Everyday Life with NB-2

The journey back to the base was longer than usual. The Drone’s movements were different than usual, forcing me to take a longer route.

“That was dangerous today.”

Back at the base, I stretched out my stiff body. It was true; there were some dangerous moments because I couldn’t predict the Drone’s patrol route.

“Patrol routes are typically changed every four to five years, but today’s change seems different from the usual alterations,” NB said, taking out the supplies I had brought.

“Could something be wrong?”

“The Ark prevents variables from occurring in Aaru. It seems today’s Drone movements were to address those variables.”

Variables…

“Could my existence have been discovered?”

NB shook its head at my concern.

“That’s unlikely. If the Ark had detected Kang In-ho’s presence, it wouldn’t have simply sent Drones to pursue you.”

It was a reassuring, yet quite frightening, answer.

NB struck a small spark and lit the stove.

Dry branches began to burn, warming the air in the base.

“Then…”

What other variables could there be?

“We don’t know the extent of the information the Ark manages, but there are many variables.”

NB stated the obvious.

NB began to sort through the items brought from Aaru.

It neatly arranged the rusty scrap metal in a corner of the base and started putting the miscellaneous items into the cabinet.

Sitting on a chair, massaging my legs, I felt a pang of guilt seeing NB working so diligently, and quietly got up and approached NB.

“Is there anything you need?”

NB asked matter-of-factly. I stood next to it and helped sort the miscellaneous items.

“I’ll help.”

“There’s no need for you to do that. This is my job.”

NB tilted its head, examining me.

The camera lens that formed NB’s eyes clicked and began to rotate.

“It’ll be faster if we do it together. I’ve received a lot of help, so I want to help.”

I opened the first drawer to put in a tool set. I tried to somehow fit the newly acquired tools into the space already filled with other tool sets.

“Have I helped you with anything?”

NB asked as we worked.

“Well, you saved me, and you let me stay at the base…”

“Human protection is programmed into an android’s basic operating principles.”

“Still, I’m grateful. Regardless of the intention, I received help.”

As I said this, turning my face away to hide my embarrassment, NB’s hands, which had been organizing the luggage, stopped.

“Is that… a human thought?”

“What?”

At my question, NB looked at me and repeated, “Is that a human operating principle?”

Gray eyes stared at me. They were clearly made of glass and metal cameras, not flesh, but I seemed to see something within them.

“Is returning help when you receive it a human operating principle?”

NB asked as if seeking wisdom, as if seeking truth.

“Mostly, yes.”

“It is difficult to understand what ‘mostly’ means. Operating principles are applied uniformly to all species.”

“Well, humans don’t have principles that apply uniformly.”

At my words, NB’s eyes widened, like a human’s.

“Everyone is different.”

“But aren’t there principles and rules that are generally accepted?”

“Generally, there are things like the survival instinct…”

But if you ask if the survival instinct is absolutely applicable, I don’t know.

“But sometimes, people give up on living.”

“It is difficult to understand.”

NB closed the cabinet with a clank.

“I think humans are beings to whom uniform standards cannot be applied.”

Sometimes, even I can’t understand myself.

“Is that so?”

NB turned and headed somewhere.

NB stood in the corner of the base, where a curtain was drawn, and whisked it away, revealing a hidden bookshelf.

It was an old bookshelf made of moldy, rotten plywood.

“Then, would it be alright to ask Kang In-ho for a favor?”

At the word “favor” coming directly from NB’s mouth, I straightened up.

“Yeah, but what is it?”

NB took an old book from the bookshelf and came to my side.

“This is a book obtained from a previous exploration. It is a ‘paper book’ printed before e-books became common.”

I guess e-books would be common in the future.

“And this is not a book used to convey knowledge, but a novel that conveys a fictional story to the reader.”

“Yeah.”

“I have no problem reading and understanding the content of any theory, but with this type of book, there are many things that are difficult to understand when read literally.”

“I guess so?”

Because there are things like literary license.

“Therefore, I am asking for Kang In-ho’s help. I would like you to explain the parts that I don’t understand as I read this novel.”

“Okay, that’s not difficult. When should we start?”

NB paused for a moment, probably opening the scheduler stored inside its body.

“Today is a day when there is no need to adjust the dimensional navigation ship. Would it be alright to proceed after dinner?”

“Of course.”

After a simple dinner, I placed a chair near the fireplace and sat down.

NB was going to stand and read the book, but the mere sight of it created a strange sense of pressure, so I suggested that NB sit down.

