“Ugh, this is stiffer than I thought. Didn’t you oil the joints?”
“It’s the initial adjustnt. Your bodies are already optimized individually, so you can move as you wish, but this unit has only just been manufactured… However, we anticipated this issue. Once we collect and apply the motion logs recorded while you move, it will be fine.”
“Wait, that... that’s private, isn’t it?”
“That’s a sensitive issue. I would appreciate it if you reconsider.”
“...Was it really that big of a deal?”
In the small factory’s underground shooting range.
A giant rectangular space, about 60 ters wide and 1.5 kiloters long, built 50 ters underground. The prototype testing for the cha-Byam had been facing difficulties from the very beginning. I’m not sure if it was appropriate to call it "difficulties," but that’s how things were.
Anyway, as the trio—Jin, Rain, and Mav—had been chattering just a mont ago, their appearance was heavenly feminine, yet inwardly… well, was she even a woman? Maybe Logan, but I’m more delicate than that—anyway, while I had so androgynous traits, these three were a perfect match of looks and essence.
In short, they were goddesses with the usual “whee, yay!” enthusiasm. Although they were much more tolerant and inclusive being non-human machines, the vibe was the sa. But I didn’t expect motion logs to be categorized as private data by these chanical brats.
“Asking that feels a bit intrusive, human.”
“…It seems there’s a misunderstanding. What I want are the nurical records of torque, power, artificial muscle movents, and other necessary data to move each joint. It’s not the kind of thing you’re thinking.”
“It’s embarrassing to reveal that, idiot.”
“...Please co over here for a mont.”
It was maddening.
After feeling a bit dizzy, I gently wrapped my tail around the Icarus Dynamics staff mber’s arm and tugged him lightly. The three cha brats tried to follow , but I raised a hand to signal them to wait. I then walked to a more secluded spot and continued.
“I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but those guys are AIs, right? They're electronic lifeforms, different from humans. They might perceive certain information differently from humans. For example, they might view motion logs as personal data.”
“…That’s a plausible explanation. What you’re saying is that a shift in perspective is necessary. I see now, my thinking was narrow.”
“Not exactly what I ant, but... well, now that I understand what they’re after, I’ll try to convince them. It's not a good idea for them to get a bad first impression, right?”
“I’ll trust you, Eugene. Please handle it.”
Those little brats, I swear.
But thinking about it from another angle, I suppose this is a fra that will need to be broken down in the future. Sure, AI will need ti to integrate into society, but... well, I seem to be the one pushing for that change. I’m not sure if I can back out now.
After our short conversation, I approached the three chas, who were starting to shake nervously, as if they’d done sothing wrong. I gently patted one’s head, and the silver hair—made of actual tal—flowed smoothly.
I smiled and added:
“Don’t worry, I’m not here to scold you. From now on, you’ll need to get used to the unit on your own. Whether you overwrite the motion logs or adjust them individually, try to replicate the process you’re going through now.”
“Eh... this might take a while, are you sure?”
“I ca down here for exactly that, so it’s not a problem. I brought snacks and drinks too, and I’m sure I won’t get bored watching the three of you struggle.”
“Huh, if Archetype says so... I’ll finish it in no ti. Get ready to be surprised!”
And just like the first ti I t them, the trio entered into their “Whee!” mode. They began talking about the prototype, which had only just been made. Naturally, they stayed far enough to avoid being overheard.
Seeing this, the Icarus Dynamics staff mber chuckled and added:
“From a distance, it looks like sothing out of a high school movie or drama. I can understand why they reacted like that earlier.”
“A high school movie, huh? I suppose it must have that vibe. Anyway... as long as they don’t break the prototype or anything, I think it’ll be fine. It’s probably better to leave them be.”
“Haha, it doesn’t sound very reassuring when you say it like that.”
“Well, as you said, they are high school types in more ways than one. Anyway, there’s no need to keep this topic going...”
Our eyes t at that mont.
They didn’t seem surprised by my sudden reaction. Taking a deep breath, the Icarus staff mber carefully spoke again.
“...Did you know?”
“Not exactly. I just felt like there was sothing more being hidden, so I probed a little. Your responses haven’t felt like the usual, ‘just let those kids play around’ kind of reaction.”
“I wasn’t intending to deceive or hide anything, but I see how it might have looked that way. Anyway, let explain briefly.”
He stood up and headed toward sowhere. Less than 30 seconds later, a clanking sound ca from a gap in the wall where he had disappeared.
