The Price of Memories
Throbbing pain slammed into my skull, dragging me back to consciousness as Isabel’s voice drifted through the haze.
“Hmm, as expected… With this girl, perhaps…”
Huh… Did I pass out? Yeah, that was definitely dangerous.
I pulled my scattered thoughts together and opened my eyes. A blinding white ceiling filled my vision. I blinked against the glare until Isabel’s face appeared above me.
“You’re awake.”
“Yes… my head hurts a little.”
“It’ll pass soon. More importantly, the augmentation component failed. It’s completely fried—no response at all.”
The method I’d risked unconsciousness to try had failed. Disappointment crushed me.
“Then… is there no way to recover my memories?”
“There is a way. We simply replace the component.”
Oh. Right. If it’s broken, just swap it out.
But the troubled look on her face told me there was more.
“Is there a problem?”
“This procedure is extremely expensive. The component itself plus the surgical costs. Eden may offer assistance for amnesia treatment, but we can’t provide something like this for free.”
“How much are we talking about?”
“Roughly two hundred and ninety thousand tunes.”
Good grief. That was an insane amount. A single meal at the dorm cafeteria cost around a hundred tunes. For a broke amnesiac, two hundred and ninety thousand was utterly impossible.
“While you were unconscious I contacted the upper administration. They’re willing to cover two hundred thousand. What do you want to do?”
As expected of wealthy Eden—two hundred thousand tunes in aid. When you added the treatment and dorm fees they’d already provided, the total support was staggering. Even so, ninety thousand tunes remained an overwhelming burden for someone without a proper job.
Still, the spark of hope that I might one day know who I used to be filled me with determination.
“I’ll put it on hold for now. If I save the money and come back later, can we do it then?”
“Of course, dear.”
Isabel smiled with gentle kindness.
“Now, let’s finish the remaining examinations.”
“There’s more?”
I’d thought we were done.
“Everything is necessary.”
“All right…”
After that came a battery of additional tests—blood draws, full-body scans, and strange fabric patches placed all over me to measure reactions. It felt very different from the amnesia treatments I’d undergone before, but with my limited knowledge I decided to trust the expert.
“All required examinations are complete.”
“Thank you.”
It had been bewildering, yet thinking of it as a free health checkup made it feel worthwhile. I rose from the chair, stretched my stiff limbs, and changed back into my clothes. They were cheap items from Eden’s public department store, but they were decent enough.
As Isabel organized the data, she spoke casually.
“You need money, don’t you?”
Thanks to Kate’s kindness I was working as a clerk at her shop, but the job mostly consisted of simple errands. The pay wasn’t much. Her offer carried the faint stench of a loan shark, which made me uneasy, but I did need the money.
“Yes, quite a lot.”
“Then why don’t you work for me?”
Work in a research lab? With my amnesia I barely knew anything. I could only handle the simplest tasks.
“I have amnesia. I don’t know anything, so I can only do basic work.”
“That’s fine. The job only requires your body.”
Only my body…
The words suddenly sounded extremely suspicious. Coming from Isabel, who always seemed to have a dangerous edge, they felt even more ominous.
“Is it… dangerous work?”
“Not at all. You’d simply assist with some clinical experiments. I’ll pay three thousand tunes per day.”
Three thousand tunes a day? At Kate’s shop I earned five hundred. This was six times more—an enormous sum.
Tempting as three thousand tunes was, I still needed guarantees. Even a stone bridge should be tapped before crossing.
“Really? I’d be grateful.”
“Just sign here.”
The device she offered displayed a screen packed with text, a signature field waiting at the bottom. I wrote Elisha with my finger. She immediately snatched the device away.
“Good. Contract complete. Report to the lab by ten tomorrow morning.”
Wait—what had I just done?
“Elisha, let me give you one piece of advice. Always read contracts carefully and sign with caution.”
“Just a moment—”
I’d lost my mind over the money and signed without reading a single word. What a stupid mistake.
“You could fall victim to fraud or unfair terms. No matter how close the other party is, never sign without reading.”
“I know that, but… could you show me the contract I just signed?”
“Consider it a lesson. Don’t worry. I don’t conduct experiments that cause permanent bodily damage.”
Her words reminded me that Eden itself had introduced her as a scientist. I finally calmed down. She was an officially recognized researcher; she wouldn’t resort to fraud. If the contract contained no dangerous work, I probably didn’t need to worry too much.
Besides, three thousand tunes a day meant that in a few months I could afford the replacement component and still save enough until I received a proper role. There was no guarantee I’d find another opportunity like this. I couldn’t afford to let it slip.
She walked me out of the lab toward the elevator.
“Test results will take a few days. Since we’ll be working together now, I can inform you immediately. See you tomorrow.”
“Goodbye, Isabel.”
I managed a farewell as the elevator doors closed. It had been sudden, but fortunate. I’d found both a path to my memories and a decent job. Luck was on my side.
In Eden, securing employment with only a temporary ID and no assigned role was nearly impossible. Most menial labor went to foreign workers or androids, leaving someone like me—who lacked both knowledge and strength—even fewer chances. The only reason I’d been earning anything at all was because Kate owned her own shop and had kindly hired me.
Now that I had new work, I decided to thank her properly for everything she’d done.
I left the hospital and headed for the nearby train station. The circular line that looped around the city-state of Eden was perfect public transportation—you never had to worry about getting lost. The convenience of simply boarding and arriving at your destination, combined with the low fare, made it popular. The cars were always crowded, so I stood the whole way, but the residential district with my dorm was close enough that I could get off quickly.
The single-women’s dormitory zone on the outer edge of the residential area consisted of neat rows of five-story buildings. Their uniform white brick walls and blue roofs looked beautiful under the warm afternoon sunlight. My particular dorm was a fair walk from the station.
