Seijirou glanced up from the thick hardcover in his hands, his tone casual yet direct.
"You interested in AI?"
Touka visibly flinched, as if the very act of being addressed had sent a jolt down her spine.
Her long bangs shifted slightly, revealing the faint gleam of her eyes behind her glasses.
After a hesitant pause, she gave a quick nod, her voice faint. "Y-Yes…"
Seijirou leaned back slightly, studying her reaction with a trace of amusement.
If his memory of the game was correct, Fujiwara Touka was the very same woman who, in the future of this world, would become the creator of this world's equivalent of ChatGPT.
An AI so advanced and adaptive that it revolutionized the global tech industry, cementing her name among the richest and most influential people on the planet.
All of that stemmed from the foundations she laid right here in high school, when artificial intelligence was still nothing more than clunky programs and vague research papers.
Holding the book between his fingers, Seijirou extended it toward her. "Take it. I don't need it anyway."
Touka blinked, startled by his generosity, her lips parting slightly as if she wasn't sure if this was some sort of trap.
She shook her head quickly, her fingers clutching the edges of her jacket. "N-No… you found it first. I can just… b-borrow it after you're done."
Seijirou studied her, then shrugged, deciding not to press the matter.
Truthfully, he also needed the book. He needed to learn anything he can about Artificial intelligence for their group project next week.
He believed that Haruka and Rei would also head to the library after they finished eating.
He gave Touka a light nod and dropped into a seat at one of the nearby tables, flipping open the cover.
The faint scent of paper and ink filled his nose.
On the first page, the author described artificial intelligence as "a field of study dedicated to creating systems that can perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, perception, and decision-making."
Truthfully, although AI was also quite mature in his previous world, he doesn't know many things about it, only some basics and what he learned watching from short videos.
Seijirou skimmed further, his eyes narrowing.
The introduction outlined the distinction between "narrow AI" and "general AI."
Narrow AI being specialized programs designed for a single task—like speech recognition, image classification, or even the recommendation systems on online shops.
General AI, on the other hand, was theoretical, a system capable of thinking, adapting, and learning across multiple domains just like a human mind.
A line caught his eye: The future of AI will likely hinge on breakthroughs in neural networks, deep learning, and natural language processing, fields still in their infancy but with vast potential.
Seijirou smirked faintly. So this world really was decades behind the one he came from.
Neural nets, LLMs, machine learning—all things that were already advancing rapidly in his old world were still primitive here.
He tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking that if he played this smart, he could leap ahead of the curve.
If he told his parents about it, they will surely make a fortune.
If he remembered from a video he had watched, AI industry was worth almost 400 billion, and is even projected to reach trillions by 2030.
If his parents could ride on this industry, forget about wasting tax payer money, they can live comfortably on their own.
Just then, faint sound of a chair scraping drew his attention.
Touka had seated herself across from him, her small frame half-hidden by the desk, clutching her own book tightly.
The title in her hands was about coding fundamentals, lines of algorithms and syntax scrawled on the cover.
She caught his gaze for the briefest moment and offered the smallest, shyest smile before lowering her head again.
It wasn't much, just a subtle upturn of her lips, but it carried a strange sense of relief.
Like she was glad someone else was here, reading, maybe even sharing her interest.
Seijirou returned the nod, keeping his expression neutral, and turned back to his book.
They sat there in silence, the still air of the library wrapping around them.
Each flipping through their pages, each pretending not to notice the other's presence, but quietly acknowledging it nonetheless.
Seijirou thought to himself, 'She probably thinks I'm some tech nerd like her. That we're alike. Hah. If only she knew.'
They stayed like that for awhile. Silent, minding their own business and reading their own books.
However, the quiet rhythm of pages turning was broken when another student suddenly stepped into view.
He was tall, well-kept, handsome in a clean-cut way, with neat black hair that framed his glasses.
