even in the deepest shadows, I believe that if even one person seriously worries about the future, others will gradually join them and change many things. Isn’t that how humanity has developed until now?

Even if I die lonely here, I hoped that the many people who kept me from feeling alone wouldn’t die like me. I hoped that the sad deaths I witnessed while wandering around the Ark would never happen again. That’s why I believed.

“That’s right. Humans often do things that defy calculation, so as Ms. Mori said, there’s a possibility that humanity, now knowing the future, could escape extinction and never reconnect with us.”

Did my answer please them? The being before me smiled brightly. Meanwhile, I frowned at how they still spoke as if humanity was likely heading toward extinction despite everything that had happened.

“But this world isn’t always so beautiful. Where there’s light, there are shadows; where there’s hope, despair coexists. The fortunate thing is that even if everything goes wrong and humanity experiences the same history and future again, and this moment returns amid countless events, you, Ms. Mori, will still be here.”

“…As I said before, what could I possibly do if that happens? I’m just here by coincidence upon coincidence, just an ordinary human who can barely take care of herself.”

“What you can do is for you alone to decide, Ms. Mori. Do you believe in humanity’s potential but not your own?”

“…Even so.”

“Above all, Ms. Mori, you’re alone but not alone. You have a miracle created from humanity’s collective wishes by your side. With so many scholars across thousands of years having declared it impossible, yet a miracle that allows past humanity to avoid the wrong path exists by your side—what could possibly be impossible? Isn’t guiding lost sheep much easier than defying time?”

“A miracle created from humanity’s collective wishes…”

I merely fixed a drone I found by chance, not knowing my words and stories were being transmitted to the past. But my small actions were conveyed to the past through the legacy left by the people who lived here. I don’t know how it’s possible or if it’s scientifically feasible.

But I could easily infer that before this moment existed, many people worked for humanity’s survival in places unknown to me. Without the past, there is no future. The word “coincidence” is just another name for the unknown. My existence is the same.

People who tried to avoid humanity’s extinction. If the drone—a miracle created with technology that neither I nor past humanity understand—was created by the collective wishes of such people, then perhaps my discovery and attempt to fix it was part of a grand plan to save humanity.

It might be disappointing or unpleasant for a freedom-seeking human to learn that the path they thought they freely walked was actually predetermined by someone else. But the most important thing in life isn’t formal freedom, but finding value that keeps me alive and maintaining a positive, creative attitude about what I can do within a predetermined life.

As an ordinary human, I don’t possess the power to change history. Nevertheless, I’ve already changed many things, and that’s because the wishes of many people were already with me. Even humans who struggle to take care of themselves alone can do anything together.

“Alright. I understand. It would be best if it doesn’t happen, but if by chance, as you say, my friends and I fail to change the future and meet again, then I’ll do everything I can.”

The people who brought me here transcended even time itself, so adding my strength to change the past should be easy as pie. Though alone, but not alone, a small spark of confidence that had been extinguished began to flicker.

“That’s a good answer. If you set your own limits, that’s as far as you’ll go. Please do what you can, Ms. Mori. For all of us.”

The being before me smiled brightly as they said this. In that brief moment, I saw the images of countless people flash by, and I thought:

If the drone was born from the wishes of countless people, could this being also be a special entity created from residual human consciousness?

I had thought it was artificial intelligence similar to other robots since it came from what appeared to be a computer, but seeing how it changed into various forms without physical substance, it didn’t look like an ordinary machine at all.

“Good. So—the reason Ms. Mori came here is to fulfill the robots’ wishes, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Won’t you regret it? If you wanted, you could live peacefully here for quite some time.”

Instead of fulfilling the robots’ wishes, I could stay in this city with robots who want their usefulness to be acknowledged. Naturally, I had considered this.

Honestly, except for the absence of people, this is the most perfect city I’ve been to. It’s bright even at night, the streets are bustling, there’s no need to shiver in the cold, and delicious food is available.

Of course, resources are limited and there’s no way to obtain more, so I don’t think I could stay until I die of old age, but I could at least enjoy peace for as long as I had wandered in the cold.

“Well. Living like that until the end might be nice, but there are still places I can go. I’ve come close to the destination I’ve dreamed of for so long, and it would be a shame to stop now.”

From the moment I saw the word “Paradise,” I decided to go there. And that feeling remains.

Even if I lost my body and even my representation, I wanted to see with my own eyes the last form of humanity existing in this world. I wanted to reach the end of the world that humanity had created.

Of course, simply wanting to go to Paradise has little to do with putting the city into eternal sleep. If I wanted, I could probably go to Paradise and return here, but as I’ve said several times, there was no guarantee I would be safe until then.

The robots of the city I’d grown attached to in a short time. Born as unwanted beings and living in pain, I was the only one who could save them, so there was only one choice.

“Even if I can’t return here, I’ve prepared enough to avoid a painful end, so I have no regrets. Rather, if I turned my back and left, that would linger as regret for much longer.”

“If that’s your wish, Ms. Mori, there’s nothing to be done. Then before you go, please accept this. It’s my first and last gift to you.”

“A gift…?”

“It might sting a little. It’s not normally inserted this way.”

The transparent body approached me and passed right through me. Behind my tightly closed eyes, I felt a slight foreign sensation followed by a sharp pain.

“…Ouch!”

What did you just do? After the eye pain came a headache and nausea. As I squinted at the being who had returned to their original position, a voice echoed inside my head.

[What I just gave you is a kind of administrative authority. It’s similar to the chips humans used to implant in their bodies? Originally it should be inserted into the brain and spine, but since that’s not possible now, I had to choose a somewhat forceful method.]

“Administrative authority…?”

[It’s the authority to activate the city destruction code that exists within me, and a system that will make the rest of your journey a little easier. If you endure the brief pain, many things will soon appear new to you.]

“If you were going to do this, you could have told me first.”

[That’s true. Please think of it as me being a little mischievous after waiting for so long.]

Pain and change occurring not on the surface of my body but inside. I don’t know what was injected, but something was rapidly changing my body—specifically, my head—so intensely I could feel it.

“Phew…”

And after some time, the dizziness that had been so severe I could barely stand began to subside, and my head, which had been burning hot, suddenly cooled as if cold water had been poured over it.

There. You’re fine now. At the voice coming from somewhere unknown, I slowly opened my eyes.

“…What is this?”

What I saw was—literally another aspect of this world.