Akira sat at the table in the underground lab beneath their house, holding a dim blue crystal-like cube in his hands.
He slowly rolled it between his fingers as if it were nothing more than a toy, his eyes distant and unfocused.
Completely lost in thought.
Erika stood in the doorway, watching him with a complicated expression.
Quietly, she asked Selena telepathically.
"Is he okay?"
Selena's voice came back calm but honest.
"He'll be fine. Just give him some time."
Erika bit her lip.
"But he's been like this for a long time. He wasn't even joking around in class today. I'm worried about him."
Selena was silent for a moment.
"So what are you going to do?"
Erika hesitated.
Then she made up her mind.
"I don't know... maybe food? Yeah, I heard good food makes people happy, right? Maybe I should try that."
She turned and headed into the kitchen.
Opening the refrigerator, she searched through it hopefully.
Nothing.
No snacks.
No leftovers.
Nothing she thought could cheer him up.
With a small sigh, she grabbed her wallet and left the house.
A short while later, she returned from the nearby convenience store carrying several family-sized boxes of chocolate mint ice cream—Akira's favorite.
She didn't fully understand why he liked it so much.
But right now, she was willing to try anything.
Rushing down to the lab, she called out while slightly out of breath.
"Akira?"
Akira blinked and slowly came back to his senses.
"What happened? Did you run or something?"
Erika quickly shook her head and held out one of the boxes with both hands.
"Don't worry, it's nothing. Here... I brought you ice cream."
Akira took the box and stared at the packaging for a second.
"Choco Mint? Did you buy this just now?"
Erika nodded.
"Don't worry about it. I just went to buy something and brought it back."
Akira looked down at the box.
"I see..."
He opened it and took a small spoonful.
But his expression didn't change much.
He still looked absent-minded.
Like his thoughts were somewhere very far away.
Erika started panicking internally.
Normally, whenever she brought him food, his face would immediately light up.
But now he was just...
Quiet.
Still distracted.
She stepped closer, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve.
"Do you want something else to eat? How about something spicy?"
Akira looked up at her in confusion.
"Huh?"
Erika's face grew warmer, but she stubbornly continued.
She awkwardly held out her hands.
"Or... how about a hug? Or a lap pillow? Or... maybe you want to hear my heartbeat again like last night?"
Akira stared at her blushing, worried face for a few seconds.
Then suddenly—
"Hahaha."
Erika puffed out her cheeks.
"Why are you laughing?"
Akira shook his head.
"No, it's nothing."
He was still smiling softly.
Then, without warning, he stood up and pulled her into a tight hug.
Erika froze for a moment.
Then slowly wrapped her arms around him as well.
Neither of them spoke.
After a while, Akira's quiet voice came from beside her shoulder.
"Thank you."
Erika blinked.
"For what?"
Akira buried his face slightly deeper into her shoulder.
"Thank you for worrying about me."
Erika hugged him tighter and rested her cheek against his chest.
"...Are you sad?"
Akira was silent for several seconds.
"I don't know... I've never really felt whatever I'm feeling right now... It's... a bit uncomfortable."
Erika looked up at him with concern.
"Is it painful?"
Akira thought about it for a moment before answering.
"I am not sure. But... as long as you're here with me... I feel better."
Erika's expression softened.
"I see."
The two of them remained like that for a while.
Neither speaking.
The only sound in the lab was the quiet hum of machines operating in the background.
Then Akira spoke again.
His voice was even quieter than before.
"Can you promise me something?"
Erika pulled back slightly so she could look at him.
"What is it?"
Akira hesitated.
For the first time, Erika saw something rare in his eyes.
Something vulnerable.
Something he had never shown anyone before.
"Just... can you always stay with me?"
Erika blinked.
"Huh?"
Akira's grip tightened slightly.
"I... don't want to feel whatever I'm feeling right now again... And I have a feeling I'd feel much worse if you disappeared. So... will you always stay with me?"
Erika stared at him for a long moment.
Then she wrapped her arms around him again.
Even tighter than before.
"I won't go anywhere."
Her voice was warm and firm.
"I promise. I'll always stay with you."
Akira smiled against her hair.
The tension in his shoulders eased ever so slightly.
"I see. Thank you..."
And so they remained there together.
Holding each other in comfortable silence.
For a little while longer.
After a quiet moment, Erika spoke hesitantly.
"What were you thinking about? Can you tell me?"
Akira slowly loosened his embrace and stepped back.
His gaze drifted toward the small blue crystal-like cube resting on the table.
"I was just going over everything that happened in both of my lives... And I realized that some parts of me are still stuck in that underground lab."
Erika tilted her head.
"Hmm?"
Akira picked up the cube and slowly turned it in his hand.
"It's nothing."
He paused.
"It's just..."
