04 Former Colleague
Until evening, Jin had been buying Mio’s personal items.
The clothes Mio had chosen with apparent delight, purchased through that online service.
Jin dressed her in them and stepped out of the house.
“Right….”
The left-hand skin sheet.
The nanomachines implanted within the body had anchored themselves into a single terminal.
He manipulated it with his right index finger, displaying the guide to their destination.
“Good, this way. Let’s go, Mio.”
“Ooh.”
Jin pulled her forward by her left hand and began walking.
The weather for today’s convoy was clear all day.
An umbrella was unnecessary.
“Where are we going?”
“A place where we can eat.”
“Food…”
Mio made a subtly reluctant face.
Jin thought this would not work.
He had completely lost her trust regarding meals.
“It’s fine. This time, I’ll cook properly! Probably.”
He added the insufficient confidence in a low voice.
Mio’s gaze seemed to grow even more uneasy.
Each ship in the convoy is a city unto itself.
Fundamentally self-sufficient, they can survive even if scattered apart.
Still, each ship has its own character. The Ship One where Jin and the others reside is the central vessel—the so-called capital.
Strict functional management is enforced, with no waste.
Perhaps the most impersonal city imaginable.
Jin did not dislike its functional beauty, though he recalled Mio seeming slightly dissatisfied.
In this convoy, cooking is considered a pastime.
To experience it, one must travel to another ship.
The hyperloop network woven throughout the convoy.
Vehicles moving at high speed through vacuum-sealed tubes served as the convoy’s arteries.
Jin and the others had designated one of its stations as their temporary destination.
“Yee-ah!”
“Hush, Mio. Keep quiet.”
Jin calms Mio, whose excitement feels oddly intense, as he presses the call button.
After several seconds, a small two-seater vehicle glides into the platform.
"Ride it? We're actually riding this?"
"That's right. Look, there's space over there—be careful..."
What exactly has struck Mio’s nerve?
Her breath has been irregular since just a moment ago.
"Sit properly. You must fasten the seatbelt."
He presses Mio down into the seat and secures the belt.
"Amazing."
"Uh? Oh, yeah. Amazingly fast."
Jin settles into his own seat and inputs the destination address.
The vehicle’s door closes.
A brief surge of acceleration.
He feels it—slight, like a breeze compared to the assault frame’s thrust—then the door opens.
A journey of barely a minute.
"Wait?"
"Time to get off, Mio."
"Already finished?"
"Yeah, we've arrived."
Jin lets out a wry smile at Mio's clearly disappointed expression.
"I wanted to ride a little longer..."
"You'll ride again on the way back. That's a promise."
"...I understand."
Ship 5 is designed as a tourist vessel.
As a concept, it embraces the extraordinary, offering things unseen on other ships.
People passing by seem, for the most part, less formal than those on Ship 1.
"Come on, Ship 5 exclusive! Goya-flavored food cubes! That bitterness gets addictive!"
A vendor's call echoes from somewhere.
The gaze from the left feels like a physical weight.
"Jin... you lied?"
"Wait— it's fine. We're not at the destination yet."
Hyperloop terminals are numerous, but even so, door-to-door access to every facility isn't possible.
A shop located a short distance ahead.
A newer café. A sign placed outside the shop reads "Food Available — Masu."
Feeling a flicker of unease at the lackluster sign, Jin opens the shop door.
The interior is spotlessly clean, devoid of any customers, only one clerk looking bored.
The location is not poor.
The time is late afternoon.
The reason for such emptiness... well, likely the owner’s fault.
"Welcome... wait, is that Jin!?"
A voice that seems to rise from deep underground.
A large man standing awkwardly beneath a ceiling that is not low, perched on the counter.
"Long time no see, Jake."
Jin addresses the man, a former comrade from his unit.
Despite having retired from the military nearly five years ago, his muscular frame remains unchanged, wrapped in an apron.
To be honest, it still feels unnatural to see.
Wearing only a tank top and shorts, he looks as if he’s completely naked when viewed head-on — it’s aggravating.
Jake Hudson. A longtime friend of Jin.
After discharge, contact was limited to email. No nostalgia surfaces now.
Jake scratches his bald scalp, eyes locking onto Jin with sudden surprise.
"Long time. What's this? Unusual to see you in civilian clothes."
"…On extended leave."
