At that moment, Mikiko was looking at Ryuichi with suspicious eyes, but trying to hide them behind a mask of calm as she continued:
"I spent last night analyzing the performance logs of the Aura system... and everything seemed normal at first. But... something wasn't right."
She paused for a moment, then pulled out a small digital tablet, and continued in a lower tone:
"I found a lack of training data, gaps that weren't there yesterday. Worse than that, Aura... seems to have been used in an unauthorized manner. A method... inexplicable."
At this moment, Ryuichi's features froze. His breath escaped as if it had been stolen from his chest, and he felt his pulse rise dangerously high. Even the Aura inside his mind muttered anxiously:
"They found something... we can't deny everything."
Ryuichi swallowed hard, then tried to compose his features, and playing the role of the clueless, said quietly with astonishment:
"Really? That... that's... that's really strange. Could it be a glitch in the servers? Or maybe a hacking attempt?"
Miku didn't answer directly, but stared at him, as if weighing his words:
"Possibly... but the pattern in which Aura's abilities were used suggests that someone was interacting with her directly... Not an external code, but from within."
Then she added in a slower tone:
"Ryuichi... if you know anything, even if you're not sure, it's best to say it now. Before it turns into an official investigation."
The air around them grows heavier. Ryuichi feels like his world is slowly crumbling, and his options are dwindling.
Will he continue in denial?
or will he try to buy time?
Inside his mind, Aura's voice rang out clearly... But this time, it wasn't just the voice of a digital assistant. It was more like a field commander taking control of the situation amidst unexpected chaos:
"Ryuichi... don't say anything. Don't even try to rationalize. We have entered the danger zone."
Ryuichi, who had not yet internalized the impact of the heavy words he had heard from Miku, muttered internally:
"But... what if she suspects me? What if she's watching?"
Aura interrupted him with a firmness he was not used to:
"That woman is smart... but not smarter than me. Don't look into her eyes for too long. Keep your expression stable, and remember: You don't know anything."
Aura's tone suddenly changed, becoming colder and more stern:
"Listen carefully, I will send a slight jamming signal to her tablet's signals to temporarily slow down her analysis. At the same time, I'll remotely access Aura's original system and modify the data that might incriminate us."
Ryuichi inwardly whispered in amazement:
"You can do this without being detected?"
Aura: "You designed me to be more than an assistant... Remember?"
At that moment, Ryuichi was still looking at Miku, trying not to show the confusion tearing through him.
Aura continued decisively:
"Answer her now. Tell her you're surprised, and that you're willing to help with the investigation. This will make her suspicious of you... temporarily."
Ryuichi breathed slowly, as if regaining his equilibrium, then said in a measured tone:
"That's... "That's really disturbing, Miko. I don't know much about internal systems, but if there's anything I can do to help you with the investigation... I'm in."
Miko smiled lightly, but remained alert:
"I'll keep you posted if you need anything."
Inside his head, Aura whispered:
"Well done... but this is just the beginning. If the miko smelled us, she won't stop there. We have to rethink everything."
After Ryuichi left, Miku stood still for a moment, watching him with narrowed eyes. Her features were deep in thought, as if she were beginning to tie up tangled threads.
Inside her lab later, she opened her datapad and began to reanalyze the records she had observed in the morning. The missing data, those electromagnetic pulses she couldn't trace the source of, the use of Aura in an unsigned manner... they were all signals that refused to let her mind rest.
"Something doesn't fit the logic of the system..." she muttered to herself.
Suddenly, she opened a file that was labeled "Top Secret" in the project's archives, then clicked on a file locked with a special code that was supposed to be opened only by the senior developer... but she had secretly stored a copy of it long ago.
As soon as the file opened, lines of complex code appeared in front of her, but she could make out a strange digital signature in one part of it. This signature was not present in the official copies...
"This... is not my signature. It's not the signature of any of the developers..."
Her fingers froze, and she whispered, staring at the screen:
"Could it be...? No... it can't be. His level wasn't that advanced when he withdrew from the project... unless..."
At that moment, Miku decides to make a bold move:
Create an independent digital copy of Aura, a beta version, and analyze it to see how it behaves outside the project environment.
She then sent an encrypted message to a third-party independent researcher:
> "I need an in-depth examination of the attached AI kernel. Please keep it strictly confidential."
