12. The Three-Meter Boy
The Scrap Nest wasn't exactly teeming with crowds as Kana had described, but it was still busy with a fair number of humanoid robots milling about. There were no staff to maintain order or guide visitors, but that wasn't necessary. Humanoid robots, by their very nature, gravitate toward order, instinctively seeking low entropy and stability without needing instructions. As a result, everyone was calm and composed, allowing us to weave through the group with ease and make our way toward the crater where countless lunar rovers lay discarded.
"Wow," Kana said, peering into the crater that resembled a massive junkyard. "I didn't expect there to be this many."
"If there's this many, we might just find a lunar rover that still works," I replied.
With that, we started to step into the crater. But just then, the gazes of the many humanoid robots lingering around the crater's edge naturally turned toward us.
"Hey, you two," a voice called out suddenly. I turned to see a humanoid robot modeled after a seven-year-old boy, standing nearly three meters tall.
"You planning to go inside the Nest?" he asked.
"Yeah, that's right," I answered honestly. There was no need to lie.
"Why?" came the expected follow-up question.
"To use a lunar rover," I said, keeping my response safe and vague.
"Why?" he pressed further.
"That's something I can't say," I deflected.
The boy didn't push further and merely shrugged. "That's rare. I love this place and come here almost every day, but I've never seen anyone actually go inside the Nest."
"Well, today's your lucky day then," I said with a slight grin.
"Guess so. Thanks for the new experience," he replied, returning a small smile.
"You're welcome," I said, and with that brief exchange, Kana and I prepared to enter the crater—the Scrap Nest.
At that very moment, a lunar rover suddenly shot out from the crater, soaring through the air. It writhed like a freshly caught fish, instantly drawing the attention of every humanoid robot in the vicinity.
Startled, Kana and I instinctively stepped back. The three-meter-tall boy raised a hand, gesturing as if to reassure us.
"No need to panic. It's just fishing."
"Fishing?" I echoed, confused.
"Yeah. There's a famous fisher around here. Not every day, but every now and then, she comes to catch lunar rovers that are still operational or have some consciousness left. Then she takes them away."
"Why?" I asked.
"For food, I guess. Seems like she's fond of fish," the boy answered.
"She?" I pressed.
The boy pointed toward the crater's edge. There, a teenage-girl-shaped humanoid robot sat calmly, holding a fishing rod in one hand while blowing neon-lit bubbles with the other.
"So, that humanoid robot has a bunch of working lunar rovers?" Kana asked.
The boy shrugged again. "No idea. Maybe she's already eaten them? She's fishing for food, not for transportation like you guys."
"That's… disappointing," Kana muttered, her voice tinged with genuine regret.
Perhaps her crestfallen expression stirred something in the boy, because his face seemed to glow a little brighter. "I don't know the details myself, but why don't you ask her directly?" he suggested.
"Yeah, let's do that," I decided on the spot. Kana's face lit up again, her blue eyes sparkling with their usual clarity. There was something about her gloomy expressions that seemed to unsettle those around her, and seeing her brighten up brought a sense of relief to both me and, apparently, the boy.
"Thanks," I said, offering my gratitude. As Kana and I turned to head toward the fisher, the boy waved his large hands in farewell.
"I hope you reach your destination quickly and safely," he called out.
With his words in our hearts, Kana and I broke into a run, heading toward the fisher.