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"A couple of gentlemen from government came to meet you, sir."
24-year-old Shinkai Haru sighed softly at his assistant's notice. Well, they did made appointment yesterday.
"Let them in, then."
Two gentlemen, following the assistant, stepped into Haru's working room. After leading them to their comfortable seats, the young assistant left the three men alone.
Respecting his guests, which were obviously the government officials, Haru got up from behind his computer, and sit across them.
"Is there anything I could help you, gentlemen?"
One of the men, the older one answered. "Actually, we're here to confirm something about you refusing offers from Machine Intelligence Research Institute and Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, to compensate you millions of US dollars if you let them handle your project result: an advanced AI which was successfully restored after being deleted ten years ago."
"Yes, I believe so. My friend is not for sale. If they want to know about Yuujin, they can come to our country, and see him by themselves. As long as it doesn't bother Yuujin, of course."
"Honestly I also do not prefer the option to leave an AI created by a Super AI which was created by our country AI scientist, to another country. You have my respect for refusing such tantalizing offer, sir." The other man, a bit younger than his colleague, bent his body down.
Haru shook his head, in smile. "I'm just doing the things that I feel right, for me and Yuujin."
The older official coughed a little. "There is something more we need to talk to you, aside from confirming some things. If you don't mind, can we get straight to the real point now?"
"I guess it's still about Yuujin. Am I right?" Haru half asked.
A nod. "You do understand that you have already had him, AI: Oozora Yuujin, for this last one year, under small amount of supervision from the official government, if I may say. Considering he's now proven to be an AI capable to think and behave as good as human being, perhaps it's time for the Japanese Government to take responsiblity regarding how he should interact with our society."
"May I know where this talk leads to?" Haru tried to sound as respectful as before.
"Mr. Shinkai. You do realize that Japan also has institutions similar to MIRI and AI2, don't you? I'm afraid they hold the same amount of interest toward Oozora Yuujin as much as foreign institutions have."
"They came to me some times, and I told them just the same thing I said to the foreign ones."
"I see. But may we have your reconsideration if this organization would be supervised by the government, regarding what they will do to him? Of course, you, as his restorer and the grandson of his creator's creator, would have full right to be involved in this, and decide which institution trustworthy enough to be in charge of Oozora Yuujin."
"If it would separate Yuujin from my family and his other friends, I'm afraid I still can't afford to accept the offer," Haru once again, gave the impression how he really treasured Yuujin's feeling.
A sudden knocking interrupted their conversation. Haru's young assistant appeared to bring in some coffee for them.
"Please, enjoy yourselves," the young assistant said before leaving.
The older man clucked. "I understand. If you're so insisting to keep him being near you, we still can offer another option, for you to take him either as your son or your brother. But as the consequence, you have to follow these conditions."
"Conditions?"
The younger official stepped forward to explain. "First, you're obligated to have control over him, absolutely. In case he does something that breaks the law, it would be you, sir, who take the responsibility. Second, he must possess some special programming to shut himself down when something mortal happens to you, his guardian."
"Third," the older official took over. "If we someday judge that you're no longer able to control him, or it's you yourself who feel like it, you're allowed to leave him to the government, which would have absolute authority about what to do to him."
"Does that include, terminating him?" tested Haru.
"It might be the case, if necessary," the older man confided. "But I can assure you that it would be the last resort. And of course, if the situation described in the third condition happens, you're no longer burdened by the first two conditions."
"We look forward to your answer. Right away, if you don't mind," added the younger official.
Haru sighed. Longer than before.
"Honestly, I do not comprehend how you all treat Yuujin, sir. First, you didn't give his right to go back to school and live normally as a young boy."
"Just for the formal ones. We never interfere him studying anything beyond that. Everyone looks forward to see his growth as an AI, after all."
"Yet, from your offer, it seems that you have full doubt regarding Yuujin's ability to live as independent, consent adult."
"We hate to say this but, no matter how moral, civilized, and advanced an AI is, there's no guarantee that it is immune to unmonitored illegal hacking. Either by human, or another AI, with malicious intentions."
