>

Ai Cole, the host, blinked away his fresh tears as he stared at the black void surrounding him. He was at the System Space, again.

His heart hurt.

It's hurt so much he just wanted to obliterate himself.

But he wouldn't, not unless he wanted to leave the growing light in his original world.

He promised him, anyway.

He couldn't just back out now, no matter how much it pained like a bitch.

Floating in the air, he stretched his limbs, feeling the soreness of his muscles from his last mission, wiped away his tears and calmed his turbulent emotions. "Is there anything new you can offer me?"

>

Ai covered his mouth, holding in a whimper as he remembered the troubles he went to be promoted. He was tired, immensely so. Tired of life, tired of feeling, tired of everything. "Simply put, you have nothing new to give."

>

What do you think I'm feeling right now?

"You tell me ah, how am I supposed to fall in love if I had to die quick, die smart, die strong?" Ai lifted his right arm to comb through his messy, black locks. Releasing a sigh, he dropped his arm and floated as if he were lying in bed. "That's what you kept repeating when I just started world-hopping."

And that's what I kept doing, no matter how pained and forlorn he looked—no matter how much it hurt me.

>

"It wasn't part of my mission, it's useless ah."

And yet here I am.

Where was the supposed perks of being a cyborg? The light was blinding him and he didn't have any function on his android body to configure the brightness.

"You asshat, cover the f.u.c.k.i.n.g windows! He won't be able to see shit!" Ai graciously thanked the man for his quick-thinking.

Ai heard the scampering of feet, and in the next second, the light was reduced. When his eyes finally adjusted, he gazed over the whole vicinity.

The room was crammed with highly advanced modern technology, which he guessed was used to create androids. For such extensive and tedious work, there were, suprisingly, only two men.

"Oh, right! We need to transfer information into his motherboard!" A man hurried over to Ai as he plugged in a plain, grey wire in Ai's palm.

The same man then went to a machine and pressed numerous buttons leading to the wire turning a green light.

"Let's see here—" another man went to a pile of papers and took out a stack off the pile— "they asked for...Infinite Knowledge."

The room instantly went quiet. The other man stopped what he was doing and looked at the man if he was serious or not.

"I wish I were jesting, but, unfortunately, I'm not," the man murmured. "F.u.c.k it. If it fails, it fails."

"There must be a mistake."

"It's no mistake, Fye. We're just gonna have to take the risk."

"What if he becomes unstable?! We can't just shut off S-196! He just got here, Myles!"

"What can we do? The f.u.c.ker wants S-196 to have Infinite Knowledge."

"Why—"

"They're obviously making him a factotum."

"They're going to overwork him!"

"Androids aren't like f.u.c.k.i.n.g humans, Fye! Yes, they can do basic shit that humans do like eating and whatnot, but they don't f.u.c.k.i.n.g need to!"

"..."

"Fye, you have to stop being attached. It won't do you any good," Ai felt that he could have possibly gotten along with this person named Myles. Myles was a realist, he could tell. He was one before, and he could tell they would've been the best of friends. Sadly, with the system and all it's other capabilities, he doesn't believe in reality anymore.

It's as if this was all just a dream—a coma, of some sort.

"I don't understand why the boss even told them about Infinite Knowledge! It's supposed to be confidential."

"Just do your goddamn job, Fye. No one's telling you to yap about this. The boss surely isn't paying you to."

"Fine then," Fye, who was the man operating a machine, growled and pressed a red button resulting in the wire, connected to Ai, turning a bright red.

Observing the heated argument happening between the two, Ai barely noticed the switching colors of the wire connected to him.

>

'This never happened before...'

>

"You asshat, cover the f.u.c.k.i.n.g windows! He won't be able to see shit!" Myles bellowed before realizing his mistake. Truly, his work got the best of him, again.

Fye scowled, leering at Myles before scampering to cover the windows with the binders. He wasn't an unreasonable person. He understood Myles' personality best; they were, after all, childhood friends. Myles would cuss only when he was stressed, Fye knew. It doesn't stop him from disliking the vulgar language Myles uses, though.

After a momentary displeasure, Fye regained his usual joyful mood. "Oh, right! We need to transfer information into his motherboard!" Fye hurried over to Ai as he plugged in a plain, grey wire in Ai's palm.

Fye then went to a machine, careful of all scattered wires as he may or may not have clumsily tripped on each and pressed numerous buttons leading to the grey wire turning a green light.

"Let's see here-" Myles went to a pile of papers and took out a stack off the pile- "they asked for...Infinite Knowledge."

The room instantly went quiet. Fye stopped what he was doing and looked at Myles, silently asking if he was serious or not.

"I wish I were jesting, but, unfortunately, I'm not," Myles murmured. "F.u.c.k it. If it fails, it fails."

"There must be a mistake," Fye reasoned. It didn't sit well with him knowing there was only a 40% chance of Infinite Knowledge working. He didn't want to reboot S-196. Settia was like his child to him.

"It's no mistake, Fye. We're just gonna have to take the risk."

"What if he becomes unstable?! We can't just shut off S-196! He just got here, Myles!"

"What can we do? The f.u.c.ker wants S-196 to have Infinite Knowledge," Myles seethed. He was already tired from having to overwork himself just to get S-196 to start. On top of that, he was also vehemently worried for Fye's health. Fye had been born with a fragile body, he couldn't over-work himself or he'd end up hurting. He didn't want another added stress from bickering with Fye on top of his load.

"Why-"

"They're obviously making him a factotum. Rather than paying for a f.u.c.k.i.n.g doctor, a tutor, an assistant, a maid, or anything, S-196 will replace them."

