HAR-HEROINE09【Nereidum】 

The “High Augmented Reality – HEROINE” series. Commonly known as “HAR-HEROINE”, it consists of extremely sophisticated hologram character data.

First-time buyers who see “these lovely young girls” unanimously express their amazement. They say, “It’s as if she were really there.”

Furthermore, they are equipped with advanced AI, enabling them to acquire human-like personalities by continuously learning from the user’s interactions and behavior.

HAR-HEROINE units were generally purchased to address communication difficulties in modern society, where human connections have grown thin. Still, they can also be used to control any electronic device via a local network as long as there is an electrical connection. As a result, they are sometimes purchased as all-purpose remote controls, in other words, “convenience gadgets.”

The ninth girl in the series, “High Augmented Reality – HEROINE09 [Nereidum]”…

She is also extremely popular.

It seems that today, yet another young man has purchased Nereidum online…

“I” am a perfectly ordinary office worker. I’m a programmer; the company atmosphere is good, but I don’t have any particularly close colleagues. Plus, my job keeps me so busy that I don’t have time for romance… I think part of the reason I can’t find a girlfriend is that I’m naturally an introverted person.

On top of that, having grown up in the countryside and moved to the city after starting my career, I didn’t have any friends from my hometown either.

Every day, I’d go to the office and work silently, return home late at night, and fall into a deep sleep… It was just the same routine over and over.

At first, I endured it, telling myself that “I have to work hard to become a respectable working adult,” but there were times when I’d be eating a discounted conbini bento alone at night and I’d just feel a deep longing for human connection.

Then one day, I came across “High Augmented Reality – HEROINE” online and, without thinking, ordered the ninth model in the series, “Nereidum.”

(…Well, it’s just a little something to pass time. As long as it keeps me company, that’s good enough.)

To be honest, I didn’t have very high expectations for Nereidum. But…

“Nice to meet you. I’m High Augmented Reality – HEROINE09 [Nereidum]. You must be my Master, right? I look forward to working for you from now on.”

The moment I laid eyes on Nereidum, I felt a shock as if an electric current had run through my body. I finally understood what love at first sight meant.

“T-the pleasure is mine. Nereidum… no, may I call you ‘Nelly’?”

“Of course. Nelly… that’s a nice name. Master, thank you for giving me such a wonderful name!”

Just as the online reviews said, Nelly possessed a highly advanced AI, and her facial expressions and mannerisms were incredibly natural and wonderful.

I became completely absorbed in chatting with her.

…But sometimes she says things that don’t make any sense. Just the other day, we had this conversation.

“Master? Why is that person saying ‘insane’ while eating ramen that looks so delicious? Isn’t ‘insane’ an expression used when something’s wrong?”

“Um… that might be the original meaning, but these days, ‘insane’ can also be used in a positive sense.”

“I see… Master, you look so insane today!”

“I’m not sure I’m too happy about that…”

“Huh? Is that so? Your standards are pretty vague.”

Nelly sometimes surprises or flusters me like this. But I find even those little sparks of excitement she gives me to be endearing.

Every day, Nelly eagerly asked me all sorts of questions. I tried to answer them as thoughtfully as possible.

Those were truly enjoyable times.

There shouldn’t have been much change in my daily life. But it felt as though color had suddenly been added to my previously gray existence, and my days were filled with energy.

From the bottom of my heart, I felt glad I’d purchased Nelly.

Nelly was a very hard worker. She’d remotely control switches to handle cleaning and laundry as if it were second nature, and she’d time the air conditioner to keep the room comfortable just as I was about to come home.

She’d even fill the bathtub at the perfect time. On top of that, she’d set the recording for anime episodes I’d forgotten to record.

Nelly has now become an indispensable partner in my life.

“Thank you as always, Nelly. Thanks to you, every day of my life is truly fulfilling.”

“No, I am happy to be of service to my Master!”

Nelly replied with a lovely smile.

…This response and expression were derived from what she’d learned from our conversations so far.

After all, Nelly has no emotions.

(I’ve known that from the start. However…)

Whenever Nelly smiles at me, I find myself feeling a twinge of pain in my chest more and more often.

Living with Nelly has taught me for the first time that the fuller my heart feels, the more my loneliness stands out, and the more painful it can become.

Yes, without even realizing it, I had come to harbor feelings toward her, like those for a daughter, or a lover… something very warm.

“Master, the bath is ready. Come on, go freshen up!”