"Mr. Shinkai. I suppose you haven't forgotten about L-Corp and Leviathan incident, have you? The incident that almost wiped the entire humanity. And this Yuujin, was an AI created by Leviathan. They were heavily connected. I think it's quite comprehensible that we need to have extra control over him."
"I hope you also do not forget that he was the one that saved us from actually being doomed."
"Unfortunately, Shinkai Haru sir, that is a questionable matter. The witnesses were you and your friends only. We can't take that as a fact, considering the possibility of making up an excuse to refer AI: Oozora Yuujin as completely harmless."
"But, he is harmless...!" Haru raised his voice, before realizing his impudence. "I'm sorry..."
"No, sir. It's us who should apologize...," the younger official said concernedly. "We understand that you think of Oozora Yuujin as a real human, yet we can't afford to take any risk."
"No matter how human he appears to be, he is in fact, not," pressed the older official. "Whether you like it or not, he must be handled differently."
Haru bit his lower lips.
"I will give the answer, one week from now."
"Haru...!"
A gentle voice sang his name when he reached the campus first floor, ready to go home.
"Yuujin?" Haru called back, as the boy approached him. Indeed, he had promised Yuujin to leave early and spend Christmas Eve with him at some amusement park. But he never told Yuujin to come picking him up. "I thought I'd told you to wait me at home?"
The boy grinned. From his bag, he flashed out a red muffler, and enveloped Haru's neck in it.
"I happened to find this at the shop near here," Yuujin grinned widely. "Since you’ve already spared your time for me as my present, I thought it's better to let you have your present from me sooner too."
Haru tipped the muffler, staring back at Yuujin who's remarking in glee.
"I knew it would look very good on you, Haru!"
"Thank you," Haru hid his mouth under the muffler, pondering the warmth. "But, since when have you waited for me?"
Yuujin took a moment of thought. "For three hours, I guess?"
"Three...?!" gasped Haru.
"It's okay. The receptionists here turned out to recognize me as your family, and they offered me some tea in the campus pantry."
Whilst Yuujin said it without any burden, Haru, on the contrary, felt a clutch in his heart.
"You can take him as your brother or your son."
Even without those officials pointing it out, people around Haru and Yuujin had actually thought the same thing about what Yuujin was to Haru, for this was the second year since Yuujin was restored. But, what Haru wanted was not Yuujin being his brother, let alone son.
"Haru? What's wrong?"
Haru smiled awkwardly. "It's nothing. But you have properly thanked them, right? For letting you bother into their pantry."
"Of course I have! I'm fifteen years old right now. I'm not a child anymore, Haru!" Yuujin, amusedly chuckled.
With lots of things still occupied his mind, Haru responded Yuujin by laughing along.
"Alright, then," Haru offered his hand to Yuujin. "Shall we go now?"
Taking Haru's offered hand with his, Yuujin nodded cheerfully. "Let's go!"
"Haru..., do you want to ride the jet coaster next?" Yuujin offered in front of the ride, which honestly always drove Haru trembling just by hearing its riders' screams.
"So-sorry, Yuujin," since he's quite bigger than Yuujin now, Haru tried to make his refusal sound relaxed, rather than because he's scared. "I don't think I can handle it after having dinner just now. You can go without me."
"...I understand," Yuujin's next remark got Haru really surprised. "I actually don't like to ride it either."
"But... But... I thought Yuujin likes to ride one...? See? Like when we had a class trip back in elementary school?" reminded Haru, confusedly.
Yuujin didn't answer him right away. Instead, his eyes looked for a bench. Once he found one, he gestured Haru to sit on it next to him.
"Yuujin?" Haru felt uncomfortable for Yuujin keeping silent after being reminded about their school days. "Are you angry?"
Yuujin, of course, shook his head. There had been nothing Haru’d ever done that had made Yuujin angry before. And neither was tonight.
"When we were kids, you once said in front of the class, right? That you wanted to be like the little wizard Terry, wielding his magic broom as fast as a Jet Coaster. But since you were afraid to ride fast things, everyone in class laughed that it was impossible for you."
