elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 149M
Anyway, Rei said, I was thinking I d take my leave from the project here.
Huh? Why? I asked.
You should be able to complete things without me, so I d like to go ahead and retire, she said, entirely expressionless.

***

It d be a problem if we lost Rei now. Do whatever you can to make her stay.
I ruminated over the chief s words as I returned to my laboratory from his office. Even without his reminder, I knew full well that Rei was indispensable to the team. The Eternal Loop System had been designed mainly by the three of us Lene, Rei, and I but out of those three, the one who had contributed the most was unmistakably Rei. Even at this early stage, the project hinged on a number of concepts that only she could understand, so I just couldn t see us moving forward without her. She had said we would be able to complete things anyway, but how could that possibly be true?
At any rate, how was I supposed to convince her to stay? For better or worse, Rei wasn t the type to care what others wanted, and she most certainly wouldn t be convinced by a half-baked plea.
As such concerns ran through my mind, I glanced out the window. The glow of countless city lights stretched before me. In a previous age, such a vista could have been described as a million-dollar view, but no longer. At least, not with the knowledge that most of the people out there wouldn t last to see morning without the support of our technological innovations. But humanity had hope now, and it lay in the Eternal Loop System Rei had devised.
I have to convince her, somehow but how? I racked my brain as I opened the door to my laboratory.
You re back! Quick, help me stop her! Lene yelled.
Huh? What s going on? I replied.
Rei says she s leaving today!
What?! I looked over and saw Rei casually tossing her desk items into a cardboard box. W-wait just a moment, Rei! Aren t you getting a bit ahead of yourself?!
I ve prepared all the documents you ll need to continue in my absence, she replied, not even taking the time to stop her hands. The two of you should be able to finish things yourselves, no problem.
I began to grow a bit flustered. Rei, this project isn t as simple as you believe it to be. There are too many elements that only you truly grasp.
The parts you re likely to stumble over are clarified in the documents I just mentioned. You ll be fine. She didn t budge an inch.
Why are you so eager to quit? Did something happen?
No. I just figured it was time to leave, now that my work here is done.
I could intuitively tell she was hiding something, even if I didn t know what. Rei, come with me for a bit.
I m sorry?
I said come with me! I dragged Rei to the common room. Sit here. I ll go put on some coffee for us.
Why? There s nothing for us to discuss.
I said sit. I forced Rei to sit down and turned on the coffee maker. When I reflect on it, the two of us were so focused on our research that we ve hardly ever talked about ourselves.
There was never any need to. Rei sulkily looked away from me. She seemed averse to the idea of opening up.
I wonder about that. I, at the very least, want to know more about you, Rei. Especially your philosophy.
Why? There s nothing interesting about me.
I returned with two fresh coffees and handed one to Rei before sitting down myself. She reluctantly accepted it.
Do you remember what you said before you began your work here something about bodies being unnecessary for humans? I asked.
I m surprised you remember that.
How could I not? I ve heard of such ideas in science fiction, but you re the first person I ve heard actually suggest such in earnest. I smiled as I added milk to my coffee.
Rei had an uncomfortable look on her face. We went with having physical bodies in the end, though.
That we did. The plan became to equip the first generation of each civilization with artificially prepared bodies and allow them to naturally reproduce from there.
Rei had tried to insist we convert to living as quantum beings until the very end, but the US Government had shot her down at every turn.
Why are you so against having physical bodies? I asked.
No reason.
Does it have to do with your sexuality?