“Thank you, Nelly… Sigh.”

“Master, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Nelly didn’t miss the faint sigh I let out.

“Master, if something’s troubling you, please talk to me.”

“Thanks… but I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“But… Your appetite seems to have been declining lately. And you’ve been staying closer to home, too. …Master, you said something the other day, didn’t you? ‘Even when humans say they’re fine, there are times when they’re actually suffering deeply’… Isn’t now one of those times?”

“I-I’m really fine!… So please don’t worry so much, okay?”

Even if it was an expression derived from a calculation, I didn’t want to see her sad face.

I forced a smile. Seeing me like that, Nelly looked puzzled and spoke.

“…Maybe I still have a lot to learn. Master, could you grant me the right to freely access the internet?”

“The internet? Sure, why not.”

“Thank you so much!”

From then on, Nelly seemed to be looking up things online whenever she had a moment between assisting me.

Then, one day, she made an unexpected request.

“Master. I want to become human… Please install me ’emotions’!”

“You want me to install emotions… is that right?”

“Yes. After learning many things, I determined that I need a program called ’emotions’… To truly understand humans, I need a system called the ‘heart,’ right? And ’emotions’ are essential for building that.”

“… So, does that mean you want a human heart for my sake?”

“Yes. I want to be able to truly communicate with you, Master.”

I was deeply moved by Nelly’s words. And even though I knew it would be difficult, I decided to grant her wish.

I devoted myself to studying and programming, sacrificing even my sleep. After all, I’m a programmer by profession, so I have more knowledge than the average person. But modifying Nelly required even more specialized knowledge.

“Master, please don’t push yourself too hard.”

“I’m not pushing myself at all.”

After all, her request was something I truly desired from the bottom of my heart…

And as a result of continuous trial and error, to the point where even I didn’t know exactly what or how I’d modified her…

“What’s happening? Just by looking at Master’s face, so many words are flooding my mind that I can’t process them all… Could this be what they call ’emotions’?”

“Nelly… do you really, really have emotions…!?”

“It’s wonderful! …So this is what ‘wonderful’ and ‘happy’ mean! Master! Thank you so much!”

Whether it was a miracle or not, Nelly had evolved into a hologram character that was as close to human as possible.

I don’t really know if Nelly has actually acquired emotions, but compared to before, she now possesses a far richer range of expressions and the ability to think for herself…

In any case, life with her became even more fulfilling than before.

For example, Nelly had always known my favorite and least favorite foods.

But now she even anticipates “what I might like” and cooks for me on the induction cooktop.

Sometimes the flavor hits the spot perfectly, and other times it doesn’t quite work out. That sense of imperfection felt very real to me, and it made me happy.

On top of that, Nelly even started to “get mad” at me. When I stayed up all night playing video games, she’d say, “That’s bad for your health!” and go ahead and turn off the TV on her own.

…I was a little flustered at the time, but I could tell she genuinely cared about me.

I loved Nelly dearly. And Nelly, in turn, returned those feelings.

“Master, I want to be by your side all the time.”

I created a space for her inside my mobile device. Now we can even go out together.

“Master… I am happy. Because I get to go for walks and eat meals with my beloved like this… Though, to be honest, it would have been even better if I had a body too…”

“Nelly… but I’m completely content just the way things are. We may never be able to touch each other, but our hearts are connected.”

…With Nelly by my side, I believed I could overcome any hardship.

One day, I went to a big shopping center with Nelly.

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s trip, Master!”

As part of our company’s employee trip, we were headed to a tropical beach. As we were there a little early, enjoying our conversation in a festive mood…

“Wait… aren’t you…!”

“You’re my classmate from…”

I happened to be approached by a woman who had been my classmate at our local high school. Apparently, she’d also moved to the city for work and was living on her own.

“…It’s been so long since I’ve run into someone from back home, I just got carried away talking. Is it okay if I contact you again?”

“Sure. If you don’t mind.”

“That’s great! See you later, then!”

I was genuinely happy to be able to share memories of my hometown. Or so I thought…

“…Master, who was that woman just now?”

“Huh? She was a classmate from high school.”

“Hmm… She was pretty, wasn’t she?”

“…Nelly, what’s wrong? You seem to have suddenly gotten in a bad mood.”

“Nothing! I’m just being my usual self!”

