THE BEAUTIFUL MONSTER

The drone, Albert, hovered just a few feet away, its lens were glowing a calm, judgmental blue. I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as it lectured Meiroko about her dependence on those emotion chips.

“Emotion chips are a temporary solution to deeper issues. While they provide momentary relief, their long-term use can exacerbate emotional dependency. There are methods to lessen this reliance like meditation programs, neural recalibration therapies, and, most importantly, building meaningful human connections.”

Meiroko nodded slowly, her face a mask of indifference. “I’ll… think about it.”

The drone hummed, its tone turning approving. “Acknowledgment is the first step. Take care of yourself, Miss Meiroko.”

The drone seemed satisfied or rather as satisfied as a machine could be. It hummed before floating away.

“So, you gonna quit those chips or what?” I asked.

Meiroko stiffened, her white hair hiding her face. “I didn’t have… any other choice,” she snapped. “Do you think… I wanted to rely on them?”

Her words hit harder than she probably meant, but I kept my face neutral. “I’m not here to judge you. It’s your life. If you wanna keep going like this, who am I to stop you. But…” I paused, “If you want to change, all you have to do is gradually decrease their usage. And if you can’t do it alone, all you have to do is say that you want my help.”

She didn’t say anything at first and just stood there. I noticed her fists clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white. Then, slowly, she lifted her head. Her hair fell away from her face, revealing those red eyes, which I had only seen once before.

“Why should I trust you? Everyone I trusted before had only given me betrayal, pain and suffering in the past. So tell me, how can I trust a random boy whom I barely know?” She asked me, tightly gripping my collar. I could feel her pain and frustration in her voice.

“Well you are already very down. And I don’t think your life could become any worse than the present even if I turn out to be a jerk and betray you. So why not take a small risk and trust me?” I smirked confidently.

She stared blankly at me, as if I said the best motivational quote out there. “Please,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Help me.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“From now on, I promise you won’t need those chips. I’ll make sure you smile for real.” I knew that it sounded cocky. But it was not just a promise to her, I took it as a commitment for myself as well. Earlier I used to think life is easy and I have the freedom to do whatever I wanted. But after experiencing various MT chip in the past few weeks, my perspective to life had changed a little. I still believed I had the freedom to do whatever I like in life. But, along the way, I must take responsibilities of others who like me wanted to experience life with freedom.

She blinked at me like I’d just said something crazy. And maybe I had. But I meant every word.

After a long silence, she wiped her tears and sighed, her shoulders relaxing. For the first time, it looked like a weight had been lifted off those shoulders.

“By the way,” I added, leaning in slightly, “why do you hide your eyes?”

Her brows furrowed. “It’s kind of a long story. My mom hated them.”

“Your mom’s an idiot.”

“What?”

“They remind me of Ruby Starfire.”

“Ruby… Starfire?”

“Yeah,” I said, grinning. “They were red and very pretty. They were very rare and went extinct during late 21st century.”

She blinked, and for the briefest moment, her lips twitched into a tiny smile.

“Albert,” I called out, jerking my thumb at the girl. “Get her home safe after your interrogation. And Meiroko…” My voice turned mock-threatening as I pointed a finger at her. “Don’t miss any more club activities, or you’ll regret it.”

I walked off, grinning to myself. The look on her face was priceless.

Back home, I jumped onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling. My room was a mess. Clothes were piled in the corner, a half-eaten protein bar was on my desk, and a random memory transplant chip was sitting on my pillow.

The door creaked open.

“Garp”

I groaned. “Mom, do you even know how to knock?”

She ignored me, as usual, stepping into the room with her usual grace. My mom looked like she belonged on some holo-magazine cover, not in a police uniform. The black, streamlined suit hugged her figure, glowing blue accents tracing the seams. Her badge pulsed faintly on her chest, signaling her rank as Chief Inspector.

But don’t let the sweet smile and perfect blonde hair fool you. Underneath that “gentle princess” exterior was a sadist who enjoyed her job way too much.

“Sweet on the outside,” I muttered under my breath, “but a monster on the inside.”

“What was that?” she asked, tilting her head with an innocent smile.

“Nothing!” I sat up quickly, knowing better than to test her patience. Memories of her “interrogation techniques” flashed through my mind, like the time she made a hacker cry by deleting his game library or the smuggler she forced to recite tax laws while being tickled continuously by Albert.

She crossed the room and hugged me so tightly I thought my ribs would crack. “Albert told me what happened today. I’m so proud of you!”

“M-Mom… air!”

She finally let go, her expression softening. “But seriously, Garp, that girl—Meiroko, was it? According to what Albert found, she’s been through a lot. Keep an eye on her, okay?”

I shrugged. “You don’t have to tell me. I’ve got it covered.”

Her gaze shifted, landing on the MT chip on my bed. My stomach dropped.

“What’s that?”

I grabbed it quickly, holding it up like it was no big deal. “Oh, this? It’s, uh, a cooking data chip! Recipes for molecular gastronomy. Really cutting-edge stuff.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she eventually shrugged. “Alright. But don’t stay up too late playing with your gadgets.”

As she turned to leave, I let out a silent sigh of relief.

“Oh, by the way,” I called after her. “I need your bio-ink for the Solaris Coast field trip permission slip.”

She paused, her smile returning. “Of course! Just send it to my terminal. And Garp…” Her tone dropped, playful but warning. “Don’t cause any trouble.”

I grinned. “Me? Trouble? Never.”

She left, and I sank back onto my bed, staring at the memory chip in my hand. That was close. Phew!

CHAPTER 13 END