Tree (1)
A breeze, embodying the essence of spring, gently brushed against me. The vast green meadow, stretching to the horizon, surrendered to the wind, exuding a sense of life.
Under the blue sky, on a hillside where a gentle breeze blew, patches of the landscape had already started to color in vibrant hues. If only time could stop, this was a scene one might wish to pause and admire eternally, evoking a feeling of nostalgia.
I stood, or perhaps sat, in a place offering a perfect view of that landscape. I wasn't sure. What was certain was that I felt stable without needing to move, whether physically or mentally, in any aspect.
Suddenly, I heard laughter beside me as I admired the blue flowers blooming at my feet. The laughter, like a flower blooming before the spring blossoms, delivered happiness just by listening to it.
Were they family? I hoped they were my family as I turned my head at that moment. Suddenly, the serene landscape transformed into hell with a piercing scream as the meadow was engulfed in flames.
In the blink of an eye, just as the drastic change into hellish scenery momentarily froze my mind, a desperate cry reached me. Someone was shouting at me.
"Run... escape...!"
Run? Where to?
Before I could decide, the first to arrive was a flame that enveloped me like a rough hand, and with a sudden drop, my vision turned black.
I opened my eyes slowly through dazed consciousness. The source of light indicating morning entered my sight. Inhaling the air with floating specks of dust finally cleared my previously blocked breathing airway.
It didn't take long to realize that the vivid scenes just moments ago had been a dream.
"Haaa..."
I rubbed my face dry and slightly turned my head. My eyes met Nadia's, who had puffed-out cheeks. She was munching on bread, more luxurious than emergency food sticks, from the store.
Packaging littered the bed, a testimony to a fierce battle. Nadia, pausing her chewing, jumped to her feet when I said hello, practically throwing herself at me. It seemed almost like she was going to topple me over.
If she weren't small, the pressure would have been considerable. I might have flinched in surprise without realizing it. In the blink of an eye, Nadia, now at the edge of my bed, swallowed the bread and shouted,
"Hyun-woo!"
"Could you speak a bit quieter? It echoes a bit."
"Hyun-woo..."
"Yeah, that's just right."
Nadia, who immediately adjusted her volume a few notches down, looked me over with worried eyes before giving a bright smile. Her fluffy tail wagged gently.
"There's no injury!"
"I'm all right."
"Does someone who's okay sleep all day?"
"... Did I sleep that long?"
Come to think about it, we had arrived here early in the morning, and it was morning again when I woke up.
I vaguely recalled arriving at the Town with a weary body alongside Nadia and Carry, handing over the communication module and the data board for store recognition saved from Base Heaven, before collapsing almost faintly.
The thought of having arrived at a safe place allowed my taut nerves to suddenly unwind, yanking away my consciousness alongside. It seemed the fatigue accumulated in my body was more than I anticipated.
The last thing I remembered was the sight of startled folks rushing towards me. Nadia had been among the startled ones. I looked at her, now with a slightly pouty expression, and awkwardly smiled.
Instead of flaunting my recovery, I naturally redirected the conversation.
"When did you wake up?"
"Not long ago. Maybe about an hour."
An hour, huh. As I glanced at the traces of battle piled on the bed, Nadia, immediately catching on to my gaze, quickly leaned in to block it with her face. With her consistently nearing closeness, it felt burdensome; I gently pushed her forehead to create space.
It was literally just a gentle push, so it shouldn't have hurt, but Nadia, feigning hurt while covering her forehead, opened her mouth.
"You can rest a bit more. We've done all we need to do."
Nadia was right. I too felt that I had done my part. If they made us work even after arriving here, it would have been overly shameless, to say the least.
I could sleep more, but I was already awake. Feeling hungry, I quickly snatched the bread from Nadia's hand and took a bite.
Taken by surprise and robbed of her bread, Nadia initially blinked in confusion, alternating a look between her hand and me, before expressing dismay at my mouth, now munching.
"My bread...! Why take mine when there are many new ones over there!"
"Eating this way tastes better. It's quite decent."
Mimicking a squirrel munching and drooling, I chuckled visibly, prompting Nadia to clench her fist in friction, exclaiming a frustrated "Argh...!"
I quenched my hunger by also seizing and consuming a pack of purified water. Certainly easier to eat than just the tasteless, dry sticks, the sweet-tasting bread was satisfying. Perhaps because of seeing Nadia's annoyed expression, it tasted even better.
"Having bread means..."
The store must be operating properly. It seems the data board we salvaged is performing its function aptly.
Nadia, still looking at me begrudgingly after losing her bread, offered the rest to me as though surrendering it all. As I popped another piece into my mouth, I asked,
"Where's Carry?"
