act20side

Ursus has a lot of literature describing one's hometown, and my tutor was always entranced by those works. We would analyze their motifs, their composition styles...

Back then, I thought everyone would grow nostalgic for their hometown, and people who traveled far away would eventually find their way back to slumber eternally...

But I later found out that's not true at all. If all the memories you have of your hometown are painful ones, and you find a place more suitable to be your home, then why should you yearn for a place you once were?

It is no different from another stop on a long journey.

Miss Avdotya, what made you decide to leave Ursus?

...I don't want to talk about it.

Things that would make you vomit. My status, my family, my friends, all vanished overnight. I fled with my tail between my legs, quite literally.

From Ursus, to Sargon, to an underground Durin city... Your journey couldn't have been easy.

How could there be a journey with no destination?

I just happened to get lucky. I finally found this place, a small city called Zeruertza.

The Durins here accepted me, and I will repay the debt with even greater kindness.

This is the place I've decided I belong.

And that's why I won't let anything harm them. I don't care if it's out of malice, or out of good intentions gone awry.

That is my warning to you.

Alright...

I was going to ask you to have a drink, just as a show of goodwill. But maybe not––

Wait.

That isn't off the table.

––Ahhh.

Yeah. The way you drink definitely screams Ursus.

Shut up. Durins drink the same way.

To be honest, I'm not much of a psychologist. There are a lot of things I don't understand about the human heart, and I don't really care to understand it. It's already hard enough patching up the body.

But what I can say is, you can never really become a Durin, no matter how much you act like one.

I don't think we know each other well enough to start picking out each others' problems.

I overheard you talking with some of those Durin shopkeepers. The gist I got was that the stories you wrote about snowfields didn't seem to strike the right note with them.

That's right... They have neither snow nor fields underground.

Just to be clear, I don't write like that because I miss being there. It's nothing more than... a plot of land for a story to take place on.

You know that there's a story to be told there. That by itself isn't Durin.

Some scars can't be covered up after all.

But that won't stop me from trying.

Even if you just be yourself, the Durins will still accept you.

What if I want a new self?

Fine.

Sure, the Durins are always happy to accept anyone they meet. This time, it was you people, and me. What about next time?

Since you are a doctor, you must have seen the evil lurking in men's hearts. You've surely seen the depravity to which people will stoop in order to hurt one another.

I won't act like this is a racial issue. Everything on the surface has shaped us into this. All too quick to resort to violence, lusting after power and money, blinded by ambition...

I used to be soaked in it. Now, I want a new self.

Evil is contagious, and can be learned. The people underground have never experienced it, and have no resistance to evil.

You're right, I can't become a Durin. But for the sake of the people of Zeruertza, I am willing to do everything in my power to protect it.

––I will protect this idyllic, unspoiled innocence.

Didn't you say before that the Durins can handle their own problems?

Stop using my own words against me!

Hey, have you heard the bombastic news?

Which?

Croque said the leaders are talking about putting together something new!

Ugh, that plan to turn all the lights in the city green? Can't say I'm a fan.

Not that one! The one about the slide!

I heard Stitch and Catch are having a huge row over the Great Aquapit's refurbishment plans!

The two of them?! How far are they into their debate?

Uhh, I think now they'll use water cannons to blast people into another cannon, and then into another one... something like that?

Absolutely not!

Let's try a different idea, then. We'll use the water cannons to hurl people up to the springboards high above...

Don't you have any ideas that don't involve water cannons?

But it's a brilliant epiphany, and you were the one who inspired me! Well, in that case, do you have any bright ideas, Stitch the amazing architectural designer?

Ugh... I was just going to be the lead architectural designer and dial down Acahuallans' plans a little.

You had the surface-dwellers come to help with the bridge. I have no problem with that. But now we're discussing the thing that will go on top of the bridge and live alongside it, the landmark of Zeruertza!

You don't want to work on the dome with me. Fine, I get how you feel about the dome. Then let's talk about what will be our next landmark after the big water slide.

There's a much simpler and more graceful way to solve this. It could be brimming with symbolism!

It could be more exciting!

It could be more exciting and brimming with symbolism!

Phew, Catch, arguing about this here isn't going to get us anywhere. How about we have a design competition? We'll give each other some time to work on a design and let the citizens of Zeruertza decide.

Of course. Just like all those years ago.

I'm on board too—

Croque? Are you drinking?

I'm fine. I only had a tiny little bit.

You emptied three whole barrels by yourself.

Stitch, I heard your proposal. I'm interested.

And if Catch is up for it, then that's all the better!

Now we just need to find Deculture, and we'll build something new for Zeruertza!

You mean... I should change how I treat them...

Don't you think they're cute?

It's true that they are nowhere close to what you'd call 'human.' I'm no doctor, but even so, I know that humans are way more complex than the machines we have these days.

But that doesn't mean we can't get along with them like friends and family.

Deculture, you're these a 'parent' to these little guys.

Parent, huh...?

They count on you and trust you, just like newly hatched fowlbeasts growing under their mothers' wings.

For the longest time, I've really only seen them in... an indifferent light. All I ever do is what an industrial representative should, the same thing that all the industrial representatives before me did.

We pick our robot managers from the Durins who hang out in the robotics section of the library. We have to master how to create these little things.

It's not actually that complicated. All we have to do is follow the books' instructions and put together the parts that we like... use our imaginations, and they always work without fail.

My teacher spent years trying to figure out the logic behind them, but he came up empty-handed.

From what I heard, my teacher's teacher also researched it, and it's thanks to her that the assistant robots can tell jokes.

Do you know how to make a Durin angry? Nobody knows! Hahaha.

Oh, that's amazing.

As for me, all I'm doing is taking their abilities for granted. You're right. I should try to actually get along with them.

0429, your fellow robot 0428 has been retired. Inspection will not reawaken it.

But that doesn't change that it was one of us. The things that it built will last.

Retirement isn't the end.

Instruction acknowledged. Retirement is not the end. Understood.

Relationship defined with Zumama: friend. Deculture, I would like us to be defined as friends.

Friends. Right, friends. We can get along like that.

0429, did you know? Friends are supposed to help each other.

Before, I used to order you to do everything that I couldn't be bothered to handle myself...

But now I'm thinking that's not how this should be. We should be on equal footing with one another.

From here on out, I will ask you to help me with my tasks, as a friend.

Acknowledged. Help friend.

0429, please—

Send three cases of ale to my place, and bring some snacks while you are at it. After that, please let Master Edge know that I won't be attending today's representative meeting because I'll be sleeping.

That doesn't seem quite right...

Zumama!

Hey, Gavial, you're here!