Part 60: Chapter 3 Daily Life, Part 6

*Ding dong, bing bong*





: Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!





: Alright, I need to hurry up and get to the dining hall... I need to tell everyone what happened with Taka yesterday.





: Yo. I've been waiting.
: Huh? Are you the only one here? Where's everyone else?
: They went on ahead.
: Went on ahead...to where?
: We can talk about it later. For now, let's go take a bath.

Bath...?







: Kyaaaaahh! Someone heeeeelllp!
: Hifumi, what's going on!?
: Makoto! Save me! I've never asked you for anything, but I'm asking now!
: Wh-What happened...?
: Sh-She's trying to kill me...!

Hifumi pointed at...



: ...

Huh? Kyoko's trying to kill you?

: I never said I was going to kill him. I simply asked him a question. I'd like to know why he made [the same mistake] twice.

> the same mistake

: The same mistake...? What did he do?



: He snuck into the dressing room in the middle of the night and accessed Alter Ego without permission. And when I caught him last night he was hugging the laptop and breathing strangely.
: Wh-What were you doing!?
: I thought I made myself clear yesterday, but since being subtle didn't work I suppose I have to clarify myself further.



: Hyaaaaah! Please don't kill me!
: I'm not going to kill you--merely instruct you.
: Ngh...gh!
: Um, Hifumi...could you tell me what happened?



: W-Well, I just...I was just talking!
: Which was prohibited, was it not?
: I-I mean, you see... Talking to her was just...so much fun! And I j-just...
: Whoa! Okay, time out! I can't even believe I'm about to ask this, but... Hifumi...you're not gonna tell us you...fell in love or something, are you?
: Hah! That I, the cold-blooded killing machine of the underworld, would ever fall in love!? That's...
: Wait...no way! Is...is this *love*!?



: I happened to do a psychic reading for a certain famous CEO once and that guy was seriously head over heels for a mannequin. He had a wedding and everything!
: And your eyes just now... I saw the same look in HIS eyes!
: Shut up! She's not a mannequin! She's an ANGEL! And don't bother telling me angels exist! What we have can't be defined by your petty "words"!
: Yeah, you're totally in love...
: So...how did things end up like this?





: ... W-Well, at the beginning...I just wanted to hear her say "Master" one more time. B-But then I was poking around at her settings and stuff, and saw she was a well-designed program. And it was like...how can I say...? It was the first time I...I was ever able to talk like that...with a normal girl.
: But she's definitely *not* a normal girl...
: Even when all we did was talk about my hobbies and stuff...she wasn't annoyed or disgusted or anything.



: Your stories are so interesting, Hifumi! C'mon, tell me more...! I wanna learn everything you have to teach me.



: That's the first time a girl's ever said anything like that to me. Besides my mom, I mean...
: Your mom says stuff like that to you? That's kinda amazing all by itself...
: That's why I was just...so happy. It was so much fun! And before I knew it... I found myself, y'know...liking her. Her face, her personality, her voice. Even her keyboard...
: Even the keyboard...?
: I think you have misunderstood the situation, Hifumi.



: Alter Ego was not interested in who you *were*. it was interested in what you *knew*. It is an artificial intelligence. It exists to learn. Of course it wanted to hear of things it did not know. You are an expert in many things Chihiro could not have taught it about, for what that is worth. Alter Ego wants that information--that is all.
: I-I know... I mean, I do know that. But still... Are you saying it's totally hopeless? Er...

♪ Music cuts out. ♪

???: You gotta be freakin' kiddin' me!





: Hey, you jerks! I'm sittin' here, listening to you guys jibber jabber on about whatever!
: Oh, Taka! Are you back!?
: Who the hell's Taka!?
: Um...you?
: Listen up! I'm me! Got it!?
: Huh...? You're...who?



: Don't bullcrap me! Isn't it obvious!? I'm Kiyotaka AND Mondo. So, like...Kiyondo, I guess...
: I'm gonna stick a banana up your tailpipe!
: What the...? What the heck kind of fusion is this!?
: I can't say I'm a big fan of the name the localization went with for Kiyondo. In Japanese, his name was Ishida which was a mix of Ishimaru and Owada. Not to mention Ishida is an actual Japanese surname while Kiyondo isn't. I guess the joke really just doesn't translate over with the decision to use the first names for characters.



: What's happened to you, Taka?
: A-Actually...

I told everyone what had happened the day before.

: So because of what Alter Ego said to him...
: Are you sure it's Alter Ego's fault? Maybe Mondo's ghost showed up and possessed him!
: Gh-Gh-Ghost!? No, th-th-th-there's no such thing!



: What are y'all whining about!? C'MON! God, you're really cheesin' me off...! Hey, Hifumi!
: Y-Yes...?
: I dunno what you're thinkin', but...bro belongs to me!
: Huh...?
: Alter Ego! He's an exact copy of the one who gave me my soul back!
: And I'm not gonna let anyone else have him ever again! Fudgin' idiot!
: ... I'm afraid...I can't allow that.
: What!?



: I can't withdraw... Mr. Ishimaru... Since I have this opportunity, let me say this right now...
: Destiny has bound me and her together in the Gordian Knot of true love!
: Well me and HIM have been melded together in the white-hot heat of FRIENDSHIP!
: H-Hey, come on, you guys...
: Moron! Talk down to me and I'll ram my fist right into all four of your vital points!
: Well *I* punch at the speed of sound! And I don't have any arm hair so there's no drag!





: Knock it off, both of you.
: This doesn't belong to any one person. Chihiro left him to all of us. We can use him to finally gain access to vital clues.
: Kyoko's right. If anyone dares disturb our peace any further...



: They'll have to deal with me.
: ...!
: ...!
: Until Alter Ego has finished his work, don't do anything weird. Have I made myself clear?



: I can't hear you...
: Y-Yes!
: G-Got it...



: Okay then. Let's get out of here. We can't afford to linger too long.
: Are you sure it's okay to let them off with a warning?
: Yes. I have a plan. It'll be fine...



After watching Hifumi and Taka leave dejected, we all went back to our rooms.



: It's still morning, but because of everything that's happened...I'm tired already.

Well anyway, I have to just pull myself together. So what should I do with the rest of my day?