Chapter 7: Window
Early in the morning the sun-rays gently illuminated the room through the shutter blinds where Chito and Yuuri were sleeping. Chito slept tightly and softly snored most of the night when she felt that someone was nudging her and trying to wake her up.
"Hey... Chii-chan... Chii-chan, wake up! Where are we?"
Chito opened her eyes and found a pair of confused blue eyes looking back at her. With disbelief, Chito brushed her eyes unsure if she was still dreaming. She felt that she would never see those two beautiful blue eyes ever again. Yuuri with genuine confusion in her eyes kept looking at Chito. She felt like she had just woken up refreshed from a long slumber.
Chito couldn't stop sobbing as she jumped into her hugging her so tightly that she never wanted to let go of her ever again in her life.
"Yuu-chaaaan…" Chito could barely speak as she kept weeping in her chest. "Please… let it not be a dream... and you are awake." Yuuri was still confused and reached her arms around her to hug her back.
"Chii-chan… What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Yuuri couldn't understand where on earth she was. Her memory was a complete blank on how she found herself in this weird room and she still couldn't recall that day outside the wall, everything seemed blurry to her. For some reasons she couldn't get out of her bed, as she felt weak with persistent pain in her leg.
"Please, Yuuri... don't ever leave me alone again…" Chito kept crying loudly in her arms. "I…I... thought I would never hear your beautiful voice again… I thought you would never wake up… please, I don't want to spend a single moment without you again… Please... Yuu-chan..."
"Chii-chan, no... please don't cry... you are not dreaming I am here… but what happened? Where are we?" She kept asking her, still confused as she looked around the room. This was unlike any room she had seen before in her life, the walls were covered in white plaster and on the left of her bed, there was a window with shutters that the sun lit up from the outside. She had no idea why in her left arm there was a tube attached to her, which led up to a bag filled with some kind of fluid just above the comfortable bed.
"Oh... Yuu-chan… I don't know how to tell you…" Chito slowly tried to get her composure, as she still cried into Yuuri's chest. "You were in a coma... for one month after we reached the wall… I am so sorry..."
"Chii-chan... what's a coma?" Yuuri asked her back, still with her arms around Chito hugging her gently. "It's when you sleep for a really long time… Yuu-chan - you slept for one month and… I was here right next to you waiting for you to wake up almost every day… I couldn't leave your side and... I - I kept crying every night sleeping next to you... hoping you would wake up…"
"But Chii-chan, why didn't you wake me up?" Yuuri asked her still with a confused look on her face. Chito with teary eyes looked up at her and replied "Yuu-chan it's really complicated - it's not like you can wake up easily from a coma - I spoke to you every day, but… you weren't waking up, my love… but... I am so happy you are here with me again…Yuu-chan please never leave me again..." she leaned up and kissed her lips closing her eyes. Chito waited for what felt like an eternity for this moment to see her awake again, she had so much to tell her about their new home and their new family. Chito kissed her so deeply that she felt it could have been the last kiss in their lives.
Opening her eyes she looked up again at Yuuri, she was smiling but still had a confused look in her eyes… "Chii-chan…" Yuuri replied blushing deeply, she loved Chito's lips so much and it felt like she hasn't kissed them in ages. "I'm sorry... I must have been really tired that I slept for a whole month. And look how long my hair has grown." she smiled running her hand through her hair, before she asked her "But Chii-chan... how was I alive all this time?"
"Do you see that tube that runs in your arm?" Chito pointed towards Yuuri's arm where something was attacked to her "It's called an IV infusion, I also had it for sometime after I woke up because I was also weak and hungry. It's supposed to provide nutrients and something like a liquid food for your body and keep you alive and strong while you are in a coma. And you are not supposed to pull it out or touch it until Reo-san says so."
"Mmmm… I never know you can eat food through your arm Chii-chan… but still, I am sooo hungry…" Yuuri mumbled with a smile on her face. "But Chii-chan - how did we get here in this weird room? And why does my leg hurt so much?"
"Oh... Yuu-chaaaan…" Chito started crying again in her arms. She was not sure how she was going to tell her what happened to her leg, she felt it was all her fault that she forced her through the snow.
