Chapter 41: I Didn’t Expect You to Be This Kind of Person

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"I understand everything now."

Fairy suddenly spoke. Kenji looked at the computer screen, waiting for her tactical assessment, while Belle sat nearby, half-paralyzed and still visibly heartbroken over the electricity bill. Even a Proxy's legendary gray income couldn't withstand the sheer power consumption of a digital god.

"The one who modified this Bangboo is a genuine Genius," Fairy praised, her voice uncharacteristically sincere. "To devise such a theoretical design... even an AI of my caliber would require significant processing time to achieve this level of refinement."

Kenji nodded, feeling a swell of pride. To earn the recognition of the strongest AI in New Eridu was a testament to the Build Genius legacy he carried.

"Look at you, all pleased with yourself," Belle grumbled from the sidelines. "You're probably just a Rider playing on someone else's account."

Kenji's expression stiffened. Wait, did this 'Artificial Idiot' actually guess the truth? He stared at her, wondering if she possessed some hidden wisdom or if he was just that transparent.

"This Bangboo possesses high-level mimicry, allowing it to disguise itself as anyone," Fairy continued, taking temporary control of the Substitute Cloth. "However, its innate intelligence is... lacking. Please observe the live demonstration."

The Substitute Cloth waddled over to Belle, hugged her leg, and then shifted. In a blur of purple-tinged pixels, it transformed into a perfect copy of Belle—down to the clothes, the hair accessories, and the cynical pout.

"Oh my god... how did it do that? Is this really a Bangboo?" Belle had seen plenty of strange tech in the Hollows, but this was a first. She reached out and poked the duplicate. It didn't feel like cold metal; it felt like soft, human skin.

"A simple matter of Ether entanglement," Fairy noted.

"Wait a minute..." Belle suddenly thought of something. She lifted the hem of the Substitute Cloth's shirt and stuck her head in. After a few seconds of intense observation, she emerged and gave Kenji a look of utter, soul-crushing disappointment.

"Movie Guy... I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. This figure is exactly like mine! Tell me, what exactly are you doing with the women of Sixth Street when you're alone at home?"

"?" Kenji tilted his head, genuinely baffled. Did he really look like a pervert to her?

"Master?" Fairy also displayed a digital question mark on the screen, expressing a confusion that transcended the human-machine barrier.

"Why the question mark?!" Belle snapped.

"While your theory is... imaginative," Fairy said, "there is zero evidence of such activity in this unit's memory fragments. Even if Kenji were extremely 'horny,' he likely wouldn't lay a hand on a machine he built himself. Probably."

"What do you mean 'probably'?! I never even thought about those functions, okay?!" Kenji retorted, his face burning. He had modified the bot for world peace and tactical evasion, not for his own selfish desires. He hadn't even let the bot turn into anyone but himself until today!

"Yes. The unit is only an external mimicry; internally, it is still mechanical components. Your advantage as a biological human, Master, remains superior," Fairy said, giving Belle a digital thumbs-up.

"What kind of advantage?! Am I supposed to be competing with a Bangboo?!" Belle realized she had overthought it, but she wasn't ready to let him off the hook. "I'm just giving a warning!"

"Hard to say," Fairy replied.

"I'll dismantle you!" Belle lunged for the power cord, but Kenji caught her arm, pulling her back before she could kill the city's most powerful AI.

"Forget the bill! Let her finish!" Kenji urged.

"As stated, the unit's intelligence is deficient, making its humanization prone to flaws. Observe." Fairy gestured toward the duplicate.

Kenji and Belle turned to see the Substitute Cloth—still in Belle's form—drop onto all fours. It began sniffing the sofa like a dog before lifting its right leg in a very specific, canine posture.

Belle looked like she had been struck by lightning. She instinctively kicked the bot over, her face a mask of pure horror. If someone filmed that and posted it on the Inter-Knot, her life as a human would be effectively over.

"I can implant a port into this unit," Fairy continued, unperturbed. "This will allow the activation of the Master's signature skill: the H.D.D. System."

"Wait... you have that ability?" Kenji looked at Belle with surprise. "Even the Security Bureau hasn't mastered remote consciousness-syncing for frontline combatants. If we had that, we'd just send a Bangboo army into the Hollows."

"Negative. It is the Master's unique talent," Fairy clarified.

"You have quite a few secrets, don't you?" Kenji smiled. He didn't press her on the origin of the ability, just as she didn't ask about his Rider Belts. That was the foundation of their partnership.

Belle appreciated the sentiment. "So, you're saying I control your bot while it looks like you, and you go off and do your 'Knight' thing?"

"Confirmed. It minimizes the risk of exposure," Fairy said. "While Kenji transforms to fight, the Substitute Cloth will maintain his presence in the squad under your control."

Kenji looked at Belle, his gaze turning suspicious. "You aren't going to do anything... strange while you're in my body, are you?"

He could trust Wise, but this younger sister was a wild card. If she started sniffing the furniture while pretending to be him, his career at the PSB was as good as dead.

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