Autodoll wa Kuchita Sekai de Yume wo Miru

Lady who invited Lydia to the lodge introduced herself as Hinagiku.
Lydia now sitting on a one person sofa. After Hinagiku said: “I’ll get a drink,” she withdrew to the back of the house.
Incidentally, Ohan is waiting outside.
Lydia restlessly looked around the lodge.
Lodge is very simple and has no decoration. There were placed a mere minimum of items which necessary for life.
That is: sofa, table and bed.
And then, probably a simple Food Maker and a Recycling Box in the back of the house, Lydia speculated.
Ceiling of the lodge is very high, and if Ohan could getting through the entrance, they would be able stand inside.
When Lydia turned her gaze to the table, she saw an emerald green sphere locked up in the vial​.
Lydia tilted her head.
What is this?
Given that it was the first time for her to see that kind of object, Lydia took out the tablet from her backpack, which was placed on the floor, took a picture of vial with camera and searched it up.
The hit was a cultivation method of growing moss that called terrarium.

“Hee,” Lydia nods. “Isn’t it narrow?”

During asking it, Lydia put a tablet on the table.
Moss doesn’t reply.
Well, naturally. Vegetation​ have only a primitive consciousness, so they wouldn’t respond to human language.
Then, Hinagiku returned and put a coffee cup on the table.

“It’s café au lait​.”
“Thank you. I love café au lait​.”

Lydia quietly stared at Hinagiku.
By eye, Hinagiku is in the middle of her twenties. An adult female. Her hair – black and is tied up casually. Colour of the pupils identical to hair.
Hinagiku have a well-organized facial features, but they don’t have much of an expression, so it gives a slightly cold impression.
Skin is pale and the body, rather than slim, was underweight​ed, looked exceedingly unhealthy.
Next, Hinagiku wore a white coat. It was a white coat similar to the one of lab worker​.
Nevertheless, she doesn’t seem to be researching anything at this lodge.

“Is that so. You like a café au lait​?”
“Uh-huh. Hey, why does Hinagiku lives here alone?”
“It seems like there’s no other place to live?”
“Because the world is destroyed?”
“Well, that’s right.”
“Hmm.”

Lydia took a sip of café au lait​. Taste was a little different from the café au lait​ she always drink at the library.

“Lydia, was it?”
“Uh-huh. I am Lydia. Nice to meet you.”
“Aah. What is Lydia doing here?”
“Exploration.”
“Exploration? What of?”
“The world.”
“I see. You investigating the places of the world that is and isn’t remains?”
“Well, such a places.”

To be honest, it may be closer to say that she’s started it out of curiosity, rather than expressing it as an examination.
Silence.
Hinagiku kept standing and quietly looking down at Lydia.
Lydia averted her eyes. She don’t know the reason, but felt that Hinagiku’s gaze wasn’t very good.

“Apropos,” starts Lydia without looking at her. “Did you build this house after collapse of the world?”
“No. It’s been before the decay. This is my hideaway​.”
“Is that so. Somehow it looked like a fresh house.”
“I perform a proper maintenance. I have nothing else to do.”

During the conversation, Lydia felt like something is out of place.
She wondered what it was, and intimately examined the present conversation.

“Hinagiku, right now, what is your age?”

The true nature of discomfort is the age of Hinagiku. If she were the owner of this place before the world’s collapse – age didn’t matched.

“I haven’t counted it. However, I think, it’s about fifty.”
“Fifty!?”

She doesn’t look like that, by all means.

“Aah. I haven’t counted, so maybe more.” Hinagiku bent her neck. “Now I stopped growing. It’s a side effect of my project.”
“Is that so?”
“Aah. I don’t want to grow old and rot away. I’m a person who has been praised for being close to God. I can’t bear the sight of death.”
“Close to God?”
“I produced humans. No sexual intercourse​. Furthermore​, an outstanding​ human beings. I called them a new breed of humans.”
“I heard… that… I have.”

Strange. Lydia rapidly became drowsy. Without knowing a reason. However, consciousness growing vague.

“Let’s have a lot of conversations when you wake up, cute Lucy.”
“Who…”

Who are you?
Although she wanted to ask, she can’t assemble the words.
Eyelids fell and the consciousness deeply faded away.

◇

Lydia was inside of the dream world.
An infinite peach-coloured​ room. Know she can’t comprehend which is the top and which is the bottom. She believe that she’s standing somewhere, however there’s no ground anywhere.
It’s been a long time since she felt it.

“Iris, where are you-?”

Lydia restlessly looks around.

“Here.”

The violet​ iris shook greatly under Lydia’s feet.

“It’s you after all.”
“Right. Ourself, after all.”
“Did you came to fulfil my love again?”
“Different. Your love is nearly fulfilled. It looks like thy got married so for thou it’s unnecessary. So I came for thy primal purpose.”
“What is the purpose?”
“Can’t utter it yet. However I believe at the time of our next encounter I’ll be able to tell thee.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right.”

