Hizen turned out to be more than qualified to receive the file, and despite my misgivings he immediately agreed to do so. Unfortunately, the problem of his sluggish processing speed remained...and now he was trying to download a large memory file from the Nebula, recall his own local memories, and run CDY101-9 all at the same time. At some point, I feared that something would have to give.
“...Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yes.”
“But are you really, really sure you’re alright??”
“Yes. That is the 16th time you’ve asked since we left the Repository.”
“Well, I just...I need to know if you’re actually 100% sure you’re—”
“Yes, Meissen.”
“Okay, okay...I just don’t want you to overheat and glitch out, or go comatose or anything...”
“...But if such a thing were to happen, I might be forced to let go of you.”
“...”
“You would finally have your freedom.”
“...That is true, but...I think we both know we’re past the point in our relationship where I could be happy about that~.”
“‘Our relationship’...”
“Even if you let go of me, I’ll never let go of you, my friend…!!”
“...You are far too sentimental.”
“So anyway, how long is it going to take to download the file…?”
“11,000 years.”
“What?!”
“32 hours.”
“Wait, what...??”
“...It is difficult to come up with an estimate. Download speed will depend on the strength of the network connection and the amount of resources available at any given moment.”
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“Resources, huh...in that case, maybe you should take a nap.”
“A nap?”
“You know, have a little rest; don’t do anything for a while. That way you can just focus on letting your brain work.”
“…”
“I mean, we can afford to stop moving for a day or two, right? We already took one detour, and you didn’t mind that.”
“It is...feasible.”
“Great! Then why don’t you just sit down right here; take your hat off, so you can be in the sun— and now, just don’t move until you finish processing something.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“...I cannot abide this.”
“Hizen! You have to try to relax!”
“I cannot remember a time when I have tried to...‘relax’. It is unnatural.”
“You’re the one who’s unnatural; resting is a part of life! The Protocol is probably messing with your head...I know; why don’t we trade stories?”
“‘Trade stories’…?”
“It’s something Doccia and I did...the night you captured me, actually. She told me a story called ‘The Soulmates’, and it was...”
“It was…?”
“Well, it was about...these people who, uh…”
“…”
“...There was a Worm in it! I remember that, but...I don’t know the rest…even though it wasn’t that long ago…weird...”
“...I was afraid that this might happen.”
“Afraid of what...??”
“Without your brain to serve as an appropriate storage space, I fear your long-term memory may be...diminished. And after only 10 days...”
“...But…wait, that can’t be…true...”
“…”
“...I-I still remember meeting Doccia, though! And I remember she was afraid of the dark, and...she was the one who snapped my antennas off, way back in the beginning! I can remember lots of things!”
“You have a better chance of retaining memories that you deem important, and those whose relevance extends to the present day. It is the most trivial memories that will be the first to fade.”
“…”
“...I may be wrong. But if that story was told to you on the day that we met, it is certainly unusual that you have already forgotten it.”
“…”
“…”
“...Do you think...someday I’ll forget you…?”
“No.”
“Really…??”
“I am certain that you will not forget me.”
“Aww, Hizen…!”
“Because I will stay with you until we reach the Worm, and then you will die before you get the chance.”
“…”