[Chihiro once again proves to be as precocious and sharp as Rei had initially thought. She nods in answer, letting out another slow breath before responding to the girl. This was just a theory, but it was the only one she could think of that worked. It could be wrong, it probably was, given this crazy place but it helped to have some way to contextualize the near-constant insanity.]

It definitely explains some things. They have to have a reason for wanting us here. We're not slaves, we're relatively free to do what we want, save leave the colony for extended periods of time. The air is essentially toxic, and long exposure will kill us. So, we can't leave. But we have free reign of a place that's filled with all sorts of distractions.

It's like they want us happy, and then take it away with things like this just to see what we'll do. Emotional energy, or a television program, or a bizarre social experiment are about the only reasons I can think of for any of this.