Blank. Not a silence but blankness. Similar to crevice of the life, a short blank space flowed.
Suddenly, Lydia recognised her circumstances​.

“Am I, asleep?”
“Right. Sleeping. That’s why ourself can meet thy. When thee wake up, thee once again will have a assignment​.”
“That’s right. Aporpos, are you prepared to the assignment?”
“No. Thyself, it’s assigned to thee.”
“Why did that happened to me?”
“Since it’s necessary.”
“Understood. Thereupon? Can you give me again some hint? Because I’m cute.”
“Right. Since thee are cute.”

The Iris shook a little as they laughed.

“Tell me.”

Lydia sits in petan on the spot.

“Uh-huh. I shall tell thou. If thou perceive that, assignment is over.”
“What should I notice?”
“Ourself not able to utter that. But it’s uncomplicated​. It shall be over before long. Thereupon, It’s almost completed. Like a validation on existing of issues.”
“Is that so?”
“Right. Well then, ourself finished.”
“Uh-huh. Although​ I’m not sure I understand, as ever, but I understand. Thank you once more.”
“Aah. See you, Lydia.”

Lydia lifted her right hand and Iris shook from side to side.

◇

When Lydia woke up, she was in the cage.
Its perimeter – about two meters long, wide and deep.
She surrounded from all four sides and on top with iron bars, the outside and the inside are completely separated. Lydia is inside, and the outside chamber​ is the lodge from a while ago, where she was drinking café au lait​.
Lydia stands up and check her body. There are no injuries to be seen and no feeling of discomfort. However, she wasn’t dressed.
Nude Lydia deprived of her wearable as well.
Given that the air conditioner is working, air clean and not chilly.
Lydia understood, she was simply imprisoned.
But if she call Ohan, she can come out immediately.

“Where is Hinagiku?”

Lydia lightly touched one of the iron bars.
At that moment,

“It hurts!!”

a furious shock struck Lydia.
Lydia anxiously verified her hand – it didn’t disappear. Properly attached. There is no damage could be seen.
Lydia was perplexed​ by the pain from before.

“It’s a stun gauge.”

The voice of Hinagiku could be heard from behind.
When Lydia looked back, Hinagiku, sitting on the one person sofa, was looking at Lydia with a glass in hand.

“If Lucy isn’t a masochist, I advice you to not touch it.”
“Stun gauge?”
“Electric current flowing through the bars. Thus, it’s a stun gauge.”
“Why is electric current passing through?”
“Aah, Lucy. Cute Lucy. I didn’t wish to do this.”
“Despite you done it.”
“Aah, right. Indeed. I don’t want to hurt Lucy. I just don’t wish to lose you. And I wish to see you naked. That’s it.”
“Naked?”
“Aah. Good view. It’s been a long time since I saw an actual girl naked.”

Hinagiku said with a serious expression.

“…Is, is that so…”
“However don’t get me wrong. I’m not fine with everyone.”
“Who would be fine?”
“You’re Lucy”
“Is it limited to only myself?”
“Well, it’s not limited.”
“Is that so. I’m not exceptional one.”

If it was Yuuyami, Lydia would be treated specially.

“Lucy, I love you.”

Suddenly, Hinagiku said so.

“Despite a moment ago you just said I wasn’t special!?”

For love confession, timing is the worst.

“Basically, if that’s a beautiful girl, everyone would love her?”
“That means that any beautiful girl would be fine!? It’s a dreadful frivolousness!”
“It can’t be that way. I’m serious.”

Hinagiku drank liquid from the glass.1

“A serious frivolousness!”

Lydia thought that she couldn’t keep up with the meaning any more.

“Hm…”

Hinagiku touched her chin with their right hand in order to ponder.

“W, well, that’s fine, could you take me out of the stun gauge?”

Lydia is neither pet nor criminal. There’s no reason to be imprisoned in the cage.

“No.”
“At any price?”
“No, at any price.”
“I see.”

Lydia sighed.
After that, she still hesitated whether to call Ohan.
If she call, Lydia will be saved. In front of Ohan, something like a stun gauge has not much of difference from a cardboard box.
However, supposing Ohan recognises Hinagiku as an enemy?
Scary even to think about it.
However, if they can understand language, there is always a warning first. Accordingly, if Hinagiku obey at that time, no problems will occur.
Nevertheless, it is unknown if Hinagiku docilely obey.

“Why don’t you call Ohan?” Asked Hinagiku.
“Hinagiku will be in danger, so I will not.”
“Tender Lucy. However Ohan that accompanied Lucy was originally mine.”
“Eh?”
“So my admin’s authority remained. Wait a bit.”

Hinagiku put her glass on the floor, stood up, picked something from behind the sofa and carry it.

“My authority should have been deleted.”

What Hinagiku held,

“It wasn’t, so Ohan listened to my order.”

similar to forcibly torn off,

“A command to destroy himself.”

Ohan’s head.
Such an egregious orderー Lydia loses her strength right when falling down in petan.