As I was invited inside, I didn't delay any further and took a step forward.
The doors parted automatically as I stepped inside, revealing a... simple club structure. A wide space with a long table and roughly a dozen chairs. The free space is barely enough to hold about 20 people without feeling too tight.
But that wasn't all.
On the far end of the hall was a giant machine... a mishmash of electronic parts mimicking the shape of a computer. At first glance, I could tell that that was where the twins were hosted.
"Hey! Don't leave me behind as if I don't exist...!"
"Hmm?"
But just as I finished looking around, another figure burst through the door and entered. It was Henry, who was slightly dirtied and dusty after rolling down the stairs earlier. He didn't look injured, thankfully. His expression wasn't twisted in anger either, but rather, he had his lips curled into a creepy smile.
"You... So you're alive." I commented lightly.
"Don't kill me off so easily!" Henry growled in return before patting his chest proudly. "This is simply the twin's way of showing playful affection to me~! Are you jealous of our relationship? You're jealous, aren't you?!"
"..."
I turned to the said twins, who were glaring at the man with disgust in their eyes.
{If only we didn't have a safety that prevents us from killing trash...}
{So you survived... you damned cockroach.}
And it looks like his words were pure fantasy. The two hated him down to his guts... enough to make me curious about the reason behind it.
"Why are you two so harsh on Henry...?" I asked. "He looked a bit fanatic, but he doesn't look like a bad guy."
At my prompt, the two girls looked at each other before giving me a dead gaze.
{He... played around with our models. Stripping our original naked, and finally changing it to this young version... A pervert.}
{He's a beast in human skin. He panted hard while staring at our 3D models through the screen. He's beyond saving. The world is better off without him.}
I turned back to Henry, who was still smiling at me as if waiting for a reaction. "You..." And I was lost for words. "Turned these two into little girls?"
"Hehe!" Henry rubbed his nose proudly. "I do have a little sister who really loves me, so with the approval from the president, I changed it!"
"..."
So the reason these girls have Loli forms is because of this guy. I actually thought they were designed that way by default.
"Anyway, let's move on." I shook my head, trying to forget the previous topic. "I'm curious about the NSC. Can you tell me about it?"
"The NSC?"
Henry raised a brow before smiling wider, crossing his arms across his chest proudly.
"Of course, I can! And what should I hide~? It wasn't written anywhere, but based on our research, the NSC is actually based on the Twin OS!"
"Oh?"
I turned to the twins, and unexpectedly, they nodded along.
{It's true~! The main kernel that was used for the making of the Symbiotic Core is based on our perfected system~!}
{Although it's slightly different, since the "twins" part is replaced by the user and AI pair.}
The NSC is a biomechanical graft possessing an AI of itself, trained to perfection from the user's daily interactions with the world itself... Or at least, that was how it was introduced to the public.
But in truth, they work the same way adversarial AIs train. The AI mind and the user's mind keep on interacting with each other, probing endlessly, creating new "branches" of neurons based on their interactions.
It's like the way it reconfigures itself if you had to surgically remove half of your brain due to complications... But while taking the NSC and its benefits into consideration.
There's even research that observed how those implanted with NSC have highly altered brain structure compared to a non-NSC user. This redirection primarily affects their calculation logic, allowing more neurons to be available for other functions.
The NSC "grows" together with the user, becoming an integral part of their physiology while making a "unique" AI fit for every user.
But... the danger of it is as pronounced as its blessings.
BEEEP!
"...!"
Just then, I felt the smartphone in my back pocket vibrate.
Of course, I don't have anyone who would mail me right now. I haven't shared my number with anyone yet, after all. So, the only reason it would be vibrating like this is...
I swiped my phone up and checked the screen to confirm my worries. And, to my surprise, I was right.
[Your grandmother is in the hospital now. Please come to *********** ASAP.]
A message was there in my notifications, making me narrow my eyes. Of course, I don't have a grandmother as far as I know. I'm an amnesiac, after all. This message wasn't to be taken literally but rather as a "code" that was meant to work as an excuse to leave whatever I was doing.
This is... a "job" notification.
{Oh~! Did another Neurodivergent appear? Poor soul...}
{Sol, don't speak like that. You're going to make it harder for Neil to work.}
The two girls commented, as if they could see what was on my phone's display—and understand what it means. However, I couldn't be bothered to ask them right now.
"Sorry, Henry. I gotta go!" I said, rushing to the door. "It's an emergency. My grandma's in critical condition!"
"Hey, wait—!" I could hear him trying to call me back, but I can't be late.
As I ran, I could barely hear him whisper under his breath a few curious words. "Is having a grandma in critical condition a fad? Even Neun has one..."
"..."
I guess we should be careful with the excuses we use later on, or other people will begin to harbor some doubt.
Anyway, that's a problem for later.
For now, I ran as fast as I could, rushing toward not the gate but a secluded section in the campus.
An "unused" room in a certain secluded building.
Along with the coded message's meaning, this "emergency location" was also included in the books that Koori made me read before.
It took me roughly two minutes to arrive at the place, where Koori, Ophelia, and Alex were already present.
"You're late." Koori grumbled, glaring in my direction. "But we don't have time to scold you. Stand close. We're getting teleported."
"...Alright."
I steadied my breath and approached.
And as soon as I "entered" the room, my vision flickered.