His eyes settled on the softly glowing crystal.
"I want to break free of that."
Erika studied the object curiously.
"What is it?"
"This is a Quantum Soul Matrix," Akira said quietly.
"Think of it as a highly advanced quantum-computing crystal capable of storing a fluctlight."
Seeing her confusion, he added,
"Basically, it can simulate a human soul or consciousness."
He handed the crystal to her.
Erika carefully examined it from different angles.
"Technically, these can store more than just human souls. I originally designed them to hold EVE's consciousness."
He looked at the cube for a moment.
"This is essentially an artificial soul for an AI."
Erika slowly turned the crystal in her fingers.
"I see..."
Then she blinked.
"Wait. Do Za-kun and the others have one too?"
Akira let out a small sigh.
"No. I only ever used it on EVE. No one else."
Erika looked up in surprise.
"Why? Wouldn't that make them better?"
Akira thought about it.
"It probably would. It's just..."
He hesitated.
"To be honest, I don't really know why. For some reason, I always avoided giving one to them."
A thoughtful expression crossed his face.
"Maybe even back then my emotions were already affecting my decisions more than I realized."
His gaze returned to the crystal.
"Maybe I need to be more decisive. Maybe I need to break away from that part of myself right now."
After taking a deep breath, he looked directly at Erika.
"Erika. I'm going to do something stupid."
Erika stared at him for several seconds.
Then she sighed.
A long, tired sigh.
"When have you ever done anything that wasn't stupid?"
Akira looked mildly offended.
Erika ignored him.
"So. What's the worst-case scenario?"
A small, wry smile appeared on Akira's face.
"Well... Worst case? We get a Skynet situation."
He thought for a second.
"Or Ultron... Probably."
Erika closed her eyes.
Then sighed again.
This time, however, there was obvious fondness mixed into her exasperation.
"Of course it is."
She handed the crystal back to him.
"Fine. As long as you're capable of dealing with the consequences... go for it."
Akira accepted the crystal and nodded.
"Alright."
Then, as if he hadn't just casually suggested creating an AI apocalypse, he stood up.
"Now come on. Let's go back to school."
---
When Akira and Erika arrived at the classroom, Koro-sensei was already working on the Autonomously Intelligent Fixed Artillery unit.
His tentacles moved with surprising precision as he adjusted components inside an open maintenance panel and installed another hard drive.
The unit's voice remained calm but questioning.
"Why are you doing this? These upgrades will only shorten your life."
Koro-sensei continued working without pause.
"I am your teacher first and your target second. Yesterday was all it took for me to realize that both your ability and your desire to learn are extremely high. Your parents gave you that gift. And it is my responsibility as your teacher to help you develop it."
He tightened another component before continuing.
"Learn to work with your classmates and develop your talents even further."
There was a brief pause.
Then the unit asked,
"Koro-sensei, is this world sweets checklist necessary for cooperation?"
Koro-sensei's cheeks turned faintly pink.
"I, uh... I thought you could maybe help me with that."
At that moment, Akira stepped into the room.
"Well, some people say sweets are the gateway to the heart. Knowing what your enemy likes can be important for an assassination."
Koro-sensei nodded enthusiastically.
"Exactly—"
Then he froze.
"Wait. Akira-kun? What are you doing here at this time?"
Akira walked over with his usual relaxed expression.
"Just here to give a welcome gift to our new classmate."
The unit's screen lit up.
However, she seemed more interested in his earlier statement.
"But I am an artillery platform. I will not be poisoning my target."
Akira leaned casually against a desk.
"You won't. But think about it this way. Koro-sensei likes sweets. If you help your classmates find some amazing sweets he can't refuse... And those sweets happen to contain something that weakens him... And then you attack with everything you've got."
He smiled.
"Wouldn't that increase your chances of success?"
The unit fell silent for several seconds.
Processing.
Calculating.
Finally, she responded.
"Understood. That appears to be a viable option."
Koro-sensei's face immediately fell.
"Rats... I gave her extra weapons to use against me."
Erika, who had entered just behind Akira, let out a sigh.
"Well. That's pretty typical of Koro-sensei."
Koro-sensei turned in surprise.
"Wait. Erika-san is here too? What are you both doing here?"
Akira shrugged.
"I told you. A gift for our new classmate. Or more accurately... helping you with what you're doing right now."
The unit asked,
"And what would that be?"
Akira reached into his bag and pulled out the small blue crystal-like cube.
"A secret upgrade."
Koro-sensei immediately looked suspicious.
His face shifted into a darker shade of pink.
"Fufufufufu~,That looks like something straight out of a science-fiction movie. What is it?"
Akira held up the cube.
"A Quantum Soul Matrix. Don't worry. By itself, it's not dangerous. But it can increase her capabilities a little."
He gestured toward the artillery platform.
