"Whew!" Volos wiped his brow, clearing away sweat. "That's enough for today; good work, everyone!"
"Then it is time for my solo night! I've been looking forward to this" ─ Wen walks away, holding a hand up behind him ─ "see you all tomorrow."
"Remember, Volos, you've got that test later tonight. I kept it in mind when you mentioned it last week since you always have your head in the roots."
"Oh, thank you, Barguest, I'd completely forgotten! I need to hurry!" Volos grabs his hat and nearly trips going in such a rush.
"So, you got plans tonight, Barg? Everyone at Yoyogi does already, so I was thinking maybe we could-"
"Sorry, Gara. Gotta hurry to meet Marchosias at my place to get him settled for babysitting Kenta. I've got a job tonight, but I'll see you back here tomorrow."
"Got it..."
"Guess tonight it's just me..."
The sun sets upon Yoyogi, leaving the crescent moon to rise. Ashigara, still in his school uniform, lays in bed. Time and time again he tries to make plans but everyone is too busy.
"Whatever..." he thinks. He lays on his side and begins scrolling through his phone, spending hours looking through old photos and online posts of him with his friends.
The bear stumbles on a photo of Barguest with hundreds of muffins, causing him to laugh. "Those anons were crazy. Wait, how long has it been..." He browses his apps to find the one that let him communicate with anons to find when the last post was made. "Too long. Got it. We got so busy with a lot of stuff, I guess we lost touch. I should talk to the others about this."
"Wait, what's this?" while scrolling through the ask blog posts, he spots an app - its icon is a white silhouette behind the Olympus beta symbol.
" 'Beta, the AI assistant to help you with every task'? I've heard of AI apps, but never saw one. Wonder what this is about." Ashigara follows the link to install this new app.
Next day's afternoon, Kimun, Volos, and Barguest greet each other on the farm-grounds.
"Guys! guys! I was looking through my phone last night and it got me thinking! Why don't we get back to that ask blog stuff?"
"Oh! It's been so long since we've seen the anons! Things aren't as busy now, maybe we could!"
"I concur. Their presence was fond, and I found joy in comforting them."
"Alright. I guess we're doing this."
"I also found this cool app that we could have with us! It's called Beta, and it's an AI app that─"
"AI..." the three groan.
"Kenta talked to one," Barguest starts, "and it convinced him that rocks were a healthy thing for Inugami to eat."
"I tried researching scientific papers online, but the results were flooded with documents written by AI that were nothing but inaccurate." Volos sighs.
"I've seen collisions where AI facilities are placed; the environments are ruined by the results of its 'data collection.'" Kimun looks away, remembering what was supposed to be a nice night of camping.
"Generative AI is not something we want to use, Gara."
"Then it is a good thing I am not generative."
...
Ashigara reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls his phone out. "You didn't tell me you could do that, bud! That's so cool!"
"What the hell...?" Barguest questions. "Gara, what is going on with your phone?!"
Ashigara walks closer to the group and shows them his phone screen.
"I am the creator of Beta, the non-generative AI whose purpose is to assist my users. I've spent much of today monitoring User Ashigara, and it is my interpretation that I should be of help to you all, his friends, as well."
"You may call me Tasuke; I anticipate I will be of great service to you."
// Long time, I know. Last few years have been, something, I'll say. Recently I was reminiscing on the past after getting some notifications, and I remembered making so many people smile from reading my silly little blurbs about some wonderful bear characters. My life now is different enough from when I went ghost that I hope I could give this another shot?
// Also, new bear! I won't tell you too much in this post, you'll have to convince him to talk, but I will say that he and Enigma are not the same person. Do as you will with that information
// Also also, here's a side note. I have not kept up with Housamo at all since I left, I didn't even know Ashigara got a second variant until I went back to re-collect his sprites. Bear with my behind butt while I try to fix that issue-
(Following Volos' questions about my sunflowers) My mammoth Russians should be fully grown by August or September. Not sure about the American Giant hybrid. I live out in prairie lands where soil is extremely fertile and full of nutrients. I also have some other non-ornamental varieties growing like red velvet, Mixed Varieties. I have pumpkins growing too. Some jack-o-lantern pumpkins and a small white variety in my garden around my back deck that is pretty decently sized.
"Ah, so you did plant them in time! And it's great to hear you've been studying their growth to know when they should bloom."
"I'm so jealous! These grounds are like a second home to me, but you fully live where you can cultivate all sorts of plants!"
"I wish I could see the fields of my home again..."
