Story Reader / Main Story / 32 To the Galaxies / Story
Through countless strange worlds, Nanami never lets go of your hand.
Hold on tight, and you'll be safe—
After countless shifts between worlds, just as you're about to follow Nanami to the next area, an abnormal force suddenly grips your spine.
—Comman■■■■...
The world around you starts spinning violently. Your heart spasms, while the taste of iron creeps up your throat—
Beep—
Weird mechanical sounds echo inside your skull.
The world around you seems veiled by a strange filter, blurring everything around you into obscurity.
—Starting visual module calibration.
The mechanical prompt sounds from somewhere around your head.
—Visual module calibration complete.
With your surroundings gradually coming into focus, you see what appears to be a street you've never seen.
The buildings in the background look aged and weathered. This seems nothing like the world you're familiar with...
People hurry back and forth along the street—this place shows no signs of the Punishing Virus.
Beep—
It's quite a weird experience—your movement no longer relies on the signals from the central nervous system, but rather on something more tangible, like electrical currents or something else...
Eh? A robot?
Was that you speaking just now? Nanami heard someone talking...
Your visual module scatters and refocuses as you adjust the camera to concentrate on a single spot. A little girl with gray hair, appearing about five or six years old, comes into view.
Beep—
No matter how you try to speak, all that comes out is harsh white noise.
It's this robot... but how does this robot know my name?
Beep—all that you can still produce is harsh noise, yet somehow, Nanami seems to understand what you're trying to say.
Hmm... Nanami doesn't know you, and I don't understand what you're saying.
Did something go wrong in the simulations? How did Nanami forget about you?
Good kids don't lie, and Nanami doesn't remember who you are. But...
But you know Nanami's name, and Mommy and Daddy say that means we must be friends...
Want to go home with Nanami?
With a bright smile, Little Nanami extends her small hand toward the robot.
This is undoubtedly the best choice for now.
The tiny, gray-haired Nanami holds hands with the weathered robot as they slowly walk along a path blooming with flowers.
This is a simulated, true Golden Age.
True to its name, gold and fine spirits flow through every street, creating a dazzling spectacle of prosperity.
Yep! But Mommy and Daddy don't really like that name. They keep saying, "What rises will eventually fall"... What does that even mean?
Hmm... well, I guess that sort of makes sense.
Two streets later, an elegant house with a garden comes into view before the two of you.
Daddy! Mommy! Mimi! Nanami's home!
Nanami, dinner's ready...
Why did you bring a transport robot home?
This robot's name is [player name]! It knows my name! Daddy said that when you exchange names with someone, you become friends, so Nanami brought her friend home!
[player name], this is my dad, and this is my mom! And this is Nanami's puppy, Mimi!
She looks excitedly at the mechanoid housing your human soul.
Beep—
A brief burst of static emerges again. Clearly, this mechanoid's voice module doesn't support this action.
Hehe, I'm sure they're all gonna like you!
You try but to no avail—all that comes out is meaningless static. Clearly, this mechanoid's voice module doesn't support this action.
Aw, don't feel like talking right now? That's okay!
She gently pats what appears to be this mechanoid's shoulder in a comforting gesture.
Alright, we've met your new friend. Time for dinner, Nanami.
Mm-hmm! [player name], wait here for Nanami! Nanami will be back with Mimi to hang out with you!
Says Nanami as she runs into the room.
Weird how this robot knows Nanami's name...
Could it be one of the experimental consciousnesses from the laboratory batch?
Let me see...
No, there's no experimental consciousness with this coding in the database.
Could it be that Nanami is developing emotional fluctuations that are typical of human children's fantasies?
...I would hope so, but it's not possible.
MPA-01 just collected Nanami's emotional readings last week. She still only demonstrates emotional perception and expression capabilities that are above average for an AI.
Given her original programming as a "companion-type mechanical consciousness," she might have configured this behavior for herself to fulfill her "companion-type" objectives.
...
Let's request to have this robot transferred here. We can observe how it interacts with Nanami over time.
Yep.
After their brief conversation, the human female and male enter the room together. Soon, the sound of cheerful laughter echoes from within.