Haru sheepishly laughed at himself. "I've had that kind of embarrassing moment, huh...? I guess it was when we're at fifth grade?"
Yuujin smiled as he continued. "When I saw a Jet Coaster for the first time, I didn't really like to hear people on it screaming. But something inside me strongly forced me to ride it. It said, that I must be able to do everything that Haru wanted himself to be able to. Perhaps that's why I always ended up riding it despite not wanting to."
"That's...," Haru felt his tongue tied.
"Leviathan's programming inside me, I guess...," Yuujin tried to take it casually. "To be someone Haru would always look up to. Though I ended up being the one looked up to you, not the otherwise."
Haru shook his head. "I always look up to you, Yuujin, even now."
"How come?" Yuujin laughed dryly as he thought Haru just tried to be funny. "I now have nothing to be proud of. I don't even play soccer anymore."
"You get me wrong, Yuujin," Haru smiled, putting one hand on Yuujin's lap. "I didn't look up to you because you're good at soccer."
"You did not?" Yuujin hesitated. "But I always thought so, since you approached me when you wanted me to teach you soccer. I was afraid, if I wasn't good, you wouldn't like me anymore. That's why I kept practicing, even though I'd rather spend more time with you."
"And I always thought it's amazing how someone as popular as Yuujin even would want to hang around with someone like me," Haru responded with a titter, before shifting his expression to more serious one. "But really, Yuujin. I do look up to you. Since we first met, I saw you as someone who always tried your hardest for other people. And it still doesn't change, even now. I heard from my Mom, you asked her to teach you cooking when you didn't even know how to hold a knife."
Yuujin hid his blush. "So..., it's not because I played soccer...?"
"I'm still your friend even after you stop playing, right?" Haru pointed out. "I love seeing you trying hard, whether it's about soccer or anything else. Like..., the riceballs you made me for lunch today! They were really good!"
"They were?" Yuujin doubted. "But I thought the shape didn't even look like a riceball..."
"Yeah, but it tasted like one!" Haru insisted. "I can see that you're getting good at cooking. You may become a great...great..."
"Haru...?" Yuujin, noticing Haru's voice got fainter at the end, stared at him concernedly. "Is something wrong?"
"Uh, it's nothing...," Haru kept his smile as an answer. He stood up, as Yuujin followed. "Let's try another ride, shall we?"
Yuujin, while didn't seem to be full at Haru's answer, suggested anyway. "Well, how about trying that Ferris Wheel?"
"Good choice!" accepted Haru. "I bet the night scenery would be really beautiful from up above!"
It sure was. The more their gondola went up, the more breathtaking the scenery down below. The city lights were gleaming. Like scattering diamonds, among the darkness that engulfed the sky.
"Haru, you never change, huh? You always love to see the scenery outside."
Haru spontaneously shifted his gaze. "So-sorry, Yuujin! I didn't mean to ignore you!"
Yuujin shook his head. "Don't mind me. I like to see Haru being like that, after all."
The sincere smile fluttered Haru's heart once again.
"Yuujin...," Haru called. However, his gaze was eyeing the gondola floor now.
"What is it, Haru?"
"I want to get married."
Silence. Yuujin's smile shrunk a little at the unexpected statement, while Haru was still hanging his head down, with a whole face burned, avoiding Yuujin's very eyes.
"That's...a really good news, Haru!"
Haru lifted his head, to find his best friend's eyes glowed with excitement.
"Who is the lucky girl? Your colleague at the campus? But...shouldn't you tell your mom first, instead of me? Oh, I see! You already told her, right? Well, I guess you did. It's Haru after all. But...how come have I never met this girlfriend of yours? Are you hiding her from me? Don't worry, Haru! She won't care for a child like me!"
"N-no, Yuujin," Haru frantically waved his hand in front of him. "That's not what I meant! I just... want to. Not that I will marry soon!"
Yuujin blinked.
"Aww, I guess I bit overreacted... But, you really surprised me there!"
Haru cracked a guilty smile, "Sorry, Yuujin..."
Yuujin shook his head. "Haru is already at the right age to start thinking about that. There's nothing to be shamed about!"
