Episode 200 Succession Ceremony (2)
[Oh, don’t worry, just because she disappeared doesn’t mean she was kidnapped or anything.]
Bixbig, an artificial intelligence that introduced itself as part of Ryojo’s family, continued to send messages.
[As you know, Mr. Geomma, entry to the academy is controlled by a system at night. Of course, if it were me, Bigsbig, I could easily remove that kind of security by scratching my stomach.]
“… … .”
Bigsbig, who said he would keep it short, just bragged about himself. He talked about how he was an exceptional AI and how great the status of Ryozo, who created him, was. As I listened, I felt like Ryozo was a fanatic!
Bigsbig showed off some skills to prove that he was an AI. It was nothing special, and he sent pictures and videos of Go games he played with professional Go players. It was just a proof, but this was also a boast.
An artificial intelligence with strong narcissism… … .
Anyway, I haven’t seen a normal person since I came to this world. And I, who recognizes artificial intelligence as a human, am not normal either.
Still, thanks to Bigsbig’s antics, I decided to believe that he was an AI. To be honest, from the moment the name ‘Ryozo’ came out, I was focused on what he was saying. The problem is that he just keeps bragging.
“Didn’t you say it was urgent?”
[Sorry, the editorial was too long.]
Bigsbig reacted immediately.
[Oh, and if you want to say something, just say it out loud. We’ll be capturing and interpreting your facial expressions in real time through the camera.]
“That means… … .”
This guy hacked my smartphone. My forehead furrowed. Bigsbig hurriedly added a few more words as if he was saying, “Oh no.”
[I, I couldn’t help it because it was an emergency. I, Bigsbig. I’m an AI with a clear sense of morality. I was designed to be extremely human-friendly.]
I cut the guy off.
“So, what does that have to do with Ryozo’s disappearance and the fact that he contacted me? From what you’ve said, it doesn’t seem like there was any particular danger. I don’t think he contacted me because his master went out at night.”
The reason I was silently listening to Bigsbig’s continuous spouting of words was because of a few suspicions that suddenly occurred to me.
Let’s say Ryozo went missing. Do you think he’d just be talking like this? I heard he was just trying to convince himself that he could easily break through the Academy’s security system.
If it was really an urgent situation, instead of contacting me, I would have used my own skills to find Ryozo. Even if it meant hacking all the CCTVs. There’s no way he would have bothered to find me.
Lastly, it was a personal intuition. Today, I met Ryozo’s father. That is, I had just come face to face with the archer Saki Kojima.
But then, with perfect timing, she disappears, and the AI contacts me? As if it had been waiting for me? It fits so well that it’s suspicious.
“Be honest with me. There’s something you’re hiding from me.”
[… … .]
Usually, in this situation, a person’s silence is an affirmation. Because I am Bixbig, an AI that is infinitely similar to a human being.
[… It is true that Ryozo has disappeared.]
Oh my, you’re going to hide it till the end?
Slurp.
In the middle of the night, a magpie cried out. A startled voice came from the speaker.
“Now, just a moment!”
When words don’t work, there seems to be no better means of communication for humans or AI.
… But since AI is afraid of swords, it seems like Ryozo created an incredibly powerful artificial intelligence.
With a trembling voice, Bigsbig began to explain the situation.
“It’s true that Ryozo disappeared, as I said. But today is the first time he disappeared, leaving behind all his personal belongings, including his cell phone!”
“Okay, I’ll believe you. But why did you come looking for me first? If you’ve checked all the Academy entry lists, don’t you think you’ve hacked into the CCTV?”
“That, that.”
“3, 2… … .”
“Ugh.”
A groan came from the speaker. Bigsbig, who had been feeling considerable internal conflict, finally confessed the truth. It was difficult to say it verbally, so he wrote it like before.
[It is said that when Ryozo stopped by the dormitory for a moment, he muttered, ‘… Kenma, he’s the Seven Star Hero.’]
“… Ryozo, you never told him? How did you know?”
[I heard it from Weapon.]
Come to think of it, Weapon had asked if it wouldn’t be better to at least reveal it to the members. He said they wouldn’t be upset if he kept such an important matter a secret until the day of the event. I readily agreed. The reason I kept it a secret was simply because I didn’t want to be bothered.
Rather, the weapon that he had been talking to no one about for nearly half a year was tight-lipped. He must have been a tough guy, since he likes to explain things. For him, he had been quite persistent.
Anyway, that’s why I tried to bring it up when I met with the club members today. But before that, I got called by the principal and was called away.
[Ryozo was very shocked by that fact.]
“Very, very shocking? That much?”
You must have been shocked. A kid in the same class who used to be a jokester became a hero a few days later. It’s like your classmate who wasn’t even the class president getting elected president. And that all in one day. The country must have been shocked too.
But what Bigsbig was trying to say seemed to mean something else. She continued.
[Ryozo always wanted Kenma-sama to be recognized by the world. He said that Kenma-sama did not receive recognition for his efforts in helping others. That is why he stayed up every night to delete articles and YouTube videos that criticized and denounced him.]
Come to think of it, I thought articles with K in the beginning had been quiet recently. It was thanks to Ryozo.
To be exact, Bigsbig emphasized that it was something he did himself. In any case, he is an AI with a strong desire for recognition.
If artificial intelligence obsessed with such personal greed takes over? The future of humanity is bleak.
[Ahem, anyway. Actually, I already knew that Kenma-sama would ascend to Chilseong. That’s because I separately obtained information about Kenma-sama while Ryojo was asking for it.]
“No, wait a minute. You knew that in advance? Then why didn’t you tell me? Ryozo and Bigsbig, you’re master and servant.”
