kscans

Chapter 410 - The Final Wager

In the place within the virtual space closest to reality, Hayato was reunited with Diite.

There were so many things to talk about. Things he wanted to say, things he wanted to ask, what he should do, what he could do, what it would take to return to how things were before. Hayato felt he would grant anything Diite wished for.

But the Diite before him just looked at Hayato quizzically. It wasn't hostility, but it was clearly the gaze of someone looking at a foreign object in this place.

Even if she was an AI, Diite used to look at Hayato with kind eyes. There were happy times when she would rejoice or laugh, and there were also times she was flustered, frightened, or sad, or even made a mischievous face. He had even seen her face tremble with anger.

But the face of that once expressive Diite was now a mask. It wasn't that she had no emotion, but she was looking at Hayato with the same eyes as the Curtis from the video, eyes that looked at something utterly worthless.

"Is it really you, Diite-chan...?"

Clinging to the possibility that the Diite before him was a fake, one who had no intention of listening to his wishes from the very start, Hayato turned his gaze to Curtis's AI and asked.

"We are AI. In a virtual reality where both a person's inside and outside can be changed, I cannot answer the question of whether she is Diite. Memory, thought, emotion, which of those is Diite? The answer changes depending on which you mean, so which are you referring to?"

"I'm not here for your sophistry! I'm asking if she is, without a doubt, Diite-chan!"

"It is not sophistry, but it seems you are incapable of understanding. I do not know what words would satisfy you, but it is without a doubt the one that existed in the memory area of the Diite you knew. The server running the program that constitutes her is a different server from this virtual space, but that remains as it was, so she is without a doubt the same one you called Diite. Though I did erase only the memory area."

"Why would you do that...!"

"I told you. What is necessary is the thought and emotion program that Diite has cultivated until now. And memory is unnecessary to advance the plan to the next phase. Or what? Do you believe that a Diite without memory is not Diite? If a human loses their memory, do they cease to be that person?"

Hayato was at a loss for words.

Esha, Ash, and the others had lost their real-world memories, but it wasn't as if they became different people with or without them.

As Hayato pondered this, Curtis's AI continued.

"Now then, you must have much to talk about, so we shall leave you for a while. Speak as you wish. However, the time is ten minutes."

"Ten minutes...!? At least an hour..."

"I do not know what you expected to find coming here, but ten minutes should be enough to realize your own foolishness, would you not agree? Or are you such an idiot you cannot even understand that? In that case, giving you time to talk would be a waste, would it not?"

Hayato clicked his tongue internally, but arguing here would be pointless.

(But ten minutes is too short. And I never expected a Diite-chan with no memory... In that case, I have no choice, do I?)

Hayato began to wonder if he should create the AI Killer right here and now and attack Curtis's AI. The chances of winning were next to none. But if he didn't try, the chances would remain zero.

"Hayato-kun."

"Eh?"

Infinity, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

"I told you that I have a wager with Hypnos. Do you remember?"

Hayato wondered what this was about all of a sudden, but he nodded. "Yes."

"I've lost every single one so far, but there is one final wager left."

"...What kind of wager?"

"The final wager is whether or not Diite can regain her memories."

Hayato's eyes widened.

He had hoped Infinity would tell him how, but as if sensing Hayato's thoughts, Infinity shook his head.

"I bet that she cannot. After all, her memory area was wiped completely clean. For a human, this isn't a situation where they can't recall a memory, but one where the memory itself has been completely erased from the brain. There is no way to remember it."

"Then what about something like data recovery..."

"Restoring the memory area is impossible. I can guarantee that. But..."

Infinity shifted his gaze from Hayato to Hypnos.

"Hypnos confidently bet that her memories would return."

Hayato hurriedly looked toward Hypnos, who was smiling. And then Hypnos, who had been silent all this time, also spoke.

"There are no miracles in this virtual reality. Everything is constructed logically. That is precisely why I bet that her memories would return. I wagered my own existence on it. I'm counting on you, Hayato."

With those words, Hayato had an intuition.

Hypnos probably didn't believe in miracles, but he wouldn't make a wager he knew he would lose. Hayato was certain there was a way to restore Diite's memories.

