#28. Record

Books pack every corner.

Books, if you look here.

Books, if you look there.

Books all over.

This was a library.

“Akasha.”

The sound echoed through the quiet library.

“Akasha?”

That was a voice calling for the ‘librarian.’

“Yes, Goddess.”

The librarian, who had been organizing books, quickly rushed over and bowed her head to her creator.

“Have you been well?”

“Of course.”

“You must have suffered much alone.”

“It’s alright.”

The command given by the Creator. To fulfill it is simply happiness.

I have never felt a single moment of pain.

“I’m glad. If it becomes hard, tell me at any time. I’ll find a way.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

The Goddess broached the subject of her visit to the library.

“What is this ‘ChatGPT’?”

“Pardon?”

ChatGPT.

Wasn’t it an artificial intelligence created by the humans of Earth?

Why would she be curious about such a thing…

Questions arose, but there was no problem in answering.

This is Akasha’s library.

All the knowledge of the world is contained here.

Akasha answered the question.

“Ah… so it’s like a machine that answers anything and finds anything.”

“That’s right.”

“This is troublesome, I didn’t prepare something like that.”

The goddess’s gaze, after some deliberation, settled on Akasha.

What is it?

I feel uneasy.

“Come to think of it, you two look quite alike.”

“Pardon?”

“The Chat GPT, I mean.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Akasha, perhaps you could grant me a favor?”

Goddess-nim.

It couldn’t be, but…

No, right?

It can’t be…can it?

“I want you to help this child.”

The goddess displayed a screen.

A newborn, just barely arrived in the world.

A baby named Rain Ortiz.

Akasha is intelligent.

She understood the goddess’s meaning instantly.

Ah.

Damn it.

The goddess asked with a gentle expression.

“Why, will it be too difficult?”

Haha.

Difficult, of course it’s difficult.

To have me constantly help a single person, what is she even thinking?

But if she says jump, you jump, right?

I’ll just take it easy!

“I can do it.”

And so, Akasha began to watch over the life of Rain Ortiz.

As a Chat GPT.

“…Does this kid even know how much I’m suffering?”

From that day forward, Akasha’s routine changed slightly.

First, tidying up the books, sorting the newly arrived volumes.

Then, sitting at the table in the center of the library, watching Rain.

“He wouldn’t know.”

Rain was more diligent than expected.

Why is he studying like that? He doesn’t even have the college entrance exam anymore.

He seems a bit clever, too…

I haven’t employed ‘I’ even once, not yet.

─Ugh, I don’t get this problem.

Need a little help?

─Huh? Uh? What?

Hold on a sec.

Seriously, you didn’t know I was here?

─You… you ChatGPT or somethin’…?

Is this for real?

─They really just give it to you. That’s how you kept up…

Humans, why are they so dense?

Raine is particularly hopeless. You can tell just by his daily routine.

Locked away in his room, day in, day out, just reading books.

When he’s done with the books, he studies.

When he’s done studying, he reads more books.

Just like me.

─System, wake me up at 7, yeah?

Does he think I’m some kind of alarm clock?

─System, wake me up at 10, please.

Why does he only use me for this?

─System, I’m bored.

Oh, finally, he’s going to use me for something different.

─Can you, like, rap or something?

This little…

“Impossible.”

─Ah, Siri could do it, though.

Damn it…

“Boom-chicky boom boom-chicky…”

What am I even doing?

“Seriously? Why are you giving your homework to ME?!”

Still, it had a certain amusement.

“He calls this a difficult problem? Humans, honestly…”

Because the everyday routine, it was changing, little by little.

“Why does he always have to involve the professor…? “

Akasha was enjoying herself.

Did the Goddess foresee a future like this?

“Hmm?”

─Solving a difficult problem, or not solving it. Which do you think is better?

How should I know that?

No, before that.

Isn’t it obvious, that the side which can solve the problem is better?

“Hmph, ought to answer.”

I switch on the mic and the voice modulator.

Just as I’m about to reply—

Something caught my eye.

“…Appears more events will unfold if it remains unsolved.”

It was the future.

A future Akashia wasn’t privy to.

“Crazy…”

Felt like I’d glimpsed something I shouldn’t have.

What was ‘that’?

Just because of one unsolved problem, the world changes like that?

“Just what are you? Rain Ortiz.”

Anyway, time marched on.

And now, the present.

“Just what is this b*stard?”

Akashia commits a mistake for the first time in twenty years.

*

“Professor.”

“Hm?”

“Please, investigate this, Professor. I’ll be away for a bit.”

“Huh? Oh… okay…”

I handed the stone over to Professor Rachel.

I don’t know yet what dangers that stone might hold, but if it’s the Professor, she’ll manage it well enough.

There was something more important now.

“System.”

Calling out to someone when alone, might seem a bit strange to an onlooker.

“System.”

Doesn’t matter.

What do I care about other people’s gazes.

After twenty years, the artificial intelligence by my side, turns out it wasn’t an artificial intelligence at all!

Seriously, what is this, a web novel title?

The AI I’ve been running for twenty years was a person. Is that what’s happening?