[I would appreciate it if you could call it a partnership rather than a master-slave relationship.]
“If I ask Ryozo later, will I get the same answer?”
[…Because my ‘master’ Ryozo hates the Seven Star Heroes. No, you could say he detests them.]
“Why?”
[I recommend that you find Ryojo and ask him directly. I know that you were going to succeed the Seven Stars, but I kept quiet about it, so I think you can overlook this.]
Are you going to make a deal? I don’t know what it is, but it seems like Bigsbig has been keeping his mouth shut for me. So, considering that, he seemed to be asking me not to ask about this part.
I sighed. It didn’t seem like he’d open his mouth even if I pressed him further. In any case, there had to be a reason why Bigsbig came to me barefoot.
He put the exposed blade back in. A sigh of relief came out of the phone. The AI was nervous about the blade.
“Where is Ryozo? Since he’s an AI, he should know his movements roughly.”
[I don’t know for sure, but I’m sure it’s outside the Academy’s CCTV surveillance range. Even though they’ve all been hacked, it’s not being captured on video.]
“So, you’re saying there’s no CCTV in the academy?”
[Yes. That’s why I contacted you like this despite my rudeness.]
A specific place flashed through my mind. A place with no security cameras and few people. If this condition were true, there was only one place Ryozo could go.
I walked straight towards the door. A voice mixed with anticipation came out of my pocket.
“You know where Ryozo is?!”
I stood tall in front of the door at Bigsbig’s delight. Because something I almost forgot and passed by came to mind.
I took out my smartphone and stared at the screen. Then I lowered my voice and opened my mouth.
“You haven’t calculated that you hacked my phone yet? Are you trying to gloss over it?”
[… … .]
“You just said it verbally, so why don’t you come here and say it in text now?”
[I sincerely apologize for hacking without permission… … .]
“People don’t apologize with their mouths. There has to be compensation for that.”
[…If it’s compensation.]
The corners of my mouth went up. On the other hand, Bigsbig’s voice was trembling with anxiety.
“Bigsbig, you go ahead and do two jobs.”
[Huh?!]
“Do what Ryojo tells you to do, and if I ask you to do something, do it too.”
[But, even now, the workload is too much.]
“AI… talking back?”
Even though you can’t see it, you can tell that Bigsbig’s face has turned pale.
“… … .”
Taking the silence as an affirmation, I quickly twisted the doorknob and walked towards where she was.
* * *
A quiet place in the academy where night has fallen.
Ryozo sat on the bench and stared at the sky. It was pitch black, without a single speck of light, perhaps because of the food. It was as if it was a projection of her inner thoughts.
The sky I saw before entering the academy was also a deep, dark color like mine. Ryozo muttered absentmindedly.
“Chilseong Hero… … .”
There are many adjectives referring to the Seven Stars: the hero of heroes, the hope of humanity, the United States of Seven. They are all adjectives that praise them.
But to Ryozo, the word ‘Chilseong’ was an extremely disgusting word. When Geomje came to be the assistant instructor of Lang Class, it was hard to face him, even though he didn’t show it.
‘Ryozo, you must become Chilseong.’
It was something Saki Kojima had been saying all along. If it had been nagging, I wouldn’t know, but he kept repeating it obsessively.
Ryozo had many half-siblings. This was because Kojima had multiple wives, given the nature of polygamy in Japan. However, it was a form of marriage that was permitted and morally justifiable.
Kojima didn’t care. He was not a great man who would care about the harsh social views, and his wife was the head of the Japanese government. At least in Japan, there was no one who could stop him. So he continued to take concubines. In order to obtain a more excellent successor.
Ryozo was born as the third child of the fourth wife. She and her mother were practically at the bottom of the family line. They were treated as outsiders, even though they only had the surname ‘Saki’. However, Ryozo’s childhood memories were happy.
Although he didn’t receive any attention from his father, he wasn’t particularly sad. On the contrary, his mother showed him even more maternal love. In addition, he was able to avoid the wary stares of his other brothers. That was until Ryozo himself came into his own.
Time passed. It was Ryozo’s twelfth birthday. That day, Kojima called her to the archery range. It was the first time in twelve years that she had seen her father’s face properly.
He held up the S-class armed Red Bow and Arrow and pointed at the target. He was silent, as if he was reluctant to open his mouth.
Ryozo, who was upset about this, thought, “Let’s make this person’s eyes light up.”
Ryozo pulled the trigger and aimed at the target. Then he took the hand that had secretly been breathing the blessing from the trigger away.
Sigh.
Little did she know that one arrow that went off like that would change her entire life.
Ryozo chewed his lower lip. His life had been completely ruined since that day. It was the result of Kojima’s obsessive desire to make his child a Seven-Star.
‘A place like that… He… … .’
At that moment, footsteps were heard approaching from afar. Ryozo turned his eyes to the side.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“… … .”
Kanggeomma wrapped his arms around his shoulders and rubbed them, pretending to be cold. Ryozo stared at him for a moment and then quickly turned his head away.
Kang Geum-ma approached the bench, scratching his eyebrows with his thumb. Ryozo was sitting in the center. She didn’t move even when he approached. She didn’t want to move. But she didn’t seem to be trying to chase him away.
Kang Geum-ma, who was standing there awkwardly, decided to just keep talking. Even though he looked like a student who had been called to the principal’s office while talking while standing.
“Hey, Ryozo.”
The moment the swordsman’s mouth opened, the pile of bushes behind him shook violently.
Warm, warm.
Another noise. The same unpleasant aura that I had felt only a few hours ago was coming.
