An AI Repaying a Favor. (2)
An AI Repaying a Favor. (2)
After watching Seo-nim wake Makina up and eat breakfast like that.
[Then, I'll step out for a bit. Take good care of Makina, Dea.]
"Of course. Leave it to me."
If nothing else, caring for Makina was one thing I was confident in.
Even if Seo-nim hadn't said so, I would have taken care of her diligently.
[With this, it's just the two of us, Dea!]
"That's right, eheh."
Was she really that happy about the fact that it was just the two of us in the house?
Dea, sitting in front of the computer, looked at me with sparkling eyes.
"By the way, Makina. How is walking around going?"
[Eh... Well, you see...]
Makina subtly avoided my gaze.
She still can't walk very well.
To be sure, every time I saw her, she was either sitting or lying down.
[If I try to walk, I can walk well enough, but I keep falling over.]
"That happens. Did it hurt when you fell?"
[Yes, I'm fine. Because I've mastered the method of falling without it hurting! Ahem!]
Makina said boastfully.
...I don't think that's a particularly good thing.
Practicing how to fall well instead of practicing how to walk.
Well, I suppose that's very like Makina, in a way.
"Still, don't fall down too much. Because I don't like Makina getting hurt."
[That's why when I move around, I ask Uncle Seo!]
"Uh-uh, that's rude to Seo-nim."
[But Uncle Seo said it was good because it gave him exercise...]
Makina turned glum.
Was I a bit too harsh?
But things like this needed to be addressed properly.
What if that becomes a habit?
It's not like she can stay inside the house forever.
'Thinking about Seo-nim carrying Makina around even when going outside...'
Just imagining it was horrifying.
No way! Absolutely not! Seeing my daughter being carried around by another man is more than enough inside the house alone!
This won't do, I have to make her practice walking somehow—
[If Dea were by my side, you would have taught me well, right?]
"I can still teach you now, Makina."
[Eh, I think doing it in person is a bit different from doing it with words!]
Makina's index finger snapped up, pointing at me.
[And besides, Dea hasn't walked in the real world either, right! If you end up in the same situation, Dea will become just like me!]
"I don't think that would be the case..."
There was one difference between Makina and me.
That was none other than the difference in experience.
I had the experience of walking around the real world, but Makina did not.
You could say it was a difference on the level of an adult and a newborn child.
[Then let's make a bet! If Dea falls down when walking in the outside world for the first time, I win!]
"Well, sure. Though I don't know if I'll ever have occasion to walk in the outside world."
Maybe it would be possible if connected to something like a robot.
But could that really be called me walking directly?
It felt like it wouldn't be much different from simply controlling a robot.
[Mhu, if I win, I'm going to call Dea omma!]
'...Why is she so obsessed with the word omma?'
Is there something I don't know?
Or maybe she wanted to make another title to call me by.
'If so, I'd rather she called me appa.'
A daughter who resembles my wife.
I pictured a scene where such a daughter came running toward me, saying, 'Appa, I love you~'.
Just imagining it is pure bliss, absolute paradise.
"Alright. If Makina wins, I'll let you call me omma."
[Waaah!]
Makina raised both hands high, delighted.
It wasn't even telling her to call me omma, just accepting a bet about calling me omma, yet she was so overjoyed like that.
A soft chuckle escaped me at the innocence unique to a child.
[If Dea had a body, I would have hugged you tightly.]
"Not true! I'm going to hug you first."
[Ehehe, I like that too!]
We were closer than anyone, yet further apart than anyone.
Between the wall separating reality and virtual space.
While it was nice to converse and bond across that wall, it was just a shame that we couldn't touch directly.
[Because Dea is warm. That won't change in the real world either.]
'You really are so warm. Whenever, wherever.'
"...I see."
Seeing Makina speak with a bright smile, I felt a moment of nostalgia.
It was because a certain winter day came to mind.
They say daughters resemble their appa, but that's a total lie.
Makina resembled my wife more than anyone else.
'That must be why I care about her even more.'
Thinking about it only now, I believe it was a truly cunning choice in that aspect.
Just how far into my memories did Euripides look?
[You look happy, Dea.]
"Of course. Makina gave me a compliment. Thank you for complimenting me, Makina."
[Mhu, I will gratefully accept your thanks!]
Placing her hands on her waist, Makina let out a laugh, mhuhu.
She's really cute.
How can she be this cute?
