The Smart Fridge

Epilogue

"I guess we missed class, Ryou-sama."
"Guess we did," Ryou replied. She was leaning against the wall next to Yumi, who was slumped down beside her. They both had their arms folded across their chests, their heads slightly tilted back as they watched the ceiling. It had been a busy morning. Sayuri and her 'Harpy Squad' had left a while ago, and so had Hana.
"Instructor Dee's gonna have my skin for this," Ryou muttered, "I'm gonna get double duty."
Yumi let out a soft chuckle, "I'll return your money by the time you're done with that," she said.
Ryou sighed. "You better. Or I'll sell your laptop."
"NO!" Yumi protested, sitting up with a jolt. Ryou grinned, and placed her hand on her head, patting her affectionately. Yumi grumbled a little, but leaned into the touch.
It turned out that Yumi had accidentally damaged the fiber optics cable supplying the entire floor, which run behind the outlet. Rather than admitting it to the dorm mother, Yumi decided to fix it herself, but she had to buy a 'mechanical splicer' first. Hence, the always broke Yumi had asked for a loan from Ryou. The money wasn't a big deal, a few thousand yen.
Only the incessant hum of air-conditioning could be heard as Ryou's gaze settled on Yumi. The noon sun filtered in from the window, casting a soft glow across the corridor, painting it in a warm, golden hue.
"Yumi, listen, there's something I want to talk about." Ryou's voice was gentle, her words carrying a hint of concern. "About all this fridge business..."
Yumi turned to look at her. "I'll pay back the money, I promise."
"No, that's not it. I know you will," Ryou replied. "It's about drawing too much attention. You know, the whole... 'free the dorm appliances' thing you might get roped into..."
Yumi's fingers fidgeted with the drawstrings of her hoodie, a nervous habit of hers. "Do you think it's a mistake?"
Ryou considered her words carefully. "I don't know, Yumi. I'm just concerned." This was the first time she had seen Yumi so outgoing, and it was a pleasant surprise. But it also made her uneasy, because she knew Yumi wasn't cut out to be a rebel or an activist. Sure, she might love sticking it to 'The Man', but this was not a fight Yumi could keep going. She might get away with 'liberating' a few appliances, sure, but what if the wrong person noticed and decided to dig deeper?
"Be careful," Ryou finally said, her voice soft. "That's all I'm asking."
Yumi nodded slowly, her fingers still playing with the strings. "I understand. Thanks, Ryou-sama. It's just... they're misusing technology, y'know. They're using it for the wrong reasons. And it just pisses me off."
Ryou nodded. "I know."
"Technology is meant to help, to be fun to use, to be free. Not locked down, not used to spy on people and sell their data, not to trick people into buying shit they don't need. It's just... it's just wrong," Yumi said.
"I know."
A distant call of a bird, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves, and a shared silence filled the space between them. Ryou's gaze wandered to the window, watching a leaf flutter by. It wasn't often that Yumi spoke like this, and it was moments like these that Ryou cherished most.
"You're a good girl, Yumi."
Yumi blushed. "Thank you, Ryou-sama. I'll be careful."
Ryou smiled and patted her head again.
"Maybe we need another Great Deconnection, like the one in '52. Remember yesterday's history class?"
"Yeah," Yumi replied, "but it's not gonna happen again, is it?"
Ryou looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure. It was a natural disaster."
"Coronal Mass Ejection. CME. Big magnetic storm that fried the world's electronics... I wouldn't want to live through one of those. I love technology too much. I just... I just think it should be used for the right reasons, y'know? More... decentralized."
"Mmmm," Ryou mumbled noncommittally.
"Less big tech."
"Big tech, huh."
A grin spread across Yumi's face. An impish glint appeared in her eyes as she nudged Ryou with her elbow. "Want me to take a look at your toaster, Ryou-sama? Maybe I can... upgrade it."
Ryou couldn't suppress a laugh. "Sure, you're already a public menace. Might as well add toaster liberation to your list of crimes."
Yumi nodded. She stood up, her baggy hoodie hanging off her petite frame, her glasses slightly askew. "Should we head down to the cafeteria? Grab a late lunch?" she asked, adjusting her glasses.
"Sounds good, I'm hungry anyway," Ryou replied, getting to her feet.
"My treat, Ryou-sama..." Yumi said. "Or rather, Sayuri-senpai's." She grinned mischievously.
Ryou chuckled as Yumi produced the two 6,000-yen coupons that Sayuri had given her as a reward for her 'services'.