Since the whole district was reserved for female dormitories, nearly every pedestrian was a woman, yet the variety was astonishing. The ones who stood out most were those with strange, lightless eyes—all of them stunning beauties. Their eerie gazes still drew my attention despite the faint chill they sent down my spine. When our eyes met they would offer gentle smiles, their lifeless eyes somehow warm.
I passed women in deliberately provocative clothing that clung to their figures and finally reached the dormitory. My room was the second one on the fifth floor. The building was lax—the manager never even checked curfew—but that same hands-off attitude made it comfortable. When I first moved in, the manager had simply delivered her instructions and disappeared into her office; I’d been utterly bewildered.
My room was a four-person unit, so I had three roommates.
First was Kate. Short hair, body covered in tattoos and piercings—she looked intimidating at first glance, but she was actually incredibly kind. She ran a specialist android shop on Central Street and, being a brilliant engineer, had given me substantial financial help. I owed her a great deal.
Next was Emma, a maid-in-training. After I lost my memories and wandered in confusion, she had taught me everything about femininity and daily living. She was nearing graduation and currently away on intensive group training, so she wasn’t in the room.
Last was Bella, known as Madam. A workaholic who rarely returned to the dorm, I didn’t know her well. Her plump figure and maternal aura had earned her the title “protector of angels,” which had stuck as a nickname.
The clock at the entrance read three in the afternoon. Kate would still be at work, Emma at training camp, and Bella at her job. The room was probably empty.
As expected, when I opened the door on the fifth floor, no one was there. Kate’s bed remained a chaotic exhibition of discarded underwear and clothes. I wished she would break the habit of flinging everything around and cleaning it all at once.
Time until dinner felt awkward. In situations like this, nothing beat exercise.
While lying in that hospital bed I had heard a nurse say a healthy mind lived in a healthy body. During those anxious, painful days, starting an exercise routine had been my only comfort. When I pushed myself until my body screamed, distracting thoughts vanished. The pleasant ache in my muscles brought a sense of accomplishment that steadied my heart.
I tossed my clothes into the laundry basket, changed into workout gear, and headed to the small park in front of the dormitory that I favored. A state-of-the-art gym would have been nice, but with my finances that was a luxury I couldn’t afford. The park at least had basic equipment and a clearing where I could exercise as much as I wanted. The only downside was that most users were middle-aged men and women, so I drew a few stares.
When I arrived after a light jog, the usual walkers and strollers were there. I exchanged greetings with the regulars who always spoke first, then began stretching.
I was deep into bodyweight exercises when an overwhelming bouncing approached from the distance. Enormous breasts swayed dramatically with every stride, drawing admiring gasps from everyone who saw.
“Stella!”
“Oh my, Elisha. Are you working out?”
Stella worked as a bartender at a bar and was an angel. She was fairly famous, often mentioned in the angel information-sharing groups on the network. Glossy black hair, delicate features, and a voluptuous figure perfectly complemented her tight bartender uniform, apparently stirring the hearts of men. The lifeless eyes that had once frightened me had become familiar thanks to her, and I no longer feared them.
“I only have my body, so health comes first.”
“You’re far too thin, Elisha. Why not gain a little weight?”
Looking at her own body as she spoke, her voluptuous curves were impossible to ignore. Compared to my own straight, skinny frame, hers was a landscape of lush hills and valleys. My skeleton was simply unfortunate—narrow shoulders, small pelvis, minimal natural curves, and small breasts. If I gained weight I would only become a plank with extra padding.
“I don’t look good when I gain weight. A figure like yours has to be natural.”
“Health matters more than figure.”
A bead of sweat slid down her cheek and disappeared into her cleavage. She had unzipped her workout top down to her chest, probably from the heat, offering a generous view. Easy for her to say when she had plenty to spare.
“I’m healthy enough. Shouldn’t you be heading back soon?”
The bar opened at six. She needed time to wash and prepare.
“I was just about to leave. Let’s meet again.”
“Once I earn some real money I’ll visit the bar.”
“Hehe, I’ll look forward to it.”
She left with a warm smile. When I glanced around, I noticed several middle-aged men whose eyes followed the rhythmic bounce of her chest. So that was why there always seemed to be so many uncles whenever I ran into Stella.
After exercising until my muscles burned pleasantly, I felt satisfied. The languid afterglow of a good workout was wonderful. While doing cooldown stretches, my eyes caught the clock tower in the center of the park.
Oh no—it was nearly six already. I needed to wash up and eat.
I hurried back to the room, peeled off my sweat-drenched workout clothes, tossed them into the laundry basket, grabbed fresh clothes and toiletries, and headed for the bathhouse. Each floor had a shared bath, so everyone washed there. The rooms only had toilets and sinks, so there was no choice. It was slightly inconvenient, but since I lived here for free I couldn’t complain.
I loaded the laundry into the washing machine in the room next to the bathhouse, started the cycle, and stepped inside. After greeting the women from my floor, I entered and caught my reflection in the full-length mirror. My body still lacked curves, but the added muscle gave it a healthy elasticity. The clearly defined abs filled me with satisfaction. I had worked so hard for this physique.
Three months after seeing a slim, toned model in a magazine and becoming obsessed, I had sculpted this body. I washed thoroughly, collected my clean laundry, and returned to the room to find Kate already there.
“Kate, you’re back?”
“Yeah.”
Her short reply came as she gathered the underwear and clothes scattered across her bed like a disaster zone and stuffed them into the laundry basket. Her taste in underwear could only be described as erotic; even at a glance the pieces with strategic holes were obvious. I had heard that her ex-boyfriends liked that style, so she kept buying them until she eventually grew to like them herself.
Thinking about that, I finished sorting the clean clothes.