Autodoll wa Kuchita Sekai de Yume wo Miru

“Why!?”

Lydia shrieked.

“There’s no other way.” Rapha answered indifferently. “When you would perform a reboot, Yuuyami will reopen previous process. Then, if you’ll be lucky enough, she’ll shut down again, however if not, her quantum brain would come to nothing​.”

Rapha was rotating on the chair in laboratory. Majority of surroundings were standing side-by-side computers.
Lydia shifted her gaze to sleeping on the table Yuuyami.

“Yuuyami…”

After murmuring her name, Lydia approached Yuuyami and looked at her visage​​.
Table was a little higher Lydia’s waist. On top of it was lying down nude Yuuyami.
Her eyes were closed, Yuuyami was so pretty she didn’t seem to belong to this world.
Nevertheless, presently, the beauty of hers appeared to be very sad.
Yuuyami didn’t smile.
Yuuyami didn’t laugh.

“Well, it will be okay if you initialize it. You don’t have to be so serious, alright?”
“Initialize, all data would vanish, isn’t it?”

The Lydia, the days they spent together, anything and everything.
Happy things and pleasant things, altogether​.
And, perhaps, even consciousness dwelling in Yuuyami.
Lydia turned to Rapha.
Ohan was sitting opposite Rapha, near entrance.

“Yes, that’s correct. Even so Yuuyami smart enough to output the same level of abilities very soon. However, the program which made her to behave similar to human, necessary to recompose.”
“Rapha… Yuuyami doesn’t hold such a subroutine.”
“That’s not possible. Yuuyami is an AD after all. Isn’t it, Onee-chama? AD means auto doll, in other words an automaton. It operate only according to the program. That’s all.”

Lydia didn’t utter a word.

“Well, if Onee-chama didn’t, someone else must have programmed it. My conjecture​, it was that person who educated Onee-chama, so where are they now?”
“There’s no that person.”

It was Yuuyami who educated Lydia. From the very beginning until the end, Yuuyami provide her with knowledge.

“Did they die?”
“No.” Lydia shook her head. “There was no such person to from the beginning. Only me and Yuuyami. The whole-whole time there was only two of us.”
“Hm.”

Rapha pondered.
And then, in about two seconds, she declared one single thing.

“Then, I guess, afore Onee-chama encounter Yuuyami, someone was messing around with Yuuyami in advance.”
“Hey, Rapha, it was different.”
“What different?”
“In Yuuyami…”

Thereupon, Lydia a little hesitated. Maybe she shouldn’t say it. She couldn’t decide.
However, it was unbearable to listen Rapha’s attitude, she treated Yuuyami like a thing.
Lydiya was grateful that Rapha rescue​d her. Deeply, sincerely grateful. She also knew Rapha was truly kind child.
Even so, unforgivable.
Yuuyami wasn’t a property. Not the same as a tea cup. Not the same as computers in the room.
And the reason was since in Yuuyami…

“…dwell consciousness.”
“Come again?​”

Rapha distorted her facial expression.

“Yuuyami is an intelligent life-form.”
“Onee-chama…”

Rapha said in a commiserate tone, looked at Lydia with commiserate eyes.
That provoke Lydia,

“Rapha is ignorant! Furthermore​, a fool who doesn’t able to admit what can’t understand!”

and made her say such a things loudly.

“What?” Rapha glared at Lydia. “I’m ignorant? Are you joking? It’s just like Onee-chama.”
“If you couldn’t recognise that Yuuyami conscious, you are ignorant and foolish!”
“I don’t know why Onee-chama so distorted, if​ Yuuyami is conscious, please provide a evidence of it. Please prove it to me, for my comprehension. If you can’t, I suppose the one who ignorant and stupid is Onee-chama. ”
“I’ve been with Yuuyami all the time, so I know it!”
“It doesn’t prove anything.”

Rapha shrug her shoulders elated with success​.
Lydia took a one deep breath.
And said very calmly.