I waited, wondering if he was bringing sothing out, but it was the opposite. A hand popped out of the wall, gesturing over. I walked toward it, and as I entered the room, sothing resembling a treadmill caught my eye.
It turned out to be a type of... connector, similar to one used in remote operations. The difference was that with this device, unlike most modern remote controllers that don’t allow physical movent during operation, this one worked on the opposite principle.
In other words, it ant that unless I physically moved, the system wouldn't function.
“Controlling the unit like this... I’m not sure whether I should be amazed that Icarus Dynamics is involved in this or surprised it’s been a while since this thod was used.”
“I thought you might say that. It’s quite old-fashioned. The hacking and EMP protection technologies for remote controls have been obsolete for a while. But in the end, the issue is ti. If you’d co two months later, this clumsy setup wouldn’t have been necessary.”
“Ah, so...”
As he spoke, he quickly moved toward the setup. A series of sensors, which could be attached all over the body, hung in the air like tangled spider webs, including one that could be attached to the tail. It beca clear that this was designed to control the prototype outside.
As I checked the motion logs, I could see when the cha trio had synced into the prototype. Right now, however... no one was controlling it. The terminology felt strange, but it was the most fitting term for the situation.
After all the sensors were attached, a ssage popped up asking if I wanted to connect as I put on the goggles.
And then—
“...Did that just move?”
“Mav, was that you?”
“No, wasn’t it Rain?”
“I’m done with it, I finished earlier.”
“Then why is it moving?”
At that mont, the three cha kids popped up before .
Feeling playful, I quickly turned my neck like a machine and spoke.
“Still seeing as a shell?”
“...W-Wow!”
“Take it down! Stop it!”
“Ugh, don’t break it!”
The waves of violet light—or was it fists—ca rushing at . I narrowly dodged them, using my tail to sidestep and gain distance, all while stomping on the ground with enough force to create a loud sound. I quickly added:
“It’s ! I’m controlling it remotely!”
“…Archetype?”
“Master! You can’t just pop up like that! You scared !”
“...Okay, I get it. I shouldn’t joke around with you cha brats. I know what happens when I ss with you.”
I nearly destroyed the first unit I had just gotten—well, that would have been a disaster.
They all acted like they weren’t even breathing, but I could hear them exhaling dramatically, pretending to be human. I shook my head and ended the connection, realizing that the experience, even though it only lasted a minute, was indeed dynamic.
As I exhaled, I t eyes with the staff mber who had been watching. Was that a wry smile?
Before I could ask why, I already figured it out.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, an ominous sound ca from below my feet, and just as he’d said, the top part of the treadmill collapsed, ruined by the backstep I took when retreating earlier.
“Don’t worry. The treadmill isn’t that expensive to replace.”
“…I’ll pay for it.”
And so, I ended up being misunderstood by the cha kids, who thought I broke the machine out of frustration. It had been one of those days.
“Ugh, Jin’s totally drained. I don’t think this schedule was that tough, though.”
“Sothing feels off, though. Never mind, I didn’t say anything.”
“Curious? I can tell you right now.”
“Ah, never mind!”
"Teacher’s here and already scolding the little cha brats!"
"While having fun in the US, Eugene didn’t even turn on the stream! Reflect on that!"
"My honest opinion: 1 cha-Byam per person!"
"We already have 3! What more do you want, you crazy people?!"
I couldn't help but laugh at the audience’s banter. Their responses were as ridiculous as ever, and I found myself feeling the weight of everything.
The final solo championship day was just around the corner, and things were about to get even more intense.
"Curious? I can tell you right now."
"Ah, never mind, it's nothing!"
"The teacher cos in and starts scolding the little chas, how cruel!"
"While having fun in the US, Eugene didn’t even turn on the stream! He should reflect on that! I demand more promises!"
"My honest opinion: One cha-Byam per person!"
"I already have three, what more do you want, you crazy people! Hahaha!"
"Why is Harmony getting hit as soon as she enters the broadcast???"
It seems like everyone was doing well, judging by how loud the comnts were right from the start.
The day before the final solo championship was just as chaotic as expected. Returning from Dark Zone Town, I felt the overwhelming number of people in the area more than ever. It was a strange feeling, knowing that just the night before, the place had been a little emptier.
Even though it was almost 10 p.m., the outside was teeming with people. It made sense, though. People had arrived at different tis over the past few days. There were those who had been here since last week, touring around, while others had just arrived that day.
Anyway, that wasn’t the important part.
