The Strongest AI and the Repair Shop

The press conference where Dr. Kuroi announced his development of a strong artificial intelligence was currently in full swing.

“Whoa……”

I let out a dumbfounded sigh while watching the video that was blowing up across the internet. The fact that Dr. Kuroi had created a strong artificial intelligence using the circuit from my Nemo Buster left ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me utterly speechless.

Of course, this wasn’t the kind of stunned fury mixed with rage that the people whose belongings had been stolen might feel. It was the complete opposite. I was genuinely shocked that the man had managed to build a strong AI using nothing but a toy circuit.

What the hell… Why would you make a strong AI out of a toy like that?

The circuit inside that toy robot was literally toy-grade. The kind of circuitry that kids played with. Yet this guy had somehow completed a strong artificial intelligence with just that. If I had to compare it to something, it was as absurd as claiming you could build a computer by stacking enough abacuses.

Replicating a computer with redstone blocks in Minecraft would have been far more sophisticated technology. To make something like that work, you’d need either an insane amount of tedious labor or a stroke of absolute genius… and even then, the result would have no practical value whatsoever.

After all, an AI built by simply stacking circuits had no room for further development. It was impossible for it to evolve beyond the performance limits of its own hardware. If this had been on Earth, it would have been the kind of video some rich experiment YouTuber might make for fun, only to regret it later when the views didn’t justify the cost.

In other words, from my perspective, this was a perfect trifecta of wasted money, wasted time, and wasted effort.

“Man, I’m dying for a proper science class right now……”

A low, smug sense of superiority welled up inside me—the urge to shove some proper knowledge into the heads of these backward scientists and enlighten them. But I forced myself to calm down and set my smartphone aside.

Teaching scientific knowledge to the people of this world? It was entirely possible. If the problem was revealing too much, I could just play the part of a once-in-a-century genius scientist and dole out knowledge in moderation.

But what would be the point? That knowledge wouldn’t even be something I had struggled to create myself. And more importantly, unless I planned to hide my knowledge for the rest of my life, it wasn’t something I could afford to do.

Even if I gradually raised the level of science here, reaching anything close to Earth’s standards would be an incredibly arduous task… At the very least, it would be impossible before I die.

That meant I would have to live the rest of my life feeling frustrated by these people. The moment I failed to suppress that impulse even once, a major disaster would surely follow. In that case, it was better not to teach them anything from the start.

And even if I did become a genius scientist, what then? I’d attract unnecessary attention, get targeted by villains, and end up half-imprisoned in some research lab doing nothing but experiments every day. I’d earn far less than those businessmen playing with money and be expected to be satisfied with it.

It would be a life no better than what I had now.

“Ah, but maybe I should ask for at least one identity.”

Thinking back on Levitan’s situation, I figured it might be good to have at least one respectable occupation I could use in society. After all, I couldn’t exactly introduce myself by saying, “Nice to meet you. I’m an evil scientist.”

With that thought in mind, I immediately took out my phone and contacted the boss. The call connected almost instantly, as if she had been anxiously waiting in case I had caused yet another incident.

“Ah, Boss. There’s something I’d like to discuss… Do you have a moment?”

“It’s fine. Come to the chairman’s office……”

When I arrived at the top floor of Evils Enterprise and entered the CEO’s office, Regalia was reading a newspaper. The front page visible from where I stood was filled with articles about recent events.

“—You’ve arrived.”

Regalia, having noticed me, folded the newspaper ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and placed it on her desk. A quick glance at her face revealed deep exhaustion; she seemed to have been severely tormented by this issue. That made sense. After all, she had put that kind of advanced circuitry into a mere ten-thousand-won toy. Not only customers but even the company’s own executives must have been in an uproar.

They would have hounded her with questions about how on earth she had made such a thing, while customers began expecting the next product to come with that level of performance as standard. And now that it had been revealed one could create a strong artificial intelligence using that toy circuit, she would be hounded by every country, city, and corporation imaginable.

“You look very tired.”

“……Ah, yes. Thanks to a certain someone. Still, it’s not to the point where I can’t endure it. Thanks to this.”

Regalia shook a cup filled with yellow liquid as she spoke. It was hard to tell at first glance, but I soon realized it was one of Evils Enterprise’s energy drinks. Just how exhausted must she be for a girl who was barely a teenager to be constantly drinking something like that…?

I spoke in a genuinely worried tone.

“Drinking that stuff will stunt your growth.”

“Pfft—! Cough, cough—! I-is that true!? Why are you only telling me something so important now……!”

“Huh? It’s common sense. That stuff keeps you up at night. If a kid stays up late, they won’t grow properly.”

“Ah…… So that’s what you meant. I thought—.”

For some reason she had flown into a rage, only to suddenly breathe a sigh of relief. Seeing that, I realized now was the perfect time to bring up why I had come all the way here.

“I’d like to take on a little side job.”

“A side job?”

“Yes. Well, I need some kind of identity I can use when introducing myself to people outside.”

