前のエピソード――episode 2 A Scene with a Trolleybus

First Period

Aoi and I entered the school building, and classmates were getting out of taxis one after another.

"Good morning, Kaoruko”

"Morning, Hina."

Hina is my close friend.

"What subject are you choosing today?"

In high school, apart from compulsory courses, the curriculum is elective, so you can choose the subjects for the day as long as you earn the required credits.

"I'm thinking of participating in the practical training for occupational activities inside the Gateway Space Station above the lunar base today."

"Then I'll join you. Let's go together."

"Sure, let's meet at Epsilon Station since there seems to be availability there."

"Yeah, see you later."

"What about you, Aoi?"

"I'm going to Toronto for language practice today. I'm not good at English."

"Oh, I see. See you during lunch break then."

Each of us boards our designated capsules. The seats here are so comfortable, I feel like just skipping the training and taking a nap.

Well, it's more like a nap-like sensation.

After a faint buzzing vibration, all sounds suddenly disappear.

When I come to my senses, I'm inside the storage pod of the station.

Well, I say "inside," but it's not like I'm physically there.

About ten years ago, they developed a technology called BMI (Brain Machine Interface) that can directly manipulate the brain's imagery function with minimal stimulation and signals, allowing for natural visual and sensory experiences without goggles.

Even Trobus has a basic mechanism of that technology, which can deliver beautiful scenery, smells, and even wind directly into our brains.

In Epsilon Station, I have my avatar, or rather, a mobile armor. It weighs around 500 kilograms, but in zero gravity, I don't feel the weight.

The instructor arrives.

"Did everyone who applied log in?"

"Yes, everyone is here."

"Alright, then let's begin the practical training. You should have learned in the classroom, but there's a 2.6-second time lag between what you see and your actual movements, so remember the difference from your sensations on Earth."

The instructor is physically present on Earth, so their voice doesn't lag.

"Let's start by slowly rotating your right hand to the left while sitting."

I slowly raise my right hand and move it to the left...

"Whoa!"

My right hand forcefully collides with my left chest. Oops!

Though there's no sound, it feels like I messed up. Oopsie-daisy.

"Hey, don't break your mobile armor."

The instructor laughs heartily.

I thought I moved my hand, but it didn't respond immediately, so I exerted a bit too much force.

Hina is handling her right hand skillfully.

Is she a genius? Is this what genius looks like?

But after about 20 minutes, I started getting used to the sensation. When I thought of moving my body, it actually moved 1.3 seconds later, and then the monitor image capturing it reached my head another 1.3 seconds later.

I'm starting to grasp it somehow.

After 30 minutes, I can already move and manipulate objects in zero gravity, feeling like I'm actually there.

I feel like I could even do extravehicular activities, but maybe it's impossible for a student. It would be great if I could get a job like this in the future.

After about an hour, when the training ends, our consciousness returns to Earth.

It takes 30 minutes to readjust the sensory time lag.

I try swinging my right hand to the left again. My right hand doesn't move. After a while, my right hand suddenly moves to the left too quickly!

It feels somewhat nauseating.