Nikke: Nullable Type

"Ugh." Anis grumbled as she struggled to raise her head from the pillow to glare at me. "...You're not human, Commander..."

I pulled my pants back on, followed by my shirt. Then, after tucking Rapi in properly since she was already passed out from fatigue, I said, "I'm definitely human. ...Our definitions just differ."

"Tch. You and your definitions." Anis grumbled again and tried moving, wincing as her thighs trembled but failed to move.

I walked over and helped her get comfy.

"...Thanks."

"Of course, Love." I kissed Anis's forehead and said, "Now, rest up."

"...I hate how good you are at this." Anis mumbled, her cheeks blushing. Then she glanced down at her bare, but clean body... a result of me taking my time to clean both her and Rapi up after our fun with a loofa and towel. "...What kind of guy even thinks about aftercare after all... that?"

I poked her cheek and said, "The guy who loves you. Now sleep."

"...How are you even still moving?" Anis stared at my hips. Then at my bruised torso. And after that, my clearly still energetic expression.

I coughed. "Well... ask Marian and Endless sometime."

Anis gave me a blank look. Then she said, "...I don't want to know."

"Probably for the best."

Anis sighed and then let her head fall back on the pillow. Staring at the ceiling, she said, "You're ridiculous. ...Love you."

I smiled and gave her a soft kiss. "Love you too. Be back later. Got some business to take care of first."

Anis rolled her eyes, but she smiled and said, "Yeah, yeah. Go be responsible for once, Commander."

I tucked her in next to Rapi and then headed off, leaving my bedroom.

===

The party was still in full swing when I headed downstairs to the mainhall.

It looked like everybody had naturally filtered into friend groups.

Drake, Laplace, Chatterbox- or Vanitas, I guess, were chatting with the Ark Rangers in a corner of the room, eating snacks and drinking beer together.

Siren had joined Shifty, Liberalio, Nihilister, and Indi in another corner, avidly chatting while enjoying sweets.

Neon, Endless, Eternity, Sophia, and Maxwell were in the third corner, going over various diagrams that looked worryingly like weapon schematics.

And in the last corner, Hana, Suri, Rapunzel, and Snow White were chatting.

Everyone else was either passed out in the room somewhere, Like Red Hood, Scarlet, and Rose, or had already left.

Well, almost everyone else.

Mustang waved at me, holding the tablet with Syuen on it. "Mon commandant! Finally finished with your... excursions?" He let out a knowing smile as he adjusted his glasses.

Syuen rolled her eyes and said, "Can you be serious, Mustang!"

"Oui. But it bears mentioning, non?"

I chuckled as I walked over. "I figured you'd still be around. It's the wrong atmosphere for a serious talk here, so let's move somewhere else. Walk with me?"

"Of course, mon commandant!"

"Ugh." Syuen crossed her arms in the tablet. "Not like I have any choice."

After that, Mustang handed me Syuen's tablet and we headed out into the night air together.

===

The Outpost at night was lively, but quiet. Although it had filled up a bit more with the refugees from the Outer Rim, most of the place was still just empty buildings.

As a result, although we walked past a few buildings with lights on, most were dark.

Even so...

"I can't believe this is real." Mustang looked around the Outpost as he murmured that.

...It seemed to be more than enough for Mustang since he dropped his fake accent.

The moment he did that, Syuen pointed at him and said, "Hah! I knew it was an act!"

Mustang chuckled and said, "Well, you'll have to excuse me. As the head of Tetra Line, it's important to play a role... just like you did. Right, Syuen?"

Syuen pursed her lips. "...You don't know anything about what I went through."

"I could say the same to you, Syuen." Mustang let out a soft chuckle. "But we're not here to argue. At this point, both of us are 'dead' to the world, aren't we?"

Syuen paused. "...I suppose that's true. If you're who I think you are."

I glanced at both of them and said, "So. Like I'm missing a LOT of context here."

Mustang chuckled and said, "Don't worry about it, Commander. Also... Thank you. For loving Anis." He paused. "...While I don't really approve of you running around with so many women, I can tell you really love her. So I'll excuse it."

"...Considering you're dressed like a crime boss right now, Mustang, those words seem more like a threat than a compliment."

"Why not both?" Mustang chuckled.

I chuckled too.

Definitely not nervously.

Definitely.

Syuen rolled her eyes and said, "Don't mind him, Hoopa. Mustang is just playing up the scare factor. He's a softie at heart."

"I am." Mustang nodded. "...But I'm also aware of what must be done to keep things in line. Time teaches cruel lessons, you see."

