The two of them walked down a dim hallway together until they came to a door. Just a plain, gray door with nothing special about it whatsoever.
“Behind this door is the heart of the Fatigue Treatment Center. This is where we dispose of the Fatigues we’ve collected.”
With that, the facility worker opened the door. What in the world would this treatment center look like? How did they get rid of the Fatigues?
With a gulp and a feeling of dread, Hirono stepped through the door.
✦ ✦ ✦
What was waiting on the other side was unlike anything she could have imagined.
✦ ✦ ✦
“What…is this…?”
Hirono stood there, dumbfounded.
The room was lit with a soft orange light. The smell of scented candles drifted through the air. Speakers played ambient sounds of gently flowing rivers and birdsong.
The room had an incredibly relaxing atmosphere…and it was full of Fatigues. Some were snuggled up in beds, sleeping peacefully. Some sat in rocking chairs, reading manga. Several were soaking in warm baths scented with flower petals. Others were drinking tea and eating cakes piled high with cream. Still others were even lying down on mats and getting massages from other facility workers.
And the beds, chairs, baths, books, cake—they were all in miniature, the perfect size for these little gray creatures.
“Take a look over there,” said the strange man. “Those Fatigues have been with us for about a week now.”
He pointed Hirono toward one corner of the room. The Fatigues there were sitting with blankets over their laps and sipping from mugs of hot chocolate. One of them drained their cup and let out a contented sigh.
When they did that, something began to happen.
The smokelike figure started coming apart. A moment later, it had dispersed into normal smoke and melted into the air without a trace.
“That is what becomes of the Fatigues removed using the Fatigue Catching Net. We create a space where they can relax to their hearts’ content. They sleep in, eat delicious food, listen to music, take baths, get massages, and then they simply…disappear.”
✦ ✦ ✦
The man in the hat offered that final explanation, picking up the empty mug to put it away.
✦ ✦ ✦
On the way home from the Fatigue Treatment Center, Hirono was in a daze.
So that was it. That was how it worked. That was how to get rid of Fatigues…
Basically, they do all the relaxing for me so I don’t have to do it myself.
The little gray Fatigues would rest and recover in her place. That was how the net and the cage and the treatment center worked.
Well, it’s what I always wanted… I can work hard without needing to rest now.
And hadn’t everyone always told her that was “a wonderful achievement”? Didn’t taking breaks mean wasting time you could be using to study? She’d be able to use her time so much more efficiently now.
So why don’t I feel good about it…?
Hirono thought back to how the Fatigues had looked at the treatment center. They’d seemed so happy in that nice, relaxing space, just lazing around and doing whatever they felt like.
To get rid of the fatigue I’ve built up, somebody has to rest like that…
But that somebody was no longer her. She’d purposely cut herself off from the need to rest—from the need to relax and enjoy herself.
A safe, reliable way to deal with fatigue, with no side effects whatsoever… Something that anyone can use for years, or even decades. I’ll admit it’s useful, but…
Was this really how she wanted to do things?
Still feeling conflicted, Hirono took the Fatigue Catching Net out of her bag. She stared at it for a moment…then brought it to her mouth and let out a limp, exasperated sigh. The sigh immediately transformed into a small gray Fatigue.
Hirono felt instantly refreshed, ready to head home and get back to studying. This net truly was a wonderful product to have around. She couldn’t imagine living without it anymore.
And yet…something was nagging at her. Part of her felt like she was doing something wrong, something irredeemably foolish.
“Is it…really okay for me to keep doing this?” Hirono mumbled to the creature in the net.
But the Fatigue said nothing. It just lay there, curled up in a tight little ball.