Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: To the Zoo!
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A week later.
We were all in a car driven by Red, heading to a neighboring outer city for a day out. A new zoo had just opened, and we were going to see it.
Naturally, the children were incredibly excited about going to the zoo.
“I wish Teacher could have come with us...”
Rene had stayed behind to look after the orphanage.
The children's faces had fallen, of course, and they were reluctant to leave. But when she asked them to bring back a nice gift, I remember how their expressions brightened instantly as they climbed into the car.
They looked like soldiers who had just received a critical mission, and I couldn't help but smile behind my mask.
The inside of the car was bustling with noise. It wasn't because of any upbeat music.
The children were chattering away happily.
“I wonder what kind of animals there will be...”
“The last place we went had a ton of amazing things.”
“Hehe...”
The children's faces were filled with excitement and anticipation.
They were deep in a heated discussion about what the place would be like, what animals they'd see, and what would make a good gift.
There was no sign of them quieting down.
Their energy was so intense, it felt like the car was filling with heat.
No. It actually *is* hot in here.
Just then, a cool breeze blew over me. It seemed Red had turned on the air conditioner.
Phew, I can finally breathe.
“You're excited too, right, Lily?”
Lena, the girl with yellow hair sitting next to me, asked. I was still not used to the name, so I reacted a beat too late.
After a moment's thought, I nodded.
Lena gave me a bright smile.
“Me too. I've been a few times before, but they say this place is different from the others, so I'm really looking forward to it.”
I nodded again, as if in agreement.
Then I turned my gaze out the window and looked up at the sky. It was perfect weather for an outing.
‘A zoo...’
I felt bad, but I had lied to Lena.
To be honest, I wasn't as excited as the other children.
For one, the facilities in an outer city would naturally be inferior to those in the central district, and I knew this wouldn't be the kind of zoo I was imagining.
A wave of slight sadness washed over me instead of joy and anticipation.
But I didn't show it on the outside. I'm not so dense that I can't read the room.
Everyone was so excited; there was no need to pour cold water on their fun.
It's a good thing I wear a mask.
‘Still, I am a little curious about what kind of snacks they'll be selling there.’
With the boisterous noise as my background music, I continued to gaze at the scenery outside the window.
Seeing only buildings, big and small, was boring.
It might be more productive to look for interesting cloud shapes.
‘I hope we don't get stuck in traffic.’
Contrary to my hopes, we did, very sadly, get stuck in traffic.
The children got tired of waiting and fell asleep, while I was so bored I nearly had a mental breakdown.
***
After escaping the traffic from hell, we finally arrived at the zoo.
"""Wow!"""
For a facility in an outer city, the area in front of the zoo entrance was bustling with a surprising number of people.
If we got swept up in that crowd, we might get separated from our group.
“Okay, everyone. Stick close to me so you don't get lost.”
"""Yes!"""
The children's voices were full of energy.
That should have been reassuring. Instead, it only made me more worried.
They're kids, after all. No matter how much they've been forced to grow up faster than kids from the other world, their fundamental nature doesn't change.
In a place like this, if you take your eyes off them for even a second, one or two are bound to wander off.
Well, with Red and me here, it should be fine.
It's not like there are a hundred of them, just seven. How could we lose track?
Red led the children and got in line.
The line was longer than I expected, so it looked like we'd have to wait a while to get in.
The children chattered on, buzzing with excitement at the thought of going inside the zoo soon.
It wasn't just the kids. I could feel a joyful energy all around.
Excitement, anticipation, joy, and so on.
‘Zoos are a rarity in the outer cities, after all.’
I'd respond whenever a question was directed at me.
I glanced around, observing the people.
For citizens of an outer city, they were all dressed quite well.
Judging by their clothes, they were probably people with some financial means.
It's unlikely that people from the middle or central districts would visit an outer city, which means everyone here must be from the outskirts.
‘Well, every city is different. Just because they're from the outskirts doesn't mean they're all poor.’
Anyway, seeing so many people in such neat clothes made me think the admission fee must be pretty steep.
I grabbed the hem of Red's clothes and tugged.
Hmm? With a soft sound, Red looked down at me.
In response to her questioning gaze, I drew the shape of money in the air with my finger.
I was trying to ask if she had enough money. Understanding my gesture, she smiled and stroked my head.
“It's okay. No problem. And kids don't need to worry about things like that, so just relax and have fun.”
Red removed her hand, and I placed both of my own on top of my head.
I could still feel the warmth that lingered.
Being petted like that felt rather strange.
A commotion.
Just then, a strange noise came from somewhere.
A disturbance that shattered the lively atmosphere.
The noise silenced the surroundings, painting them over with a heavy mood.
There must have been an incident somewhere. I turned my head toward the source of the sound.
“Do you know who I am?! If you don't get out of my way right now...”
Some big, nasty-looking beastkin was causing a ruckus.
People were looking restless. Their faces were filled with fear.
The children huddled close to Red. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye.
Red stood perfectly still. I quickly understood why.
[BEEP.]
Several humanoid security robots were moving quickly toward the commotion.
The beastkin underestimated the robots, raising his sharp claws and lunging at them, but...
