Chapter 2 (1/2)

Here’s the second chapter.  I’ll likely have the next one out around Sunday.

Chapter 2: Snow-colored world

“Friend?”

Tilting her head slightly, the girl repeated the question.

“Yes.  As I was already alone at the time that my consciousness formed, I have no friends,” she said plainly.

“Huh? So you weren’t conscious before the world ended?”

“Correct. The awakening of my ego, my becoming self-aware, and the formation of my own consciousness all happened after the world’s collapse.”

“I see. That must’ve been lonely.”

“Yes, probably.”

“Probably?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I believe that I’m lonely. And I likely begun my exploring in order to meet you.”

“It makes me kind of happy when you put it like that.”

Bowing, the girl whispered in her heart that this must have been a destined encounter.

“And so, will you be my friend?”

The girl raised her head, and replied “Alright” without hesitation.

The girl was also without friends. Or rather, she was the only one who she could rely on. There was no reason to refuse.

“Thank you so much. I’m glad.”

“I’m glad too. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well.”

She raised her right hand, and the girl did the same.

“And so, let us begin with your education. With you as you are now, this can’t be considered an equal relations.h.i.+p.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I have determined that you lack the knowledge needed to stand alone as an individual.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Yes. In the event that my functions became compromised, you would be broken along with me. So in other words, right now you are reliant on me. That can’t be considered ‘equal,’ and friends ought to have an equal relations.h.i.+p.”

“I see,” the girl nodded deeply. “Alright, then educate me.”

The girl understood the meaning of the word “education,” and also knew that it was a very enjoyable thing. Although she had no memory of ever having been educated in the first place.

“Taking into account the education methods of pre-destruction mankind as well as common knowledge as a basis, I shall form a subroutine.”

“Alright.”

The girl smiled.

“Then without delay…”

Since she stood up, the girl hurried to do the same. And then the sheet that had been covering her fell to the floor.

As the climate control in this place was perfectly functional, there was no need for heavy covers.

The girl didn’t know this yet, but said climate control was operating solely for her sake. Because she had no need for such things.

“You can go to sleep if you want,” she said.

“‘Kay. But… I don’t really want to be alone.”

“Very well.”

She sat back down in a most graceful manner. The girl understood how graceful these movements were.

“Hey, I’m thirsty.”

“Ah, one of the energy replenishment methods that humans require. Without the intake of liquids at regular intervals, they cannot function.”

“So you don’t drink water?”

“I do not. My energy is supplied by power cells.”

“Power cells?”

“I’ll explain it later. What would you like to drink? I’m unable to make anything overly complicated since we only have a simple food maker, though.”

“Simple food maker?”

The girl had no knowledge of what that was.

“It’s a simple type of food maker.”

“Yeah, I figured as much. But what exactly is a food maker?”

“A food maker,” she said, “is a machine which has a database component that contains the molecular structure of many different types of food as well as a printer component which replicates said structure.”

“So basically, it can reproduce the types of food that are recorded inside it?”

“Yes. Would you like a more detailed explanation?”

“‘Kay.”

Aside from electricity, the replication function only requires a small amount of water. And since food makers can also create water itself, indefinite operation is possible through the usage of that as an ingredient. I shall also repeat this a second time since it’s important- aside from electricity.”

“Huh, it sure is convenient.”

“It certainly is,” she nodded slightly. “This technology changed the history of mankind a great deal. Incidentally, around ninety percent of mankind’s food requirements came to rely on these food makers.”

“Is that right…” the girl nodded deeply. “And the simple-type is what we have here?”

“Yes. Food makers are very large appliances, so they aren’t found in public areas. Naturally, they aren’t found in private homes either.”

“Is there any difference aside from size?”

“The number of recorded food types is lower. Also, it’s impossible to replicate more complex foods. It’s a tradeoff for the printer and database components taking up less s.p.a.ce.

“I see. Thanks for the explanation.”

“You’re welcome. And as an addendum, it’s also possible to swap out their cooking databases.”

“Ah, then how about a café au lait?”

The girl had no memory of ever having drank one, but she felt as if it was something that she liked.

“Café au lait?” she replied. “You wish to know whether or not that is in the database?”

“Yeah, the girl said. “I want to drink a café au lait.”

“Its data should be included.”

She stood back up and reached out to the girl.

“Let’s go together.”

“‘Kay.”

The girl took her hand.

It was soft and slightly warm.

“I’m bored.”

One day, the girl suddenly exclaimed this.

It was three months after she had begun the girl’s education.

“Bored?” She quietly processed this. “Not interesting. Without worth. Without meaning. Not fun. Without a point. Is that what you mean?”

The girl rolled onto the library floor.

And then,

“Yeah, it’s probably something like that,” she said, stretching her back.

Still sitting opposite her, she placed the tablet that she had been teaching the girl with and looked at her.

Up until a few days ago, the girl showed no signs of boredom.

Even she understood the concept of boredom, as her functions were similar to that of a human brain. This is why she tried teaching the girl many things, so as to avoid repet.i.tion.

And of course they took breaks when they would play together.

“You don’t mean that you’re tired?” she tilted her head.

“I’m able to run from one end of this library to the other, I’m not tired.”

“I see. Then what exactly is the problem? Is it with my teaching methods?”

“Ummm,” the girl got back up. “Your teaching method is perfect. It’s fun, and I can understand everything.”

“It’s fun? Even though it’s boring?”

She tilted her head in the opposite direction.

She found the girl’s a.s.sertion to be contradictory.

“Studying is fun, and it’s great to learn about new things. But it’s just tiring to do the same thing every single day, you know?”

“So it’s the realization of a lack of stimulation?”

“Yeah, that’s probably it.”

“I see. I shall modify my education subroutines in order to become more stimulating.”

She hopped onto her feet.

“We can save that for tomorrow. But can we do something fun right now?”

“Hmm.”

She pondered.

What can she do so that the girl will be satisfied?