Volume 1 - CH 9

“Anyway, let’s go to the bathroom.”

“Bathroom !?”

Shinobu san, who brought me to the small apartment in front of the station, uttered this while taking off her jacket.

That’s….what it means, right…… I’ve only done it with Saki, so I don’t know if I’m good at it or not…… and it’s been a while since I’ve done it with her, so….. oh yeah,  she was cheating on me……haha …..

That’s not it ! This would be cheating, right……? But Saki was cheating on me…… No, but I’m sure Saki isn’t cheating on me at this time…….!

“N-no, I can’t !”

“Eh?”

When I refused desperately, I found Shinobu san in the bathroom with her clothes still on while holding a large ax.

“Shi….Shinobu san, just because…..I refused….!”

“Here.”

Before I could think about how I should beg for my life, Shinobu san swung th axe down. Into the bathtub filled with hot water. Immediately after that.

“Fui——-ba—-!”

An agent with an unbelievably high tension jumped out of the bathtub, raising both arms.

“Was it the gold ax you dropped? Or a silver ax? Was it the gold ax you dropped? Or a silver ax? Was it the gold ax you dropped? Or a silver ax?”

“Agent, test mode.”

“Was it….”

The agent, who had stopped speaking only the same words like a broken machine or like an NPC in a game, stopped it’s movements and voice with a single word from Shinobu san. Apparently, they really are robots. Or rather, that’s about the only thing I can understand about this situation. What the hell is going on……?

“…..First of all, it’s just the beginning.”

I could do nothing but stand in front of the bathtub, and Shinobu san’s monologue echoed in my ears. I thought, and Shinobu san suddenly bowed her head.

“I am sorry. I caused you trouble, Kouki kun.”

“Trou……ble…..?”

What do you mean by “trouble”? Is it because you took me out in the middle of the night? But that’s not important…

“…..I’ll start by explaining about agents.”

Shinobu san lifted her head and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, stroking the agent’s hair. The way the hair sways looks like it belongs to a real human being. But without a doubt, it’s a robot. It was developed by Phoenix, the company which Shinobu san works for.

“If I were to describe the Agent in one word, it would be a goddess-shaped robot. You’ve heard that, haven’t you, Kouki kun?”

“Yeah…..I heard it from the agent.”

“But it’s definitely possible in this day and age. Even 10 years from now, it would be unbelievably possible, right? That’s because it uses the power of the universe.”

“U……Universe…..?”

“I’ll try to be brief, because if I go into details, I’ll be fired for leaking information. Isn’t the universe amazing?　Time is warped, stars are born, and it has so much power that even the end doesn’t exist. Agents are powered by the power of the universe and the water of the earth. It is controlled by AI. The possibilities are endless. A goddess-type robot that can reverse time, create matter, and even give birth to life. Can you understand this far?”

“Hm…..hmm……”

As a liberal arts major, I have no idea, nor do I want to understand it. I don’t care about the theory. What I want to ask is about Shinobu san.

“What do you mean by “trouble”?”

“That’s……the bug in the agent. I don’t know if it’s a bug or an advance in AI……. The agent lied of its own accord.”

“I am not lying. I am a perfect robot who only tells the truth.”

The agent, who had been silent until a moment ago, started talking. It seems as if it has a will at this point.

“I think the agent said that she was released into the ocean for an experiment, but that was a lie. In fact, she escaped. Then, for her own evolution, she contacted Kouki kun independently and tried to gain further knowledge by making you go back in time. All for one purpose.”

“Filthy humans must perish !”

Shinobu san is troubled by the agent’s sudden outburst. In other words, that means……? Does that mean that the machine is working on its own to revolt against humans……!?

“……It’s impossible even for Phoenix to completely control an agent like this. After all, the agent is a goddess.”

“…… but they know how to turn off the power and how to call it off, so they can do something about it, right? No, I have no idea.”

“Theoretically, yes. But the upper management didn’t approve of it. They knew how to stop it, so they wanted to get the results of the experiment by moving the agents as they pleased. Kouki kun was caught up in it. And I, your friend, was sent back in time to shut you up.”

“I see…….eh? Shut me up?”

Shinobu san stood up and took out a blank check from her pocket. It only means one thing.

“Please officially become a subject of the agent. You will be monitored for a while…..probably a few years. And you must not mention the Agent to anyone. In exchange, we will pay you as much money as you want. All for future technological developments.”

……I wonder what the 16 year old me would think of Shinobu san sacrificing her friends for the sake of her job. Would I be disappointed in Shinobu san for selling out her friends? Would I accept the job just because I could get paid for it?

I don’t know, but now that I’m an adult, I do. This is what a job means. Job is something that you have to do even if you don’t want to do it. I cannot blame Shinobu san.

When did I become like this? I grew up and became capable of arguing with my family. I feel like I have lost something in return. If that’s what you call growing up, I’m …….

“I don’t need money. If Shinobu san asked me for it, how could I refuse?”

“…..Sorry.”

This must be what the upper management of Phoenix was aiming for. Keeping their expenses as much as possible. The best way to do this is to use people you know. If I ask for a lot of money here, Shinobu san’s reputation could be damaged. I can’t do that.

“But I’m a 16 years old right now.”

If  I were a member of society, it’s normal for us to have a give and take contract. But now I have no job to lose.

“There are conditions for my cooperation. However, I will not tell you that now. Tell that to the higher-ups.”

“…..I understand.”

Let’s at least keep them in check. I’m not sure how I’d feel if I had to completely give in to the other party’s conditions, or if I had to take a bite out of their drink. They can worry about what I want. That’s my purpose.

“Well, that’s it for today. Agent, just for a moment, revert Kouk kun back to his 10-years later form.”

“Gagaga….piip. Agent, out of order…….”

“I’ll give you the ax later.”

“At your service.”

When Shinobu san and the agent exchanged a few words, my body suddenly felt heavy. My shoulders are stiff, or my body feels sluggish…

“It’s nice to be young,…….”

“It all comes at once when you’re over 25. We’re both getting old.”

My reflection in the bathroom mirror. It’s the real me, the 26-year-old me, the one I was used to seeing until recently. No hold barred party after work, huh?

“Hey, let’s have a drink after a long time, shall we～?”