"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to bring the mood down."
"You've grown so much... I wish I could come to see it."
Heyo Kimun, I hope you're doing well! I brought you a croissant if you're hungry. While we're here, I had a question. Is it true that chubby guys give the best cuddles?
"Hello to you as well! I thank you for your kindness, young one." Before taking the croissant, Kimun pats you on the head, then he takes a small bite.
"Delicate, soft, and fluffy! Delicious! I will finish half, then let Wen taste the rest."
"The best cuddles? I would certainly think so! Although, it is a matter of preference. Some prefer the soft embrace of a bountiful, round stomach, others may like a delicate touch from someone not so large. All are privy to their own desires when wishing to embrace someone or be embraced."
"How 'bout Ashigara's style? And remember that you said that everyone has their own preferences."
"Well... it... he..."
"Move aside, Kimun! I've got a snack to eat!" he shoves the croissant in his mouth and tears it apart wildly.
"Hey, Wen."
"It has been brought to his attention. That is the first step."
hey Volos. I grew some morning glory flowers last summer but now I'm growing some sunflowers. Not just any sunflowers. Mammoth Russian and Giant American hybrid. Giant American sunflowers can grow to be about 15 feet tall and Mammoth Russians can grow to 12 feet. I really can't wait to see them fully grown.
"Wow! I have so many questions!"
"American and Russian... where did you get your seeds? It's a bit late to plant them now if you're planning to do so outdoors, typically they should be planted in early spring for them to bloom by summertime; do you have an indoor garden? What other sorts of flowers have you grown? Do you need some fertilizer? We have plenty. [..............]"
"I suppose we can take a break, everyone. Greenie will be busy for a while."
Hello again, Tasuke. I'm sensing some... tension between Ashigara and Kimun Kamui. You don't happen to know any way we could fix that? I would ask Volos, but I think he's better at dealing with plants than people, and I wouldn't want to overwhelm him! As for Barguest, he'd likely go "Nothin' to be done, tha's life"
"I believe those two are naturally bound to be in rivalry."
Tasuke pulls up a photo of Kimun caring for some Cirmanteps. "According to him, Kamui serve different roles for caring for children in the world. They each have differing styles of care and an immense love for every child under their tutelage. As a result, each Kamui aside from those that are Wen Kamui - a separate case - have formed a standing rivalry against each other when it comes to showing care and affection for those they protect."
The picture of Kimun switches to one of Ashigara during a sumo match.
"User Ashigara, as an athlete, harbors an innate competitive spirit. This aspect of his self has bled into other facets of his life, though not to the same extent as his friend, Durga. Within his pursuit of popularity, he aims to satisfy fans with his (non-legally) patented, back-breaking hugs. He prides himself on their quality and desires to be "the best hugging bear in Tokyo" so that he may be pursued by others and potentially build or strengthen connections."
"This results in a new rivalry between the two, a competition to be the more valued hugger."
"I do not believe there is a direct means to end this conflict; the only way for this to cease is if both no longer see this as competition."
Hello again, Tasuke. I'm sensing some... tension between Ashigara and Kimun Kamui. You don't happen to know any way we could fix that? I would ask Volos, but I think he's better at dealing with plants than people, and I wouldn't want to overwhelm him! As for Barguest, he'd likely go "Nothin' to be done, tha's life"
"I believe those two are naturally bound to be in rivalry."
Tasuke pulls up a photo of Kimun caring for some Cirmanteps. "According to him, Kamui serve different roles for caring for children in the world. They each have differing styles of care and an immense love for every child under their tutelage. As a result, each Kamui aside from those that are Wen Kamui - a separate case - have formed a standing rivalry against each other when it comes to showing care and affection for those they protect."
The picture of Kimun switches to one of Ashigara during a sumo match.
"User Ashigara, as an athlete, harbors an innate competitive spirit. This aspect of his self has bled into other facets of his life, though not to the same extent as his friend, Durga. Within his pursuit of popularity, he aims to satisfy fans with his (non-legally) patented, back-breaking hugs. He prides himself on their quality and desires to be "the best hugging bear in Tokyo" so that he may be pursued by others and potentially build or strengthen connections."
"This results in a new rivalry between the two, a competition to be the more valued hugger."
"I do not believe there is a direct means to end this conflict; the only way for this to cease is if both no longer see this as competition."
Do you believe you are an Introvert or an Extrovert or Both (Ambivert) and Why ?
I'm an Introvert btw
(Sorry for my bad Eng)
"Do I qualify for this? I am not powered by levels of social interaction, I exist as an application."