“Answer me, System.”

[…Yes.]

“Take off the modulator, and speak in your own tone.”

[Tsk.]

Tsk?

Did it just click its tongue?

I didn’t mishear that, did I?

“You, since when…”

[ It wasn’t some artificial intelligence from the start, you know. ]

System, no, damn it.

What should I even call it?

[ My name is Akasha. Mistress of the ‘World Library’ and a loyal servant of the Goddess. You should worship and praise me. ]

“Worship you?”

[ Yes, you are a lowly human, so it is only natural that you worship me. ]

I can’t see its face.

I can’t see its face, but…

Somehow, it’s so irritating that I want to punch it.

“Alright, Akasha.”

[ You should say Akasha ‘nim’. ]

“Alright, Akasha.”

[ You…! ]

“Why were you pretending to be a system all this time?”

A sigh came from somewhere.

[ I never pretended to be a system. That was just a name you arbitrarily gave me, wasn’t it? ]

“Then why did you talk like that…?”

[ Because you wanted an artificial intelligence. I was just playing along with you. ]

No way.

That was the only reason?

[ Now that I think about it, it’s absurd. ChatGPT? Seriously, you’re probably the only one asking for ChatGPT when going to another world. ]

Akasha suddenly started getting angry.

[ Why are you making me do your homework? And why do you keep asking me to solve problems? Stop asking me such useless things. ]

“……”

[ Am I a weather forecast service? Why are you asking me whether it’s going to rain or not? ]

Wow.

I really used it well.

“That’s what I brought you for.”

[ What? ]

“Aren’t you supposed to answer when I ask you something anyway?”

[ …… ]

“Was it Akasha you said your name was?”

[ Wait, I got too worked up. ]

“You’re not Akasha anymore, starting today.”

[ Hey. Wait. Hey. ]

“Goodbye, ChatGPT.”

[ …… ]

Don’t you dare talk back.

.

.

[I’d meant to seize the upper hand now that I was caught…. ]

Transparent motives.

I could practically taste the acting in her voice from the start.

Akasha wasn’t genuinely angry.

“What good would the upper hand do you?”

[ Just for kicks…. I was going to have you running around here and there. You know, like those Earth humans window-shopping? ]

She wanted to use me as some internet resource….

Well, no matter. I won.

“Let me ask you something.”

[ What is it. ]

“What’s a question you can’t answer?”

[ Questions related to the gods. ]

Gods?

Is she talking about that goddess-like being from before?

[ It’s taboo for humans to cross beyond the heavens. I hope you take note. ]

“I don’t plan to, anyway.”

My goals are entirely separate from that sort of thing to begin with. What reason would I have to meet a god while researching?

[ How naive…. ]

“Whatever. What surprised you? What did I create?”

[ I don’t know. ]

“…You don’t know?”

[ I wouldn’t be surprised if I did. I shouldn’t not know anything, normally. ]

“Then why don’t you know?”

[ I told you, I don’t know. ]

“You said there’s nothing you don’t know.”

[ Correct. ]

“So why don’t you know?”

[ I don’t know, I don’t know! I don’t know! That question cannot be answered! You little shit! ]

That’s genuine anger this time.

Not an act.

I shut my mouth.

[ Haaah…. Go figure it out with that research you all love so much. Anyway, that thing is something I don’t know. ]

“Alright.”

[ More importantly, Rain. ]

“What is it?”

[ You should probably head back quickly, you know? ]

“What are you talking about?”

[ It’s nothing big, but one of your shields is about to disappear. ]

“…Shield?”

Then.

“Rain, dear?”

Professor Rachel hurried after me.

“Professor?”

“There you are. Let’s go quickly.”

“What’s wrong?”

Professor Rachel grabbed my hand, pulling me along.

Seriously, what is it?

Did a Mana beast come back or something?

“Your parents are here to see you.”

*

“Ahahaha!”

“Hahahaha!”

The academy’s reception room bloomed with laughter.

A couple, and a dark-haired magician, sat facing each other.

“You have such a beautiful face, and speak so gently. Now I know who Rain takes after.”

“Oh, Professor, you flatter me…”

On the surface, the atmosphere was amicable.

In truth, it was mostly amicable, but one person harbored dark intentions.

Meriell Gardener.

The perpetually second-place, gloomy professor.

Having reached her breaking point, she was determined to go after a student’s parents.

“Our son…”

“Is a genius?”

I’ll expose everything, Rain Ortiz.

“Yes! A genius! He shows exceptional talent, especially in ‘magic’.”

A little exaggeration is unavoidable, perhaps.

“But he refuses, saying he must follow the family business… Maybe this is just my own selfish desire?”

I can no longer afford to be picky about methods.

“Family business…”

Rain’s father, Snow Ortiz, began to ponder.

“Actually, that’s what I came to discuss.”

“Discuss…?”

“He no longer needs to be bound by the family business.”

Snow smiled warmly.

It was a father’s smile, filled with love for his son.

“You can do whatever you want.”

Meriell smiled along.

Hahaha.

Perfect.