Chapter 45: Body Repair (Water and Cleaning Room)
Swoosh!
The multicolored dome enveloping us is cheerfully repelling the continuous 'Tongue of Deletion (Strong Acid Rain).' What echoes inside is only a somewhat gentle sound of rain‚ as if the world's malice is melting away and disappearing. This cocoon (dome) painted with the body heat of the four of us is the world's most luxurious 'Extra-Large Marble Chocolate House' floating on a sea of mud.
"The force of the rain is gradually decreasing. Just as predicted. Right after completing the massive process of rewriting the ground into liquid‚ the world's (system's) resources should be completely exhausted in about three more hours."
"Nfuu~. More importantly~. Hey‚ Haru-kun."
I plopped down heavily on the raft floor where even fragments of asphalt had disappeared and let my eyes sparkle.
"Is that pocket on your parka connected to the fourth dimension? Treasures keep getting delivered one after another!"
What Haru-kun pulled out from his mud-covered chest was a rugged lump of metal. When he wiped the surface with his sleeve‚ a cylindrical casing glowing with a dull silver color revealed itself.
"Haru-kun‚ what's that? It looks really hard‚ but it's not something you can eat‚ right?"
"Nagisa. How about repairing that habit of yours of using 'whether it can be eaten' as the criterion for every judgment?"
Rin-chan's sharp retort flew in immediately from the side.
"Ehehe~... Because it looked like the silver spoon from an extra-large parfait!"
"...This is a 'Small Water Purification Filter.'"
Haru-kun smiled bitterly and‚ while still crouching‚ added a single stroke to his waxed waterproof notebook. Not a calculation formula‚ but a stroke filled with the weight of 'acceptance.' His ash-silver unruly hair reflected the pale blue static electricity illuminating the inside of the dome‚ giving off a cold yet definite light of intellect.
"It's the crystallization of the tenacity of humanity in the past‚ who never gave up on living until the very end. Statistically speaking‚ the expiration date passed over 300 years ago‚ but there is no visible deterioration in the physical porous structure. If we bypass it to the exhaust heat cycle of the magnetic engine‚ we can repair this muddy water to a level where it can be 'accepted.'"
"Hmph. Whether it's expired or not doesn't matter. If it still has a role left‚ we'll use it until it's worn out."
Rin-chan shook her mud-stained jacket and snatched the filter from Haru-kun. On her shoulder‚ the red rope mark from when she pulled us out of the sea of mud remained proudly.
"Nagisa‚ pass me the steel rack posts and vinyl sheet over there. If we don't have a place to 'store' the water‚ purifying it won't mean anything."
"Roger that‚ Leader! My 'God's Right Hand' will now begin work as the world's best interior decorator!"
Using my marshmallow-like left arm‚ which was in a closed-for-business state‚ as a makeshift fulcrum‚ I dragged the vinyl sheet over with my right hand alone. The AC adapter tourniquet on my right leg bit into my flesh with a beating rhythm‚ but right now even that rhythm felt dear‚ like "proof that I'm alive."
Rin-chan's hands moved with fierce heat. While bypassing the engine's residual heat‚ she skillfully wrapped copper wire around the base of the filter. Every time she moved‚ the fabric clinging to her with sweat vividly outlined her supple contours in the pale blue light. The scent of sweat turned to steam by the heat of work sweetly brushed the tip of my nose.
(As expected‚ Rin-chan is amazing... She's my hero!)
"Haru. Fix the sync pulse at 12.8 hertz. ...Here we go."
The moment Rin-chan firmly connected the contacts‚ the crude device jumped with a "Thump!" like a heartbeat. The brownish muddy water spreading at the raft's feet was vigorously sucked up through the dirty tube.
And then—.
"Ah. ...It's coming out...!"
A single streak of transparent light overflowed from the filter's outlet. It didn't smell of mud. It didn't taste of iron. It was simply 'water'—utterly transparent‚ inorganic‚ yet carrying the weight of life itself. I instinctively scooped up that brilliance with my right hand.
