Teleportation.
An information transferring technique that allowed him to transport himself and his target.
Qualia had to touch his target, although Shutdown could do it even from a distance. But he almost never used this Teleportation on anyone other than himself.
After all, it was meant to send something somewhere, not destroy.
But Qualia did it. He did it to reunite Liebe and Ina once more.
“Confirming execution of Teleportation.”
Qualia saw Ina’s room. There was no one there at this point, except for the still sleeping Ina and Ace.
“Qualia, Zero Division has not yet reached this room.”
“Understood.”
He heard the sounds of battle on the outside.
From the fluttering curtains and the glass window, he saw Spirito fighting while covering Lobelia.
“But I just detected a threat. The threat is next to you.”
Ace pointed, with a blank expression, to where Liebe stood, looking somewhat baffled.
But he quickly saw Ina lying on the bed. He saw her face that seemed starved and devoid of life, and approached her.
“Ina…?”
But as he approached her, a small shadow got in the way. The blank-faced Ace.
“You are recognized as Liebe, leader of Azure skies. You are deemed a threat.”
“…Move.”
Ace stood firm, even as Liebe became irritated.
“I am very fearful over the possibility that you will harm Ina. Thus, I reject your desire to pass.”
“Ace, your behavior is wrong.”
Qualia said to Ace, who despite her lack of expression, looked up at Liebe with strong eyes.
“Maintaining Ina’s vital activities takes precedence. Your idea is correct. However, Liebe is presently not a threat. Request understanding.”
“That is judged to carry a very big risk.”
“If he becomes a threat, Qualia can perceive it, therefore, minimizing harm. It is judged that making Liebe learn the current situation is for the best.”
“…”
Ace moved her small body out of the way, allowing Liebe to finally reach Ina.
He watched her sleeping face as if time had stopped.
“…She’s alive.”
He immediately saw she was not dead.
“She’s alive but… Hey, wake up, Ina…”
He also quickly saw she was not fully alive.
Qualia stood next to him, and suddenly, Liebe grabbed his shoulders and pressed closer.
“Gaia.
Qualia, he really is a threat…! Reverse…”
“Ace, request that you stop.”
The light disappeared from Ace’s magic stone, after Qualia’s short sentence. But her eyes stayed on Liebe. She would not let her guard down, so she could deal with him even if he became a ghost again.
Qualia on the other hand, was not so wary.
Despite the obstructive action that was his shoulders being pressed, he did not resist.
“Ina… Is Ina all right…!? What happened…!?”
After all, what he was seeing right in front of him was Liebe’s face drowning in anxiety.
“I heard she died… And now I see no signs that she’ll wake up… What… What’s going on…”
“Ina’s vital activities are being maintained.”
Qualia said only the truth, despite it coming with the possibility of plunging Liebe into despair.
“But it is possible that she won’t recover.”
“…”
Even if he was partly to blame for her coma, even if Liebe would chastise him for it, even if it made him remember seeing Ina stained with blood and not breathing, Qualia told the truth.
As an artificial intelligence.
As a human.
As Qualia.
“Ina was stabbed in the left side of her chest. It is unknown who did it… Her heart and lungs were temporarily [N/A]. Qualia performed Infinity Recovery. That restarted her vital activities, but caused anaphylactic shock. Ina’s brain, [N/A]… And so, the recovery of Ina’s consciousness…”
“…You…!”
Qualia just continued telling the truth.
“Who did this to Ina… A human…!?”
“The perpetrator is unknown.”
“I heard the Clear Skies Church lynched a beast person… So I…!! You didn’t just fail to protect Ina… You did…”
Liebe looked to be jumping to bite, but trembled, and stopped.
His eyes were led to Qualia’s cheeks.
He saw the black lines coming from his eyes, that he acquired as Shutdown.
There was water tracing them. Tears flowed from his eyes.
“You, can’t, abandon, hope.”
“…”
Qualia appealed to that wish.
No matter how desperate the situation, if it could lead to ‘tasty’, Qualia would not hesitate.
“Qualia understands your low level of trust towards Qualia. Performing offensive action towards Qualia is not wrong. You can destroy Qualia after Ina recovers, but Ina needs you now.”
Liebe stood in shock, as Qualia continued.
“Request that you make Ina’s recovery your highest priority.”
Qualia continued calculating for the sake of Ina’s future. He kept thinking. What could he do?
“Request that you stay with Ina. Let Ina hear your voice, for the sake of her recovery.”
“…”
The strongest and most wicked weapon, known as Shutdown, had been a human for less than a week, but he knew what he wanted to do.
“…What’s with you? A human saying that… It’s not just today, yesterday too…”
“Qualia makes that decision to detect ‘tasty’ from Ina. That is what is valued the most. Qualia wants to see Ina’s ‘tasty’ face. A world without Ina is not ‘tasty’. A world where Ina can make her dream reality is ‘tasty’ to Qualia.”
“…”
“Stay with Ina. Ina still desires to speak to you. It is judged that your presence is what is best for Ina.”
“…Dammit. Dammit…”
That straightforward will… Those thoughts with nothing hidden…
That love unrelated to artificial intelligence, humans, or beast people…
That voluntary wish that had nothing to do with his learning…
Liebe closed his eyes, as if feeling dizzy, and crouched.
It was the moment the hatred of the beast person was broken.
When he approached Ina again, Ace did not block his way.
The blinking magic stone that showed how wary she was, had no light.
“…Ina, your big brother is here.”
He sat next to Ina, and bent his back to bring his face closer to hers.
He spoke quietly, as if echoing inside her
“I finally met you… I died, but I still met you.”
Liebe then faced down, with regret.
“I’m sorry… If your big brother was with you instead of doing stupid things… If I stopped being stubborn when I learned you were alive…”
The artificial intelligence could not calculate what to say.
He had no intention of learning how to put a damper to a family that could finally be together.
Even the sounds of battle outside could not stop Liebe’s prayer.
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