[Novel: Venus Syndrome] [166] When in Rome, Dress Like the Romans

Yuina Waride came to this village deep in the mountains of West Africa to deliver prosthetic arms.

The "SYNAPTICProject" promoted by Saisei Prosthetics is an international demonstration project to develop and verify simple neural prosthetics that can be used even in regions with limited electricity and tools—the so-called "Fourth World."
As part of this, Yuina was dispatched to Misato Agena, an international representative who was formerly with the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, as a subject and test operator, and sent to Kakuri Village in the depths of Sierra Leone.

In this village, there were young men who had lost their arms to landmines and children born without arms.
Every day was spent confirming not whether the prosthetic arms worked, but whether they would be "accepted."



On the afternoon of the day her three-week mission ended, the village women surrounded Yuina and said,

"Let's get dressed up today."
"You're a girl, too!"

What they held out was a piece of vibrant African print fabric.
A blue and gold floral pattern. Under the sunlight, it shone more brightly than the earth.

Yuina smiled and nodded.
Someone wrapped it around her as a skirt, and someone else tied a scarf around her head.
She had no arms. But no one thought that was strange.

"See, doesn't it suit you?"
"Isn't it great!"

As they said this and giggled together, Yuina also shook her shoulders and laughed.

The mission was over. But this afternoon, at least, was not work.
She was just one of the "girls," there in their circle.

The fabric swayed on the ground. The wind blew through.
For the first time in a while, her shoulders felt light.

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