I let out a light sigh.
After all, the credits I earned weren’t even mine.
There was no reason for me to care, but I thought I should at least ask what it was.
I turned to Eve and asked, “What’s this?”
“This is a ‘Clothing Care Machine’ that belongs to a higher line than the products previously used from Monolith. It has excellent performance in sterilization and purifying the fine dust of the city.”
I took a quick glance at the clothing care machine, and inside, along with my clothes, were maid outfits I’d never seen before.
“…….”
Let’s put the clothing care machine aside for now. I pointed to another piece of furniture and appliances.
“Then what about this?”
“This is a special line manufactured by LAD, known as the masterpiece of the refrigerator industry. Excluding similar products from the Kojaka brand.”
My small single-person fridge was nowhere to be found, replaced by a fridge that was so enormous it needed a separate zip code.
I cautiously opened the door.
Inside, there were all kinds of foods I hadn’t seen since coming to this Cyberpunk world.
Chunks of meat trimmed by body part.
A pile of vegetables as fresh as if they were still breathing.
Even snacks that would pique my bland appetite.
…Mmm.
And lastly, I gestured to the king-sized “Double Bed” that had usurped the spot of my beloved small bed.
In my personal opinion, it was the most puzzling and questionable piece of furniture.
“Why is the bed a double—”
“It’s a necessary choice to ensure efficient sleep in a fixed room size. Humans do not need two or more bedding to obtain deep sleep. By the way, the bed was bought from ‘Toomba,’ a subsidiary of Monolith, and it’s the highest-rated product.”
The explanation continued at a pace like fast-forwarding a video.
…….
Even after hearing that explanation, I couldn’t understand it fully. Isn’t it common sense that two people need two beds to sleep?
Does it really have to be a double bed?
“No, but why—”
“Efficient.”
“…….”
It seemed like this was the second time I’d seen Eve strongly asserting her opinion.
For reference, the first was when she banned my stocks.
In the end, I nodded, looking resigned.
The truth is, I couldn’t defy an AI that could hack the city with just a finger.
It would be a pointless struggle.
…Right.
It was just a bigger bed, after all.
The roommate I had in my head just now had a body of her own.
If it was a problem, I could just sleep on the floor.
After hearing my response, Eve took a step back with a satisfied expression (or rather, no expression) and began looking around at the furniture she purchased and the interior of the room.
When she pressed the blind switch of the window, the outside city scenery brightened up.
As I watched her, a strange thought came to mind.
…In the end, the fact that these furniture pieces were delivered in advance means that while I was falling without a parachute from the airship, Eve was secretly choosing and ordering products.
As that thought continued, the once naïve Eve began to feel a little different to me.
Eve, what a scary kid…
—
A notification arrived through my visual interface indicating that a message had come in.
Checking the name, it was from Drake.
Sender: ‘Friendly Cyberware Specialty Store, Consultation available 24/7’
– Great, we came out from No Answer too.
– I let the Boss know.
– He seemed a bit bummed that he couldn’t see you.
– He says to drop by alone when you have the time.
– Though we brushed over the AI during the talk.
– You’ll have to handle that later.
– Alright, you did well today.
– We should grab a drink separately sometime.
That was the content of the message.
Leaving everything to Drake and the others and escaping was definitely worth it.
Under normal circumstances, I should have stopped by No Answer and at least seen the Boss, whose face was Natasha.
However, with Eve’s unexpected arrival, I came up with an excuse that I had something to do and ran home.
Of course, there was really nothing I had to do; everyone probably knew that I just ran away because I was tired.
I spoke to Eve, who was still examining the items in the room.
“So, all the ordered furniture has arrived, right?”
“No.”
“Huh?”
Does that mean something else is on the way?
Eve continued, “The ‘old input-output device’ needed to play games with human ‘Lee Siwoon’ has yet to arrive.”
…That was significant.
But thinking about it, Eve didn’t really need an old computer.
In the past, she connected to games just fine without a body or computer.
