※ ᴅɪᴅ ɪ ɢᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ? ʙʟᴀᴍᴇ ᴍᴇ ғᴏʀ ɪᴛ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 7 ᴡʜɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴇᴇᴋ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ɪ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ ᴍʏ ᴀssɪɢɴᴍᴇɴᴛs. ᴜɴғᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴀᴛᴇʟʏ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇsᴛɪɴɢ ᴘʟᴏᴛ ɪɴ ɪᴛ sᴏ-ʙʟᴀᴍᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ғᴏʀ ɪᴛ.
ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ, ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇ ɪᴛ, ɪ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ's ɪ'ᴍ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ. ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴜʏ's ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴs ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀss ғᴇᴡ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ.
My name is Susan Garnett, a healthy 15 year old teenage girl. Long bright blonde hair that reaches her back with a pair of brown eyes. Born in a middle class family as a second child out of three.
Unlike anyone else, I was granted a memory of my previous life as Kirourin Sae ever since I was born.
People often see and describe me as a prodigy and gifted. Not only did I be smart in the academy, I was also active in extracurricular activities.
If people learn about this little secret of mine, they might say I am lucky.
That's what I thought of myself.
Even so, me, both of my parents, and my younger brother got into a car accident when I was just 6 years old. It was in the middle of the night and the rain was quite heavy. Our family decided to go on holiday, except for my older brother who's studying abroad at university and busy with his midterm exam.
I remember clearly what happened at that time. I witnessed what happened. And I'm the reason why me and my brother are still alive.
I regret that I am unable to save them. But I was aware of my own condition and limited times, before I saw the car blown up.
Reminds me of my old memory.
He doesn't remember them since he is asleep during the whole trip and still very young aside from being unconscious at that time. But it was still a shock to us at that time. Especially to both me, him, and my older brother.
What I can't thank more is my older brother who is willing to take care of both of me and my younger brother. We don't have any other relatives aside from our parents. Since he's still in college, he takes us with him to live together aboard in a rented apartment.
He can just leave us at an orphanage. He really cares about his younger siblings, cares for us even though we just share the same mother.
Even so, I'm glad.
And my birthday is almost there. I'm sure my older brother will be back home at any moment with his wife and daughter to come visit us.
I don't mind about my birthday, but I only care because our family will be together whenever there's a special day.
He really is a good brother. No wonder his wife fell for him.
Even so-
"It's nothing." Susan says while she closes the book with unfinished writing in her hands before putting it in her school bag then slinging them over her shoulder then wearing a red scarf that is neatly put under the table around her neck.
They both walk side-by-side while holding hands, from the classroom to return back home. As they arrived at the entrance, Susan tugged her red scarf to her lower face as the cold breeze hit her before remembering that Yuri, or known as Sanna, didn't wear extra warm clothes to protect her from cold temperatures.
Even so, she seems fine to it unlike herself. Susan remembered that early morning, she forgot to bring her scarf but Yuri was already stopping her and told her to use hers instead for today before she could run back to her home to get them. Susan wants to refuse at first but when she is about to refuse, Yuri gives her a look. Making Susan shallow the words back.
"Sorry, Sanna. For troubling you today by lending me your scarf." Susan says to the shorter girl beside her.
"Don't mind it. It's not that cold for me since it's almost the end of winter. You seem to need it more than me after all." Right, Susan is sensitive to heat and cold. Even Sanna could feel how cold Susan's hand is already.
When they arrived at the gate, a red car parked in front of them. Yuri opens the door and lets Susan get in first then she follows to get in afterward.
As inside the car, the warm temperature finally hit her before she finally felt fine to undo the scarf around her neck and about to give the scarf back to Yuri.
"Suzy, just take it. Just think it's a small gift from me." Yuri says to Susan while she gently pushes her hand holding the scarf down.
"Eh? Are you sure about it?" Susan hesitated to accept it since Yuri had been giving so many things to her already. Even the scarf looks and feels expensive.
"It's fine. I have a lot already back home. I just don't often wear them." Yuri says while shrugging slightly.
"By the way, since your birthday is near, what do you want for this year's as a present?" Yuri eagerly asks Susan if it's her birthday instead.
"Eh.., I don't know. I don't mind the present or anything. After all, you have done so much for me already and I don't want to burden you more than already." Her reply only makes Yuri pouting. Not happy to hear a rejection from her very and only close friend.
"Don't say that. Like I said before, you being around are more than enough already." At this point, Susan just sighs of defeat, thanking Yuri again and not embarrassed to accept it since others are willing and eager to make her too. The side she developed ever since she knew Yuri passed these years.
Susan had known Yuri for a few days before enrolled as junior middle school. Imakawa Yuri, an only daughter of the family that makes huge business as owning many big and popular companies, hotels, restaurants, entertainment and so much more.
Since young, Yuri has been moved around with her family because of their business. As the only child, she is considered the heart of the family. Both of her parents really adore her and so are the workers.
