Chapter 37: “Tuning of Life Sprint of Prayer”
“…Haa… haa. Hey‚ Rin-chan. Here‚ it feels kind of like the inside of my nose is going ‘zing.’ It smells like someone accidentally topped a full-course mud dish with disinfectant…”
I lightly pinched my nose with the fingers of my right hand‚ which was completely covered in muddy water.
From the gap in the iron door that had been pried open by explosive repair‚ we‚ the “single entity (structure)‚” rolled into the interior of the observation tower. Behind us‚ the black turbulent flow that had been chasing us was blocked by the high threshold‚ making a frustrated “Shaaah…” sound.
What spread out before us was a world of a completely different color from the musty abandoned buildings and damp libraries we had seen until now.
Inorganic white walls. Neatly arranged precision electronic devices. And the faint orange light of the backup battery cast long‚ awkward shadows of the three of us‚ covered in mud‚ onto the spotless concrete floor.
“…Naturally. This is Sector 14. The only place in this world that is literally a sanctuary‚ isolated from the system’s ‘initialization‚’”
Rin-chan‚ catching her breath beside me‚ stood up‚ shaking her sleeveless black jacket covered in mud. In this pure white room‚ our filthy bodies stood out terribly.
I released the fingertips of my only moving right hand and hurriedly hugged my numb left arm (marshmallow state). Looking at my bare feet‚ which I had left behind with the hover and were now dirtying this clean floor‚ I somehow felt like a “bad child.” The tourniquet (AC adapter) biting into my thigh sent waves of pain like electric eels jumping with every step.
“…Nagisa-san‚ worrying about dirt is statistically a waste of energy. …More importantly‚ her vital waveform is abnormal‚”
Harukun‚ while protecting his fractured right leg and crawling on the floor‚ opened the “waterproof notebook” we had bound yesterday with wax‚ and with a trembling hand began writing on a new page—the record of Day 3.
‘…Cough‚ cough…! …Ah… (violent coughing)’
Momiji-chan‚ who had been sitting on the edge of the bed‚ pulled back the hand that had touched my muddy cheek to her chest‚ then collapsed onto the sheets while coughing violently.
“Momiji-chan! Don’t move! Harukun‚ Momiji-chan’s vitals aren’t some ‘extremely spicy punishment drink‚’ so stabilize her immediately!!”
I hugged my left arm with just my right arm and dragged myself to the bedside‚ nearly losing balance. I gently placed the fingertips of my only free hand onto Momiji-chan’s slender hand.
Hot. Unlike the freezing outside air‚ it was warm—like a marshmallow being toasted over a fire. Her hair‚ tinted with a sunset-like red‚ swayed up and down with her rough breathing.
“…Heart rate 140. 35% above normal. Blood oxygen levels are dropping at an unnatural rate‚”
Harukun’s gray eyes pierced the monitor like those of a cold-blooded detective.
“…Statistically‚ this is not a natural seizure. Her body is currently being ‘deleted’ from the world‚ along with this sanctuary’s system. …I cannot accept this.”
“Deleted…!? Harukun‚ I didn’t input any negative value like that into my ‘excitement index’!!”
As I shouted‚ Rin-chan approached from behind with heavy footsteps.
She glanced at the cluster of monitors surrounding the bed and began reading Momiji-chan’s vital data as if claiming it as her own “domain.”
“…The periodicity of the magnetic anomaly is synchronized with the sampling rate of her respiratory system. Just as Haru said‚ the system’s so-called ‘initialization’—a forced format—is targeting her lungs‚”
Rin-chan placed her hand on Momiji-chan’s chest.
Momiji-chan’s breathing made a sad‚ noisy sound like a flute with holes—“Hyuuu…”—with each breath.
“…An unexpected malfunction. God (me) said I would repair it. …I’ll hack this physical law bug with my own hands‚”
Rin-chan’s fearless smile gleamed under the orange emergency light.
“We’re no longer just cargo. We’re going to become Momiji-chan’s ‘life engine’!”
Accepting the pain in my right leg as a “connection signal” of this single entity (structure)‚ I forced a smile toward Momiji-chan‚ who was suffering.
