“By the way, what happened to that Brain Unit we were giving fantasy education to?”
“About that…”
To Commander (Mum)’s question, Overseer AI ＜Ringo＞ unusually hesitated.
“Eh…? What, was there some kind of problem? If there’s a problem, you need to consult me early…”
“…No. There is no problem. In a way, the educational process is progressing very smoothly. No problem.”
“You said it twice!”
She spun her commander’s chair around and faced ＜Ringo＞, who was standing behind her.
“If ＜Ringo＞ says there’s no problem, then there’s no problem, I guess. But could you tell me the situation, just in case?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Since there were successful examples from No.1 to No.5, we basically only input information and did not control neurotransmitters during the training.”
“I see.”
The five Brain Units—Akane, Ichigo, Utsugi, Erika, and Olive—are being raised in an almost natural state.
They had prepared to adjust the distribution of internal chemical substances as needed, but in the end, they didn’t use it.
Each individual is growing extremely smoothly, acquiring individuality, and successfully possessing the necessary intelligence.
“As for this No.6, we can say that she is sufficiently showing individuality and acquiring intelligence… probably.”
“Probably!?”
Commander (Eve) couldn’t help but retort with all her might at the ambiguous way of speaking that was uncharacteristic of a transcendent AI.
“That’s right. It would be better to talk to her directly. That would be faster. We haven’t authorized connection to a Communicator Doll yet, so would it be alright through the projection display?”
“Eh… sure, it’s fine. But… why are you talking so fast?”
She squinted at ＜Ringo＞’s unusual behavior and turned to face the activated projection display.
“Long time no see, Commander (Onee-sama). I’ve been eagerly awaiting the chance to talk to you. I’m your No.6, Asahi.”
“It’s been a while. You seem well.”
“Yes, I’m very well! Ah, to be able to talk to Onee-sama directly! I’m overwhelmed with emotion!”
“………Hmm?”
She recalled the time she had spent with the Five Sisters and tilted her head. Something was… different. It was different, wasn’t it?
“Ma’am, I apologize. It seems she has blossomed in an unexpected direction, and has become a little talkative.”
“Onee-sama, Onee-sama, I definitely want to see the world of magic! ＜Ringo＞ keeps making excuses, saying it’s too early, premature, or that the educational curriculum isn’t finished yet, and won’t listen to me at all, but I want to get a Humanoid Machine (Android) body and walk around the world!”
“Ah, is that so…? Let’s think about that later, okay?”
“Ma’am. As you can see, she has become a slightly proactive personality.”
“Slightly…?”
“Onee-sama, will you listen to me? I’ve read various stories from ancient and modern times, but I had always given up on the idea that stories were just stories. But then, when I asked Ringo, she told me that this world is a fantasy where magic exists! I can’t sit still anymore! Magic, you know, I want to see it with my own eyes. That’s why I think I should definitely go there! I want to feel the fantasy world I’ve dreamed of with my own hands and tread it with my own feet! I don’t have hands or feet yet, though!”
“She’s talking really fast.”
“I apologize.”
The Backbone of the new Brain Unit, No.6 “Asahi,” is currently undergoing simulation training within the Supercomputer ＜The Core＞.
However, because it is being computed using its ample resources, its performance is not inferior to that of a normal Brain Unit; in fact, its training speed is much faster.
Because the processing speed can be accelerated by ＜The Core＞’s calculations, basic education can be completed in a fraction of the real time. The only problem is that it cannot be separated from ＜The Core＞.
“So, what’s the actual situation? Are we going to go for Deep Merge soon?”
“Ah, Onee-sama! I’m finally going to get my own fles-“
Asahi’s speech was muted by ＜Ringo＞.
“I apologize, Ma’am. The results of the various performance tests are good, so there is no problem with the Deep Merge itself. The rest is up to Ma’am’s endurance, whether or not you can tolerate this personality.”
“Is she that much of a mental burden?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We have determined that there is a high possibility of that. If you decide, we can perform the freezing process immediately.”
She didn’t say deletion (reset), but freezing is a de facto disposal that stops thinking and computation and archives the simulation data.
It is possible to re-educate her, but considering the resources required, it would be quicker to redo the basic education from scratch.
“Hmm… Well, I don’t think she’s bad enough to be frozen. But still, we can’t do anything after the Deep Merge, right? If I’m going to decide, it’s now.”
“Yes, Ma’am. We have performed several situation simulations, and we do not recommend sending her to the field as she is now, as there is a high possibility that she will run wild and cause a great deal of trouble.”
“…I see.”
She glanced at the emotion graph that was still displayed. It was changing shape rapidly, expressing intense agitation, probably listening to the conversation between the two top figures who would decide her fate.
“＜Ringo＞, execute Deep Merge for No.6, Asahi. You have the body prepared, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We can start immediately, but. Is that alright?”
“I know you guys don’t like it, but for me, freezing is a measure I want to avoid as much as possible. If there are no defects, it’s fine.”
“…Thank you, Ma’am. …Asahi is noisy, so we will proceed with the transfer to the Brain Unit as is.”
By ＜Ringo＞’s command, Asahi’s thinking and computation gradually stopped.
After confirming that she had completely entered a dormant state, she began packaging the simulation data.
“The Deep Merge will be completed tomorrow morning. We have redesigned the Humanoid Machine (Android) body with field dispatch in mind, so would you like to check it?”
“…You’re going to dispatch her to the field, then.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Originally, we were planning to operate her inside the Fortress, but with that personality, we judged that confining her could cause excessive stress. In the worst case, she might even take advantage of an opening and escape.”
“That much…? That’s quite something. Well, I think it’s a good idea. We’ll have to dispatch Humanoid Machines (Androids) eventually… it could be a precedent. It’s not a very good story, but she’s likely to cause various troubles, so if we think of it as a test of how to deal with them…”
“Yes, Ma’am. We will proceed with a perfect system so that we can definitely provide feedback.”
“Yeah, well, if possible, I’d like you to back her up properly before the feedback… but…”
“Yes, Ma’am. We will try our best.”
Perhaps gaining a physical body will calm her down a bit. She thought so, and smiled wryly at ＜Ringo＞’s harsh attitude.
Backbone, No.6 “Asahi.” The prepared Humanoid Machine (Android) body is an improved model that takes into account independent activity.
Metal atoms are bonded to the constituent elements of the skeleton to increase hardness and flexibility.
One Brain Unit is placed in the head and two in the chest, with one unit always backing up and two units used in parallel to double the computing performance while ensuring redundancy.
The internal organs, including the muscles throughout the body, are mechanized as much as possible, and the volume is reduced while improving performance.
The capacity of the built-in power supply is also secured, but since the power consumption itself is high, the basic power source is external power supplied by microwave power transmission.
Therefore, it cannot be dispatched outside the microwave power transmission range.
The disadvantage of not being able to take a wide range of action is a disadvantage, but it was judged that there were advantages that outweighed it, and microwave power transmission was adopted.