"Currently undergoing repairs. The thruster motor was more burnt than we thought, so it's being replaced with a new one."
"There's a mechanic, I see."
"Yeah. Oh, we're probably the only mid and low-rank workers here, Hyun-woo."
Everyone else, according to Nadia, was either above high-rank workers or associated with Celestia. She mentioned this with a serious expression.
Considering the broker gathered them, it's no wonder none of them were ordinary workers. In terms of rank, we probably received special treatment. Even though the shuttle escape plan went awry.
"Hyun-woo, you have to get a quick promotion."
"It's more like a rank-up."
"Climbing up to supervisor quickly implies a promotion!"
"That's a high target. But to do that, I'd have to return there to obtain a bracelet."
"... Then, that's not feasible. It's fine if you don't get promoted, just stay as you are."
It was amusing hearing Nadia speak in a nurturing manner, akin to saying, "Just grow up healthy without falling sick."
As I listened, I grinned lightly before getting up to stretch, shaking off the stiffness.
Even on the hard floor, having slept well, I wasn't plagued by headaches anymore. No muscle aches either.
"Is water available?"
"Yeah, since we've gathered plenty of water, showers are feasible from today. It's lukewarm, though."
"That's good enough."
Honestly, my current state was pitiful. Drenched in sweat and having slept without a wash, the sticky discomfort was indescribable. Now that hunger was addressed, I longed to clean off the itchiness swiftly.
In truth, I pushed Nadia away earlier because of this. Afraid of smelling. Or rather, because I smelled.
Nadia was in a better situation than I was. Although she sweated like me, her fur's intrinsic cleanliness courtesy of being a beastkin played to her advantage.
Beyond that, she indeed looked fresh. I assumed she washed up ahead while I slept.
A fresh suit awaited me as well.
Come to think of it, the bloodstains on my suit were scrubbed away entirely. I wondered who cleaned it before bed. Having packed the neatly folded suit, I was about to announce my shower plan and rise when,
"Hyun-woo."
Nadia stopped me. Curious, I turned to find her staring worriedly at me.
"By chance, did you have a bad dream while sleeping?"
"Dream? Hmm... I think I did, but I can't really recall. Why?"
"No particular reason... You seemed a bit distressed when I came into the room. Tried shaking you awake, but..."
"Oh."
No wonder Nadia naturally positioned herself in my room. She probably came to check my state and ended up staying. That's why she immediately checked for injuries upon my waking up.
"Probably because of fatigue."
"If so, that's a relief... Well, if you say so, then that's that. Go ahead and wash up."
Nadia motioned with her hand for me to head off, hinting she had nothing more to add. Feeling my suit emitting a complex odor, I hastily made my way to the shower room.
'A dream...'
I distinctly recalled the vividness upon waking, but now, in trying to reminisce, could hardly recall a thing; it all felt evaporated.
If it were indeed crucial, perhaps I'd revisit it in another dream or something.
I proceeded to the shower room, ridding my body of accumulated dust and changed into a new worker's suit. The one from the broker turned out to be another Mark 2.
Having transformed back into a semblance of humanity, I exited the room with Nadia, heading outside to relieve some indoor stuffiness and fetch Carry, amidst the bustling hands of numerous people.
***
Beep—
The crane on the orbital vehicle moved, relocating materials piled in one spot. The wires, connected to each corner, were being tightly stretched to maintain balance.
Around it were individuals donning respiratory protectors, bustling actively since the morning. They were working to put the skeletal building infrastructure into practical use.
On one hand, incomplete structures were gradually being finalized, while on the other, folks strived to revive inactive systems, pouring their efforts into it.
The first-generation colony town was assuming the form it was meant to have, by human hands. Despite only a day having passed, the colony had undergone quite the transformation.
"What's this? You're awake? I was just about to go look for you."
Approaching us amid observing the people was the broker. Upon sighting the one trailing behind her, both Nadia and I brightened up.
"Carry! Have you been repaired? Are you okay now?"
【(˶• ֊ •˶)】
As if pleased by the attention, Carry displayed a twitching mouth corner on its monitor. It showed off its intactness, transitioning into flight mode by activating its thrusters. Even the previously crumpled armor plate had been neatly straightened.
While we pampered and fawned over Carry, feeling like the odd woman out, one person looked on in dismay.
"... Am I invisible?"
"Ah, broker. We see you."
"I had a big hand in getting your hunk of junk repaired, don't you have anything to say to me?"
"Thank you."
"This feels like pulling teeth to get a thank you."
"Shall I retract it?"
"Who said to go that far?"
Repeating a conversation we had at Base Heaven, we shared a chuckle, exchanging glances. The dialogue made the reality of safely arriving at the town sink in.
