Day 41.
It was time to regroup.
After going to another city and coming back, my mind was a mess, so I left the submersible.
I sat on the sandy floor and stared blankly into the darkness of the deep sea.
“Whew….”
The original plan had been to finish exploring the other city as well, but…
‘To think it’s that dangerous of an area….’
All I’d done was cross over from one city to another, but the level of danger had risen as if I’d crossed an entire mountain range.
If every city increased in danger like this…
No, I’d better not think about it. Nothing would change anyway.
“…You look like you have a lot on your mind.”
“Ah, Luz. You’re awake.”
“Yes.”
Luz sat down beside me on the sandy floor without the slightest hesitation.
She sat there without saying anything, simply staying by my side.
“…….”
“…….”
That silence didn’t feel hollow or awkward… It was a silence that felt warm and calm.
Breaking the silence that was neither long nor short, I spoke.
“Luz, survival is necessary. But sometimes, it’s mentally exhausting.”
At my grumbling, Luz was silent for a moment. Maybe she was choosing her words, or maybe she thought my behavior was strange.
“…Would you look at me for a moment?”
Luz broke the silence and spoke. So I turned my head.
“…Mm, aren’t you a little too close?”
Luz had come so close that I could hear her breathing.
Her red eyes stared straight at me.
“Am I… someone precious to Cheonche?”
“…You are.”
It was an undeniable fact that Luz was precious to me.
She had saved my life, and she had helped me many times.
Asoluzn took hold of one of my hands, lost and with nowhere to go.
“How does it feel?”
“…Warm.”
Luz’s hand, which should have been cold, now held a faint warmth.
Without ever taking her eyes off me, Luz spoke in her clear voice.
“If living feels difficult, please think of something precious.”
That pure voice continued.
“Try living just one more day for the sake of what is precious to you.”
That distinct voice continued.
“It can be anything, as long as it is precious. Try living for its sake.”
Her unwavering gaze met my trembling one.
Then the unease vanished, and a faint will welled up inside me.
It was small, but it was a will that could move for the sake of something precious.
“…Thank you. It feels like I’m always the one receiving help.”
“No. The fact that I’ve been able to grow like this is all thanks to Cheonche.”
Pfft.
As she stood, brushing the sand off herself, there was an unmistakable smile on her lips.
“…Did you just smile?”
“Why? Am I not allowed to smile?”
“That’s not it…”
Seeing Luz, who was always expressionless, smile felt somehow awkward.
Not that I disliked it. It was a strange feeling.
Luz lightly waved her hand and returned to the submersible. She was probably going to feed Jui.
“……My heart’s beating a little fast.”
I thought I knew what this feeling was, but I didn’t bother putting a label on it.
Shaking my head, I somehow brushed away the idle thoughts.
“…For now, let’s get some information first.”
I wasn’t broadcasting today so I could rest, but I still needed to prepare.
Going around the city to gather information would have been fine, but this time, I used something else.
[Truth-Seeking Gallery]
The reward I’d received on the first day I opened my eyes. A place where there was someone who knew the deep sea.
I immediately flipped through the blue-lit gallery and entered my conversation with the admin.
Aurora: Are you there?
Coordinator: Yes. What is it?
The admin’s message appeared almost the instant I typed mine.
At this speed, weren’t they something beyond a gallery addict?
In any case, I immediately continued typing.
Aurora: I went to another city. Can you give me broader answers now?
Coordinator: Yes. The higher your position becomes, the more I can answer.
As expected, the admin was someone connected to the vanished era.
First, I’d start with the information I was now allowed to know.
Aurora: Can you tell me the range of what I’m allowed to know?
Coordinator: The characteristics of the city you set foot in this time, and, hmm… a faint bit of information about the entity that destroyed the city.
“What?”
The first part wasn’t that surprising, but the sentence that followed.
A faint bit of information about that destroyer.
‘It’ll definitely help. I can tell whether I should avoid it, and what kind of thing it is.’
Sweat slowly began to seep from my hands from the tension.
I took a slow deep breath, then asked about the first thing.
Aurora: What are the city’s characteristics?
After a brief pause, the next message appeared.
Coordinator: This city has low biological diversity. There are only two or three species in total.
Instead, each individual creature is more dangerous than those in the current city.
And the central facility. There should be a “leap technology” there, similar to the Sphere.
When I asked what leap technology meant, they said it was technology that could raise me to the next stage.
That made sense. After getting the Sphere, I had been able to advance into the deep sea. So this time, I would be able to obtain something on a similar level.
“Whew….”
