After School
Thanks to your efforts, everyone is able to see the carefully prepared "surprise" at moonrise.
Pushing aside the grass, they see a clean swimming pool with the fresh scent of bleach behind the rusty bars. Nobody can believe it.
Wait. Is this really the rundown swimming pool overgrown with weeds?
Jetavie, Instructor, can't believe you got it done within just a few hours... This is impressive...
The students look at one another in surprise, but no one dares to walk the first step toward the swimming pool.
C'mon! Don't be shy! Go have a try!
Eventually, Jetavie was the one who broke the ice.
This is what you guys have been waiting for, right?
Hearing Jetavie's encouraging words, the students finally stop hesitating. They thank Jetavie in a hurry and rush to the swimming pool.
Woah! The water is different from the sea! It's so hot!
I know! It must be the heat from the sun.
The students exclaim joyfully, splashing water at each other while exchanging feelings.
Jetavie stands on the deck of the swimming pool. A satisfied smile appears on her face as she watches the students enjoying themselves.
She looks very happy.
Huh...? Do I?
She's a bit surprised upon hearing your words.
I don't know why... I guess happiness is contagious.
She looks at the swimming pool. A smile gradually dawns on her face.
No matter what, having your wish heard and granted is something to be happy about.
I'd like to thank you as well. Thank you, Chosen One. I've had a great day today.
She gives you a knowing smile, as if she has long figured out everything. You understand it the minute you see that smile. No more explanation is needed from her.
A series of crisp footsteps come from behind just when you are about to reach out to Jetavie's shoulder.
You turn around with Jetavie and see Sakiko coming over.
I know I've said this a million times, but I still want to say...
Thank you for letting us live as "normal students" here for one day as summer camp members.
Sakiko bows deeply to both of you.
We know today is a special day... Tomorrow, we'll have to go back to work in the conservation area.
Even if it is just one day, we'd still like to thank you for your company and for spending time and effort to prepare an irreplaceable memory like this.
Thank you, Jetavie. Thank you, Instructor [player name]. We will never forget this summer.
By the time the students had finished and gone home satisfied, the full moon was already hanging high in the night sky.
The campus is weirdly quiet "after school." Flickering fireflies are flying in the waist-high grass, silently declaring that this place is no longer a school but the last pure land in the conservation area.
With the flashlight in your hand as the only source of light, you and Jetavie arrive at the swimming pool in the dark following the path you took during the day after everyone else is gone.
Everyone left... It's just you and me for the rest of the day, Chosen One.
She turns around in the faint moonlight. Her eyes make your heart skip a beat.
You don't know why, but Jetavie's smile looks more mysterious than earlier during the day.
She takes your hand and leads you into the pool.
Splash—
Water comes and gently wraps around your body with the remaining warmth of the day.
I bet you're thinking it's different from the sea, right?
When you're back to the moment, Jetavie is already in front of your eyes, looking at you with a mischievous grin.
Hey, it's rare for us to have such a big pool to ourselves... Why don't we... make a mess?
We could have a water fight, play with water guns, or see who can hold their breath underwater the longest!
Here, we don't need to care about others or what people would think of us...
But Jetavie gradually lowers her voice and eventually lets out a light sigh.
But for some reason, I'm just not in the mood for those.
You look at Jetavie with concern but only see a straightforward, comforting smile.
I'm fine! Don't overthink it.
It's just... It's kind of a shame.
Jetavie remains quiet. She takes your hand and looks up into the sky, inviting you to do the same.
See those stars? They are Deneb, Altair, and Vega.
Those three form the Summer Triangle.
She draws an intangible triangle upon the night sky with her white finger.
In the direction she's pointing, three stars are shining forever somewhere at the other end of the universe.
And... Did you know?
The Summer Triangle rises earlier as fall approaches.
It's only nine thirty-five right now, but the Summer Triangle is almost below the horizon, which means...
That summer is coming to an end.
Jetavie lets go of your hand, steps back, and walks slowly to a brighter spot.
