ARCHIVED HEARTS - Mr.Z

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The man led us through the enormous mansion.

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I couldn't stop looking around.

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The place looked more like a secret research facility than a house.

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White walls.

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Huge glass windows.

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Advanced technology everywhere.

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What the hell...

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Who even are these people?

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I finally stopped walking.

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"Okay."

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"I'm done keeping quiet."

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"Who are you people?"

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The man smiled.

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"We are the people behind X."

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My eyes widened.

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"The website?"

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He nodded.

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"Yes."

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"We are a private organization."

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"Our identity has remained hidden from the government for years."

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"We search for extraordinary minds around the world."

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"And you..."

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He looked directly at me.

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"...were one of them."

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I pointed at myself.

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"Me?"

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He smiled again.

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"E001."

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"We never imagined that someone with almost no formal knowledge of robotics..."

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"...could successfully build a humanoid robot."

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I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.

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"Yeah..."

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"Honestly..."

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"I didn't expect that either."

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Everyone in the room laughed.

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One of the women walked toward me carrying a black jacket.

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She handed it to me with a warm smile.

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"Welcome to X."

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The jacket had a silver emblem stitched onto the sleeve.

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E001

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Right below it.

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...

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Wait.

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Do I actually have a cool hacker jacket now?

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Another person handed me a sealed envelope.

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I slowly opened it.

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Inside was a letter.

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Invitation to join Project X

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To: E001

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Your creativity, determination, and achievements have earned our respect. We would be honored to have you as a member of our team.

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I looked up.

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"You're... inviting me?"

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"We're not forcing you."

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"It's entirely your choice."

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Then one of them smiled.

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"And..."

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"The Maldives lottery?"

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I blinked.

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"What about it?"

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"We created it."

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...

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"What?"

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"It wasn't random."

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"It was designed to bring you here."

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...

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I stood there completely frozen.

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"So..."

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"I didn't actually win?"

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"You did."

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"But only because we wanted you to."

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...

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"That's cheating."

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The whole room burst into laughter.

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I couldn't help laughing too.

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For the first time...

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It didn't feel like I was surrounded by strangers.

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It felt...

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Warm.

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Like a family.

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One of the senior researchers smiled.

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"If you'd like..."

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"You can stay here with us."

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"There are many researchers your age."

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"You won't be alone anymore."

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I looked around.

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There were so many young women working on computers, robots, and holographic screens.

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Some waved at me.

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Others smiled.

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...

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Honestly?

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It looked kind of cool.

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"I'll stay."

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"Welcome home, E001."

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They showed Rei and me to our room.

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Surprisingly...

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Nobody questioned Rei.

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Nobody tried to examine him.

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Nobody even asked how he worked.

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It was as if...

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They were interested in me.

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Not my creation.

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After dinner, I excused myself.

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"I'll be back."

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"I just need to wash my face."

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"My Lady."

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"I will remain here."

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The restroom was quiet.

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Only the sound of running water echoed through the room.

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I splashed cold water onto my face.

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"Ah..."

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"That feels better."

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I slowly looked up into the mirror.

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...

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...

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A tall man was standing behind me.

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Quietly.

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Watching me.

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I screamed.

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"WHAT THE HELL?!"

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I spun around so fast I nearly slipped.

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"Who are you?!"

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"A freak?"

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"A kidnapper?"

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"Or are you blind?!"

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"This is the girls' restroom, idiot!"

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The man didn't panic.

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Instead...

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He smiled.

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"Hey, Shortie."

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...

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"HUH?"

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"You don't even know me!"

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"And you're talking to me like we're childhood friends!"

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He chuckled.

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"You already know me."

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I finally looked at him properly.

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He was ridiculously tall.

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Messy black hair.

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Bright blue eyes that almost seemed to glow.

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He honestly looked more like a model than a scientist.

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I blinked.

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"...A model?"

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He laughed.

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"Haha..."

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"You're funnier than I expected."

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I narrowed my eyes.

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"Who are you?"

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He stepped closer.

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"My name..."

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"...is Mr. Z."

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...

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...

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"WOOOOOOOAH!"

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"YOU'RE MR. Z?!"

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"The one who's always helping me online?!"

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He nodded.

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"My father created X."

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"And now..."

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"I lead it."

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I stared at him with my mouth hanging open.

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My brain had officially stopped functioning.

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Then he smiled again.

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"Oh..."

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"There's one more thing."

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"I also created the AI assistant..."

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"...that you've been talking to every single day."

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...

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I froze.

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The world around me suddenly became silent.

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"What...?"

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"You..."

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"...created Rei?"

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He shook his head with a small smile.

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"No."

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"I created the assistant."

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"The one who helped you before Rei ever existed."

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My heartbeat quickened.

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There was still so much I didn't know.

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And somehow...

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I had a feeling that meeting Mr. Z was only the beginning.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtZDIPPpPM

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