Chapter 175 – 2 Players
The Artemis she saw through the screen was a mature and voluptuous woman.
Could it be said that it is a sculpted image of only the most critical parts of an ‘adult’?
She had no idea what she expected when she announced that she would appear in her living body.
She imagined herself standing shoulder to shoulder with a partner she had long admired and admired.
Like two scientists, a man and a woman, wearing white coats and sharing coffee.
After going through a long and arduous process to get her hands on all the necessary skills, she finally got her warm blood flowing, and the result was unexpected.
“When viewed with the human eye, it looks this wide.”
The person in front of you is a girl who has reached puberty.
We are on the rooftop of the central control room building. She was looking down on the entire underground city from this high place.
Thanks to his long legs, he looks taller than his age when standing. However, this is not the image of Artemis that I am familiar and familiar with.
She is always by my side, supporting me, sometimes praising me, sometimes being sarcastic, and rarely flirting with me.
Although they had the same silver hair that seemed to be filled with moonlight and golden eyes filled with infinite wisdom.
“Do you wonder why I came out with such an immature body?”
Artemis stands in front of me and looks up.
The eyes, which were too high to reach my chest, were bent into the shape of a crescent moon. Girls and adult men. As if I was enjoying even the gap when I looked up.
“How did you know?”
“It’s written all over your face.”
I reflexively touched my cheek, but it didn’t look particularly suspicious.
“What appears on your face is great joy, anticipation for the future, connection, and satisfaction.”
Her eyes narrowed as she spoke softly.
“The regret hidden far beneath them, the longing buried beneath that regret.”
She lifts her tiptoes and touches the inside of her gold.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“…”
She lifted her heels and took a few steps back and looked down at her own body.
“This body is precious. “It’s not like a simple lump of protein that can be easily recreated if lost.”
“Is it as valuable as 3rd generation Android materials?”
“Much more than that!”
“… Then I guess I should cherish it like a real living person.”
“Of course.”
Artemis strokes her own body with her delicate arms and hands.
A thin neck, slightly curved chest, sides that seem to fit in a handful, and even a firm abdomen.
“It’s a precious body that can’t be recreated, so I wanted to do everything possible. What if it comes out completely from the beginning? Even if you find something you don’t like afterward, you can’t change it, right? Because like clay, you can’t take it off or crush it and make something new.”
“So you started with an immature body that could be modified?”
“That’s it.”
“But you can also design a perfect body from scratch through simulation. From head to toe, whatever you want. There is no need to grow and adjust little by little.”
Artemis looked at me with her arms crossed and a sullen expression.
“It’s not up to me to decide whether I like it or not.”
“…?”
She said no more.
She was interested in something else instead. I approach the edge of the rooftop and look at the panoramic view of the city below.
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Huh? “What?”
“What if I fall?”
When I glanced down, everything below seemed so small.
The residents were no better than ants, and the parked cars were about the size of a matchbox.
If I were to fall here now, I wouldn’t die, but I can’t erase the instinctive reluctance that has been imprinted on me for a long time.
“If I lose my balance and fall, are you just going to stand by and watch?”
Artemis asked with a bright smile.
“Of course I’ll go rescue you.”
“I guess so. The essence of science will come rushing to you in that strong body. Every single muscle fiber is left untouched by my touch…”
She moved away from the corner and stood next to me.
“I can’t be dangerous if you’re nearby, even if I want to be. Even if I try to jump with all my might, I’ll fail?”
It’s not wrong. If it were me now, I could save her even if I was 10 meters away from her.
She probably knows my capabilities better than I do myself.
“The moment I stumble, my legs will hit the ground and catch me in an instant. “The arm roughly grabs my back, and my body sinks into your arms.”
Golden eyes looked at me with a dizzying gaze. The eyes are absolutely not suitable for a girl’s body.
“So you’re not scared?”
Artemis nodded her head.
“To me, fear is just something that cannot be predicted. I am perfectly safe by your side. So there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
With her back to her, she goes to her corner again and looks down at her.
