Chapter 3: Modifications

Metal paneling covered all surfaces in industrial prefabricated simplicity. It was bigger than she expected. Seeing measurements on paper versus seeing them in person was pleasantly different. The entrance seating space was already taking shape, with raised benches bolted into the wall and templated flooring modules embedded in the ground where smoothed stones would soon be placed. Flanking both perimeter walls was to be the Roji, the dewy ground pads where synthetic moss flooring was to be laid.

“I hope the moss makes it…” Hana whispered to herself.

Along the Roji area’s walls, brackets were visible, waiting to mount the bamboo that was in transport from Suzume-no Oyado. Floor guides were already in place at the edge of the Roji, signaling where the tea room’s walls would formally begin.

“RAM-71, would you mind if I saw the Nijiri-guchi wall panel?”

“I would not mind,” replied the automaton, who turned towards several large panels of prepped sheet metal.

Hana watched in surprise as the automaton attached lifting grips to the twelve foot tall panel then hoisted it with ease and turned to her. To her own internal confusion, she felt herself blush. RAM-71 carried the panel past her and gently placed it in place along its floor guide.

“This is to be a crawl-in window?” it asked.

“Correct! The Nijiri-guchi is a small opening that patrons will have to crawl through in order to enter the tea room. In ancient times, it served as a barrier from the outside world. General or commoner, you had to leave the outside world at the Roji and humble yourself. The crawl equalized all who entered. No matter how stylish or humble, proud or meek, all entered and exited the same.”

“That is interesting. Humans are interesting. Historical record would imply that the lessong of equality did not carry on into the world beyond the tea room,” RAM-71 replied in its neutral, calm voice.

The matter-of-fact statement caught Hana off guard and she suddenly felt embarrassed and naive.

“...True… Unfortunately most lessons are not retained.”

“As all humans are equal now and there is no class or caste system within your society, why do you maintain the crawl window?”

Hana noted to herself that this automaton was very curious.

“Well, I wanted this to feel traditional, like stepping out of the colony and back in time, to tether us back to the world we left behind. And even without classes or divisions in formalized legal structure, there will always be concepts of separation and segmentation within humans. It comes from our need to process and categorize things, but it’s often fed by emotion and bias. And every human will have those, even in utopia.”

“Intriguing. Thank you for explaining to me. My system processors are still calibrating perceptions of humans. I am still learning.”

RAM-71 stepped back and observed the panel.

“Is the space large enough for automatons to crawl through?”

The blush returned along with a flood of embarrassment as Hana realized she had not even considered the automatons.

“...No, I’m so sorry. I, I didn’t even think of that, please forgive me.”

She bowed in apology. RAM-71 turned its head towards her at a slight tilt.

“I have never had a human bow to me. Thank you. I understand that is a sign of human to human respect of which I am not familiar. You do not need to apologize. It is not a common thing for automatons to attend human experiences, certainly those related to consumption of food or drink.”

With that, the automaton returned to its work without a second of hesitation. Hana projected her own emotions onto the metallic worker, imagining it to be annoyed or disappointed.

“Your face’s internal temperature has risen, and your heart rate is elevated. If you are embarrassed, you need not be.” RAM-71 stated without facing her.

“YOU CAN SEE MY TEMPERATURE?!”

Embarrassment gave way to humiliation.

“No, but my optics can see that your face is red…” RAM-71 replied in a slightly slowed speech pattern.

Hana realized the automaton was attempting to replicate a jesting tone.

“Are you… joking with me?”

“Perhaps…”

“I didn’t even know that was possible. It appears I have much to learn as well,” she replied.

Neo-Kyoto’s quiet tranquility and isolation from the business of Shin-Osaka and Tokyo Four suddenly felt very sheltered as Hana realized she had barely engaged with the broader world. Doubts about her decision to start this adventure began to creep back into her thoughts. Was this a bad idea? Did she make a mistake? What if she’s trapped here doing nothing for twenty-five years? Mindfulness training kicked in and she began to regulate her breathing, recentering herself and grounding her thoughts in the present.

“I am supposed to be here,” she thought.

Other automatons began to move wall panels into place and Hana had an idea.

“RAM-71, is it possible to edit this piece?”

