Three Days of Happiness

corner of the room, and sat with her knees up and her back to the
wall.
After that, she just watched me. Her intent seemed to be to
observe me anytime I was in my apartment.
“It’s perfectly fine if you just pretend I’m not here,” Miyagi said
from her corner. “Conduct yourself as you usually would.”
But just having her tell me that wasn’t going to change the reality of
being constantly monitored by a girl no more than two years away
from my age.
I couldn’t help being uneasy, and kept sneaking glances Miyagi’s
way. She seemed to be writing things in a notebook. It might have
been some kind of observation log.
The one-sided surveillance was unpleasant. The half of me she was
looking at felt like it was being grilled by her gaze.
Indeed, I had received a detailed explanation about this “observer”
business yesterday.
According to Miyagi, many of the people who sell their lifespans
there become desperate when they’re down to a year left, and start
to cause trouble if they’re left alone. I didn’t ask for an explanation
of what kind of trouble, but I could imagine.
Because one of the biggest keys to having people follow rules is
their faith that they’ll keep living. But if you have confirmation that
your life will soon end, that all changes. You can’t take that faith to
the afterlife.
The observer system, then, is what was instated to prevent
desperate people from bringing harm to others.
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