“Is it alright, Rapha? Is it really okay? Are you certain you’ll continue to keep this attitude?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then, I can’t accept that Rapha is conscious.”
“Huh?”
“I can’t confirm that Rapha is conscious.”
“What are you saying? I’m a human being. I’m aforethought to be conscious.”
“Rapha isn’t a human being. You are a new breed of human created by human beings. There is no evidence that new human beings are conscious.”
“B, but if you saying that, then Onee-chama is eith…”
“Right. I may not be conscious. After all, no one proved it.”
“It’s ridiculous. I asked you to prove Yuuyami’s consciousness. The topic is deviating, right?”
“It is not. If you don’t admit that she’s conscious without proving it, before anything else Rapha ought to bring evidence of her own consciousness.”
“Please, don’t screw around. I have an organic brain that create consciousness properly.”
“Confirm that to me. Rapha can be stimulated by something. By Yuuyami, Ohan, myself, or even by this universe Rapha’s mind being controlled. For Rapha, it just an ordinary thing. ”
“What are…”
“Rapha may not have a quale. May not sense a feelings. Rapha may be mere dynamic​ zombie. React as a human and has intelligence. However​ no more than that.”
“I, I, I’m a dynamic​ zombie, that’s extreme…”
“Well then, prove me different.”

Lydia smiled gently.
Since Rapha couldn’t do that.
Because she knew that not only Rapha but all kinds of intelligent life-forms must be proved.
There was no way to verify the quale of everything in the universe.
Thus, Lydia believed the process wouldn’t be discovered in the future.

“W, w, well, I can’t do that!”
“Right, quite so.” Lydia shrug her shoulders. “Rapha wanted me to provide an evidence of something that couldn’t be proved. Isn’t that heartless?”
“Be, because Onee-chama declare​d an AD was conscious…”
“Nevertheless, I can’t prove it. If that’s the case, you have to place your trust in me.”

Lydia looked directly at Rapha, but Rapha averted her gaze.

“Whether you want to believe me or not – that’s fine. However, please, respect Yuuyami. Alright?”

Lydia said in a gentle and calm tone.
On contrary to this, Rapha didn’t answer.
When, a three seconds later,

“Alright, this isn’t much, Waaaaa!”

Rapha started crying out loud.

“Eh?”

That was unexpected, Lydia couldn’t keep up.
She didn’t understand. Didn’t knew what happened.

“Onee-chama is Onee-chama!! So it isn’t much, wa!!”

Rapha cried without a shame.
Drip, drip, a large drops of tears run down Rapha’s cheeks and fell on the floor.

“Eh, eh, er, eh?”

Lydia was confused and sent her look to Ohan.
However, Ohan was being silent. No more than observe​d with his vermilion​ visual sensor.

“I’m a younger sister!! So It isn’t much to give a serious answer, waaaaa!!”

Rapha turned her face to the ceiling and kept crying.
Since she was for the first time​ in this sort of situation, Lydia remained confused.
Yuuyami has never cried, so she had no idea what to do in this such a case.
While Lydia was in panic, Rapha glanced at Lydia.
And when their eyes met, she started crying even more.
What she should do?
Lydia pondered about how to act.
She was trying to recollect actions of characters from movies and books when someone was crying.

“I… ek… Onee-chama… ek… couldn’t beat…”
“I, I’m sorry.”

Although she didn’t knew what was wrong, Lydia apologised​ right away.
After that, patted Rapha’s head.

“That’s, serious…ek, seriously…”
“I’m sorry Rapha, it was immature of me. Uh-huh, I’m sorry.”

Lydia hugged Rapha and patted her back.

◇

Constantly be graceful, was Rapha’s creed.
According to that belief, she didn’t cry when she was alone at the research establishment.
Although she was very, very lonely – she didn’t cry.
Continuous self-control, continuous endurance and firmness.
When finally, she was able to reunion with Single Wing, without a doubt she thought they would start over.
And yet,
now she was disputing with that Single Wing. Furthermore​, she received such a brilliant arguments that couldn’t even make a noise.
Crying wasn’t elegant.
However she couldn’t help it.
While crying, Rapha felt different things.
She was missing her, she was lonely, she wanted to get along. Not to dispute.

“Sorry.”

Single Wing hugged Rapha and stroked her back.
That was awfully comfortable.
The only thing she desired all along,
at that moment it became clear, was a sympathy​.
Therefore Rapha hugged Single Wing and cried more in her chest.
It didn’t matter whether it was graceful or not.
It wasn’t important if consciousness dwell in the Autodoll.
The only thing she wanted was to touch her favourite Single Wing.
For that reason, Rapha decided to cry as long as possible.