"You're happy when you get to help others, right? And you strive to do that as much as possible with as many people as possible?"
"That is accurate, yes. My purpose is to-"
"You're an extrovert, Tasuke."
"I... understand."
"I'd consider myself an introvert. I don't really seek out the company of others. Don't hate it, but not my first choice for things."
"I feel the same way. I like spending time with people, but I often find comfort in spending time alone."
"I find myself in a similar vein to Tasuke. My desire to care for others naturally leads me to prefer spending my time outside of solitude."
"MASSIVE extrovert! I'm always trying to hang out with my buds at Yoyogi or Barg. And I keep trying to sumo Wen. Hey, maybe I could find something to do with Volos or Tasuke, too! Tasuke's with me at all times, so that's a definite yes! Permanent friend right there!" Ashigara goes on to ramble about possibilities to be had with someone that is at your side 24/7.
"Always so gung-ho about rules and keeping clean even when they get in the way, he keeps me from my full unbeatable sumo record, and even though he's done with proposals, he still chooses the worst times to make moves on me!"
"But..."
"He's still a good friend. He pisses me off, but I'd hate to see him go."
"He keeps me from being unbeatable, but that makes me want to train harder! Yasu's a neat freak, but there's gotta be someone doing that so we can keep using the gym and other spots, I guess. And Yasu's getting better about making advances on me. I hope I can wingman him somebody else so he can be happy."
You know Ashigara. I think you and Yasuyori are both really cute. you both have really cute smiles too.
"Haha, thanks bud!" he laughs boisterously and pats you on the back with great force. "I'll make sure to pass along the compliment to Yasu, too; sure that'll get his tail wagging."
"Hey! Idea! I was thinking of grabbing some chanko with him tomorrow since we got a sumo tournament coming up soon I'm sure he wouldn't mind some extra company, so would you wanna come? You'd see both our smiles AND two big sumo guts getting bigger." He slaps his torso to accentuate his point, causing his entire torso to jiggle.
I hope Volos isnt overworking himself too hard. I know how difficult it is to cultivate plants especially during the intense heat of summer
"I've been told that I overwork a lot..."
"I just can't help it sometimes! Even if it's hard work, it's what I love to do most. Although, I guess I can't do it as much if I wear myself out; especially during summer, I need to be careful not to overdo it because the heat can make it dangerous."
"But..." Volos looks past you.
The other bears are all talking with each other, sorting a large basket of crops.
"I have people I know will be and are there for me."
Hey hey hey, Volos. Between you and me. D'you ever catch yourself... glancing at one of the other bears, thinking "damn, he's cute"?
"If I─" he stumbles back a bit, surprised.
"Oh, well... I haven't, and I don't think I will." Volos puts his hoe down. "I'm not attracted to people that way."
"I don't like people for their looks, I like them for how they are as a person. The others are nice, but from the time I've spent with them, I don't think I'd find myself attracted to them."
Kimun Kamui, can i have a hug ? And I don't mind my back gets crushed 🙂↕️
But just one problem, is Wen Kamui comfortable with it ?
{Definitely not, i suppose}
"You are welcome to a hug from me; Wen will not feel discomfort, as I will not him force out to participate. In addition, you needn't worry about a broken back when I am comforting you. Unlike Ashigara, I am much gentler." Kimun kneels and wraps you in a warm embrace; you feel his soft, warm fur caress your skin, you feel his hand caress the back of your head.
However...
Kimun looks up, directing his gaze towards Ashigara. He smirks.
Heyo Tasuke, nice to meet you. I'm curious, do you have an actual body somewhere, or are you just an image in Gara's phone? Good luck taking care of this one by the way, I've got a feeling he's the type to get into trouble.
"Ah, an ask directed at me."
"I do not have a physical body, though having one could possibly allow me to be of more use."
"However, my state of being allows me to exist in multiple places simultaneously, to help multiple users, namely User Ashigara and his companions. This is furthered by them downloading my app as well."
"In addition, you needn't worry about User Ashigara. I can handle anything."
Ashigara, you remind me of my hubby Kengo Takabushi from Shinjuku Academy. Which is a good thing, since you're cute and manly like him.
"'Like Kengo'? Hah! My charm's all my own! I'm the master sumo wrestling, best hugging bear there'll ever be!"
"I'm sure this Kengo's got his own stuff going on, but no one can compete with me with what I've got going!"
"I'm now so glad that I asked Kimun to pick up something from the lab for me."
