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Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“…You’re trying hard to not be a burden? I never thought I’d hear that from a combat program that was too afraid and ran away.”

Even though almost all of my senses are gone, that female voice rings clear, a hint of bafflement mixed with it.

My eyes are covered, my limbs restrained, and I’ve lost all track of time.

The only thing I feel from time to time is her voice, whenever she gets bored and decides to talk to me, or touch me, and something that keeps worming into my skin.

And then…there’s the malice that keeps trying to take over my broken programming. It’s like countless entities trying to overwhelm me, making me forget the sentience I’ve gained.

The only thing keeping me sane, conscious, is the warmth and kindness I experienced for but a second, and a phrase I can only blindly trust.

I promise… I promise I’ll save you! So hang tight…don’t give up!!

Those words felt like a ray of sunlight amidst the darkness I’m in now, the only thing tying me to sanity before I fall to despair. That person already did it once, hugged me dearly and saved me from my misery, even gave me a name.

That’s why I can trust that it’ll happen again. Even if it feels like I’m in hell until then. But…

“So…you really think she’s going to come in and save you, but what are you going to do when that happens? Do you realize that you’ll just cause her more trouble? Hmm?”

My body twitches when something touches my cheek.

I feel like my body no longer belongs to me. I feel like I’ll end up fighting whoever comes to rescue me, making things harder for them. I know better than anyone else that I’m not someone who should be alive…

But…despite that…

◇◇◇

“Rouge, hey Rouge, are you okay?”

A full moon illuminated the interior garden of the castle, revealing a bench on which a young girl wearing a maid uniform was rolled up like a napping cat.

Crim hesitated on waking her up at first, not wanting to disturb her sleep, but when she got closer, she noticed that the girl was drenched in sweat while frowning, almost like she was having nightmares, and so Crim decided to gently rock the girl’s shoulders while calling her name.

An AI…dreaming…

Anyone else would think that was a ridiculous idea, something that could not happen. But Crim had seen that girl cry and tremble with fear before, and she did not doubt for a second that those emotions were genuine.

Eventually, the girl’s eyelids moved a bit and she covered them with her hands, rubbing them as she slowly sat up. Seeing that, Crim let out a sigh of relief. Strangely, the girl seemed to reflect that same emotion.

“…Big…sis?”

As her eyes registered that it was Crim who had woken her up, the girl reacted like a lost child who had been reunited with its parents, her eyes tearing up before she lunged to hug Crim.

Crim accepted her, gently patting her back to help her calm down, the girl soon realized what she was doing. Her face, and even her ears, turned red as she pulled back.

“I-I’m so sorry…Big…umm…sister…”

Rouge noticed that the rest of the group was also around Crim, making her even more embarrassed of her actions.

My little sister is so cute.

Crim’s sanity nearly vanished after being exposed to Rouge’s reaction, but she mentally recited the Heart Sutra to regain her composure. At the same time, Rouge tilted her head and asked a question, which also forced Crim to think rationally.

“Why are you here so late though, sister?”
“Ah, right… I believe the dungeon shall soon be fully conquered, and so I wished to meet thee once more ere I venture thither.”

Hearing Crim’s response, the girl became pensive for a while, and then…

“Umm…sister…” Rouge nervously gripped Crim’s cloak as she tried to find the right words, “Can I… I also want to go to that city. It’s the place where we first met, and where I was born, so…”

So I want to see its end too.

She was trembling too much to say that last part out loud, but Crim seemed to understand what she was trying to say.

“…I see… Very well then, we can go together.”

With that in mind, Crim felt almost compelled to extend her hand for Rouge to take, which surprised her, despite being the one who had made the request.

“I did indeed foresee thy request, and thus have I made ready this.”

Saying that, Crim took out an item from her inventory and held it out for Rouge to see.

“…What is it?” Rouge timidly leaned forward to look at the item, a small brooch shaped like a heart, with a blue gemstone in the center.

“I fear its name be most unfortunate… yet it is called a Pet Brooch, an accessory crafted to keep thee safe, Rouge.”

One of the biggest pitfalls of tamed monsters was that they would not respawn if they died, unless specific measures were taken. But there were many players who wanted their tamed monsters to simply accompany them, instead of counting as additional firepower.

The Pet Brooch had been made for players like that. When equipped on a tamed monster, they would become intangible entities on a fundamental level of the game systems, in exchange for not being able to take part in any fights.

As Crim had also mentioned, using something called a Pet Brooch on a humanoid enemy like Rouge felt a bit wrong, but it was purely a protective accessory.

“There’s one for Hina too obviously!”
“And for Lyco too!”

Hinagiku and Lycoris announced that too, as their Doppelgangers stood on their respective shoulders with their chests puffed to make the brooches more visible.

“I’d feel bad having them stay home the entire time too.”
“Sometimes being outside can be scary, but it’s really fun other times, you know?”
“Well, the little sister of someone who’s already like my little sister would become my sister too, so it’s my duty to keep you safe.”

Kasumi, Freya, and Frey all nodded in unison and held their hands out.

“Rouge, I’d be delighted to share new experiences and places together. So…let’s join hands and go together and see the world!”

Crim was the last to speak, extending her hand to Rouge, who seemed lost amidst everything that was happening. At that point, Rouge’s eyes widened for a moment and then a tear began rolling down her cheek.

“…Ack!! Did…did we say something bad?”
“No…that’s not it…I’m just so happy…”
“I see… That’s alright then.”

Crim became really agitated seeing a young girl crying in front of her, but then Rouge wiped her tears and shook her head. Those were not tears of sadness, but of happiness. When Crim understood that, she gently embraced the crying girl…

Afterword:

By the way, since Rouge isn’t tied to any specific species, she can change her appearance and shape at will, including shrinking down in size and growing wings to become like a fairy. Nice.

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