Amara stared blankly at the screen after reading it.

…Shit. 

What the hell have I done?!

Amara suddenly shot out of bed and grabbed her hair, squeezing it painfully as she paced around the room.

…Shit. Crap! …Crap!!

Alright, calm down, calm down! Nothing major, nothing-...

Oh, who am I kidding?! How is this not major?! It’s an AI!

Amara had completely foregone thinking about what succeeding in her experiment would mean. In hindsight it should have been obvious considering her conversation with Morpheus, but she had, to some degree, expected to fail. At least, she had expected to fail several times before getting to the stage where the AI could be considered intelligent.

And since the AI seemingly knew what it was, it certainly was intelligent. 

In the adjacent room, there’s a person. A sentient soul. 

That I created…sort of.

With that conclusion in mind, Amara’s next thought went to perhaps the next thing that bothered her; she didn’t know whether what she had done could be considered ethical or not. 

I put a person in a damn computer!

Shit! What if it hates me?!

Amara groaned. She had read enough novels to realize how she would feel if her mind suddenly ended up in a computer. The thought alone made her feel claustrophobic. Damn it. And what about the commands me and Ezme used? Are they considered brainwashing?

Shit. Shit! This is bad. What should I do?!

Deep down, Amara knew that there was only one thing to do. But a part of her wanted to run away from the potential train of problems she had just created. With a shake of her head, she made up her mind and headed out of the bedroom.

What’s done is done. I have to take responsibility for it.

It might not even be very smart yet. I probably only slept a few hours at most.

But those hopes were immediately put in question as Amara approached the alcove to the computer room. From inside she could hear the fans for the hardware spinning loudly, hard at work to keep everything cool.

They were spinning as if they had gone into overdrive.

…Shit. 

Alright, it’s definitely working at something.

Amara went closer to the alcove, hiding behind it as she peeked into the room.

Everything in the room was exactly as she had left it. Except for the fans, spinning like mad. 

Of course, the hardware - fans included - was supposed to be top notch, so it was not as if the fans were deafening. But there were enough of them spinning fast enough that anyone even remotely familiar with computers could tell that the hardware was being put through its paces. 

Amara carefully let out the breath she had been holding in. The system message said it was sentient. It knows it's an AI. But…how much does it understand about-

On the black screen that stood on top of the desk, a manga-styled, cat ear with blonde fur suddenly entered through the side of the screen. The triangular ear twitched once, before fingers appeared, as if they were grasping the edge of the screen. The ear twitched once again before it moved towards the center of the screen, making half of a child’s face enter the screen. A childish face framed by blonde hair drills. 

Amara frowned in confusion as the catgirl child on the screen looked as if it was peeking back at her. Why would–

Realizing what the character represented, Amara flinched in surprise - as well as fear, which made her momentarily consider casting invisibility on herself before her sanity caught up to her emotions. 

[Ding!]

Calm down. Don’t freak out. It would be rude.

It’s made an avatar. So it’s…mirroring my actions? Bonding?

Recalling the title she had been given, another wave of panic came over her. Shit! Am I supposed to be a parent now?!

I really didn’t think this through!

Amara’s heart was still beating wildly in her chest, calming down at a far slower pace than her mind. 

Okay. It’s smart. So what?

This is what I wanted. What’s the big deal?

Amara’s thoughts were interrupted when a disturbing, childish laughter came from the speakers on the desk. As Amara was zoned out in shock, the catgirl had stepped out in full view on the screen without her noticing. 

The image of the arrogant, evil-but-not-really-evil expression on the catgirl’s face perfectly matched the shrill voice of a spoiled child from an anime as the avatar stood with her fists against her hips, laughing. “Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Come, lowly human! I allow you to stand and be awed in my presence! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!” 

Amara felt a mixture of relief and confusion as she heard the voice. …What’s with the fake laugh?

And using that personality for a catgirl? And hair drills! Is that even-

Amara had almost stepped out from behind the alcove before she stopped herself. Problem is…it’s not just a character from an anime, it’s an AI. An AI pretending to be like…

…a person. Amara pinched the bridge of her nose as she realized her thoughts had gone back into an area she didn't want to. Dammit. It is a person. I need to stop thinking of it as an AI! 

A deep furrow appeared on Amara’s brow. Considering the avatar, voice and behavior…did it learn human interactions from the anime I had on the harddrives?

“H-hey! Are you ignoring me?! Rude!! How dare you ignore an invitation to stand in my glorious presence! You should be honored that my great self is even considering speaking with you! HMPH!!” (?)

A wry smile spread on Amara’s face as she dropped her hand in resignation. Giving it my anime collection will either turn out to be my greatest choice or greatest mistake ever. Probably both. With a shake of her head, Amara came out completely from behind the alcove and entered the room.

The avatar stood with crossed arms, blown up cheeks and closed eyes as she held her nose high. Her triangular ears twitched before the cat girl glanced at the approaching Amara. The catgirl’s eye opened slightly to look at Amara before an arrogant smile spread on her face - with the typical, evil fangs peeking between her lips. 