"Please forgive me - It was my fault for pushing you out through the cold snow while you were sick. The last thing I remember is that we reached the wall outside and you were so exhausted that you fell asleep on the cold snow. I used the explosive to try and breach the wall so we can go through and look for a shelter... but then nothing happened. I just… gave up and went to sleep next to you outside because I thought that was the end of our journey - and that's when I woke up in the room opposite yours, we were saved by the wonderful people that live inside here. Yuu-chan those were the worst moments of my life - I thought you were dead… … I… thought you...died… I…I... at that moment... I didn't know what I will do without you… I... don't..." she continued weeping as Yuuri leaned her head on hers and gently snuggled her "Chii-chan…"
"- but… it cost us a lot, I broke my hand and I can't move it that much" with teary eyes she took out her left hand from underneath the blanket, showing to Yuuri that she couldn't make a full fist… "but... Yuuri... you... you lost your leg… I am so sorry Yuu-chan… please forgive me..." Chito continued bawling, she couldn't ever forgive herself for costing Yuuri's leg and she felt that everything was her fault.
"What are you talking about Chii-chan, my leg just hurts a bit, I never lost -" Yuuri spoke before she pulled off her blanket, and noticed that her left leg was gone.
"...oh…" with sadness Yuuri kept looking down the bed, she was missing the lower part just underneath her knee but she could still feel pain as if it was still there. She felt relieved that she could move her right leg and foot, but with some difficulty as her muscles have atrophied after being in a coma for a month.
"But… what happened to my leg Chii-chan? I can still feel it... but-" she was still perplexed and felt sad, outside on the last layer she could remember that she had constant pain in her left leg on that day, but she kept pushing on towards the wall with Chito through the intense cold and mountains of snow that piled up on the layer. She could never imagine that she would ever lose her leg due to the harsh weather outside.
"Yuu-chan… the doctor Reo-san… he said he had to cut your leg off because of something called frostbite that you can get outside in the snow. He said we both suffered from hypothermia... and frostbite on our legs, fingers, and toes, but he couldn't save your leg and you wouldn't have survived if he kept it. He also said you might feel something called a 'phantom pain' as if your leg is still there… I am so sorry Yuuri, if it wasn't for me you would still have had your leg..." she continued weeping in her chest, still cuddled close to her.
"Chii-chan... " Yuuri said as she looked down at Chito and gently held her hands "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have been here in this room alive." she leaned down and gently pressed her forehead to her's. "You saved my life... you are my hero Chii-chan… I'd rather lose both my legs and arms than ever lose you... even if it cost my leg I am so happy that we are together again. I can't forgive myself for leaving you alone for a month Chii-chan..." Yuuri's eyes softly filled up with tears as she embraced Chito close to her. "I love you so much... Chii-chan..."
"Yuu-chan…" Chito replied as she slowly composed herself buried in her arms. "I - I love you more than the whole universe… I promise I will be by your side. I will be your other leg..." she smiled as she brushed her tears from her eyes. "I will help you bathe... I will prepare food for you... I will do everything for you... my love."
"Chii-chan… please let's not cry anymore. We are safe... I just want you to be happy from now on. I think we've been through too much already and I just want us to be happy, together..." Yuuri replied with a smile on her face.
Sadly Yuuri had to learn to accept the fact that she would never have her leg back, but she felt she could give all her legs and arms just so Chito could be happy and alive by her side.
After some moments passed and they slowly composed themselves in each other's arms, Yuuri still had a lot more questions to ask her and she was still confused where she woke up. "So Chii-chan… are we still up on the last layer?" she asked her.
"Mhm… we are inside the wall, or the place they called the 'unit'... but I can't explain with words what it is... you have to see it for yourself Yuu-chan." Chito replied as she left her embrace and got out of the bed. Walking barefoot towards the side of her bed she leaned to help pull Yuuri up on the bed… "Ok… One...Two… Three…" with Chito's help she sat on the bed facing the blinds towards the window. "Oh - What do you want to show me Chii-chan?"
"Are you ready?" Chito smiled as she moved towards the side of the window. There were two buttons just on the side of the shutter blind there were used to control them, the previous night she closed them so the sun didn't wake her up.
"Huh? Ready?" Yuuri asked her and was still confused as Chito pressed one of the buttons. An electronic whir started moving the blinds to the sides of the window. The shutter slowly opened as the sun rays blinded Yuuri for a second. Just as she was starting to get used to the light, Yuuri looked through the window again - her blue eyes full of spark opened widely again gasping in awe.