“…Hey‚ Harukun. The way you’re sitting kind of looks like a detective trying to grab the last strawberry on a shortcake. But what’s on the monitors here isn’t delicious toppings—it’s just creepy jagged ECG lines…”
Pressing the sole of my muddy‚ water-soaked bare foot against the cold concrete‚ I peeked over Harukun’s back. He was crouched directly on the floor‚ protecting his fractured right leg. Twirling his ash-silver tousled hair with his fingers‚ he stared unblinking at the massive stream of data flowing across the monitors.
“…Statistically speaking‚ this should not be treated as a conventional ‘electrocardiogram‚’”
Harukun replied‚ tapping the waterproof notebook open on his lap with a pencil.
“Momiji-san’s heart rate spikes… and the amplitude of the magnetic anomaly occurring outside this sanctuary. These two waveforms are synchronized with zero-point-one milliseconds of deviation. Nagisa-san‚ do you understand? Her body is currently engaged in a direct exchange of rewriting—‘hacking’—with the system known as the ‘world.’”
“Hacking…? Then Momiji-chan’s heart is fighting some kind of bad virus right now!?”
I shouted‚ and from the side‚ a cold—but somewhat arrogant—voice overlapped.
“Virus? Don’t make it sound so trivial. …This is ‘enforcement of physical law.’”
Rin-chan brushed the shoulder of her mud-stained black jacket and placed her fingers on the main console. “Momiji. You were reverse-observing the ‘initialization’ (formatting) of the world in this Sector 14… But the system is now trying to erase even the observer herself as an uncertainty element (noise).”
There was fearless‚ absolute confidence in Rin-chan’s eyes. To her‚ this desperate situation was merely a “malfunction” to be judged by her own rules.
“…Yes‚ Rin-san. Momiji-san’s decline in lung function is not due to an external infection‚ but a physical ‘delete protocol’ caused by negative spatial pressure. I cannot accept this‚”
Harukun‚ still lying on the floor‚ pointed at one of the monitors.
“Look. Each time her vitals turn red‚ the voltage of the backup battery drops. …The world is trying to consume the energy of this room to strip away the ‘weight of her existence.’”
“Strip away? Don’t say it like it’s removing toppings from my parfait! Rin-chan‚ can’t you do something!?”
I hugged my immobile left arm (marshmallow state) with my right hand and looked up at Rin-chan’s profile as if praying.
“…I can. If there are parts‚ they’re already here‚”
Rin-chan brushed aside my panic and scanned the “IV stand‚” “IV tube‚” and the “remnants of electronic circuits” lying at her feet.
“Nagisa. Your ‘hero detection sensor’ isn’t just for choosing parfait toppings‚ right? …Pick up that IV tube. …Now we’re going to hack the resources of this ‘sanctuary’ and assemble an ‘exoskeleton (splint)’ to disconnect Momiji from this world.”
“A splint…!? Rin-chan‚ are you saying you’re going to give Momiji-chan a ‘new bone’?”
“It’s not a gift. …It’s a wedge to overwrite the ‘rules’ known as physical laws‚”
Rin-chan curled her lips into a fearless smile. That profile looked like a god of a new world already certain of victory. On the bed‚ Momiji-chan let out a painful “Hyu…”
“Harukun‚ we’re going to super-charge Day 3 for Momiji-chan’s repair!”
I dragged myself across the muddy floor‚ enduring the stabbing pain from the AC adapter embedded in my right leg‚ and reached out with my only moving hand toward the materials Rin-chan had indicated.
“…Cough‚ cough! …Nagisa-san… in the third drawer of the main console… there’s… spare… circuit board… remnants…”
From the medical bed‚ Momiji-chan pointed with her pale fingertip toward a corner of the room. Her thin shoulders rose and fell with violent coughing‚ but her eyes had not lost the sharpness of someone trying to grasp all the data.
“Got it‚ Momiji-chan! Harukun‚ it’s your turn as a detective! Pull out some high-grade parts that’ll make Rin-chan cry with joy!”
Protecting my immobile left arm (marshmallow state)‚ I gently placed my right hand on Momiji-chan’s back. Her skin was hot‚ even through the thin gown. As I rubbed her back while thinking “you’re okay‚” her ragged breathing seemed to soften just a little.
Beside us‚ Rin-chan stood at the main console‚ struggling with exposed wiring. But I didn’t miss the subtle trembling of her back.