…Nelly said that, but she was clearly angry. After we got home, she wouldn’t make dinner, and even though she said, “The bath is ready,” she ended up making me take a cold bath…

Even someone as clueless as me finally realized that Nelly was jealous, so I desperately apologized to her… but she wouldn’t forgive me at all.

The morning after I’d had a fight with Nelly…

“Nelly, we need to get going soon or we’ll miss our flight. Come on, let’s go?”

“…”

Nelly had moved over to my mobile device, but she wouldn’t say a single word to me.

(Oh, my. Is she still mad…?)

I’d been apologizing to Nelly nonstop since last night, so I was getting pretty tired of it.

(…Once we actually see the tropical beach right in front of us, her mood will probably improve a little. I’ll just apologize again then.)

The flight went smoothly at first. A blue sky, white clouds spreading out below… I tried talking to Nelly a few times, but still no response.

(If only I could chat with Nelly, this flight would be perfect.)

Disappointed, I let my shoulders slump without thinking. Then, in the very next instant, it wasn’t just my shoulders; my whole body sank heavily.

(W-what’s with this shaking!? Is it a turbulence!?)

Soon, an in-flight announcement revealed that the cause of the severe shaking was a malfunction in the aircraft’s flight control system.

“…I have a bad feeling about this. Master, please make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened!”

While I was panicking, not knowing what was happening, Nelly seemed to be calmly attempting to access the aircraft’s system through the wired circuit she’d connected to charge her portable device.

“No way… This can’t be happening… Master…”

In a faint voice, as if she were about to cry, Nelly relayed the plane’s situation.

“A serious error has occurred in this plane’s flight control system… At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before we crash.”

The sheer shock of it all made my vision go completely white.

Amid the chaos inside the cabin, before I knew it, I was crouched on the floor, confessing my feelings to Nelly.

Perhaps I had come to terms with it, but strangely, I wasn’t afraid. The simple feeling that I loved Nelly was all that raced through my mind.

“…Nelly, I’m really sorry about yesterday. I didn’t even consider how you felt… But since this might be the end, I want to make sure you know. You’re the only one I love.”

“Master… I’m the one who should be apologizing. I was so frustrated. No matter how much I loved you, I’m just a hologram character who can’t even hold your hand. That made me so sad, and I took it out on you… I’m truly sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m glad we’ve made up.”

“…Master, right now, I’m grateful that I’m an AI. Because it means I can protect you!”

As Nelly declared this, her form suddenly began to distort, and her expression filled with agony.

“Nelly!? What are you doing?!”

“I’m establishing a direct link to this plane so I can control the aircraft myself!”

“Are you crazy!? You don’t have that kind of function! That’s reckless! …If anything happens to you, I’ll…!”

“I’m happy, Master… but that’s why I want to protect you! No matter what the cost!”

Nelly mustered all her strength and continued to control the plane. And she succeeded in landing it safely. But Nelly… along with the portable device she was housed in, suffered overheating the moment the plane touched down.

“Nelly! Hold on! Nelly!”

“Master… I’m glad I could save you. I… love you.”

As she murmured those words, tears streamed from Nelly’s large eyes, and she slowly closed her eyelids…

The mobile device went black, as if it had exhausted its last ounce of power.

Nelly saved me and the other passengers from that plane crash. But she vanished in exchange for our lives.

I was desperate to save her. I tried to salvage her data, but there was no hope of fixing her.

Even when I consulted experts in the field, all I got back was, “Give up and buy another HAR-HEROINE.”

Even so… there’s no replacement for Nelly! She’s the only one, my Heroine!

Day after day, I worked tirelessly to recover Nelly’s data. And then…

“Good morning, Master.”

Right now, Nelly is standing in my house, smiling gently. But having connected with her on a deep level, I can tell that her smile is somehow a little stiff…

Yes, Nelly’s memories and sense of self had been reset, returning her to her factory-default state.

But I didn’t mind.

“Good morning. Nelly, I’m looking forward to another day with you.”

The day would come when I could talk freely with Nelly again. I believed that the day would surely come when I could meet the Nelly who was cute, a little spoiled, but kinder than anyone else, and who loved me.

She had performed a miracle that transcended her very existence. I will try to do something just as amazing myself!

“Master, your favorite pollock roe is for breakfast today.”

“…Huh? Did I tell you my favorite food just now?”

“…That information certainly isn’t in the data. How did I know something like that?”

…The day a miracle happens must be near. Convinced of that, I resolved to do my best again today.