“Oh, that’s about right. A little more to the right.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
March in the twenty-second year of the new Calendar. As the president of a company I didn’t quite understand, I was brushing Mars, the executive director, while watching TV. It was because it seemed to be the shedding season for cat-like aliens, which happens twice a year.
“Even Earth cats do it, this brush isn’t bad.”
“Oh? Is that so? Then should we also put this in the junkyard?”
“In space, during shedding season, the body washers naturally remove the fur, so they might not need it.”
Well, then, is it no good? Apparently, there are washing and drying machines in space that can be used like baths. It might be convenient when you’re busy, but I still prefer soaking in hot water. As I thought about this, I changed the brush sheet, and a stern voice came from Hime who was manipulating a machine next to us, resembling a two-connected rice cooker.
“Don’t you guys ever think about helping Hime a little?”
“Can’t expect a sailor with shallow knowledge to understand how to handle industrial machinery.”
“Oh, should I make some coffee?”
“Mmm… yes, please!”
Hime is currently setting up industrial machinery from space for the production of our company’s products.
This was obtained through exchange at Mars’s insistence, using all the space gold nuggets, also known as Stabilizing Maoha, from my family, and exchanging them with Hime’s family. It’s a luxury item worth about ten years of Mars’s salary when converted to money, and it’s a useful machine that can synthesize anything, including expired universal patents… in other words, a space 3D printer with vast amounts of data.
“But isn’t that synthesis machine amazing? If everyone had one, wouldn’t they stop buying things?”
“Well… not really. If there were machines that could make chopsticks, paper, or old sweets at home, would you use them every day?”
“Huh? Well, paper can also be used for toilet paper…”
“That’s because there’s a cleaning function in the toilet in space, so it’s unnecessary.”
“Then for business use…”
“In factories, items can be made for about one hundredth or even one ten-thousandth of the cost using this machine… can you compete with that?”
I sat down next to Hime, who was tinkering with the machine, with a cafe latte with sugar and milk.
“So, what’s this for?”
“This is for colonization. It’s a versatile synthesis machine for living a minimally human life in untapped land without even a single electric wire.”
I see, there’s also a demand for that in the universe where there are places that are not connected to anywhere in the true sense. You take this instead of a knife, lighter, or water purifier.
“But with this, you’re going to make item boxes and barrier devices in the future, right? It’s still amazing, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s for the cover story and alibi for procurement company. Since spatial expansion technology and force field generation technology are relatively outdated fields, the patents have long since expired.”
“I made sure to get the patents for useful things here as well. Under a different name from our hometown, though.”
“Huh? Don’t patents have proper examinations?”
“There are sloppy places everywhere. As long as you can create a minimum convincing path, it doesn’t have to be in this country.”
As Hime said this, she twirled her index finger proudly and took a sip of the cafe latte I handed her.
“You’re really efficient, Hime, did you have a job like this in the past?”
“Ma chan knows, right? I was an idol, an idol.”
“Come to think of it, what do space idols do?”
Hime snorted at my question and glanced at me with narrowed golden eyes, looking proud.
“The same as Earth. Showing dreams.”
Saying that, she laughed defiantly.
“Of course, Hime wasn’t just singing and dancing on stage. She could handle everything from shooting, broadcasting, and promotion to operating stage equipment. She was a super-galactic idol!”
“Oh, that’s why you had a calculation-specialized brain shell.”
“Entertainment industry… especially idols, they have to specialize in calculations because they do electronic warfare-like things during promotions, so there’s no choice but to focus on computation.”
“Hey hey, idols do electronic warfare? What kind of things do they do?”
Excited by the sound of the words, I asked, but the answer I got from Hime was rather dull, or rather, even muddy.
“They crush other idols’ ads and display their own ads.”
“Uh, just that…?”
“Just that? Is there something else?”
“Huh…? No… there might not be…?”
To my somewhat disappointed expression, Mars continued, brushing her hair herself, “Space’s advertising wars are intense,” adding to the conversation.
“There are advertising agencies that develop inexpensive bodies instead of displaying ads in view, clothes with ads being distributed as part of poverty support, and when you get off a ship in the city, your eyes are filled with ads.”
“Huh~? Isn’t that liveliness nice?”
“I don’t understand the city folks’ sense… oh, and the worst thing is hacking public institutions and interstellar broadcasts to run ads. They use every trick in the book.”
“Don’t hacking like that have penalties?”
“It does.”
With a gleeful smile, Hime moved her fingers excitedly.
“Idols report each other’s illegal ads. How to block the report meant for you and let the other report through is key.”
“Hime is really good at that. There were talks about an outrageous hacker team, but to think she did it herself…”
“Well, there was a team too… Oh right… Hime… she was betrayed by that guy… It’s dark… cold… It’s cold here…”
“Ah! Hime!”
Hime curled up, trembling, and only her arms moved as if seeking something. When I held her hand, she squeezed it back tightly with strong force. As I slowly rubbed her back, I felt like the trembling had lessened a bit.
“You touched on trauma… let’s stop talking about your idol days, Hime.”
Hime can’t sleep at night without holding my hand. It’s been two months since she was rescued from the unimaginable prison of skills. Her emotional scars were too deep to fathom.
◆
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Year 22 of the Lost Calendar, April.
Fresh new students entered the school, creating new human relationships in classrooms and cafeterias, bustling with freshness. But with new people entering the school environment, there were also those leaving for a new environment, society.
In front of the entrance plaza of Tokyo’s Fourth Dungeon, where Mars and I had come back for the first time in a while, such people were overflowing.
“Listen, it goes without saying that the dungeon is a dangerous place! That includes this relatively safe East Fourth Dungeon! If you don’t understand, anytime! Any questions! Ask the head of the strongest clan, Tamaki, the instructor!”
“Yes, Mr. Tamaki!”
“Mr. Tamaki! Is this spear really okay as a weapon?”
“It’ll do!”
“Can I go home on time today? I have plans to drink with friends.”
“How should I know!”
“Mr. Tamaki! Is it okay to carry a crossbow with the string drawn?”
“Read the manual!”
“Uh, Mr. Tamaki, these boots I got have a blister…”
“Those boots have a little quirk. Should I tell you how to soften them later? Or are you on Messenger? Feel free to ask anything.”
“Um, Mr. Tamaki!”
“What is it!”
“What’s that…?”
“That is… that is… what could it be…”
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