The Cherry Blossom Sanctuary
The next morning. Because I had used Revi—who had passed out from the previous day’s belly-bashing training—as a makeshift blanket, I woke up literally tangled in her arms. When I opened my eyes, she was sleeping on my chest, breathing softly. ...The fact that she was snoring was just a bonus.
The day began in that somewhat awkward silence, and then, familiar footsteps echoed in front of the motel. "I'm back!"
"Serika, you've returned."
"Hehe, of course! And as a bonus, I brought back a ton of canned tuna!"
Serika laughed nonchalantly as she pulled the cans from the inventory nestled between her cleavage. ...That inventory is an unfair structure in more ways than one, no matter how many times I see it. But the peace was short-lived.
"...Revi, are you hurt?"
"Yes? Yes?!"
"...!"
Serika tilted her head, spotting the bruises left on Revi’s abdomen. Just as her gaze began to drift toward the area below Revi’s navel, I quickly opened my mouth to cut off the atmosphere.
"A-actually, a mutant creature approached the area briefly yesterday!"
"Something like that happened?!"
Revi just rolled her eyes. Of course, the truth was that I had been doing 'womb-bashing training' with Revi. If I said that, Serika would surely say, "Then do me too!" and come at me with her stomach exposed.
"Anyway... thankfully, Revi wasn't seriously hurt."
"Yes! My urinary system malfunctioned briefly and I leaked a little, but the mission was accomplished!"
...Is that something to be proud of?
Serika’s eyes went wide. "If I had known that, I should have just stayed behind to help!"
No, it’s actually a relief you didn't. A bizarre training scene flashed clearly through my mind: Revi on the right, Serika on the left, alternating belly-bashing their wombs. '...Wait, am I seriously imagining this?' It was a scene meant for a laugh, but for some reason, a real-time replay was auto-playing in my head. I broke into a cold sweat, wondering if my sexual orientation was genuinely twisting in a strange direction.
"That aside, is the location we're heading to confirmed?"
"Yes! It’s the 17th Identification Preservation Base, 80.2 kilometers to the northeast!"
"According to R.P.M, there’s still residual power left inside... so once I arrive, it will automatically perform a DNA collection."
At those words, Serika nodded and continued. "Yes. That base was... the final stronghold that safely stored the biological information of key figures until the moment of humanity's extinction, and operated the 'Humanity Identification Protocol' based on that."
Her expression turned slightly serious. "In simple terms, it’s like the last authentication center on Earth to judge 'who is a real human,' isn't it?"
"Like a genetic research lab."
"Exactly. But after investigating further, the internal manual for R.P.M designated that place as a 'No-Access Zone'."
"...It must be because of Sakura."
"Sakura...?"
"A 1st Generation android. The ancient legacy that might be sleeping inside."
It was a place classified as a 'No-Access Zone' even in the internal R.P.M manual. It wasn't just restricted entry. There were rumors that the moment you moved toward those coordinates, an automatic warning would pop up for all androids, and location tracking would be cut off in the system. It was a forbidden realm that even R.P.M wouldn't touch. A place where, even in the design foundations of current-generation androids, it was stated without a clear reason: 'Do not go because it is dangerous.'
That meant there was 'something inside that even androids couldn't handle.'
"Still, we have to go! We have to prove that Chanwoo is human!"
"Serika...!"
"That’s right, Chanwoo! And if it seems truly dangerous, you should try to counterattack with the self-defense techniques I taught you!"
"Revi...!"
"...Self-defense techniques?"
"A-anyway! Let’s depart!"
Of course, in the worst-case scenario, a bad ending might be waiting where I’d be killed in one strike by a 1st Generation android named Sakura, skewered, and have not just my DNA but my identity shattered. ...But thinking about it from the other side? It was a route where I could tame that legendary 1st Generation android with my own hands and make her a companion. Whether I obtain the legend or get trampled by it. It was a fine line. And even if it didn't work out that way, it would be either rape or female-corruption.
And so, we finally set off toward the base, where the legacy that couldn't sleep even after the extinction of humanity resided.
It was already our third long-distance expedition outside the base. The Earth was still a ruin, but our footsteps were much lighter than before. It was a three-day journey. We didn't get lost aimlessly like before, nor did we scramble in the dark. Now, living by moving during the day and hiding inside ruined buildings at night had become natural. I was slowly seeping into this world.
On the third day, moving with the practiced hands and footsteps of people who had been wandering here for a long time, we crossed a hill.
"...Huh?"
"Whoa...!"
"!?"
Serika, Revi, and I. All three of us stopped in our tracks, as if bewitched by something. In the middle of the desolate ruins, as if time had twisted, spring was waking up. What was fluttering from the sky wasn't ash, but petals. Cherry blossoms.
