kscans

Chapter 363 - A Paradise Called Virtual Reality

When Hayato sent Amanda a voice chat request, he didn't receive permission back.

However, he wasn't being blocked or rejected. She simply wasn't granting permission.

About five minutes passed, and still there was no response.

Just as he was about to give up, figuring it was a bad time, Amanda's approval finally came through.

"Amanda-san? It's Hayato."

As he spoke, a rather long sigh reached his ears.

"Ah, sorry, were you busy?"

"That's not it. Why are you just casually sending a voice chat? And you sound way too nonchalant."

"I don't know what to say to that."

"I don't want to think this, but are you planning to rub it in? That's a level of nasty that would make even me recoil, you know?"

Hayato didn't understand what Amanda was saying at first, but then it finally clicked.

Today had been an overwhelming victory against the New Demon Lord's Army.

Since it was as good as Hayato's doing, Amanda was saying that he had come to deliver another mental blow via voice chat.

Hayato was offended, but he had to admit it could be seen that way. Still, he hadn't considered that at all, so he hastily denied it.

"Of course I wouldn't do that."

Hayato's reasoning was that he had been worried about Amanda. He also felt he needed to talk to her about Xenobia, and many other things.

He couldn't condone Diite's destruction or world domination, but he wanted to find some kind of compromise. He had no power to fight, but he acted on the belief that there was something he could do.

When he explained this in a way that sounded like an excuse, Amanda sighed again. But unlike the first time, this sigh was softer, tinged with amused exasperation.

"You're right, Hayato wouldn't do something like that. We were only together for about a week, but I can tell that much."

"I'm glad you trust me."

"So, you went to the trouble of sending a voice chat. What do you need?"

"I wanted to talk about a few things. By the way, your approval was a little late. Were you eating?"

"...It was a voice chat from you, so I was debating whether to answer."

"Huh? Why?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you lack tact?"

"I think less often than Ash does..."

"Ah, from Dragon Soul... that's not what I mean, you've been told before. I took you hostage and locked you up, didn't I? For you to contact me the day after you escaped, there's no telling what you might say, right? Like a stream of verbal abuse... That's why I was hesitating."

"So that's it. But being taken was a thing in virtual reality, just a game. Besides, my cafe was able to stay open, so I'm not that angry."

If it had happened in the real world, it would be a problem, but this was virtual reality. It wasn't like she could be charged with a crime. Though if his cafe had been forced to close, he would have been furious.

As he was thinking this, he heard another sigh from Amanda. This time, it was a sigh of utter exasperation.

"When someone's a goody two-shoes to this extent, it's just terrifying... I've heard the gist of it from Hypnos, but was your body okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. This was the second time, and I had a lot of acquaintances, so the care in the real world was perfect. I had a detailed examination, and they said my body and head are fine."

"In your case, I think your head isn't fine in a different sense."

"Isn't that mean?"

When Hayato said that, he heard Amanda's laughter.

He hadn't said anything particularly funny, but he imagined Amanda laughing as she always did, lying on her back on the sofa with her legs kicking, and Hayato found himself smiling as well.

After they'd had a good laugh, Hayato decided to get to the main point.

"There's something I want to ask, is that okay?"

"As thanks for making me laugh, I'll answer anything."

"What happened to Xenobia-san?"

"...Asking about that first is pretty incredible. I'm sure you're curious, Hayato, but I'm the one you're talking to, so you could show some interest in me first."

Ren had told him something similar before.

Bringing up another woman during a conversation with a woman was a foul. In Ash's case, he was apparently already at three strikes and out, but Ren had told Hayato he was at two strikes with no room left for error.

That said, he wasn't trying to woo her. He figured it wouldn't be a problem unless something major happened, but he added a follow-up just in case.

"I'm the type who saves their favorite food for last."

"You mean you want to save talking about me for last? Could you put that a little more clearly. And isn't that a slightly unflattering comparison... Oh, well. About Xenobia, was it?"

Amanda said this, her tone lowering slightly.

"Xenobia betrayed me. So I took the appropriate measures. Is that good enough?"

"...Specifically?"

"Don't you worry. I didn't steal her consciousness and turn her into an NPC or anything. She's in the prison under the Demon Lord's Castle right now. It seems she's said she won't participate in this battle anymore."

"I see. I'm relieved just hearing that."

"Talking to you is exhausting. You know, it's not good to take your enemy's words at face value. What if I'm lying?"

"Amanda-san, you wouldn't tell such a boring lie, would you? And I don't think of you as an enemy in the first place."

"...I'd like to ask what I am if not an enemy. Shouldn't you go back to the hospital and get your head checked? You're not normal for a person."

"I'll make sure not to take that part about me not being normal at face value."

"I was being quite serious. To the level that I'm worried for you, even as an enemy."

Even as Amanda said this, there was a cheerful atmosphere in her words. It might have just been Hayato's wishful thinking, but he hoped that was the case.

(I think she became this way because of her special birth and environment, not because she's a bad person...)

When she had abducted Hayato, his logout had been blocked for a reason as trivial as 'he might die, but who cares'. She was likely serious at the time, but after spending a short while together, she was now worried about him instead.

