And then Qualia, Ina, and Ace went around the capital.
They visited places where many humans, beast people, and magic dolls lost their lives, and Qualia put his palms together after leaving flowers.
But he said nothing. The artificial intelligence could not calculate what to say.
But he calculated the answer when they passed by the place where Mind died.
Qualia offered a flower, and prayed for the departed’s soul by copying what Ina did. He put his palms together, and closed his eyes, and the words flowed out naturally.
“I’m, so-rry. Qualia will improve his specs and role to not lose any more ‘tasty’ like you did.”
“…”
All he was doing was thinking about what to say normally, but Ina and Ace looked at him with confused expressions, as his voice came out clearly.
Qualia opened his eyes, and looked around.
He felt the flow of the air and swaying of magic energy, and searched for signs of a ghost.
“Analyzing situation. No changes.”
There was no log that said he could speak to Mind.
He had not manifested as a ghost. Mind had gone to the concept known as ‘the other side’ so he could not hear his voice. The records of his death could not be rewritten.
Even if he employed all the techniques and technology of the autonomous humanoid combat android Shutdown, he could not detect whether or not the words he offered with the flower reached Mind.
But the better question was why he thought there was a good chance that they reached him anyway.
“Analyzing situation… Analyzing situation…”
It was designated a bug. Tried as he might, he could not connect this bug to the act of offering flowers and praying for the departed.
Still, despite the vagueness of it all, it did clear Qualia’s thoughts a little.
“I’m sure Mind forgives you.”
Ina stood very close to him, and spoke to him as if helping him find an answer.
“..Analyzing situation. Executing learning about two questions. Why bury under stone? Why offer flowers… Recognizing meaning.”
Qualia learned another thing about being a person.
And it was a start to finding a resolution to something sad.
■ ■
On the way back, they stopped by a hill where they could overlook the whole city, to take a break.
Ace suddenly clung to the railing, and put out her face through the bars with sparkling eyes.
She was looking at some boys leaving a stall with food.
“Ina, Qualia, please explain. What does that cloud represent?”
“Is that… Cotton candy, I think…? It’s not something that comes from this region.”
“I request cotton candy. It is estimated to have a lot of ‘tasty’.”
“You worked a lot too. It’ll be a reward.”
Qualia and Ina accepted her request, and Ace could not hide her happiness. Anyone who looked at her could tell she was happy.
At the same time, Qualia’s face was also pointed directly at the cotton candy.
Once Ina looked at him, he looked away, but he could not understand the origin of this error.
“Mister Qualia, do you want to eat too?”
“Affirmative. It is estimated to be ‘tasty’.”
“Qualia, request that the three of us go eat later.”
Ina laughed a little at how much the other two seemed to be looking forward to it. And as she saw people clearly enjoying their food further down the hill, Ina also expressed her thoughts.
“This is still far ahead, but… I have a dream I want to chase again.”
“Dream. Error. Word dream not registered.”
Another concept that did not exist in artificial intelligence. But by looking at Ina’s smile as she spoke, Qualia presumed it was not bad at all.
“It’s something you want to accomplish in your life… Like how you became a knight of Hello World to further the dream of creating ‘tasty’ in people.”
“Situation understood. People call their personal goals ‘dreams’. Registering as a concept with a very high priority.”
Ina happily smiled. Ace also learned she was looking for her own ‘dream’, and seemed to also be thinking.
Qualia then threw Ina a question, looking to learn why she was smiling.
“Request explanation. What is your dream?”
Ina then started talking about it, looking nostalgic, and a little embarrassed.
“I want to open my own place. Somewhere tired people can walk in casually, and fill their stomachs with warm food.”
“That dream is of very high quality.”
“Of course, after the incidents with Azure Skies, and my brother settle… Someday.”
“Request that you prepare diced steaks and cotton candy.”
“You look like you’d be my number one customer, Ace.”
“…Detecting ‘tasty’.”
Ina rubbed Ace’s cheeks as she started talking about food, and looked happy from the bottom of her heart. Qualia detected it more in Ina’s face there than in her food.
“…But I still want to stay by your side, Mister Qualia. Of course, building my restaurant will take time, and…”
Ina turned over to Qualia, with so much unyielding ‘tasty’, that it was like another dream she wanted to see fulfilled.
“I came here with a duty to watch your heart.”
She was talking about standing by him and seeing if his heart was not dying, or if there were any abnormalities.
That was Ina’s role.
If she was not there to fulfill it, Qualia might not be human at that point.
There was still a smoldering return mechanism close to his heart. A button to return to Shutdown.
If he pressed it, he would go back to being a weapon that could not feel ‘tasty’.
“You are correct. Request that you continue watching for abnormalities in the heart. But.”
That was not why he wanted Ina close. That was most likely just a pretext to take her with him from the Sandbox mansion.
Qualia thought. What did he really want?
He just wanted Ina to be there the next day. But the reason for that, was something an artificial intelligence could not calculate.
In a world that was cruel and closed off to beast people, he wanted to continue seeing Ina, who was soft as a head of rice, strong, and kind.
“Qualia strongly recommends that you prioritize your dream.”
“…But that would mean being away from you.”
“It is perceived that you can carry out your role even if you are not a maid. You are designated as Qualia’s family first, and maid second. It is assumed that supporting family’s dreams is something that should be done.”
Qualia defined his unchanging role again.
Ina looked at the last bouquet she had. The one she would offer to Love in Lobelia’s mansion.
And then, she looked at the one she left nearby where Mind died.
That was an action necessary for people to talk to the dead, but Qualia did not want to do that with Ina. He did not want a situation where he would perform such a ritual with her, Ace, Lobelia, or Spirito.
The flowers he wanted to give them were ones that matched their hair.
“Qualia will protect you and your dreams. That is connected to creating ‘tasty’. Qualia wants to see it. Qualia requests that you execute your dream.”
“…Yes, thank you. I… Will do my best…”
And then, Qualia got the biggest ‘tasty’.
That day, he learned Ina’s dream, and created and carved deeply into himself a program to not let that dream wither again.
“People’s dreams are read as fleeting. And also as ‘without graves’.”
Neither knew that Backdoor, who enjoyed broken dreams, was watching from far away.
“Phishing Lure… All green.”
Or that he was beginning to imitate Qualia.
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