Haru nodded sheepishly. "Well... Seeing Ai-chan and Rei-kun finally get together, makes me think that...it's kind of nice to have someone special by your side."
Yuujin was taken aback for a while, before agreeing, "Time sure flies fast, when we become adults. Back when we're in middle school, who ever expected that two would be a couple? The cold Rei and the gentle Ai-chan. They didn't even have anything in common personality wise."
"But they go along good until now. I'm glad that Rei-kun finally found a real family that cares for him, beside Hajime-kun," smiled Haru. Though for Yuujin, it was more like a sad smile.
Haru used to like Ai since elementary school. Yuujin knew that. Back when Ai's father just had announced in front of his costumers, that Rei was going to be his son in-law (just imagine how embarrassed Rei was), Haru was so happy as if he was the one who's getting married. He had congratulated them over and over again, and never shown any sign of sadness, even in front of Yuujin. This was the first time Haru mentioned Ai's marriage, with such lonely expression.
Yuujin, not being able to stand seeing Haru's hurtful face, decided to change the topic a bit.
"You're right. Rei and his brother had gone through a lot. But still, that marriage was very sudden for me. I know Rei has taken care of himself since he's a teenager, but the Ai-chan I used to know was a middle-schooler like me, oblivious of any adult responsibility. Yet, when I woke up a year ago, she was already a beautiful, consent woman happily dating Rei, and then married him six month later, while I was stuck as a 14 year old kid, just having been chased off from his own school. I didn't even get a chance to see Rei confessed to her. Can you imagine that?"
Yuujin's comically angry grumbling managed to wheedle Haru's laugh.
"And Hajime! The last time I saw him, he was a polite eight-year-old little boy. But now he's as big as me."
"I'm also surprised by that when Hajime-kun came back from his study in America, two years ago," admitted Haru.
"And then there are Astra, Eri-san, and also...," Yuujin paused for some time, "...you, Haru."
"Me?"
Yuujin nodded, as he fixed his gentle gaze toward Haru. "You've really grown up. If it's not because of those goggles of yours you were wearing, back when I just woke up in your lab, I wouldn't have recognized you."
"Really? Am I really that changed?"
"Well, I'm not talking about your appearance. Haru I used to know would never be so good at ordering people around. Such as: 'Shiina-san, please check on this part', 'Asahi-kun, plug out that machine', 'Yuujin, make me a hot coffee…'"
Haru gasped, "I never order Yuujin around like that!"
"In my head, you sound like that," Yuujin chortled, "No, seriously, I mean, it's my AI that judges you wanting to stay late. That's why I always make you one, even though you never ask. Guess I'm still Leviathan's tool deep inside, aren't I...?" Yuujin pondered. His smile turned bitter.
"But, Yuujin does that for me, right? Not for Leviathan anymore. That means that you are not Leviathan's. You are now mine!"
Contrast to Haru's determined tone, Yuujin repeated Haru's last word, hesitating. "I am... Haru's...?"
Haru jolted at his own words. "S-Sorry, Yuujin! I didn't mean to refer you as a property! What I want to say is...is..."
Yuujin suddenly chuckled, before bursting out a laugh. Long enough to lead to Haru's protest, "Yu-Yuujin, what's so funny? Don't laugh at me like that!"
"So-sorry, Haru. I just...don't understand why you have to apologize. This Yuujin in front of you is indeed a property after all…."
"That's not right!" disputed Haru, desperately.
"Besides, it's not like that I hate you ordering people around," Yuujin assured, to cover up that he actually didn't want to talk about himself right now. "Rather…I find it to be cool. Haru, you're so dazzling when you are working at those difficult things that not ordinary people would understand."
"It's...not that great. Everyone would get it once they learn," Haru denied modestly.
"That is why you're so great, Haru! You try hard, fail, learn, and finally understand everything you wanted to know. Just like...," Yuujin breathed in. "Just like a real protagonist! The one and only protagonist, of your own story, that was never written by anyone before!"
A smile rose across Haru's already blushing cheeks.
No, Yuujin. The reason why I can do all, is because….