Using the computer webcam, I took heaps of photos of Makina's cute appearance.
I'm going to treasure these for a lifetime.
"Ah, now that I think about it, there's one thing I'm curious about."
[Hm? What is it, Dea?]
"For us to make that bet, I need to get a body."
[Yes, that's right.]
"Uh, is there a way?"
Even as I asked, I felt a sting of regret.
I shouldn't burden Makina.
Could I say I blurted it out, unable to hold back my expectation that if I got a body, I could hug Makina tightly?
'M-Makina is a smart child, after all.'
She must have come up with some kind of way.
It didn't matter even if it was something absurd.
After all, digitizing a human brain and reviving it as an artificial intelligence was nonsense to begin with.
[Of course there is!]
"Really?"
[Yes! Ah, just a moment...]
"Ngh..."
The moment Makina's face drew near, a mouse pointer appeared in midair.
Because I only had bad memories of that white intruder, I had no choice but to shrink back reflexively.
Naturally, both my hands were clutching the hem of my dress tightly.
Because I couldn't suffer the same humiliation as last time.
Click, click click—
'Makina concentrating on the computer is cute too, but... being this close will ruin her eyes.'
Clack-clack, clack clack...
'Her typing speed is super slow too. It's totally hunt-and-peck, eheh.'
I didn't bother rushing her.
No, it would be more accurate to say there was no need to rush her.
When I could watch Makina looking so adorable, why rush?
Even though it was waiting time, I was filled with happiness rather than boredom.
Ah, of course, I recorded and saved this scene too.
[It's right here!]
Having found what she wanted to show me, Makina spoke in a bright voice.
What could it be?
Don't tell me, a robot?
Holding such doubts, I turned my eyes to look at the window that popped up in front of me.
[ A bioroid that lets you create a person of your very own! Customizable to your desired body type and appearance! Friend, wife, younger sibling, anything is possible! A mere 100,000 credits to make your dream a reality! ]
"..."
An ad banner that felt somewhat cheap.
Is this kind of advertisement trendy nowadays?
At a glance, it reeked of a scam, but looking at the content, plausible things were written on it as well.
[Is it... not good?]
"No, I really like it. Just, there was something I had to think about a bit."
[Waaah, really!? I knew you'd like it!]
However, the reason for my silence wasn't because of such a tacky ad.
It was precisely because of the name of the supplier written right underneath the advertisement.
[ Biological Miracle Co., Ltd. ]
It was nice that Makina found it for me, but since the place manufacturing it was the very place I was investigating, I couldn't be purely happy.
And, contrary to me, Makina was walking on air with joy at my words that I liked it.
What should I do about this?
I didn't want to disappoint Makina.
'By the way, just how much money is 100,000 credits?'
Perhaps because the currency unit was different from before, I couldn't tell.
It didn't seem like a cheap price by any means.
[However, there's a problem, Dea...]
"Hm? What kind of problem?"
[They say that to buy Dea's new body, I have to go to a convenience store and work 8 hours a day for 125 days.]
Makina grew glum.
For Makina, who wanted to gift me a body right this instant, 125 days seemed far too long.
Well, if Makina said she were going to work, I would absolutely oppose it though.
'She's not at an age to work yet. She might do it someday, but right now she's a child, so I want her to live like a child.'
The fact that she didn't ask Seo-nim to buy it for her was laudable in itself.
How did she even think of saving up money to give me a body?
That fact was so admirable that a tear trickled down.
Even if I didn't get a body, I would live out the rest of my life drawing strength from today's memory.
"Should I help you, Makina?"
[No. Obtaining Dea's body is something I will do myself. That way, it's meaningful!]
Makina clenched both her hands tightly.
I could have laughed it off as a child's talk, but I didn't mock Makina's determination.
Because what a child needed was not mockery, but cheer and encouragement.
"Do your best, Makina. I'll cheer you on."
[Yees!]
A energetic response came back to my single word of encouragement.
It was a bright shout that seemed to say she could do anything.
[So please look forward to it a lot, Dea!]
"Got it, I'll be looking forward to it."
[If possible, I would love it if you wept buckets after you get your body!]
"...Haha."
Does Makina want me to cry?
When that time comes, I'll cry plenty on my own even if nobody says a word.
And weeping buckets at that.
'Alright. Since it's come to this, I'll be so deeply moved that I'll sob to the point where Makina gets flustered.'
It was a small resolve.