An AI Repaying a Favor. (1)
An AI Repaying a Favor. (1)
After resolving to help Seo-nim.
My daily routine changed accordingly.
In the morning, I would wake the two up and tell them to eat breakfast.
At lunchtime, I would let them know it was time for lunch.
In the evening, I would check if they had brushed their teeth or washed their faces, and then urge them to hurry and go to sleep.
Once both of them fell asleep like that, that was when the real search for information began.
'I was surprised that the internet was working fine, of all things.'
100 years after the global Great War broke out.
Although many things were destroyed, there were still things that remained.
And the internet was also one of those remaining things.
I suppose it was quite fascinating that hardly any of the sites I used to know could be seen.
[ Biological Miracle Company, Suspected of War Weaponry Research. ]
At any rate, the hottest topic in that internet world was none other than the company named Biological Miracle.
A name that even I, a person from the past, knew.
"It was definitely a company that cultured stem cells to restore missing body parts for impaired people..."
In the early days of the Great War.
I still remembered them using that technology to help people.
Did they say that if the world ended, their own company would also lose its meaning?
[ As internal whistleblowing regarding human experimentation erupts at Biological Miracle Company, suspicions are growing that they may be producing biological weapons for war. However, CEO Rachel Roberta Darwin of Biological Miracle Company vehemently denied the allegations, calling them groundless slander. In response, citizens are requesting the government to conduct a full-scale investigation into Biological Miracle Company— ]
"Is it just the usual gossip... Though the internal whistleblowing seems to have been quite specific for that."
The equipment Seo-nim was looking for might not even be related to Biological Miracle.
But as the saying goes, to find something small, head toward where a big event is happening.
Wouldn't I be able to salvage something if I gathered information on Biological Miracle?
'From genetically modified food production, restoration of lost body parts, bio-robots, to cybernetic modifications...'
It was beyond comparison to the Biological Miracle I last saw.
Could it even be considered a completely different company now?
'Come to think of it, what was the CEO's name back then...'
Pbibik—
[Dea, are you awake?]
Just as I was trying to recall that old memory, Seo-nim's voice came through along with the alarm sound.
He woke up early today as well.
"You woke up early, Seo-nim."
[Well, because I promised.]
Starting the day after promising to fix their lifestyle pattern, Seo-nim made an effort to restore both his and Makina's routine back to normal.
As a result of those efforts, the two usually woke up at 8:00 AM and went to bed at 11:00 PM.
Today, he even woke up at 6:00 AM.
Makina seemed to still be sleeping, but since Seo-nim woke up, she would likely wake up before long too.
[Is the information gathering going well? Ah, I'm not rushing you. Just, I was worried you might be pushing yourself too hard because of it.]
"I'm not really pushing myself. More importantly, may I ask you one thing?"
[Yeah, anything.]
"The company called Biological Miracle, there are quite a few stories about it—what kind of company is it?"
At my question, Seo-nim's expression turned peculiar.
An expression that seemed like he disliked it, yet also seemed like he liked it.
Seeing that complex and subtle reaction, I realized that Seo-nim was connected to Biological Miracle Company in some way or another.
[Biological Miracle, huh... Right. It's not a bad company.]
"I see. Then shall I stop gathering materials related to Biological Miracle?"
I didn't want to do something that might make Seo-nim uncomfortable.
When I looked at Seo-nim silently to seek permission, Seo-nim shook his head.
[...No, please keep investigating. Although it's not a bad company, it's not a company without things hidden away either.]
"Yes, I will continue the investigation."
Right, those words were correct.
Saying it wasn't a bad company didn't mean it had nothing to hide.
Starting with myself, and anyone else would be the same.
Furthermore, Biological Miracle was a mega-corporation almost on the scale of a city.
There were bound to be various secrets.
'For now, let's set the search keywords related to Biological Miracle.'
Once I finished entering the keywords, I set aside the windows popping up to the side.
Pausing the search for information for a moment.
Since Seo-nim had woken up, the time had come to spend our daily routine again.
"Is Makina still sleeping?"
[Yeah, she's still in dreamland. Looks like she's eating something delicious.]
"Puhu, I want to see her too. By any chance, may I transfer to Seo-nim's terminal?"
[By all means.]
After getting Seo-nim's permission, I transferred to Seo-nim's terminal.
It was a strange feeling, as if being carried in one hand while moving.