The whole layer was filled with all kinds of colorful and beautiful trees up to the almost endless horizon. It was the first time in her life that she has seen an actual tree in person. Up until now, they have seen them in pictures and the videos down at the nuclear submarine, and now there were so many outside their windows. The ceiling of the 'unit' consisted of thousands of screens along a grid that emulated the sun and the clouds with perfect accuracy. The mysterious place behind the wall seemed to be a home to all kinds of living organisms. Maybe this was the last place on earth that had life, and in a way maybe the reason they built this strong fortress was to protect the last living organic life on this planet.
Gasping in awe, Yuuri in disbelief looked through the window from her bed, as Chito sat beside her, leaning her head to her shoulder. "It's amazing isn't it Yuu-chan?"
"CHII-CHAN, WOW! Is that... what they call a forest?" Yuuri was still in disbelief as she looked through the window.
"Yes, Yuu-chan, they are real trees. Mieko and Reo told me that sadly there are only 36 kinds of trees that survived the extinction, they also have flowers and even plants that grow food. They have been able to survive up here for hundreds of years - "
"CHII-CHAN, THAT IS SOOOO AMAZING!" Yuuri giggled as she looked through the window "Chii-chan, do you think we died out there at the wall and we are finally in heaven?" Yuuri asked still looking outside with her blue eyes opened wide.
Chito smiled and turned her head looking at her... "We might as well have died Yuu-chan, this sure does feel like heaven. I could never have imagined this place existed even in my crazy dreams."
Yuuri slightly surprised, wiggled around in her bed as she pointed towards something in the distance, she was still too weak to even get up from her bed... "CHII-CHAN, WHAT'S THAT FLYING OUT THERE?"
"Oh.. those are called birds. I am not sure what kind of species these are, but there are a lot, some called are called pigeons, some are called cranes, crows and geese, some are called chickens but they don't fly that high. They told me they even have other kinds of animals, livestock, cats, dogs…" Chito replied as she kept looking through the window "That's what they told me but I haven't seen them yet. I just kept looking out the window while I was waiting for you to wake up, and only ever noticed the birds on the horizon. I also saw many other humans outside on the streets, they all seemed happy living their lives. I was so glad that unlike the outside, no one was caring a weapon and they all seemed so carefree."
"CHII-CHAN ARE THERE FLYING FISHY AS WELL? CAN WE EAT THEM?" Yuuri kept wiggling on the bed with the widest smile on her face asking all of those questions. "Heyy… you'll break the bed Yuuuu-chaaan… and no, I don't think there are flying fish… But Reo-san told me they also have fresh and seawater tanks and even a lake where lots of fish live and we can eat them sometimes as well. But even with all that food, people still ration it up here as well so they don't run out of it and have food for every generation."
"MmmmMmm...Yummyummm…." Yuuri mumbled with drool in her mouth as she continued swaying around on her bed "I want all the fishy in the world!" Seeing her so happy only brought the widest smile on Chito's worn face. They have been through too much since they left the village, and they never thought they would find happiness and a place they can call home. Even if this was an isolated and such a small place from the outside world, they could make it work for them. Chito and Yuuri only hoped that they will be welcome here - they never wanted to leave this beautiful place ever again.
Yuuri smiled and suddenly jumped into Chito pinning her gently down on the bed as she laid on top of her. Even though she was atrophied and still weak, she managed to pin Chito with a surprised look on her face down on the bed somehow. "Chii-chan, I am so happy! Thank you for bringing me here!" she exclaimed looking down on her as both of them blushed. "He...he... well… both of us made the journey... so in a way, you also brought me up here. Yuu-chan..." Chito replied looking up at her eyes and gently smiling.
Their spark was once again alive and burning with lots of love and life. It was a wonderful feeling that they no longer had to fear for their lives or ever go hungry again. What mattered was that they were happy and safe.
"Chii-chaan… let's finally get married up here!" Yuuri exclaimed before she leaned over and kissed her so deeply, almost as if she was trying to devour her whole face. "mmpphhpmmm…." Chito was startled even more as she wasn't expecting this kind of reaction from Yuuri. She mumbled underneath her kiss wagging her arms and trying to get up. "Yuuriii… STOP... be carefu...l or… you wil... rip your IV... offffwwllwl..mmhhwfff"
Seeing Yuuri's beautiful eyes and smile again brought back her will to live, she was happy once again. No matter how short and hard life was, she wanted to spend an eternity in her arms, at their new home.
