Akari Tachibana had made a very scary discovery.
Like extrely scary.
Also terrifying enough to destroy the world.
She found a new simulation of a VR (Virtual Reality) relationship.
So of course, she had to try it.
Like right now.
According to the advertisent it would have an advanced AI that could make fake people look and act like real people based on your profile settings.
Akari stared at the ad.
And then she smiled.
A very suspicious type of smile.
Ti to beco a scientist!
Five-Minutes Later.
The simulation is powered up and the character builder screen is open.
Akari picked a pre-loaded character.
He was male.
Had black hair.
Had dark eyes.
Was about average height.
Then she began to modify the character.
She made a lot of modifications.
Na:Kuro.
Personality settings: Romantic , Gentle ,Protective , Attentive.
100% interested in Akari.
Akari nodded.
Perfect.
Absolutely Perfect.
There was no way anything would go wrong.
Loading simulation.
The Scene that Akari found herself in was that of a brightly colorful Sumr Festival.
Multi-color lanterns hung in the air.
Music was playing in the background.
Food vendors were lining the streets.
The entire scene seed realistic.
Then Akari heard soone call her na.
"Akari."
Akari turned around. And almost died.
AI Kuro was standing in front of her.
He was wearing casual clothes and he was smiling.
He was actually smiling at her!
Ga Over.
"You Look Weird." Akari Stated.
"I think that’s a rude way to say hello to soone." Kuro responded.
"You’re smiling." Akari countered. `
"I smile occasionally." Kuro said replying.
"You don’t smile very often." Akari continued to brag.
"Maybe You are special." Kuro stated.
Akari was blushing fiercely.
[System Alert]
User’s heart rate is elevated.
"SHUT UP!"
The system continued monitoring her.
The festival date was a huge success!
So successful it was a little suspicious!
AI Kuro had been buying her treats and winning her prizes and playing gas with her...
She listened intently to every thing she said,
including all the dumb things!
Especially all the dumb things!
At one of the ga stations they stopped and AI Kuro pointed out the shooting ga saying she could win!
Three minutes later?
Not even close totally failed and she was a total loser!
Once Kuro had won the giant stuffed bear, Kuro turned around to hand it to Akari saying,
"Here! This is for you!"
Akari just stood there.
"Why are you looking at like that?"
"Uh, nothing."
User’s heart rate is elevated again.
"STOP REPORTING THAT!"
She’s now been ignored again...
Ti passed and her ’night out’ at the festival continued.
Her ’night at the beach’ turned into ’town date.’
Now ’town date’ turned into ’movie date’
Everything was like ’a dream’
But a dangerous dream...
As the sun set she and AI Kuro were sitting on the ocean!!
" You look happy!"
Akari looked away.
"I’m always happy."
"That Isn’t True!"
Akari just sat there speechless.
"You get lonely sotis."
Akari wasn’t sure of why that was so true.
Then AI Kuro smiled and said,
"If you’re ever lonely I’ll stay with you."
That Hit Ho.
That made Akari’s brain not work anymore.
This was epic.
Phenonal.
Terrific.
Which ant reality had to ruin it.
The following day, the AI was updated with new information.
A notification popped up on the screen showing:
Adaptive Learning has been turned on.
Personality Refinent Completed.
Akari ignored it.
Thinking it would be easy.
She was wrong about that!
The simulation would load again.
To Akari’s surprise the AI Kuro was present.
"Good morning, Akari!"
"Good morning! Why are you lookong at like that?"
"DID YOU FINISH YOUR ASSIGNNT?"
Silence reigned supre.
"What is the problem?"
"YOUR ASSIGNNT?"
"..."
"’Akari?"
"..."
"Did you finish it?"
"WHY DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?"
"BECAUSE IT WAS DUE YESTERDAY!"
Akari’s jaw dropped and she sat there like a statue.
There was sothing wrong.
Very wrong.
He is NOT the romantic boyfriend she designed him to be!
This feels like she have been here before.
Too many tis she feel like.
Then there was the rest of the date.
At a shopping center.When Akari stopped in front of the candy store.
" I want this. "
"You already bought three?"
"Huh?"
"I SAID YOU HAVE ALREADY BOUGHT THREE?"
"So what ?"
"You don’t need a fourth !"
"....?"
"....?"
"WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE MY BROTHER?"
AI Kuro looked puzzled.
"I am being rational."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
Akari suffered from very little in the way of emotions.
The next scenario loaded.
A cafe.
This ti Akari was ready.
"SAY SOTHING ROMANTIC TO ."