“How so?”

“I’d like to make the opening wider, and taller. That’s all!”

“How much wider, and how much taller?” asked RAM-71.

Hana measured it and the other automatons with a quick glance.

“Well, how big are automatons?”

“I am a larger ‘R’ model.”

“Well, let’s use you as measurement then. Can you make the opening large enough for you to enter?”

“We can do that. I will retrieve a beam saw and stencil guide. We will order expansion fillings to compensate for the larger size so that your design for the opening is respected.”

Blue lights along RAM-71’s shoulder unit clicked on and strobed as data was transferred.

“Order placed. The expansion pieces will be here in thirty-six to thirty-eight minutes.”

It turned to her.

“Thank you, Hana-sama. You did not have to do that.”

“Tea is for all. You included. Thank you for all of your efforts and making these changes.”

“It is my duty. Your design and vision will be upheld to our fullest extent.”

RAM-71 bowed once more and departed to retrieve its tools.

Panels were latched into place. Cabling was passed through conduit. The exterior took shape. With the Nijiri-guchi wall not yet placed, Hana could easily see all of the elevated interior coming together. The room’s floor was twenty inches off the ground. Hidden latches in the floor panels allowed access to the storage bins tucked beneath the floor, which is where she would be storing whatever goods and personal items she accumulated.

Traditional tea houses did not include host living quarters, but this was also going to be Hana’s home. Ten feet above the tea room’s elevated floor was the second story nook, where her sleeping and living quarters were to be. As she was a single tenant, the space was small and efficient. She did not mind. Spiral steps of reinforced metal were placed in the back left corner. This is how Hana had designed it, but upon seeing it in person, she did not like its setting.

“Wait. Can this be adjusted?” She asked the automaton.

“Yes, if it is with regulation and facility code.”

Hana looked around the space for a more ideal location.

“How would a patron view it?” She asked herself.

Mimicking a patron entering the space, she crawled onto the elevated floor and moved to the center of the room. She imagined being someone who would not be spending the next 9,125 days in this space and what their perspective would be like. The first and second guests would be seated on the guest tatami mat that was fed by the crawl window. Third and fourth guests would be in the following mat. This space was more than twice the size of a traditional tea room, so she was able to use two mats per section versus the one as was custom. Guests five through eight would be seated to the left of the crawl window.

Perspective helped her decide to change her mind. She did not want the ladder to her room to be the first thing patrons saw as they climbed into the space, out of fear it would pull them back to reality by reminding them they were in a colony outpost.

“Let’s move it here!” Hana said, pointing to the space that would have been her entrance way in a traditional tea room.

“Sado guchi,” replied the automaton.

“Exactly like a sado guchi, only I have a ladder, not a door. You know the traditional names of the room?”

“We all contemplated documentation of traditional tea rooms upon receiving this request. It is standard procedure for all cultural buildouts so that we may remake the space as closely and respectfully as possible.”

“Thank you for your effort!”

Hana bowed to it with sincerity.

The automaton responded much like RAM-71, tilting its head and observing her with inquisitive processing. After a millisecond of contemplation it bowed to her in return and continued on its way with its labor.

“You will lose .87 square meters of living space by moving your entry ladder here versus its standard position.”

“That’s okay!”

Patron experience and serenity was more important to her than a few feet of space for her closet.

Delivery trucks with hydroponic containers pulled up to the entrance and Hana slid down to greet them.

“Plants?!” Hana asked the worker that stepped out from the vehicle.

“Plants. Plants and trees. First bonsai and bamboo seedlings I’ve ever raised rockside. Thanks for the challenge.” said the middle aged woman.

“Hope you’re up for a challenge!” she said as she patted Hana’s shoulder.

“My whole life has been a challenge,” laughed Hana.

“Well you’ll do just fine, then. Name’s E’twobe. But you can call me ‘E’ since that’s hard for most to pronounce.”

“I can call you eh… ehl, twloh, beh? E’twobe if you would like.”

“Not bad!” laughed E’twobe.

They made their way to the truck and E’twobe raised the bed guard to reveal dozens of bamboo stalks, juniper bonsai, moss pallets, and more. Hana couldn’t contain herself and squeezed with joy, clapping her hands together as her eyes clinched shut in happiness.

