Chapter 8
*Pshuu,* went the sound as part of the wall opened.
Ritimiele turned in that direction and changed the color of their body hair.
"It seems she's quite pleased that Mister Kait chose those 'psychic powers.' The representative is urging us to bring you quickly."
"Oh my."
Whether she was exasperated or annoyed at the change in schedule, Kait couldn't tell. He still couldn't fully grasp Ritimiele's emotions or the meaning behind the changes in their body hair.
In any case, greeting the representative was inevitable—whether sooner or later didn't matter. He followed behind Ritimiele as they began walking.
"We can always readjust, so don't hesitate to let us know, Mister!"
"Thank you, Dilgana."
With Dilgana's concerned voice behind him.
***
Somehow, he felt like his body had become lighter.
Just as he was thinking the modifications might finally be settling in, Ritimiele's body hair floated gently ahead of him. At the same time, Emotion emitted a warning sound beside him.
"Master Kait. Gravity is gradually decreasing. Please be careful not to hit your head."
"Oh, I thought it was just the effect of the modifications."
"Apologies. The representative belongs to a species adapted to low-gravity environments, so the gravity in their quarters is fixed at a low level."
"I see."
Ritimiele's pace didn't change, but during the explanation, their body began to float.
"Ritimiele, you too, perhaps?"
"Yes. Earth-standard gravity feels slightly heavy to me. The Federation's living quarters exert less gravity on the body than Earth does."
Apparently, Ritimiele had also been walking with a bit more effort than usual due to dealing with Kait.
The lessening weight on his body was becoming clearly noticeable. He adjusted his gait to a shuffling walk to avoid floating away.
Then, *thud,* a sound of something bumping into something behind him.
Turning around, he saw that Emotion, who had been floating slightly behind, was no longer there.
Surprised, he looked around and heard Emotion's voice from above.
"Master Kait. It seems their gravity control technology is more advanced after all."
"......I see. Can you come down?"
Emotion seemed to have reduced the output of her gravity-adaptation unit and slowly descended to Kait's head level.
Despite observing the gravity changes, she might not have adjusted her unit's output in time.
The ceiling wasn't strong enough to cause damage from a bump, so maybe it was simply a low priority.
The *kyurukyuru* sound coming from inside might have been Emotion expressing embarrassment.
"There is no damage, Master Kait. Please rest assured."
"That's good. We'll both need to be careful."
With just a small step forward, his body felt like it might float up—he was that light.
In response to the conversation with Emotion, Ritimiele changed their body hair to a colorful hue.
"Yes. Originally, we planned to introduce you gradually starting with staff accustomed to low-gravity environments. The representative's whims are quite troublesome."
Kait, aware that he was the cause, couldn't respond to those words.
In any case, he was now at the point where just moving would cause him to float. The destination seemed near.
Beyond a gentle curve, a dead end came into view.
"We've arrived. ......Um, there's something I should tell you first."
"Yes?"
"The representative's appearance may seem unsettling to you, Mister Kait."
"I see?"
"Even if you find it disturbing, I'd appreciate it if you could avoid showing too much rejection."
"Of course."
Ritimiele had been the one to greet Kait initially. Perhaps they were chosen because Earthlings wouldn't find them too off-putting. If that were the case, it wouldn't be surprising if the other inhabitants looked quite different from what he was used to.
He was already prepared. As he nodded, the wall opened.
The moment he saw the being beyond it—
"......A jellyfish?"
The name of a sea-dwelling creature on Earth slipped from Kait's mouth.
***
Space jellyfish.
That phrase raced through Kait's mind.
The representative, Terapolapaneshio, was a creature that closely resembled what Earth would call a jellyfish.
'I would like to formally greet you. Pleased to meet you, Mister Kait. We value this encounter.'
"Ah, yes."
It made sense that it had no vocal cords.
Rather, it was surprising that a jellyfish could live in space as an intelligent life form.
'So, why did you mutter "jellyfish"? Do similar creatures live on Earth? If so, that's wonderful.'
"Uh, yeah. Emotion? Do you have any image data of jellyfish?"
'Projecting stored images now.'
With a very high-pitched *kyururururu* sound, Emotion projected images into the air.
Upon seeing them, Ritimiele's entire body hair lit up in a spectrum of colors.
The creature displayed was indeed nearly identical to Terapolapaneshio—a jellyfish.
"This is......!"
'They do look very similar. Where on Earth do they live?'
"They live in the ocean. I'm not well-versed in their biology, though......"