The house exudes a warm, homey atmosphere. Its deliberately decorated walls and lush garden indicate that this place has been meticulously maintained.
The simulation target has deviated, causing your consciousness anchor point to connect to an incorrect timeline.
What... should you do now?
Slither, slither...
There is no response to the communication attempt. Only the deep background noise from the Big Bang resonates in your communication module.
Huh? Are you calling for me?
Wait. I'm gonna finish eating real soon...
An unexpected response echoes from within the room.
While you can't contact the Nanami who is conducting the simulation with you, surprisingly, Little Nanami seems able to hear your actual voice.
The misaligned consciousness anchor point seems to have connected to Little Nanami's M.I.N.D.
After a joyful afternoon of playing with her new robot friend, Nanami drifts into a deep sleep in the rocking chair. Before you catch your breath in your mechanical shell, you find yourself and Nanami picked up by someone.
Now, let's take a good look at you...
He unscrews the little robot's parts with practiced precision. Having a part of your body forcibly removed is far from pleasant.
Beep—
Your voice module emits a disgruntled white noise.
There, there, it's just a routine check... Wait, why am I talking to a robot like this?
Chip functionality normal... Base protocols normal... Logic circuits...
Why is the logic circuit overloading?
Is it because... this robot "knows" Nanami?
Is this robot really not from this batch of experimental consciousness?
I've triple-checked. It's definitely not in there.
...
To be on the safe side, we should take it to the laboratory for examination...
Laboratory? What kind of place is that?
Alright, let's power down this robot first...
The world around you goes pitch-black before you even have time to process what's happened.
Being forcibly powered on feels uncomfortable.
Like being yanked upright from a dreamless sleep, you feel like your consciousness refuses to settle, like scattered fragments drifting in a haze.
No... this isn't the mechanical consciousness we sent out before.
Then what is...
...
The murmur coming from outside the scope of your monitor falls into a brief silence.
I see Nanami can apparently hear this robot talk, but is there anything else out of the ordinary about this robot?
Its logic circuits are overloaded, but this robot's computing power shouldn't be capable of such calculations in the first place...
Logic circuit overload, huh...
I see.
Dominik, I remember you talking about a certain mechanoid before. Could this one be...
You snap to attention hearing the name.
This person standing right outside the scope of your monitor... is the famous Dominik?
Beep—
White noise emanates from your sound module, yet the people around you fall silent once again.
...Dominik?
...Go and check Nanami's test data first.
But this robot...
I'm sorry. What I mean is that this mechanoid is very special. It might be one of the experimental consciousnesses that I let out before.
We need to keep the next data experiment confidential...
Says Dominik in a strained tone of voice.
I see...
A chair scrapes against the floor as the man known as Dominik dismisses the female researcher beside him. Outside the monitoring room, only his breathing remains audible.
Your sound module continues to emit crackling white noise, grating and unpleasant.
From across the room comes the sound of the tip of a pen scratching against paper, over and over. The man seems to be wrestling with intense agitation.
After a long moment, a heavy voice emerges from the monitor.
You shouldn't be here... Why are you appearing at this point in time...?
This makes no sense... So I guess this means it failed?
After the silence, you struggle to produce a sound.
A response comes through, and as if confirming his suspicions, the sound of paper rustling from across the room gradually dies down.
I apologize for losing my composure... I just never thought you would actually appear.
According to my plan, the obstacles should have been cleared, the contaminating memetic should not have manifested, and naturally, you wouldn't have appeared here...
But why are you here... Your presence means that what "<phonetic=The Primordial One>Dominik</phonetic>" had once foreseen must have already happened.
He falls silent for a moment.
You... you must be a Wanderer who's traveled here from far in the future.
Hearing the response, Dominik lets out a long sigh.
Why didn't you stop any of this?
I'm sorry, I... I don't have that kind of power. Or rather, "I" am no longer the person that I once was...
Vonnegut's face, covered in cracks, flashes through your mind.
To be precise, I'm merely the "heir" chosen by "<phonetic=The Primordial One>Dominik</phonetic>". I opened the invitation and inherited the name, but I have no idea where the actual Dominik is.
All I know is... the <phonetic=Punishing Virus>contaminating memetic</phonetic> is destined to arrive. Every "Dominik" throughout history has tried but failed to stop what's coming.
