Arsha-chan, a girl who lost her left arm and is a low-ranking servant at the Vibolt Marquis household, was thick-skinned, strong, and determined—Well, in short, she was tough.
I wonder if the commoners in that world need this much to survive? I think the anesthesia must have worn off a long time ago, but she seems fine... I can't believe there's no pain at all...
A long time ago, when I was a child, I was hospitalized, and when I was trying so hard to endure the pain, the doctor got angry at me. It's the doctor's job to relieve pain, so don't put up with it—If it hurt, he said he'd use whatever he could to make it go away, whether it's painkiller injections, oral medication, or suppositories. So, when the pain hits, don't endure it, just press the nurse call button right away—
I told the child, Arsha-chan, the same thing, but—she didn't show any sign of pain.
She's definitely holding back, right? Not wanting to cause trouble, not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble... What should I do...?
"Wow..." (Arsha)
And now, Arsha-chan's eyes are wide open as she looked at the air-conditioned hospital room, the soft bed, the bright lighting, and the interior furnishings she had never seen before.
This time, it's a private room, but it's a normal room. It's not a special room like the one we had with Colette-chan. Maybe it was because Arsha-chan's clothing made them think she was a servant rather than a noble? Well, that's not a problem, right?
Unlike with Colette-chan, Arsha-chan could eat and go to the toilet normally, and there's no need to worry about her condition suddenly changing, so there's no need to keep her hooked up to any devices to monitor her vital signs. Therefore, she was not a patient that the hospital needed to keep a constant eye on—If only it weren't for the fact that she was related to me, huh.
And now that Arsha-chan had calmed down, there's something I needed to tell her. That's right. It was about her left arm—
"...Umm, Arsha-chan... It's about your left arm..." (Mitsuha)
Arsha-chan smiled brightly at my words.
"Yes, of course, I understand. If things stay like this for the rest of my life… However, many people lose limbs due to war, accidents, attacks by monsters or wild beasts, or from injuries that cause the limbs to rot. And to be able to become a shield for the young lady and my seniors, I couldn't be prouder!" (Arsha)
Ah, this kid is definitely the same type as Colette-chan...
Colette-chan, who I brought along as an interpreter and caretaker, was nodding in agreement with her arms crossed—
Looks like the two of them will have a great conversation... Well, let's continue...
"It's your left arm though... The Goddess was so impressed with Arsha-chan's work that she gave her a mechanical arm..." (Mitsuha)
"Whaaaaaaaat?!!" (Arsha)
Yeah, well, that's surprising... So, let me explain in more detail...
I then explained about the prosthetic arm, showing pictures and photographs printed out from a computer. Basically, it was a myoelectric prosthesis that works by detecting the electrical current—myoelectric[1]—that flows through the remaining part of the arm, attempting to move a non-existent arm.
Myoelectric prostheses are convenient, but they have some drawbacks: they require training to use effectively, have a service life of 3 to 5 years, and require ongoing maintenance. In addition, the batteries must be replaced every day, so if I were to withdraw my support, the prosthesis would quickly become unusable.
Of course, I would like to live a long life and not have to leave this country, but no one knows what the future holds. That's why—
"The main thing is this myoelectric prosthetic arm. Once you get used to it, you can move it quite freely. And I'll have something like this ready to use as a sub or in case I'm no longer able to support you. Work prosthetics are made with the sole purpose of being used for a variety of tasks, without any consideration for appearance, and there are many different shapes, such as those suitable for holding documents or hook-shaped ones. Cosmetic prosthetics are the opposite of working prosthetics—they are made to look like normal arms, but are not very useful. ...Well, they're more about appearances, I guess. When changing its shape, whether for work or decoration, you use your other hand. The advantages of each are that it makes it easier to do your job and that you can hide the fact that you have a disability from others." (Mitsuha)
"There's no need for decorative ones. I have no intention of hiding anything about my left hand!" (Arsha)
"...Oh, yeah..." (Mitsuha)
Well, I had a feeling she would say that... And Colette-chan, you don't have to nod so hard. Because I know...
"…Well, it’s not like you have to choose one or the other, so I’ll take both, just in case… It’s a generous gift from the Goddess, after all. If you refuse, you might upset her, right?" (Mitsuha)
"...Ah, yes..." (Arsha)
"Well, I'll leave this picture here and think about what kind of prosthetic arm would be good for work, okay? I have decided to make a myoelectric prosthetic arm, but please think about what kind of prosthetic arm would be best, okay?" (Mitsuha)
"Right……" (Arsha)
Hmm, she looks a bit troubled... Well, I don't really understand this.