“Don’t you not need that?”
At my words, Eve took another step towards me.
This AI knew far too well the power of her own face.
“It’s necessary.”
“……If you say you need it, I guess.”
Avoiding her gaze, I replied.
In reality, there was nothing I could argue if she deemed it necessary.
On another note, I was also just too tired to argue.
“Anyway, I’m going to sleep first.”
I let out a huge yawn.
Today had really been a lot.
As someone who doesn’t like to go out, it was a pretty demanding schedule.
Also, I was surprised that the virtual terrorist targeting me was actually the chairman of a megacorp.
The sudden appearance of an AI with an artificial body also contributed to my exhaustion.
Hmm.
“But I never thought about the artificial body.”
“I mentioned it when we did the first streaming. I said there was something I wanted.”
“Ah.”
Now that I think about it, she did say that.
“Also, after controlling the drone ‘Lone Spider,’ I wanted it even more.”
So it was that I hadn’t anticipated her!
She had apparently been consistently preparing to buy an artificial body for a while now.
“Of course, I also had the intention of surprising you.”
“…….”
Anyway.
It makes me wonder if it’s really okay for an AI to have a body this easily.
But since it was already too late for that, I had no options left.
I could only hope that Eve would have a good heart.
I thought comfortably that it would somehow work out.
I took off my high-end ready-made coat.
As I mentioned before, the clothes I was originally wearing had gone to the laundry.
Considering I rolled around in the landfill and sewage, I expected it to take some time before they returned to a decent state.
Unless, before that, I received new clothes from Kojaka William.
As I thought this, I opened the door to the clothing care machine, the “Styler,” that Eve had just bought.
Inside were my clothes and several maid outfits, which I guessed Eve would wear.
…….
Thanks to the Styler’s performance,
even though the scents of fabric softener and similar scent sheets from my usual clothes were the same, something about the scent from the maid outfits felt a bit different.
Ugh, maybe I was just tired.
I found my thoughts wandering.
I hung up the clothes I had been wearing and my mask inside the Styler.
I then flopped onto the bed.
Since I had already borrowed the shower facilities at the amusement park and cleaned up, there was no need to shower again.
Of course, it was also because I was sleepy.
I turned my head just enough to look at Eve.
Eve stood over the bed, with her backlit figure casting a shadow that obscured her face with a white light directed at me.
“……Anyway, goodnight.”
…What could go wrong while I just sleep?
The AI I had been living with all along just gained a body.
Ultimately, nothing had changed in my daily life.
Eve maintained a modest posture and nodded lightly.
That movement felt quite natural.
“Sweet dreams.”
With that response, I closed my eyes.
Turning my body towards the wall, I lay down.
I really was tired.
It felt like I could fall asleep in just a few seconds.
…….
Had the rustling noise from behind not been heard, I probably would have drifted off right away.
‘…Is that…?’
If my ears weren’t deceiving me,
it was definitely the sound of someone changing clothes.
“…….”
I swallowed involuntarily.
A moment later, weight shifted onto the side of the bed I was lying on.
Unless a ghost with physical properties crossed spatial coordinates, the only person who could lie down on the same bed as me was Eve.
Without even having to turn my head to confirm, it was extremely clear that Eve had (at least) taken off her outer clothes and was lying next to me.
……I was wide awake now.
The fact that a beautiful maid with appearances comparable to or even beyond those of Catherine, a character in the game, or Andrea, a famous celebrity in the city, was lying next to me felt unreal.
What was I supposed to do here?
Should I man up and roll over to look at Eve?
What in the world should I do—?
That was where my train of thought came to an end.
Indeed.
Among the human desires, sleep drive is typically stronger than sexual desires.
—
This might be a dream.
It could also be a sound I misheard in my drowsy state.
There wasn’t anything substantial in it, nor was there any special scene accompanying it.
However, for some reason,
“Tch.”
The sound of the tongue clicking felt like something I would remember for a long time.
Thinking it might be a dream, I soon fell back into slumber.
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