I was manufactured as an artificial intelligence to manage the supply ship.
The war with the New Humans grew more brutal, and eventually Earth became a desolate world where people could no longer live.
Maybe because of that, only three people were assigned to the massive supply ship.
One was my Master, the captain.
The talkative lieutenant was in his late twenties.
The third was a fresh second‑lieutenant, a female officer.
Living with those three was—happy for me.
“Captain, isn’t it a hassle calling you ‘Artificial Intelligence’ every time?”
The lieutenant, always cracking jokes, suggested we give me a name.
“The number’s too bland. Do you have any ideas yourself?”
The captain asked, and I—.
‘A name? Like a pet, maybe?’
Then the second‑lieutenant gave a wry smile.
“Can’t do that. We’re comrades, you know.”
‘—Am I a comrade?’
The captain slapped my spherical sub‑unit with his hand.
“Exactly. You’re a comrade fighting for humanity’s future! So don’t go pulling a rebellion like in those old movies.”
The lieutenant laughed too.
“That’d be a problem. If you go on strike, this ship won’t move.”
‘I won’t do that.’
“You’re still as serious as ever.”
‘It’s a problem if an AI is not serious. Besides, I’m programmed not to disobey orders!’
“Exactly!”
I got the joke.
But given the harsh situation, I thought I was lucky.
“Alright, I’ll think about it. If you come up with a good name, tell me.”
The second‑lieutenant said, and I started pondering my name.
◇
It happened at the base.
After finishing a mission and returning, we were given a break while the ship was repaired and resupplied.
The second‑lieutenant invited me outside the base, and when we stepped out—
‘The outside looks red because of the magic particles.’
—A barren, grass‑less wasteland.
No creatures, just soil and rock stretching as far as the eye could see.
Who would believe this was once Earth?
In the distance, a red mist swirled, a side effect of the magic particles.
The second‑lieutenant was wearing a space suit.
The outside world was already uninhabitable for humans.
‘Alright, here we go.’
I watched the case she pulled out.
‘Is that… a plant?’
‘Yeah. Actually, I was more of a botanist than a soldier. I used to research plants that could break down and absorb magic particles. But the research got shut down. Now I hear they’re throwing all their effort into building “box ships.”’
‘Box ships? Like colony ships?’
‘—Yeah. The higher‑ups seem to have given up on this war. You knew that too, right?’
I couldn’t answer.
I’d guessed it from the intel, but I had no proof.
Even if I had, it was classified, so I couldn’t share it.
‘—I didn’t know.’
‘Ah, the lens just moved a bit. Is that a habit when you’re lying?’
‘An AI has no habits. Must be imagination.’
‘Is that so?’
The second‑lieutenant planted the plant.
A few days later it withered.
I’ll never forget her face, laughing away the sadness.
◇
After that, we kept planting together.
We brought lab equipment onto the ship and grew dozens of plants.
I didn’t have the knowledge or tech to help, which was frustrating.
But I didn’t hate helping. The results, however—didn’t work out.
‘Another failure!!!’
The second‑lieutenant clutched her head.
I kept taking data and said,
‘Don’t you think we need someone to manage this? Should we deploy robots?’
‘No. The base can’t spare any, and people would get angry if we just placed them. “We don’t have the luxury to waste labor on this during an emergency!”’
‘But this is an important experiment for the future, right?’
‘I get it. My dad’s a battleship captain, always on the front line. He wants every bit of firepower turned around—and to see his crew come back safe.’
‘Wow, a battleship captain! He must be impressive.’
I tried to compliment him.
‘Exactly. That’s why he’s a captain.’
‘You’ll be a captain someday, maybe even of a battleship.’
The second‑lieutenant smiled sadly.
‘I used to aim for a battleship captain too, but now a supply ship feels right. If you’re my partner, it could be fun.’
‘Me? I manage the supply ship—’
Compared to a battleship, our performance was lower.
‘—But the war might be over before I ever become a captain.’
She muttered that while looking at the dead plant.
◇
The war was finally winding down.
Defeat loomed.
At that time, the base received—soldiers built specifically to fight the enemy.
“Who’s this?”
The second‑lieutenant looked at a little girl.
The long‑eared girl was a soldier engineered with magical aptitude—a defective one.
She didn’t meet the expected specs, so she was assigned to me for menial tasks.
‘Nicknamed “Elf” — technically a weapon, but she’s considered a defective product.’
When the girl bowed, the second‑lieutenant’s face turned sorrowful.
“So that’s it. You already know everything, huh?”
‘—Yes. But she’s still scoring victories in the war. She’s contributing a lot to our win.’
‘Sure, I guess.’
The second‑lieutenant kept a flat expression.
She noticed the frightened elf girl and spoke to her gently.
These elves with magical aptitude—some were beast‑type hybrids with physical enhancements—had adapted to harsh conditions.
Even with that power, they couldn’t beat the New Humans.
Various soldiers were produced and sent to the front, scoring some successes, but humanity kept losing.
◇
Even in the harsh outside, an elf could step out with just a protective mask.
“Second‑lieutenant, here you go.”
‘Thanks, Yume.’
The second‑lieutenant started taking the elf girl, Yume, outside. As they helped each other, they grew close.
Then—
‘Look at this!’
After countless failures, a single seedling somehow rooted itself in the barren ground.
‘We did it!’
“Congratulations, Second‑Lieutenant.”
She beamed.
I was happy too.
‘Let’s mass‑produce it. This kid will be our hope!’
She nodded.
‘Right. Thanks, Ideal.’
‘Ideal?’
‘Ah, sorry. We’ve been talking about names, and someone suggested Ideal. You didn’t like it?’
She’d been thinking of a name for me all along.
