Update: Revised chapter already available at https://sakkamade.github.io/2020/12/21/autodoll-10.
It has been raining since morning today.
However that wasn’t potsu-potsu but zaa-zaa.1
Lydia, who was looking forward to going to sea, now crestfallen and sitting on the floor of library.
“I wonder for how long will it rain.”
Lydia sighed.
“There are days like that.”
Said Yuuyami while brushing Lydia’s hair.
“I wanted to go to the sea.”
“Let’s go tomorrow.”
“What if it rains tomorrow?”
“We shall go the day after tomorrow.”
“What if it rains the day after tomorrow?”
“We can construct automobile.”
“I like motorcycles better.”
“Why so?”
“Hmー” Lydia tilted her head.
There no reason particularly. Nonetheless If her forced to answer.
“Is it because motorbike’s more stylish?”
“Is that a question for me?”
“No, just thinking out loud.”
“I see.”
Said Yuuyami indifferently and continued gently combing Lydia’s hair.
That felt comfortable and Lydia closed her eyes.
“Apropos.”
Yuuyami stopped her hand. Enough of brushing.
That was deplorable for Lydia, however she will be combed again tomorrow morning. Therefore didn’t ask “more”.
“What?”
“For what reason you suddenly want to the sea?”
“Hmー? That’sー? Didn’t I mentioned it in the middle of the night?”
“No, you are not. Right after you uttered statement that you would want to go to the sea, you, although still standing, fell asleep.”
“I see.”
Lydia succeed to fall asleep right after explaining everything.
“Er, I saw sea. I saw the sea in my dream.”
Lydia has never seen actual sea. Nonetheless, she knew the scenery from movies, books and the likes.
It’s azure, immense, chilly, deep, wavy and salty.
“Dream was it?”
“Yeah. Dream.”
And after a short silence,
“What kind of dream? I’m curious, since I do not dream.” Yuuyami asked that.
Autodolls do not dream.
Likewise Lydia knew that. After all, in the first place, Yuuyami never sleep.
“Er, there was a beach, a sea, and thenー” Said Lydia, trying to recall a fragments of her dream. “Sparkling flowers were in bloom”
“Sparkling flowers?”
“Uh-huh. Um, er, that was… a flower that means a rainbow. Purple.”
“Ah.” Yuuyami nodded. “Iris, right?”
“Yes, Iris.”
Lydia leaned back and pressed her head against Yuuyami’s bosom. Chest-pillow felt good.
“Hmm. So?”
“Erー, it was blooming on the sea surface, and it swaying a little on waves.”
“Iris does not bloom on the sea.”
“I know.”
Lydia looked displeased, and moved away from her chest.
“Since it was a dream.”
While saying, Lydia sat down to face Yuuyami.
“That’s right. Dreams are often nonsensical.”
“Hmー, this part I remember clear. Iris swaying, and I was strongly attracted to the sea. I thought I had to move towards.”
“I see. It’s a dream that seems to make sense. Then shall we…”
“Look up oneiromancy.”
Lydia interrupted Yuuyami. Even so, there was no issue. Yuuyami certainly wanted to say that.
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
Yuuyami stood up, took the tablet from desk and came back.
Then, sat in front of Lydia and began to operate a tablet.
Lydia nervously wondered what kind of meaning it would be.
“The sea seems to have various meanings.” Says Yuuyami. “First of all, what kind of sea it was?”
“Er, it was calm, shining, transparent and awfully beautiful.”
“I see. What was Lydia’s impressions at that time?”
“Waーh, so pretty!”
“How unsophisticated.”
Yuuyami giggled.
“So what does that mean?”
“Yes. It’s a very good dream. Overall it’s a implying as terrific, a great happiness might arrive particularly when it comes to romance. Next it means bloom and development of talent.”
“Romance is a love, right?”
“Yes, it’s similar.”
“Iris also meant fulfillment of love, wasn’t it?”
Since the moment when she looked up oneiromancy with Yuuyami on that day, Lydia continuously yearned for Yuuyami.
Albeit,
when she watched movies and read books it appeared as Lydia’s love was somewhat different.
Despite that, she still liked Yuuyami and wanted to be with her.
“Yes, it was.”
“Is the fulfilled love bring even larger happiness?”
Still, Lydia wondered what would be even greater happiness.
Yuuyami was brushing her, exploring together with her, creating various things with her, so what kind of happiness would be beyond?
Lydia couldn’t imagine.
“But iris was swaying, right?”
Yuuyami slightly tilted her head.
“Uh-huh. It was.”
“That means the love which has been fulfilled will tremor and new love will begin, it seems?”
“Eh? I don’t want another, new love?”
Since for her Yuuyami was sufficient.
“Is that so.”
“Uh-huh.”
Lydia stared at Yuuyami, she also was looking at Lydia.
Intersection of gazes. Lydia was reflecting in clear pupils of Yuuyami, and most likely there was Yuuyami in azure eyes of Lydia.
Time flowed leisurely, and Lydia suddenly recollected the matter she wanted to discuss with Yuuyami.
“Wait a moment, Yuuyami.”
Without waiting for her response, Lydia stood up and took her tablet from sofa.
Immediately returned to Yuuyami and sat facing her as before.
“I wanted to make a world map.”
Lydia showed tablet screen to Yuuyami.
In the center of white screen was a symbol of opened book, and thereunder was written:『 Underground Library（House of Lydia and Yuuyami）』.