I hate when things end, Chosen One.
I hate the countdowns, the diminishing numbers, and the world that is doomed to collapse...
But I also understand I have to say goodbye to things as I grow. I have to accept these prices no matter how reluctant I am.
She takes a light breath, makes up her mind, and says—
You must have already noticed that my arrival was no accident.
Days ago, I hacked into your terminal and found that you were scheduled to serve as the instructor here in this conservation area.
I pulled a few tricks and managed to sneak in.
Yes, everything started from a simple wish—
"I want to see the Chosen One."
So Jetavie sneaked out from Babylonia, got along with local students, and sneaked into this basic education facility.
However, during the short day, Jetavie really had fun from the peaceful campus life, which led to a change of her wish.
It changed from "I hope to spend a day with the Chosen One" to "I hope this day will never end."
I wish I could be with the Chosen One like this forever—Jetavie secretly thought to herself.
And what Sakiko said before leaving reminded her of her duty.
We know today is a special day... Tomorrow, we'll have to go back to work in the conservation area.
Even if it is just one day, we'd still like to thank you for your company and for spending time and effort to prepare an irreplaceable memory like this.
...After today, Commandant will return to Babylonia, and she will return to her duties as well.
She has to protect these students to keep this peaceful campus life going,
It's been great spending this day with you. It makes me almost forget...
No matter how happy I am, everything comes to an end one way or another.
She smiles to you and turns away.
I thought kids born and raised in the conservation area were living a life close to a "normal" life...
However, I'm confused after we spent the day together.
Perhaps, this is how the world works. Even outside the Matrix or Gestrig... people still face all kinds of troubles.
Her silhouette tilts upward, gazing past the nebula to where Altair and Vega twinkle, light-years away.
One day is too short. I still haven't figured out what a "normal" school or a "normal" student life is like.
But I realized something...
She lowers her gaze from the star-filled sky and turns toward you with a serious look.
And that is: I enjoy every moment I spend with you.
(From the moment I opened my eyes for the first time in the "Matrix" and met you as the "Chosen One"...)
(To the moment I recognized you as the "Gray Raven Commandant" outside the Cradle in reality...)
(To today, here you are by my side, spending a wonderful day with me as [player name]...)
(All the way to this moment... These are all irreplaceable moments I have engraved in my module.)
Born in the digital ocean, the girl traveled through countless cycles and eventually chose to break free from the warm Cradle and embrace where she belongs in reality.
But wherever she went, hope was always mingled with thorns.
So, the girl embraced the pain—
She swallowed the sharp pain of reality along with the sweetness.
Every "moment," joyful or tearful, has eventually crystallized into an irreplaceable "memory" in her heart.
So I think answers that cannot be found are no longer important.
I won't wonder about what being "normal" is like.
I just need to figure out...
...the path that I want to follow myself.
The water is shimmering in the bright moonlight.
Jetavie stands in the center of the pool. She raises her hand casually to scoop a handful of moonlight, letting it pour through her fingers.
She closes her eyes to weave the complex emotions in her heart into sentences.
Next summer, the summer after next summer, and every summer in the future...
Promise me that you will always be with me like this.
She opens her eyes. A bright smile emerges on her face again.
I... I think I have figured out what I want, Chosen One.
Jetavie opens her arms toward you, as if to embrace something.
I wish to learn something that only you can teach me, not anything or anyone else.
I only had a partial understanding of it, but I believe you...
...will give me an answer that does not exist in any of the databases.
You walk toward Jetavie step by step against the current.
There is no need for words in this moment. You're pretty sure that your emotions are completely in resonance with those of the girl before you.
The same resonance echoes in both of your chests in this moment, both the human and the mechanoid—
And that is...
...That is the frequency of a "beating heart."
Teach me what "bliss" is.
You stop before the girl. She wraps her arms around you. Warm water runs down her chest.
You close your eyes and hear the deep heartbeats and her chaotic breathing.
The summer is coming to an end, so is this short night.
So let's create a memory that will never fade before dawn.