"Look‚ Rin-chan‚ Haru-kun‚ Momiji-chan! This is the most expensive 'Diamond Soda' in the world! It doesn't have carbonation‚ but it looks like it'll start fizzing from my excitement!"
"...It's just water. However‚ impurity concentration is 0.02% or below. ...Accepted."
Haru-kun's voice trembled with relief.
On the transport sled‚ Momiji-chan's exoskeleton (splint) creaked gently with a "...Kyuu‚" as if celebrating the birth of a new life.
We had finally hacked a dignity called 'cleanliness' on the sea of despairing mud.
"Hey hey‚ Rin-chan. This 'Diamond Soda' is so transparent‚ it feels like it could even heal my dirty heart..."
I peered into the makeshift water tank installed in the center of the pontoon. Inside the crude box assembled from surplus steel rack parts and vinyl sheets‚ the most luxurious "transparency" in this world was quietly holding its weight. It was a pure resource to keep our lives connected.
"Before a transparent heart‚ first do something about that mud-covered skin. We're washing our bodies. If we don't remove the mud‚ the skin's barrier function will decline and invite a fatal bug called infection."
Rin-chan said without stopping her hand adjusting the magnetic engine's exhaust heat.
"Predictable. That's why I secured opaque cloth as well."
Haru-kun‚ who had been crouching on the sled‚ pulled a bundle of cloth from the cargo area while hugging his waterproof notebook to his chest. His ash-silver unruly hair looked a little softer‚ gently swaying as it touched the clean moisture drifting inside the dome.
"Making curtains to wash our bodies...? Rin-chan. For the past few days we've been operating as a single entity (structure)‚ with our privacy fully open to each other 360 degrees‚ right? Now suddenly playing hide-and-seek like separating parfait toppings feels kinda ticklish!"
"Nagisa-san. Statistically speaking‚ we have only temporarily suspended individual identification (privacy) while treating ourselves as 'survival parts.'"
Haru-kun looked back at me with serious gray eyes.
"However‚ in this current phase where we have secured a base and are redefining our life as 'people of water‚' repairing individual dignity—that is‚ the 'right not to be seen by others'—is an indispensable cost for maintaining mental stability."
"Haru. That's a pretty good argument coming from you."
Rin-chan slightly raised the corner of her mouth and snatched thick blackout curtains—which we had used as materials for the 'Fluffy Fortress' on that snowy night—from the pile of junk in the corner of the pontoon‚ along with clean white cloth we brought back from the observatory.
"Nagisa. Fix the end of this wire to the steel rack post with that right hand. Alright‚ we're now forcibly partitioning the inside of this dome into 'living quarters' and 'washing quarters.'"
"Roger that‚ Leader! My 'God's Right Hand' will now do its best as the world's number one curtain maker!"
Bracing my trembling legs on the cold floor‚ I forcefully wrapped the wire around the post. Each time I pulled the curtain‚ the inside of the dome illuminated by pale blue static electricity was gradually divided by new boundary lines.
—Shh... Click.
The moment Rin-chan fastened the last clip‚ our figures were blocked from each other's view by "a single piece of cloth."
It wasn't just a simple screen.
Rising water levels‚ collapsing ground‚ disappearing oxygen... It was the first 'sanctuary where we could hide from the world' that we had obtained‚ after being observed (deleted) from all directions by the malicious system called the world.
"Ah. ...We're hiding. Hey‚ Rin-chan. With just this one curtain‚ we can go back to being a 'girl' and a 'boy' again..."
I gently stroked the edge of the cloth. From the other side of the curtain‚ Rin-chan let out a heavy yet somewhat relieved sigh.
"First‚ that's right. Managing the discomfort index is also the main engine's (engine's) role. Nagisa. Help me wash... Momiji first."
"...Kyuu."
On the transport sled‚ Momiji-chan's exoskeleton creaked gently‚ as if celebrating the definition of a new world.
We were taking the first step to shed the "data" covered in mud and despair and reclaim our own "physical bodies."
On the other side of the single curtain‚ the heavy low sound "Bwooooo..." emitted by the magnetic engine echoed like the heartbeat of our new home.