"...Yeah. Guess so." Syuen murmured.

For a moment, we walked along the paved roads in silence.

But then I couldn't take it anymore and said, "Okay. So like, does EVERYONE in the Ark have some sort of tragic and depressing backstory?"

Mustang burst out laughing and wiped a tear out of his eye. "Mon commandant... I do believe you are the only one who doesn't."

Syuen snorted. "Yeah. So watch yourself. Life tends to have a way of making you eat crow when things are going well. Especially in a shitty place like the Ark."

Mustang laughed again, although it was colder. "Yes... that's true."

"...Right." I slowly nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. But anyway... I've got the Outpost under lock and key, so we can chat without worrying about being eavesdropped. Or we can head to an even more secure location if you want."

Mustang hummed and looked up at the starry sky. "...No, I think walking around and chatting is better." He glanced at Syuen and said, "I think our conversations are a bit too heavy to be had while sitting. Right, Syuen?"

Syuen paused. Then she sighed. "...I hate that you're right. But yes. Let's walk and talk, Hoopa."

"Okay. Got it." I shifted Syuen's tablet so she could see both of us. Then I said, "I'll just walk through the empty areas of the Outpost for now then. But anyway... what brings you up here, Mustang? Is it really just for the concert? I don't think you'd come dressed like that if it was though, right?"

"Mm. It's true that I wanted to talk with you about the concert too... Can you really dance by the way? It'll help a lot if you can."

I nodded. "Yep. Dance, sing, do a flip, adjust lighting... I studied idols for a while, so I'm at least competent at it all."

Syuen gave me a blank stare and said, "...Okay, who even are you, really, Hoopa?"

"Beats me. Memory's mostly blank by now past the first mission."

Considering how many months had passed, and the fact that my first experiences in this world was clinically dying, most of my past life's memories were a blur.

Thankfully, all the useful bits were there, but stuff about who I was as a person was mostly erased by now.

Not that big a deal though. Like I kept telling everyone, we were the wills that chose... so since I was sure that the 'will' I was now and the one before was the same, it didn't really matter.

Mustang gave me a genuinely concerned look and said, "And that doesn't bother you?"

"Nah. Memories are important, but if you know who you are, they can be reclaimed." I tapped my heart. "Even though the 'shell' can change shape, if the 'core' is the same, then it's the same person in the end."

A mix of emotions crossed Syuen's face. Then she murmured, "...That's so different from Maxwell."

"Hm?" I tilted my head. "How so?"

"...It's a long story." Syuen sighed. "But Mustang, you talk about your business first. You have to head back to the Ark, right?"

"Yes. Thank you, Syuen." Mustang nodded and looked at me. "...I wanted to confirm something, Commander. We've talked about it a bit, but you clearly have a lot of detail on how Nikkes work. And since Burningum has arranged you to be CEO of Abnormal, you're qualified too. So I want to ask... would it be possible for you to bring a Nikke back to life with just their body?"

"Hm? Of course. Ideally, it's better if we have their brain or core. But I've checked with Rose and if they have strong lingering emotions or memories, then we can bring them back. It's complicated to explain the process since you have to understand the metaphysics of the soul, but we can do it. Why?"

Mustang blinked, processing my words. Then his eyes trembled. "...You're certain."

"I'm always certain about things, Mustang. That's my motto. Well, that and accepting consequences as they come. But anyway, why'd you ask? Do you have someone you want to bring back?"

Mustang was quiet for a bit as we walked. And then he said, "...What if the body isn't completely human anymore?"

"Shouldn't matter." I hummed, thinking about it. "Might be a bit more complicated since we'll probably need to decouple the consciousness like with Red Hood, but it should be doable. The determining factor's mostly how strong a sense of self the Nikke had beforehand."

Mustang's eyes lit up. "...Then it won't be a concern. The person I have in mind... she's definitely the strongest person I know."

I gave him a thumbs up. "Just send me the details later. I'll walk you through it so you can double check it with me too. But it might take a while until we can do it properly. After all." I looked at Syuen and said, "We still need to bring Syuen back first."

Mustang paused. Then he chuckled. "Of course." He shifted his gaze back to Syuen and bowed his head slightly. "Apologies for not recalling your current situation, Syuen."

"...It's fine." Syuen sighed. "I know your story."

"Thank you for your understanding." Mustang smiled. At that time though, his phone buzzed.

I glanced at him as he pulled it out. "Work calling?"

