Free The Cage of Zeus by Sayuri Ueda, Takami Nieda Page A

scientists did was eliminate sexual distinctions. But that change alone can transform human society—our lifestyles, value systems, our sense of humanity. What do you think?” Kline asked. “About our creating a race of bigenders?”
    “I haven’t had occasion to give it much thought.”
    “You’re not the least bit interested?”
    “I don’t quite know what to think, as I’m perfectly satisfied being a man and a Monaural. I can appreciate the concept of a gender-free society. But a society that is free of sexual distinctions by changing the human physiology goes beyond what I’d consider ordinary.”
    “You’ll get used to it. We all need time to adapt to a new value system.”
    Adapt to what? Shirosaki thought. To the fact that humans are becoming absolute hermaphrodites? Or to the idea that I would grow accustomed to a society without sexual differences? “Harding brought up the subject of language discrimination earlier. I understand there are words we shouldn’t use in reference to the Rounds.”
    “There’s no need to be overly sensitive. The Rounds are fully aware of their differences and they won’t fault us for a slip or two. But there are some things you’re better off not saying out of consideration for the Rounds. ‘You look feminine for a Round’ or ‘You look masculine for a Round,’ for example. Surely you must have assumed Dr. Tei to be a woman when you first saw em.”
    “Yes, I did,” Shirosaki admitted.
    “When we Monaurals see a Round, we tend to recognize traits of one gender over the other. Which is why we say a ‘feminine Round’ and a ‘masculine Round.’ For those of us accustomed to having gender differences, we can’t help seeing the Rounds in those terms as well. And maybe we’re projecting our desires upon them too. ‘I hope that Round is feminine.’ Or, ‘That Round has to be masculine.’ Nothing more than an illusion on our part. The Rounds have no awareness of being more one sex than the other. What exactly did you feel was feminine about the doctor? Eir slender proportions? Or eir features?”
    “I suppose it was the voice,” Shirosaki answered. “Ey looks like a woman, of course, but I detected a kindness in eir manner of speaking and timbre of eir voice that I perceived as distinctly feminine.”
    “That’s all strictly according to your own definition. In your mind, you have some standards by which you distinguish the sexes. But those standards won’t work with the Rounds.”
    “This is all so very confusing.”
    “There’s no need to feel bad about yourself. Few of us have ever been in contact with the Rounds. It’s natural to feel uncomfortable. Your thinking will change while you’re here. By the time your assignment here is done, I promise you your views about sexuality will be completely transformed. Oh, and another thing—please don’t call the Rounds ‘sea hares’ or ‘snails.’ The Rounds hate it when Harding calls them that.”
    Shirosaki and Kline exited the observatory and boarded the high-velocity elevator, which took them to the special district in mere seconds. Kline stood in front of the entrance where a biometric scanner worked its way up and down her entire body.
    After the system finished reading her personal information, the door opened.
    Shirosaki’s eyes grew wide.
    Lush greenery filled his field of vision. It was like an entrance to a botanical garden.
    The special district lacked the subdivisions and corridors of the station staff’s residential district. The entire space lay open like a magnificent garden. Not so much a garden but closer to a small cityscape. The ceiling was thirty feet high. The garden appeared to slope up into a sharp incline at both ends. Because the area was free of obstructions, unlike the Monaurals’ residential district, Shirosaki could see the curvilinear shape of the cylindrical station.
    A wide path snaked along the shape of the central axis, branching off into various areas of the