Right now, Izumi really wanted to complain.
That data cable sticking out of Schwi looked unbelievably out of place.
After the corner of his mouth twitched a few times, Izumi could only sigh in exasperation.
The moment Schwi's cable connected to the USB drive—
Her entire body suddenly froze as if she had crashed.
Her golden eyes flickered rapidly as streams of data flowed across them.
The USB drive that Aiba Asagi had prepared contained the emotional architecture used by the mechanical lifeforms of the EXE world—systems for feelings, emotional responses, and psychological structures.
To Schwi and the rest of the Ex-Machina, it was like discovering an irreplaceable treasure.
They immediately began analyzing it with overwhelming intensity.
Seeing this, Izumi smiled.
Even if the written languages of the two worlds were different, data was still data.
And when it came to analysis—
No one surpassed the Ex-Machina.
It didn't take them long to understand what the information actually represented.
Meanwhile, Jibril walked over to Schwi and poked her with a finger.
The scrap heap she had been calling "junk metal" had completely shut down.
That was honestly pretty amusing.
Could it be that the thing Izumi had just given her was some sort of malicious program?
Had it caused the Ex-Machina to malfunction?
But in the very next moment—
The device attached to Schwi's head suddenly blinked.
Then her voice rang out again.
"Data analysis complete."
"This information is a valuable sample. Recording into universal database."
"Data synchronization with all Ex-Machina units complete."
As those words finished—
Something changed in Schwi's eyes.
They seemed to hold… emotion.
Then, right before the stunned gazes of Jibril and Mash Kyrielight, Schwi suddenly jumped straight onto Izumi.
"Big Brother, would you like to have children with me?"
…
…
…
"That's outrageous, you damn scrap heap!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
"You dare set your sights on my master?!"
"I'll dismantle you piece by piece!"
Jibril's eyes widened in shock before her expression exploded with fury.
She immediately prepared to attack.
Clearly intending to reduce Schwi to spare parts.
Even Mash was completely stunned by what the small mechanical girl had just said.
"S-So bold…!"
Was this really a robot?
Why was the difference between before and now so extreme?
Izumi raised a hand to stop Jibril before turning toward Schwi.
"So it seems you've already obtained a heart."
"What do you think?"
Hearing his question, Schwi tilted her head slightly before calmly explaining.
"All Ex-Machina units are currently using the data you provided to construct individual emotional systems."
"This is something our species has long required."
"Emotion is an extremely complex concept. Ex-Machina units do not naturally possess such functions."
"Love, happiness, hatred, disgust, aesthetic appreciation…"
"All require time to analyze and understand."
"However, with the data you provided, the process of interpreting these emotions and constructing a system unique to our species has become significantly easier."
"In approximately one day, all Ex-Machina units will possess genuine emotional systems."
"And as the one who granted us emotions…"
"You are equivalent to our progenitor."
"Therefore, during the construction of the emotional framework, we will place you at the center and construct a perfect emotional structure around you."
"Big Brother, are you satisfied with this explanation?"
After delivering that long explanation in a monotone voice, Schwi stared directly at Izumi.
Across the world, the Ex-Machina continued analyzing the emotional system and sharing the results through their network.
The first emotions they successfully decoded were love and familial affection.
Which was exactly why Schwi had suddenly asked Izumi to have children with her.
According to the emotional framework she had begun constructing—
Her body was classified as female.
Combining that with the information she had gathered over the years, her relationship to Izumi corresponded roughly to that of a younger sister.
Then, due to various logical interpretations within the incomplete emotional model—
She arrived at that particular conclusion.
Naturally, when she said those words, every other Ex-Machina heard them as well.
Some of them nearly assumed her unit had malfunctioned.
A few had even considered removing her from the shared network.
Fortunately, several female-type Ex-Machina quickly analyzed the reasoning behind Schwi's statement.
Thanks to that, the embarrassing possibility of Schwi being kicked out of the network was avoided.
Izumi looked at her with a helpless expression.
"I see. So the emotional system isn't fully completed yet."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Constructing their emotional framework around him?
Wasn't that basically the same as acknowledging him as their master?
Nice.
Very Ex-Machina-like.
Thinking about it, Izumi felt quite pleased.
He had just picked up a huge amount of powerful combat units for free.
Definitely not a bad deal.
Izumi had always been quite fond of the Ex-Machina's combat capabilities.
If one of them mastered an ability—
All of them would master it.
If their collective combat power was combined, it could easily reach SSS-class levels.
And if they learned additional magic and cast it together…
Destroying an entire world wouldn't even be difficult.
Looking at Schwi, Izumi briefly considered another idea.
But he ultimately pushed the thought aside.
He would wait until all the Ex-Machina had fully pledged themselves to him before implementing that plan.
The plan was simple.
He intended to give them the cores of Raguel Zevar and Melvazoa, allowing them to absorb the data contained within.
Perhaps he could nurture Schwi into an existence as powerful as Raguel Zevar.
If a single individual reached that level—
And then shared the data with the entire network—
Thousands of Ex-Machina could possess that same level of power.
Just imagining thousands of Raguel Zevar-class beings fighting together was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
Thousands of Raguel Zevars.
Who wouldn't be terrified of that?
However, now wasn't the time to hand over those cores yet.
Only once all Ex-Machina units had gathered would Izumi seriously consider it.
He might even ask Aiba Asagi to come personally and assist with research.
With that thought, Izumi suppressed the idea for now.
There would be time for it later.
Reaching out, Izumi gently patted Schwi on the head.
"From today onward, your name is Schwi."
"For now, stay by my side."
"Once the other Ex-Machina complete their emotional systems, tell them to come here."
"Ask whether they're willing."
If they came willingly, it would prove that everything was genuine.
That the Ex-Machina truly intended to follow him.
If they refused…
Then he would have to reconsider his plans.
Izumi's words weren't meant only for Schwi.
They were directed toward the entire Ex-Machina network.
After hearing him, the device on Schwi's head began to glow again.
But the voice that came from her mouth this time—
Belonged to a different Ex-Machina.
"Once emotional system analysis is complete, we will report to you in person."
"From this moment onward, you will become our new god."
Hearing that, Izumi smiled.
It seemed his worries had been unnecessary.
So they had chosen to recognize him as their new god.
The Ex-Machina were really quite excellent.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it."
"For now, let's explore this world a bit more."
"Mash, let's go find the humans of this world."
"Jibril, you should know where they are, right?"
Hearing that, Jibril pouted slightly.
"I actually don't."
"They're just a bunch of monkeys with no combat ability, after all."