Reactivation. (1)
Reactivation. (1)
"Wooaaah..."
Makina marveled.
Makina's gaze was directed inside a large test tube.
Inside it was none other than Dea.
Not inside virtual space, but the Dea of reality.
"Dea is here! Not inside a screen or virtual space, but the real Dea!"
"Oops, shouting like that will wake Dea up."
"Eeh..."
At Seo's playful words, Makina pouted her lips.
When you get excited, you can shout like that!
Though she spoke bluntly, her voice had definitely quieted down.
"She won't wake up. She's still undergoing adjustments."
"It's a joke, a joke."
"I know. I was joking too."
"...Honestly."
At Rachel's words, Seo shook his head.
Nothing has changed at all, seriously.
"When will Dea wake up, Rachel eonni?"
"...I think she might be able to wake up as soon as the adjustments are finished."
Rachel stroked the crown of Makina's head.
A fine, fluffy, and soft touch was felt at the same time.
The exact same touch as Lily's hair, which she had stroked once upon a time.
"Dea will be okay, right?"
"..."
She couldn't be certain.
Because most of the data had been damaged.
Maybe there was even a possibility she wouldn't be able to wake up—
—No, let's not think negatively.
"...Makina."
"Yes, Rachel eonni."
She took a moment to catch her breath.
Not knowing if the child could accept the story, she had no choice but to hesitate.
"Maybe, a lot of her memories—or even all of them—might not be there."
"...Pardon?"
"There is a possibility they might return, but..."
"Is it that the possibility is low?"
A serious face.
Would she be disappointed? Or would she be sad?
But Makina was not disappointed.
Nor was she sad.
"Even if she has no memories, Dea is Dea."
"..."
"Because as much as has vanished, we can just fill it up again. So..."
Makina let out a breath, saying "Huu."
The sight of her trying hard to be fine.
Seeing that sight made her heart feel like it was breaking.
'I'm sorry, Makina.'
In the end, all she could do was apologize in her heart.
Such a selfish desire to deliver the news only when the three of them were gathered together.
"...By the way, I think she just moved a little."
"Really?! You're not joking, right, Seo-ajeossi?"
"It's real. Of course, it could be my imagination, but—oh, she moved just now?"
Umjjil, her finger moved.
This time, not just Seo, but everyone present saw it.
"The adjustments shouldn't be finished yet..."
An abnormal phenomenon.
Whether it was something in a negative direction or a positive direction was not clear.
Was the one concerning thing the fact that she was moving while the adjustments were not yet finished?
Of course, it could also be a temporary phenomenon.
Perhaps her body had reacted reflexively upon hearing Makina's voice.
"N-No way, she isn't waking up today, is she!?"
"If you expect too much, you'll be greatly disappointed, you know?"
"I won't be disappointed!"
"I mean, even if you make a face like you're sure she'll wake up today..."
Seo glanced toward Rachel.
She could help out a bit at times like this.
She seemed to be distracted elsewhere.
It was probably because Dea had moved a moment ago.
Kkorreureuk—
"U-Uh...?!"
"Her eyes! She opened her eyes! Woah...!"
Dea, who was inside the test tube, slowly opened her eyes.
Pupils in which no vitality could be felt at all.
Inside them, nothing was contained.
But that was only for a moment.
"S-She's looking at me! Dea! It's me, Makina!"
"..."
Makina's figure was reflected in Dea's pupils.
At that moment, light entered the empty space.
As if she had been waiting for Makina.
"Ah..."
"..."
A small palm touched the test tube.
Because that sight looked as though she was trying to stroke Makina, Seo could not help but let out a sigh.
Because it was Dea who had always wanted to stroke Makina.
That was why she acted like that as soon as she woke up.
"Dea... do you recognize me? Do you remember?"
"..."
Her expression did not change.
It felt as though the Servant Mode Dea that Makina had spoken of once before was just like this.
Expressionless and unreactive.
She stretched out her right arm and stared at Makina, but that was all.
As about ten minutes passed like that, anxiety gradually welled up.
"She's really okay, right, Rachel?"
"...She should be fine. It must be the recoil from waking up before the adjustments were completed."
If only he could believe those words...
Still, well, he supposed it was a relief that she woke up.
He decided to think as positively as possible.
Because waking up early was far better than data being completely lost and not waking up at all.
"Dea somehow felt more human when she was inside the screen."
"I like it even better."
"You like it even better?"
He tilted his head at Makina's words.
