–It’s only you two who refer to him in that way.
–What do you mean?
–He doesn’t seem to think of me in that way.
–Unrequited love, is it?
Balot didn’t answer for a long time. Eventually Tweedledum broke the silence with a cheerful laugh.
–Well, he’s a half-baked little thing, always indecisive and wishywashy. “I might only be a little mouse, but I’m a thinking mouse,” that’s the sort of thing he used to bellow. He’d do well to chill out a little.
–He finds it hard to tell a lie.
–Yeah, his species sniffs out emotions through body odor, Tweedledum said frankly, as if that explained everything. Seeing that it didn’t, he shook his head and continued.
–He doesn’t even really understand what it is to tell a lie. That’s what makes him so awkward and indecisive. What a guy to fall for, right? Well, you’ll have plenty of time to work it out. It’ll test your patience, though.
Balot laughed in spite of herself. She’d never thought the day would come that she would listen to a dolphin giving her advice on how to love a mouse. The whole world had gone crazy—but was none the worse for it. The world had always been a crazy place, and it might as well go that extra mile and get it over with.
My reality is just that—my reality. As she thought this, she relaxed, and her emotions seemed to extend even further. Not that they hadn’t been spreading before, but now she felt that they had finally reached her heart. She was thawing.
–I did a terrible thing to Oeufcoque.
–Hey, where did that come from?
Tweedledum slowed down, surprised.
–I used him so hard that I ended up abusing him. And even then, he protected me to the bitter end.
–Okay, I get it now. He’s back here for maintenance because of—
–Because of me. I’m the one who made Oeufcoque suffer like that.
–Well, he’s half immortal. You don’t need to worry too much.
–Immortal? He won’t die?
Balot was astonished. Tweedledum laughed and returned to the side of the pool.
–He has a multidimensional body. When his body’s injured in one dimension, it can be repaired from another dimension. That’s the great advantage of a Living Unit. He won’t die unless you blow him to pieces in all the different dimensions, or crush the nucleus of his life. He does have a life span, though.
–Life span?
–Yeah, that’s the weak point of a Living Unit. All living creatures die sometime. As a matter of course. That’s the first principle of this sort of unit. And that’s what’s so remarkable about Oeufcoque.
–What do you mean?
Balot felt startled, and she grabbed onto the ledge to steady herself. She stared at Tweedledum, feeling that the conversation was entering dangerous territory.
–Obesity.
Tweedledum’s voice was curiously meek.
