SMASH or PASS

Night.

In the dormitory of Building C, Pixia was sitting by the window in front of me as I sat on my bed.

Her light was faint. About as much as a firefly’s ass.

She had been silent all day.

"...Pixia."

"..."

"Say something. It’s creepy when you’re quiet."

She said nothing for a while.

Then.

"Those children."

"...Hm?"

"In the Birth Ward. The babies."

"Yeah."

"Those children are never going to leave here."

I know.

"...Yeah. I know."

"You’re not going to do anything?"

Eh?

"What would I do?"

"..."

Pixia didn’t answer.

Her light came back, just slightly. Not firefly anymore, maybe a small bulb.

Even so, she was still far from her usual self.

....

This fairy has been alive for over four hundred years.

She’s probably seen things like this many times before.

Seen them many times, gone quiet many times, let her light go out many times.

And then she shines again. Didn’t go dark for good. She shines again.

That’s probably her four-hundred-year answer.

I lay down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

I didn’t really care about the Cowkins.

I don’t really care about how they are treated. I’m here for my own benefit. That’s all.

"..."

However. The innocent face of a certain Cowkin kept bothering me.

Seriously broken. I really am.

◇◇◇

There was a knock on the door.

It was a farmhand.

"Tomorrow morning, the Silken Crow transport convoy will arrive. The area around the north gate will be a work zone for the delivery of new stock, so please do not approach if you are a contractor."

"Got it."

"The delivery should be complete by midday. Please wait in Building C until then."

The farmhand left.

Pixia on the windowsill turned slightly toward me.

Her light was still weak.

"...Someone’s coming tomorrow?"

"The transport team. They’re bringing in stock."

"...Hm."

She went quiet after that.

What was bothering her?

More precisely, what was annoying a four hundred years old powerful being like her?

I didn’t know back then.

◇◇◇

The final day.

The morning rotation had 623 on it again.

She was designated every day for three days. The fact that this is possible with this farm’s breeding system means either she’s liked by Della, or Della doesn’t care.

Probably the latter. 623’s milking output is strong and she follows the schedule perfectly. For Della, she’s "low-maintenance stock," so a breeding designation here and there gets waved through.

623 entered the room, carrying something again.

A cup.

Day three’s cup.

The handle was a little straighter again. And today...

"Look! A flower!"

A small flower was painted on the side. A simple, hand-painted flower in red paint.

The number of petals was different on the left and right, but that was a minor issue.

"Did you practice?"

"I did! Last night, when I showed it to 624, she said ’it kind of looks like a caterpillar,’ so I redrew it this morning."

"It doesn’t look like a caterpillar."

"Right?!"

She laughed again today.

This girl improves something a little bit every day, shows it to someone, and is happy about it.

That alone is the entirety of her happiness inside this fence.

For the first time since I entered this world, the corners of my lips rose on their own.

"Do you have any questions about the outside world? I’ll answer them~ Payback for the cup."

623’s eyes widened, she smiled, and immediately began asking questions.

"You said that there are buildings taller than the milk barn. That sounds scary. Are they scary?"

"They’re just buildings."

"But TALL buildings. How do people get to the top? Do they climb? That sounds exhausting."

"There are stairs. And some have lifts."

"What’s a lift?"

"Like a box that carries you up."

"A BOX that goes UP?" Her eyes went wide. "That’s amazing. I want to ride one. Can I ride one someday?"

"..."

I didn’t answer that.

"What else is in Brannock? Are there other cowkin?"

"Some. In the Patchwork district."

"What’s the Patchwork?"

"Where the Covenant Race citizens live. Catkin, rabbitkin, cowkin. The ones who live inside the walls."

"They just... live there? Like people?"

"They are people."

She tilted her head. The concept was sitting in her brain and not quite fitting. "But they’re not on a farm?"

"No."

"So who milks them?"

"Nobody. They manage it themselves."

She stared at me. Processing. Her golden eyes working through something she’d never had to think about before.

"That’s..." She paused. "I don’t understand how that works. If nobody milks them, doesn’t it hurt?"

"I think they handle it on their own schedule."

"Oh." She looked at the clay cup in her hands. The one with the flower. "That sounds... nice. Managing it yourself." Her smile went smaller. Quieter. "I don’t think I’d know how. I’ve always had the machine."

She shook it off. The big smile came back. "Do you like milk?" She squinted at me. "I can tell when someone doesn’t actually like milk but drinks it to be polite. Your face does a thing. It’s okay. Not everyone likes milk. But it’s good for you. My milk specifically is good. I told you about the fat content, right?"

"You mentioned it."

"Above average. That’s important."

Once more, the corners of my lips rose on their own.

◇◇◇

For some reason, this session lasted far longer than usual.

When it finally ended, I adjusted my clothes and prepared to leave.

"Hey... Big brother?" 623 asked.

"...Yes?"

"About what I said... have you thought about it? Will you come again?"

"..."

I couldn’t move my mouth.

To say that I couldn’t answer might be more accurate. Even "I’ll think about it" refused to come out again.

623 tilted her head and looked at me with her wide golden eyes. "...?"

I still couldn’t respond.

It’s one thing if she was a random Cowkin. But for some reason, I was getting too attached to her.

Even if I happened to accept other quests here in the future, I’ll probably never ask for her ever again.

Seeing that I said nothing, 623’s confusion slowly turned into an understanding look.

"Big brother?...Oh, I... I see."

She didn’t get angry. She turned toward the door and waved.

"Bye-bye, Big brother! I was really happy to meet you!"

She was smiling until the very end.

Then the door closed.

[+8 SP]

"...how many SP do I have now?"

[Current SP: 138]

Wow.

Well, the numbers are doing fine.

The numbers are.