Story Reader / Hidden Story / 15 The Last Spark / Story
How's that monkey lately?
Her name is Lamia, ma'am.
She's doing well. The staff on the island all like her.
Like her? Are you kidding me?
I'm not. Everybody likes her. She's an "interesting" kid. You can go take a look just to kill some time.
I have no time to "kill," and you shouldn't have any either... But I am getting a little curious since even you are making such a comment.
In a corner of the medical department.
When Lustrous finds Lamia, this little human has made a tottering tower using the coffee cups others gave her.
Leaning on the cardboard fence, Lustrous takes away the few cups at the top. The tower wobbles a bit, then becomes balanced again.
Lamia raises her head and frowns at Lustrous.
Lustrous hands the cups back to her. Little Lamia gladly takes them back and smiles.
Lustrous writes a few points down in her notebook.
Taking the coffee cup away—negative emotion.
Giving the coffee cup back—positive emotion.
Extremely low emotional threshold. Emotional shifts can be triggered by tiny stimulations.
The emotional logic of human infants differs significantly from that of adults. Interesting.
A few months later.
Ma'am, you haven't been here for a long time.
Is that so?
Lamia couldn't talk the last time you were here. Now she can say some basic words.
Lustrous looks at Lamia.
I'm Lustrous.
Lamia stops playing with the coffee cups and looks at her without a clue.
I, am, Lustrous.
Lamia seems to have understood. She points to herself and utters with an incoherent voice.
I, Lamia.
What about him?
Uncle.
What's this?
Cup.
And this place?
Lamia shakes her head blankly.
Atlantis.
At—lamas.
At-lan-tis.
Shatlan-diz.
Lustrous shakes her head and makes a few notes.
Hearing—normal. Vocal cord—normal. Language development—slow.
Lustrous lets out a sigh.
What a foolish young human.
In a room of the medical department.
It used to be a ward, but has been transformed into Lamia's personal room with the medical director's special approval.
The desk is made from a pharmacy table, while the infusion chair has been modified into a working chair. Both of them are still too tall for Lamia, as her mechanical legs are unable to touch the ground when she sits on the chair.
A few lines of simple equations are written on the paper.
This time, the data director has come to check on Lamia.
Greetings, sir.
She takes a bow, trying to mimic the action of other staff.
Hello.
The data director responds half-heartedly, then looks at Lustrous.
She does look stupid. Dumb like a monkey.
Good. We have the same conclusion.
I heard she was learning mathematics recently.
How's her progress?
I don't know.
Fine, I'll test her myself.
The following definition is constructed: addition is an operation which combines two or more numbers into a single number. Define multiplication in the same manner.
Intimidated, Lamia looks at the man in front. She awkwardly twists her fingers into the hem of her dress.
I... don't understand.
Alright, next question. There are some chickens and rabbits in a barn. You know there are 35 heads and 94 legs. How many chickens and how many rabbits are there?
S-sorry, the question is too difficult... I don't know...
The data director turns to Lustrous.
She lowers the IQ of the whole Atlantis.
I have never witnessed such a foolish creature.
Lustrous doesn't realize, but her lips have curled under her mask.
I'm glad that we have reached the same conclusion again.
She writes down another two bullet points.
Comprehension—poor.
Reflex—slow.
