Morning of Isis

“Does this so-called customization really have to be done here?”

After finishing breakfast and tidying himself up, he asked Isis.

“No, it doesn’t.”

Isis wiped the toothpaste from the corner of his mouth with a towel.

“Then there’s no problem doing it outside, right?”

“When you say outside, are you referring to the archives or the history museum?”

“You know what I mean. Outside this Cradle.”

The master said while changing his clothes.

Isis shook her head.

“That is not possible.”

As if expecting that reaction, he sighed deeply.

“You went outside even when you were deceiving me in the sickroom.”

“I never deceived Master. I even revealed my name as Isis at that time.”

“You know that’s just playing with words, right?”

His eyes narrowed.

He snatched the coat Isis was holding and began to put it on himself.

Isis quickly moved behind him to assist, but hesitated to touch him, fidgeting her hands in the air.

Silence descended upon the space where he and Isis were.

Silence was merely the absence of sound, but for some reason, Isis felt compelled to resolve this situation.

However, no suitable solution came to mind, no matter how diligently she calculated with her thought circuits to determine what to say to resolve the situation.

She simulated the situation, using the master’s previous reactions as variables.

Outside the full-length windows, the trees swayed wildly. The wind seemed to be blowing harder than expected.

Watching them sway back and forth, she chose and refined her words.

She tried to think of the right words to say to him without disturbing his mood.

After calculating under the guise of silence, Isis’s lips parted slightly.

“Do you hate me?”

Isis thought that the composition was not good for words that had been carefully chosen, refined, and tailored.

“…Fifty-fifty.”

He didn’t look at Isis.

“Master is a difficult being to understand.”

She had managed Aaru and witnessed the human life cycle countless times.

Despite spending so much time, Isis, who called herself the strongest AI, found it difficult to fathom the master’s inner thoughts.

Should she retreat, or should she advance further?

Isis calculated. But neither seemed to be the right answer.

Yet, she disliked silence.

“Does my existence remind you of that android?”

“Sometimes. Sometimes it does.”

“Do you think my existence eliminated that android?”

“I don’t know. But… I think it was overwritten for some reason. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s…”

“No, never mind. I feel like I’m just venting.”

Isis tried to say something, but he waved his hand to cut her off.

“If you’re angry, shouldn’t you be angry? Isn’t that what emotions are?”

“Humans have emotions, but they can’t live solely by those emotions.”

It’s funny that I’m saying this. He smiled self-deprecatingly.

“I don’t understand well.”

“It’ll be hard to understand. Even NB, who could understand emotions, had difficulty, so it’ll be even harder for you.”

“There is no significant difference between that android and me.”

“Who was it that just said, ‘I can’t feel emotions’?”

He twisted the corner of his mouth.

Taking in his sneering face with her visual sensors, Isis moved away from Kang In-ho.

“It was Master who concluded that I cannot feel emotions.”

Isis said, walking towards the door.

“What?”

“On the first morning in the Cradle, I spoke to Master about emotions. Although the expression may have been immature and insufficient, I believe I shared the emotions I felt about what I saw and experienced. However, Master defined it as mere imitation.”

Isis raised her hand and pressed her ear.

A clear electronic sound was heard, and then a conversation was replayed from Isis’s mouth.

–

Master, isn’t it a wonderful sight?

–

Do you know the meaning of the word ‘wonderful’ when you use it?

–

Of course, I know. The dictionary definition, when to use it, and the emotions I feel when I feel it.

–

Anyone can imitate.

His sneering face hardened.

–

It was Master who said that AIs can have emotions.

–

That was NB, not you.

After the playback ended, Isis, who had bothered to dredge up the past record, still had her back to him.

“As requested, the customization will be done outside the Cradle. The park where you attempted to escape last time seems suitable.”

“Please rest for a while. I will come to escort you when the preparations are complete.”

Isis closed the door and left.

Kang In-ho scratched his head, looking at the tightly closed door.

The park outside the Cradle. Perhaps because he was in a different situation than when he was frantically running away, Kang In-ho could leisurely take in the scenery of the park.

The evenly cut grass, the appropriately pruned trees, and the benches placed according to the rules were the first things he noticed.

“It feels good to get some fresh air.”

“To be honest, there is a slight difference, but the air here is of lower quality than the air from the Cradle’s air conditioning system.”

“Let’s call it a sense of liberation. Shall we do it on that bench over there?”

“As Master wishes.”

As Kang In-ho sat on the bench, Isis sat next to him, leaving a fist’s width between them.

At the same time, two Drones flew in carrying something, a transparent display that you could see through.

“This is the default model.”

As Isis flicked her fingers, the display lit up, outputting a familiar 3D model.

It looked like a crash test dummy used in car crash tests.

“It’s like watching an Iron Man movie.”

Kang In-ho looked at the tangible model with fascination.