"Mmmphmpmmm… it's fooo tawsty! Wat if thwis?" Yuuri was trying to speak with her mouth full, still laying down on the bed as she looked at Mieko who sat on a chair opposite her bed. Laying next to her was Chito with a satisfied smile snuggling her arm.
"It's called chicken curry with rice Yuuri-chan, and if you want you can have a fifth bowl." Mieko replied with a wide smile as she and Reo both watched her go through the fourth bowl of curry.
"Fhis is the tawstiewt twing I've eer eafen in my liwe. Werr did you fwind it?" she replied with her mouth full. "Well… it was my obaachan's recipe and my fiance cooked it for you both. It's all from ingredients that we can grow in our fields and the hydroponics bay. Didn't Itsuki prepare this for you on the outside?"
"Mmpmmhpm…" swallowing the rest of the food she placed the bowl on the table next to her bed " I don't think he ever did, we could only ever eat rations and whatever the hydroponics factory could produce. He also baked really tasty bread and we helped him with Chii-chan." Smiling she gently rubbed her tummy..."Mmmm… I could eat this every day" before she turned to Reo who was sitting right next to Mieko and asked him "So, Itsuki-san was your otoosan? And his brother Yasuo-san was Chito's otoosan?"
"Yes, Yuuri-san. I was just a little boy when sadly they were exiled from our home. They went together with a group of refugees that they rescued many years ago from the outside, to look for children and families who were all alone out there, just like you." Reo replied as he kept looking back at her. "They sent us so many letters with anyone who came back here, and both of them were speaking about you two a lot. Sadly we heard of Yasuo's passing in one of Itsuki-san's letters. But did you know they managed to rescue over 600 people from the outside? Sadly a lot of the refugees never made it up here, but all of them are considered heroes up here at the 'unit'"
"Wow… I knew that Ojiichan was a hero, he was the kindest person ever and always wanted to help anyone he met." Yuuri replied smiling as she kept hugging Chito. "And Mieko-san, you are Reo's daughter?"
"Yes… I am his only daughter and since a month ago a certified nurse and the girl that beat the 'unit' champion in chess!" Mieko giggled and she probably bragged about to anyone she met about finally beating Reo in chess. Turning to Reo who looked like his pride was hurt she continued speaking "And I beat him at his own game, I kept asking him to explain from memory how a 'Splenectomy' is performed, while I recited 'Franz Kafka's - The Trial' out-loud."
"Pfff… 'Kafka'... a cliche science fiction character she calls me… I lost to her reading 'Kafka'... ALOUD" he mumbled annoyingly under his breath as Mieko playfully punched him on the shoulder still giggling.
"Ummm… Kafka? Splenectomy?" Yuuri asked them back, they barely heard her as Reo had Mieko locked under her arm and messed up her hair while she was struggling. "I will show you 'Kafka' and who's a cliche science fiction character! I will obliterate you in chess next time you coward, just you wait and see!"
Yuuri chuckled as she turned back to Chito, who was still underneath her snuggled against her arm. The commotion between Reo and Mieko was still going on in their room as she started speaking to her "Chii-chan, they are kinda a crazy family?"
"Mhm… and it seems like they are our family too... and you share something similar with Mieko's okaasan. She also lost her leg in an accident many years ago." Chito replied as she was almost in a trance snuggling Yuuri's numb arm. She was beyond happy that she finally woke up, and she felt she could never leave her side.
"Okaasan would love to meet you as well Yuuri. She will be home in 2 days, they are down with her group scavenging for parts." Mieko spoke from underneath Reo's arm as she pulled away from his grasp, punching his arm again a little forcefully.
"But… if she is missing a leg - how is she able to walk?" Yuuri with a puzzled look asked them both.
"Yuuri-san, My colleague specializes in 'Neuroprosthetics' and he was able to build and synthesize neuroprosthetics for children and adults that suffered a loss of limb from accidents," Reo replied as he kept looking at her. "With just a few surgical implants and lots of practice. it's like you've never even lost your leg. My wife lost hers on a scavenging mission, she was salvaging components and something fell on her leg breaking it into several pieces. Sadly she had to share the same fate as you. But don't worry Yurri-san, he will be able to build your prosthetic as soon as you are ready. It will take time but you will be able to walk again."
"Oooh wow… hey Chii-chan… I will be a robot and a god at the same time." she smiled still snuggled into Chito.
"So… Reo-san. I forgot to ask you, how many people live up here?" Chito asked him from underneath Yuuri's arm.
