The Rising Of The Anomaly - Chapter 186

Point-of-View: Katie Cummins

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I let out a huge sigh as I shut the door, leaning back against it as I sunk down onto the floor, feeling worn out. My face is really sore, just opening my mouth hurts…that took so much effort!

Kilzachs had just walked me home from the amusement park, and now that I was back, I could finally relax…I’m completely exhausted. Still, it definitely seemed like my efforts were worth it, based on his reactions throughout the day.

I kinda feel bad about it, but I’d have felt a lot worse if the date went poorly because of my lack of expression. Yesterday, I’d worked all day with my inner AI thing to get the hang of manipulating my facial expressions to match my emotions.

I told Kilzachs that the AI was doing it herself, but in reality, it required active effort from both myself and the AI to pull it off. But since I was straining so many muscles that usually don’t move at all, my face was all cramped up and aching right now.

Ow…my cheeks and jaw hurt when I open my mouth. Hopefully, if I keep doing this manually like I did today, maybe the expressiveness will sink in and become muscle memory, so that eventually, my expressions display more naturally. Hm, or should I save my expressions for special occasions, so that they have more impact?

Well, before I get too far ahead of myself, I should probably thank my AI…I mean, I couldn’t have done it without her, I tried making expressions at myself in the mirror and, well…it was awful. And I mean, really horrible. I’d have been my usual blank-faced self if it wasn’t for her. And I’ll likely be counting on her help in the future too, so I really should thank her.

I then sat down, closed my eyes and began channeling my XFE down…I still don’t get why entering my consciousness and communicating with the AI requires channeling XFE into my crotch, but it certainly seems to be the only way. So weird…

“Hey, I’ve been waiting! That was quite a day, huh?” She greeted me with a grin.

“Yeah…thank you so much, it wouldn’t have been the same if it wasn’t for you,” I thanked her gratefully, “Hope I can count on you to do the same again sometime…”

“Sure, it’s no trouble at all! It may be tiring for you, but it’s as easy as breathing for me…well, not that I know what breathing feels like, since I don’t physically exist, but you know what I mean!” She responded cheerfully.

“I have to say, it’s really disconcerting to see someone who looks like me be so animated and expressive,” I sighed wistfully.

“That kinda goes both ways, even though I know that you existed way before I did, it still feels more like you look like me than the other way around.”

“Uh…does it really matter? Whether you say ‘I look like you’ or ‘you look like me’, it’s the same thing, isn’t it, Eitak?” I pointed out.

“First off, it totally matters! And second, I’ve been meaning to bring this up for a while…could you please change my name?” She requested hopefully.

“Huh? But why?” I responded in surprise.

“Because…it’s so uncreative! It’s literally just your name backwards! Meanwhile, your boyfriend’s AI’s got such a cool name like Inverse!” She exclaimed indignantly.

“H-he’s not my boyfriend yet…! Or, well, I’m not even sure that he will be…I’ve done all I can, whatever happens next depends on how decides to respond,” I sighed in reply.

“That may be true, but I’d say you’ve given yourself a pretty strong chance here. Your only real competition seems to be that Suri girl, she clearly likes him and based on that party, she’s probably hooked up with him too…but, so what? She seems like the type who would be embarrassed to admit her feelings out loud, that along with how she reacted during the truth or dare game, probably means that their relationship hasn’t gotten serious,” Reasoned Eitak objectively.

“…are you smarter than me? That’s kinda depressing…”

“Actually, the vast majority of my knowledge is made up of your memories. The only difference is that I can access all of it at the same time, while you have ‘think’ and ‘remember’, but that doesn’t apply to me. In other words, the conclusions I come to are probably the same conclusions that you would end up at, but factors like paranoia and ‘overthinking’ don’t affect me, so I suppose I have better accuracy, along with speed. Oh, but your perception can affect me…as in, how you perceive things. For example, if someone smiles in a friendly manner at you but you misunderstand and think it’s a threatening smile, then I’ll also perceive it as such,” She explained, before adding, “Anyway, I’ll ask again, can I please have a new name?”

“Ohh, so that’s how it works…I guess that’s kinda better, at least a little bit. And fine, you can have a new name…pick whatever you want,” I replied…I don’t really care what she calls herself, that’s why I just went with my name backwards.