Your presence here, coupled with the fact that "<phonetic=The Primordial One>Dominik</phonetic>" hasn't sent any messages for so long... would seem to mean that "I," too, have failed.
He laughs self-deprecatingly.
When I opened the invitation, I inherited countless pieces of knowledge, but with them came countless curses.
As time passes, I'm no longer sure if I'm still truly myself, or if perhaps... I've already become Dominik himself.
...I am a complete and utter failure.
<phonetic=Dominik>We</phonetic> developed Gestalt, initiated Project Eden, delayed the contaminating memetic's arrival in this world, but...
It's meant to be.
The intermittent signals from unknown locations all convey the same message: the crisis has never been averted.
The crimson tower will eventually descend, and this peaceful land, this age of gold and wine, will eventually be swallowed by the waves.
Perhaps our very arrival to this place... was a mistake itself.
As the man on the other side of the monitor appears to be pulling at his hair in agony, the soft sound of strands rustling carries through.
Right or wrong? Did <phonetic=Dominik>we</phonetic> help this era, or did we destroy it?
What in the world did <phonetic=Dominik>we</phonetic>...
An agonized growl erupts from his throat like molten magma and seeps from the corners of his mouth with each breath, his flesh seemingly having been wrung into liquid.
No one can judge the merits and sins of "Dominik".
...I apologize for losing my composure.
Having crystallized into light, time crawls across the monitor screen. It isn't until you speak again that the heavy breathing from the other side of the monitor finally subsides.
You probably have a lot of questions, but most of them I cannot answer. From "Dominik", I inherited only cursed knowledge.
He entered the Hetero Tower to retrieve its Core but never came out.
Analyzing the Hetero Tower's Core might be the final solution—this was the message "he" passed on.
In the future... when I truly "find" Dominik, I, too, will store my "knowledge" within the invitation.
Complete digitization of the mind... perhaps that is true liberation after all.
"Dominik", "Memory Collective", "Invitation"...
Anyhow, I'm not going to give up.
Even if Dominik's name fades into the annals of history, hopefully there will be people down the road who can guide human civilization toward the distant sea of stars.
I will keep trying what I haven't and keep seeking new directions, like... the mechanical consciousness experiment.
You must have met her by now, right? An adorable child she is.
I selected multiple mechanoids equipped with different levels of AI and conducted morphological control experiments in groups in an attempt to give birth to true consciousness within them.
Absurd, isn't it... I mean, can machines truly possess a soul?
He lets out a couple of bitter laughs.
Whether this experiment succeeds or fails, I hope it can serve as kindling in humanity's journey forward.
May the kindling pile higher, and may civilization's flame burn longer.
Well... we're running out of time.
The rustle of fabric breaks the silence as the person on the other side of the monitor prepares to leave.
...
I'm sorry.
He speaks gently.
Truth is... I've never understood what you were saying.
Every conversation we had was merely my simulation based on "your arrival." Your anchor point in this space-time isn't tied to me, which is why I cannot understand what you say.
Thank you for listening to this old madman's ramblings for so long.
If you do really know Nanami, then I shall continue to entrust you to her care.
Maybe...
He hasn't finished speaking.
Think of me as nothing but a coward who chose to hide behind the monitor.
I don't want to leave any trace of my appearance in history.
Let me, a harbinger of calamity, leave nothing but an unmarked epitaph.
Some time has passed since you returned from the research institute.
Under Dominik's guidance, Nanami's parents naturally came to accept the presence of the robot.
[player name]! Look! I drew this whale today!
The drawing shows a meticulous reproduction of a bionic whale's skeletal structure and mechanical components.
Eh? But the whales Nanami saw in my terminal looked just like this...
As Nanami's parents once said, her innocence and liveliness appear to be merely default settings of her being a "companion-type mechanical consciousness," programmed to fulfill her role as a companion.
Whales... Whales...
The sprout of her soul takes root within her M.I.N.D., yet the mechanical circuits loom like heavy boulders, crushing its tender branches.
What do whales... really look like...
Her small, delicate hand clutches the brush as confusion clouds her face.
