LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 15
A week later.
All of us were riding in the car driven by Red, heading out to the outskirts city for a fun day. The zoo was opening a new exhibit, so we were going to check it out.
Naturally, the kids were super excited about going to the zoo.
“I wish the teacher could’ve come too…”
Rene stayed behind to watch over the orphanage.
The kids’ faces dropped, and they were reluctant to leave, so when she asked for a nice gift, they instantly perked up and hopped into the car. I remember them wearing expressions that looked like soldiers on an important mission, which made me chuckle on the inside without realizing it.
The car was noisy, but it wasn’t because of the exciting music.
It was the cheerful chatter of the kids.
“What kind of animals will we see…?”
“The last place we went had so many amazing ones!”
“Hehe…”
The kids’ faces were filled with excitement and anticipation. They were immersed in a heated discussion about what the place would be like, what animals they might see, and what gifts would be good.
There was no sign of them calming down.
Their enthusiasm filled the car with a heat that was almost tangible.
Actually, it really was hot.
Just then, a cool breeze filled the car. It seemed Red turned on the air conditioning.
Phew, finally feeling a bit better.
“Lily, aren’t you excited too?”
The yellow-haired girl, Lena, sitting beside me, spoke up. I was a bit slow to respond since I wasn’t fully used to her name yet.
After a moment’s thought, I nodded.
Lena flashed a bright smile.
“I am! I’ve been to a few zoos before, but the place we’re going to this time is totally different!”
I nodded again in agreement.
Then, I turned my gaze out the window to look at the sky. The weather was perfect for a trip.
‘The zoo…’
Sorry, Lena, but I lied.
To be honest, I wasn’t as thrilled as the kids were.
The facilities in the outskirts city were naturally going to be inferior to those in the more central areas, and I knew it wasn’t the kind of zoo I had in mind.
Rather than joy and anticipation, a bit of sadness washed over me.
But I wouldn’t let that show. I wasn’t so clueless that I couldn’t read the room.
Everyone was so excited, and there was no need to throw cold water on it.
Thank goodness for the mask.
‘Still, I’m curious about what snacks they’ll sell there.’
I continued to gaze out the window, listening to the chattering sounds with the music as background.
It was boring, just seeing large and small buildings.
Maybe looking for strangely shaped clouds would be more enjoyable.
‘I hope we don’t get stuck in traffic.’
Unfortunately, my wish came true, and we ended up in a heartbreaking traffic jam.
The kids got tired of waiting and fell asleep, while I was almost mentally crushed from boredom.
*
Finally free from the hellish traffic, we arrived at the zoo.
“Wooooow!”
The entrance to the zoo was bustling with quite a number of people for a facility in the outskirts city.
If we got swept away by that crowd, we might get separated from our group.
“Alright, kids. Stay close to me so you don’t get lost.”
“Yes!”
The kids’ voices rang strong.
You’d think that would ease my anxiety, but instead, it only grew.
After all, they were still just kids. No matter how precocious they seemed, the essence remained unchanged.
In places like these, if you even blink for a moment, one or two kids always seem to get lost.
But with Red and me around, it should be fine.
It isn’t like we’re watching 100 kids; it’s only seven. How could we possibly lose track of them?
Red led the kids as we lined up.
The line was surprisingly long, so we seemed to have to wait a bit to get in.
The kids were chattering away. The thought of entering the zoo soon had them hyped up.
Not just the kids; you could feel the fun atmosphere all around.
Excitement, anticipation, joy, everything.
‘There aren’t many zoos in the outskirts city.’
Occasionally, I’d respond to questions from the kids.
I scanned the crowd and observed the people around me.
They were all dressed quite nicely for citizens of an outskirts city.
Judging by their outfits, they must have some economic stability.
They wouldn’t be visiting from the mid-city or central area, so they must all be from here.
‘Well, every city has its own circumstances. And being from the outskirts doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t do well.’
Anyway, seeing so many people dressed neatly made me think that the entrance fee was probably quite substantial.
I tugged at the hem of Red’s clothing.
“Huh?” Red glanced down at me with a small voice.
Her look seemed to ask what was up, and I drew a finger in the air as if sketching money.
Just trying to communicate whether we had enough funds for this. She understood and smiled at me, gently ruffling my hair.
“Don’t worry. It’s all good. The kids don’t need to worry about stuff like that; just enjoy yourselves.”
Once she took her hand away, I placed both of mine on top of my head.
I still felt the warmth lingering from before.
Getting my hair ruffled felt a bit strange.
Just then, an odd noise came from somewhere.
A sound that disrupted the lively atmosphere.
With that noise, the area quieted down, weighed down by a heavy mood.
It seemed like something bad had occurred.
I turned my head towards the source of the noise.
“I don’t care who I am! You’d better get out of the way right now or…”
A large and brutish beastman was causing a ruckus.
People were fidgeting, their faces filled with fear.
The kids huddled close to Red. I stole a glance at her with sidelong eyes.
Red remained still. I quickly understood why she was just standing there.
[Beeep.]
Several humanoid security robots moved swiftly toward the commotion.
The beastman looked down on the robots, sharpening its claws as it charged at them.