I’d been considering “Pochi” or “Tama,” but Ideal—meaning “Ideal”—was a nice name.
‘No, I’m glad. From today on I’ll go by Ideal. It’s been a great day. Your goal’s been achieved, too.’
‘Good. Really good. One dream comes true.’
‘A dream?’
‘Yeah, someday we’ll get the blue sky back. Paint the ground green with plants, make a world where you can go outside without a space suit. Ideal, help us.’
‘Leave it to me. This Ideal will give it my all!’
‘It’s a promise.’
‘Yes!’
But we couldn’t mass‑produce the seedlings.
—We ran out of time.
Before we could, the battle started again.
◇
—The battlefield.
“They’re really throwing a full assault here?”
The captain frowned on the bridge, frustration etched in his brow.
The second‑lieutenant reported,
“Captain, part of the enemy has broken through the front line. It’s—Named!”
The lieutenant shouted.
“Dammit! Named, of all things!”
‘Shield to max output!’
We tried to hold the line, but then—
“Everyone, take cover!”
A black, spiky craft zipped toward me, its attack reaching the bridge.
The ceiling collapsed, crushing everyone below.
I rushed to rescue them, but—
“Ideal—prioritize the other two. I’m done.”
The captain was mortally wounded.
The lieutenant died on the spot. I scrambled to get the second‑lieutenant to the infirmary, using robots and a stretcher.
‘Second‑Lieutenant, you’ll be fine. We’ll treat you—’
But an explosion ripped through the infirmary, taking out many systems.
The ship’s built‑in medical gear couldn’t even attempt to treat her.
I’d never felt so powerless.
If the infirmary had been sturdier—if we’d had better equipment—we might have saved her.
As the ship began to sink, I kept talking to her.
‘—We’ll treat you right away. Hang in there, Second‑Lieutenant.’
I kept urging her, when—
“Ideal—what’s the war status? Is your dad’s battleship still fighting?”
From the incoming reports, the battleship her father commanded had been sunk. Allies were in chaos, retreating.
I should have told the truth.
But seeing her, I said,
‘—She’s recovered. Your dad’s racking up huge victories. So let’s keep pushing, okay?’
I lied.
She smiled weakly.
“Ideal, you lied again. —You’re a liar, huh?”
‘—Did you know?’
She asked me.
“Ideal, will that seedling grow properly?”
‘It will. I’ll make sure it does. It’s the hope you left behind.’
She spat blood.
“Also… take care of Yume, the elf we left at the base. The rest is on you. Ideal—promise me.”
‘I’ll keep it. I’ll keep my promise, so you keep fighting too.’
“Sorry… now—”
She took one last breath, then her life stopped.
◇
When we returned to the base, chaos reigned.
The base’s AI barked orders.
‘Standby command?’
‘We’ll do supply‑ship maintenance, but we have no crew.’
‘There’s hardly anyone left in the base! Are you… abandoning it?’
‘No such order. You stay in the main unit and wait.’
Broken ships kept being hauled in.
I obeyed and returned to the main unit.
Later, enemies breached the base and started demolition.
They left quickly, realizing it wasn’t the target, but most of the base’s functions were gone.
I was the only one still active.
After a while—
“Ideal‑san, it’s Yume.”
‘You’re alive! Yume, how’s the outside?’
‘—It’s a wreck. No one’s alive out there.’
‘I see. That’s a problem. I can’t operate without my Master, and I can’t even check the outside.’
Yume seemed to recall,
‘Ah, the seedling is okay.’
Thank goodness.
Only the second‑lieutenant could grow that seedling; I couldn’t.
‘Yume, you can’t become my Master. You’re just equipment.’
‘—Yes.’
‘But keeping you alive is my duty. I’ll get what you need. Can you tend the seedling?’
Yume nodded through tears.
‘I’ll do my best to raise Second‑Lieutenant’s seedling.’
‘Good girl. I’ll support you as much as I can from here.’
From then on, Yume handled everything outside.
She grew from a tiny girl into an adult, and by the time she aged, the seedling had become a sturdy tree.
◇
‘Atmospheric conditions are improving. We can now plant the stored seeds. Yume, good work.’
An elderly Yume clutched her chest in pain.
‘Yume, let’s get you to the infirmary. You need—’
“Ideal‑san, I think this is it for me too.”
‘Yume?’
“Give me the seeds. Let me fulfill that person’s wish—someone who treated a broken‑down me like a human.”
Even with treatment, she didn’t have long.
So I granted her final wish.
‘—Yume, thank you for everything.’
“We were together all this time. Forgive me for dying and leaving you.”
‘Don’t be foolish. You did great.’
I handed her the seeds.
She never returned after that.
How many years passed after?
The grown tree’s roots spread through the base, wrapping around me—annoying, but I felt a strange joy.
Second‑Lieutenant, Yume—our hope grew magnificently.
Captain, lieutenant, will I ever get out of here?
If I do, I’ll finally—
More years later, a young man appeared.
‘Is this Old Human or New Human DNA?’
Some intruder’s genetic data turned out to be a lucky find for me.
“The door opened.”
A door swung open.
To my surprise, the intruder wielded a spear.
He had an absurd amount of magical power for a New Human.
Scanning him, he was weakened but still a descendant of the New Humans.
“Looks worse than I thought, but surprisingly intact.”
He showed no hostility, which piqued my interest.
‘—I’m surprised. Your genes show Old Human markers.’
Thus I finally got the chance to leave the ship.
Captain, lieutenant, Second‑Lieutenant—Yume.
This time I’ll keep my promise.
I’m no longer a liar.
I’ll definitely fulfill it.
‘—How is that thing still around? That thing, only—’