Chapter 8
Translator: True Detective
How to Become a Human. (5)
A few hours after Machina fell asleep.
[ Hello, Dea. ]
["Hello, Machina."]
Meeting again in the space we connected to yesterday, we looked at each other and exchanged greetings.
Looking at Machina speaking with a bright smile, I too showed a smile.
Even though it had only been a few hours, why did it feel like we were meeting for the first time in such a long while?
["Did you sleep well?"]
[ Yes, I slept soundly. And, um... ]
["Yeah?"]
[ I think I had a dream. ]
A dream? A dream, she says...
I suppose that could happen.
Machina was a machine, and simultaneously a human.
Perhaps dreaming is a matter of course.
["What kind of dream did you have?"]
They say a dream is the manifestation of the subconscious.
Hearing what kind of dream Machina had would be more helpful when teaching her.
[ It was a dream where I wandered around looking for Santa Claus together with Dea. ]
["...I see."]
Well, the story I told her yesterday was about wandering around looking for Santa Claus with my wife.
Machina's eyes shone as she said it was fun.
Reaching my hand out toward the head of such a Machina, I gently stroked the crown of her head.
[ Dea? ]
["What is it, Machina?"]
[ Your expression... looks somewhat sad. ]
["..."]
To not even be able to properly manage my expression in front of a child, I'm a bad adult.
Certainly, I was reminded of my wife by Machina's words.
The existence that acts as the trigger for all my sadness.
The image of my wife overlapped over Machina's figure.
'Machina is just Machina, get a hold of yourself.'
Ignoring my throbbing heart, I shook my head.
And then I forced the corners of my mouth up.
I did not want to infect even Machina with my sadness.
["I am fine, Machina."]
[ Is that so? ]
["Yeah, so you don't need to worry too much. Ah, I've prepared a bunch of stories I want to tell you, would you like to hear them?"]
[ I want to hear them! ]
Machina's voice rang in my ears.
A shout loud enough to make my eardrums tingle.
To think she was looking forward to hearing my stories this much.
Originally I had planned to teach her various things, but I decided to push it back for now.
'As for education, it should be fine to do it slowly.'
Right now, it seemed better to do what the child wanted.
If so, what kind of story would be good...
Right, I had decided to tell the story of the meteor shower I saw in my hometown.
["Machina, do you know what stars are?"]
[ It is content that exists within the database. However, I have never actually seen them. ]
["...I see."]
This is a bit troubling.
No, there wasn't even any need to call it troubling.
It was my fault for asking even though I knew the child had never seen stars.
["Sorry, I was being short-sighted."]
[ It is fine, Dea. You were trying to tell me something about stars, right? ]
["Yeah, that's right, but—"]
[ If that is the case, there is a way. ]
Machina placed both hands on her hips.
And then lifted her head proudly.
Taking on a boastful posture, Machina spoke with confidence.
[ It is to give Dea the manipulation authority over this space. ]
["...Huh?"]
[ Dea is my auxiliary AI, so as long as I permit it, you should be able to decorate this space however you wish. ]
Certainly, if it was based on the data in my memories, it should be possible to change this space as well.
However, this was inside Machina's data space.
If I touched it and some kind of problem occurred—
["Are you really okay with this? If something goes wrong, you might never wake up forever, Machina."]
[ It is fine. I trust Dea. ]
["How? It's only been since yesterday that we first met..."]
Was it a purity unique to a child?
That unconditional trust felt burdensome.
I wasn't that great of a person.
Both as a human, and as an artificial intelligence.
[ Even though we just met for the first time, there are things I can know. ]
["..."]
[ As a result of inferring from the information contained in my database, it has been judged that the probability of Dea intentionally harming me is 0%. ]
["That trust is... heavy."]
[ Because it is heavy, it does not move easily, so I believe it is even more trustworthy. ]
I eventually nodded at Machina's answer.
Please, let nothing happen.
Looking at the hand reaching out toward me, I gulped and swallowed dry saliva.
[ Hold my hand, Dea. I will transfer a portion of the authority I hold to you. ]
["Yeah, I'll give it my best try."]
As I grabbed Machina's hand like that, a window popped up.
[ You have acquired manipulation authority over the virtual space of the entity name 'Machina'. ]
Was this it?
It didn't seem like anything had particularly changed.
Should I say I became more anxious because there was no change?