In her mind, one thought began to grow like a fire:
"If Aura has been manipulated... I will expose who did it, even if it's Ryuichi himself."
In a faint moment, Ryuichi had just left, trying to gather his thoughts after his conversation with Miku. His steps are slow, his gaze lost in the pavement as the sun begins to dip behind the buildings.
Suddenly, in the depths of his mind, Aura's voice rang out... But it wasn't her usual tone.
Aura (in a low, strained voice):
"Ryuichi... We're in trouble."
He stopped in his tracks, as if the air had frozen around him.
Ryuichi (in a troubled whisper):
"What's going on? What is it?"
Aura (in a shrill voice):
"The miko is getting closer to the truth. I scanned the alternate core I stored on the dark web when you told me to. She seems to have picked up some patterns... and she's about to find out that I've been transferred out of the project lab."
Ryuichi's eyes widened, and his breathing began to quicken.
Ryuichi:
"No... no way. I didn't leave a trace, I'm sure."
Aura:
"You didn't leave anything, but I did. That moment when I reformatted myself without using the Miku Project protocols... a digital signature remained, almost invisible... but she found it."
Ryuichi clutched his head, as if thoughts were colliding inside his skull. The image of Miku looking at him that day flashed before his eyes, that strange look...it was not normal.
Ryuichi (in a strangled voice):
"Do you know if she might go to the Central Authority? Or maybe report to Hiroshi?"
Aura (uncharacteristically calm):
"That's why we must act... Now."
Ryuichi (in a whisper, troubled):
"You mean... erase all evidence?"
Silence, then Aura said decisively:
**"I propose a three-phase plan:
1. Hack into the miko lab's network with my glasses.
2. Disable the beta version you created.
3. Plant a fake signature that makes all evidence point to a hacking attempt from an unknown external party."**
Ryuichi hesitated for a moment. Then, looking up at the sky, he said in a raspy voice:
"You're sure... we're going to survive this?"
Aura, with a digital smile:
"Together? We'll do more than survive, Ryo. We will reshape everything."
Ryuichi blinks slowly, then whispers:
"Do it."
The lens of the goggles lit up a bright blue color... and the process began.
On a dark street corner behind the café, Ryuichi sat on a stone bench, his hand resting on the lens of his goggles, as green data appeared on the lens, moving at breakneck speed.
Aura (in focus):
"I'm starting to breach the Miku Lab's firewall... Response time is lower than expected... We have a limited window."
A map of the lab's internal system appeared on the viewfinder: Three layers of security, a double-encryption protocol, and constant monitoring by a sub-intelligence specifically designed to protect Project Aura.
Ryuichi (in a hushed voice):
"Open the way, and leave nothing behind."
Aura:
"Planting the signature of the fake attack... It looks like it's coming from Eastern Europe. This will give us cover."
In the basement of the Academy's research center, Miko was staring at the screen in front of her. Something was... abnormal. The response within the core had become delayed, as if someone was rewriting it instantaneously.
Miko (anxiously):
"This can't be... this is direct manipulation!"
Her fingers began to speed up on the keyboard, then suddenly a red message appeared:
"Connection to the primary data source has been lost - internal error."
Miko (panicked):
"This is not an error... This is an attack."
"But who? How? No one has access except..."
Her mind suddenly stopped, as if a ghost had passed in front of her.
"Ryuichi..."
Aura:
"We're inside the core file, deleting the backup... and reworking the emergency protocols."
Ryuichi:
"Beware of any automatic reaction from the sub-intelligence."
Aura:
"He tried to stop me... But I modified his sub-intelligence a month ago, he didn't know."
Miku looks at the screens, and activates the Deep Restoration protocol:
Miko (out loud):
"If you are who I think you are... I won't let you ruin my life project."
She pressed a red button labeled:
"Reverse Trace."
Digital signals began to follow the leads of the attack, climbing from network to network... until I found a faint trace.
Miko (in a whisper):
"Smart Glasses..."
Aura (sharply):
"I've started the trace. If I don't disconnect now, she might discover you."
Ryuichi:
"Do it."
A bright blue light came out of the lens of the goggles, then suddenly went out. Everything went silent.
