In the darkness of the night, a few hours before Jimmy and the others returned home because they couldn't sleep, many were still absorbed in whatever entertained them.
By then, Jimmy had said goodbye to Jessie, who, apparently, had been honest with Leslie and told her everything.
Jimmy, for his part, was sitting under a tree while waiting for his parents to return to the hotel, sipping a warm drink. Next to him sat a silent Leslie, both gazing at the stars.
"I guess all of this, in the end, can't be replicated with simple programming."
He could feel the scent in the air, the deep breaths he took whenever he was alone—something he had been doing unconsciously.
Filling his lungs with air and enjoying the freshness of this place.
His ideal world didn't exist yet. He wanted the network he was creating to become a world where everyone could be immortal. If he managed to upload a considerable number of humans into the network, suffering would come to an end.
Jimmy would solve many of the world's problems through this.
Everyone would come after him for it. That's why, before launching the network to the market, he would need to disappear.
Over time, he had achieved things he never thought possible. Since leaving his hometown, his inventions had started to succeed one after another.
He had friends, loved ones, and parents who never scolded him or pushed him away from his dreams. Everything felt like a dream, something magical that could only happen in a delirium after death.
But he still missed things from his old city—one of those things being his friends and all the crazy things they used to do together.
"Still having trouble?" Leslie understood the kind of expression Jimmy was wearing.
"Is it that obvious?"
"It is…"
"Just a little, but I think I'm getting through it…" Jimmy replied, looking at Leslie sitting beside him, still watching the stars.
He had trusted her enough to share all his problems. That feeling of loneliness had completely vanished, and it was all thanks to Leslie, who supported him despite the short time they'd known each other.
Maybe that kind of pure friendship was something he had always needed.
He had never thought that all he really needed was company—to feel loved and cared for.
"Do you really think locking everything into code is the solution to all problems?"
"Of course I do. In there, you wouldn't have been on the brink of death—it would've been your decision."
"Decision to die?"
"Exactly. We're human, and we have short lives for a reason. So everyone would be free to die if they chose to." Jimmy would give humans something as close to the power of a god as possible.
Leslie didn't think that way, but she didn't say anything.
"I left you some gifts. I hope you see them when I'm gone…"
"Next time, I'll visit you," said Leslie as she stood up and extended her fist to bump with Jimmy's. "Thanks for saving my life."
"Oh, that was the least I could do," Jimmy replied with a smile. And just like that, with a truly charming friend, Jimmy ended his vacation.