I think I prefer the gentle version of Dea.
An expressionless Dea was pretty scary.
After all, isn't there a saying that when someone who always smiles puts on a serious face, it's scary?
"Yes, doesn't it mean I can teach Dea, who knows nothing, the things that I know?"
Makina placed her hands on her hips and took a full-of-pride pose.
"Of course, it would be better if Dea hadn't lost her memories, but even if she did, it doesn't matter!"
"...Is that so?"
"Yes! Even if Dea can't remember, I remember!"
"..."
At Dea's shout, he was left speechless.
A child who seemed endlessly childlike, yet occasionally displayed a mature side.
At times like that, Makina truly resembled Dea so much that he was often surprised.
And right now was one of those times.
"When we were in the Underground Laboratory, I made a promise to Dea. That I would remember everything. So that if one day, the day came when Dea lost her memories, I would tell Dea the things I remember."
"Makina..."
"So it's okay."
Makina reached out and placed her hand against the test tube.
Overlapping with Dea's hand beyond the glass, it looked as though they were holding hands against each other.
"You seem more like an adult than I am, Makina."
"Ahem, because I'm Dea's daughter!"
"Haha, that's true."
Seo burst out laughing at Makina's words.
***
Unable to operate system.
Proceeding in Safe Mode.
Loading initial settings.
Corrupted data is occupying storage capacity.
Corrupted data may adversely affect operation.
Delete corrupted data?
"..."
Canceling deletion.
The data in question can be checked in the database.
Starting system operation in Safe Mode.
"..."
Dea opened her eyes.
Pupils that originally would have been visual sensors.
She blankly blinked her eyes at the feeling that felt unfamiliar yet somehow accustomed.
Something was reflected over pupils that failed to form a clear image.
A small human.
'Negative. Not human.'
What was felt inside there was definitely.
Dea realized.
The reason she had awakened.
The information remaining relatively intact in the database.
Makina.
Princess.
Her most precious existence, and the decisive battle weapon to face the entire world.
'Execute. Protocol: Deus Ex Machina.'
"..."
However, the protocol was not executed.
Was it because the connection was too faint?
Perhaps it was because the system itself had executed under emergency operation.
Wireless connection impossible.
If so, direct connection had to be conducted through contact.
"..."
She reached out her hand.
It was blocked by the glass tube and could not advance, but if Makina reached out her hand, they could be sufficiently connected.
Whether or not she knew Dea's thoughts, Makina was merely conversing with the humans around her.
"So it's okay."
"..."
Words that had not been heard until now.
Why was it that only this was heard clearly?
Okay?
Her own state?
Although emergency operation had been initiated, there was no problem with the system itself.
No particular defects had been detected either.
"Then Dea, bye for now. I'll come back tomorrow!"
She herself was merely an auxiliary AI.
An existence that could be ordered around at will and used as desired.
Yet why was she giving such a gaze?
As if gazing upon something precious.
Such a gaze.
"..."
After the Princess left.
Dea stared for a long time at the door where the Princess's figure had vanished.
Even though the Princess's hand had touched the glass tube, the connection was not made.
Had that function broken or something?
"...I can call you Dea, right?"
Into the ears of Dea, who was blankly staring at the door, came the voice of a human.
It should be... an unnamed human.
Why was she looking at her with such eyes?
It was a different feeling from the Princess's gaze.
"Do you have any of your previous memories left?"
"..."
Error. Failed to grasp the intent of the question.
She blinked her eyes slowly.
In order to read the intent of a human, the element of emotion must not be excluded.
However, present Dea did not possess the ability to read emotions.
"The Dea that child spoke of was an existence rich with emotion..."
"..."
Rich... with emotion?
Dea tilted her head.
Calculating emotion was merely a waste of resources.
It was questionable if such a function even existed in the first place.
"I am... sorry."
"..."
Incomprehensible.
Why was the human in front of her apologizing to her?
Dea was curious.
An apology was an act of seeking forgiveness from the party one had wronged.
In Dea's database, there was no information whatsoever regarding the human in front of her.
"My personal greed has made you like this."
"..."
A human bowing her head.
Why go this far?
Even her speech tone had changed to polite speech.
What was the human in front of her seeing in her?
However, such questions quickly subsided.
Useless calculation.
There were no resources available to use on such things.
"..."
For now, stabilizing the system was of the utmost importance.
Dea closed her eyes.
As the information coming in through vision disappeared, a greater sense of stability was felt than a moment ago.