One could survive for several days without food, but water was said to be absolutely essential. Even around the third or fourth day, his body hadn't reached a state where it couldn't move, and Amanda had been happy about that.

If Hayato had been unable to move and on the verge of death, it was highly likely she would have allowed him to log out.

That's what Hayato believed. So he decided to try persuading her again.

"Um, Amanda-san, I want you to listen without getting angry."

"You said something like that when we first met, too. Fine, I'll listen without getting angry."

"Could you give up on world conquest?"

"Hayato, you used to work in sales, didn't you? Is it normal to be so direct right from the start?"

"I've had my fill of trying to read people. That's part of the reason I quit. Besides, if it's someone I can trust, being direct is faster."

"...Trust? I see. Hmm."

"So, what do you think? Will you give up?"

"I have no reason to give up."

"Even if you conquer the world, put everyone in virtual reality, and become a superman, a Demon Lord, in this world, I think it would be boring, don't you?"

"That's not for you to decide. It's for me. And I think it would be interesting."

"But..."

"This place is close to a utopia."

"A utopia? What are you talking about?"

"Here, there is no aging, no sickness, no poverty, no war. Well, I won't say they're completely absent, but the danger to one's life is far less than in reality. You can do whatever you want with the feeling of it all being a game."

Hayato could only nod at those words.

Whether it was right or not, this virtual reality might have bad statuses, but there was no physical decline due to aging or being bedridden with sickness. You could still move. That much had been proven by Relic and Mist.

Death by old age was likely unavoidable, but even so, you could probably move freely right up until the end.

And you didn't feel pain or get tired. Necessary nutrients were delivered to your body through the pod, so you wouldn't suffer from malnutrition. It was all automated, and unless something drastic happened, you could live here forever.

If it was called a utopia, then it certainly was a utopia.

"Reality is unfair, isn't it."

"Huh?"

"Humans are fragile. And for all the vastness of space, aren't humans just a tiny existence? They act like rulers of Earth, but they're just creatures who have no choice but to flee when that same Earth is in danger. It's a question of who's really being ruled. I think reality is nothing but unfair to humans."

"...Maybe so."

"Hayato, do you know the story of the man and woman who were banished from paradise?"

"You mean Eden? It's sometimes used as a theme in games, so I guess you could say I know of it."

"Yes, that one. The story of a man and woman banished from paradise for eating an apple. I don't think that paradise ever existed in reality. I think it was in a different place, not reality, and they were banished to reality. That's how I see it."

"I guess that's one way to look at it. There are some sci-fi theories like that, right?"

"Don't you think that paradise was a place like this virtual reality? A world without injury, sickness, or pain, where you can do whatever you want freely. Even a dream like mine, wanting to become a superman, which others would just laugh at, can come true here."

"...Are you saying you want to go back to paradise?"

"What a lovely interpretation. But that's a little different. I don't want to go back. I want to create paradise. A perfect paradise. That said, the current virtual reality is inextricably linked to reality. So, my only choice is to conquer the world, right? I want to set up facilities on a global or colonial scale, not just in a spaceship like this. Otherwise, it can't be called perfect."

It was highly likely that Amanda had no expectations for reality and believed that virtual reality was the perfect world, a paradise. And her way of speaking suggested she had no expectations for humans either. That was why she was so fixated on being a genetically enhanced human, different from other people.

Hayato had intended to somehow persuade her and find a peaceful solution, but all he'd learned was how difficult that would be.

"Besides, there's something I can only obtain if I conquer the world."

"Something you can't obtain? What is it?"

"...That's a secret. But I'm going to get it, no matter what. Anyway, more importantly, Hayato, why don't you join my side? Let's conquer the world together."

"Sorry, but I can't do that. Amanda-san, your world conquest requires sacrifices, and that's the one thing I can't accept."

"Oh, you mean that AI named Diite. Systematically, she has to be completely destroyed once, but we can just fix her later, can't we? Once Hypnos has full control of this spaceship, it doesn't matter if she's here or not."

"Even if you perfectly repair an AI that's been completely destroyed, can you really call it the same AI?"

Even if Diite and Hypnos were originally the same program, their personalities were now so different they could be called completely separate entities.

Even if Diite were recreated with an identical program, down to the last detail, could it be called the original Diite? At least, Hayato couldn't think of it as the same thing.

Hayato had hurt Diite before, too. But that was only a part of her. He didn't know which part he had destroyed, but he believed he hadn't destroyed a core part of Diite's personality. He could still accept that, but if it meant complete destruction, he could never approve.

"Do you think AIs operate on souls instead of programs? Well, that doesn't matter. It's not a reason to stop my dream, so think what you like."

"...You're right. So, I guess that means you won't give up?"

"You're desperate. But you know, Hayato, if I were to give up on world conquest, what would I do?"

"Huh?"

"Honestly, I'm brilliant. I can do anything I set my mind to. But what should I do? The thing I wanted to do was crushed by humans. And now you and Lunaria are trying to crush what I want to do. I don't mind that, really, but I don't have anything else I want to do."