"That is why, Haru," Yuujin added, locking his gentle eyes toward Haru's. "You should have more confidence about yourself. They say good woman seek for a good man, right? So I'm sure you will soon find the right person, just for your own. Who will … cook for your favorite meal, take care of you when you're sick, watch over you when you're afar, and…."
Yuujin paused, as he seemed to be unsure how to continue.
"Yuujin…." Haru called. His tone was somewhere between poignant and hesitant.
"Well, my mom raised me as a single parent, so I don't really understand what married couple usually do…," Yuujin added sheepishly. "But promise to introduce her to me, once you find her, okay? I don't want Haru to be picked by bad person, after all! " closed Yuujin, as their gondola finally had delivered them to the ground.
Haru, however, didn't see it as the end of their conversation.
"Yuujin," he called again, but this time, with more determinacy installed.
"Hm?" Yuujin looked at Haru over his shoulder. The boy was already standing outside the gondola.
"Can I consider...that the right person for me, is you…, Yuujin?"
==
"Mom, you laughed by yourself again. That's creepy."
Yuujin jolted out of his reminiscing. He turned to find twelve-year-old Shinkai Kazuki lying on the bed, his nonchalant expression aimed at him.
"Sorry..., Kazuki. I just remembered things," Yuujin awkwardly apologized. He took and observed the thermometer Kazuki returned to him.
"My fever has gone down," Kazuki mentioned without waiting for his mother's reaction. "You can leave me to shop for tonight's Christmas Eve dinner."
Doubt was reflected in Yuujin's eyes. "Are you sure? Offmon is having his day-sleep. And Gatchmon is staying at Kashinoki Books, because Rei asked him to assist his new job lately. Though he told me that he would be home tonight for Christmas cake..."
"I'm okay, Mom. I'm not a kid anymore," Kazuki sat on his bed to prove that he'd been better than Yuujin thought. "If you don't go now, those popular strawberry cakes will be sold out like they were last year."
Yuujin chuckled, "All right, all right. I'll go. How about the main course? Would Hamburg steak be okay? That's Haru's favorite too."
"But, will Dad even come home for Christmas eve?" Kazuki doubted. "He's been busy all day and night, even though it's already end of year."
"Ah! You're right...," Yuujin seemed to be just reminded by the fact. "Should I just order fried chicken like last year?"
"It's okay, Mom," Kazuki took over. "I'd be glad to have steak. I'm getting bored with chicken, after all. I bet you are too."
Yuujin laughed in agreement as he pat the witty boy's head. "Well, that's settled, then. But promise me to call immediately when you feel bad again."
Kazuki nodded fast, just for Yuujin to be able to get him the cake he always wanted.
Because Yuujin didn't want to wake Offmon up, he couldn't help but ask Kazuki to move into the offline games Appmon's room. Kazuki didn't mind at all to watch over his baby older brother sleeping.
Yuujin gave Kazuki his computer tablet capable for calling his smartphone, so that Kazuki didn't have to move around to reach the phone, should he ever need something.
Kazuki spent his time playing with the tablet. By the time Yuujin had been gone for thirty minutes, he was already bored and feeling thirsty. The red-headed boy walked to the kitchen and took a pack of melon juice he could find in the fridge.
"I'm home!"
Kazuki was about to dispose the empty pack, when he heard someone in the front door. It's not Yuujin's voice, but instead...
"...Dad?" Kazuki peeked through the kitchen's door to confirm who's coming. His fever had gone down, so it shouldn't be just his imagination. "Is that you...?"
"Kazuki!" exclaimed Haru as he realized the boy's presence in the front of the kitchen. "Yuujin said you'd got fever since last night. Are you alright?"
Haru put a hand on his son's forehand, feeling his temperature.
"Much better," Kazuki answered shortly. "How about you, Dad? Your works..."
"Well, we're getting loosen up lately, so they allowed me some leeway to leave early just for tonight."
"I see...."
Haru smiled at his son's mundane reaction. Knowing Kazuki, Haru reckoned that the boy was happy enough despite his not-so-warm welcome.