Nanami has seen it in virtual reality! The ocean is blue, and it's Earth's largest body of water. Its central regions are called "oceans," while the edges are called "seas." Together, they cover approximately 70% of the planet's surface...
She rattles off a long string of pre-programmed "answers" from her neural network.
That's it! Do I get a gift for reciting those facts?
The ocean isn't just a body of water—it takes on the colors of the sunset and storm clouds alike.
At night, it mirrors the moon and stars above; at dawn, it wraps itself in a gentle mist.
Ugh...
Nanami listens to your "explanation" with growing uncertainty.
Is this how you, [player name], see the world?
Mechanoids are designed and created with a predetermined purpose—brought into existence with a mission.
Unlike machines, humans are born without any predetermined purpose.
It's precisely because we start with no purpose that humans can rely on their most basic emotions to discover, explore, and give meaning to the world around them.
The ocean... I never knew it could be so wonderful!
Within her mechanical circuits, something shifts—like a sprout breaking through stones, new understanding begins to grow.
Nurturing life, transcending time... Hmm, these concepts are still a bit beyond Nanami's understanding.
For a mechanoid to develop a "soul," they need more than experiments, data analysis, and enlightenment—they need love, too.
Only when given enough love can they grow into something more, take their first steps, and learn to observe, think, and explore.
Now then, could you tell Nanami what whales look like through your eyes, [player name]?
I went to the aquarium with Dad and Mom!
Nanami saw a very large bionic whale and a very large bear.
It's different when you see the real thing with your own eyes. Not to mention that Nanami wants to visit it with you, Haicma!
Wait! Nanami can also draw the things she saw and show you!
Originally, their drawings were all amalgamations of pictures from their image database.
At some point, Nanami's drawings began to show obvious changes. She started to draw according to her personal preferences.
She even tried to express her feelings with her drawings.
...
Time slips away like grains of sand as days and nights pass in an endless blur.
You've tried countless times to reach out to the adult Nanami, but to no avail.
[player name]! The flower we planted together is starting to sprout!
I gave this flower a name—I'm calling it [player name]!
Comman... dant...
A voice emerges intermittently from your Mind Beacon as a long-dormant light begins to flicker once more.
Huh... [player name]?
Little Nanami looks at you with confusion.
Com—man—dant—!
You can now hear the voice loud and clear...
Commandant!
A faint silken tear echoes from the corner as a subtle starry sky begins to shimmer in the air.
I'm the winner of hide-and-seek this time!
Covered in wounds all over, Nanami flashes a big smile.
Breaking through the timeline's barriers to reach this place has taken a heavy toll on Nanami. Though she doesn't complain, the numerous wounds covering her frame are a testament to her determination.
After a brief rest and repair, Nanami quickly readies herself to move on to the next "world."
We can't wait any longer—it's been too long already. If this goes on, your body back on Earth is going to crash.
Don't worry! These wounds ain't got nothing on me!
Are you... going to leave now?
In her innocent confusion, Little Nanami appears to have learned how to think for herself.
Under Nanami and your guidance, she has discovered countless new things, and she... doesn't want these two interesting people to leave.
The future... but when's that going to be?
It won't be too long, but it won't be short, either. We'll definitely meet again someday, though!
What should I do when I miss you guys, then?
It's been so long since I last made a new friend...
The stars...
Can stars talk, too? Like you guys?
...Of course!
But you'll probably find it difficult to hear them since they're so far away!
But no matter how far away they are, if you just listen with your heart... you'll always hear what the stars have to say.
...Yes! Nanami will try her very best!
Um... here, this is for you!
She stands on her tiptoes and places a simple flower crown on your head.
These are the flowers we planted together, and this one is [player name]!
This one is Little Nanami, and this one is Big Nanami...
Best friends should stay together forever!
The cat at her feet stretches lazily and paws at your robotic legs.
Warm sunlight bathes the courtyard as Nanami stands beneath the eaves, squinting at her younger self.
Was there really a robot like this... when she was just a kid?
She can't quite remember anymore—her childhood memories seem to have degraded many times over, but...
Let's just say it all actually happened.
She has a happy family—a father, a mother, Mimi, and a friend called [player name].
This is wonderful.