"The current number is about one hundred thousand now. The number used to be much higher, but there was a lot of inner turmoil between the residents for so many years." he answered her back "Our unit was made to house over two million residents and was almost an experiment in self-sufficiency from the outside world. They made about 40 of these units around the world, but after the wars, we lost contact with every single one around the world many years ago. While this unit was built to provide atmosphere and clean water for the layers below us, it was also used for research, preservation and to gather data for humanity to colonize the planet Mars. The first spaceships they built, sent about fifty thousand people to that planet. The whole world ran a lottery, and about four billion people signed up to leave this planet. Only forty thousand were selected for the first flights. The Earth was overpopulated by humans and they felt that they had to move half the population on a different planet. Just as the spaceships launched, a few years later, one of the mass extinction wars started, which almost wiped humanity off from its planet. After that we never had contact with the crew that went to Mars, we will never know if their mission was a success or if they managed to colonize the planet."
"Oh... " Chito and Yuuri were both left speechless as they listened to Reo carefully. It felt like too much information to suddenly process about their new home. "But… how did the last layer survive for this long?" Chito asked him back.
"If you saw the weapons outside, they protected the layer for many years from air raids. It's controlled by a very advanced AI that is safeguarded within the 'archive'. No one has been able to turn it off for hundreds of years or even breach the room where the 'archive' is held. Even to this day it still works, but I am glad that it never shot any from the refugees that made the hike up the stairways. Sadly it wasn't even able to protect us from the raiders as the weapons focused on the air. The weapons shoot light beams that almost instantly fried anything up in the sky with 99.9% accuracy, that is how the 'unit' was able to protect itself for so many years. The blast walls were an advanced 'Starlite Compound' that has been researched to withstand an EMP attack and even thermonuclear bombs 20 times bigger than the one that was dropped on Europe at the end of World War Three. But in recent years, the compound started to wither away, that is why when you planted the bomb on the wall, the shock-wave was heard inside as it absorbed the waves through the wall. It's pretty much what saved your lives, else we wouldn't have been able to hear you" Reo replied. "However the sensor systems didn't work that day and if you never set off the explosive, we would never have found you."
"But why was it built as an unbreachable fortress? What did they want to protect inside, if they pretty much destroyed every living thing outside?" Chito asked him back, still snuggled with Yuuri who was also listening carefully.
"Chito-san, you both have to talk to the 'traveler', it is pretty much one of the reasons why the world has turned this way, even though it never meant to and humanity's fault was also behind it all." Reo replied and sighed looking at Yuuri "Yuuri-san… I'm afraid if it wasn't for the 'traveler' and the information it shared, you never would have been able to wake up from your coma. As much as it has done damage, some of the information was extremely helpful to humanity. I never wanted to tell you both, but Yuuri was showing no brain activity… after we rescued her outside. She had extensive brain damage, and she was never going to wake up. It was only after we put a nano synthesized machine inside her brain that it was able to repair her cells to perfection. That is why she recovered so quickly." he stopped for a second to look at the worried looks on the girl's faces, both of them had sadness in their eyes before he continued speaking. "I am so glad that I found this information and was able to synthesize it. Believe me, I haven't slept for a week researching the archive and finally was able to find it, buried deep under mountains of information, schematics and research. I don't have a record if it was ever performed on a human, but I am so glad that I did. I couldn't live with myself seeing another spark disappear. You might have been the first human in recent times that ever recovered from this condition, Yuuri-san. You both are the luckiest and strongest girls ever and I see my otoosan's determination in both of your eyes."
Chito listened to him carefully as she started crying again looking up at Yuuri, she couldn't express how glad she was that Yuuri was alive and sitting next to her. She couldn't stop the tears for many weeks now as it always flooded her eyes. Chito never knew what she would do if the circumstances were different and she lost her lover out there on the wall, or if she never woke up from a coma.
"Robotic brain… robotic leg... Chii-chan I might be a robotic god!" she smiled and giggled again, as Chito brushed the tears of her eyes and smiled back at her "Yuu-chan... You really are care-free and strong, even after everything that happened..." she replied before turning to face Reo with her teary eyes. "Reo-san, I am eternally grateful to you and Mieko-chan for helping her, I don't know what I would have done without her by my side... I really don't... just the thought of losing her -"
"Chito-san... all these years I felt like I've never done anything more for my parents. Giving you both a chance at life is the last thing I could do, and I am so happy that you both are here with us. You are our family and otoosan would never forgive me if I never helped you." Reo and Mieko both got up from their chairs and went to hug them both on the bed. "I am so glad you woke up Yuuri-san… I am so glad."