“I see. A world map?”
“Uh-huh. Exploring is valuable, thus I believed it would be nice to make a map.”
A circled symbol P was on the west side of underground library. It means a parking lot, on the Lydia’s map it indicated a garage.
On the east side symbol that combines a cogwheel and an electric circuit. This a solar panels constructed by Yuuyami.
“It looks good. We shall fill the blank world with symbols.”
“Uh-huh. I pointed Rapha’s house right away.”
With that said, Lydia scrolled screen.
Approximately forty-four kilometers north from underground library on the map pointed a square symbol with words: 『House of Rapha and Ohan』.
“It’s nice. Then the next will be sea.”
“Right. Incidentally, Yuuyami, in which direction is sea?”
For Lydia location of the sea is unknown. She decided to travel there without knowing neither direction nor distance.
“If you would depart to south after approximately a fifty kilometers, you will reach it.”
“What about other directions?”
“Other? Let’s see.”
Yuuyami showed thinking gesture. Lydia considered she undoubtedly was referring to pre-collapse world map now.
“It’s approximately one hundred forty kilometers to the east, about two hundred fifty kilometers to the north, and nearly three hundred kilometers to the west.”
“To south is nearest”
“Surely is.”
“So be it, a straight line to the south!”
“Yes, shall we do it.”
◇
Yuuyami was observing Lydia eating lunch.
Yuuyami didn’t eat anything. Energy provided by the Power Cell.
Therefore, she was having fun examine Lydia’s meal.
Incidentally, Lydia’s lunch was a salad and fruit juice. Lydia didn’t eat much. However, since there was no problem with her health, Yuuyami says nothing in particular regard amount of meal.
After meal, the two would decide on order of precedency for projects.
The quantity of projects increased so much, they didn’t knew what to begin with unless decide on priorities.
Lydia finished eating salad and in a big gulps drank fruit juice.
Thereupon she smiled, saying: “Thank you for the meal.”
Yuuyami couldn’t explain why it was necessary to say so. She didn’t teach her that.
Actually Lydia was self-studying – memorizing and practicing greetings before and after eating.
“Well then, prioritise the projects.” Yuuyami said.
“Uh huh. At the first place is exploring the world.”
“I agree.”
“That’s why I pondered about it, I believe would be good to manufacture a toil AD that would allow us to advance with projects during our exploration.”
“Toil AD? I never thought about it.”
“Yuuyami do not get tired. But since I’m getting fatigued quickly, I want to rather automate it.”
Indeed, Yuuyami nodded.
Since Yuuyami has an infinite amount of working time, she considered that she must do everything herself.
However, Lydia was different. Time to rest and replenishment of energyー time to eat a meals, was indispensable.
Moreover,
Lydia would die before Yuuyami.
Naturally, that was a long way off.
Subject of the distant future.
Notwithstanding that, Yuuyami felt extremely lonely.
The average life expectancy of former humankind was around one hundred fifty years. What about Lydia, a new breed of humans?
Can she live longer than they had?
If that was the case, Yuuyami prayed.
While made an oath.
Without a fail, get materials for the Angel Project and discover method to extend Lydia’s life span.
“Yuuyami?”
Lydia tilted her head, so Yuuyami interrupted her thoughts.
“What is it?”
“Would it be okay to give a toil AD top priority?”
“Yes, it’s okay. Which series do you want to reproduce?”
Yuuyami displayed catalogue of toil AD on the tablet and showed it to Lydia.
“Firstly it must be for manufacturing and versatile type. Thus, let’s build a common toil AD.”
“Right. Then we shall choose this direction.”
“Uh-huh. Then it will be latest model of V series.”
Lydia operated the tablet and picked out a toil AD.
“Yes, the Versatile series.”
Type with uncovered metal skeleton, resembling Ohan a little. Well, this one’s smaller than Ohan and has no combat ability.
“Software is in archive, right?”
“Yes, it is. In the library database.”
“Then, you merely have to prepare hardware.”
“We also have blueprints, so it is possible to just type it in simple Parts-Maker.”
“Ah, simple Parts-Maker, I know.”
“What is it?”
“Why don’t we make an ordinary Parts-Maker, not a simplified version? For the future.”
The Parts-Maker a large machine. It has a potential to reproduce a whole motorcycle or automobile in one charge. Since assembly labour wouldn’t be required, work efficiency will greatly improve.
However there a problems either.
“Where should we place it? We can’t possibly make it weather-beaten.”
“Er, establish a Maker-Factory, using toil AD.”
“This a pretty large-scale project, isn’t it?”
Lydia said she would construct the factory itself.
If they use plans of factory which existed before the world’s collapse, it would be peace of cake.
However, if a factory would be built with mere toil AD and two simple Parts-Makers, project will take several months.
During that time, other projects wouldn’t make a progress. Since simple Parts-Makers would be occupied with factory construction.
“Uh-huh, however we just have to explore throughout that time, so it’s okay. If it would raining, like today, in such situation we can design artificial intelligence for our motorbikes.”
“Understood, we shall move forward this route.”
“Then, let’s get started!”
Lydia vigorously sprang up.
If you create all sorts of objects such as this, one day world will become hustling and bustling.
And when that time will come,
Yuuyami would let out a short giggle saying that it was lively enough to have just a Lydia.
- ［Potsupotsu］- spots, here and there; ［Zāzā］- raining heavily; sounds cute; ↩
sakkamade 