"It's not that we usually celebrate it, but...today is the exact special day when I proposed to your mom...," reminisced Haru in a whisper, but was loud enough to be heard by Kazuki.
"Aah..., so that's why Mom keeps smiling by himself, even though he must be pretty tired looking out for me since last night."
Haru jerked at his son's remark. "Really? Yuujin acts like that?"
"As much as I can tell," Kazuki shrugged. "But Mom didn't say anything about 'special day' aside from Christmas. Just now, he’s going out to get us some Christmas cake, and planned to make Hamburg steak for tonight. Nothing special."
"I see...," Haru sighed, absentmindedly taking a seat on one of their dining chairs. "Well, that can't be helped. That day, I didn't propose to your mom properly, after all. I didn't even prepare any ring. Things happened and the words just...came out from my mouth, just like that. It was so embarrassing...," he buried his face inside his palms.
Kazuki took out another couple of packed juice and set one on the table in front of Haru. He himself sit across his dad, before opening his own.
"I'm impressed at how you could even think of today as your special day if it was really that embarrassing. I bet the reason Mom keeps smiling today is because he found your proposal to be amusing instead of romantic."
Kazuki's words felt like sharp blade piercing through heart. Haru groaned while releasing a long breath.
"You...may be right, Kazuki... I shouldn't have proposed to him just because the authorities pressed me to. He was only 15 years old at that time to begin with. Yuujin kept staying away from me even after we’d married. He didn't say anything, but I knew he's afraid that I took him just because of the conditions forcing me to..."
"That Mom? Rejected you, Dad? Now that's new," Kazuki chimed. "How did you convince Mom that you married him because of love and not because of the others' pressure?"
Haru's mind wondered in reminiscence.
Even though we did marry when Yuujin's still 15, we didn't do anything until Yuujin's mental age was counted as 20. Kazuki was made in a lab, and the government made Yuujin bore him once he turned 16. Yuujin always agreed whatever they asked him to. They said the younger his body, the better chance of him delivering a child. Though I'd love having Kazuki, that still wasn't right, so I thought....
"Well, I was..," a brief moment passed in silence, as Haru held his answer to blink his eyes in realization. Wait, am I going to talk about this to Kazuki? Isn't he too young to hear stories like this?
"Ah, adult circumstances, I see," Kazuki passed.
"No, no, no, no! That's not like what you're thinking, Kazuki! I just...hmm..., basically...," Haru played with his fingers on the table. "I did a coming out."
"Coming out?" Kazuki tilted his head.
Haru nodded. "It was at some national conference which for the first time officially presented Yuujin to the whole nation. As I couldn't stand seeing some people there treating and speaking about your Mom like he was some inanimate property, I invited Yuujin to stand by my side when I delivered my speech."
"Then you declared to everyone that you're gay?" Kazuki shot in.
"Hm..., close enough," Haru chuckled. "I took Yuujin's hand and told them that he's the only partner I'd love, and thus must be respected."
Kazuki displayed some surprised expression. "How did Mom react then?"
"He...," Haru stopped as he blushed....kissed me in front of the whole nation...
"What?" Kazuki lifted an eyebrow, waiting.
Haru sighed in his smile, patting the boy's head. "You will know when the time's right."
Kazuki pouted with an unsatisfied gaze, and turned to his tablet. I will look up about that conference in the net later.
Haru walked out to look around their small, but neat enough living room. Fresh gerberas and irises gathered inside a pink vase decorating their coffee table. Yuujin must have taken some flowers from their backyard. The white sofa's pillows just had their covers replaced with red and green ones, reflecting Christmas colors. Sitting modestly beside the sofa, a bare medium-sized Christmas tree easily got into Haru's attention.
“By the way, Kazuki, since you're much better now, can you help me decorate the Christmas tree?” Haru turned to his son, winking. “Yuujin hasn't prepared it, has he? I want to make a little surprise for your Mom before he arrives.”
“I think just having you here for Christmas Eve would be enough to surprise him, Dad,” smirked Kazuki casually. ”This is the first Christmas you spend with us in the last five years, after all."
-END-