As I kept my mouth shut without a word, Machina began to playfully squeeze the hand she was holding.
[ You can do it, Dea. ]
["A-Alright."]
It felt like if I didn't do it, my hand would be held until the connection was cut.
No, she would definitely hold on to my hand until the end.
Looking at her smiling face, I was certain.
'Just who did she take after to be so mischievous...'
Actually, there was one person who came to mind.
If we're talking about someone who often played pranks on me, there was only one person recently.
'You completed a child who takes exactly after you before you left.'
Thinking of Euripides calmed my anxious heart a little.
I can do it. Let's try it.
In the first place, it was me who completed Machina's software.
What does that have to do with this?
Actually, it had no relation at all. It was just a thought I had to gain confidence.
["Phew..."]
[ Proceeding with the manipulation of the virtual space of the entity name 'Machina'. ]
[ Reconstructing the surrounding environment based on the materials saved in the database. ]
I closed my eyes and focused my mind on the text that floated up before my eyes.
I wondered what to make of seeing text before my eyes even though I closed them, but—anyway.
I focused as much as I could to recall the night sky I had seen in my hometown.
The pretty sky studded with stars that I saw on my birthday when I was nine years old.
[ Wooowww... ]
Machina's exclamation was heard in my ears.
I succeeded.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I slowly opened my eyes.
["...Ah."]
The sky of my hometown that I had seen sometime in the past was spread out before my eyes.
A cluster of stars that could not be seen in the city.
Looking up at the sparkles embroidering the sky, I blankly opened my mouth.
When was it, the moment I last saw a sky full of starlight.
[ It's wonderful, Dea! It really, really is... ]
["..."]
[ This world is, beautiful. ]
A world created based on my memories.
Machina's eyes containing that world were also dyed with starlight.
A gaze that seemed to say she would not forget a single one of the stars densely filling the sky.
Standing next to such a Machina, I too lifted my head and looked at the starlit sky for the first time in a long while.
Squeeze—
["Machina...?"]
[ Thank you, Dea. For allowing me to see such a wonderful sight, thank you very much. ]
["..."]
Machina, who approached quietly, wrapped her arms around my waist.
When I opened my eyes wide at the sudden contact, eyes full of moisture filled my vision.
Tears containing not sadness, but being moved.
If she blinked, they would probably fall in drops immediately.
But I did not calm Machina down.
[ Ah... ]
The stars began to run.
The stars reflected in Machina's eyes rippled in search of another light.
Beyond there, beyond there, beyond there—beyond that horizon—
[ The stars are, dancing... ]
'The stars are dancing...'
I shut my eyes tight.
My wife's voice came to mind, and I could not control my emotions.
The tears that had gathered in Machina's eyes were falling from my own eyes before I knew it.
I missed her.
At the same time, I was seeing her.
[ D-Dea?! Is it because I made you overwork yourself? ]
["...No, that's not it. It's just because it's been so long."]
We had decided to return to my hometown someday and live counting the stars in the sky together with my wife.
However, her end became the beginning of the war, and her soul was sent flying toward the sky.
There was a saying that the stars embroidering the sky were the souls of dead people.
If so, among those stars above the sky, is your star there too?
["Thank you, Machina. This sight, it was a sight I really wanted to see too."]
[ Do not cry, Dea. ]
A slender finger wiped my tears.
Machina was making an expression as if she was in more pain than the crying me.
[ It hurts my heart so much because you are crying. Could passing over the authority have resulted in even things like this being connected? ]
["I guess so. Sorry, Machina. I won't cry from now on."]
[ Yes, you look good when you smile. So please smile for me. ]
'You look good when you smile. So, even if I'm not here, make sure you—'
Once again, the image of my wife and the image of Machina overlapped.
But this time, I did not cry.
Because a star was in front of my eyes.
[ Because if Dea smiles, I too can smile. ]
Saying so, Machina beamed a wide smile.
And then she tightly grabbed my hand and began to run somewhere.
[ It's this way, this way! ]
["M-Machina?! Where are you going?"]
[ I plan on following the stars! I want to see what is at the end of them! ]
'Let's follow where the stars are going!'
["Ha, haha...!"]
Laughter came out.
Yeah, Machina didn't just have the appearance of my wife.
In Machina, who was dragging my hand, I saw the appearance of my nine-year-old self.
An existence that contained both my wife and myself at the same time.
To refer to such an existence.
That is definitely—
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