While Maya was building a new internet, Hikari was focused on the far more complex task of managing the human element. Her "gardening" had now expanded. Maya was the first outsider to be brought into their world, and the integration had to be flawless.
She arranged for the first "payment" to Maya. It wasn't a simple bank transfer, which could be traced. Instead, a series of anonymous, high-value cryptocurrency trades were made in Maya's name, netting her a small fortune. Then, an email arrived from a prestigious academic foundation, informing her she had been retroactively awarded a full, all-expenses-paid scholarship for "past academic excellence," complete with a generous stipend. The money was now clean, legitimate, and explainable. It was Hikari's financial artistry at its finest.
But her main focus was on the psychological integration. She knew that bringing Maya fully into their world couldn't happen entirely over a chat client. There had to be a human connection. A bond of trust had to be forged outside the sterile world of code and theory.
It was time for Kuro to step up.
She hacked into the university's course registration system and, using her flawless "Athena9" persona, sent a message to Maya.
**Athena9:** *Hey! Random, but I heard the university's observatory is doing a private showing of the Orion Nebula through the main telescope tonight for advanced astro-students. A friend of mine works there and said I could bring a guest. You and Kuro should go! It would be perfect for your cosmology project!*
She then sent a message to Kuro, from a spoofed university administration email address.
**[From: University Events Committee]**
**Subject: Mandatory Observation Session for Quantum Computing Majors**
*Dear Student, As part of your curriculum, a mandatory observation session will be held at the campus observatory this evening at 21:00. You will be paired with a student from the cosmology department to foster inter-departmental collaboration. Your assigned partner is Maya Williams. Attendance is required.*
It was a blatant, unapologetic manipulation. But Hikari knew it was a necessary one. She had created the perfect, academically-justifiable, low-pressure social scenario. A "date," disguised as a mandatory school event.
She watched from her remote feed as Kuro received the email, a look of profound annoyance and resignation on his face. He hated mandatory events. Then she watched as Maya received her message, a flicker of genuine excitement in her eyes.
The pieces were in place. The gardener had prepared the soil and arranged the lighting. Now, she just had to wait and see if anything would bloom in the dark.