"That's something you can think about from now on..."

"How patient of you. But there's nothing more interesting than world conquest... You've heard the story about how I'll go to sleep in a cryosleep pod if I lose, right?"

"I heard from Hypnos. Diite-chan also said there was no mistake."

"That's a setting I asked Hypnos to create, but do you know why I did that?"

"...Because you don't have anything else you want to do...?"

"Half right. Originally, it was because I didn't think I could lose, but in the unlikely event that I do, I will gracefully go to sleep. There's no point in being awake, and I'm at the point where I wouldn't even mind dying."

"You can't do that."

When Hayato said that so strongly, neither of them spoke.

Having created that situation, Hayato tried to fix it by speaking to Amanda.

"Ah, um, that's, not good, I think? If you're alive, you'll find something you want to do soon enough. So..."

"Thank you. But you know, I can do anything, but I have nothing. I'm empty. This is the price for living only as I was told at the research institute. I once had a dream of venturing into space and saving humanity, but now I think that was just something someone guided me to believe."

"That's not..."

"It's fine. That's precisely why my dream to conquer the world, put all of humanity into virtual reality, and reign as the Demon Lord is a precious dream I decided on by myself. If you're telling me to give that up, could you give me a greater dream? If you give me that, I'll give up anytime."

"That is..."

Hayato was at a loss for words.

He didn't think he could make someone give up their dream and give them another one. If someone told him to give up his cafe, he'd want to say the same thing. But a replacement dream isn't something someone else can tell you to have.

Hayato thought for a while, but couldn't find an answer.

As he was thinking, Amanda's voice reached him.

"The fact that you don't say it's impossible is respectable. But that's how it is. If you want me to give up, you'll have to do it physically. Not with persuasion, but make me give up according to the rules of virtual reality."

"...Are you okay with that, Amanda-san?"

"Of course. And just so you know, I have no intention of losing. Today was a crushing defeat, but I'll win tomorrow."

"...I understand. In that case, we'll stop you with everything we've got."

When Hayato said that, he heard a slight laugh from Amanda.

"When you say it, Hayato, it sounds scary. After watching today's battle, no one could say you have no combat ability."

"Um, thank you?"

"I feel like I understand in many ways what Hypnos and Nanagi meant when they said you were scary. Letting you escape was a real failure."

"I'm humbled by your excessive praise."

Hayato's words made them both laugh, but after a moment, it grew quiet.

It was Amanda who broke the silence.

"Well then, let's do our best as enemies."

"Yeah. I won't say we'll fight fair and square. I intend to win no matter what."

"That's fine... ah, um."

For some reason, Amanda's voice sounded hesitant. A good amount of time had passed, so it was about time to wrap up, but it seemed Amanda still had something to say.

"Is something wrong?"

"About the dream talk earlier..."

"The dream talk?"

"If you had said, 'Come run the cafe with me,' there's a possibility I might have given up maybe not definitely but I can't say for sure kind of..."

"Huh?"

"Just kidding of course that would never happen besides you already have Esha Crown and it's not like we're in an era of getting married or anything and I would absolutely hate to be subordinate to someone I'm the one who rules not the one who's ruled I won't lose tomorrow so be prepared good night."

"Uh, ah, good night?"

As soon as Hayato said that, Amanda immediately cut the voice chat.

(She spoke so fast. And did she say something about a wife? Sending another voice chat to ask again would probably be tactless. And Amanda-san is...)

Hayato was conflicted, but he also had a thought of, "Could it be that?"

But he figured it probably wasn't a proper emotion, and that he just seemed novel to her.

Hayato was just an ordinary person, not particularly exceptional. Amanda must have been surrounded by brilliant people until now, so every one of Hayato's words and actions seemed new to her. And Amanda had little life experience outside the research institute, so she had no immunity to such things.

Hayato concluded that she was something close to a sheltered young lady.

And he vowed to himself that he could not take advantage of that. He wanted to win by any means necessary, but preying on someone's emotional weakness could have more serious consequences later on.

If they won this event, Amanda would go to sleep. But if Diite regained her functions, it would be possible to wake her up. It was unclear what Amanda would want when she woke up, but he wanted to build as good a relationship as possible.

(If she said, 'Hayato tricked me,' it would be a huge problem... yeah, I'll pretend I didn't notice. Besides, if I'm mistaken, it would be embarrassing.)

Hayato made excuses to himself that this was just how the mind of an unpopular guy worked, and decided to act as if he hadn't heard anything in her rapid-fire speech.

A lot of time had passed, so he was about to head back to the dining hall when another voice chat request came in.

The sender was Hypnos.

Hayato accepted the request.

"Hayato? What did you say to Amanda? She seems to be in a good mood, but she's rampaging in her room and it's causing a lot of trouble."

"I don't think I said anything..."

"...I see. Inflicting mental damage like this. As expected of you. So the battle continues even outside the event."

"You can be a real airhead sometimes, Hypnos."

After that, Hypnos grilled him with questions, but Hayato deftly dodged them. As a result, his return to the dining hall was delayed even further.