Recalling the very moment that in his recollections looked more like a hazy dream, Ivan Stepanovich blushed and hastily, with excitement in his voice, objected:
- It was a misunderstanding, in fact, then I did not think about anything at all, it is hard to explain.
- You see, you did not think, but in this world, it is necessary to think. You've already ruined my opinion of you. But the possibility of your survival depends on me, - she retorted without any mercy.
- Why do you constantly talk about survival? - he asked, trying to change the subject.
- What do you think? Is it so easy to go outside, speak a language no one knows and expect everything to be all right? What are the consequences? Even I cannot predict all of them, there are too many options, and you know how many of them are good for you?
- How many? - He asked mechanically.
- Zero! - she continued, - The probability that you will be able to live a normal life like everyone else is completely zero, or do you think that such an invader will be welcomed with open arms? There was no precedent for such an event, and even if you are not considered an invader and not expelled, then most likely you will be studied as a scientific anomaly because you're definitely not Kaas, and there's no way you can pretend to be.
- Without even mentioning it, will you be able to leave your room on your own? - she mercilessly finished off.
"Leave the room", he thought, suddenly remembering his unsuccessful studies ... "There is no food or water, I would definitely die here in the most unfortunate way", shuddering at such prospects, Ivan Stepanovich asked:
- Then what should I do?
Satisfied with his reaction, Aska replied:
- You must study!
- Now your name is Kaas, you must completely get used to it, and it is better to forget your former name altogether.
- The most urgent thing is to learn how to use the Kiva language, for which you have only about 20 days, and all this time, you will have to spend at home.
Kaas shuddered, in his past life he was never a polyglot, and even the most common foreign language, English, was difficult for him.
- But why is there so little time to learn the language? - He asked in bewilderment.
- Do you think that you can constantly sit locked up and not communicate with anyone? You still have parents and a school. I do not expect miracles from you, and that you will learn the language to the required level. You just have to learn how to use the translator. But also, there are more important skills that need to be mastered, namely: pronunciation, facial expressions and even gestures, because you will not only need to repeat some phrases, but do it as close as possible to how your predecessor did it.
And indeed, in all the books that he read, everything was so simple, the heroes, when resettled, usually already owned colloquial speech, and no one took into account aspects such as pronunciation.
- But why such difficulties? - specified Kaas.
- Because if, after your injury, significant deviations in speech or memory are found, a detailed medical examination will be scheduled to determine if there are any injuries or diseases that were missed during the diagnosis. And then, you will inevitably be exposed. - Took Aska away and clarified:
- You will also be exposed if you cannot adapt in the shortest possible time. After studying Kaas's history, I can assume that 20 days is an acceptable interval for interruptions in communication.
- Is it possible for normal parents not to communicate with a child for so long and without suspicion? - Kaas was surprised.
- Of course they have full access to your records, because you are their son and they are aware of everything that happens to you. Now you must understand what one of my main tasks is, namely, to fabricate this data so that no one can see our communication, and in general, any suspicious activity. - Came the answer.
- Why can't we fabricate records in the same way, and just go for a walk, won't live observation help to adapt faster?
- Because everyone has smartphones, and everyone you pass by will have a record on which you and your actions will be recorded. In the city, everything that happens outdoors is also recorded. If you do something strange, it may go unnoticed, however, all events will forever remain in the records of other people, and if these people or the police suddenly notice something strange in these records, problems may arise.
- Why would the police look at these records? he asked suspiciously.
- Even if it is rare, but some important event or incident may occur, and everyone in this area will be interviewed. And if they see you on the record, they may already be interested in the content of your own records and see the differences between them. Therefore, even a simple walk will involve a certain risk. And the worse you are adapted and the less you know, the higher the risk! In addition, for "live" surveillance, it is not necessary to go outside. - Aska said, and leaning back in her chair, pensively drumming the fingers of her left hand on the table continued:
- As long as there are enough questions, you will learn a lot while you learn the language, at the same time you will have to learn the basics of life in this society, those laws and rules that your predecessor already knew, norms of behavior and, of course, your own history. But now, the most important thing is to resolve several pressing issues.
"More important?" Kaas thought in surprise and asked:
- Which ones?
- First and foremost, you must hear about what else the creature that sent you here said. It reported that it fulfilled your three desires as is customary in your world during successful meetings with powerful beings. What the two are, it didn't say, but the first was voiced because it sets a time frame for us. Namely, the term is up to 15 years.
- What exactly is the term? What needs to be done in 15 years? - Kaas was surprised.
- Not 15 years, but before you turn 15! The last gift was that in 5 years you will have some kind of "magic", and this process is inevitable and directly related to how exactly you were transferred to this body. During these 5 years, you must become an adult and fully prepare yourself for the possibility of strange and unforeseen events.
"What does she mean by becoming an adult? And what can happen?" Thought Kaas, and immediately heard a partial answer:
- It is not known exactly what the "magic" is, but a warning was given that "there can be a wide variety of effects". In the event that some strange incident occurs, then you will most likely be searched, and of course they will find me, and then real problems will arise, compared to if Kaas became the first person with such abilities in the whole world.
- And how will it help me to become an adult? Do helpers rely only while you are a child?
- Of course not, what does it have to do with it? Everyone has helpers, because they are part of the system that can be updated or disabled. For children, the assistant is always on. You need to not only become an adult, but also provide me with a transition to a real body, or at least to an android body, and this cannot be done in Kiva. Only then will I be able to restore the old assistant. And yes, this will require significant funds.