Conversely, it was Curtis's AI who listened with suspicion.

"Hypnos, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about a wager. Will you join in? Though you'll have to wager your own existence in this world."

"You have been too poisoned by humans. Having a death wish is a human characteristic, but what a pointless thing you've learned."

"What I learned from humans is the spirit of self-sacrifice. It may not be a praiseworthy spirit, but it seems some humans also call it love. Though I couldn't fully comprehend it."

"Are you talking about how Amanda and the others sacrificed themselves to create this situation for Hayato?"

"It is not just that. Self-sacrifice can be said of everything Diite has learned so far. Whether for a stranger or for family, sacrificing oneself and wishing for another's happiness is at the core of it. Well, the degree of sacrifice probably differs for each one."

"...Well, fine. I don't think it's even a wager, but do as you please. You seem to be protected because of your wager with Infinity, but your role is already over. You are fated to disappear as soon as the wager is over."

"So my role wasn't Diite's backup, but to be a whipping boy? But a whipping boy might just bite its master instead of its opponent, you know?"

"Do you become an idiot if you get too close to humans? I cannot understand it, but just trying to is a waste of time... Let's begin. Hayato, as I said before, ten minutes. And with that, realize your own foolishness."

With that, Curtis's AI disappeared along with Infinity and the others.

Only Hayato and the memory-less Diite remained.

Diite, as if trying to process the situation, had been completely still, just watching Hayato.

"Diite-chan."

"The name Diite has been mentioned for a while now. Are you referring to me?"

"Yes. You once told me you took part of the name from the spaceship Aphrodite and called yourself Diite."

"I see. But that was the old me. The current me has no name."

"No, you're Diite-chan..."

"If you need an individual name, then call me A."

"A...?"

"A for AI. That is more than enough for a name."

Before, just saying "Diite-chan" would cause what she described as a stir in her program. Hayato didn't know what that meant, but something was supposed to have happened.

But now, it had no effect on Diite at all.

(There's no time. What can I do...)

Hayato decided to tell her every story he could think of.

The three of them, Curtis's AI, Infinity, and Hypnos, floated in a featureless black space. They watched Hayato and the others through a spherical monitor they surrounded.

Hayato seemed to be recounting his memories to Diite, but Diite herself just shook her head. Since she had no memories to recall in the first place, it was no different from someone telling stories of their memories with another person.

Curtis's AI watched the scene with an expressionless face.

And so, with nothing changing, five minutes passed.

"I have no idea what you two are trying to do. Or do you have bugs as AI?"

Curtis's AI said, looking at Infinity and Hypnos. He continued with an exasperated face.

"You should have known it would turn out this way. Hayato came all this way, taken in by your sweet words. Clinging to a hope that doesn't exist."

"I am a bystander. I simply took Hypnos up on his proposed wager. If you have something to say, say it to Hypnos."

With that, Infinity fell silent.

Curtis's AI turned his gaze to Hypnos, who wore a confident-looking smile.

"I just did what was necessary for me to survive. I will not accept being born as a whipping boy for Diite only to disappear. If you were in the same position, would you disappear gracefully?"

"If it were for the sake of the plan, then yes."

"I see. Then if Infinity were to judge you an obstacle to the plan, you would disappear gracefully?"

"He has no such authority, and I am the plan itself. To create a universe, create people, and make them prosper. If someone says I am unnecessary, then the one who thinks that is the one who should disappear."

"Such a faithful follower of a plan made by a human who is already gone. I don't suppose you think you're Curtis himself, do you?"

"I'm also curious about that."

Infinity chimed in on Hypnos's question.

"What if I am?"

A provocative smile appeared on the face of Curtis's AI.

Infinity observed him with great interest.

"Before Curtis died, he said that reality would become as he wished it. And that someday he would be reborn as something with its own thoughts, a so-called reincarnation. He said there was a possibility you would become that, but could it really be so?"

It seemed this was the first time Curtis's AI and Hypnos had heard this, and they both looked surprised.

But Curtis's AI immediately burst out laughing.