-Ah, are novels supposed to be read while sitting?

Finding an answer to NB’s innocent question was a bit of a struggle.

NB, sitting across from me, opened the moldy book, just like the bookshelf.

As it opened the thick book, a musty smell stung my nose.

NB turned the pages with its slender hands, unconcerned that I was frowning.

“This part is difficult.”

“Which part? I can’t read.”

I stopped NB from showing it to me.

“[Because she loved him, she let him go. Watching his back, she smiled. It was a tearful smile.]”

After finishing the reading, NB looked at me with a demure posture.

“Uh… you want me to interpret it?”

NB nodded.

“Um… I don’t know the context, but first, are the man and woman in the novel in love with each other?”

“The narrative focuses on the female protagonist, and nothing is mentioned about the man.”

“So, we don’t know if the man likes the woman?”

“That’s correct. However, the expression that the protagonist loves the man is used frequently.”

“Um… but why is the man leaving?”

“Because he has a mission.”

“Can’t he come back?”

“It is written that the man is going to war. In the past, humans went to war directly. The probability of survival was very low, so the woman believes that the man will not be able to return.”

I know that too.

“The woman can’t follow the man, so she has no choice but to let him go.”

“But why is the phrase ‘because she loved him’ attached?”

Huh…

“Um… I see. Is the man someone who wants to go to war? Someone with ambition or a desire for fame?”

NB was silent for a moment at my question.

“It is written that all of the man’s friends in the village have gone to war. He received news that the whereabouts of those friends are unknown, so he is volunteering.”

“Ah… um, then he has no choice but to go.”

“Why is that?”

“Huh?”

“Is a friend a valuable enough existence to give up one’s own safety?”

“It depends on the person. But, according to the novel, friends seem very important to the man?”

“Is that so?”

NB tilted its head.

“The man has to go to war to save his friends. The woman is letting the man go because of that. The woman loves the man, but it seems like she is letting him go because she knows the man’s heart. The interpretation may vary from person to person.”

“The woman doesn’t want to let him go, but she lets him go because she respects the other person’s heart.”

NB neatly summarized my rambling.

I gave a thumbs up to mean well done.

“It is thanks to Kang In-ho’s interpretation.”

I had the illusion that I saw a faint smile on NB’s face.

“There is a back part left. She smiled. It was a tearful smile.”

“NB, what is your interpretation?”

“If a person laughs too much, it can stimulate the tear glands and cause tears to flow.”

“But the situation is that she is reluctantly letting go of the person she loves. Do you think there is a reason for the woman to smile?”

“In fact, the woman had taken out a large insurance policy in the man’s name. So, she is smiling because she could receive the insurance money if the man died.”

It looked at me with an expression that said, [How is it, my reasoning?].

“Then it doesn’t make sense. The story keeps saying that the woman loves the man, but suddenly insurance money?”

I pressed my throbbing head with my fingers.

“There is unexpectedness and reversal in art. Isn’t this the same context?”

“Um, if you put in the reversal you mentioned, it would be a hot topic in a different sense. Anyway, no.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s a paradox. It’s a way to highlight the scene by using contradictory expressions. [This is a silent scream], [A brilliant spring of sadness]… things like that.”

“It is difficult to understand. Through Kang In-ho’s words, I understood that the woman is sad. But I still don’t know why she is smiling.”

At NB’s words, I also thought about it. How can I explain this easily?

…….

It’s difficult.

“I’ll explain this to you slowly later. It’s hard to explain right now.”

“Is that so? I understand.”

NB began to read the novel like that.

The twigs crackled and broke in the flames, and

“Besides this novel, there are many novels with the theme of ‘love’, why is that?”

“Because it’s one of the most intense emotions humans can feel.”

“What do you think about when you are in love?”

“I want to keep them by my side, I want to spend time with them, I want to know more about them… there are many other things besides this.”

“It seems similar to the feeling of wanting to restrain the other person.”

“There is also love in the form of restraint. But it depends on your taste.”

I spent the night answering the things that NB often asked.

Like the ground getting wet with drizzle, I slowly fell asleep and fell asleep in the chair, and when I opened my eyes, I was in bed.

The touch of the thick cotton blanket pleasantly touched my skin, and I looked around the base with a puffy face.

As my feet touched the floor of the base, coolness slowly rose.

Looking at the food set on the small table, I looked around.

“NB?”

NB was not visible.