I sat down lightly on the vinyl sheet floor. It was the 'Extra-Large Washing Room' that Rin-chan had hastily partitioned for us. The static electricity coil hanging from the steel rack post fantastically illuminated the rising white steam in pale blue.
"Nfuu~. Hey‚ Rin-chan. Our house has completely class-changed into a 'public bath‚ the bathhouse of the water people.'"
I carefully held my numb left arm—the cold‚ heavy marshmallow lump—with my right hand and placed it on my lap.
The first warm water‚ boiled by the magnetic engine's heat. The transparent brilliance held in the small aluminum pot and vinyl water tank‚ along with the steam‚ filled our nasal cavities with the scent of pure water.
"Don't arbitrarily give it a shop name. I told you managing the discomfort index is the main engine's duty."
Rin-chan said in an exasperated tone while skillfully preparing the towels.
"First‚ take off your dirty clothes and put them there. Absolutely do not put them in the hot water! We'll wipe Momiji directly with clean warm towels."
"Roger!"
Using warm water and clean cloth‚ the two of us carefully wiped away the mud logs stuck to Momiji-chan's porcelain-like skin.
And then‚ thirty minutes later.
"Nfuu~‚ Momiji-chan is all clean now~"
"...Kyuu. Thank you‚ Nagisa-chan. Rin-san."
Along with the creaking sound of her splint‚ Momiji-chan shook her frayed red hair and smiled shyly.
"You're welcome~! Right‚ Rin-chan?"
"Repairing the parts of a single entity is the main engine's duty. I only performed necessary maintenance."
"Rin-chan‚ your face is a little red! You're embarrassed..."
"Shut up. It's just heat trapped by the steam. More importantly‚ it's our turn next."
With those words‚ Rin-chan quietly knelt in front of me. It was a slightly anxious yet definite "body temperature of thinking about someone‚" melting into the steam.
"Nagisa. Put that arm... out here."
"Roger‚ Leader. My marshmallow will guarantee the highest 'washing comfort' today!"
I laughed and‚ supporting my left arm with my right hand‚ held it out toward Rin-chan.
Rin-chan's hand touched my wrist.
"...!"
Her hot fingertips touched my skin‚ which had been covered in cold rain and mud and frozen like ice. At that moment‚ deep in my heart‚ my heartbeat overflowed as if a small parfait container had been flipped over.
Rin-chan began slowly wiping my immobile arm with a clean cloth soaked in hot water. From the fingertips to the elbow‚ then to the shoulder. My inconvenient left arm‚ which until now had been treated like an inorganic part‚ as 'shock absorbing material (damper).'
"Nagisa. Do you remember? The time when you said you'd turn this arm into a 'tool (anchor)' to hold Haru on that cliff."
Rin-chan's voice was low and gentle‚ as if it might melt into the steam.
"No way I could forget. That was when my 'excitement index' was the highest!"
"Liar. You had a face like you were about to cry."
Rin-chan's fingertips lovingly massaged my upper arm‚ handling it like a fragile object. Since my nerves were dead‚ I couldn't feel the sensation at all. But only the heat from her hands went beyond my dead skin and directly warmed the coordinates of my soul.
"Listen‚ Nagisa. I'll say it as many times as it takes‚ so listen well. This arm is not a steel rack post‚ nor is it the coolant for the magnetic engine."
Rin-chan stopped her hands and looked into my eyes. Reflected in her pupils‚ which mirrored the pale blue static electricity‚ was my awkward self—covered in mud but with fluffy hair.
"This isn't a part. It's the one and only 'body' that forms the human being called you."
"...Ah."
Rin-chan's hand squeezed my numb upper arm once‚ not with the strength to test a tool's durability‚ but with a different kind of strength.
"I won't let you use it like that anymore. Sacrificing your body (resources) to buy the future... that's more than enough."
Those words filled the gaps of "irreparable loneliness" deep in my chest with warm wax.
"Rin-chan‚ your shoulders are all red too... Huh...? That's weird‚ Rin-chan..."