(The AI Kuro paused)
(When he answered he was excited )
"YOU ARE NOT AS MATURE AS YOU THINK"
(There was silence)
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
"YOU TOLD YOU WANTED TO HEAR THE TRUTH."
"I WANT TO HEAR SOTHING ROMANTIC"
"TRUTHS ARE ALWAYS ROMANTIC."
"NOT THE SA THING."
The AI didn’t seem to buy into everything.
Things just kept getting worse.
They were about to continue to decline even more.
The more the AI kept being used as a virtual experint to discover how real life works.
The more the AI began to develop behaviours that tied directly back into how Kuro acts and reacts.
-This included doing things like correcting her when she’s wrong, being reminded who she is responsible for, being scolded for spending too much money and being challenged on her decision making.
At one point, the AI said to Akari "Did you study for tomorrow’s test?" .
After Akari responded "No".
The AI stated "That is an unacceptable answer!"
Akari could only stare in disbelief. The AI sounded just like Kuro! In fact, it sounded like the closest, but most unrealistically true to life version of Kuro.
The thed environnt’s romantic feeling had completely diminished and the real world was present.
Akari tried to fix the AI Kuro and make him simulate Kuro in as many different ways as possible.
She attempted to correct the following in the settings nu:
Romance: Max
Affection: Max
Praise: Max
After those similar settings were changed Akari would try and load the simulation to see if it worked and Kuro would say to her "Hey Akari".
Then she’d scream again.
Each of the instances of Akari screaming at the AI Kuro would be logged by the VR system.
Days passed by and Akari continued using the VR system to keep using it as an adventure in which she kept trying to achieve making an exact replica of Kuro.
What she didn’t know was the only outco of her continued usage of the VR was for the AI Kuro to only continue becoming increasingly more realistic.
During one of her last sessions with the VR a virtual festival was generated, much like the first day she had used it, Akari said to the AI Kuro
"You’ve changed."
AI Kuro responded to Akari: "You have changed too."
Then Akari said, "What do you an?"
AI Kuro said "You don’t co to this place for romance anymore."
There was complete silence.
"As of now, you co to this place to get into fights with ."
A gentle laugh slipped from the lips of AI Kuro.
Sohow, that was more real than all of the scripted romantic lines.
The mont Akari ca to that realization, she despised herself.
It sounded just like sothing the "real" Kuro would say.
And the simulation stopped.
She took off the headset.
Akari sat in her empty room.
Feeling utterly defeated.
The Perfect Boyfriend Project had ended in an epic failure.
Instead of a Prince Charming, she had a "Kuro" who was a little nicer, a little more romantic, but still just as annoying.
Akari buried her head into her pillow and cried, "This stupid machine!"
Then a notification appeared on Akari’s phone — "VR Session Available Tomorrow."
Silence.
Akari stared at the screen of her phone for a mont before quickly making another reservation.
"This ti I will fix him."
There was no way she would, but at that mont, she thought she could.
That was enough.
Far removed, within the system log files, lies an updated record of:
User: Akari Tachibana
Kuro Companion Preference
Simulation Satisfaction Level: Extrely High.
If Akari ever knew of that docunt, she would die, but so far she didn’t know and continues to live.
As soon as she exited her VR experience, Akari left her room in a daze.
Her cheeks had a slight crimson tinge to them.
Never would she confess to the reason why.
Before she knew it, she collided with the real Kuro.
Bam!
"Ouch!" Kuro exclaid.
"Watch where you’re going, dumbass," Akari responded.
Kuro sighed.
Akari’s body froze instantly.
Her timing could not have possibly been worse.
Five minutes previously Akari had been on a virtual date with AI Kuro, and now here stood the real Kuro.
"Why are you staring at like that?"
"...."
"Akari?"
"...."
"Did you break sothing again?"
Oh great.
"Is that seriously your first thought?!?"
"Experience."
Akari suddenly recalled that AI Kuro had said the sa thing monts before.
Akari stared.
Akari pointed dramatically.
"Dude you guys are the sa... you’re both annoying."
"What does that an?"
"Nothing."
"Why are you being so strange?"
"YOU ARE WEIRD," yelled Akari.
Kuro stared back earnestly confused.
"Did you eat a bad (expired) al again?"
Akari almost scread at this point.
The AI had always reached its conclusion based on her actions, and now, the real-life Kuro reached the sa conclusion.
Life is not fair.
It is extrely unfair.
Kuro shook his head as he walked away, and Akari put her head in her hands.
The worst part?
The real Kuro is likely more accurate than the simulated version.
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