The field of vision swaying in sync with his footsteps felt a bit novel.
[Eumnya... I can eat more... Eueung... Jjeopjjeop...]
"Puhut."
Makina was drooling and smacking her lips.
Her cute sleep-talking was a bonus.
Just looking at that sight gave me a boost of energy.
Cute is justice.
And a cute daughter is the ultimate justice among justices.
Since Makina was the strongest among cute daughters, she could be called the supreme justice.
'If I had a human body, I would have cooked plenty of delicious food for Makina...'
I felt a bit of regret, but I shook my head and pulled myself together.
Let's not be greedy for things I don't have.
For now, let me be grateful for what I have.
A peaceful space, lovely Makina, and my benefactor Seo-nim.
Because I can be happy enough with just these three.
"So, what are you going to have for breakfast today?"
[What should I do...]
"At least for breakfast, I recommend eating healthy food instead of instant food."
[No, these days instant food is made really well, so I'm telling you it's fine?]
"Excuses like that existed 100 years ago too, Seo-nim."
Cheok, placing both hands on my hips.
A posture I often used when scolding Makina.
Seeing me like that, Seo-nim shook his head as if he couldn't win against me.
And then he tossed out a single line.
[Yes, yes, Omma.]
"Om...?"
My eyes widened at the sudden words.
Was what I just heard real?
I wore a bewildered expression out of embarrassment, then blushed and got thoroughly mad.
"Wh-Who on earth is an Omma! I really don't want to hear such things from a fully grown adult man, you know?! Eu, eueu..."
I rubbed both arms seuk-seuk at the goosebump-inducing sensation.
Even though there was no reason to get goosebumps in this place, it felt as if my skin was prickling with goosebumps.
'O-Omma, of all things... What on earth is he thinking, this person.'
At first, a savior.
When we met again, a kind and gentle person.
As we continued to live together, a person who was surprisingly clumsy and full of flaws.
And now, a slyly playful person.
He was an incomprehensible person, Seo-nim.
[Dea really dislikes being called Omma.]
"Of course! I am—"
Because I used to be a man. I barely managed to stop myself right before those words burst out.
Even if I said something like that, it would only make things uncomfortable for both of us.
After all, we had hardly talked about things from 100 years ago, except for light topics.
And, how would Seo-nim react if he found out that I used to be human?
Since I couldn't know, I was all the more cautious.
"—the support AI of Deus Ex Machina. Gender isn't important."
[If gender isn't important, why are you embarrassed about being called Omma?]
"I wasn't embarrassed! And the reason I dislike being called Omma is, well, what do you call it, because I don't want to define my limits by gender! Yees, that's it!"
I rambled incoherently while refuting Seo-nim's words that hit the nail on the head.
If I were an ordinary artificial intelligence, wouldn't I have output text like 'You really hit the core.'?
[I feel like you're trying to gloss over it with plausible-sounding words...]
"A-A-Anyhow! You've prepared the things I mentioned, right?!"
[Of course I did. Look who said it.]
Seo-nim's voice was full of playful mischief.
To anyone's eyes, he looked like he wanted to tease me even more.
Feeling like it would be irreversible if I got caught up any further, I changed the subject as much as possible.
"In the morning, eating things like fruit is good for your body. Especially bananas."
[I also bought plenty of vegetables to give to Makina.]
"Honestly, I was worried about what to do if they just piled up uneaten..."
But considering the amount Makina eats, it seemed like it might actually be enough.
Perhaps because she had experienced malnutrition before, whenever Makina ate food, she used to eat about 3 to 4 times the amount of an ordinary person.
And that was based on the standard of an adult male.
"By the way, are the food expenses fine?"
[To be honest, the food expenses themselves aren't a burden.]
"Then that means something else is a burden..."
[Well, maybe the electricity bill?]
The corners of Seo-nim's eyes curved roundly.
Wasn't teasing me supposed to have ended a moment ago?
With a hueu, I let out a sigh.
"If operating me uses a lot of electricity, wouldn't it be better to turn me off when not in use?"
[How should I put it, I didn't want to turn you off. I wanted to let Dea do as Dea wishes. Operating or shutting down.]
"...Please pick one, whether to be playful or serious."
I said slightly grumpily to Seo-nim, who suddenly turned serious.
...Well, still, it means we're getting closer, so I suppose it's fine.