My vision suddenly warped. The marble-patterned walls and Rin-chan's beautiful black hair all sparkled and disappeared as if submerged in 'Diamond Soda.'
"Somehow... warm water is being delivered from my eyes on its own... Is this leftover from the soup earlier...?"
I laughed. With my nose bright red and sobbing‚ I desperately tried to smile.
"Idiot. How could it be hot water? That's just a sodium chloride aqueous solution overflowing from your 'history (log).'"
Rin-chan sighed in exasperation and gently wiped my cheek with her finger.
Shedding the "data" covered in mud and despair. Inside the steam‚ we were finally reclaiming our own "physical bodies."
My numb left arm seemed to have become just a little lighter after absorbing Rin-chan's body heat.
"Nagisa. Don't drop the towel in the vinyl water tank. It'll raise the contamination level of the water we worked so hard to repair."
"Geeez... You're so strict‚ Rin-chan~"
I wiped my tears and laughed with an "ehe." Soaking in hot water really rejuvenates both the heart and body‚ doesn't it?
"Nfuu~‚ paradise‚ paradise. My body now feels like it could melt into the hot water and become high-class 'cotton candy' instead of marshmallow..."
The heat of the washing room clashed with the cold air inside the dome‚ weaving multiple layers of pure white mist curtains. The hot water boiled by the magnetic engine's exhaust heat was the only "transparent gem" we obtained at the observatory.
I gently hugged my left arm—which Rin-chan had washed—with my right hand‚ and this time threw our uniforms and parkas‚ stained with our 'history‚' into the aluminum container filled with hot water.
"Nagisa‚ don't get carried away. Next is this. Our trusty 'baking soda' that we've used so much. We'll dissolve this and chemically decompose (cleanse) the stubborn logs of mixed mud and sebum."
Rin-chan knelt down holding a bag of baking soda‚ wrapped in a towel.
"Baking soda-kun is on duty for another big performance! Just like how you made my hair fluffy‚ make these muddy clothes sparkle like 'brand new parfaits' too!"
"Here‚ use this. Don't spill it."
I sprinkled the baking soda powder I received from Rin-chan into the lukewarm water. With a fizz‚ a faint carbonated breath leaked out‚ and the water turned white and cloudy.
"It won't return to completely new. But we can rewrite the 'texture' of the ingrained mud and blood into clothing (resources) for living. Hey Haru. Take off that parka too. ...Momiji. Wipe Haru's feet for him."
Prompted by Rin-chan‚ Haru-kun apologetically handed over his mud-covered green parka through a gap in the curtain from the 'living quarters' on the other side.
In the 'living quarters' on the other side of the curtain. Momiji-chan‚ sitting up on the sled‚ soaked a clean cloth in warm water and began slowly and gently wiping Haru-kun's ankle—the painfully swollen‚ purple area from the fracture.
"Ah... I'm sorry‚ Momiji-san. I still don't quite understand the reason for you doing this much for me..."
Haru-kun lowered his gaze while crouching‚ his ear tips turning just a little red. His ash-silver unruly hair‚ hit by the steam leaking through the gap‚ swayed fluffily like softer cotton candy than usual.
"No. This leg of Haru-san's carried 'hope' from the observatory... It's part of our precious 'history.' Cleaning it is my role."
Momiji-chan smiled quietly and slid the cloth. The exoskeleton made from IV tubes creaked gently with a "...Kyuu‚" playing a melody of relief in sync with Haru-kun's slightly quickened heartbeat.
Inside the hot water‚ our clothes were rubbed‚ and the brown of the mud dissolved into transparent white.
"Look‚ Rin-chan. The muddy memories are being deleted (erased) into the hot water one after another. This feels like a ritual for us to go from 'mere survivors' back to 'humans.'"
"Don't say stupid things. It's not a ritual. It's just discomfort index management (maintenance)."
Rin-chan said curtly‚ yet she was stubbornly hand-washing my pink parka with her slender fingertips. Her hand movements seemed less like removing dirt and more like confirming something precious.
The narrow space enveloped in steam. The slightly sharp yet clean scent of baking soda. The gentle sound of water splashing.