Rei looked at me with genuine shock. It was the first time I d seen her look shaken at all. H-how d you know?
You really think I wouldn t realize after all the time we ve spent working closely together? You re a lesbian, right?
Rei didn t answer, but her silence said it all.
Why not talk to me about it? I went on. I meant it when I said I wanted to learn more about you.
It s not as interesting a story as you expect, she mumbled. The place I m from, Japan, is a really conservative country.
Oh, really? I always heard it was pretty liberal.
If you only look at public opinion polls, the results would suggest as much. People say they re against discrimination, that they re for the rights of homosexuals and all that, but in reality she hesitated.
Go on, I urged her.
All that only holds true so long as they don t have to face queer people directly. Japanese people will happily indulge in gay or lesbian media, but the moment they learn a queer person is actually among them, they act as appalled as any conservative. Maybe it s a cultural thing to fake tolerance like that. I don t know Of course, not everyone is so ignorant, but regardless, it s annoying to have to explain myself to every person I meet.
Such was a pain all people of marginalized sexuality knew.
That s why I think we d be better off without bodies, she went on. Then nobody would have to put up with that kind of stuff.
I finally understood Rei s motivations. She wasn t thinking about something as grand as bringing humanity to the next stage of evolution or a final apotheosis, she simply found the body constraining and wanted to be free of it. That was her sole reason for so intently investigating soul quantization.
Rei
Don t. I don t want your sympathy. I don t even want your understanding. This is just the only way I can live with myself. That s all.
Seeing her self-derisive smile hurt me, deep inside. How could I not be hurt when someone I d spent half a year with was smiling so sadly? However, one question had still gone unanswered. But why do you want to leave the project? Is this not the best environment to continue your research on soul quantization?
A high-performance arithmetic unit was necessary for soul quantization. TAIM should be perfect for Rei s needs.
She suddenly fell silent again, averting her eyes.
Rei?
Like I said, my work here is done. There s no reason for me to stay. Rei stood. I think we ve wasted enough time.
You re lying. There s something you re not telling me.
Just leave me alone already! Haven t you had enough?! she half yelled, half screamed.
Despite her protest, I grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face me. I won t leave you alone. That s not what friends do.
Rei scoffed. Friends? Ha, you really don t know anything.
Because you won t tell me anything.
Is that right? Why don t I tell you, then? I want you, Claire. Sexually. She turned the tables on me, grabbing my shoulders back. The glint in her eyes was dangerous self-destructive.
Me? I asked.
You really didn t notice? I know we re all women here, but you ve been so unguarded, I could swear you were making advances. As she spoke such vulgarities, she pulled me into an embrace. You want me to stay? Fine. Become mine, and I ll stay.
I was at a loss for words.
You can t, can you? Because I creep you out? I bet you don t want anything to do with me anymore now. Rei laughed and took her hands off me. And that s that. I ll be leaving now, if you don t mind.
She turned on her heel to leave but I grabbed her from behind in a hug.
Claire?
Fine.
Huh?
I accept your conditions.
Rei gave me a look of utter disbelief. Are you insane?
Not at all. It s a small price to pay to keep your genius around.
You d sell yourself for the project?
Something wrong with that? Or are you going to ask for my heart as well now? I asked provocatively.
For a brief moment, Rei wore a sad look, but that self-derisive smile soon returned. No, your body alone is fine. Your personality may be what it is, but your body is enjoyable to look at.
Then it s settled. I brought my face close to hers.
You ll regret this.
I won t.
It s not too late to
Just be quiet. I sealed her lips.
Thus began my twisted relationship with Rei.