Mustang glanced at it and chuckled. "Oui, mon amie. My Queens wish to have a discussion with moi about the Outer Ark... so I must bid you all adieu." He twirled his hand, giving a dramatic bow. Then he said, "Don't be a stranger, mon commandant, Miss Syuen. And we'll be in touch." After that, he started walking back towards the elevator leading down into the Ark.

Which left me with Syuen.

"Huh." I watched Mustang walk away and said, "...I'm sensing like, a light novel series' worth of tragic backstory from Mustang. Did he have an idol Nikke who died tragically or something that he wants to bring back?"

Syuen gave me a blank look from the tablet. "Do you really not know?"

"I might as well have been born the day I had my mission with Marian, Syuen. I have bits of contextual knowledge and working knowledge on being a commander, Nikkes, and tech, but when it comes to Ark History, next to nothing."

"...Talking with you is always a headache. Ugh... It's too long to explain it here. Ask your Anis or whatever sometime if you're that curious about it."

"Will do. Now, we should go over your situation, right?" I walked over to a bench near the Goddess of Victory statue depicting a heroic woman raising a fist into the air.

Wasn't quite sure who she was, but she seemed pretty famous.

Syuen noticed my reaction... or lack thereof. Then she said, "...Do you not even recognize your own mother?"

"Mother?" I blinked and looked at the statue. "...Oh, this is Liliweiss? I've heard about her, but I don't think I've gotten a proper look at a picture of her yet."

"...Forget it." Syuen shook her head. "I'm not going to fill in the blanks for you." She paused and said, "...But are you serious? About being able to revive a Nikke from just a body?"

"Hm?" I nodded. "Well, yeah. It's similar to how we're going to revive you from just your consciousness. We'll need to get you a fleshy body first, but after that, it's just all about hooking it up to the full-dive equipment and synchronizing everything." I paused. "...Though it's possible that you might get a weird metaphysical experience of existing in multiple places simultaneously. To be honest, in your current state you've kind of transcended humanity."

"What?"

"You haven't realized? Although you didn't intend to do it, you converted yourself into a pure energy being. You are, literally, a ghost in the machine. Not an AI, not a recreation, but a will tethered to this world through energy waves." I rubbed my chin. "...In fact, I'm fairly sure you could probably figure out a way to piece yourself together by bruteforcing it if you trained your willpower enough?"

Syuen stared at me.

I started back at her. Well, back at her image shown on the tablet.

Then Syuen slowly said, "Are you telling me, Hoopa. That when they killed me to steal my body. Because I had set up the soul translation cube and my digital research lab. The moment they killed me, my soul became decoupled and anchored into this world without a body?"

"Yep. You basically hijacked your own soul on its way to the afterlife. I personally would have never risked it or trusted myself to try it, but you're definitely a genius. It worked, after all."

Syuen gave me a blank stare.

"What?"

"...I loathe you. So much."

"Loathe or love? You should make that clear, you know?"

Syuen let out a long suffering sigh. "Could you be serious?"

I paused and then gave her a serious look. "Sorry, Syuen. I'm trying to keep it light. In your current state, your mental condition is extraordinarily important. Your self-image determines your existence now, and worrying too much will distort it."

Syuen paused. Then she gave me a look with mixed emotions. But eventually, it settled on what seemed to be a tired gratitude. "...I appreciate you looking out for me."

"Well." I chuckled. "We had a rough start. But I understand where you're coming from now. Also, you never ACTUALLY did anything wrong to me. You were close, but you didn't quite cross that line."

Syuen chuckled too. "Clearly. I wasn't stupid enough to do that after seeing your inhuman pain tolerance."

I smiled at her.

Syuen kept staring at me. Then she murmured, "...You're weird though."

"Hm? Why?"

Syuen reached out to adjust the camera for her video chat... or the digitial representation of it, at least. Then she leaned back in her chair and said, "You actually care about me. Without any conditions. And... you don't treat me like a monster."

"Well, you aren't a monster."

"...I don't know about that." Syuen murmured. "...I look like this, but I'm not a kid, you know?"

I blinked. "Wait. You're telling me you aren't just a teenaged brat?"

"Rude! I'm just... petite, okay?" Syuen blushed.

"...Oh my god you're a loli baba."

Syuen gave me a blank look. "Really?"

"Wait." I paused. "Oh my god, it all makes sense. The closet perversion, the otaku streak with heroes, the attitude-"

"H-Hey! Why are you suddenly making fun of me, you bully?!"

I chuckled. "Sorry. It's just a bit funny considering that I have so many anime tropes around me. Don't worry, I know you're more than that though."

"H-Hmph. You'd better."

I composed myself and said, "Okay. But anyway... As I was saying, you aren't a monster. At least, by my definitions."