"Will I also have to earn money until I am 15 years old? Where did I get to?" Kaas thought, but she didn't let him think it over:
- This is just one condition important for safety. The second condition is that at your school, we will need to get an update of your smartphone to a system of significantly higher power, because now I can only spend half a day active and this needs to be fixed. And yes, so that you understand, this will not be the last improvement, later, you will have to buy a power supply system with a larger capacity, since I will still consume the entire energy supply in a little more than a day, and the standard required reserve is at least 100 days.
- Due to the fact that I cannot be with you all the time, there is a third condition. After a while, I will switch off, and while I am not around, you will have to sleep or sit back, silently, without doing anything strange, but it is better to just sleep, because a real recording will be made and after that I will not be able to change it.
- Hmm, sleep, I can do that, especially after eating .... And yes, food, after all, I will have to eat, drink, wash and go to the toilet, - Kaas suddenly caught himself, no longer surprised that he would have to plow like a damned one, just so as not to be captured as a result and he was not stuck with needles like subject.
- We will have time to close these questions before my disconnection, - having said this, she gestured to the wall to the left of Kaas.
He turned and saw a large, illuminated rectangle appear on the wall directly opposite him, in the upper left corner of which were neat, unknown symbols.
- Just touch it, - Aska said.
Kaas got out of bed and walked to this wall, slowly stretched out his hand and obediently touched the light rectangle. It felt warm and soft to the touch, just like a stream of air, not something solid. Immediately after touching, the rectangle scattered, becoming more transparent and thin, until it disappeared completely, revealing a shallow shelf behind it, in which there were two sets of some tall containers resembling tubes, each set had one of a larger diameter, light green, and the two smaller ones are white. The only difference between the two was in the colored stripes that ran along the perimeter and the set of characters arranged vertically.
- Light green, this is food, and white is with drinks, - Aska began to explain, seeing how he picked up and began to look uncertainly at the light green container: - You just need to put it to your lips on top, like a regular container, and start drinking ...
"The can means." Kaas thought, examining the container, which really most resembled a narrow and tall aluminum can of Coca-Cola, only without hints of holes or locks, it looked like a monolithic object. The only thing that indicated that there was something inside was the weight and the feeling of fluid dangling inside.
Imagining that he was holding the usual jar of drink in his hands, Kaas raised the container to his lips and, indeed, the drink was available for drinking, as if there was a hole in the jar. The drink was thick as milk and cool, and the taste was unfamiliar but pleasant. Pretty quickly, the jar emptied and changed to a pale gray.
- When you're done, just put the empty cans back. - Aska continued to patiently explain the procedure.
- You know, this food is not too different from a drink, - Kaas noted, glancing doubtfully at the full, can of food and four drinks.
- Food is very different, but the diet will always be selected the most optimal for your body. You will also have the opportunity to get acquainted with a wide variety of food, because it is free and you only need to pay for its delivery. Until you learn the language and get comfortable with using your smartphone, I will make orders. Try not to eat everything at once out of curiosity.
- You have already said "smartphone" several times, what are you talking about? I don't see any devices at all, - he was surprised, strongly doubting that with his experience in using any gadgets in his world, he could not be trusted with a device that was easily used by a ten-year-old boy.
- This word is from the language of your world, the translator selects words according to meaning, and apparently this meaning is closest. Call it "PAK", it's more of a slang word, but everyone uses it. - Aska said, gesturing at the same time, as if emphasizing important points.
- You cannot see the PAK because it is inside you. Right now, you see me and my room thanks to PAK. I temporarily turned off the interface, but before I go to sleep, I will turn on a movie for you so that you have something to do, try to sleep too until I get back.
- Now, - she gestured again at the wall next to him. And as if by magic, a part of the wall the size of a doorway began to glow with a soft light. After a couple of seconds, the wall in this place became more transparent and disappeared, revealing a small, bright room:
- This is a shower room, it is a toilet, watch a video tutorial on how to use it manually, it will be easier, just go there.
- Ummm ... - She thought for a second and hastily added, - I won't watch.
Kaas, curiously took a step inside, the room was small, but large enough for a shower room, however, there was nothing familiar there, only a few ornaments on the walls.
- Turning on, - Aska said.
And immediately, additional elements appeared before Kaas's eyes, attracting his attention to certain places in the room, and the voice began to give instructions. How to remove and where to put clothes, where to get new ones. How to turn on and adjust the shower by swiping in a circle drawn on the wall, which changed its color and brightness, taking into account the strength and temperature of the dense stream of water drops that covered almost the entire room. And most importantly, and embarrassing, how to go to the toilet.
As a result, reddened, but convinced that everything that a male should have is the same as on Earth, at the same time, he understood the feelings of a Papuan, who was taught to use a modern bathroom of the 21st century with advanced plumbing from Toto, fresh after abundant shower, but in a strange way, completely dry and even combed, in as if brand new clothes, he finally "broke free".
- Are you ready? - she asked as soon as she saw Kaas.
- For what? - He asked anxiously.
- I have to go. Best of all, if you just lie on the bed and will not get up while I am away. At this time, watch a film about the nature of the Kiva.
* sigh *
- Okay, I'll wait, - Kaas replied with a sigh and walked to the bed in confusion.
After he settled down on the bed, a real big screen appeared in front of his eyes, more like a gorgeous view from her room, only on it, there was clearly an oceanic landscape, and the announcer, under light and completely unfamiliar music, on the same, in an unfamiliar, but pleasantly sounding language for his ears, he began to tell something.
Everything looked indistinguishable from reality, except that it was in a certain space and illuminated in the same way as Aska's room.
During a long time of viewing, Kaas saw many beautiful and amazing landscapes, everything actually resembled the Earth, but also, it was unfamiliar, alien, other sets of paints, other trees and plants, many as usual, but also unseen before monsters inhabiting the ocean and the surface ... thus, to the music and the monotonous voice of the announcer, he fell asleep safely.