"Eh, what do you mean?"
Velvet looked at me innocently, a slight crease on her forehead.
Did she really not know? That couldn't be. Has she never read a classic book, or has the very concept of punishment become foreign in this fully digital age?
I sighed inwardly.
Crimes and Punishment by Dostoevsky.
In Japan, that book was practically legendary—revived even in brutal battle royale memes. But in 2035? Forget classic literature—web novels about isekai and reincarnation easily dominated every neural interface more than old-school shounen manga.
"Here's the thing," I began, trying to simplify it.
"Crimes and Punishment is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It's about a young man who feels he deserves punishment after committing a crime. It dives deep into questions about morality and personal justice."
Velvet stayed silent, her gaze blank. I don't think any of that landed on her mind.
"So, what does that have to do with the event earlier?" She asked.
I continued, trying to connect the dots that felt obvious to me.
"It's simple. Anyone who engages in physical intimacy during the set period gets punished. The reward's clearly for those who can resist touching their partner—or anyone else, for that matter."
Velvet nodded slowly, but confusion lingered in her expression.
"I… didn't know you read books like that. Aren't you a gamer? Literature, huh?"
"Yeah, so what?" I shot back, slightly defensive.
"Just because I'm a gamer doesn't mean my brain's empty when it comes to stuff like this. But I get it—stereotypes die hard."
Truth be told, I didn't even read the book traditionally. It's more accurate to say… I borrowed the concept from an indie game I helped develop years ago with some mates. Ours was more of an arcade-style game laced with dark narrative. Players had to make morally absurd decisions—like whether to kill a lover-turned-dragon or parents who sold that lover for cash. Those dilemmas were exactly what made Warrior's Paradox go viral and burn its name into gamers' memories everywhere.
"Hm, maybe you're right," Velvet muttered, still unsure.
"But we don't really know the full mechanics of this game yet."
"Yeah, we'll see soon enough. Aren't you going to sleep? It's super late."
"Nah. I already slept earlier, remember? Your turn now."
"Wait, so you're taking the night watch?"
"Yup. Besides… I'm going to read that book you just mentioned."
"Huh? How?"
Slowly, Velvet reached into a small pouch at her side. Her hand emerged holding a sleek, gleaming smartphone—the latest model.
Wait—how the hell?
Weren't all electronics supposed to be confiscated before we entered?
"This," she said, handing me the phone.
"All my data's in here. AMI let me bring it, so… I just copied everything beforehand."
Wait. Who? She said… AMI?
"Who's AMI?" I asked, brows furrowed.
"Uh… you didn't meet her? Didn't you go through the same onboarding process?"
"You mean…?"
"You know… right after we gave up our belongings? After that, an AI entered our minds. That one. Her name is AMI."
Wait. Isn't it IRIS? Hold on. Don't tell me…
"She told you that herself?" I asked. "Did she say whether she's female or male?"
"Yeah, she told me herself. As for gender… she said she's female."
This is getting more confusing and much worse by the second.
If AMI is the same AI, why would it give different names to different people?
Driven by the need for clarity, I pushed further.
"When you came in, what exactly did she do?"
"Eh, not much. She just observed. And if I asked anything, she answered. Oh, she also offered help."
"What kind of help?" I asked, trying to stay calm.
Velvet turned slightly, eyes thoughtful. "Like… she offered to remove my fear. Said if I wanted, she could erase traumatic memories. All I had to do was say yes."
I went dead silent.
Erase memories? Control emotions?
That's not digital assistance. That's outright rewiring.
Like being offered a cheat engine for your life.
"So… did you take it?" I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral.
"Nope," she answered immediately. "It felt… too easy. Like if I said yes, something important would disappear too. I don't know what, but it didn't sit right."
I looked at her for a long time.
Velvet's hardly the type to overthink things, but her instincts?
Sharper than I gave her credit for. Acute enough.
IRIS never offered me anything.
What she gave me?
One question.
One answer.
One deadpan voice.
And even that… felt more like a test than help.
"Velvet… did she call herself anything else?"
"Not really. Just said she helps people who want help. And she knew stuff about me—like she'd been watching me for a long time."
I froze.
Okay, right. This is bad.
If IRIS and AMI are the same—why treat us differently?
If they're separate entities—how do they know everyone's personal history?
And if they're part of a system—why does that system feel… personal?
I don't like this feeling.
Not because I'm scared, but rather because something is being hidden, and I haven't figured out how to expose it, or cracking it open.
And that—that drives me absolutely insane.
"Midnight?"
"Oh?" I blinked, snapped out of my mental labyrinth.
"You were zoning out?" Velvet asked, looking at me with curiosity.
"Oh, nothing. Just… something's been bugging me."
"Is it about the game?"
Without missing a beat, I let out a fake yawn and stretched my arms.
"Ah, forget it. Let's just sleep."
"But what about planning strategy for tomorrow?"
"It's already late. Didn't that notification earlier tell us to rest?"
"Hm… yeah, you're right," Velvet nodded at last.
"So what now? You sticking to your watch or not?" I double-checked.
"Yup. I'm watching. That's final. No take-backs,"
She declared with a confident little nod.
I laid back on the mattress, staring up at the dim ceiling.
"Good night."
"Night."
Our conversation ended there. But a knot in my gut only grew tighter, a doubt kept tightening in my mind—especially after hearing what Velvet said about AMI.
So… who really is IRIS?
And why the difference in names?