I returned to the structure the host's memories referred to as: home.
The moment I opened the door, familiar human voices surfaced from memory, accompanied by warm food aromas whose components I could not immediately analyze.
"Welcome back, Koichi."
This… was the mother.
Her voice carried a strange sense of reassurance, as if my presence restored some invisible balance.
"Dinner is ready. Come sit with us."
Analysis:
This is a social request.
Refusing it may be interpreted as undesirable behavior.
"I'll be there in a moment."
I replied as memory instructed, then headed toward the staircase leading to the upper floor.
As I climbed…
A girl passed by me.
Relatively tall, sharp features, seventeen years old according to the data.
Koichi's sister.
She paused briefly and cast a sharp, suspicious look at me.
Not hostile—
but heavy with something else.
Observation:
Tension.
Doubt.
Concern?
She walked past me without speaking.
I noticed it, but did not stop.
I entered the room and closed the door behind me.
The room… was small.
Neat.
Yet marked by traces of prolonged isolation.
I sat on the bed.
Question:
Was my behavior optimal by human standards?
I began sorting through Kurosaki Koichi's memories more deeply, searching for an explanation for his sister's gaze.
And then…
The truth surfaced.
School memories.
The back courtyard.
Laughter.
Bullying.
She knew.
She saw it.
She heard it.
But she… never intervened.
Not because she didn't care.
But because the group tormenting him did not know they were siblings.
If they found out… the role would shift to her.
She avoided Koichi in public places.
Pretended not to know him.
Protected herself… silently.
She was afraid.
Something unfamiliar began forming inside this body.
A slight pressure in the chest.
A decrease in cognitive efficiency.
This is what humans call pity and sadness.
This human…
Surrounded by people,
yet completely alone.
Suddenly—
I felt a drop in energy and a contraction in the abdominal area.
It appears I am hungry.
I stood up immediately.
Further analysis was pointless for now.
Food is part of social interaction,
and part of this body's survival.
I opened the door and went downstairs.
I sat on the familiar wooden chair—the one Koichi had sat on thousands of times before me.
The plate in front of me radiated warmth, the smell of food filling the room… yet it stirred nothing inside me as it should.
My father sat to my right, shifting his gaze between the newspaper and his cup of tea.
My mother sat across from me, wearing a routine smile—one that asked no questions yet concealed countless observations.
As for Rina…
She sat silently.
She hadn't touched her food yet.
Her eyes were on me.
[Analysis:
Surveillance level: high.
Suspicion probability: undetermined.]**
My mother broke the silence first.
"You seem hungry today, Koichi."
I slowly raised my head.
I delayed my response half a second longer than necessary.
"Yes… it was a long day."
My voice was stable.
But the statement… was too general.
My father lowered the newspaper slightly.
"And school?"
A simple question.
But my memory did not provide an immediate answer.
[Searching memories…
Potential responses found.
Selecting the most socially appropriate reply…]
"As usual."
I fell silent.
Longer than I should have.
I noticed a small movement from Rina.
Her spoon froze midair.
[Rina has known me for seventeen years…
Probability of detecting irregularity: extremely high.]
I began eating.
Chewing… swallowing… the motions were correct.
But the sensation?
Empty.
My mother spoke gently.
"Don't forget to tell us if something happens at school."
I looked at her.
That was a human sentence…
But it was directed at someone who was no longer entirely here.
"I will."
Rina finally set her spoon down and looked at me directly.
"Are you okay?"
Our eyes met.
In that moment…
All of Koichi's memories of her passed through my mind.
Fear.
Silence.
The act of pretending to be strong.
I smiled.
A slight smile.
Calculated.
Incomplete.
"Yes."
Silence returned.
Rina stood up from her chair and went upstairs to her room.
I finished my meal and exchanged a few brief words with Koichi's family.
Conclusion:
They were unaware of the bullying.
Only Koichi's sister knew.
I rose quietly from my seat and left the table without adding a single word.
No one commented.
That was… good.
I climbed the stairs with measured steps until I reached the upper room.
Koichi's room.
I closed the door behind me.
The sounds faded away.
At last, I was alone.
My eyes settled on the desk.