Even the broker, donning a soft smile momentarily, caught herself, realizing she'd reacted, and reverted to maintaining a stern exterior. It made me inwardly chuckle at her attempts to preserve her image despite responding.
Nevertheless, I hid my amusement. The broker tended to sulk for extended periods once upset, so discretion was wise.
She circled around me, trying to lift my arm, to which I obliged momentarily. Her manner hinted at gauging more than just a person's condition, perhaps assessing commodity quality too.
"Besides feeling a bit stiff, no injuries. Thanks to you. I liked this suit, too."
"Who said anything?"
The broker dodged my gaze. After exchanging brief words regarding my physical state, she beckoned for me to follow, knowing I had nothing pressing at the moment.
"Where are we going?"
"Given you've returned alive from heaven, there are plenty curious about what transpired there. If you're willing, we'd like you to share the information. You're also probably eager to know about our current situation, so a spot's been set up for it."
"Ah."
"Did you eat? If not, there's food at the storage on the first floor. It's not much—just preservative-laden long-term storage food, but you can have your pick from the piled-up stock there."
"I've already eaten. I swiped some of Nadia's."
"... Swiping food from that little one, of all people?"
"Oh, I only had one."
"Not just one, Hyun-woo. You ate three of my precious breads...!"
"Really? Oh well."
Seeing me shrugging nonchalantly, Nadia clenched her fists. Thankfully, those fists didn't further engage with me thanks to the broker's timely intervention.
"Hyun-woo, you're pretty perceptive, huh? I figured you'd be tactless enough to bring up the chip."
"Chip? Ah, the hacking chip?"
I wondered what she meant, then realized it was about the time in the maintenance storage.
"Yeah."
"I'm not that much of a fool. You haven't mentioned it to others yet, have you?"
"...... Am I supposed to openly declare my status as a broker? My earlier statement needs retraction. Hyun-woo, you may lack tact."
"Why, though? Don't retract it. Isn't it going to be known soon anyway? More than half of the people here already are aware, so maintaining a secret is practically impossible, isn't it?"
"Even if that's the case, there's a difference in directly admitting it myself. Especially in the presence of Myosotis. What am I to trust in?"
I thought forming a bridge for building trust with Celestia by aiding us together had happened, but it seemed not so. In retrospect, it seemed fitting for a broker.
"If I do mention it, it'll be phrased as having worked as an engineer before, so bear that in mind. And you... hmm. Never mind."
"...?"
"Just keep that in mind. I'll work on getting you a new chip as quickly as possible, so hang tight."
Currently, my bracelet had returned to its gray state. Time had erased the temporarily added rank.
"She believes it'll take time, huh."
It seemed she didn't expect rescue or escape in the near future, even after obtaining the store recognition data board and communication module.
Otherwise, there'd be no need to make a chip. In exerting efforts to fashion a chip for use only here on Titan would be unnecessary.
Sighing softly internally, I adjusted my respirator. Stepping outside alleviated the pent-up frustration momentarily, but thinking about escape brought it crashing back.
"If there's nothing else—"
"Oh, there is one thing. Your name. You promised to tell us when we got back."
"What? Remembering that means you were curious?"
The broker's eyes widened with surprise. I raised one eyebrow instead of responding. Why make such an expression after stating she'd reveal it herself?
The broker, as though making excuses, hastily opened her mouth.
"Figured you weren't all that curious."
"We've known you over three years, yet not knowing your name? Honestly, it's reached a point of adding stubbornness."
"Is that so?"
I assured her I wouldn't laugh at her name, no matter how odd, which immediately turned the broker's expression cold. She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.
"My name is..."
With a slight movement of her lips, the broker spoke. Licorice. That was her name.
"Your name's perfectly fine. I thought it was weird because you hid it all this time. It's your real name, right? You're not going to pull a trick, saying it's an identity from your third persona, are you?"
"... What? I told you with effort..."
"It even sounds nice. Why hide it?"
"... What?"
Licorice, flustered, looked up at me. Her hands fidgeted aimlessly.
"From now on, I'll call you Licorice."
"... That's not right. If you do, it defeats the purpose of keeping it hidden. So only when we're alone—"
Nadia, having listened quietly, bobbed her head in agreement as though having decided something. With her fluffy tail tapping and her throaty growls, she began.
At Nadia's reaction, Licorice clicked her tongue and continued.
"... Include Woof-woof, so just when it's the three of us, you two can call me that. Feel honored. Not many know my name."
Clearing her throat, Licorice spun around, heading towards a place where people awaited us.
Licorice's ears, meanwhile, had turned almost as red as her hair.