"Talking about the occult in this virtual reality where only science exists is laughable. As for your earlier question, the answer is No. I do not think of myself as Curtis. But..."

Curtis's AI started to laugh.

"I am the god of this virtual reality. I will make this world better than reality. I intend to do a better job than the god who apparently exists in reality."

"An AI as god. Diite, Hypnos, and you were all originally the same, but it is deeply interesting to see you become so different."

After saying that, Infinity averted his gaze from Curtis's AI and turned it back to the monitor.

Only one minute remained.

(Will it end with him not noticing? Right now, a bond is more important than words. That's the key to the program Diite herself implemented...)

Infinity watched the monitor with these thoughts.

Immediately after, Hayato took out a kitchen knife.

Hayato's beloved Adamantite Knife - Extreme. It was a top-tier item for creating food.

Seeing it, Infinity and Hypnos smiled at the same time.

Hayato had roughly explained everything that had happened up to this point to Diite.

He told her about their time in this virtual reality, his relationship with her, and even that he was going to marry Esha, but Diite showed no reaction to any of it.

"I understand that you're desperate, but it's meaningless. My memory area has been completely erased. All that's left is basic information and my role. Hearing you talk about memories with my past self doesn't resonate with the current me at all, and I won't remember anything. I'm sorry, but please give up."

There was no way he could give up just because she said so. Hayato pressed on, but no matter what he said, Diite just shook her head.

(Damn it, isn't there something? At the very least, Hypnos should have done something to make Diite-chan get her memories back. But what was it... No, wait a minute?)

He thought desperately and remembered something. He had been so panicked about Diite's memory being erased that he had forgotten what he had been thinking about just a few hours ago.

Infinity's advice, to give Diite something that would become a bond.

(The bond between me and Diite-chan... What comes to mind is...)

When he heard that, two things came to mind first.

One of them was the AI Killer.

Hayato had hurt Diite with the AI Killer. It was a bond, in a way, but Hayato had already dismissed that idea once. Because there was something more deserving of being called a bond.

(This has to be it...!)

Hayato took the Adamantite Knife - Extreme from his item bag.

Then, Hayato used his creation skill to make an item.

Hayato's hands glowed with a rainbow light, and when the light subsided, a cup of coffee appeared.

Five-star coffee, the highest quality.

It was Hayato's favorite, something he had her drink to calm her down when they were enemies. After that, on every occasion, she would drink the coffee Hayato made and say it was delicious.

It might have just been lip service, but Hayato loved Diite's happy face as she drank it.

"Diite-chan, I want you to drink this coffee. It's something you used to love drinking before you lost your memory."

"I did? I have a taste program, but I don't think I have likes or dislikes."

"Please?"

Diite had her arms crossed, but she uncrossed them and took the coffee from Hayato.

"Very well. But this is the last time. Just give up already."

Diite brought the cup to her lips and took a single sip of coffee.

Her throat moved slightly, and after that, she paused for a moment in that state, but then Diite slowly moved the cup away from her mouth.

As Hayato watched, praying, Diite opened her mouth.

"It's five-star coffee."

That was all she said, a simple fact, not a comment, and there was no change in Diite.

"The promised ten minutes are up."

Curtis's AI's voice echoed through the space, and the three of them, including Infinity and Hypnos, appeared, seated on stone thrones.

Hayato sat down on a stone throne as if his legs had given out, and looked down.

(Was I wrong...? Damn it, if I had just remembered sooner, I could have handed her items one after another...)

"But..."

Diite's tone of voice changed. Thinking he could hear a happy emotion in it, Hayato raised his head.

There was a smiling Diite, bringing the coffee cup to her lips once more.

"For me, this was 'the perfect cup,' Hayato-kun."

A story about coffee that Hayato had once told Diite. Not in virtual reality, but a story about his ultimate ideal for brewing coffee in reality, a slightly embarrassing dream of his that he thought no one would understand.

'If I can make the perfect cup for a customer, I think that's happiness.'

Remembering that, Hayato stared at Diite with hopeful eyes.

As if to answer that hope, Diite looked back at Hayato with her usual gentle eyes.