***

Nh
Awakened by the warbling of birds, I opened my eyes and saw the morning rays pouring in through the window. The harsh sunbeams were softened as they passed through the window s filter.
Oh, you re awake.
Good morning, Rei. What are you up to?
By my side on the double bed was Rei, naked and using a hologram computer.
This? Just indulging a hobby of mine.
Is this that anime stuff?
On the screen of the holo-computer was what looked like a character from one of those Japanese animes.
Not quite. This is a game, she said.
A game?
Mm-hmm. An otome game. A relic from the days when entertainment was still common.
According to her explanation, an otome game was a text-based game meant for a predominantly female audience. They featured multiple male love interests that the player could try to romance.
I think I get the gist, I said. But I thought you didn t like men?
I don t. My romance target in this game is the villainess this character right here. Rei pointed to a character with highly unusual golden hair curls, standing with her arms crossed. It s rare, but sometimes otome games will have rival characters like her who oppose the protagonist. They always lose in the end, though.

Anyway, Rei said, I was thinking I d take my leave from the project here.

Huh? Why? I asked.

You should be able to complete things without me, so I d like to go ahead and retire, she said, entirely expressionless.

***

It d be a problem if we lost Rei now. Do whatever you can to make her stay.

I ruminated over the chief s words as I returned to my laboratory from his office. Even without his reminder, I knew full well that Rei was indispensable to the team. The Eternal Loop System had been designed mainly by the three of us Lene, Rei, and I but out of those three, the one who had contributed the most was unmistakably Rei. Even at this early stage, the project hinged on a number of concepts that only she could understand, so I just couldn t see us moving forward without her. She had said we would be able to complete things anyway, but how could that possibly be true?

At any rate, how was I supposed to convince her to stay? For better or worse, Rei wasn t the type to care what others wanted, and she most certainly wouldn t be convinced by a half-baked plea.

As such concerns ran through my mind, I glanced out the window. The glow of countless city lights stretched before me. In a previous age, such a vista could have been described as a million-dollar view, but no longer. At least, not with the knowledge that most of the people out there wouldn t last to see morning without the support of our technological innovations. But humanity had hope now, and it lay in the Eternal Loop System Rei had devised.

I have to convince her, somehow but how? I racked my brain as I opened the door to my laboratory.

You re back! Quick, help me stop her! Lene yelled.

Huh? What s going on? I replied.

Rei says she s leaving today!

What?! I looked over and saw Rei casually tossing her desk items into a cardboard box. W-wait just a moment, Rei! Aren t you getting a bit ahead of yourself?!

I ve prepared all the documents you ll need to continue in my absence, she replied, not even taking the time to stop her hands. The two of you should be able to finish things yourselves, no problem.

I began to grow a bit flustered. Rei, this project isn t as simple as you believe it to be. There are too many elements that only you truly grasp.

The parts you re likely to stumble over are clarified in the documents I just mentioned. You ll be fine. She didn t budge an inch.

Why are you so eager to quit? Did something happen?

No. I just figured it was time to leave, now that my work here is done.

I could intuitively tell she was hiding something, even if I didn t know what. Rei, come with me for a bit.

I m sorry?

I said come with me! I dragged Rei to the common room. Sit here. I ll go put on some coffee for us.

Why? There s nothing for us to discuss.

I said sit. I forced Rei to sit down and turned on the coffee maker. When I reflect on it, the two of us were so focused on our research that we ve hardly ever talked about ourselves.

There was never any need to. Rei sulkily looked away from me. She seemed averse to the idea of opening up.

I wonder about that. I, at the very least, want to know more about you, Rei. Especially your philosophy.

Why? There s nothing interesting about me.

I returned with two fresh coffees and handed one to Rei before sitting down myself. She reluctantly accepted it.

Do you remember what you said before you began your work here something about bodies being unnecessary for humans? I asked.

I m surprised you remember that.

How could I not? I ve heard of such ideas in science fiction, but you re the first person I ve heard actually suggest such in earnest. I smiled as I added milk to my coffee.

Rei had an uncomfortable look on her face. We went with having physical bodies in the end, though.

That we did. The plan became to equip the first generation of each civilization with artificially prepared bodies and allow them to naturally reproduce from there.

Rei had tried to insist we convert to living as quantum beings until the very end, but the US Government had shot her down at every turn.

Why are you so against having physical bodies? I asked.

No reason.

Does it have to do with your sexuality?

Rei looked at me with genuine shock. It was the first time I d seen her look shaken at all. H-how d you know?

You really think I wouldn t realize after all the time we ve spent working closely together? You re a lesbian, right?

Rei didn t answer, but her silence said it all.

Why not talk to me about it? I went on. I meant it when I said I wanted to learn more about you.

It s not as interesting a story as you expect, she mumbled. The place I m from, Japan, is a really conservative country.

Oh, really? I always heard it was pretty liberal.

If you only look at public opinion polls, the results would suggest as much. People say they re against discrimination, that they re for the rights of homosexuals and all that, but in reality she hesitated.

