User manual

Three days have gone really fast.

And a lot of exciting things have happened since then. But overall, I'm still alive and doing well for a three-hundred-year-old brain.

I've grown so used to the room I'm in! It almost feels like a second home to me. And just a few days ago, I remember joking about being in a high-tech terrarium. Little did I know, it was actually a hospital all along!

The alien plants have been great company, and the staff here is really friendly and always ready to help. In fact, many humanoid nurses and doctors came to my aid. Thanks to them, I was back on my feet in no time! It only took me about one day to regain my ability to walk and move around without any problems.

On my second day here, I decided to study the user manual that came with my humanoid body. Yes, you read that right! I have my very own user manual now! To access it, all I have to do is tap my nose twice, and a menu pops up right before my eyes.

It's quite silly, I admit. Whoever made this humanoid sure was childish! But at the same time, it made discovering new things about my body so entertaining. It's like going through a fun version of puberty!

I'm so happy that I have a layer of skin over my body again! And the best part is: it's totally removable! With a small zipper along the area of my spine, I can now put on (or take off) a layer of skin over my metal body. It's like having an extra outfit that's always clean and ready to go! It's easy to remove and clean whenever I need to!

Speaking of outfits, the staff working here also gave me a dress as a welcome present. It has a special microfiber fabric that can change the dress's color and pattern based on whatever I want. The technology behind it is something I never knew I needed! But now? I can't imagine life without it! Plus, it can even connect with my own internal software, which makes it even more amazing.

I guess my shopaholic days are now over.

Anyway, one of the best things by far about being a humanoid is not being able to get fat! I can eat whatever I want now, and because I don't have a digestive system, the remaining food gets tossed in another compartment that I can take it out of later.

Even my tongue is now super high-tech! And after just a few days, I can confirm that food tastes even better in the future! I can't tell if it's because of the new tongue or if the food here is 100% organic, but everything here just tastes extra tasty. I've already had many Japanese dishes that remind me of the past. And my favorite of all time is and will forever be miso soup!

While I continued to study my manual, I noticed a strange new feature: the water tank. When I double tap two of my right ribs, a small container comes off, and it's meant to be filled with water. Now, why would I need water in there? Well, that's because my humanoid body can simulate crying, sweating, feeling sick, or even the need to pee.

This world is full of weirdos, I swear!

The only downside so far about my new form is the charging. I need a battery to function. The one I have lasts me about two days, but I can charge myself at night instead of sleeping, and that makes me feel almost like a real human again.

Now let's talk about something important I figured out the hard way. It turns out that I've got a built-in telepathy filter.

Yes, telepathy is now a thing; I was shocked, also.

Apparently, two people or more can connect to a special wireless connection, and they share thoughts. I'm sure every humanoid model has it, but no one told me it came with that filter turned ON!

I'm so embarrassed just thinking about it!

No wonder it was easy for Naomi to manipulate me into joining her reality show! She knew I was thinking of Health Points instead of Humanity Points, and she let me panic on purpose!

Ugh!

But I'm more cautious now. I've set up a password for my telepathy port. My thoughts are now safe from any unwanted intruders like Naomi!

Speaking of Naomi, she informed me that she wanted to see me today. She told me she had a surprise for me. I'm not sure if I should really trust her or not yet. Maybe I'm just paranoid, and she actually has good intentions.

Speak of the devil, here she comes!

Naomi enters the room hopping lightly on one foot. The blonde woman's smile grows as the door glides open effortlessly.

"Hey there, it's nice to see you again, Airi!" Naomi says, her voice filled with excitement. "Wow! Your dress is so adorable! It's the latest model, isn't it? White looks absolutely stunning on you!" She starts hopping up and down, excited.

I roll my eyes because I'm already used to her tactics of trying to get a rise out of me.

"Yeah, I've been alright. And thanks for noticing." I cross my arms and look away. I'm not really in the mood for her flattery right now.

"Aw, don't be mad at me!" Naomi pouts. "You're just too sweet to have that grumpy look on your face. It's 2325, for crying out loud! No one frowns anymore!" She then proceeds to giggle.

"Is that supposed to be another one of your lies? Too bad my model doesn't come equipped with a lie detector."

She laughed. "I've told you before, I haven't lied to you. I might have told you some things I shouldn't have, like that contestant spending a lot of HP on you and all that, but no lies were told."

"And what about when I thought HP was short for health points?" I then turn my head to face her with a frown on my face.

She smirks. "Oh, so you found out about telepathy, huh? Well, about that..." She then scratches her head awkwardly. "Alright, fine. I might have enjoyed hearing your thoughts about it a bit too much. But can you blame me? You were so cute, worrying about him like that."

"Him? So that contestant is a man?"

"Oops!" The blonde woman slaps a hand over her mouth dramatically. "Oh my! Did I let that slip out?" She giggles again.

Yeah, right! That was on purpose!

"Anyway... why are you here, Naomi?"

"Oh, right!" Naomi exclaims with a grin, pulling out the familiar triangular device she used as a projector when we first met. "I have some amazing news for you! I did some digging, and guess what? There are two people who would like to talk to you!" She bounces with excitement.

"Who?" My eyes go wide.

"Get ready! I have a message for you from Osamu and Mei."

Osamu and Mei? Wait a minute? Are those...?

My parents???