(Rin-chan… she’s already at her limit… pulling the weight of us 140 kilograms to the door‚ even blowing it open… Even kings run out of gas…)
I found a bottle of disinfectant and clean gauze by the bed‚ then dragged my impaired leg behind Rin-chan.
“Hey‚ Rin-chan. Time for a little ‘maintenance time‚’ okay?”
“…Refuse. …I’m in the middle of adjusting the polarity of the capacitor…”
“No way! Forcing yourself to keep working violates my ‘Excitement Life Management Regulations’!”
Using my immobile left arm as a stand‚ I awkwardly wrung gauze soaked with disinfectant with my right hand‚ and gently placed it on Rin-chan’s muddy shoulder as she tried to continue working.
“…Ah…‚”
A voice slipped from Rin-chan’s throat‚ like a sigh in a fever.
From her sleeveless black jacket‚ her pale shoulder was visible. On it‚ the red marks of the “rope” that had dug into her while saving us were etched vividly—and proudly—in a way that felt almost eerie.
With gauze soaked in cold disinfectant‚ I slowly and tenderly wiped the mud from her flushed neck down to her shoulder.
“…Nagisa… heat is… escaping…”
Rin-chan lowered her slightly flushed face. The mixed scent of mud and sweat rose softly as her body heat evaporated with the alcohol. From the boundary where the damp fabric clung to her skin‚ the exposed line of her collarbone gleamed under the orange emergency light.
“I won’t let it escape. I’m directly connecting my body heat to your engine‚”
I pressed my immobile left arm (marshmallow state) against her hot upper arm as a cooling material. My cold arm and Rin-chan’s overheated skin. A tight‚ close repair in front of the console where two temperatures merged.
“…Hah… Your marshmallow… is cold… and… feels good…”
She muttered her true feelings‚ abandoning her usual arrogance as a domineering “queen.” Seeing that defenseless profile made my heart’s drill spin faster for reasons entirely unrelated to repair.
“…Nagisa-san‚ Rin-san. …It is not my intention to interrupt statistically speaking‚ but the selection of parts has been completed‚”
Harukun‚ still crouched on the floor‚ held up the electronic remnants with deft fingers.
“These circuit boards‚ combined with the data provided by Momiji-san… will form the ‘splint’ needed to save her lungs. Please accept it.”
The four of us focused once again on the “repair of life.”
“Alright‚ nice catch‚ Harukun! That shiny circuit board is rated as a ‘super rare SSR item’ in my internal judgment!”
Dragging myself from the console back to the bed‚ I tilted my body to protect my immobile left arm (marshmallow state) and firmly supported Momiji-chan’s coughing shoulders against my chest.
In the cold air of the sanctuary‚ Rin-chan’s sharp voice rang out. She grabbed the IV tube and circuit boards selected by Harukun‚ and the materials I had picked up‚ and began “reconfiguring (hacking)” at terrifying speed.
“…Nagisa‚ stop joking around. Now I’m going to redefine this tube as an ‘exoskeleton (splint)’ to support Momiji’s lung function‚”
Rin-chan’s movements had already surpassed mere “repair.” Flexing her muddy shoulder muscles‚ she forcefully bent the pole of an old IV stand and directly connected it as a bypass with the circuit board Harukun brought.
“…Statistically speaking‚ we have three minutes and twenty seconds until the system’s ‘delete protocol’ enters its next cycle‚”
Harukun spread the waterproof notebook on his lap‚ staring at the waveform of the vital monitor as he counted down.
“Once the cycles overlap‚ her alveoli will collapse completely under negative pressure. …If we don’t attach this ‘physical support’ in time‚ it cannot be accepted.”
“Three minutes!? We’ve got to fix this before instant ramen gets soggy! Rin-chan‚ what should I do!?”
“Nagisa‚ become the ‘anchor (wedge)’ that stabilizes Momiji’s body‚”
Rin-chan gave instructions‚ her face damp with sweat.
“Listen carefully. We’re going to attach this splint to her chest. But the shock from rewriting the system is not something a single human body can withstand… Nagisa‚ we need your ‘weight.’”
“Roger! I’ll invest all of my ‘assets (body weight)’ into Momiji-chan’s life!”