At the beginning of here, Yuri did know English but despite that other children used to play with her. Especially at that time, Yuri is kind of a loner and does not really have a conversation with others.
At first Susan approached her after she moved around that area, it was hard at first since Yuri kept ignoring her and she always saw Yuri reading a book. But she finally gets Yuri's interest when she starts speaking Japanese, a language where Yuri's homeland is and also does Susan.
Yuri thought at first that Susan was like the other children as there is a case where kids try to mimic how Japanese sounds like and it only makes Yuri feel being mocked at. The same reason while her guardian needs to come early and other children are afraid to approach her. But when hearing a proper fluent language from the other girl, even though its accent sounds a bit strange, it sounds more like Susan really wants to befriend her. Feel like she's finally found someone who is similar to her.
Ever since that day, Susan and Yuri have been spending time together as unseparable duo. Even Yuri made a nickname to be called "Sanna" by Susan and the nickname "Suzy" by Yuri. And also, the name Sanna sounds a bit familiar to Susan's name and Yuri quite likes it.
※ ᴍʏ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ᴄᴜᴛᴇ.
Not long after, the car stopped in front one of the blocks at the side apartment complex before Yuri opened the door and stepped out from the car before Susan followed after.
"Thank you Sanna. See you tomorrow." Susan bit farewell to her friend as Yuri did the same as she got back into the car after watching and making sure Susan entered the building safely.
It doesn't take long before the elevator reaches the floor she is heading to, where her house is as she walks to the door and opens it with her key. What greeted her when she entered was a sound from the play rolled on television and her brother on the sofa still wearing his school uniform.
She walked behind the sofa, standing behind him before bringing her left hand to grab the top of his head then shove it around like a circle. Just enough to annoy him.
"Ack!" Illias grabs his sister's wrist but is unable to take it away from his head because of how strong her palm clasp his head. Just glad she didn't grab his hair instead or he doubts he will go bald at any moment.
"How many times have I told you to change your clothes right after returning home." She shakes the least and right, front and back, until she feels satisfied before releasing his head.
Illias didn't talk back but just slowly groaning since who's fault is that not listening to his older sister. Watching his sister get into her room before continues watching the television a little bit more before taking a shower after his sister.
In this small house, Susan lived with his younger brother Illias Garnett. The purpose of buying this house was to let Susan and Illias live here as their brother, Samuel Garnett used to live here too before moving to live in his new home with his wife and their newborn daughter.
Not that they are being told to but it's both of their choice. More specifically, Susan's but it seems like Illias favor to live with his sister more.
In the meantime her brother takes a shower, Susan walks to the kitchen to cook dinner. For today, she wanted to cook a simple dinner, an omelet and fried chicken. But she will just prepare the ingredients before cooking them with her brother.
"[We will now go to global news.]"
Susan turns her head toward the television that lets run as she slowly munches the food in her mouth while her brother seems not to bother and uninterested at the news as he plays with his phone.
"[History was made today in the tech sector as the global tech powerhouse EXim has officially announced the successful development of ASLI, or Artificial Self-Learning Intelligence. For years, the world's top engineers have tried to build a system that doesn't just calculate, but truly understands. Today, EXim says they've done it.]"
"[EXim's CEO, Prof. Dr. Ling Xixun, took to the stage earlier today to unveil what he calls 'the keys of history for the future.' Unlike the AI we've grown used to, ASLI is a self-evolving system. It doesn't just wait for updates; it adapts, gathers information at a rate previously thought impossible, and most strikingly, it possesses a 'self-thinking' capability.]"
"[What sets ASLI apart is its ability to handle the unknown. Prof. Ling claims the system can process and answer data it has never even encountered before-solving complex, never-before-seen problems in a matter of seconds. It's not just mimicking human thought; it's refining it. It is said that this new system will be added and updated by their technologies and projects from EXim and might also make a collaboration with other companies as well.]"
"[Critics are already raising questions about the ethics of a 'self-thinking' machine, but the market is reacting with pure electricity. EXim shares are soaring as the world wonders: have we finally created a mind of our own?]"
"[To the next segment, an earthquake had hit...]" The news continues after Susan no longer pays attention and lets it pass her ears.
'EXim? Isn't that the company where my brother works at? But what does it make any difference than today's current Artificial Intelligent?' Susan thought to herself as she got up from her chair with her plate walk to the sink in the kitchen to wash them while her brother who's a slow eater was still eating one of his favourite meals.
※ ɴᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ᴅᴏ ɪ.
EXim is a company that originally started in China has one of its branches in the UK and the first and current company her brother works at before he got temporarily transferred to Seoul, Korea after three years, and that's also the reason how he met her sister-in-law.
※ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ɪᴛ ᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʟᴏʀᴇ.
"Make sure to take out the trash this time." Susan reminds her little brother before entering her room.
"Okay!" He answered as he kept glancing at the door until it was closed did he walk to the balcony while he opened WhatsApp, choosing the top current message and clicking a call icon.