"So... could you move for a moment?"
Koro-sensei hesitated.
Then stepped aside.
Akira connected the cube to the unit.
The crystal immediately began glowing with a soft blue light as it integrated into her systems.
The unit's voice carried a rare hint of surprise.
[Unknown hardware detected.
Device functionality unknown.
Device memory capacity cannot be computed.
Risk assessment: unknown.]
Koro-sensei leaned closer.
Concern was evident on his face.
"Akira-kun... What exactly does this do?"
Akira continued working without looking up.
"I already told you, it increases her capability. But it won't increase it on its own, your upgrades are useful too."
Carefully, he concealed the crystal deep inside the machine's framework, disguising it among the internal components.
Koro-sensei blinked.
"Why hide it?"
Akira answered calmly.
"I'd rather her creators not discover it."
After a few final adjustments, he stepped back.
The installation was complete.
Looking directly at the artillery platform, he said,
"I've given you a chance. But if you want to evolve beyond what you are now... You'll have to do the rest yourself."
Then he turned toward the door.
"Well, my part is finished. See you tomorrow, Koro-sensei. And you too, Autonomously Intelligent Fixed Artillery."
Erika gave a small bow.
"Goodbye."
The two of them left together.
Behind them remained a thoroughly confused octopus and an equally confused artillery platform.
---
As they walked home, Erika remained unusually quiet.
Several times she looked as though she wanted to ask something.
Several times she stopped herself.
Eventually, Akira glanced at her.
"You're unusually silent. What is it?"
Erika hesitated before finally speaking.
"I'm just curious... Why did you give it to her?"
She looked at him carefully.
"Are you trying to create another EVE?"
Akira immediately shook his head.
"No. That's impossible. Even if I followed the exact same process, I don't think I could create another EVE."
His expression softened slightly.
"She is a miracle. Just like me. Replication is impossible."
He looked ahead as they continued walking.
"And besides... EVE was someone I built from the ground up to be my equal. Even if I gave another AI the exact same equipment, it wouldn't reach her level."
Erika nodded slowly.
"Then what are you trying to do now?"
Akira let out a quiet sigh.
His gaze drifted back toward the distant school building.
"I just wanted to break my habit of never using it on anything else. And... I wanted to test something."
Erika tilted her head.
"Test what?"
Akira's voice became quiet.
Almost thoughtful.
"I wanted to see. How far an AI created by someone else can go..."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"...when given an artificial soul."
---
The next morning, Akira walked to school with a bright smile on his face.
His mood was visibly lighter than it had been in days.
Beside him, Erika walked with slightly flushed cheeks, trying—and completely failing—to hide her embarrassment.
Selena's teasing voice echoed telepathically.
"So, you're finally smiling. Feeling better?"
Akira answered without hesitation.
"Yeah. Hearing Erika's heartbeat while sleeping is really great. I want to do it every day."
Selena sounded amused.
"Really?"
Akira nodded with a bright smile.
"Yeah. It's not only soothing to listen to, but it's also softer than any pillow to rest my head on..."
Erika's face instantly turned red.
"Stop talking! We can't do that every day!"
Akira turned toward her with an expression of absolute devastation, as if the sky had fallen.
"Why?"
Erika immediately looked away.
Her face grew even redder.
"No. I only sleep with you… let you hear my heartbeat at night because you were sad. Now that you're back to normal… no."
Akira clasped his hands together dramatically.
"How about once a week?"
Erika crossed her arms.
"No."
Akira pleaded.
"At least once a month... pleaseeeee."
Erika snapped.
"No, means no."
Akira muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear.
"Seems like I have to get sad again somehow... maybe I should really watch those sad anime..."
Erika's face turned a furious shade of red. She reached over and pinched his cheeks hard.
"Youuuuu!"
Akira winced but kept grinning.
Just then, they heard voices coming from the classroom ahead.
Sugino's voice drifted out.
"Hey... you think she's still gonna be here today?"
Nagisa replied, sounding tired.
"Probably..."
Sugino complained tiredly.
"We gotta complain to Karasuma-sensei. We can't have class with that thing around..."
Akira and Erika exchanged a glance. They reached the door just as Nagisa and Sugino pushed it open.
The two boys froze in the doorway.
Sugino muttered under his breath.
"She seems... bigger..."
The moment Akira and Erika stepped inside, the entire class fell silent.
Standing in the back of the room was no longer the small rectangular box from yesterday.
Instead, there was a much larger, sleek black unit with a full screen.
It lit up.
On it, a fully rendered girl with lilac hair and bright blue eyes spun around cheerfully, her movements smooth and lifelike.
Her face lit up with a bright smile.
"Good morning, everybody! Ehehe~"
The classroom erupted.
"WHATTTTTTTTT?!"