'The ocean! Indeed, under Earth's gravity, they'd need to exert considerable force to survive in the air. The ocean... that was a blind spot.'
The representative expressed admiration.
They had said they were observing Earth, but perhaps they hadn't considered the ocean.
'We have been observing Earth, but only to the extent of monitoring the collective behavior of intelligent life. Focusing too much on individuals may lead to, well... emotional attachment.'
"I see."
It was an answer to a question Kait had been thinking. He hadn't voiced it or shown it on his face, but it wouldn't be surprising if they could read his thoughts.
In other words, while they had observed Earth's general activity, they hadn't paid attention to non-human flora and fauna.
'That understanding is generally correct. Also, only we can read thoughts—none of the other staff can. Please don't be offended.'
"So I only need to be cautious around Terapolapaneshio's kind."
'That's right. Of course, we don't usually do this kind of thing.'
The representative's use of 'we' as a first-person pronoun made sense if they were a jellyfish. They looked like individuals but were likely a collective of many entities. They resembled Earth's jellyfish but were also quite different.
At the very least, Earth's jellyfish didn't vibrate air to communicate with humans.
'You are quite perceptive, Mister Kait. Indeed, we are a collective of countless selves. Think of us as one lifeform, with each part functioning like a terminal.'
"I see. I recall that some Earth jellyfish were like that too."
'They are similar indeed. We sincerely hope they are happy. If the opportunity arises, we'd love to communicate with them someday.'
"Happiness, huh. I wonder if they even possess the intelligence to feel that."
'Lifeforms that must develop intelligence to survive—do you think they are inherently happy? We believe that those who can live contentedly with just enough intelligence to survive are truly the happy ones.'
He was listening to a space jellyfish's philosophy on happiness. It was hard to say whether he agreed or not.
Kait suddenly wondered if he was hallucinating inside the Goodbye Earth. Maybe this was a near-death experience. And, oddly enough, the representative wasn't intercepting his thoughts during moments like this.
Beside him, Ritimiele's body hair was blinking. It seemed they couldn't keep up with a conversation that assumed thoughts were being read. Kait bit the inside of his cheek lightly. Painful—so not a hallucination. Unfortunately or fortunately.
In any case, his understanding of the species called Terapolapaneshio had deepened, but so far, the conversation had only been about jellyfish. What was the real reason he was brought here?
'Hmm, you're quite impatient, Mister Kait. But I believe that gaining new knowledge through dialogue with unknown intelligences is a wonderful experience.'
"I agree with that, but I didn't think there was a reason urgent enough to override Ritimiele's schedule."
'Of course, that's not the only reason. Now then, let's get to the main topic.'
The representative swayed one of their tentacles and extended it toward Kait.
Emotion quietly told him, "There's no poison," just loud enough for him to hear. Maybe he should've touched it with his index finger.
'There is a reason we were observing Earth. We judged it best to explain that first.'
"I see?"
'However, this reason is somewhat political. We cannot disclose it unless Mister Kait is officially accepted as a member of the Federation. Do you understand?'
"I understand."
Bureaucratic procedures being tedious seemed to be a universal truth—both on Earth and in space.
And the reason Earth was being monitored—if that remained hidden, it would negatively affect Kait's relationship with the staff here. He understood that. As with his earlier conversation with Ritimiele, things didn't go well when secrets were kept.
When Kait nodded, the representative wrapped a tentacle around his right hand and spun it in a circle. Perhaps it was meant as a handshake.
'Thank you, Mister Kait. From here on, we invite you to Federation Headquarters. Naturally, as an Earthling, you'll be the first. Please enjoy the experience.'
"Ah, Representative!?"
Ritimiele raised their voice in alarm.
At the same time, an overwhelming sense of weightlessness washed over his body, unlike anything before.
Rainbow-colored light converged around him. Kait instinctively grabbed onto Emotion's gravity unit.
"Master Kait! A strange force field has been detected—unable to analyze!"
'Now then, from here on, I guarantee a completely safe journey through space!'
With the representative's voice as the last sound, the scenery changed. Outside the artificial celestial body, they were flying through space at an incredible speed.
The pressure on his body wasn't that intense. It felt like something out of a classic movie. His heart swelled with emotion at the thought that humanity's imagination had reached the same quality as space itself—
'Mister Kait. I tried to recreate a travel situation you'd enjoy. We'll be arriving soon, so just relax until then.'
It vanished in an instant. Everything was completely ruined.