“…”
Still gazing at the strange little figure in the cage, Hirono cleared her throat. “If I buy one of these nets, can I use it on myself?”
“Of course. It’s designed so that anyone can use it with the greatest of ease.”
“And are there any…side effects?”
A hint of hesitation had crept into that last question. One swing of the net had dispelled the fatigue between her eyes instantly. That part of her body felt as relaxed and refreshed as if she’d just had a long night’s sleep.
It was nothing short of amazing. Too amazing. To the point that it made her uneasy.
“Like…if I keep using this to take away my fatigue, will I end up getting tired more easily? Or will the fatigue I take out come back all at once someday? Is there any kind of catch to it?”
“Please, put your mind at ease. This product has no such side effects. You can safely use it for years, even decades, as often as you want.”
“Really…?”
It sounded too good to be true. But if it really was safe and worked like the man said, it was just the kind of thing she could use. Hirono had built up a lot of fatigue in the course of her day.
“How much does it cost?” she asked.
“One Fatigue Catching Net and one Fatigue Cage, two hundred yen in total.”
“That’s so cheap…!”
Too cheap, maybe? Hirono still couldn’t shake the feeling that this was too good to be true. But she promptly took out her wallet and paid for it all the same.
“Thank you for your purchase. When you take a Fatigue out with the net, be sure to store it in the cage. We wouldn’t want it getting back inside your body, now, would we?”
With those final words of caution, the merchant handed her the net and cage. She hugged them close to her chest. Now that she had these, she’d be set free from all the tiredness that built up while she was studying.
Oh, that’s right…
Hirono looked to her side. The girl in the neon-pink hoodie, the one who’d brought her here in the first place, was still standing there.
“Uh… Thank you for telling me about this. It really does sound useful,” Hirono told the girl. “And I’m sorry for saying I didn’t need you to worry about me before!”
“Hee-hee, you’re welcome. And don’t worry about it. After all…” The girl flashed that bright smile again. “…I just want everyone in the world to be happy. That includes you, of course.”
Such a kind, sincere smile. What she was saying sounded pretty grandiose and theatrical, but the smile felt so genuine. Who would have thought anybody could talk about making everyone in the world happy while grinning like that? This girl would probably make a great actor.
“You’re such a nice person…,” said Hirono. “Uh, anyway, good luck with your studies.”
“Thanks! I’ll be sure to manage my fatigue, too, if you know what I mean.”
The silver-haired girl held out her hand. Hirono took it, and they shook hands, both of them smiling now.
✦ ✦ ✦
Back at home, Hirono immediately went to her room to try the Fatigue Catching Net.
First off was her head. After she’d been studying awhile, her head always started to feel worn out, making it harder to focus. And she still had a lot she needed to do before bedtime. There was her regular homework from school, plus her homework and review work from cram school. Trying to study while she was this exhausted would only waste her precious time.
“All right… Let’s give this Fatigue Catching a test run!”
She took the net in her hand and looked at it dubiously. Would this really remove the fatigue from her body like it had in the alley? The merchant said it could be used safely and easily by anyone, even on herself. Was that true?
Hirono lifted the net above her head and gently swung it down.
“…”
Hirono lowered the net and took a peek. There was something inside it now—a human-shaped figure that looked like a doll made of gray smoke.
It worked!
“Wow… My head feels nice and refreshed! I should be able to get a lot more studying done!”
The whole thing felt just as amazing the second time. Who would have thought getting rid of fatigue could be so quick and so easy?
“Oh, that’s right… The man said to always put the Fatigue in the cage afterward.”
She grabbed the clear plastic cage and gently tipped the little gray creature into it. It joined the Fatigue that the merchant had taken out before. Now there were two Fatigues—one from between her eyes, and one from the top of her head. The new Fatigue was holding its head with both hands.
Hirono gave the cage a gentle shake. The figures tumbled over but got back up—like smoke slowly drifting upward—and resumed their previous poses.
“They move around like living things… Hmm, this feels kind of strange. What are these Fatigues, anyway? Well, at the end of the day, I guess it’s all just regular fatigue…”
Somewhat curious now, she sat and observed the Fatigues for a while longer.
As the evening went on, Hirono added Fatigues from her shoulders, neck, and right hand into the cage. Sitting in the same position all evening tended to make her shoulders and neck stiff. And of course, writing out so many notes and equations over and over again took its toll on her dominant hand. But now all that fatigue was gone, and she felt just as supple and refreshed as if she’d had a nice, long massage.
“Phew, I feel great!”
Stretching out both arms, Hirono let out a deep, satisfied breath from her very core. It felt like it’d been a long time since she’d breathed out in a way that wasn’t a frustrated sigh. Now that she was able to handle her fatigue so easily, she realized just how much of it had built up until now. And having a body free of all that tiredness felt incredible.
“All right! It’s still a while before I have to go to bed, so let’s keep going and study even more!”
Hirono clenched her fists in determination. She’d built up so much fatigue day after day. So much that she’d wanted to throw it all away and take a long break to recover.
Eating proper meals, relaxing in the bath, sleeping in just a little bit longer than usual… She’d no longer have to do any of that! With this Fatigue Catching Net, she’d never need to take another break again!