> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://gimicworks.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Cost of Life Extension — Chapter 1 - URL: https://gimicworks.ghost.io/the-cost-of-life-extension-chapter-1/ - Published: 2026-09-27T14:19:14.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-27T14:19:14.000Z - Author: Gimic “Mom, Mina and the others finally made it.” The door opens, and an older man steps into the suite, his voice carrying through the room. At the center of the room, [an elderly woman](#tpb-note-006-ryuna-before-extension) sits in [an egg-shaped chair](#tpb-note-001-egg-chair). A little girl clings to her, her face buried in the woman’s lap. The man walks over and looks down into the chair. “That’s everybody. Anika, come here.” The girl lifts her head. Her eyes are bright red from crying. “...” The man kneels beside her, meets her eyes, and gently wipes the tears from her cheek. “It’s okay. Great-Grandma Ryuna is going to get better.” “But we won’t get to see her anymore, right?” The man has no answer for that. He scratches his cheek. “...But getting better is a good thing. She’ll still be able to help lots and lots of people. Your great-grandma will.” He gently strokes Anika’s hair once more. “How are you feeling, Mom?” Ryuna gives him a slow smile. “[Lulu](#tpb-note-007-lulu), how is she?” “Her blood pressure and pulse are both within normal range, Haruto.” [A pale pink sphere](#tpb-note-002-nurture-agent), about the size of a child’s toy ball, answers from Ryuna’s lap where Anika had been leaning against her. “All right. Let’s go.” The egg-shaped chair glides silently into motion and follows Haruto. Anika walks alongside it. Outside the room, a long hotel corridor stretches ahead. “Good thing we booked the banquet hall. Eighty-two of us, all told.” Ryuna gives a faint smile at the sound of Haruto’s voice. The moment they enter the hall, thunderous applause erupts, and a swarm of small children rushes toward her. “Everybody! One at a time! Single file!” Haruto hurriedly tries to restore order as Ryuna’s great-great-grandchildren begin peeling their own children away from her. “Take care, Great-Grandma Ryuna!” “Let’s play again!” Children a little younger than Anika take turns throwing their arms around Ryuna’s knees before being ushered away. Once the party begins, the room grows even louder with parents trying to get their children fed. Ryuna watches it all without saying a word. “Mom, can you get some fluids down? You should have a little.” Haruto offers her a pouch of oral rehydration solution. Ryuna takes a small sip. He waits until she swallows, then looks out across the room. “Mom... My own mom, getting [life extension](#tpb-note-003-life-extension)... I mean, considering everything you’ve accomplished, I guess it makes sense. Still... that’s incredible.” As Haruto murmurs the words, the doors to the hall open. A huge birthday cake rolls in, topped with a chocolate plaque that reads: **HAPPY** [**121st**](#tpb-note-004-age-121) **BIRTHDAY** The lights dim. One hundred and twenty-one candles blaze in front of Ryuna. Their flames illuminate her smiling face. Her great-great-grandchildren blow them out together, and the room erupts in applause. “I’m glad we could have your birthday and your farewell party together... At least we can keep smiling.” Haruto dabs at the corners of his eyes. “I still can’t believe we’ll never see you again... Go enjoy the life ahead of you. For Dad, too.” He gently pulls the sobbing Anika against him and closes his eyes. “Lulu.” “Yes, Haruto?” “Take care of Mom for me.” “...[Understood](#tpb-note-005-understood).” ## Egg-Shaped Chair An AI-controlled wheelchair. It understands its physical surroundings and the content of nearby conversations, allowing it to move autonomously while interpreting the user’s intentions. ## Nurture Agent Nurture Agents come in many forms, including fully humanoid bodies, animal-like bodies, and plush-toy designs. Users normally switch to different bodies as they grow, but Ryuna has kept the same one since childhood. To prevent excessive dependence on humans or AI, regulations limit their visual resemblance to real humans or animals to 40 percent or less. Their conversational behavior is also regulated so that they do not interfere with a user’s independence or ability to form relationships with other people. ## Life Extension Recipient A person who has undergone a life-extension procedure that includes physical rejuvenation. To prevent social stagnation, life extension is granted only to individuals whose accomplishments meet certain standards. After the procedure, recipients are prohibited from accessing assets or personal relationships from their pre-extension lives. Violating this restriction results in the loss of eligibility for their next life-extension treatment. The procedure must be renewed every ten years. Without renewal, the body begins aging again. ## Age 121 In this era, being in one’s 120s is roughly comparable to being around 90 today. Treatments such as senescent-cell removal and biological-part replacement have extended healthy life expectancy to about 110\. Beyond that point, treatment and replacement become increasingly difficult, and ordinary aging becomes more pronounced. ## “Understood.” AI agents often become inseparable from a person’s life history. For that reason, life-extension recipients are permitted to keep their agents with them after the procedure if they choose. ## Ryuna ![Ryuna with her great-great-granddaughter](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ff/75/ff75e0d7-62cf-4b76-a127-e0db9c58d6b1/content/images/2026/09/Ryuna-Anika-1.webp) Even her hands no longer have the strength to hold her great-great-granddaughter. ## Lulu ![Lulu](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ff/75/ff75e0d7-62cf-4b76-a127-e0db9c58d6b1/content/images/2026/09/Lulu_on_knee-1-1.webp) She speaks in a calm, gentle female voice, with a manner of speaking that has gradually come to resemble Ryuna’s.