The problem started now. With a trembling heart, I took a deep breath and slowly typed.
Aurora: Then who caused that destruction?
The admin, who had answered almost immediately until now, fell silent for quite a while this time.
How long, exactly? Long enough that Jui came out of the submersible to run around. (Five minutes.)
And finally, the admin’s message appeared.
Coordinator: The entity is… a machine.
“????”
Huh?
Aurora: Is that all?
Coordinator: Yes. Hmm… If I tell you more, Aurora, it would be dangerous for you.
All the strength drained out of me. The moment you had expectations, you were betrayed.
It was awkward to say anything, so I just vaguely wrapped up the conversation.
“But… a machine, huh…”
Machines were everywhere in the vanished era, so it wasn’t exactly information that narrowed things down.
Still, if I knew it, maybe it would come in handy someday.
“Would it break if I sprayed water on it…?”
As I was thinking that, I heard a sound beside me.
“Ppi! Ppippi!”
“Whew… whew….”
Luz was sweating bullets while playing with Jui.
Recently, Jui’s sleeping time and waking time had become about equal.
Which meant it had also become more energetic.
“Haa, whew….”
Apparently unable to play any longer, Luz plopped down on the sandy floor to rest.
In her hand was a Bluetooth showerhead.
“Haaah….”
Luz drank water from the showerhead.
“Wait a second.”
Luz was originally a machine.
Luz -> machine -> can drink water -> waterproof -> spraying water on a machine is useless.
“…Oh. That information is damn useless.”
Now that I thought about it, it didn’t narrow anything down, and even if I knew it, I still didn’t know its weakness.
My head was a mess, but I just brushed it off.
Instinctively, I felt that it still wasn’t time to meet that thing.
So for now, I’d focus on this moment.
“If it’s too hard, should I do it?”
“…I think Jui’s mood matters more than mine.”
“Ppi! Ppippi!!”
Jui fiercely shook the chain it was biting in its mouth.
As for why it was biting a chain…
Aurora: Uh… the item you gave me got torn apart.
EducationMaster: Hmm… That was the highest durability one, too…
All the toys EducationMaster had given me had been ruined, so I just switched to a sturdy chain.
I had worried that Jui’s teeth might get hurt, but when I saw teeth marks being left on the chain instead, I stopped worrying.
“…You want to play, don’t you?”
“Ppiii!!”
Jui placed the chain in my hand. For some reason, the chain felt especially cold.
‘Fine. Let’s think of it as building stamina.’
Did a mere subadult really think it could beat me in stamina?
I immediately began moving the chain here and there, playing with Jui.
***
“Huff, huff…….”
“…Would you like some water?”
I lost.
And pathetically, at that.
‘Was all that sleeping actually hibernation…?’
I hadn’t known it had this much stamina. It was definitely stronger than me.
Drip, drip.
Luz used her mana to turn on the showerhead.
Once I somehow drank that life-giving water, I could finally breathe again.
“Whew….”
As I lay there dazed from exhaustion, Luz approached my side.
Luz was wearing the casual clothes I had bought for her from the marketplace.
A white T-shirt, black sweatpants. Her hair tied back in a single tail.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“……Uh, wait.”
She came closer, said only that one sentence, and took my hand.
I didn’t even have the energy to say anything, so I just stayed still. Slowly, mana flowed out of me.
But at the same time, it flowed in.
Our mana was being exchanged. …Though honestly, more of mine was going out.
“…Please get up. We need to prepare to go to the next city, don’t we?”
Luz’s voice sounded strangely brighter.
I was so tired I wanted to become one with the sand, but I still had to live.
“Ugh…”
I took Luz’s warm hand and stood up.
Watching me struggle to brush the sand off myself, Luz smiled.
“…Why are you laughing?”
“I’m simply laughing.”
…She was pretty, but somehow, I found it strangely irritating.
The thought that I wanted to tease her flashed through my mind.
“Pfft.”
With a laugh, the moment Luz turned her back toward the submersible—
“Take this.”
“Hyaaak!”
I scooped up sand from the ground and threw it at Luz.
Naturally, Luz’s clothes ended up caked in sand just like mine.
“…So that’s how you want to play?”
“Jui! Block her! I’m running.”
“Ppi? Ppii!”
Luz grabbed a handful of sand and chased after me.
Jui, apparently wanting to join in too, picked up sand with its tiny hands.
I did my best to dodge the sand Luz threw.
And when it was all over—
Simple though it was, I had enjoyed the best rest I could have asked for.
The next day, after finishing all preparations, we left the city.