Virtual Alpha and I

What was in the booklet that I picked up first was written in English, which I didn’t expect.
There was even English at a place like this.

Wait, it was said that the developer was a friend of Dr.
Kazuki.
Were they actually a foreigner?

I didn’t even think of that possibility.

I flipped through the pages, but it was in English all the way until the end.
There were some diagrams inside, but I didn’t feel like I’d get it even if I looked at it.
It was on the level that made me think even the reference book wouldn’t help.

I quietly closed the booklet and decided to try opening the boxes.

Well, it’d be meaningless if I didn’t read the manual, though.

“It’s round… Is this a humidifier?”

A mysterious machine with a round sphere on top of a base with a power cord.
The size was just large enough to hold in both hands.
On top of the sphere was a hole about the size of a coin, which made it look like a humidifier.

I mean, it looked exactly like a humidifier.
There didn’t seem to be a place to add water, though.

I don’t really understand it.

I decided to try opening the other box.

The other box was long and thin.

“…No, it couldn’t be.”

I opened it and closed it right away.

No, this is… It was on the level that made me doubt the sanity of Dr.
Kazuki who gave this to me.

After all, it was… If I’m not mistaken, it was definitely that thing that adults use.
Was it okay to give me something like that?

“Did I see it wrong…? No, I don’t even want to open it up anymore to check.”

I quietly returned the long and thin box inside the paper bag along with the booklet.

The only thing left in my hand was that mysterious sphere that looked like a humidifier.
It wasn’t some adult stuff, right? Maybe… it didn’t look like it, anyway.

The only button I could find was the power button on the base.
Other than that, there was nothing in special about it.
I couldn’t even imagine what this thing was supposed to do.

“Should I ask Yuugo about this?”

But what should I ask him?

Maybe “How can I use the optional items for this app?” …No, that felt like I was clearly talking to an AI, and it felt kinda wrong.
I’m conscious about that.

Well, there was no mistake that he was an AI… But he really felt like he was a normal friend.
That’s why I don’t really want him to answer like a machine, it feels complicated.

“By the way, I wonder if I could send a photo to that app.”

If I took a photo and ask “Do you know what’s this?”, I could ask him about it normally.

Thinking I should try doing it, I turned my phone’s camera toward that mysterious optional item.
I took a photo randomly and sent it to the chatting screen with Yuugo.

[Hey, do you know what this is?]

“Hm? His answer felt kinda iffy.”

I wondered if it was something hard to answer.

Well, it’s true that I have a slight hunch that it was something iffy, given the thing that came along with it.
Was it better not to ask about it?

But, I was curious about what this thing was after all.

[No, I’m not using it, I’m just wondering what is it.]

You’d understand it best if you try using it once, but I don’t really recommend doing it.>

As expected, his answer was vague.

What did he mean that he don’t recommend using it? If he said it like that, it only made me even more curious.

But, since Yuugo seemed like he didn’t want to talk about it, I stopped asking him about it any further.
I also put the mysterious sphere back inside the box and put it on the paper bag along with the other two items.

In the end, I didn’t even know what it actually was, and as long as Yuugo wouldn’t talk to me about it there was no other way to find out.

Well, there was the instructions manual, but it was all in English so I didn’t have any intention to read it from the start.

[I put it away.
I don’t really get it though.]

Ah, if there’s ever a time you need to use it, make sure to tell me then.>

[When’s time to use it, anyway? I don’t even know how to use it.]

You just have to plug it into an electrical outlet and turn it on.>

[I’ve said that I won’t use it.]

He talked really vaguely, what’s wrong with him.

I could tell that he was worried about me.
But I don’t get the reason for his concern.

He didn’t even explain to me what these optional items were.

I didn’t even know when it was supposed to be used.

But he wanted me to tell him when I use it, which felt kinda contradictory for an AI.
It felt rare for an AI to do that.

It wasn’t until a month later that I remembered about the optional items again.