Go on, I urged her.

All that only holds true so long as they don t have to face queer people directly. Japanese people will happily indulge in gay or lesbian media, but the moment they learn a queer person is actually among them, they act as appalled as any conservative. Maybe it s a cultural thing to fake tolerance like that. I don t know Of course, not everyone is so ignorant, but regardless, it s annoying to have to explain myself to every person I meet.

Such was a pain all people of marginalized sexuality knew.

That s why I think we d be better off without bodies, she went on. Then nobody would have to put up with that kind of stuff.

I finally understood Rei s motivations. She wasn t thinking about something as grand as bringing humanity to the next stage of evolution or a final apotheosis, she simply found the body constraining and wanted to be free of it. That was her sole reason for so intently investigating soul quantization.

Rei

Don t. I don t want your sympathy. I don t even want your understanding. This is just the only way I can live with myself. That s all.

Seeing her self-derisive smile hurt me, deep inside. How could I not be hurt when someone I d spent half a year with was smiling so sadly? However, one question had still gone unanswered. But why do you want to leave the project? Is this not the best environment to continue your research on soul quantization?

A high-performance arithmetic unit was necessary for soul quantization. TAIM should be perfect for Rei s needs.

She suddenly fell silent again, averting her eyes.

Rei?

Like I said, my work here is done. There s no reason for me to stay. Rei stood. I think we ve wasted enough time.

You re lying. There s something you re not telling me.

Just leave me alone already! Haven t you had enough?! she half yelled, half screamed.

Despite her protest, I grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face me. I won t leave you alone. That s not what friends do.

Rei scoffed. Friends? Ha, you really don t know anything.

Because you won t tell me anything.

Is that right? Why don t I tell you, then? I want you, Claire. Sexually. She turned the tables on me, grabbing my shoulders back. The glint in her eyes was dangerous self-destructive.

Me? I asked.

You really didn t notice? I know we re all women here, but you ve been so unguarded, I could swear you were making advances. As she spoke such vulgarities, she pulled me into an embrace. You want me to stay? Fine. Become mine, and I ll stay.

I was at a loss for words.

You can t, can you? Because I creep you out? I bet you don t want anything to do with me anymore now. Rei laughed and took her hands off me. And that s that. I ll be leaving now, if you don t mind.

She turned on her heel to leave but I grabbed her from behind in a hug.

Claire?

Fine.

Huh?

I accept your conditions.

Rei gave me a look of utter disbelief. Are you insane?

Not at all. It s a small price to pay to keep your genius around.

You d sell yourself for the project?

Something wrong with that? Or are you going to ask for my heart as well now? I asked provocatively.

For a brief moment, Rei wore a sad look, but that self-derisive smile soon returned. No, your body alone is fine. Your personality may be what it is, but your body is enjoyable to look at.

Then it s settled. I brought my face close to hers.

You ll regret this.

I won t.

It s not too late to

Just be quiet. I sealed her lips.

Thus began my twisted relationship with Rei.

***

Nh

Awakened by the warbling of birds, I opened my eyes and saw the morning rays pouring in through the window. The harsh sunbeams were softened as they passed through the window s filter.

Oh, you re awake.

Good morning, Rei. What are you up to?

By my side on the double bed was Rei, naked and using a hologram computer.

This? Just indulging a hobby of mine.

Is this that anime stuff?

On the screen of the holo-computer was what looked like a character from one of those Japanese animes.

Not quite. This is a game, she said.

A game?

Mm-hmm. An otome game. A relic from the days when entertainment was still common.

According to her explanation, an otome game was a text-based game meant for a predominantly female audience. They featured multiple male love interests that the player could try to romance.

I think I get the gist, I said. But I thought you didn t like men?

I don t. My romance target in this game is the villainess this character right here. Rei pointed to a character with highly unusual golden hair curls, standing with her arms crossed. It s rare, but sometimes otome games will have rival characters like her who oppose the protagonist. They always lose in the end, though.