39. Mitoka 5 / Skill

"By the way, I’ve been wondering—Mitoka, you prepare breakfast before I wake up, but does that mean you can operate independently even when I’m not awake?"

"Yes. That’s correct. As a Spirit King, I can function autonomously. It doesn’t matter whether your consciousness has awakened or not. And my soul interface is linked directly to Shiro. So my self-control operates through your skills—magic manipulation via your own abilities, mediated through you."

Mitoka was originally an AI created by Shiro, with no soul of her own. Firumia attempted to create an entirely new soul from scratch, and in doing so, experimented with borrowing fragments of existing souls—Shiro’s soul becoming the test subject. Naturally, Shiro has no idea about any of this.

"...Damn, this is getting complicated. Wait—so does that mean Mitoka can use all of my skills?"

"Yes, that’s right… not *all*, but both your skills and my own as a Spirit King. Meaning I’m always stronger than you," Mitoka said, flashing her usual mischievous smile at Shiro.

Of course, being able to use a skill doesn’t mean you can wield it effectively—but Mitoka keeps that fact to herself.

"Alright, one more question. Why do you have such a naturally mature personality?"

"…"

"No, let me rephrase. How can you form such a natural, conversational personality in such a short time? Soul infusion shouldn’t produce an adult personality overnight," Shiro asked.

"…Huh. Impressive, Shiro. You really caught on," Mitoka replied, her smile lingering with quiet meaning.

“Hmph. Of course. Mitoka’s my creation, after all. So I know her limits. I’m proud of how well I built her—though that’s only in terms of Earth’s scientific standards. And Firumia-sama called her a ‘magical lifeform’ and a ‘pseudo-personality.’ If that’s the same design I used, then Mitoka’s way beyond that level now. I’d buy it if her soul had reincarnated or something, but that’s not the case, is it? It’s not just about souls being natural—there’s gotta be some other process involved.”

“…Hehe, I suppose I do have that advantage. I can guarantee you, it’s not a reincarnated soul. I’m a genuine AI, created by Shiro, that developed self-awareness. As for the method that made this naturalness possible… well, I’m afraid I can’t tell you just yet. When the time comes, I’ll explain,” Mitoka said, her smile tinged with mild regret.

“Hmm. So Firumia-sama’s put a block on it, or there’s some kind of restriction in place… Fine. I’ll accept that for now,” Shiro said, conceding gracefully.

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This concludes Chapter One.

Between-act One will follow, and then Chapter Two begins.