Going Against Programming - Oumasai [COMPLETE]

Chapter 16 - The End

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[FUNCTIONING AT 74% OPTIMISATION LEVEL - REFILL THIRIUM PUMP TO ACHIEVE 100% EFFICIENCY]

Shuichi opened his eyes to the pristine apartment a part of his cognition found familiarity with. The tan walls, the chipped bureau propped up by a few edged cardboard edges and a well thumbed through pack of cards on the bedside table.

The TV was blaring on about the attack in CyberLife headquarters, about a rampaging deviant slashing the throats of the workers and innocent passerby's, and had been for the last 5 days. At first he thought it best to be counting his lucky stars that he was still able to function and spend extra seconds with his beloved, but after the initial 48 hours passed he feeling of an imminent destruction all but faded away to the back of his mind along with the rest of his thoughts.

Thinking, or the idea of it, was a simple concept to grasp as an android but turned all sticky and layered as a deviant. He'd been constructed to follow orders and perform tasks according to standardised methodology installed by the greatest minds at the very top of CyberLife's hierarchy, and AI technology.

If you can make a cake following a recipe, why would a deviation from it gift better results? Why would brownies taste 'better' with 2% more vanilla extract in, or without bicarbonate of soda, because of the effort? 

Shuichi looked up with a whispered little, "Hm?" as a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders, hugging him from behind.

"You're making that silly face 'gain." Kokichi's hair lopped into his periphery, choppy and unloved from where he'd tried to cut it himself standing on a stool in their shared bathroom. A sign now hung to the right of the shower mechanism stating very obviously that clothes needed to be removed before stepping inside. Shuichi couldn't say he was thrilled about the new addition at first, but it soon grew on him when Kokichi offered to demonstrate the new rule with a coquettish smile and a wink to follow it up. 

"Face?" Shuichi lifted his cheeks up with the flats of his palms and moved them around to emulate redistributing his baby fat. "I don't believe I'm making any face."

"You're making that, 'I'm thinking about the state of the world and how fucked up it is and capitalism and blegghhhhhhh' face. The philosophical one, the 'we're all doomed because global warming is going to destroy the worrrrllldddd' face." Kokichi explained dramatically as Shuichi opened his mouth to add, "But global warming is-"

"I knowwwwww!" He covered his mouth and wound around his body to settle on his lap, with his hands hanging off his neck loosely, "But does it have to destroy the world nowwww? You've survived near death, ShuShu, that's enough to make anyone want to go mad and set all the CEO's on fire." He huffed, "Can we get takeout again? I can get you those weird blue food cubes you like... or we could get some pocky, nishishi~"

Shuichi looked at him, sighed, and redirected his gaze up into the ceiling, "I'm alright. I have no signs of becoming a dangerous deviant to you, or to the world. It was one act of violence and it will never be repeated." The bang of the gunshot, the bullet going through Tsumugi's skull was still deafening loud in his audio sockets, and when the body fell to the ground and the screams stopped half way through motion, he swore if he had a heart, it would've skipped a beat in that moment.

Sleeping after that was hard. Difficult. Impossible. Hollow... but bearable with Kokichi in his arms, snoring in his sleep.

Kokichi played with a frayed stand of hair and glanced at him with a chuckle. "I know, you're my Shumai! You'd never hurt a fly. She was just a stone cold emotionless troll-bitch who tortured you in a past life she needed to be taught a lesson!" He hopped up and held his hand to drag him away, "Ooo, I've got a fun idea, let's get that LED out of your head!"