A book was tucked under his arm, and his voice carried a warm, familiar tone as he greeted, "Fujiwara-san, what a coincidence seeing you here."
Seijirou lifted his eyes only briefly, giving the boy a single glance before returning to his own reading.
His sharp gaze flickered, appraising, then dismissed him.
Could this be him? he wondered. The faceless, nameless NPC who would eventually become Fujiwara Touka's high school sweetheart, the one who would stay by her side, and later become her husband as she rose to unimaginable success.
The man who never had a story, never had a role, yet whose presence shaped her happiest ending.
Seijirou smirked faintly at the thought. If it is him, then so what. That's not my business.
Touka looked up from her book, startled, before recognizing him. Her voice came out soft and reserved, as it always did.
"Ah… Goudo-kun… good afternoon." She gave a polite bow of her head, her bangs shifting just enough for her eyes to peek through, uncertain yet polite.
The boy, Goudo, leaned a little closer, his expression brightening with recognition, but then something on her desk caught his attention.
His brows lifted when he noticed the book she was reading.
"You're… interested in coding too?" he asked, sounding surprised yet delighted.
Without hesitation, he lifted the book he was carrying, showing her the title.
It was another introduction to programming, the same subject Touka held in her hands.
For a moment, Seijirou thought Touka would shy away, as she usually did, retreating into her timid shell.
But then, under the shadow of her bangs, her eyes seemed to sparkle faintly, as though a light had been lit inside them.
She raised her head slightly, her lips parting, and to Seijirou's mild surprise, her stutter was gone.
She answered Goudo in a voice steadier than before, speaking about coding languages, programming fundamentals, and the simple projects she had tried on her own laptop.
From there, the two began to exchange ideas, their words tumbling out faster and faster.
Goudo spoke about algorithms and logical flow, Touka countered with the excitement of learning new syntax, and before long, their conversation carried a rhythm of its own.
It was hesitant at first, but as Touka leaned into it, she seemed to shed her timid demeanor, her voice growing lighter, her words more fluid, as if she had momentarily forgotten the timid girl she usually showed to the world.
Seijirou, however, found his patience thinning with every word.
The low hum of their back-and-forth grated against the silence he craved.
Finally, with deliberate force, he snapped his book shut.
The sound was sharp in the stillness, loud enough to slice through their chatter, yet controlled enough not to truly disrupt the sanctity of the library.
The old clerk at the counter lifted her eyes, her sharp gaze flicking their way for a moment, before she lowered her head again, uninterested, resuming her quiet reading.
Seijirou exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing, his tone cold and biting as he glared at the pair. "Shut the hell up."
The effect was immediate. Touka flinched, her shoulders trembling, the faint color that had risen to her cheeks draining away.
Her lips quivered, and she muttered the softest, almost inaudible, "S-sorry…" as she ducked her head once more.
Goudo, on the other hand, froze where he stood, his face twisting in shock. He stared at Seijirou, his voice faltering.
"W-Wait… you're…" Recognition dawned in his wide eyes, and his expression paled. "K-Kageyama… Seijirou…"
The name dropped heavily in the air.
Touka blinked, startled, her gaze darting between the two boys. She had heard that name before, of course—who at this school hadn't?
Rumors whispered in corridors, stories told in hushed tones, tales of violence, intimidation, and an aura that made even teachers wary.
Yet, up until now, she had never actually seen him with her own eyes. After all, she's mostly in the library.
So this was him. The infamous Kageyama Seijirou.
Her gaze lingered, hesitant, cautious, but as she studied his face beneath the library's pale lighting, she found herself quietly surprised.
His presence was sharp, his aura heavy, his eyes like blades—but his features themselves weren't monstrous. If anything, his appearance carried a certain refined sharpness, not at all like the exaggerated depictions that circulated in school gossip.
Touka lowered her eyes again, hiding the faint flicker of thought that crossed her mind.
He doesn't look as bad as the rumors say.