[Novel: Venus Syndrome] [205] At Least Twenty Thousand Ri
Saisei Prosthetics, Headquarters Factory Building.
Deep in the development floor, which felt somewhat dim even in summer, was a break space located in the former smoking area.
Yuina Waridashi sat slumped in a chair, drinking canned jasmine tea with her prosthetic hand.
"So, the first project is deep in the mountains of West Africa. You really got dragged into this, didn't you?"
Fumio Usui pulled up a chair while still wearing his tool bag.
He was a middle-aged man with twenty years of experience as a prosthetist, who had also properly learned the ways of being a corporate employee.
"I sure did get dragged into it.
The 'International Environmental Adaptive Prosthetic Hand: Field Operational Demonstration Test,' or 'SYNAPTIC' for shortSYNAPTICProject.
The village I went to, I still can't properly remember the name of the village, but it was red dirt, bugs, and... fleas? Or maybe mites. Anyway, it was itchy."
"Once you can tell the difference between the itches, you've finished adapting to the field."
"I want to go home."
It was an immediate reply.
"But, well, that's how it is, isn't it? The higher-ups want to show off just how well our myoelectric prosthetic hands can 'handle harsh environments.'"
"Exactly. I'm the one who was sent to the extreme just so they could get the catchphrase, 'It works even in extreme conditions!'"
"Good work out there."
Usui opened a can of coffee, making a dry sound.
"But... a local boy asked me, 'Why do I need to grab?'"
"Meaning, there's no need to grab?"
"Yes. He said he uses his elbows and feet for farm work, and his sister holds his spoon for him, so he doesn't really need a 'hand'."
"…If that's the case, our 'prosthetic hand philosophy' is shaken to its core."
"Shaken to its core? I feel like a washbasin was dropped on my head from above."
"That's so Showa-era."
Yuina laughed softly and placed the can on the table.
"Well, though, I was able to 'touch' things. A child in the village handed me a flower with their shoulder.
It was an awkward gesture, like a handshake."
"A flower? Where?"
"A village kid. They stuck a flower into the palm of my prosthetic hand and gave it to me. I couldn't actually grab it.
But... somehow, I feel like that was the moment we 'connected' the most."
Usui was silent for a moment.
"That's a nice story. I've got a ridiculous one of my own, though."
"What kind?"
"Today, an old man with a prosthetic leg told me, 'I'm in trouble if I can't walk at least twenty thousand ri.'"
"…Twenty thousand ri? In real units?"
"Yeah. And he said 'at least,' 'at least.' It's great that he's more energetic than the average healthy person, but...
I couldn't help but calculate, 'Twenty thousand ri... one ri is four kilometers, so... wait, eighty thousand kilometers?'
I mean, I wondered if he'd even be alive before he finished walking."
"Lol."
Yuina almost spat out her drink.
"He showed me his logbook, and he writes down the distance he walked every morning.
He says things like, 'I've only walked three thousand ri so far,' with a straight face."
"Wait, he's already walked about one-sixth of the way..."
"And then he says, 'Modern prosthetic legs break down too easily,' or 'The old models were better'...
I wanted to say, 'That's not the point,' but I couldn't."
"How kind of you..."
"I mean, I'm already swamped just maintaining his prosthetic leg, and he's like, 'I trust your legs. That's why I'm aiming for at least twenty thousand ri!' The pressure is measured in ri."
"That's a new unit. Like, 'one pressure equals five thousand kilometers.'"
"Please, stop it..."
Usui threw his can into the trash and adjusted his tool bag.
"Well, whether it's SYNAPTIC or twenty thousand ri, the field is tough, that's the point."
"It sure is tough... and itchy."
"It really is itchy..."
The two of them nodded in silence for a while.
"…So, are you going to keep going? For the second round and so on?"
"Probably... if they tell me to go, I have no choice.
But next time, I hope it's a country with air conditioning and Wi-Fi..."
"Wasn't it Haiti or Burundi or something on the schedule?"
"There's nothing but despair..."
Even so, there was a smile on Yuina's face.
Perhaps she was remembering the flower she received over there.
"Well, if it's itchy next time, bring back some anti-itch cream as a souvenir."
"Understood.
Also, please leave the old man's twenty-thousand-ri guarantee issue to the department manager."
"Sure. I'll just mark myself down as 'mental support staff.'"
"We're both just salarymen, aren't we..."
With that, the two of them stood up.
In the dim factory building, amidst the somewhat dusty air, the work continued to move forward.
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