"Really. Even more unusual. Boasting about vacation time in front of a man who never stops working."
"No, honestly, it's fine to rest now... this..."
There's no point working with zero customers.
As he thinks this, Jake somehow puffs out his chest.
His pectorals swell.
"Night shift at the bar. It gets decent crowds."
"Probably empty during the day. Just close it already."
"Only old men come at night...! So what else can we do but count on daytime traffic?"
Speaking of which, he remembered wanting to be fawned over by young women.
A strange thing for someone of his build to say, Jin recalled.
The contrast was extreme.
"What do you want? Don't tell me you came just to drink my terrible tea?"
"Improve it. I came to eat."
"Unusual. The one who said food cubes were enough—now showing up for a real meal..."
Jake’s gaze shifted to Jin’s left.
The neck tilted downward.
Mio flinched at the direction of the stare.
Then the gaze returned to Jin.
"Where did you steal her from?"
"Who the hell are you kidding? Don't act serious."
"You're the one trembling."
"I'm trembling from your blunt stare."
Jin stepped forward, pushing Mio out from behind him.
“This is Mio. From today, she’s mine. Mio, this is Jake. He looks threatening, but he’s harmless. A good guy.”
“Threatening is unnecessary.”
Mio trembles again at the voice.
Jake lowers his shoulders, watching her.
“Still… no, nothing. Anyway, I came here to eat with the girl.”
“Yeah. She says she can’t be satisfied with food cubes.”
“That’s good. Those are just rations.”
Jake laughs heartily, pointing to a seat.
“Sit anywhere you like.”
He moves with a heavy, deliberate gait, circling the counter to guide her to a seat.
Mio watches his back with the gaze of a predator observing prey.
“It’s fine, Mio. Jake’s just big and looks scary.”
“Uh… yeah…”
She looked terrified—no doubt about it.
Even Jin, who is accustomed to it, finds it frightening at times. A child would feel it all the more.
Jin began to suspect he might have made a mistake.
"Yes, the menu. I'll bring water now."
Jin flipped through the menu, page by page.
From the dish names, he could guess the flavors.
But what the dishes actually were—completely unknown.
Only a few items he recognized as ones that Rei had prepared.
Staring at the menu, at a loss.
"Chāhan……"
"Hm?"
"Isn't here……"
Mio's quiet words were best described as disappointment.
Indeed, the word "chāhan" did not appear on the menu.
"Anyway, let's pick something else. I'll find somewhere we can eat."
It felt pitiful, thinking she really wanted it—but there was nothing to be done.
It was harsh to ask Jake, but perhaps, through connections in the trade, he knew a place that could provide it.
"Uh… yeah."
“What’s this, Mio—do you want fried rice?”
Jake, having overheard the conversation, asked while holding a cold drink.
Mio trembled for a moment, then nodded slightly.
“Fried rice? Can’t add much in the way of ingredients, but I’ll make it if you want.”
“Really? It’s not on the menu.”
“Who cares? No customers are coming anyway. Honestly, we only stocked ingredients for night service.”
“Hey, owner.”
The thought crossed his mind—why stubbornly keep the shop open under these conditions?
“Um…”
Mio timidly spoke up as Jake made light chatter.
“One order of fried rice, please.”
“Got it—fried rice one! Jin, you?”
“I’ll have the same.”
“Right—two fried rice. Just wait a moment.”
Jin, who had never seen real fried rice before, waited with quiet anticipation.
Jin suddenly found himself wondering, and asked Mio.
“Hey, do you like fried rice?”
Mio tilted her head.
“Not really. I picked it first both at lunch and now, so maybe I do.”
Perhaps it was a clue from the past.
But Mio shook her head.
“I wanted you to eat it. Jin.”
“…Me? Why?”
“Why? I don’t know.”
She tilted her head too.
Jin could not recall anything at all.
Had he ever said he wanted fried rice since meeting her?
“Here it is, fried rice.”
The plate was placed before him.
“Hm.”
He scooped up the stir-fried rice with a spoon.
Put it in his mouth. Chewed.
“Tastes good.”
“Of course.”
Mio ate in silence.
“I like the rice absorbing the flavor.”
That's good. How about you, Mio? Was it tasty?
Delicious!
Mio said, her mouth smeared with rice, looking genuinely satisfied.