Chapter 48
After a somewhat questionably legal process, it was officially decided that the space eel would be called Tuna. Since this decision had no bearing on the Federation's administration or future, the space jellyfish seemed to have developed a tendency to prioritize Kait's preferences. Kait made up his mind to abstain from voting on trivial matters from now on.
Now then, the task of announcing the new name was entrusted to Kait. Considering the circumstances, it was an undeniably appropriate choice.
—Hey, Kait. Is something the matter?
"Yes. I'd like to discuss something with you. I would like to start calling you Tuna from now on."
—Tuna, you say?
"Yes. It was decided through a selection process open to the Federation's citizens. They submitted suggestions, and we voted on which was best."
—Hmm.
"Tuna is a name from my homeland... a planet called Earth, where a great being was said to have taken on a form similar to yours in a legend."
—I don't quite understand what you mean by legend, but I like the idea of a great being taking a form similar to mine.
That went over better than expected.
Perhaps it was wise to say "great being" instead of invoking the concept of a god, which might not be understood.
—Understood. From now on, you may call me Tuna when speaking among yourselves.
"That helps a lot."
Good. It wasn't rejected.
Just as Kait let out a sigh of relief, the space eel—now Tuna—asked a question.
—By the way, Kait. Do creatures resembling me exist on your home planet?
"Huh? Yes."
He had the same thought with the space jellyfish—why were space creatures so interested in beings that looked like themselves?
In any case, Tuna seemed to be quite intrigued.
—Since it's your home planet, I assume they're much smaller than me?
"Oh, definitely. About this big."
When Kait formed a shape about thirty centimeters wide with his hands, Tuna leaned in with a fascinated expression. Too close. You're going to bump into Radia.
—That small!? A-Are they organic beings?
"They are. I've even eaten them before."
—E-Eaten! O-Oh... How barbaric, Kait.
Says the species that engages in mutual killing and cannibalism.
Though slightly exasperated, Kait ignored the comment about barbarism and glanced sideways at Emotion. She nodded.
"I think I have some pictures. Want to see?"
—Absolutely!
Kait showed Tuna a picture of an Earth eel, prompting Tuna to expose more of its eye than ever before.
—Oh? Ohhh...!?
From electric eels to Japanese eels to the odd lamprey. He might have even included a conger eel by accident, but from the space eel's perspective, they probably all looked the same.
—W-What is this feeling? It's like a surge of emotion. Something I've never felt toward my own kind—like my heart is softening. Ahh, how should I describe it!
"You want to protect them, maybe?"
—Protect... them? Yes, that's it! That word fits perfectly!
Who would've thought a space eel would feel protective toward Earth eels?
It's said that silicon-based lifeforms have an instinct to kill their own kind, so they've likely never felt tenderness toward similar beings. The desire to protect small, weak creatures probably never even occurred to them. Kait couldn't find the words for the writhing Tuna.
Still, Earth creatures are incredible—Earth jellyfish want to mate, Earth eels inspire protectiveness.
—Kait!
"Yes, yes."
Kait had learned enough from the space jellyfish to know what was coming.
Calmly, with a smile.
—I would very much like to visit these Earth eels!
"Tuna, you're too big, so no."
And so, the request was denied.
***
'Can't you do something, Kait Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif)'
The complaint from the negotiator Terapolapaneshio came about three days later. Given that they'd eaten around ten meals since then, that sounded about right.
Tuna had been depressed ever since Kait rejected the idea. Since the negotiator had to interact with Tuna, it must've been exhausting.
But Kait had his reasons. Since Tuna's desire to come to Earth was the problem, there was no other way to respond.
"I understand, but what do you think would happen if a creature that huge descended from space? It would drastically damage Earth's environment."
'Hmm'
"If Tuna's arrival caused several species of Earth eel to go extinct, I think the current level of depression would be nothing in comparison."
'T-That's a fair point, but...'
A rare moment—space jellyfish was at a loss for words.
It began to float lazily in the air, probably seeking the opinion of its fellow kind on the matter.
After a while, it descended as if having given up.
'...It seems the others agree. Kait Third-Rank Citizen's opinion is correct. However, negotiations won't proceed like this.'
The negotiator frowned in thought. Then, Emotion, who had been listening nearby, clapped her hands.
"This is perfect. Why not suggest that idea from before?"
"You mean... the spare body thing?"
"Yes. If they're more willing to cooperate, it'll make the research easier too, right?"
'Please. I really want you to suggest it. It would help so much!'
Compared to the usually composed representatives and councilors from Zodogia, the negotiator seemed competent but emotionally strained.
Space jellyfish really are more individualistic than expected.
***
—I'll do it! Please let me participate in that experiment!
Conclusion: extremely enthusiastic.
Tuna jumped at the outrageous proposal to create a spare body small enough not to affect Earth eels or planetary environments and transfer its consciousness into it.
Is that really okay, space eel?
Kait held his head in his hands for a moment, but figured if Tuna was fine with it, so be it, and left the rest to the negotiator. As the two parties rapidly finalized previously stalled decisions, Kait stepped back slightly and gave Emotion a wry smile.
"That went well. Couldn't have gone better."
"Yes. Judging from how Terapolapaneshio and the others have behaved so far, this outcome was predictable."
"That's impressive. I didn't get that sense at all."
"The environment of space likely imposes loneliness on living beings more than we imagine."
That was quite poetic.
If that's why frameworks like the Federation and the Corporation exist—to build societies that transcend species—then perhaps there is meaning even in the loneliness of space.
"Hopefully, things will go more smoothly from here."
"It seems Mr. Tuna can distinguish Earth eels. Maybe they can memorize things if there are shared traits."
"Now that you mention it, yeah. I'd be happy if that helped deepen their understanding of organic life."
Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've eaten eel.
Thinking he'd like to have some again, Kait suddenly grew curious and casually asked Emotion a question.
"By the way, do other planets besides Earth have creatures that resemble eels?"
"Yes. Strangely, no jellyfish-like creatures have been found, but eel- or snake-like ones have been observed on several planets..."
It was just idle chatter with no particular intent. Emotion trailed off because of the gaze directed at her.
But calling it a gaze was an understatement—it was overwhelming.
Feeling crushed by the pressure, Kait reflexively turned toward it.
—What did you just say?
Tuna's single eye seemed to flash like it reflected the light of a star.
'Kait Third-Rank Citizen, we are in the middle of negotiations.'
"......I deeply apologize."
The cold wave of thought from Terapolapaneshio felt like it was aimed at him for the first time.
As a result of Tuna's request, a 'planetary eel observation tour' across Federation-controlled planets was added to the agenda.
'Wait, were we like this once too? Could it be?'
"......I'll refrain from commenting on that."