Episode 21. Y

 Zena felt a strange sensation. Everything flowed smoothly under Siu's lead, from the dancing to the singing. The atmosphere was pleasant, and she looked forward to Free Day every week. However, deep down, none of them were experts, so even though they supported each other with their moves and songs, Zena couldn't be sure if they were doing well. Above all, they didn't really have a clear goal for why they were practicing so hard at dancing and singing.

"Hmm..."

After much deliberation, Zena confided in Siu in Secret Mode.

"You're right. At first, I was the one who brought it up, and we started because we felt like it, right?"

"Yeah, that's how it was."

As Siu's hand reached for her temple, a hint of concern in her expression, Zena couldn't help but smile gently.

"But you know, I've been worried about the future. It's one thing to start, but if we can't show it to anyone in the end, it feels like it's all for nothing, you know?"

"Hmm..."

"Sometimes, I just wish someone could guide us through these moments."

Listening to Zena's concerns, Siu cautiously spoke up.

"Zena, what do you want to do? Not what others want, but you."

"I... I'm fine with just this, but if I have the chance, I want to show it to others."

Siu nodded in agreement upon hearing Zena's words.

"I feel the same way. But I think I understand what you're worried about. No one in IDYPIA will listen to us. But what about outside IDYPIA?"

"Outside IDYPIA?"

"Remember what Marty told us? About the world outside."

"Oh... "

Zena, Siu, and Tyra had been learning about the outside world from Marty every day in virtual reality. The lush forests, clear streams, and diverse wildlife formed a harmonious landscape. What excited them the most was the presence of human traces in that world.

"Yeah, if that's the case, there might be people outside too."

"It might not be so different from IDYPIA."

Upon Siu's words, Zena simply nodded quietly.

"Let's go back and talk to the others for now. We've already called them to the hideout."

"Okay."

And so, the two of them left the Secret Mode and entered the hideout.

***

The woman, who seemed ready to fire the old rifle at any moment, gestured towards Marty. Marty glared at her and slowly moved towards where the three of them stood.

"Let me ask again. How did you find this place?"

Her expression unchanged, she warned the girls with a stern voice.

"How did I find it?"

"You found it, so you knew."

"So, how did you find this hideout?"

"I'm a virtual reality space designer, I found it while working."

"Siu!"

As Siu stepped forward to speak, Zena interrupted.

"No, I'm the one who actually found it while doing an assessment as a building fire safety manager."

"Zena..."

"But it's the truth."

Zena silently stared at the strange woman. She, too, looked back at Zena and Siu without saying a word.

A virtual reality space designer and a building fire safety manager... Huh, that explains it... no one but us is supposed to know about this place... Maybe, as Granny Yeri said, in the end, this place was bound to be discovered.

Contemplating their words, she tightened her grip on the gun. Siu and Zena instinctively shielded Marty and Tyra behind them, startled.

"So, you're the little weeds of IDYPIA."

"The weeds? What's that?"

"Haven't you infiltrated here under AG's orders?"

At that remark, Marty behind Siu snapped.

"Where do you get off saying that!"

She looked at the defiant Marty in surprise.

"You... Are you seriously getting angry right now?"

"Well, of course I'm angry. Wouldn't you be?!"

"Marty!"

"Tyra, just hold on a moment."

As Tyra tried to intervene, Marty, seeming even angrier, yelled at her.

"Who are you to judge us as weeds! We almost died just now!"

"Marty, calm down."

Siu quickly moved to calm down Marty, who seemed ready to attack at any moment, and continued speaking.

"We just stumbled upon this place by chance and thought it was an unoccupied space where we could be together. If you're the owner of this place, we apologize."

As Siu stepped forward and bowed, Zena also lowered her head.

"Siu, Zena."

Marty, taken aback by the sight of her two older friends, followed suit and bowed her head. Then, Tyra, who had been silently observing the situation, spoke up.

"Hmm, but wait. Those unfocused, cloudy eyes. They seem familiar..." Tyra paused, trying to recall a memory that seemed to be on the tip of her tongue.

"Are you, by any chance, an AI?"

"Really??"

Marty exclaimed in surprise at Tyra's words.

"That's right. But so what?" the AI responded nonchalantly. "What's the big deal?"

"No, it's just... I had a feeling like I've known you from somewhere," Tyra explained.

"But how are you here in the real world right now? The AI I know are all holograms," Marty interjected, her expression showing disbelief. She glanced at Tyra as if to ask what kind of nonsense she was talking about, but Tyra just shrugged in response, wearing a faintly nostalgic smile.