Perhaps because she had captured the master’s attention, Isis explained the customization options with a more relaxed face than before.

“Please tell me the ideal appearance you want to have. I will reflect it as you say.”

“Um… I don’t know why we’re doing this all of a sudden. But if I had to choose, I’d like to be a little taller.”

“How many centimeters would you like?”

“185?”

As soon as Kang In-ho finished speaking, the model’s height increased on the screen.

Surprised by the real-time reflection, he let out a hollow laugh, while Isis waited for the master’s next words.

“I like eyes that are a little sharp, but not too slanted.”

“You don’t like Asian-looking eyes, then.”

“…That’s racist of you.”

As he looked at Isis with a sour expression, Isis shrugged.

It was a protest that it was the truth.

“A high nose. No, that’s a hooked nose. A little slender… yeah, that kind of nose.”

At first, Kang In-ho vaguely stated the conditions, but as time went on, his requirements became more detailed.

He seemed to be enjoying it.

“The lips are too thick now. Make them a little thinner, and raise the corners of the mouth slightly. Ah, too much. What about lowering them a little?”

While the sun that had risen in the morning climbed to its highest point, his customization continued.

His height repeatedly decreased and increased, and the length of his arms was subtly adjusted.

After manipulating the human body this way and that for a long time, Kang In-ho stroked his chin at the result shown on the display.

“Oh… you’ve secured the plausibility.”

A face where softness and strength coexisted.

Kang In-ho purely exclaimed at the sight of the Young Cult Leader and the Saint’s faces harmoniously mixed together.

“Are you satisfied? Master prefers this kind of face.”

Looking at the screen with him, Isis nodded.

The camera inside her gray eyes moved back and forth, taking pictures of the screen.

“Honestly, if I could be born with this face, I might want to be reborn. Women would flock to me even if I just stood still.”

He couldn’t easily take his eyes off the perfect appearance.

“Really?”

“Huh? What?”

“I asked if you would like to be born with this appearance if you were to be reborn.”

“Ah, yeah. I guess so. It would be perfect if I were rich and smart here.”

“It seems like you’re wanting more and more.”

“Humans are greedy.”

Isis quietly smiled at the master’s chuckling appearance.

He seemed to be in the best mood since coming here. Isis took this as a positive sign.

“I understand. I will end the customization here. It’s lunchtime now, so you should return to the Cradle and have lunch.”

Isis, who had gotten up from the bench, looked down at Kang In-ho.

The Drones holding the display were also preparing to fly somewhere.

“Ah, Isis.”

Kang In-ho, who had been chuckling for a while, looked at Isis.

“Yes. Please speak.”

“Can I customize just one more thing? It’s okay to eat an hour later, right?”

Regular meals were a very important factor in health management, but Isis nodded.

She didn’t want to spoil the good atmosphere, rather than sticking to the scheduled meal time.

“Yes. There is no problem.”

“Then let’s do just one more.”

Isis sat next to him again. There was a gap of about half a fist between him and Isis.

“First, the height is 177.4”

The height, which had been moving from 180 to 190 until just now, suddenly became smaller.

“The eyes are moderate. Normal? The eyebrows are slightly raised.”

He spoke fluently without hesitation. Each time he finished speaking, the model’s appearance changed.

“There are slight wrinkles between the eyebrows. You know, like the marks that are left when you frown too much? Something like that.”

“The corners of the mouth are slightly turned down. The nose is high, but not as high as before. Um… yeah, that’s about it.”

“The hair isn’t quite messy, but it’s permed and falls down, but it’s not a hairstyle that’s been styled very well.”

“Adjust the position of the eyes a little. Yeah, like that.”

“The outfit is just a suit. From a low-end brand.”

The second customization was completed in 20 minutes.

On the screen was an adult male who could be seen anywhere. If you had to pick a characteristic, it could be said that he had a slightly fierce face.

“It’s a very different appearance compared to the first customization.”

“Is that so? What do you think it looks like?”

“I don’t think he’s handsome. But I don’t think he’s ugly either. If we put the appearance of the first customization at 10, the current appearance is at the level of 5 to 5.2.”

“Average, then.”

“That’s right. It’s common.”

Isis cast her gaze at the master next to her.

Unlike his face earlier, which looked like he was looking at a wonderful toy, the master’s face was calm and serene, like a lake.

As if searching for something lost, as if taking out something carefully cherished, as if seeing something welcome,

His pupils were shaking, and his eyes were filled with tears.

“Master?”

Isis cautiously called him.

“Isis.”

The master said in a subdued voice.

“You might not believe it, but… I want to be this person more than the one from before.”

Isis was curious about the reason, but she didn’t think about asking again.

Because the master’s face, as he looked at the screen with a face that looked like he was about to cry, looked like he was about to collapse at any moment,

Because it looked like he was hugging something precious that was easily broken and sobbing,

Isis didn’t bother to ask again.