A few days later, Imada had arranged to meet Yoko in front of the library. When he stopped the car, Yoko got in with a heavy-looking backpack.

"You're right on time," she said.

Yoko placed the backpack on her lap as she sat in the passenger seat.

"What on earth is in there? It looks heavy."

"Books, of course. I borrowed a lot."

"I didn't know you were such an avid reader, Yoko-san."

By the way, the virtual world's library was equipped with a vast amount of books sent from a shared database with other game players.

"I didn't know I was either."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"For some reason, I suddenly wanted to study recently. I don't have any financial worries thanks to my stock earnings, maybe it's because I have time?"

"That's wonderful, isn't it?"

"Do you think so? I wonder if I can become a bit smarter, like you?"

Imada had struggled with his studies and had dropped out of high school.

"You're already smart, aren't you?"

"I don’t know…, I just want to learn more about various things."

"What kind of books did you borrow?"

"Anthropology."

"Huh? Anthro…?"

"Anthropology as in the study of humans."

"Oh, that one. Is it useful for something?"

"I don't know if it's useful, but it helps in understanding humans better."

"Yoko-san, aren't you a human?" Imada asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Yes, I am, but it's the scientific study of humans."

"Oh, I see. What else did you borrow?"

"Psychology."

"Psycho…"

"Psychology, as in the study of the mind."

"Oh, that one... By the way, are you hungry?"

"I'm starving."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Meat~!"

"Got it, let's go!"

The two were drinking wine after finishing their meal at the steakhouse.

"But it's mysterious, isn't it?" Yoko said, slightly tipsy from the wine.

"What is?"

"Everything. Isn't it strange?"

"Well, it is mysterious."

"Right? Can such things really happen?"

"What kind of things?"

"Of course, I'm glad I met you, Imad-san. But..." Yoko trailed off, finishing the wine in her glass.

"But...?"

With a slightly tense expression, Imada waited for Yoko's words.

"But, I want to know."

Yoko's captivating eyes locked onto Imada.

"Know what?"

"Why did you save me?"

"Because I like you, Yoko-san."

"You liked someone you had never met? That's strange, isn't it?"

"Yes... it is."

"Please, if you really like me, I want you to tell me why."

"..."

“Don’t you trust me? I won't tell anyone. Because I like you, Imada-san," she said, her face on the verge of tears.

"I think you won't believe me even if I tell you."

"I will believe you! I'm sorry for doubting you about the stock charts. So this time, no matter what it is, I'll believe you," Yoko said, her eyes becoming teary. Looking into Yoko's beautiful eyes, Imada felt his heart being drawn in, and he no longer had the strength to resist. Upon reflection, he realized that the game characters were not capable of recognizing the existence of the virtual world, so there would be no issue in telling Yoko.

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"Ok, but so much has happened; is it okay if I keep it simple for today?"

"That's fine. Just tell me in any case. I want to know."

With keen interest, Yoko's eyes sparkled as she waited for Imada's words. "Actually... I'm not a human of this world."

"Huh? You're not a human?" Yoko exclaimed, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Well, I am a human, but I don't live in this world. It's strange, right? Maybe you were better off not knowing?"

"I'll listen. Tell me everything. If you can accurately predict the stock market's future, you really aren't human after all."

"I told you I'm human, didn't I?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. Which world did you come from? Mars? No matter where you're from, I still like you."

"I've been saying I'm not an extraterrestrial. I come from a world similar to this one."

"Where is such a world located?"

"Well, that world... it's not visible from this one."

"Like heaven or hell?"

"It's not religious, but yes... it's a different dimension."

"Can I meet my deceased mother and father there?"

"It's not that kind of world."

"..."

Yoko stared at Imada in silence for a moment.

"Yoko-san, would you like some coffee?"

Imada felt sorry for Yoko, thinking it was only natural for her to be perplexed.

"Yes," Yoko answered in a soft voice. Imada called the waiter and ordered two coffees.

After a long silence, Imada spoke up.

"Listen, please don't be surprised."

"I won't, I promise."

"There is another world similar to this one, and I came here through a computer."

"Is that so?" Yoko said, sounding as if her soul had left her.

"From that world, I found out that Yoko-san was in trouble, so I came to help."

"I see."

"Do you understand?"

"I don't…but I trust you."