It was our own 'heartbeat of life' that perfectly canceled out—even if temporarily—the sound of the acid rain overhead.
Our mud-removed clothes‚ swayed by the wind carrying the engine's residual heat‚ began to release the scent of new life inside the dome.
"Nfuu~. My body now feels like a freshly made 'pure white dango' sitting neatly on top of a parfait..."
I leaned my back against the steel rack in the 'living quarters' partitioned by the curtain and muttered in a floppy‚ strengthless voice. The heavy mud-laden atmosphere that had filled the inside of the dome was now being washed away along with the pure white bubbles of baking soda. Amid the scent like spring sunlight filling the room‚ my blue hair—which had been clumped from moisture—was now fluffy like freshly repaired 'luxury cotton candy‚' and it felt like a happy sound rang out every time I ran my fingers through it.
"For a dango‚ that tourniquet (AC adapter) is wrapped rather crudely. However‚ as discomfort index management‚ it's well done. The operational efficiency of the single entity (structure) should improve a little with this."
In front of me‚ Rin-chan put on her freshly dried sleeveless jacket again. Her freshly washed bare skin softly repelled the pale blue static electricity‚ and her slightly more relaxed shoulder lines were beautifully visible in the steam.
"That 'improvement of discomfort index' of Nagisa-san's. I have now accepted (accepted) it as the history of 'Day 4.'"
In the corner of the dome. Haru-kun‚ still in a crouching position‚ had spread his waxed waterproof notebook on his lap. Thanks to Momiji-chan washing him‚ his ash-silver unruly hair gave off a softer silver light than usual. The pen began to carve a pleasant rhythm on the still-warm page.
'Day 4‚ 15:42 PM. Body repair complete. Today‚ we finally accepted (accepted) the "physical bodies of our own selves" that the world had taken from us as the property of a single entity.'
"Accepted... I'm really happy. Having someone wash my body is so warm... It reminds me that I am 'human'..."
On the transport sled‚ Momiji-chan smiled gently. Her clean white gown made her sunset-like red hair stand out even more vividly. The exoskeleton on her chest creaked gently with a "...Kyuu‚" as if playing a sigh of relief.
The clean shadows of us four overlapped into one on the multicolored wall.
The acid rain that sinks the world was still licking the outside of the dome‚ but inside this 'home' partitioned by a single curtain‚ it had become our own sanctuary that had escaped the system's observation (deletion).
I hugged my left arm—which was no longer a "tool"—dearly with my right hand again. I couldn't feel anything‚ but I could sense the heat from Rin-chan's fingertips touching there pulsing as the coordinates of my new history.
Today‚ we graduated from being 'parts' for survival. We had reclaimed the warmth of home that we had forgotten and the fun of laughing together.
"—Ah! Oh no‚ Rin-chan! Haru-kun‚ Momiji-chan!!"
I suddenly jumped up (in my heart) at the maximum alert sounded by my 'stomach sensor.'
"After my body was repaired to be sparkling clean... the 'black hole' inside me misread the atmosphere and started a massive rampage!"
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!
Inside the quiet dome‚ the loudest—and by far the most 'energetic'—roar of hunger echoed.
"Hmph. It seems even the highest-pressure purification device couldn't wash away that appetite of yours."
Rin-chan smiled‚ exasperated yet lovingly‚ at the only 'correct answer' in this hopeless world.
"Understood. I accept Nagisa-san's black hole's request. Rin-san‚ I propose the next repair case."
Haru-kun closed his notebook and looked this way‚ shaking his ash-silver unruly hair.
"To maintain the morale of the single entity (team)‚ we should begin repairing the next 'festival'... in other words‚ the dining table."
"Yesss‚ I agree! Totally agree! Right now I could even go for seconds of asphalt chocolate chips!!"
The laughter of the four of us‚ now clean‚ spread inside the raft floating on the muddy water like popping soda bubbles.
Our 'Day 4.' The preparations for the festival have only just begun.
Chapter 45 "Body Repair (Water and Cleaning Room)" End
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