The rest of the evening all of them spent it laughing and reminiscing about their journey up to the last layer and talking about Itsuki and Yasuo. Yuuri even helped herself to another portion of chicken curry with rice and 'Gramineae bar' rations with chocolate flavor until she couldn't eat anymore. She never felt so full of food in her life.
"Chii-chan, I forgot to ask… why did you suddenly start calling me 'Yuu-chan'?" Yuuri asked her after the night had set in and they were getting ready for bed in their hospital room. Yuuri no longer needed the transfusions, and she had a hearty meal for the whole day. All she needed now was to get the strength in her body back and to start learning to walk with a cane until she got her prosthetic.
"Oh… it's so odd… I had another of that dream where we are living in that 'other' reality. We were walking at some weird 'park' thing and there were some animals called a 'deer', there were some odd buildings and scary statues too. That is what I remembered from the dream… oh and the Chito in my dream kept calling you, 'Yuu-chan'... I thought it was cute and sooooo… I am gonna call you 'Yuu-chan' from now on" she grinned before turning off the lights in the room and snuggled close to Yuuri on the bed. "…oh and I remember something called 'Asobi Seksu' but I have to check it out in that 'archive' thing that Reo mentions so much."
"Asobi Seksu?, What's that?" she asked snuggling close to Chito closing her eyes. The excitement of the day was too much for the gIrls as they both were exhausted and quickly fell asleep in each other's arms.
"mmm... I don't... know... Yuu - Goodnight"
"Goodnight - Chii-chan"
That night was the first in a long time that Chito and Yuuri slept peacefully together, without fearing for their lives.
"Hey Mieko-chan, where are you taking us?" Yuuri turned around facing Mieko and Chito who were pushing her in a wheelchair in one of the parks inside the 'unit'. A few days have passed since Yuuri woke up from her coma, and she was gradually getting her strength back and was finally able to stand and sit on her own. Chito was walking next to her, she was wearing some kind of 'summer' clothes that people at the 'unit' wore when the temperature inside felt warm. It was their first time that they've gone out for fresh air and 'simulated' sunbeams since Yuuri woke up from her coma.
The 'unit' is divided into several sections and grids. The residential areas and additional facilities and factories were closer to the walls. The rest of the sections deeper inside the 'unit' was called the 'protected' area and was surrounded by a large forest and lakes. This section had all kinds of different species of flora and fauna that lived and thrived for many years. The ceiling of the unit was far above them and it consisted of panels and grids that were used to simulate the sun, stars and even clouds depending on how the AI determined the weather should be inside. The projection felt almost real and it could artificially simulate the sun with immaculate precision. Close to every panel, tiny sprinkles and fans were used to simulate wind, temperature, and rain inside the 'unit.
The 'unit' had its own ecosystem that was protected from the outside and managed to thrive for hundreds of years.
"Yuuri-san, the 'traveler' wanted to meet you and speak to you both for a long time now. It resides close by in the park." Mieko replied as they walked through the park which was occupied with families and children that greeted them as they passed by. After they arrived at the 'unit' they felt like some kind of celebrities. Almost everyone wanted to speak to them, from survivors of the outside to the original citizens of the 'unit' and talk to them about their travels and the world outside. They made so many friends in such a short time, but most of all Chito and Yuuri were beyond happy that they were accepted within this small community. After a short walk, they went to a secluded area of the park, where Chito and Yuuri noticed the familiar statues among the trees.
Outside, these statues were almost everywhere, and now they found them here inside the unit. "Chii-chan, arent these the same statues we saw on the layers beneath us?" Yuuri asked her, still sitting in her wheelchair as she pointed at the biggest statue in the middle. "You are right Yuu-chan!" Chito replied looking up at them, there were 5 of these statues standing still looking to the left.
"Hey… Traveler!" Mieko called out to something that was standing behind one of the statues. "You can stop complaining now! Finally, here they are, Chito and Yuuri!"
With a few machine-like sounds, a robot similar to the one they met at the fish factory emerged and slowly walked towards them on its tiny legs.
"Konichiwa - Chito - Yuuri - I've waited to talk to you for about six thousand eight hundred and fifty hours - thirteen minutes - fifty-eight seconds since our 'first' encounter."