But it was swiftly subdued without much fuss.
“Let go! I messed up. I didn’t mean it, so…”
The security robots dragged the beastman off somewhere.
A moment later, faint screams, inaudible to the average ear, could be heard.
When the security robots returned, the beastman was gone.
But there was a hint of blood on the robots.
Deciding not to think too deeply about what had happened, I moved on.
And it wasn’t just the security robots on the scene.
I could also spot some hired Solvers keeping the peace in the zoo, blending in without being noticeable.
Well, I suppose in places like this, someone has to ensure safety.
‘Especially in the outskirts city, considering how terrorism often strikes, they must be particularly vigilant.’
Once the cause of the disturbance was gone, the atmosphere around us returned to normal.
While waiting, our line slowly shrank.
Eventually, it was our turn, and we successfully made it inside.
*
As soon as we stepped inside, the kids jumped around in the spacious plaza, beaming brighter than the sun as they shouted hooray.
Seeing their joy made me smile beneath my mask as well.
The kids gathered around Red.
“Sister, let’s see the tigers! Let’s go see the tigers first!”
“No! Penguins first!”
“Meerkats!”
“I like sheep too…”
Since everyone wanted to see different animals, various creatures came tumbling out of their mouths.
No matter how much the kids urged, Red didn’t break a sweat, clapping her hands to quiet them down.
“Everyone calm down. We’ll see them all, so there’s no need to rush. We’ll go in order, so just stick close to me.”
The kids nodded eagerly.
“Lily. Here, hold my hand.”
Lena reached out to me.
I stared at her hand. Without realizing it, I smiled beneath my mask.
To think I’d be treated like a child by someone much younger than me.
Either way, holding hands would be the best way to keep the kids from getting lost.
I grasped her hand tightly.
And just like that, we followed Red, ready to start our adventure through the animal exhibits.
The first place we visited was the lions. Inside the glass enclosure, a lion roamed around and let out a mighty roar towards the onlookers.
Some kids’ eyes sparkled, while others squinted at the loud noise or trembled in response.
“Lions are awesome!”
“Wooooow!”
“Scary…”
Others around were equally captivated and gushing over the lions.
I was more interested in the ceiling of the enclosure.
‘Just as I thought…’
There were small mechanical devices installed in the ceiling that emitted light.
Yup. Just as I suspected, that lion wasn’t real – it was a hologram.
‘It’s hard to see real animals in the outskirts city.’
The other animals were similar.
They were all holograms.
Though they looked genuine thanks to advanced technology, they were ultimately fake.
Yet, the kids loved them all the same.
Not just the kids, but everyone visiting seemed to wear joyful expressions too.
Since they didn’t know what was real, they were satisfied even with the fakes, I thought. However, knowing the reality, I felt a twinge of disappointment.
Almost as if I could feel a chilling breeze sweeping through my heart.
“Hey, everyone, look over there! It’s the Animal Interaction Experience Area. It seems like we can actually touch the animals.”
What?
I turned my head to where Red was pointing.
We can touch the animals?
That piqued my interest a bit.
“Hey, everyone, Lily seems interested in that place. Let’s head there first.”
What? Who do you think you’re talking to as if I were a little kid?
Offended by being treated like a child, I placed my hands on my hips and glared at her.
Even though my expression wasn’t visible beneath the mask, I didn’t give up on getting my point across.
But my protest didn’t last long.
The kids grabbed me and dragged me forcibly to the Animal Interaction Experience Area.
Aaaah! Let me go! I can go there myself!
And once we got there, I was disappointed.
‘I was such a fool to expect anything.’
It wasn’t a hologram.
But they were mechanical animals. They looked just like real animals, but they were machines.
Whether they knew I was disappointed or not, the kids cautiously approached a mechanical sheep and started to pet it.
Lena beckoned me over.
Red gently pushed me from behind.
Reluctantly, I approached the mechanical sheep and felt its fleece.
It was definitely fake, but it felt fluffy like the real thing. And it was warm too.
The longer I touched it, the better it felt. I buried my face in the sheep’s wool.
After exploring and touching other animals in the artificial grassland, a mechanical dog guide approached us.
“Hello there! How do you like our ranch? Are you enjoying your time?”
The robotic guide’s words had the kids cheering yes, yes.
Then it opened a box it was holding and shared the contents with us.
“This is cheese we made ourselves. Well, technically, it’s a synthetic food that mimics cheese flavor, but please give it a try.”
Tiny square cheese pieces, about the size of my thumbnail.
It was clearly a sample size.
I carefully opened the lower part of my mask and popped the cheese into my mouth.
Mmm.
It definitely tasted like cheese.
Looking at the kids, they seemed surprisingly amazed, their faces lit up with astonishment.
“Does it suit your taste? If so, we invite you to stop by our Grassland Cafe. We sell not just cheese, but a variety of other dishes as well!”
Saying that, the robotic dog guide moved on to assist others.
Red paused for a moment, then looked at the kids.
“You all seem to have wandered around quite a bit. How about we take a break at the Grassland Cafe?”
At Red’s suggestion, the kids beamed and raised their hands high.
They all eagerly agreed with Red’s suggestion.
What an amazing promotional pitch!