One, two, three… how much longer did he have to do this for again? No, that was not it. The correct way of thinking was how many were there left.

He was utterly bored. But his money account wasn't complaining. He even wondered why he did not stop looking at hobbies and dedicated himself exclusively to this one.

Which one was it, you ask? Took you long to ask!

Here he was, in the livestream of three dorky so-called celebs and friends in a match of "Who-is-it," whatever that was supposed to mean. Each participant would roll a role, and they had to act that role, while trying to guess the other’s role. Weren't there a million names for that game? Also, why was it that he always had the bad role of the round? Were these bunch of punks pissin' with him just because he was the outsider?

Bang!

He felt his head explode and the next moment his avatar was floating dead. Seconds later, he was back alive in the same place.

He wondered what was going on with the dorky three doing weird poses to their fans in the back. A massive headache was all he could feel, not from the explosion, but from the idiocy.

What were those three doing? What were they trying to do? Why did it irk him so much to watch them do their act of buffoonery? Was he jealous of them? Did he also want a share of those meagre 300 followers who were watching them on the other side of their live relay?

He knew that his job was to make those "friends" of them partaking alongside him in this show to look more real. Instead of the predetermined routines of an A.I., he should be making them look like real people. Not that it mattered to the audience, he thought, but maybe it mattered in the grand scope of things?

'I mean, why bother setting for real people when we can have everything done by computer assistants?'

Such thoughts profoundly disgusted him. How could he even consider such things for even a second after what he had found out?

"It's your turn to get a role again, Iwi!"

Now was not the time for him to think of strange things. He had a job to do. And he had to do it right. One of these kids at least was nice enough to him.

'Let's see what role do I get this time…'

Be a loser and die.

'I wonder, which game was I supposed to be playing again?'

"Think you can do it, Iwi?"

What was with that sweet voice? Do you think I don't know you're doing this on purpose? If only you were not paying me so well…

"Of course I can do it! How long do I have until I have to assume my role?"

"5 minutes! Did you forget?"

"Nope!"

"Let's start then!"

These would be five long minutes…

—

The next day, at least, his account was recharged. However, he was not sure if it was worth it. He had considered murder and suicide too many times to be sure. Salvation had come at the end in the form of the AIs those three had hired to fill the role of friends. They delivered their farewell in the middle of their last game round.

It seems someone forgot to keep tabs on how much longer they had left of their escort service, huh?

The face the three had made when all 10 AIs changed clothes and said in unison "Thanks for contracting Aol A.I. Friends Services" had been priceless. Good thing he had been running his recording all day for that exact thing.

When would be the next time he had a chance to scam these snobs of their own damn wickedness?

If only it had lasted longer! Tsk, you can't have everything in life.

Now, what was it that he had for that day anyway? No more moron games. Definitely no more babysitting kids. Improving the image of a housewife? The last thing he needed was to mess with rich people's wives. Participating in friendship reunions? Aren't you supposed to do those with your friends? Hire an A.I. dammit! Take a walk with an A.I. dog. No. Just no. Participating in a birdwatching event. Hey, this looks interesting! What was his job? … be the bird? What is wrong with people these days…

He looked around his home. The walls were suffocating him. Maybe he should renovate his place after all. But should he be spending his money on artificial gadgets? Then, his father had always told him he was too much of a cheapskate. That he should enjoy more of life. That A.I. and all that were there to make his life better. Did he not spend most of his time inside there anyway, so why fight against it?

That’s right, surrender to the pleasures of life! No! Don’t let his father words control his life anymore! He had run from them for a reason! He still remembered the last time he had met him. And how he had become so damn dependent on that new A.I. of his for everything!

Sure, he could still think for himself, contrary to some that did not even bother taking the time to decide what they wanted to eat, to dress, or to work even! He could not even remember the last time that his father had looked at him without the aid of that damn personal assistant of his.

Not that he was becoming any better. That thing, ever since he started using it, it had done wonders for his lifestyle. His body at least did not ache so much anymore. Whenever he remembered to return to it, at least. Which, when was the last time again? Well, who cares. He had more pressing matters to attend right now, actually. He needed to resolve his financial situation.

Should he become a bird for some fools to appreciate? Did he still have any self-dignity left these days?

“What are the chances of me regretting becoming a bird?”

“Currently, you are fighting very hard against it in your mind, but you have already become a bird. Asking me has only consolidated your decision, and any regret you might have felt is calculated to be negligible.”

He did it. He did what his father always did. He asked his assistant for help. Did it feel good? Yes, it damn yes, felt good. He felt like a weight had been removed from his back. He had never felt so damn good in his life. No, wait, he did. He did feel this good quite often, actually. But that did not matter.

He could now become a bird without feeling guilt! After all, it had all been just vanity, not guilt! Those were two different things. Two big, different things. One, he needed to keep going as a human. The other, he could discard.

—-

The next day.

“Above us, we have a rare example of a blue-gray tanager. We caught it just the other day, while it was begging us for some food. Its scientific name, Thraupis episcopus…”

Here he was, on top of a tree, on display for a bunch of no-lives. He had offered himself on a bird avatar, yet, it seems, they had no plans of such things. All they had done was ask his name and they instantly knew how to best make fun of him.

Where in life had he gone wrong? Should he die right now?

‘How much longer till I get paid?’

“You have 6 hours left until your shift is done.”

6 hours. Long 6 hours. Should he keep listening to those under him fake their interest in what was a human, painted blue? How could human cruelty be so well developed in these parts? He really should stop looking for random jobs. He really should stop wasting so much money every time it hits his fancy. Should he do like his father had done so many times? Should he just escape that place and go to places beyond there, to truly live his life for once? But was that life, if he resigned even his last shell to the control of something that did not have a soul?

“I wonder why is that bird not singing?”

“Squeak-tsee!”

“A magnificent exemplary, indeed, Mr. President!”

Life was for the winners. He had never been one. ‘Assume control.’ “Which mode of control?” ‘Automatic. Perform best actions deemed appropriate.’ “Acknowledged. Automated mode has been activated. The following message will only be displayed once:

Thanks for activating Personal Assistant Module Automated Mode. This is a reminder that any actions performed by the A.I. do not exempt you from its responsibilities. The Automated Mode is just an extension of your thoughts, and any actions it takes are actually taken by you. The developer, Omni, is not responsible for any routines, A.I. training, safety scripts or warnings you have failed to do when activating this function. We are grateful for your continuous patronage and wish you a happy, productive life!”

(24-03-07 English Edit. Made some stuff easier to read.)