“But don’t get me wrong. I have no intention of testing you or putting you in danger by acting recklessly.”
She sat down on the railing and tapped the seat next to her.
“…”
I also sat down next to her, and we looked down in silence.
It is a magnificent city no matter when you look at it. Not a single block was built without a plan.
All buildings, landscaping facilities, roads that run through the city like veins, and even eating and drinking resources were created after thorough calculation.
Someone called this city ‘the city without waiting.’
It was carefully designed so that if each person behaves as given, no one will have to wait in long lines or experience traffic jams.
Meals, medical services, work, commuting to and from work, walking in the park, and everything else.
“Isn’t it really cool? “Our city.”
Her voice is full of pride. Thin legs wearing slippers sway back and forth in the empty air.
“This, that, and even that.”
Artemis’ finger pointed to landmark places that were particularly noticeable in the shelter.
“It’s all ours? “No rules can bind us, we can do whatever we want, even day and night.”
It was nice to see Artemis’ cheerful appearance, but there were also some puzzling aspects.
“It’s been a long time since I was able to fully feel the city through complete synchronization. “Aren’t the things you just mentioned things you were already enjoying?”
“It’s different. Because until now I have never had a body. No matter how powerful you are, you are ultimately an observer. “You were just a spectator watching from behind the player’s back.”
As she stretched out her hand in front of her, the stagnant air of her rooftop circulated.
A cool wind blows from below, blowing her skirt and hair.
“But from now on, I too am a participant. We can enjoy it together, side by side, not behind your back. “Every sensation, every pleasure, every pleasure this city can give us.”
For a moment, her skirt fluttered high and hit her chin, causing a happy scream.
“I’ve been looking forward to it so much that now I’m satisfied with just this breeze.”
It wasn’t pleasant. The expression on Artemis’ face was happiness.
I’ve seen her smile on the other side of my monitor several times, but this is the first time I’ve seen her smile like this.
“So, are you going to stay in that body from now on?”
“Maybe?”
She said, shaking her leg.
“This body is just an avatar. Nothing changes. There will be no disruption in city operations or weakening of robots operating outside. Even as much as an eyelid.”
“Then that’s a relief. To be honest, I was a little worried.”
Artemis looked like she knew what I was worried about.
“You can’t think about one thing at a time and be in two places at the same time. That’s your human trait. But I’m different. It can be anywhere, and there are no limits to thinking.”
“Like a god.”
“Okay. Hehe.”
Until now, out of respect and affection for Artemis, I have called her a goddess to boost her pride.
She was not worshiped as a true god, but because she was so beautiful and precious.
But now… I don’t know.
She always listens to everything I say.
Whenever and wherever I call, he appears by my side and is with me.
He longs for my wishes more than I do.
If what I want doesn’t exist in this world, she is willing to create it. Through the miracle of science.
Growing up in an orphanage, I prayed hard every time I experienced something painful or unfair, but all my efforts always ended in empty sound.
But this girl, shaking her feet and smiling next to me, has never once betrayed my wishes.
“…”
“Why are you looking so blankly?”
Artemis looking up at me with a warm face.
“Ah!”
Is it because they turned a blind eye to me?
The slippers that were hanging on her feet came off just in the nick of time. It spins round and round and falls down.
“It falls without end.”
“Yes.”
After a while, she hit the floor with a very faint sound.
In the outside world, it would have been dangerous, and a passerby could have been hit, but this is a shelter.
This central control room building is a home just for me and Artemis. Long before the infection war, from the very beginning of this city.
“Eight!”
Her legs stretched out powerfully and another slipper flew out.
“Wow!”
She let out an exclamation as she saw it flying through the darkness.
Come to think of it, this young lady must have had her shoes flying for the first time.
“If I blow it all away, will I go back barefoot?”
“That’s not bad either.”
Artemis looked back at me.
“Or you can just hug me and take me back.”
“…”
He stretched out his arms and wrapped them around her shoulders. Her small body fits comfortably into my arms.
So we looked down there again and again. Until it turns into orange twilight.