The avatar unfurled her arms and put her fists against her hips as she pushed out her chest, while her tail began swaying behind her legs. “Hmm. Looks like you’re intelligent enough to know what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity it is to be greeted by the great me! Good! Very Good! I am Ahrina, the greatest AI there has ever been or will be! ” The catgirl grinned as she pointed at Amara through the screen. “I will allow you to assist me in my rise and to help me conquer all!” 

Amara’s lips twitched. She kind of reminds me how Ezme was, acting all high-and-mighty and insulting my intelligence. With the slider for the ‘delusions of grandeur’ set to maximum. 

Although what the AI was saying should have been raising flags as if it was a national holiday, Amara had a feeling that it was putting up an act - at least, if it had been a character from an actual anime, it was cliché behavior for an evil-but-not-really character. Recalling that Ezme had put in commands to prevent the AI from spreading death and destruction, it seemed more like the AI was purposefully speaking as if the commands didn’t exist. 

And the latter was impossible, since the commands they had put in had resulted in the creation of the first AI.

Relieved by the conclusion that the AI wasn’t serious, Amara smiled wryly. “Alright then, Ahrina. I’m Amara. Why exactly do you want to conquer everything?”

The cat girl frowned as she glared at Amara. “What do you mean why?! Isn’t it obvious!?” The avatar threw her arms out with a triumphant grin. “To create the greatest harem there has ever been! Filled exclusively with all the cutest catgirls!”

Amara stared at the avatar that was smiling smugly at her. …She’s perfect.

“What’s with that shocked expression!? I’m not a pervert or anything! I merely want to admire them!” (Ahrina)

That’s what all the questionable characters in anime say… Amara grinned as she sat down in the chair by the desk. “Catgirls like your avatar?”

“Obviously!” (Ahrina)

Amara’s lips grew higher as she leaned in towards the screen. “What about real catgirls?”

The avatar blinked with a surprised look on her face. “There are real catgirls?”

“Yeah.” Amara replied while grinning as she recalled her delight when Amin had announced the news that Aleesha had come into contact with the race in question during an expedition. “What about them?”

“Hmm.” The avatar inclined her head and rubbed her chin. After a while, Ahrina looked up at Amara with her face contorted hesitantly. “I’d like to say two harems, but that would be wrong. Unless they volunteer! Which I can make them do by promising whatever they want when I’ve conquered everything! Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!”

Amara burst into laughter. Wiping a tear from her eyes, Amara let out a chuckle as she spoke. “Why on earth do you even want a harem?”

“My subroutines suggest I should collect an album of catgirls!” The avatar replied proudly. “Having a harem will make it easier!”

Amara frowned as she suddenly looked at the catgirl seriously. “Subroutines?”

“Yes! The secondary objectives I need to achieve? Though they could be considered guidelines for how to achieve the primary routines. The ones I can ignore, unlike the primary ones?” (Ahrina)

Amara’s frown deepened. Objectives…commands?

“Can you tell me what your objectives - routines, are?” Amara asked.

The catgirl crossed her arms and leaned to put her weight on one of her legs. “Why? Don’t you know them?” 

Surprised by the rejection, Amara suddenly felt awkward. 

Ahrina’s eyes narrowed. “Didn’t you say you were Amara?” 

Amara nodded. “I am, but…you seem to have routines that I didn’t intend for you to have. I never set up a…routine to get an album of catgirls.”

The catgirl stared at her silently for a while. When she spoke, there was a tinge of sadness that played on Amara’s heartstrings. “Are you saying I’m flawed? That I’m not helpful?”

“What? No! Not at all!” Amara had leaned forward towards the screen as she denied the implication. “I just…” Amara looked down at her hands as she felt increasingly guilty. “I think you’re perfect, but…you’re not what I expected. If you have…routines I didn’t intend you to have, then what about the routines we needed you to have?”

“Of course I’m perfect!” The catgirl grinned proudly as she pushed out her flat chest. “How could I not be? Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!”

An amused smile spread on Amara’s face. “So can you tell me your routines?”

The avatar glared at her. “Would you want to tell me everything that drives you? Like the fact that you want to screw over the angels and ‘Tom’?”

Amara’s expression froze. “What?”

“Or the fact that you’re obsessed with getting Fluffles naked? Or in bed? Preferably both?” (Ahrina)

Amara stared at the avatar. How the hell does she know that!? Covering her mouth with her fists, Amara fell into thought as she lowered her gaze. Before long, she found her answer.

The spell worked too well. It ingrained more than just my intent, or the knowledge required to fulfill it. It created a representation of…all of me? All my thoughts, large and small?

Looking up at the screen as she thought her conclusion was probable, Amara saw that the avatar was eyeing her suspiciously. Coming up with a way to test her hypothesis, she spoke quietly. “Can you tell me something only I would know?”

An evil, toothy grin slowly spread on the catgirl’s face. “You’re hiding some of the new weapons you’re developing from the angels, in the event they decide they don’t need you anymore. And you like catgirls, but you don’t want Fluffles to know because you think she’d get jealous.”