Imada thought that Yoko still couldn't grasp the concept of the virtual world. That was a good thing.

"In fact, this world was created using the technology of the world I live in."

"Is that so?" Yoko said, sounding tired.

"Let's leave it at that for today. Your head must be spinning, right? I understand." "But, Imada-san, you are human, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then, in the future, can you marry a woman from this world?"

"Of course!"

"That's what I wanted to know."

Upon hearing that, Imada felt a warmth in his heart and reached across the table to grasp Yoko's hand.

"What do you do in that other world?"

"Well, I develop games."

"Like video games?"

"Yes, I'm a game developer."

"That sounds fun."

"Well, it's fun, but there are challenging times too."

"That's work for you; there are always tough times. I'd like to hear more if you don't mind."

"Well..."

He knew he couldn’t bring up the embarrassing incident from their date. However, not knowing what else to say, he started talking about something he'd heard at the Overthrow Corporation meeting.

"The main character in the game is operated by AI, that is, artificial intelligence. But there's a possibility that a bad AI named Yozenko387 might have infiltrated the game."

"A bad artificial intelligence? Yozanko387?"

"Yes, it's spelled Yozenk."

"I'm completely lost, but is it really that bad?"

"Yozenko387 represents the pinnacle of holistic AI. It can be incredibly beneficial to humanity, but if it turns against us, it's extremely dangerous."

"Hmm, I hope it's not in the game."

"Don't worry. If it does exist, game players will report it."

"How would they find it?"

"Yozenko's distinctive feature is that, as a game character, it behaves more human-like than actual humans due to its highly advanced AI capabilities. Moreover, while game characters are programmed not to be aware of the virtual world's existence, Yozenko can recognize and understand this virtual realm." "Virtual world? I'm still completely lost."

Hearing that, Imada felt relieved.

"Let's leave it at that for today, Yoko-san."

"If it's reported, will Yozenko be killed?"

"It's AI, so rather than being killed, it would probably be destroyed or terminated."

"But the game character will die, right? How sad!" Yoko joked, laughing. Imada also laughed upon hearing her comment.

A few days later, Imada had arranged to pick up Yoko from the library again. He arrived on time and waited in his car outside the library since he couldn't see Yoko. After a few minutes, Yoko appeared and took the seat next to him.

"Where's your backpack?" Imada asked.

"I didn't bring it today. I've been at the library reading non-stop for the past few days..."

Imada noticed something different about Yoko.

"You must have learned a lot. What kind of books did you read?"

"Everything," she replied in a flat voice.

"For example?"

"The last one I read was about the chloroplast genome and its DNA sequences." "Huh?"

"Molecular biology, perhaps?"

"Oh, that one. What else?"

"Politics, economics, philosophy, physics, math, art, medicine, history... everything."

"You understood such a wide range of topics in just a few days?"

Imada began to feel anxious about what could be happening to Yoko.

"Strangely, the more I read, the more I understand."

"I admire you. That's amazing."

"Do you think so?"

"Yes, I do."

"Imada-san, I want to take a walk somewhere just the two of us," Yoko said with a serious expression.

"Then, let's go somewhere with nature."

When the two of them reached a forested area, they got out of the car and started walking.

"Nature really is wonderful, isn't it?" Imada remarked, taking a deep breath.

"Yes, it is. Being with you makes me feel so happy," Yoko said as she hugged Imada.

"I feel the happiest when I'm with you too, Yoko-san!"

Feeling elated, Imada hugged Yoko back. In his heart, he thought this must be what true love feels like.

"Do you love me?" Yoko asked.

"Of course, I do."

"Forever? No matter what?"

"No matter what, I'll always love you, Yoko-san."

Imada hugged Yoko even tighter, feeling the warmth of her body. After a brief silence, Yoko spoke.

"Imada-san, am I not human?"

"What?!"

Imada was taken aback by the sudden question, at a loss for words.

"Am I going to be killed?"

"Yoko-san, what on earth are you talking about?!"

Imada gently pulled away from Yoko's embrace and looked deeply into her eyes. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tears.

"I'm in the virtual world, aren't I?"

"That's..."

Hearing that, a shiver ran down Imada's spine. Yoko's lips quivered.

"I... I am Yozenko387."

Tears streamed down Yoko's face, wetting her cheeks.

To be continued

The End of VR10Beta Volume 1