I dragged my right leg‚ with the AC adapter embedded as a tourniquet‚ and forced my “numb bare foot” into the gap between the medical bed frame and the concrete floor.
“…Ngh…!”
Pain that pierced through my head. But this pain was the “synchronization signal” that connected us. Using my body as a wedge‚ I pressed my full weight against the trembling Momiji-chan and the bed’s support.
(My junky right leg… will become the strongest foundation to protect Momiji-chan!)
“…Magnetic cycle reversal in ten seconds… nine‚ eight…‚”
Harukun’s voice echoed like the footsteps of a reaper.
Rin-chan pressed the improvised “splint‚” assembled from the IV tube and circuit board‚ against Momiji-chan’s chest‚ forcefully tearing sheets from the bed and binding everything tightly.
“…Structural critical point—breached. …Now I will overwrite the ‘rules’ known as physical law…!”
With Rin-chan’s roar‚ her heated fingertips pressed the final switch.
――GYYOOOOOOOOOOON!!
In that instant‚ the entire sanctuary space distorted with a terrifying crushing sound‚ as if being sucked into a giant lung. The tremendous negative pressure shockwave from the system’s “initialization” struck us‚ the “single entity.”
“E-ehhh!? The world is refusing the ‘second serving’ and freaking out!!”
I planted the pain in my right leg as an “anchor pin‚” leaning my full weight backward so I would not detach from the bed frame. A hallucination of sparks bursting from my otherwise numb leg.
My weight prevented buckling‚ Rin-chan’s technique stopped the backflow of air‚ and Harukun’s observation pierced the bug in the world.
The three of us—and one—heartbeats synchronized perfectly through the ominous‚ metallic “splint‚” becoming a single lifeform.
“…Haa… Hey‚ Rin-chan. The world just missed eating our ‘special parfait’ in one bite‚ and it looked really frustrated as it ran away…”
I slowly pulled my numb right bare foot out from between the bed’s supports. The AC adapter still embedded in my leg sent a burning echo like flesh being torn‚ as if my entire skeleton was shouting‚ “No more seconds!”
The interior of the sanctuary‚ after the shockwave‚ fell silent. Only the “beep… beep…” of the monitors vibrated the air with a gentler rhythm than before.
“…Vitals returning to normal. Heart rate stabilized at 100. Alveolar negative pressure… completely offset by the repaired exoskeleton (splint)‚”
Harukun‚ crouched on the floor‚ opened his notebook with care and wrote with satisfaction.
“Statistically speaking‚ Momiji-san’s survival probability has‚ at this moment‚ moved out of the definition of ‘despair.’ …Accepted.”
“…Naturally. There are no exceptions to the rules I rewrite‚”
Rin-chan wiped the sweat from her muddy forehead with the back of her hand and stood up. She inspected the makeshift IV tube support attached to Momiji-chan’s chest and curled her lips into a fearless smile.
“Momiji. You are no longer just data to be observed. …You are a new ‘part’ that supports us as a single entity (structure).”
On the bed‚ Momiji-chan slowly opened her eyes. The painful noise from her breathing was gone‚ replaced by a quiet breath that tasted like “being alive.”
“…Thank you… Nagisa‚ Rin‚ Haru-san… I feel… really warm… now…”
“I connected my body heat to you at 100% sync!”
I gently took Momiji-chan’s slender hand with my only moving right hand‚ protecting my immobile left arm. Her fingertips were still trembling‚ but there was definitely a warmth within them—a warmth that wanted to move toward “tomorrow” together with us.
Harukun turned to a new page in his notebook and wrote the final line with strong strokes.
‘Day 3: Repairing life. We have evolved into those who care for others. Of the remaining 365 festivals that belong only to us‚ we light the very first flame here‚ in this sanctuary.’
I looked out the western window. The ominous “black wall” was still there‚ as always‚ but the orange light from the backup battery in this room overlapped our four muddy shadows into one.
“Alright! Momiji-chan’s breathing repair is complete… next‚ my stomach needs repair! Rin-chan‚ Momiji-chan‚ Harukun! I’m hungry!!”
“…Your appetite alone is beyond the control of physical law‚”
Rin-chan sighed in exasperation‚ Momiji-chan gave a small laugh‚ and Harukun nodded in acceptance.
Our 365 festivals—as four—quietly began from this moment onward.
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