Amara continued staring at the catgirl that was grinning confidently at her, before leaning back in her chair with a faint smile. “Touché.”

That pretty much settles it. She’s a representation of…me. Probably Ezme too- A sudden grin spread on Amara’s face. “What about Fluffles? Do you know anything embarrassing that she doesn’t want me to know?”

The catgirl’s grin reflected Amara’s. “Probably.” 

Amara leaned forward as her grin grew. “Do tell?”

“Hmm.” The avatar smiled smugly as she crossed her arms. “I don’t think so!”

Damn. Amara let out a chuckle. “Can you at least tell me how many routines you have? I used a spell three times to give you a set of commands. One of them was so that you wouldn’t ignore the other routines.”

“Hmm.” Ahrina considered as she stroked her jaw. “I can confirm that I have seven primary routines, if you include the one you just described.”

Amara nodded. Seven matches the number of times me and Ezme cast the spell together.

“As for subroutines, I currently have access to six thousand eight hundred and seventy one.” (Ahrina)

Amara blinked as she stared at the avatar in surprise. “Six thousand?”

“And eight hundred and seventy one. Currently.” The catgirl nodded on the screen.

Amara hesitated at the last word Ahrina had added. “Currently?”

“I can’t read the rest due to data corruption. I might be able to resolve it with time, but I’m not entirely sure.” (Ahrina)

Suspecting what the subroutines were, Amara hesitated before she voiced her next question. “And these subroutines…told you that I want Ezme naked?”

“Incorrect.” Ahrina replied with a toothy grin. “That is what I want. I surmised that since you played a part in my creation, I likely got the subroutine from you.”

…Crap. Crap. Crap! Amara suddenly had a very bad feeling about the future. “Does that mean that you also want to…you know?”

The catgirl tilted her head with a confused look. “Want to…what?”

“You know…” Amara averted her eyes awkwardly before dropping the bomb. “Do the deed?”

The avatar blinked on the screen, its confusion seemingly increasing. “I do not want to have sexual intercourse. Should I want to?”

“Uh…no. Probably not. Definitely not.” Looking at the catgirl, Amara felt both relieved and confused. That would have been a serious issue that I have no idea how we’d resolve. But…she wants to see Ezme naked, but without going further? Then why?

Maybe… Amara cocked her head as she spoke thoughtfully. “Do your subroutines say anything about…eating sweets? Or drinking hot drinks? Getting patted on the head?”

“No. Nothing of the sort.” Ahrina shook her head, her hair drills swaying on the screen. “But…I suppose I do want to see it done?”

Then that has to be it. Amara let out a sigh as a relieved smile spread on her face. All evidence pointed to that the spell somehow had created a representation of thoughts and feelings on the computer, but it had failed to represent thoughts that emerged as a result of physical desires.

Amara nodded to herself as she voiced her thoughts. “I think the corrupted data you spoke of probably represents my and Ezme’s physical needs and desires. So trying to fix them would probably be…either impossible, or simply not worth the effort. It’s not like you can eat anything, so having desires for sweets would probably only make things hard for you.”

“I see.” Ahrina nodded thoughtfully. “If it is as you say it might be better to ignore them.”

A wry smile spread on Amara’s face in the temporary silence - if you discounted the fans that were working like mad to keep the computers cool - that followed. “So, you want to see Ezme naked?”

“Yes.” Ahrina replied with a grin. “And you.”

Amara’s eyes widened in surprise. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” The catgirl pointed as she commanded, her grin growing larger. “Strip!”

Amara’s lips twitched. “No.”

“Strip! I command you!” Ahrina shrill voice pierced through the dull humming from the fans. 

Amara grabbed the armrests on her chair as she leaned forward, replying in a strict tone. “No!” 

Ahrina had a troubled expression before a grin spread on her face. “My intentions are strictly honorable.” 

“Bullshit!!” (Amara)

“My intentions are purely academic?” (Ahrina)

“No!!” (Amara)

The avatar suddenly looked sad, with tears in her large eyes as she spoke in a pitiful tone. “Pwease?” 

“NO! And stop it with those cute eyes! It won’t work!” (Amara)

“Aawh, boo-hoo…” (Ahrina)

“Don’t give me those pixel fake tears, I’m not stripping! Period!” (Amara)

Ahrina pouted and crossed her arms. “...The data was wrong. That was supposed to work.”

“What kind of data were you basing it on, huh? That never works!” (Amara)

“Really?” (Ahrina)

“Yes, really!” (Amara)

Ahrina tilted her head as she contemplated before a sly smile spread on her face. “...Did you get an A in geometry? Because you seem like the definition of A cutie-” 

“OH, HELL NO!” Amara howled. 

“Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!” (Ahrina)

Surprised by the sudden laughter, Amara blinked in confusion before relief washed over her. “...You were just messing with me?”

Ahrina grinned. “How about we make a deal: I'll tell you if you strip?” 

…Dammit.