Syuen raised an eyebrow. "And what's a monster in your definition?"

"Something not human that only tries to destroy things. Like the Rapture Queen. Well, that, or something fundamentally opposed to humanity."

Syuen blinked. Then she stared at me with curiosity and... hope? "...And what about a person who kills others? Just because it's convenient?"

"Well, that's not being a 'monster.' That's just being evil. There's a difference, you know?" I paused. "And it also depends on the reason. Like, were they going to hurt you? Hurt others?" I shrugged. "I guess some people would consider taking life of any kind as a great sin... But you only get the luxury of doing good when you have the capacity of committing great evil, you know? Power decides good, not the other way around. If you lack power or strength, then you're just gambling on the world granting you mercy."

Syuen burst out laughing, tearing up. She brushed them out of her eyes and said, "God... Maxwell would hate you."

I blinked. "Maxwell and I get along great though?"

"No. I mean..." Syuen slowly calmed down and then quietly sighed. "...The Maxwell you know isn't the real Maxwell."

"Huh?" I blinked. "What do you mean?"

Syuen pursed her lips. Then she slowly said, "...Not every person that turns into a Nikke stays the same afterwards. You know that, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You need a strong will and self-image, right?"

"...It's more complicated than that. But yes." Syuen fiddled with the sleeves of her shirt. And then she said, "...What do you think happens to people who are turned to Nikkes when they don't want to be?"

"Well, if the soul doesn't transfer, because the nanomachines are biological in nature and can actually capture data about a person, you'd get functionally a clone- Oh."

"Yeah." Syuen quietly said. "...I didn't know what I do now. Fluctlight theory and all of that... if I knew, I could have saved her. But... the Maxwell right now is just a clone with the real Maxwell's memories and abilities. It's a different person."

I hummed and said, "That's a bit weird though... Does Maxwell have her original brain?"

Syuen blinked. "...Yes? Why?"

"If that's the case, I think it's probably more like dissociative identity disorder than an actual different person? And the NIMPH is probably exacerbating it by forcibly separating the two? I don't know the context... but it's probably something like how people get shell-shocked and another identity is born to cope."

Syuen's eyes widened. And then guilt, remorse, and hope all mixed together. "Are you saying... there's a chance the original Maxwell is in there?"

"I think it's probably like Rapi's situation with Red Hood?" I placed my hand on my chin to think. "In another life, if I didn't know what I knew... and if Rapi hadn't started getting a clear sense of self, then it's possible she would have dissolved herself into Red Hood's personality and relinquish her body? She'd be there, but it'd be in the subconscious."

Syuen quickly pressed her face against the screen, her eyes trembling with hope. "Y-You mean I can have her back?! The real her?!"

"Should we try it?"

Syuen opened her mouth to say yes. But then she paused and shook her head. "...Not yet." She let out a long breath. "...I haven't done enough. And since I know it's possible..." She paused again and looked frantic. "There isn't a time limit, is there?!"

"I don't think so? It's probably similar to being in a medically induced coma."

Syuen let out a sigh of relief. "Okay. Then... we'll start with me. I need to prove it to her."

"Prove what?"

Syuen looked at me and then said, "...That she was wrong. And that Nikkes CAN be the same person before and after. So... Hoopa."

"Yeah?"

Syuen stared at me. Then she pursed her lips and said, "...Turn me into a Nikke."

I hummed. "...I DO have a lot of Goddessium. And Laplace has been worried about you." I stood up, holding the tablet as I did. "But Syuen. Even if I install you into a Nikke body... or make a custom one for you. I'm not sure what will happen. After all, I'm pretty sure you're the first human to go through this."

"That's fine." Syuen looked determined and said, "...If something goes wrong, a monster dies and a hero is born. So it's fair."

"Hey." I tapped the screen. "No calling yourself a monster. I get to decide that term, and you aren't one."

Syuen rolled her eyes. "If you knew what I've done-"

"It's probably not that bad. You had people killed, turned some others into Nikkes, got people killed in research experiments, things like that, right?"

Syuen froze.

I gave her a warm smile. "See? That reaction right there. That's how I know you aren't a monster. You're just a girl who's never had the chance to do anything but lash out because the world's been trying to cut you down for too long."

"...I hate you." Syuen quietly said. "I hate how you can just... rip me apart like that and know how I am."

"Well." I walked towards the recycling center. "I'm pretty good at reading people. Always have been. But anyway..." I looked at the recycling center... my research lab.

It was in the distance, still glowing with soft fluorescent lights. "...Since I've been made a miracle man recently, what's one more, right?"