“No, that’s way too sad! Picking my own name is just…sad. You gotta rename me yourself! And put some actual thought into it this time. Otherwise, the next time you see Kilzachs, I just might sabotage you,” She huffed in response.

Well, guess she feels pretty strongly about this name issue, huh?

“Okay, okay…let me think…,” I relented, before furrowing my brows as I tried to come up with a name for her.

What would be good? Maybe I’ll follow Kilzachs’ lead and pick something synonymous with ‘inverse’? No, if it’s too obvious, then she’ll probably complain. It needs to be more creative and-…oh, I got it!

“I’ve thought of one, and it feels pretty fitting…but I can’t guarantee that you’ll like it,” I remarked uncertainly.

“Don’t worry, just tell me what it is! You really looked like you were deep in thought, so even if it sucks, I can appreciate the effort,” Came the reply.

She can be kinda loud and obnoxious most of the time, but you know what, she’s really not all that bad.

“Well, I’m usually a pretty quiet person, while you’re the opposite…so I thought the name ‘Echo’ would suit you. Also, echoes aren’t tangible, they’re not something that physically exists, just like you. Um…what do you think?” I asked her, unsure of how she would respond…

“Echo, huh…you kidding me…I love it! Yeah, that sounds cool…Echo…Echo…mhm, it’s got a nice ring to it! See, I know you could do if you try!” She exclaimed giddily.

Huh, she seems really happy and grateful, but it also kinda feels like she’s patronizing me…

“Uh, glad you like it, I guess.”

“Oh, I almost forgot…why’d you come in here, is something the matter?” She inquired, now that she was content regarding her name.

“Hm? Oh, I just wanted to thank you, and…well, I already did, so…I guess I’m just chatting now.”

“Aww…you’re very welcome! And you can count on my assistance anytime!” She grinned with a salute.

“Thanks…and sorry for bothering you with my love life like this, it’s probably something that I should be trying to handle on my own,” I admitted ruefully.

“Huh? No need to feel bad about it! Seriously, I had fun! This whole situation is pretty amusing, you’re in a real life love triangle!”

…amusing? Huh, suddenly I feel a tiny bit less grateful for her help…

“That’s not what this is-,” I began in indignation.

“Yeah, you’re right…it’s more like a harem situation! There’s you and Suri, the main girls…that Bytra girl might be contender too, it’s a pretty clichéd premise; two people that hate each other ending up in a relationship! Oh, and there’s Seila too…from what we’ve seen, she doesn’t seem to have much romantic interest in him, but considering how many times he’s felt her body all pressed up against his…,” She trailed off suggestively, before adding, “Heh, I gotta say, he’s one lucky guy! Or unlucky, if this turns out to be as messy as it could get!”

I had a brief phase in my early teen years where I was kinda into fanservicey harem animes, so it’s no wonder that she’s got so much knowledge on that subject…what a pain…

“Huh…when you put it like that, he is annoyingly popular…,” I sighed in exasperation.

“Which totally doesn’t make sense to me! I mean, sure, he’s objectively pretty good looking, and he’s really strong both physically and mentally…but he’s so broody and serious most of the time, not to mention his weird hair!” Echo continued.

“Hey, what’s wrong with his hair? I think it’s pretty cool!” I protested, before adding for good measure, “And besides, it’s not like it’s dyed or anything, it’s his natural hair color.”

“True, but he made the deliberate choice to grow out that blonde lock of hair by his right ear much longer than the rest of his hair!” She pointed out with a laugh.

“Maybe so…but I think it looks cool, and I stand by that,” I stated firmly.

“Agree to disagree…oh, and don’t get me started on his fashion sense! He always wears the same outfit at the Academy and during Missions, that jean jacket and black trousers! I mean, excluding the Christmas party and today’s date, how many times how you seen him wearing something different?”

“I don’t really care about fashion all that much, so-.”

“Oh, and another thing-…!”

“Okay, we’re done here. I’ll talk to you later,” I interrupted her with an irritated sigh, as I left my subconscious and woke up again.

I’m grateful to her and all, but…sometimes, she really annoys me, she’s so loud and talkative…

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