EP.22 The Good Dog
What is sleep? Why on earth do living beings require this time to submerge into themselves in such a defenseless state, cut off from external stimuli?
The exact reason is unknown. However, how sleep affects humans can be roughly inferred by groping at the absence of sleep, much like guessing a shape from its shadow. Without sleep, one's mind becomes twisted and sensitive as a sharp needle, easily fatigued, and consciousness flickers precariously. Even a person called a saint scowls upon just waking from sleep, so sleep must clearly be an act of filling some sort of spiritual void.
However, because we cannot fully understand the mind. We cannot understand the role of sleep either.
Just swimming in the unconscious, waiting for something to wake me....
At that moment, something grabbed my leg. I instantly awoke from my sleep.
It doesn't matter how deep asleep I am. The dizzying sensation of my body falling from the ground strips me of not only sleep but all kinds of comfort. The terrible feeling that the Earth Mother has forsaken me drives my soul to the edge.
The curse of the Earth Mother is nothing special. Just by the Earth Mother refusing to support them, humans are bound to fall into the abyss.
"I'm sorry, please spare me, I was wrong!"
I desperately begged as I fell. And.
Slam!
An instant. Less than half a second passed, and I hit the floor. Unable to even gather myself from the impact, I hurriedly stood up.
"Hah. Hah. Hah."
I took a guard stance and hastily looked around.
The place I fell was 50cm below the low military bed. While I was sleeping, something pulled my foot, causing me to fall off the bed and wake up.
It didn't take long to realize what had pulled me.
"Woof."
Aji barked shortly at me with a cold expression and went out the door. Since our fight over her stealing food last time, it was obvious she still held a grudge against me.
But seeing as she still woke me up, it seems she doesn't completely hate me.
No, that's wrong. I said something strange.
Dogs don't hate people by nature.
"Aji."
"Woof."
Aji only turned her head to look at me. Unlike before when her whole body would turn enthusiastically if I called her, now she only gave me a glance.
But well, a dog is a dog no matter what it does.
"Come to the dining hall."
Her tail moves. Her ears perk up. I can't read her mind, but there's no need to. There probably isn't another existence that can express non-verbal communication so clearly.
"Woof? Food?"
"Yeah. Because there's a very important dish today."
"Woof! Food!"
Her mood immediately improved at the word food, and she bounced in place. Haha. No need to be that happy.
Because today is the day I cook you.
"I'll wash up and go, so go ahead and wait."
"You wash too much! Woof! All your fur will fall out!"
"I'm not going bald yet?! You're the one who doesn't wash enough! Whatever, hurry up and bring her from downstairs! Besides you and me, her!"
"Downstairs? Woof! Got it!"
Aji smashed the nearby window and jumped down. No, you didn't have to choose the shortest route just because I said to go downstairs.
Anyway, Aji understood my words and went to call the regressor. How did she know who I meant without using a name? To Aji, there are only three pronouns to call people: me, you, and her. By the way, you can't put more than one person in the 'her' slot. It is a third-person pronoun in the truest sense.
It's a relief there are only two living humans in this Tartarus. If there was even one more, it would be incredibly confusing.
"Alright. Let's. Prepare."
I whistled and washed briefly with the rationed water. Today, I will settle the score with the Tartarus stew-thief dog who had tormented me so miserably.
Wearing a clothing packet, I headed to the dining hall, and Aji had already brought the regressor. The two were in completely opposite states. Unlike Aji, who was excited about eating, the regressor looked at me with sunken eyes, then soon choked up and timidly turned her head away.
'Why did she call me...'
The regressor recalled last night's humiliation. She was caught perfectly while trying to eavesdrop, half-lost her mind out of shame, and holed up in her room. And I think she might have cried a little.
It's not that she cried out loud bawling, but she seemed to cry inwardly, a mess of resentment and self-hatred. Being caught in her stealth by me must have been that much of a shock.
I thought she lived somewhat carelessly since she regresses even if she dies, but she seemed much more sensitive and a perfectionist than I expected.
'Damn it, damn it. Damn it! The first attempt was too hasty! Getting caught there makes the opponent wary! Shea, when are you going to drop that mindset of trying to take the easy way out? Give it your all every single time!'
No, stop blaming yourself. Did you only think about that all night? Without sleeping?
'Underestimating the opponent was also a problem. Just because he couldn't grasp my stealth last time, I concluded that man's abilities were only at that level. Just because I wasn't caught when he let his guard down doesn't guarantee I won't be caught next time...!'
This is driving me crazy. It was troublesome when she tried to kill me, but it was even more troublesome that she was acting like she wanted to kill herself. On top of that, perhaps out of embarrassment, she didn't even try to make eye contact with me.
Good grief. She does all sorts of pointless things. Should I lighten the mood?
"Trainee Shea, did you not sleep well last night? Your eyes look sunken."
The regressor just mumbled something and didn't give a clear answer. It seemed like a sign not to talk to her, but no way.
Mind Reading.
'Tsk, tsk. He's the one who kept me awake, yet he acts so nonchalant...'
Saying things that would cause misunderstandings if anyone heard. It's a relief there's no chance of misunderstanding since only I can hear it.
You must be really upset, regressor.
"How much did you hear?"
