15. Naked Meteor (Part 2)
I'd heard its voice earlier, but this time it came through clearly.
It was a heavily mechanical voice, mixed with noise resembling a male's. The sound quality was worse than a low-performance radio, barely audible. That explained why it had been using the sketchbook to communicate.
"Any injuries?"
The polar bear asked.
I quickly checked my body. No abnormalities. Jinri, still clinging to me, looked not just unharmed but downright energetic. As proof, she responded to the bear on my behalf.
"We're fine. What about you?"
"Nah, more than fine—I'm thrilled. Got to eat a ton of these delicious fish."
"Those are tasty?"
I furrowed my brow and asked. The bear held out a piranha to me.
"Wanna try?"
"No, I'll pass."
I declined immediately, and the bear climbed back onto the battery panel—which had become like a raft. Despite the car crashing like a meteor and being totaled, this bear wasn't giving up on hitchhiking. Impressive, I thought, then noticed my sky-blue scarf—the painkiller—wrapped around its neck.
"Can I have that back?"
The bear hurriedly started unwrapping it.
"Oh, sorry, sorry. I just put it on without thinking."
It explained awkwardly.
"I mean, I'm naked, you know."
"But you're covered in that white fur."
"Huh? But that's fur, not clothes. I'm a civilized robot, so I'm programmed to feel uneasy without clothes."
As I listened to the bear's trivial chatter, I suddenly realized Jinri and I were naked.
Our clothes had burned away completely, melted into nothing.
Our skin was durable with regenerative abilities, so neither of us had a single burn—we were pristine—but being completely bare was still embarrassing.
Right now, we were the center of attention in the area.
We'd fallen like meteors and created a sea of magma, so it was inevitable, but the stares from nearby humanoid robots were overwhelming, and the pressure of embarrassment alone felt crushing.
"Oh well, tough luck, youngsters. Being naked isn't that big a deal. Just a bit awkward, right? Nobody cares."
"No, what others think isn't the issue," I said frankly. "I feel embarrassed. That's the problem."
"Oh well."
The bear shook its head quietly, then suddenly puffed up its body.
More precisely, its fur puffed up.
As if static electricity coursed through it, the fur crackled and stood on end, spreading out like a blazing glow. The bear's form grew even larger, taking on a rounder silhouette.
A portion of that white fur mass flattened like cloth and began gently enveloping Jinri and me.
"Huh?"
Touched by the bear's unexpected kindness, I felt genuinely moved.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing," the bear said while chewing on a piranha.
"Thanks for the ride. I've always wanted to hitchhike, but no one would pick me up. I'm too big, you know. Everyone drives tiny cars these days, with no space for me."
"Yeah, our car was barely big enough."
"Anyway, thanks. I had fun driving. This is my thank-you."
With that, the bear detached—no, sheared off—a section of its white fur cloth, shaping it to fit our bodies and handing it over.
"My fur's pretty high-quality stuff. This should cover the hitchhiking fare, right?"
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Hitchhiking with a fare?"
"A tip," the bear said. "No fare needed, but tipping's the new capitalist trend from Earth lately."
"Huh, didn't know that."
What a knowledgeable bear, I thought, gratefully accepting the gesture. Touching the cloth with both hands, the soft texture of the white fur felt comforting, like a premium blanket.
"But sorry," the bear added. "I can provide the fabric, but I can't tailor it into clothes. Take this to a designer or something and get outfits made. Uniforms might suit you two?"
"Yeah," I said, stroking the cloth.
"But this looks like winter uniforms. Can we wear them in this city?"
"You're leaving this sweltering city, right?"
"Well, yeah."
"Then you might hit a cold city someday. Better prepare for the future. It's wise not to be bound by the present."
"True."
Impressed by the bear's wisdom, I thanked it again.
"What about you from here?"
"Hmm, time to head back to Polaris, I guess."
"Polaris?"
I was surprised.
Jinri, still hugging me, seemed equally shocked and asked in an excited voice.
"Polar bear-chan, you came from Polaris?! From that far away?"
"Well, I am a polar bear."
"Amazing! Not an avatar? Your real body?"
"Yeah. I don't bother with avatars. Having multiple bodies is just a hassle."
"Wow! What's Polaris like?"
As Jinri fired off questions, the bear stroked its chin, thinking for 0.02 seconds before answering.
"The cola's delicious."
"Oh, I can kinda see that."
Jinri and I nodded at each other involuntarily.
In this way, the three of us—who had thoroughly livened up—no, wreaked havoc on—the heart of Tropical Night City lost the leisure to continue chatting about Polaris amid the stares from firefighters, ambulances, and police.
Before getting tangled in complications, Jinri and I bid farewell to the bear. We traded the battery raft from her car as a parting gift and received the winter-white cloth in exchange, feeling like we'd entered the second phase of our journey.
Before the police spotting Jinri from afar could approach, we hurried naked through the overflowing magma sea on the main street created by the meteor impact.