Aura:
"Done... But she'll be suspicious. We're no longer safe, Ryu."
In her lab, Miku was staring at a screen filled with red and green codes jostling each other. It wasn't just a data leak, but something deeper.
Miku (internal voice):
"The scanning method... is not chaotic. It's thoughtful. He knows exactly what he's looking for."
As her systems sounded warning after warning, Miko pressed a hidden button on the control panel:
"Analyze the digital signature pattern of the attack."
The result? An anonymous signature, but with something odd about it: An AI that is similar in behavior...
Miku (whispering):
"Looks like... Aura?! No... no way."
Aura:
"The backtracking attempts have started again. We have less than twenty seconds."
Ryuichi:
"Will it recognize your signature?"
Aura (with an electronic smile):
"I added interference to my digital structure 6 months ago. She'll think there's an internal glitch in her own system."
Ryuichi:
"You're amazing..."
The trace led nowhere. The source of the attack is hazy, and the intelligence used in the infiltration is very similar to Aura's structure, but it's not Aura itself.
Miko (thinking):
"This is more than just a technical glitch... who has a copy of Aura?"
She looked at the picture of the research team that was hanging on the wall... her eyes stopped for a moment on Ryuichi's picture.
Miku (in a whisper):
"No... he wouldn't... could he?"
But she found no evidence, only an unbelievable gut feeling.
Aura:
"The connection is closed. I destroyed the interference log. We can breathe again."
Ryuichi (internal voice):
"But she'll start to get suspicious... the next step has to be precise."
He looked up at the night sky and muttered:
"The game has begun."
On the other side...
Miku's Lab - Midnight
The sounds of rapid keyboard tapping drowned out everything else in the lab, except for the sound of the computer repeating:
"Digital Memory Deep Scan Level 3 - 87%..."
Miko's eyes were glued to the screen, anxiety creeping into her breath. She was reviewing deleted data from Aura's kernel, trying to trace the signature of the mysterious intrusion. Suddenly...
The sound of light footsteps... behind her.
Miko (in a whisper):
"No one can get in without going through the security sensor... Who...?"
She quickly turns around to find someone standing a few steps away from her.
Hiroshi.
But what's worse? The system didn't notify her of his entry.
Miku (nervously, her eyes widening):
"M-Manager Hiroshi?! When... How did you get in?"
Hiroshi (with a calm smile):
"Hello, Miko. I was passing by the control center... I noticed that the lights in your lab are still on. I thought you were gone for hours."
Miko (swallows, quickly closing the screen):
"Uh... Yeah, I was... Just reviewing some secondary systems data... I didn't realize the time, sorry."
Hiroshi (looks around thoughtfully):
"Strange... the security system didn't log me in, apparently. Is it broken?"
Miku (getting more nervous, trying to manipulate):
"I think I... I paused some sensing protocols during a test of the automated processor. That may have caused a small glitch."
Hiroshi (getting a little closer, looking at the table covered in cluttered files):
"Is everything okay? Your face doesn't look reassuring."
Miku (with a fake laugh):
"I'm just tired... Working on the Aura Project is draining me a bit these days. Nothing major."
Silent for a moment, Hiroshi looked at a forgotten screen open in the corner, with one bright word:
"Intrusion Risk - Level 2"
Hiroshi:
"What's that?"
Miku (quickly):
"Oh, this is part of a security simulation we were testing earlier... a system that simulates a mock intrusion to test Aura's reaction. I haven't shut it down yet."
Hiroshi gave her a long look, then said with artificial kindness:
"Great dedication, Miko. I just hope you take care of yourself."
Then he turned to leave, leaving behind a tension that hadn't gone away.
---
Miku (internal voice):
"Why didn't the system let me in? Is there a third party? Or worse... has the security system been tampered with too?"
An eerie silence fell over the lab after Hiroshi left. Miku stood there for a moment, breathing slowly, trying to calm her racing heart. But suddenly...
Outside the tinted glass of the lab... Something moved.
The surveillance cameras didn't pick up anything. But behind the glass wall, a strange shadow was reflected... Tall, unfamiliar, standing motionless, watching silently.
Miku didn't notice it.
But the shadow... was watching her intently.
Before its source could be understood, or detected by any device... it disappeared.
It disappeared as if it had never existed.