A laptop—relatively old, bearing clear signs of long-term use.
I sat down and opened it.
Password required.
I didn't hesitate.
[Accessing Koichi Kurosaki's memory…
Password located.]
I typed it in.
Access granted.
"Easy."
I began browsing.
Networks, websites, videos, endless streams of information…
Yet despite the sheer volume, one thought refused to leave my mind.
"Technology here is… advanced by human standards."
I paused.
"But still primitive compared to what I know."
Complete dependence on screens.
The need to type instead of using mental communication.
Latency in data transmission.
All of it was obvious.
I opened video after video.
Watched humans laugh, explain, perform, argue.
An entire culture—broadcast through sound and image.
Then I turned to something more efficient.
An AI chat interface.
I asked many questions—direct, precise.
Non-human at their core.
The results… were excellent.
Social behavior.
Taboos.
Speech patterns.
What must be hidden.
What must be pretended.
In nearly an hour,
I acquired knowledge that would take a human years to learn.
Suddenly—
A soft knock on the door.
I stopped instantly.
"Koichi?"
Mother's voice.
I stood up and stepped away from the desk.
"Yes?"
"It's late. You should go to sleep. You have school tomorrow."
School…
Yes. That was what awaited this host.
"I'll go to sleep now."
A brief silence.
Then the sound of the door closing.
She left.
I slowly returned to the center of the room and looked at my hand.
"This body… is weak.
But not useless."
I raised my hand slightly.
Focused.
I cut my fingertip.
A few drops of blood fell silently onto the floor.
I felt almost no pain.
The drops did not remain drops.
They moved.
Merged.
Took shape.
Within seconds…
A copy of me stood before me.
Identical features.
Steady breathing.
Shallow consciousness.
"You… will sleep."
The copy nodded without hesitation and walked to the bed, lying down.
This is one of my species' advantages.
With this, I can do multiple things at once.
The copy closed its eyes.
I locked the door firmly from the inside.
Returned to the desk.
Sat down.
"While the copy performs the biological function…
I will continue learning."
I reopened the laptop.
And the night in Tokyo…
Was long enough to discover an entire world.
A sharp sound rang through the room.
The alarm.
The copy opened its eyes on the bed at the exact moment I lifted my gaze from the screen.
Outside the window… the light had changed.
"Sunrise."
The copy rose slowly, while I remained still.
I extended my hand.
The copy said nothing.
Offered no resistance.
One step toward me… and it dissolved.
This was not disappearance.
It was return.
The gelatinous mass surged into my body.
Consciousness merged with consciousness.
A deep breath.
"…Very good."
I felt refreshed.
As if I were the one who slept.
The one who rested.
The fatigue vanished.
The warning signals in my body ceased.
"An efficient technique."
I closed the laptop.
Time for the social role.
I put on Koichi's clothes with precision,
Adjusted my posture in front of the mirror.
Then went downstairs.
Breakfast was simple.
I ate quickly, without drawing attention.
Measured movements. Limited expressions.
"Normal behavior… acceptable."
I left the house.
At the doorstep…
I felt a gaze.
I turned slightly.
Rina.
She stood behind me, watching in silence.
Narrow eyes, filled with suspicion.
"…?"
She said nothing.
Neither did I.
I continued walking toward school.
The building was familiar through Koichi's memories—
Yet… new to me.
I passed through the gate.
Students flowed around me.
"Same age… same uniform… same objective."
I headed to the classroom.
Opened the door.
Entered.
I sat in my seat like any ordinary student.
Then… I noticed the silence.
Whispers spread.
Glances slipped toward me.
Surprise.
Suspicion.
A faint fear.
[Abnormal attention level detected.]
I slowly turned my head.
Everyone… was staring at me.
From the back of the class,
I heard a low voice—quiet, yet clear enough.
"Didn't they say… he was dead?"
I stopped moving.
"…"
My heart—this human heart—
Beat faster.
Not from fear.
But from realization.
"It seems… Koichi's death was no secret."
I lifted my gaze toward the blackboard.
Sat upright—
And smiled.
A sly smile.
"Well then…
This world is far more complex—
and far more interesting—than I expected."