Chapter 7 - What Use Does an AI Have for Feelings?

Ryou, Haseo's player character woke up in the hospital a day later. He was discharged and given a note to call his parents as soon as he came to. He was surprised that his parents didn’t even bother to come back overseas to see him.

On the ride home he thought about Ovan's words.

//You have a path to choose now, Haseo.//

Now that he was free, he could choose to go back online, giving up his body to become an AI, or to live in the Real World and never log back into the world again.

It was a tough decision to make…

*** 2 days later ***

Haseo decided not to log into The World again, though he still checked his mail and the BBS every now and again. He was afraid that if he had, his avatar would come back and take him for keeps, so to be on the safe side he decided against logging on at all. He told Atoli and Shino the truth, but made the excuse that he was attending college to the rest of his friends.

He became more social and started to meet frequently with Alkaid as well as Atoli and Shino who decided they would help Haseo transition back into the real world by dragging him all over the place.

However, no matter how much time went on he kept wondering about the question Ovan had asked him the last time he saw the man.

//What use does an AI have for feelings?//

What did it mean, what was the answer? He decided to ask Shino and Chigusa, the player behind Atoli, one day.

Chigusa shook her head. “That’s a weird question."

"I think... it is the same as finding out the women you love isn't interested in you." Shino replied.

Ryou frowned at her and crossed his arms over his chest. He was very much Haseo-like outside of the game as well, which didn’t really surprise anyone.

"Hear me out, Ryou." Shino said seriously. "You'll feel hurt inside, but eventually you'll accept things as they are."

"Hmph." Ryou grabbed his soda and drained the rest of it.

"But that doesn’t seem to really answer it." Chigusa responded.

"I have to agree, as much as I don’t want to." Ryou said, and Chigusa glared at him.

"There isn’t a use for unwanted feelings, Ryou. That is the answer." Shino replied.

"Should have said that in the first place." Haseo muttered quietly avoiding her gaze, as he felt that she was also telling him off in the same sentence.

"You each learned a lesson from those feelings. Your feelings for me empowered you forward, and His feelings for you spurred him on to finding the truth."

"I wouldn’t have thought someone with such a scary nickname needed to know what death was to know peace." Chigusa said quietly. "It doesn’t seem to fit with... err..."

"Love?" Shino finished for her.

"Y-yeah..."

"Ryou and Skeith are very much alike." Shino said and then handed Ryou an envelope.

"What's this? Did you write me a love letter finally?" Haseo teased.

"It’s a wedding invitation." Shino said ignoring the joke.

"Oh?"

"Please come, It would mean a lot to me if you did."

"Of course, you both are my friends and I’d have ended up like Endrance if it weren’t for you dragging me all over the place against my will."

"Good, now help me pick out my dress, Ryou!"

Ryou groaned as he was dragged by the arm by an excited Shino.

--- The end! ----

But what happened to the others?

- After saving Haseo, Ovan's body died and was buried in an unknown plot by Shino (who kept the whole thing secret) leaving his data in The World where he continues to live happily with his AI sister Aina.

- Skeith, after an act of revenge, went into stasis sleep until the day Haseo would once again log into The World.

- Bo continued to adventure in The World with Saku, oblivious that he had ever lived life in the outside world at all.

- Endrance remained asleep in the crystal in the lake, until Macha's power was needed. (Though Saku became his official Guardian, chasing people away from the area)

- Pai married Yata, and was too busy with children to be an admin, leaving Yata to spy on everyone as usual.

- Zelkova kept The World safe as the only Hacker in the game.

- Kuhn kept chasing women, and never got a date. He died a virgin.

- Alkaid quit the game for Haseo's sake and they started dating. Ironically she had caught the bouquet from Shino and Atoli's wedding and (after Shino's harassment) asked Haseo out.

- Haseo eventually got married to Alkaid and lived out his life somewhat happily as a cubicle rat for CC Corp. They didn’t have any children as Alkaid was unable to.

- Silabus continued to support noob players as the guild master after banning Haseo (who was actually Skeith) for his continued PKing of him and his guild members.

- Gaspard refused to come back to The World after the incident where he was PKed by a ruthless looking Haseo.