Simply calling it beautiful or fascinating wasn't enough. There were hundreds of cherry blossom trees, enough to cover the sky, and they were dyeing the surface, mixed with sand and dust, a light pink. This scenery was too surreal for this world. It was as if someone had intentionally transplanted a 'piece of utopia' onto this terrible planet.
"Is this... really a living cherry blossom?"
I reached out without realizing it. A petal landed softly on the back of my hand. The texture was definitely that of a living plant.
Sakura. The spring flower of the East. The color of the season humanity remembered last before they disappeared.
"Are all these... planted by that 1st Generation senior named Sakura?"
At Serika’s words, I nodded slowly. "Probably. She might have managed it with this concept on purpose to live up to her name."
"According to the information received from R.P.M, the entrance to the research lab is just over that hill. About a kilometer away."
"Whoa...!"
At that moment, Revi made a sound again. It wasn't her usual neat, mechanical tone. As if bewitched by something, she walked quietly into the cherry blossoms.
"Revi?"
"Chanwoo... my chest feels strange."
"...Huh?"
She wrapped her hands around her chest. Her golden eyes were trembling slightly.
"Something... is warm. If it was 100 when I first met Chanwoo... right now, it’s about 80."
An exact numerical value. And an all-too-clear emotion. She, who had moved only by orders and logic since birth, was wearing an expression as if she 'liked' something for the first time.
"Revi, is this your first time seeing cherry blossoms?"
"Cherry blossoms... is that the name of these pink leaves?"
"Yes. They are flowers that bloom every spring."
"...I’ve never seen them. In my life, this is truly my first time!"
Revi reached out cautiously and placed a petal that was drifting down onto her palm. Then, she stared at it for a long, long time... quietly and seriously.
"I think these are... stronger than any enemy I’ve fought so far."
"...Huh?"
"Inside my chest... it feels strange. Like when I first saw Chanwoo, something warm is welling up from within."
Revi at that moment was no longer a combat android. She was just an innocent girl welcoming spring for the first time under the cherry blossoms. However, Serika tried to carefully grab the arm of Revi, who had forgotten her mission according to the R.P.M manual and was lost in the cherry blossoms.
"Revi. Now is... the time to be on guard."
It was a small but firm voice. Her eyes held the distrust that something might still be hiding among those trees. However, just as her hand was about to touch Revi’s arm, I moved first.
"Wait a second, Serika."
I looked at her, shrugged, and smiled lightly. "I know what you're trying to say. But... let’s just let it slide for now."
Serika’s gaze wavered subtly. So I added, "Honestly, I want to rest a bit too. The road here was quite long... and well, it’s really hard to see a sight like this again, isn't it?"
Seeing Revi smile while looking at the fluttering petals, Serika watched her for a moment without a word, and finally let out a small sigh.
"...Really, Chanwoo is sometimes too kind."
Then she smiled slightly and nodded. "I understand. For a little while... this kind of relaxation isn't bad. But, we’ll be sure to be on guard again later."
And so, we spread out a spot under the cherry blossoms. The meal was still canned food, but perhaps because of the scenery, the taste entering my mouth was different from before.
"Eating like this, it tastes better than usual!"
"Right... In the past, did humanity eat like this?"
Revi laughed happily, and Serika also smiled brightly, which was rare. Cherry blossom petals drifted down slowly from the sky, and the tin cans swayed silently in the wind. A moment that felt as if the war, the mutants, and the fall of humanity had been forgotten for a while. But such peace is, as always, too short.
Rustle.
The grass shook quietly. Without me knowing, Serika quickly stood up.
"Sniper confirmed."
"Serika...?"
Her hands reflexively raised her firearm. Revi’s eyes also changed, and she stared in one direction. The collapse of paradise is always a single moment. Serika’s pupils narrowed. But, what came through the trees was.
"...A fox?"
It was a pink fox. Literally. A small, neat fox. But something was strange. The fur color was almost identical to the pink cherry blossom petals, and the eyes were strangely golden. It didn't look like a beast born in nature at a glance.
At that moment.
"...I think it would be delicious if boiled."
Revi said indifferently. Before those words could even finish.
Snap!
"Eek?!"
With a startled scream, Revi grabbed her arm and stepped back. Small fang marks were imprinted on her forearm.
"How rude."
The fox lifted its head and opened its mouth clearly.
"To dare utter such nonsense to this lady."
"The fox..."
"Just now, that fox... it spoke, right?"
Serika and I couldn't continue our words at the same time. It was definitely a beast. But it was speaking. Furthermore, the voice... was somewhat familiar and clearly cultured.
The fox took a slow step forward. Sweeping its tail lightly, it came out past the space where the cherry blossoms were fluttering. Under the cherry blossoms, like a piece of ink-wash painting. Then, looking down at us, it said.
"....I wish to hear the reason why you have entered Sakura’s forest without permission."