"They're going to overwork him!"

"Androids aren't like f.u.c.k.i.n.g humans, Fye! Yes, they can do basic shit that humans do like eating and whatnot, but they don't f.u.c.k.i.n.g need to!" Holloing, Myles immediately regretted raising his voice, but he had to push forward.

Fye wasn't known for being over-sensitive. Only when it comes to Myles would he easily beam with joy; just like whenever Myles shows him even the tiniest smile. Same way with positive emotions, he can easily be offended when Myles would say anything, even just remotely, insulting.

Fye fixated his gaze to Myles, frowning slightly.

"Fye, you have to stop being attached. It won't do you any good."

"I don't understand why the boss even told them about Infinite Knowledge! It's supposed to be confidential."

"Just do your goddamn job, Fye. No one's telling you to yap about this. The boss surely isn't paying you to," Myles knew-he knew that this time, he really had to beg for forgiveness as just simply apologizing would not ease Fye. He really just had to open his loose mouth and start kibitzing.

"Fine then," Fye, who was operating a machine, growled and pressed a red button resulting in the wire, connected to Ai, turning a bright red.

"Fye," Myles called out.

Fye ignored the man, placing his attention onto his desk and arranging the mountains of paper.

"Fye," Myles called again, this time with clear helplessness. Hearing no response, he cried out his name again, hastily inching towards Fye.

"I'm sorry, okay? Forgive me, please?" Myles encircled his arms around Fye's waist, pulling the shorter man towards his chest. The latter still ignoring the former's

existence. "I-I have no excuses."

Fye sighed and petted his head. He gave in just because he couldn't handle the guilt-nothing more, nothing less. "Are you okay, now?"

"Yeah..."

"Is it alright if you let go?" Myles tightened his hold, a clear defiance. "I need to- we need to work on Settia."

Myles contemplated before reluctantly freeing Fye, outwardly sulking, showing Fye a little pout before making his way to his desk.

Fye went towards Settia, approached him and asked, "Well, how do you feel, S-196?"

"I already feel good knowing I'm not as short as you." Fye was crestfallen. That was a major blow to his pride. He's a man, damnit. He was supposed to be tall. It wasn't his fault. Yes, he was short but- damnit.

"W-why is he speaking so...rudely?" Fye faced Myles, putting all the blame on the poor man. "I-is he already unstable?"

"Probably just his factory settings," Myles replied, amus.e.m.e.nt flickering his eyes.

"Then hurry and change it!"

"Alright, alright," Myles released a low sigh as he stepped forward and changed Ai's settings. "Geez...for a small guy, your temper sure is big."

"No, it's not! And I'm not small, mind you!"

"Yes, you are," Myles smirked, completely disregarding the consequences of teasing Fye.

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No, I'm not! End of discussion."

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"Myles, please keep your opinions to yourself," Fye berated the man, indignant at the insults thrown at his height. "Excuse me for a moment."

"Still so polite even when he's mad at me," Myles muttered underneath his breath, catching a quick glimpse of where Fye stormed off to before focusing his attention on Ai. "Maybe you could help me? Seeing as you can use that Infinite Knowledge of yours."

"Yes," Ai undisputed.

"Woah! You don't have to kneel!" Ai looked confused for a minute, checking his posture and was even more confused.

Why was he kneeling?

More importantly, his character was the type to question before answering; so why did he accept doing his bidding, and why was he n.a.k.e.d? He knows that he was basically born a few minutes ago just like a baby pushed out a mother's w.o.m.b stark n.a.k.e.d, but he wasn't a baby! He was a grown man! He had a big tool, in his opinion, but he wasn't ready to flaunt it!

'System, are you sure this body has no malfunctions?' Keeping silent for a few beats, Ai didn't hear the system's usual monotone voice. Putting it aside, Ai decided he'll question the system later.

Standing, Ai discreetly covered his lower body.

"Well...I appreciate you unhesitantly willing to help me—" Myles grabbed a bundle of clothes on top of a desk and handed it to Ai— "but I know how Infinite Knowledge works. You can't tell me any of Fye's private messages."

Ai woolly stared at the clothes handed to him, wondering what it's for.

Apparently understanding his dilemma, Myles laughed. "Don't think I didn't see you cover that."

"You're the first-ever android to be embarrassed about your little sausage," Myles cooed.

Ai guesses he wasn't discreet as he first thought, and his tool wasn't little! ...Or so he says.

"...Thank you," Ai graciously accepted the clothes and hurriedly wore them. The clothes itself wasn't a splendor, merely consisting of a basic white baggy crew-neck cotton shirt, black pegged jeans, a pair of white slip-on socks, and all-white sneakers.

"You can check yourself there in the mirror—" Myles pointed towards a desolate area in the room— "it's a bit dirty, but...eh, do what you want. Oh, and here—" Myles gave Ai a black leather bracelet. "I found it, you can have it."

Ai gave a short nod and walked towards the mirror, grabbed a rag, cleaned the mirror, then put the rag back where it was first laid. Ai gave a short distance between him and the mirror so he could clearly glance over his outfit.

The plain and simple outfit being worn by Ai did not diminish his charm, but made him look rather swell and composed with his slim and long-legged physique, flowy raven hair framing his delicate face, soft and gentle bluebird eyes, long and intricate eyelashes, arched eyebrows, straight-edged nose, and full pouty red lips; a lush tender youth.

'System,' Ai called out.

>

'Why does it seem like I don't have total control of this body? This never happened back when we first started.'

With that, Ai comforted himself. He wasn't afraid of death, much less being annihilated. He was only afraid of what would happen to them if he couldn't return.

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