He was subdued all too easily.
“Let me go! I was wrong. I'm sorry, so...”
The security robots dragged the beastkin away somewhere.
A moment later, a very faint scream, inaudible to the average person.
When the security robots returned, the beastkin was gone.
I did notice, however, a slight bloodstain on one of the robots. I decided not to think about what might have happened.
It wasn't just security robots.
I also discreetly spotted people who looked like Fixers, hired to maintain the zoo's security.
It made sense. A place like this would need to take responsibility for safety.
‘Especially in the outer cities, where terrorism is a frequent occurrence, they'd have to be extra careful.’
Once the source of the trouble was gone, the atmosphere returned to normal.
As we waited, the line gradually shortened.
After a long wait, our turn finally came, and we entered without any trouble.
***
Once inside, the children began to jump up and down in the wide plaza. They threw their hands in the air, their smiles brighter than the sun.
Seeing them so happy made me smile behind my mask as well.
The children gathered around Red.
“Big sis, the tiger! Let's go see the tiger first!”
“No, penguins first!”
“Meerkats!”
“I like the sheep...”
A variety of animal names spilled from their mouths, each wanting to see something different.
Even as the children pleaded, she didn't break a sweat, simply clapping her hands to calm them down.
“Everyone, calm down. We'll see everything, so there's no need to rush. We'll look around in order, so make sure you all follow me closely.”
The children nodded their heads vigorously again and again.
“Lily. Here, hold my hand.”
Lena held out her hand to me.
I stared at her hand. I couldn't help but smile behind my mask.
To think I'd be treated like this by a child so much younger than me.
One way or another, holding hands was the best way to keep the kids from getting lost.
I grasped her hand tightly.
And so, following Red, our real tour of the zoo began.
The first place we went was the lion exhibit. A lion paced inside a glass enclosure, letting out a huge roar at the people watching it.
The children's reactions were all different: some's eyes sparkled, some frowned at the loud noise, and others trembled.
“The lion is so cool!”
“Whoa!”
“Scary...”
The other visitors also let out cries of amazement as they watched the lion.
My attention, however, was drawn not to the lion, but to the ceiling of the glass enclosure.
‘Just as I thought...’
There was a small mechanical device on the ceiling, and it was emitting light.
Yes. As expected, that lion wasn't real. It was a hologram.
‘It's hard to see real animals in the outer cities.’
It was the same with the other animals.
They were all holograms.
They were made with fairly advanced technology, so they looked real, but in the end, they were fake.
But even if they were fake, the children loved them all.
And not just the children. The other people visiting the zoo had equally happy expressions.
I think they're satisfied with the fake because they don't know the real thing. But because I do know the real thing, I was overcome with a sense of disappointment.
It felt as if a hole had opened in my chest, letting a cold wind blow through.
“Look over there, everyone. It's an animal interaction experience. It says we can actually touch the animals.”
What?
I turned my head to where Red was pointing.
We can touch the animals?
Now that, I'm a little interested in.
“Everyone, it looks like Lily is interested in that place. Let's go there first.”
What? Who are you calling a child?
Annoyed at being treated like a kid, I put my hands on my hips and glared at her.
My expression was hidden by the mask, but I didn't give up trying to convey my feelings.
My protest didn't last long, however.
Because the children grabbed me and dragged me to the animal interaction experience.
Aaaargh. You guys. Let go. I can walk there myself.
And when we actually got there, I was disappointed.
‘I was a fool for getting my hopes up.’
They weren't holograms.
But they were mechanical animals. Of course, they looked like real animals, but they were machines.
Whether they knew I was disappointed or not, the children cautiously approached and touched a mechanical sheep.
Lena gestured for me to come over.
Red gave my back a gentle push.
Having no choice, I walked up to the mechanical sheep and touched its wool.
It had to be fake, but it felt as soft and fluffy as the real thing. And warm, too.
It felt nice to keep petting it. I buried my face in the sheep's wool.
As we were riding and petting the other animals on the artificial pasture, a mechanical dog guide approached us.
“Hello. How are you enjoying our pasture? Are you having a good time?”
The children all shouted "Yes, yes!" in response to the robot guide.
Then, the robot guide opened a box it was holding and handed out what was inside.
“This is cheese that we made ourselves. To be precise, it's a synthetic food that mimics the taste of cheese, but please, have a taste.”
A square piece of cheese, about the size of a thumbnail.
It was clearly a sample.
I carefully lifted the bottom part of my mask and popped the cheese into my mouth.
*Munch, munch.*
It definitely tastes like cheese.
Looking at the children, I saw they were more surprised than I expected, their faces full of awe.
“Does it suit your palate? If so, we hope you'll visit our Pasture Café. The Pasture Café sells not only cheese but a wide variety of other foods as well.”
Leaving us with those words, the robot dog guide moved on to another group of people.
Red seemed lost in thought for a moment, then looked at the children.
“We've been walking around a lot, so how about we take a break and check out that Pasture Café?”
At Red's suggestion, the children beamed and threw their hands in the air.
They all followed Red's lead.
Now that's some killer marketing.