"You guys don’t even seem like you want to move from the bed. You must have had a lot of fun rolling around."
"There’s another sky above the sky..."
"Bueeeh."
"Did they forget how to speak?"
"Look at them imdiately poking cheeks!"
"The Byam likes cute things, huh."
"He treats them like he’s petting a dog!"
"I want to turn into a Byam nun and squeeze between them!"
The viewers' overly detailed antics… or rather, their complaints were mostly ignored as I sat with two limp cha-Byams on the bed, starting to ask them questions one by one.
"Did you learn a lot?"
"I can’t take in more knowledge than this…"
"Why is it that no matter how much we learn, we can’t beat those two? Even when they matched our physical abilities, we couldn’t win once… Ugh…"
"You can’t catch up in a day or two."
I thought to myself that, technically speaking, the sharks and polar bears had decades of combat and deploynt experience, plus around five years' worth of experience from the Dark Winter Crisis.
Those people, even if they had a 'physical abilities equalizer,' would never win that easily.
Of course, the real cheat code was the five years' worth of combat data that we—Awakened ones—had accumulated during our operator vs. operator experiences. That data was more extensive than decades of actual military deploynt.
People who had worked in the military for 30 years couldn't beat us, and the reason for that was obvious.
At any rate, before the two of them threw another tantrum, I decided to intervene. Tomorrow was the final championship, and it had been a while since I’d given out a "tail reward."
It felt a little strange to reward with my tail, but at this point, it didn’t matter. The real worry was whether these two would be too shocked.
I just thought to myself that maybe there were more people in this world who liked reptiles or amphibians than I expected. As I was thinking that, a ssage I had recently received popped up, and when I checked it—surprisingly different from last year’s empty schedule—it was sothing I hadn’t anticipated.
"Other than the event match on Wednesday, I don’t think there’s much else to do this year. It’ll be a pretty boring ti. I suppose watching you all perform will keep my spirits up."
"If you put it like that, you're essentially saying you’ll relax while watching others blow up…"
"Right, so I guess I can take comfort in scolding Dice instead?"
"Hahaha, you raised them to say whatever they want and now you’re scolding them!"
"?? : People are equal, but so people are more equal than others."
"Then make sure to wear a Byam tail, hahaha!"
"Is Dice secretly a masochist...?"
I poked Dice in the side with my tail, making her squirm and let out a little painful laugh as I continued to playfully tease her. anwhile, Logan, Lorentina, and Olivia—who looked a bit disheveled—walked over.
Lorentina pulled out a chair and sat down while glancing around, as though she was trying to say sothing in sign language—military sign language, to be exact.
Of course, Harmony and Dice could clearly see what was going on.
"Wow, that’s so cool. I want to learn it too."
"I knew you’d say that. Look what I prepared… Ta-da! You can now get 8 weeks of free accommodation and als at the Navy boot camp!"
"When did you get that stupid Navy application? It’s not even valid."
"Ugh..."
"The shark’s face shrank back!"
"Wow, that grab was insanely fast!"
"All I saw was the afterimage!"
"By now, Logan must have already predicted this, right?"
"The Byam looks so confused!"
Logan burned the paper right there, and it vanished in a puff of smoke. It seed he had made a fake Navy enlistnt application using so expensive flash paper. What an unexpectedly talented shark.
Anyway, to return to what happened just now… What Logan did was sign language, developed by Icarus itself, and no one could decode it. It included several aningless gestures, which, when interpreted, turned out to be:
"-Thanks to the youngest opening the way, the three Icarus gear were successfully returned to the other side. Thank you."
The Icarus gear being ntioned here was the equipnt that Henry, the emperor from the other world, had awarded to the trio during his visit to Disney World.
At first, I couldn’t believe he gave them such equipnt, but luckily, it was safely returned. I nodded in approval, thinking that the gate he set up made it all happen smoothly.
While the viewers were debating about what Lorentina had said, the sign language continued. What they were signing was:
"-By the way, when I went to return the gear, I saw sothing interesting. A smaller cha prototype than the youngest had already been completed. I heard it’s a managent AI, and could this be a result of the last operation?"
Ah, that.
Logan and Olivia were both looking at , clearly wanting to know my answer, so I briefly responded:
"If I have ti later today… I’ll go visit that world. You all can co too. You probably know part of it already, but I’ll explain more in detail while we’re there."
Of course, I answered like that, but I couldn’t suppress my chuckles. I already knew about it, but it still felt absurd.
This wasn’t so nanobot issue. Now even Byams were multiplying.
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