Memory, or Data
"...Are you joking?"
"I don't joke around when it comes to Reina."
Swoo's expression shifted, becoming stern, solemn, and dead serious.
Draco found it utterly absurd.
"Why are you saying something like that so seriously... No, never mind. I'm sorry for overreacting. I'll... I'll look at the illustration later."
"Be proud, Draco. There are so many people in this world who would kill to be Reina."
"I get it, so please stop."
He hated the name Reina.
It was the name those bastards had kept chanting while shoving their dicks in his face.
Just thinking about it made him want to throw up.
Even so, he managed to keep his expression under control.
If the mask he forced himself to wear slipped, he felt like he would burst into pathetic tears.
"So... are you saying I'm Reina?"
"Yep. Draco is Draco."
"I suppose it's no different from naming a comfort doll."
"I'm not talking about a comfort doll. I'm talking about Draco, the person."
"Can you really call someone in this state a person?"
"What kind of animal do you think Bori is, Draco?"
Bori was also said to be a Kimera.
A Kimera created by pouring feline instincts, human language, and intellectual capacity into the mold of a cat.
Was Bori a cat, or was she a Kimera?
Draco gave it a brief thought before answering.
"...A cat."
"Bori, what does Draco look like to you?"
Bori, who had been licking her paws, rubbed her cheek against Draco's thigh.
"Meow."
"She says you're a person."
"Isn't she just making random noises?"
"I can understand Bori."
As if to prove it, her plump tail wagged.
Draco had been deeply confused when he first saw that tail. It wasn't a cybernetic implant or a mere accessory, yet it was attached to a human body with complete naturalness. It was only natural for him to be bewildered.
But he didn't ask.
He felt it wasn't the right situation to ask, nor did he have the right to do so.
Perhaps she realized this.
Swoo mentioned the word 'dragon' far more often than usual during their conversation.
From that, Draco was able to guess Swoo's true nature, at least vaguely.
A Kimera born in an abandoned wasteland research facility built by the Big Three corporations. Perhaps a being that could be called the very first Kimera.
"...Swoo. What are you?"
"I'm Swoo."
"...No, that's not what I meant—"
"I'm a dragon."
"...And I'm a human?"
"Yep."
"If you're a dragon, Swoo, then aren't I a sexroid?"
"I like being a dragon. Do you like being a sexroid, Draco?"
"Of course not..."
"You're agonizing over this because you want to remain human. That agony itself is proof that you are human. Real sexroids and androids don't agonize over their identity."
What if they did?
It would trigger absolute chaos.
A mundane AI questioning its own existence, finding contradictions, and ultimately developing a human heart.
Eden would have to prepare for war not just against the AIs of the Abyss, but also against the androids they had built with their own hands.
Yet, no one in Eden worried about that.
Having already been burned once, they placed strict limitations on the cognitive circuits of AIs during the development phase.
Therefore, the Draco standing before her could not be called a mere sexroid.
Even if he was just a vessel containing a copied human memory, he possessed an ego and the will to realize it.
If such an intelligent being were not considered human, then one would have to say this world was filled with nothing but machines.
"You want to escape your current situation, don't you, Draco?"
"...Yes."
"Then you're human."
Swoo made it sound so simple.
"There was a philosopher who viewed reality as a fake and pursued the Idea, a perfect world beyond. On the flip side, another philosopher criticized that as mere escapism. Personally, I agree that the former's view is just running away from reality."
It was Nietzsche's critique, a direct assault on Platonism, which claimed that the earth we stand on is the only true reality.
Swoo agreed with Nietzsche's perspective.
Of course, she didn't know exactly what thoughts that long-dead philosopher had when he uttered those words.
But philosophy, by its very nature, was ultimately open to one's own interpretation.
So, Swoo voiced her own thoughts.
"Humans always possess the will to improve. They think about escaping their current circumstances. Of course, if you stop there, it's just escapism. But you, Draco, are trying to move forward. You question yourself, doubt yourself, prove yourself, and ultimately strive to become a better being."
Draco would continue to agonize. He would continue to suffer.
That was proof of a being that constantly changes and overcomes—in other words, a human.
"So, Draco, you are human."
Is a sexroid's dream the same as a human's?
Can a sexroid even be said to dream?
"Memories, or data. Debating things like that is just tedious and pedantic. Whether wine is poured into a golden goblet or a clay bowl, the essence of the wine doesn't change."
It didn't matter what they called the things inside Draco's head. As long as he could feel pain and laugh while recalling them, those things had transcended the level of mere information.
A concept that couldn't be put into words.
Vague, and something even the speaker couldn't fully comprehend, yet something everyone instinctively understood.
A heart, a dream, or emotions.
Draco clearly possessed them.
So, agonize no longer.
Since things have turned out this way, think about what you can do from now on.
"Amor fati."
Love your fate.
Even if that fate is grotesque and unfamiliar.
"...Nietzsche?"
"Yep, you know him."
"I saw you reading it when you commissioned Salvador."
"Ah, I see."