“Plannnnntttts!” she sang out with a shimmy.

E’twobe laughed as she watched.

“You might be the most excited I’ve ever seen a person be about starting life rockside.”

Hana clapped once more and waved to her green comrades that would be her only living roommates moving forward. Gear was unloaded from the truck first. Pods of humidifiers and misters were set beside mold removers.

“Air purification standards and decontamination systems are a little harsh in plant life so you need a few more tools,” E’twobe instructed as she unloaded.

“They’ll need moisture, but you can’t let it get too damp or you’ll get lung worms. These machines will help with that. If any of it ever starts blinking red, you come get me. If the beds dry or or they stop retaining water,”

“Come get you.”

“I’m going to like you.”

Stains of dirt and soil mixed into the fabric of E’twobe’s standard issue clothing. Hana watched her place the machinery and greenery with equal care, noting the movements of her hands. Where the automatons were calculated and efficient, with gentle yet programmed movements, E’twobe was human and flawed. She knelt with an unsteadiness of someone whose knees ached. She shifted things in her arms as she unloaded. A bead of sweat ran down her neck as she worked. The small details of imperfection within all humanity spoke to Hana and she reflected on the wonder of it as she helped unload.

Ladder brackets were locked. Bamboo was placed around it to hide it as best as possible. Moss was set at the Roku space within the designated areas. RAM-71 returned with the tools and new expansion pieces. The Nijiri-guchi wall was placed and a volunteer automaton gave it a few test crawls to validate its new opening was sufficiently large. Tatami mats were placed. The Ro, the tea room’s hearth, was set and the electric burners were activated. Water supply was opened at the pour space. Within a few hours, the tea room had come together.

“It looks great. I’ll have to come by on a day off,” E’twobe remarked as she climbed into her truck.

“I look forward to hosting you!” replied Hana as she waved goodbye.

Tires turned and the truck was gone. An electric drill found its way to Hana’s hand. She looked up to see RAM-71 offering it to her.

“We enjoy having the creators set their business signs as a way to welcome them.” it remarked as it released the tool to her hand.

Kanji and universal language characters spelled out Shinrin-Yoku within the small wooden plaque that was to be her shop signage. It was understated and simple; directly in contrast with much of the glaring neon and halogen of other shops and displays.

Hana followed RAM-71 to the sign and it held the plaque in place. She held the drill to its mounting pieces and pulled the trigger. After a few twists on all four mounts, her sign was level and hung.

“The last part is a surprise for you,” remarked RAM-71.

“Surprise?”

“Follow me,” said RAM-71, crawling into the tea room.

Hana followed it into her space. The automaton approached the perimeter wall and opened a box panel, revealing a single switch.

“Whhhaaaat is that for?” Hana asked.

“This,” replied RAM-71 as it pressed the switch.

The wall’s center segment churned then began to part down the middle, revealing itself to be an opening six feet tall by ten feet wide. Tears rushed to Hana’s eyes as rapturous joy reverberated through her body. On the other side of the wall was a window, facing out into the infinite expanse of the universe. She had a view, and her view was the entirety of stars and galaxies.

All she could do was scream out in joy as she looked towards the glowing dots and distant nebula. Ships drifted in the distance, arriving and leaving the outpost in silent flow. Lights from reflector satellites and storage tankers blinked like synchronized fireflies. Infinity extended itself to her like an old friend and for a brief moment, she felt at home for the first time in years. Tears flowed uncontested as she allowed herself this moment.

“Welcome to Outpost 1117,” said RAM-71.

Hana laughed as she wiped her tears and turned to RAM-71. All of the other automatons had gathered and were watching her reaction. She bowed to all of them.

“Thank you, all of you, for doing this for me. It’s better than I could have dreamed.”

“It is our duty and pleasure,” replied RAM-71.

With that, they all turned to leave and suddenly an idea let to Hana’s thoughts.

“Wait!” she called out.

The automatons turned to her. She gathered herself and faced them all. Courage rose and confidence bolstered her voice.

“Would you all like to be my first patrons? I would love to serve tea to all of you out of gratitude.”