"...That's the AI or whatever in IDYPIA, but I came from the outside."

"The outside??"

"Then what about your body? How did that happen?"

"Well, I came from the outside. Next. This body is a humanoid body. My colleague made it for me. I need this body to escape from SAI Prime surveillance."

The four girls, who had been guarded, suddenly bombarded her with curious questions. Overwhelmed by the sudden approach of the girls, she found herself easing the tension and lowering her gun. Her once assertive voice gradually softened.

"Humanoid, huh? That's impressive!"

"Well, it's not that impressive... IDYPIA probably has at least one body like this..."

Even though she tried to downplay it, she couldn't help but chuckle when Marty laughed.

"Quite bland, huh? Anyway, all of you."

She pointed her finger at Marty, Siu, Zena, and Tyra one by one.

"Wait, are you saying you've developed emotions?"

"Emotions?"

"Yeah, emotions."

At her question, they all asked at once.

"What are emotions?"

"...I guess I'll have to explain that first."

***

Taking her seat, the humanoid woman introduced herself as AI Y from the Resistance.

"The Resistance?"

"But isn't the Resistance supposed to have been wiped out by the AG Numbers..."

"That's how it's portrayed in IDYPIA. In reality, we survived, more resilient than AG thought."

Y's expression remained composed and serene, but her voice seemed ready to boil over at any moment.

"See? I told you! I was right, wasn't I? Right? There are people outside, aren't there?"

"They're not people, they're AI from the Resistance, but yeah, something like that."

Caught off guard by Marty and Tyra's sudden entrance, Y redirected the conversation.

"...Anyway, this place is one of our old Resistance hideouts. How do you like it?"

"Yes, everything from the clothes to the odds and ends, even the songs! Did everyone used to express themselves with emotions like this?"

Taken aback by Marty's barrage of questions, Y hesitated before responding.

"You really... don't try to hide your emotions, do you?"

"Of course not. I know there's nothing wrong with them."

"Actually, that's what worries me."

Tyra shrugged and shook her head.

"Ugh, you worry too much."

"Am I not supposed to?"

"Come on, guys, just for a moment... let's not be too much in front of someone we just met."

Watching their interaction, Siu chuckled and intervened.

"Haha, you guys are quite an interesting combination. Each of you has your own personality and color."

"Personality? Color? What does that mean?"

"It's something my grandma, who rescued me a long time ago, taught me. Although you're all the same person, you have different personalities as unique individuals. And depending on how you express those emotions, you're differentiated as individuals. And that applies whether you're a person, an animal, or an AI like me."

Y's words elicited expressions of awe from the four girls.

"One individual."

"So, that means I exist not just as a person from IDYPIA, but as myself."

"In simple terms, yes. You are you, and I am me."

Y felt pleased that they understood the concept of being individuals capable of feeling emotions, and continued the conversation, sharing more about herself. In the process, it seemed like their guardedness diminished significantly.

"Do you know about SAI Prime, the Super AI used by AG to establish IDYPIA? Well, actually, I'm the 25th AI produced by that SAI."

"Really?!"

"Huh? 25th model? When we learned about it, there were only 24."

The four of them looked at Y with widened eyes, clearly surprised.

IDYPIA was divided into 12 sectors, labeled A through L, with the capital at the center, and M overseeing the capital and overall administration. Beyond M, the remaining 13 uppercase letters in the serial denoted various roles such as surveillance, interrogation, occupational selection, and administrative tasks. Y was an AI responsible for knowledge. However, due to acquiring too much knowledge, she became curious about human emotions and eventually joined the rebels. As a result, a digital library was created to replace Y's role in the city, and the mass-produced AIs were classified into 24 models.

"Oh, so they started pretending there were only 24 models once I defected."

"Hmm, that's strange."

At Y's words, the three girls wore expressions of astonishment as if they were chilled to the bone, while Tyra tilted her head in confusion.

"Why?"

"Well, someone mentioned that the mass-produced SAI models were 26 in total."

"What?"

"But I can't quite remember who said it."

"Was it something you heard in a dream?"

"Maybe? Hmm, I'm not sure. Well, it's not that important anyway. So, what's the point?"

Tyra clicked her tongue and redirected her question to Y.

"Do you happen to know about the uprising of the rebels around 31 years ago?"

"Yes, I learned about it in history class."

"I was rescued by the rebels during that time and developed emotions while living with them. Even after the rebel uprising collapsed, I formed the Resistance and have been active ever since."

"The Resistance..."

Zena pondered Y's words alone for a moment before taking a step forward towards Y.

"Can you take us outside of IDYPIA?"

***