A Machine

As the sun had set and Kumi had done nearly everything she wanted to do today, she walked back to her room.

As she opened the door quietly and was about to enter, she heard a few familiar voices talking down the corridor.

'...'

She quietly closed the door and looked down the hallway.

'Might as well go listen in. Could probably get some info on tomorrow's training and prepare mentally.'

She made her decision to try and get as much information on her future training as possible and plan ahead for it so she walked down the corridor while taking a few turns behind corners, walking towards the sounds of talking.

'I feel like my hearing is stronger than it's supposed to be. Probably one of my Skill effects that I don't completely remember.'

She thought as she peeked around a corner and stole a glance at a partially opened door from which the sound came from.

Not going any closer and keeping a constant eye on her surroundings, she listened in on the conversation.

"Right. So is the machine showing any sign of errors?"

Kumi heard the familiar voice of Hilde ask.

"No. We sent one of the previous users in and nothing strange was reported, they cleared it easily and rather fast so they didn't pay close attention to every detail but no clear or dangerous errors appeared."

The voice of Ayaka responded to Hilde's question.

"Who checked the machine?"

"Deadbolt."

"Good. Then there's no chance for the practical inspection to be wrong or having missed anything."

"Most likely."

"Next topic. The Inscrutable Personality. Any information?"

'Ah. Shitters.'

Kumi thought to herself as she heard Hilde's question from afar. She had hidden herself behind a curtain to avoid any wandering guards.

'Right. They think I just have the Inscrutable Personality. They don't know about the 'Implausibly' part or my second Personality Type. Crap.'

"Nothing. The Inscrutable Personality isn't common. It's rather rare for any humanoid race to have in fact."

"So we might have to write it off as a racial passive then... Any information about the relatives of heros and demon lords?"

"Their bloodline realtives are still the same. No marriage or evidence of having children with Prime Angels or Devils has been reported. She is most likely not a holder of 2 Personalities."

"... No information about a cross between Devil and Prime Angel still?"

"None. She is the first of her kind, ever."

"No ancient texts or sealed history?"

"We have contacted our trusted Scrybes across the continents yet none of them have found a thing. Kumi is indeed a New race."

"That means we have no concrete information on her kind. This is problematic. If the Angels or Devils or, Gods forbid, her parents ever find out about her..."

"It would be... rough."

"You're taking it lightly. Her very existence, if found out, could mark a New War between Heaven and Hell with the mortal realm caught in between the fight."

"...Truly. It would be difficult for the mortal realm to survive against Holy and Demonic Personality Types."

"No kidding. All the continents would need to join forces on every level for a hope to survive. Kumi's entire Existence is Both the Highest of Blessings and yet the most Dangerous Curse..."

"..."

With Ayaka and Hilde remaining silent for a moment, Kumi had her own thoughts on the matter.

'First off. Curse? Me? Don't think of me like that. It's rather rude. Secondly. I am definitely not that important for literal God and Satan to go all fisticuffs... Right?'

As Ayaka and Hilde resumed their conversation on another topic, Kumi decided to go back to her room and sleep her thoughts away for the time being.

'A possibly dangerous machine. That's nice.'

She thought as she barely managed to hide from a wandering guard by hiding behind a corner.

...

Waking up and doing her usual morning routine of checking her room for anything weird and washing up, she sat down on her bed with a few drops of water landing from her wet hair onto her sheets.

'Any moment.'

She thought as she heard a knock at her door moments later.

'Surprisingly. That was pretty accurate timing. Nice one Ayaka.'

She praised her maid/teacher silently as she opened the door.

"Have you rested well in preparation for the training today?"

Ayaka asked and received a nod in response.

"Good. Let's go then. You need to go through the necessary preparations."

She said as she led the way.

Closing the door behind her and following Ayaka down the hall, Kumi was mentally preparing herself for anything that Hilde or Ayaka could throw at her.

After a while of walking in silence, Ayaka finally started the thorough explanation on what Kumi had to do and what benefits this training came with.

"This training course. It is for your mental growth mostly. It will help you use your body to move better, increase reaction speed and brain activity as well as coordination and strategic ability to a certain level. These are areas where you are mostly... lacking in as of now. You need to hone and control your overbearingly strong instincts through cultivating your mind.

Do you understand?"

'Huh. I guess I do focus on instinct when fighting and prepping and playing football and living my daily life. I wonder where I picked that up from...'

Kumi thought to herself as she nodded and waited for Ayaka to continue, which she did.

"Good. At least you know. During the training, and pay attention to this part, your mind will be relocated to a different space. Your thoughts carried over. You will still be in your own 'body' but it will be simulated. Nothing in that space is real. You can still get hurt feel pain and die in that space but your real body here will not be affected in any way. Death there just resets the training so that you start again.

Your objective is not to hurt or kill anyone. You don't need to defeat anything. Just escape the simulated area. The surroundings will work against you so you must adapt and learn how to strategise and plan your movements ahead in order to escape, instincts play little to no part in this training. As an assassin, you need to know how to escape easily from any situation. If you are injured and dying on the battlefield you must know when and how to escape and preserve your own life. Your own life will always have to come first.

Everything clear?"

Ayaka asked after her long talk and looked Kumi in the eyes just to receive a quiet 'yes' in response.

Ayaka breathed out a little louder than regularly, she did not sigh for the record, and reassured Kumi as best as she could.

"No need to worry about it. The pain will be dulled and there is a butler of sorts there to provide refreshments, helpful tips and advice as well as personal training if it is truly needed. You don't have to worry about eating either since your real body will be preserved in a working machine that has no chance to malfunction at all. Okay?"

'That is very foreboding.'

Kumi thought in response as she nodded absentmindedly while thinking.

'Now that I think on it. Ayaka has been able to read my emotions through my deadpan face and Skill. To a rather small degree but nevertheless she can tell when I'm hesitant or worried at least, when I openly show it that is. I wonder if others could tell too if they got to know me?'

This was her final line of thought before Ayaka and her arrived at the room with the machine that would serve as her home until she completed the next stage of her training in preparation for war.