- Dahlia's POV -
A week had passed in this so-called orphanage. Unlike the previous weeks, which were filled with hardship, here I found a sense of calm that even felt overwhelming.
I understood, they were doing this because of the virus that had infected me. Or rather, it had infected us.
Apparently, all the children here had the same virus, only our severity varied.
For children with high severity, they would be placed in separate rooms to prevent infecting one another.
I was surprised to find that I was one of those children. I had thought it was normal for us to be given private rooms. I only realized this after learning that the other children were sleeping together.
Children with moderate severity shared a room for two, while those with low severity shared a room for four.
It might have sounded nice, given our private rooms, more food, and special facilities. But the worry of the virus infecting us still lingered.
Right now, I'm trying to learn about new things.
With so much free time, all the new things have resurfaced and become a pile of curiosity.
By the way, I'm currently in a room that seems to have been prepared especially for me.
Yesterday, after I was injected without warning, even though I said I wasn't afraid of needles, I asked them if I could use the computer to study.
And today, I'm here again.
Huh... I can tell this computer room was made on the spur of the moment.
The place isn't very spacious, there are only a few computers, and what stands out is the presence of a guard standing not far from me.
Ugh... It feels a bit uncomfortable.
Okay, I should focus on what's in front of me.
Right now, there's just the default wallpaper with a few original icons that look like a computer that's been wiped clean.
It's not like I'm going to look for anything or mess around; they don't need to.
....
Wait, now that I think about it, I think I should open a website. Come to think of it, I haven't had a chance to watch the movie I saved on Mom's computer.
No, no. I need to focus now.
I started opening my browser and searching for information from the very beginning: the aurora borealis that occurred about a month and a half ago.
As Mom said, that was the beginning of the disaster. But I didn't think that the beautiful aurora itself was the disaster.
It seems the light from the flare that appeared at that time was the cause. The light created ripples like waves that somehow increased the magis energy in the air.
I know about magis energy; it's a unique energy discovered about three centuries ago. This energy has become a cutting-edge energy source and has advanced various fields of technology.
But this isn't what I want to know.
I tried scrolling through the screen and looking for other information. But the pages and news stories I found didn't provide much information.
I then started searching for information about magis monsters.
I'd heard about monsters in this world, but my parents always told me to ignore them.
But with everything I'd been through, it was impossible for me to ignore them.
I started looking through every picture and news item I found.
Magis monsters seemed to emerge from a rift in space created by a disaster related to the density of magis energy.
Hmm... This lesson seems too heavy for me. Will we be taught this in middle school? Because the teachers at school often tell us to stay within the boundaries of our educational level. And I can't wait to get the answer.
Let's get back to the topic.
During the day, molecules in the air move faster due to the temperature. Likewise, magis energy is a wave-particle.
By increasing its speed, magis energy creates more energy due to the various reactions that occur. That's why magis monsters are more active during the day.
Aah~ So that's why. So it's because of the greater magis energy? I understand now.
But... what are wave-particles? I'd never heard of it since elementary school.
For several hours, I continued studying on the computer, only to realize that every bit of information seemed filtered and restricted.
I couldn't access some pages, I couldn't find pages from popular news sites, and I couldn't find comprehensive information on almost anything I wanted to know.
I glanced at the guard behind me. Had the people here done something to this computer?
"Are you done?"
"Ah, yes, I'm done."
As I stood up, I glanced at the screen to double-check that my browsing history had been deleted.
I had researched the so-called orphanage, and it was clearly different from what was described.
First, this orphanage was too big. I had walked around the place, and I felt like I hadn't even explored a quarter of it.
Second, the facilities were too inadequate. The orphanage in the picture didn't seem to have amenities like plenty of bathrooms, a canteen, or even tight security.
I even doubted a place like that had an airplane. I mean, only important people like the government could own such a nice airplane... And I doubted the government would give an airplane to an orphanage.
And third, there was the exercise system. Every morning we were forced to do a series of exercises.
These exercises were said to maintain our health and keep us fit. But why are we, the worst-hit by the virus, getting longer training sessions? Shouldn't we be getting shorter sessions and needing more rest to recover?
"S-9! Your break is over. Resume your run. You've already missed three laps."
"Okay!"
There was no point in dwelling on it; they wouldn't give me a complete answer anyway.
I resumed my training session and tried to finish it at a decent pace.
For me, they allowed me to take frequent breaks as long as I managed to finish all the training sessions before sunset.
This training session lasted three hours, but since I couldn't do it all, I broke it up into half-hour chunks to make it less strenuous.
Huh... this was exhausting.
Especially since it was summer.
I looked around and saw that only a few dozen kids were still training.
I resumed running, even though sweat was pouring down my body.
No one wanted to be left behind and train alone.
And even though I say that, I've always been the one doing it alone because I don't have the energy like the others.
But it's okay... I can do it.