"...What, what what."
"Even after I threw you out yesterday, you came back again and again, I thought I was throwing a boomerang. Please don't do that next time."
"Ugh...!"
Normally, the regressor would have gotten angry or drawn her sword, but due to her lowered self-esteem, her defense mechanisms weren't working. And there's a strange law of conservation in the world; as the regressor's self-esteem lowered, I felt my own value rising.
Ah, I shouldn't do this. It's too fun.
"Woof! Food!"
I thought about teasing her a bit more, but let's stop here for today. Aji is pestering me.
"Alright, Aji. I have something to say, so wait a moment."
"No! Woof! Do it while I eat!"
"This kid."
Where does your self-esteem not drop from? Do dogs never get depressed?
"Ahem. Anyway. The reason I called you all today is because I found a clue about the food thief who has thrown Tartarus into chaos for a long time."
"Woof!"
Aji pestered me for food as if she had no interest. This despicable fellow. It seems even shoving the evidence right in front of her face won't change anything.
I walked to a corner of the dining hall and picked up the doll-sized golem I had left there. I was fiddling with it here and there to check if it was operating, and in response, the golem's head snapped around.
It's connected. I carried the golem and set it down on the dining table.
"As that witness, today we have Golem Captain A.B., who is a Military Nation signalman and has been sitting stubbornly in the dining hall. Hello! Captain A.B.! Say hello!"
["...."]
"Ye-es, nice to meet you!"
Even after seeing the golem, the attitudes of the regressor and Aji didn't change much. The regressor had decided to just leave it alone yesterday and was ignoring it, and Aji didn't have much interest in non-humans.
At this rate, the introduction won't work. Should I show off the skills I used to put on puppet shows for little kids in my youth?
I grabbed the golem's armpits and moved it clumsily like a puppet. While Aji showed interest in the movement, I tightly sealed my lips and used ventriloquism to speak.
"Hello, Aji?"
"Woof?"
Aji tilted her head and looked back and forth between the golem and me. The voice was coming from me, but the golem was waving its hand, so she must have been confused. I feigned ignorance and waved the golem's limbs around while speaking through ventriloquism.
"Nice to meet you! I'm A.B.!"
"Woof woof? Human?"
"Yeah! I'm a human. Even though I'm trapped inside this right now! You're a puppy, right?"
"Woof! That's right! I, am a puppy!"
"You look really good!"
"Thank you! You look really hard!"
"Let's be friends! Will you lick me once?"
"Okay!"
["...That is enough."]
As Aji brought her nose close, the golem moved at a speed it hadn't shown before. Tapping my hand away, the golem stood on two legs and avoided Aji's face.
A dry voice flowed from the golem's speaker.
["The Military Nation advises against situations where the monitor directly faces the trainee as much as possible. However, pursuant to Special Clause 2, and based on the current situation, regulations of Security Level 2 and below are ignored."]
After declaring that, the golem stood straight up on its two legs. Perhaps it was well-made, or perhaps I was used to golems. Even though it was a small model different from a human size, it maintained its synchronization.
["I am Military Nation Signalman Captain A.B. This office is in charge of communications between Tartarus and the Military Nation authorities, and I warn you in advance that destroying this unit may cause disadvantages in communication and the evaluation of you, the trainee."]
Even without mind reading, it was obvious who those words were directed at. There was only one person here who would maliciously destroy the golem.
The regressor looked at the golem standing on the table with a sullen expression.
"I don't care about disadvantages. I have something to say to that man, so as long as you don't crawl out of the dining hall and rummage everywhere, I won't touch you specifically."
["Monitoring, supervision, and observation of Tartarus is the duty of this office."]
"Is that so? I can't stand not smashing machines that constantly monitor and eavesdrop."
["Occasionally, there are people with that kind of condition. The type who are extremely sensitive to gazes directed at them. The military hospital provides free treatment for people with such conditions, so visiting and receiving treatment is recommended."]
"...Oh?"
["However, under the current circumstances, you, the trainee, cannot visit the military hospital. Your, the trainee's, intentions have been confirmed. Ignoring regulations of Security Level 2 and below, the observation duty will be temporarily suspended for the safety of this unit."]
The two glared at each other for a moment, then the regressor scoffed first and stood up from her seat.
"I'm leaving if I'm done here."
Huh? Already? I grabbed the departing regressor.
"Ah, wait! You have to be a witness to this matter!"
"I'm not interested. Take good care of that golem. If that golem comes out of the dining hall alone, I might break it without realizing."
The regressor left the dining hall without looking back. Even in a low-spirited state, her hatred for the Military Nation seemed to remain.
Meanwhile, Aji, who hadn't understood a single word, asked me with clear eyes.
"Woof. What did this thing say?"
She must be talking about the golem. Aji didn't understand the hard words the golem was saying at all. I answered dully.
"She said not to hit her. Not to bite her either. She said it hurts."
"Woof! I won't bite! I'm a good puppy!"
"Yeah, yeah. I know. You're good."
"Awoo! I'm good! Good!"
As I stroked Aji's head, I grabbed that head tightly and muttered eerily.
"But what kind of puppy is the bad puppy who ate all the meat stew in the pot last night?"
"W-woof?"