"Mitsuha, I'm not good enough to be your advisor. Could you please call Sabine-chan..." (Colette)
And then Colette-chan said something like that. Yes, it's true that Sabine-chan would be better suited to this kind of consultation. That was, if only Arsha-chan didn't have to worry about whether she would feel comfortable asking the Princess for advice.
"Okay. I'll ask her." (Mitsuha)
"Please……" (Colette)
—Afterwards, the three of us, including Sabine-chan, seemed to be considering various options. Because I was busy, so I just picked Sabine-chan up and dropped her, and then left the rest to Sabi-Colé duo.
No, following up on the gloomy Theresa-chan and Lastena-chan and other things is a lot of work...
...Actually, this was the second time I had ordered a prosthetic arm. Last time, there was a researcher developing explosives who was injured in an explosion. At that time, it was only a prosthetic arm for work. He didn't care about appearances at all; he just wanted something that was ready to use, reliable, and easy to use— Rather than something that might stop working at any time, it's better to have something that could be used immediately and reliably operate the way you wanted it to. In any case, it was about wanting to get back to work as soon as possible. His colleagues nodded in agreement. Are all engineers like that?
Since it wasn't an myoelectric prosthetic, but just an ordinary prosthetic for use in work, I explained that it wasn't a "gift from the Goddess", but something made using superior technology in a distant country. That would be too difficult to explain, so I decided to say that the myoelectric prosthetic arm was a gift from the goddess.
...Arsha-chan, have you decided what you want yet? Well, she still have time to measure the joints and do training for the prosthetic arm once the wound has healed, the swelling has gone down, and I've settled down a bit. But there are a lot of things to consider, like ordering from a production company...
Well, even if they're booked up for several years in advance, I can probably manage it if I use my connections. Any company would accept a formal request from the president of their country or the king of another country. Connections are only worth it if you use them, right? If you don't use it now, when will you use it? Hmmmm...
That's why I came to confirm Arsha-chan's wishes, what kind of prosthetic arm she would like. This day, Sabine-chan, unusually, declined to accompany me to the hospital, saying, "I have to pass because I have to attend a princess education!"—This was the first time something like this has happened. I wondered if Sabine-chan was also beginning to become aware of her role as a princess of a country. Anyway, Sabine-chan should have explained things to Arsha-chan and given her advice. I would check what Arsha-chan wanted as a result.
...Wait, what? Why is Colette-chan hanging right in front of the hospital room door? Oh well, I guess I'll just listen to what Arsha-chan wants...
"The myoelectric prosthetic arm and decorative one are confirmed. Also, I told you to choose a few candidates for the work part, have you decided?" (Mitsuha)
"Yes! Her Highness taught me a lot of things..." (Arsha)
Great, great, Sabine-chan is really reliable.
"So, I think this and this would be great!" (Arsha)
"Hmm, let's see..." (Mitsuha)
Then, I accepted the two pieces of paper that Arsha handed me.
...It's not the one I gave you. Maybe it's the one Sabine-chan brought? Umm...
"The first one is called 'Do-rill' and is used by Lady Nami, the Goddess of Maids! The other one is used by the Demon God Zett, 'Ro-kett-panch'!!" (Arsha)
"'S*iral N*mi' and 'Ma**nger *', huh?! Did you feel a sense of affinity with Nami-chan because she was wearing a maid outfit? ...Ahh, so this is the reason why Sabine-chan didn't come! What did you guys show to Arsha-chan?! Colette-chan, what on earth is this... Ah, she ran away!" (Mitsuha)
Author's Note
This is an announcement about the publication of the comics. (^^)/
Volume 13 of the comic "Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement" and Volume 3 of the comic "I Shall Survive Using Potions! Continued" will be released on Tuesday, October 8th!
Thank you very much!
Also, the one-shot manga "Isekai Share Office" by Kiyuki Mori, who is well known for the spin-off comic "Didn't I say to make my daily life average?" (4 volumes in total), has been published on Nico Nico Seiga, so here is the URL for that too... (^^)/
https://manga.nicovideo.jp/watch/mg863890?track=ct_first
Translation note
[1] I know that our body is generating electrical signal to move muscles and its signal can be picked up with a certain sensor, but never heard of 'myoelectric' before, but it's there, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_myoelectric_control