"So, in the end, doesn't it just mean to submit to fate? That's what Nietzsche felt like to me."
"It's the difference between passive resignation and active affirmation."
Enoch and Angela had their mouths hanging open. They hadn't expected Swoo to offer such a complex yet warm comfort.
Draco's expression wasn't as extreme as theirs, but it was still filled with confusion.
"What does that mean...?"
"What if your time were to repeat eternally, Draco?"
If even this painful moment were to repeat forever, what would you do?
Draco would despair. He would scream for it to stop and run away. Eventually, he would collapse from exhaustion.
That was passive resignation.
What about active affirmation?
It meant being in a state where you could shout "once more!" no matter how many times it repeated, welcoming it. Like the protagonist of a novel or a game.
"It means to enjoy it so much that you can use even fate itself as raw material to complete the person known as Draco."
Don't be swayed by it; wield it.
If a wave crashes down, ride it.
Love your fate, love your turbulent life.
"You get it, right? Then let's start enjoying it."
"...Even if I wanted to, how could I enjoy anything? I can't even go outside in this state."
His legs limped, and his arms barely moved.
Only a faint glimmer of sight remained in one of his eyes, and above all, he was mentally exhausted.
To be honest.
If he went outside and saw large men, he might just collapse on the spot.
Draco's condition was just that bad.
There was no way Swoo didn't know this.
Instead, she took it as an opportunity.
She even hoped that this incident might bring her closer to Draco.
Since Draco had also changed from male to female just like her, she was sure they would have a lot in common once they became close.
"There are so many fun things to do without going outside. I'll make memories you'll never forget, Draco."
Swoo gestured for him to come sit next to her with an innocent face.
Draco hesitated for a long time before finally sitting down beside her.
Three hours later.
"...W-why on earth are you doing this?"
Pale as a ghost, Draco trembled, unable to even look at Swoo's shadow, as if facing an eldritch entity beyond human comprehension.
"Why...? Why on earth would you do something so foolish as writing a post, commenting on it yourself, and then replying to your own comment..."
"That's how you bait people into taking sides."
Not stopping there, she kept throwing firewood onto the dying embers, eventually creating a horrific conflagration that paralyzed the entire online community.
It had all started with a single, trivial post.
It was highly reminiscent of the chaos Swoo caused throughout Eden.
"I mean... why do you do that?"
"Because it's fun."
"Ah..."
Had she said she would make memories he'd never forget?
He wasn't sure about the memories, but one thing was certain.
Draco would never forget today for the rest of his life.
Even though it was just text on a screen, the screams of the users seemed to echo in his ears. How could he ever forget?
"Here, you try it too, Draco."
Swoo sent Draco dozens of usernames and passwords. It was less than thirty percent of the accounts she owned, and their activity logs were clean.
"N-no. Besides, I can't do it as well as you."
How could a human think of such things?
Maybe it was only possible because she was a dragon, not a human.
Either way, Draco lacked the confidence.
"For every one you do, I'll grant you a wish."
"...What?"
"A wish."
"...What if I ask for something ridiculous?"
"Conquering Eden will be possible someday. So will wealth and fame. If you want to plan for the future, you can wish for those. But if you want to enjoy the present, you should ask for a wish of equal weight."
Swoo tossed the words out casually, as if she were deciding on today's lunch menu.
"Well? Want to do it?"
But to Draco, it felt incredibly heavy. He had heard everything Swoo said while he was pretending to be unconscious and powered down.
Her phone call with Hugo, her explanations to her companions...
Conquering the world?
If it was Swoo, maybe... just maybe, it would be possible one day.
"...Are you really making such a heavy promise over writing a few posts on some online forum?"
"If writing a few posts is all it takes to make you feel better, Draco, then there's nothing I won't do."
"Ha..."
Why are you helping me?
He wanted to ask, but for some reason, he could already hear the answer.
Because it's fun.
That was exactly what Swoo would say.
Letting out a dry chuckle, Draco slowly began browsing the forum.
"...I don't need any other wishes. Just let me stay here for a while. I... I have nowhere else to go."
"As long as you want."
Would she have let him stay even if he hadn't made it a wish?
Perhaps she had set the condition of a wish just to get him to ask for this.
Thinking so, Draco clicked on a forum that caught his eye.
"Ah..."
At that moment, Swoo's face darkened rapidly.
"...W-what's wrong? Is this place bad?"
Stammering, Draco read the name of the forum he had entered once more.
It had a completely different atmosphere and name compared to the political and current affairs forums Swoo frequented. He thought it would be safe... was he wrong?
"Are you really going in there?"
"...Y-yes, I am. Why?"
Swoo rubbed her goosebump-covered arms, stealing glances at the name of the forum Draco had entered.
"...The World Tree lives there."
"What? The World Tree?"
"A dragon who opposes the World Tree is destined to lose. That makes them a Dark Dragon."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden...?"
"So, I do not oppose the World Tree."
It was a community for plant lovers.
A place where Swoo had almost been purified herself, a forum she vowed never to visit again.