“If you want, I can create a position for you as head of a research lab?”

“That feels a bit too grand.”

“I suppose that makes sense.”

For her, creating a single forged ID for an otherworlder who had fallen from Earth to this world wasn’t particularly difficult. However, even for her, forging both an identity and academic credentials just to appoint me as head of a research lab was quite the burden.

There was a chance someone might investigate my background out of curiosity about my relationship with Regalia and discover the forgeries. More importantly, if Regalia suddenly parachuted a scientist into her own lab, it would inevitably draw attention from all directions.

In the most miraculous—and completely illogical—stroke of speculation, someone might even discover that I was the developer of that toy circuit. After all, human tenacity could sometimes transcend theory.

“Very well. Then what would you like to do?”

“I was thinking of opening a small shop and getting some fresh air there. Somewhere quiet.”

“Hmmm… A quiet shop, you say……”

“How about something like a general repair shop?”

“……You’re not going to cause another incident there, are you?”

“Come on— How could fixing a few things possibly cause an incident?”

Regalia stared at me with suspicious eyes. After glaring for a long while, she let out a deep sigh and waved her hand, shooing me away as she said she would prepare it.

When I took the chairman’s private elevator down to the middle floors, the security-covered walls turned into clear glass. The scenery of E City unfolded magnificently before my eyes.

It was a beautiful city. Even more so because it wasn’t polluted by industrial waste. Soon, I would truly become a resident of this city.

Not as an evil scientist, but as an ordinary citizen running a small repair shop.

Rustle……

Shattered pieces of concrete rolled across the floor along with dust. Niverna, the hero who had just opened her eyes, stared blankly into space with a dazed expression, as if she had no idea why she was there.

A moment later, a roar from far away snapped her back to her senses.

“Ah……”

Only then did Niverna remember that she had been sent flying by Galrm’s fist, that she had been unable to withstand the impact, and that she had ultimately passed out.

Still embedded in the building, Niverna struggled to break free from the wall and descended to the ground. After taking a few shaky steps on trembling legs, she realized she had no strength left in her body. She also realized that the power source of her hero suit—the very thing that gave her strength—had been cut off.

Is it… broken?

If the power was gone, she wouldn’t even be able to remove the suit by herself. She would need to return to headquarters and use their special equipment along with the help of the scientists there.

The problem was that she didn’t have the strength left to make it back. To make matters worse, it seemed the communication device had been damaged along with the suit, because she couldn’t contact headquarters at all.

Of course, if she didn’t return, headquarters would quickly send people to rescue her. The real question was whether she could hold on until then.

“Haa… haa—”

Perhaps she had been hit in a bad spot, because breathing was difficult. She wanted nothing more than to tear off this suffocating suit, but she couldn’t remove it alone. If her condition worsened any further, she might even lose her life in the worst-case scenario.

That was the absolute worst outcome.

Leaning against the wall, Niverna struggled to walk toward a place where people were gathered. She figured that if a hero like her collapsed in plain sight, someone would at least report it to the police or fire department.

As she walked, Niverna suddenly stopped upon spotting a certain shop. The shop door was open. She could sense someone’s presence. It was a person.

Hurry… I need help……

Step. Step.

When the suited hero entered the shop, the person inside tilted their head and looked at her.

“Who……”

“I am the hero Niverna. My communication devices are all broken right now—could you please report that I am here instead?”

“……A hero?”

The man paused for a moment at the word “hero,” then nodded as if he understood and picked up his phone to make a call somewhere. After finishing the report, he approached her and spoke.

“You look uncomfortable. Wouldn’t it be better to take off the suit?”

“I’m sorry, but… the suit is broken……”

“Ah, I see.”

“And one more thing, I’m sorry but… could I lie down and rest for a bit……?”

“Come this way.”

The man guided her to a bed inside a room at the back of the shop. Under normal circumstances, she would have refused to lie on someone else’s bed while wearing a dirty suit, but in her pain-stricken state, she had no energy left to worry about such things.

The moment she lay down on the bed, she felt as if her entire body was being swallowed by the mattress and fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, a very familiar ceiling greeted her. She was at the Hero Association headquarters.

“You’re awake?”

“……Director?”

“Good, you’re awake. Write your report and then go home and rest.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Upon seeing the director, Niverna tried to get up but stopped when she noticed her suit had been removed. The association staff must have taken it off while she was unconscious. In that case, they would already know the suit was broken.

Feeling guilty for destroying the suit, she bowed her head to the director and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Director. I destroyed the suit……”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Pardon? I said the suit was broken.”

“No, your suit was perfectly fine.”

“……What?”

When Niverna looked at the director with a confused expression, the director scratched his cheek with an apologetic look.

“You must be in pretty bad shape. You can write the report tomorrow, so just go home and rest for today.”

“……Understood.”

There were more things she wanted to say, but Niverna held her tongue. A fleeting moment of curiosity was far less important than clocking out on time. Clocking out on time was sacred.