I decided to respond to Koro-sensei's impossible request and began my attempt to open a dialogue with the "Autonomously Intelligence Fixed Artillery."
I started simply, with a greeting and an introduction.
"Let's start by introducing ourselves."
"You are Nozaki Keiichi."
"Oh, so you know me?"
"Your name exists in the developer's database as the student who first succeeded in destroying one of the teacher's tentacles."
I understood then; she already had a background profile on me.
Since she knew about the tentacle incident, it might give me a slight advantage in persuading her.
That specific achievement was likely one of the reasons Terasaka and the others had joined my previous group assassination plan. A plan proposed by someone with a successful track record—that was the only trump card I held to convince this machine.
"So, what is the assassination plan you are proposing?"
She had taken the bait.
If Yoshida's words and my own intuition were correct, a machine only moves according to the commands entered into it.
However, she was an "Autonomously Intelligence" system, meaning she possessed the capacity for decision-making.
She certainly couldn't change her core, fundamental directives, but she was expected to think for herself regarding the methods and steps required to execute those orders.
If my hypothesis held true, once I proposed a method more efficient than the disruptive assassination she conducted during lessons, she would inevitably choose the superior option.
The major problem now was: Could I present that proposal effectively? Would I succeed in choosing the words that would convince her that my offer was the most efficient?
"During the Ethics class in the sixth period, I want you to join us in firing."
"Is firing during class not strictly prohibited?"
"..."
Everyone nearly shouted in unison, "You're the last person who should be talking about that!" but we barely managed to suppress our irritation.
Raising our voices would achieve nothing here. I had to remain calm and continue the dialogue.
"That isn't an issue. I've obtained permission from Koro-sensei, and my classmates agree. Right?"
I directed my question to my classmates who were watching the scene. Kurahashi-san nodded in agreement.
A sequence of supportive phrases and nods from the rest followed, providing me with the necessary backing for this negotiation.
"I refuse."
"... Why?"
"There is no benefit to me in this proposal."
Damn it, I knew she would say that. What should I do? What should I say?
Benefit for an AI... what interest would she gain by cooperating with us?
I entered my state of maximum focus, "The Zone," while I contemplated the structure of this artillery and her previous erratic attack.
Increasing the number of participants simply meant increasing the volume of the assault. During the morning session, Koro-sensei had analyzed the number of weapon muzzles she possessed.
Four shotguns and two machine guns. She had mentioned adding "secondary cannons." I didn't know where she had added them, but let's assume she added one muzzle per weapon as a high estimate.
In contrast, twenty-seven students from Class E would participate in the firing. This would benefit her in terms of fire density, and also save the effort and time she would have spent manufacturing or adding new muzzles herself.
According to what she said earlier, she calculates firing patterns, executes them, gathers data, and then recalculates to reach the kill probability before graduation.
She had set that probability at over 90%.
However, a 90% probability meant the remaining 10% consisted of "uncertain factors." Regardless of whether those factors were our interference or something else, her cooperation with us would significantly expand the scope of her success probability simulations. Perhaps the kill probability before graduation would increase even further.
This was the crack I would attack.
"To be honest, I can't fully grasp the number of your muzzles. This morning, you had four shotguns and two machine guns with secondary cannons. But in my opinion, that isn't enough, is it?"
"Exactly as you say. However, it poses no problem. As I stated this morning, the kill probability before graduation exceeds 90%, so I do not require your assistance."
She had resorted to the language of probabilities again. This was expected of a machine; even with the ability for autonomous thought, she chose the path with the highest theoretical probability. Even humans might do the same.
But she hadn't mentioned a number higher than 90, and there I saw my chance to win.
"A 90% probability of a kill means there is a 10% probability of failure, right? Our proposal is that we close that 10% gap."
"That is—"
"You increased your muzzles because you judged this morning that your firepower was insufficient, right? Since you are an AI, think about it simply: add the firepower of twenty-seven people on top of your current muzzles. Will the probability increase or decrease?"
I cut her off to put the question to her directly, stripping away any redundant information to focus on what was effective for her.
The artillery answered briefly:
"The probability will undoubtedly increase."
"See?"
"But, is it not sufficient for me to simply increase the number of my own muzzles?"
"True, you could cover it that way, but there is another advantage to cooperating with us."
"And what is that?"
Excellent, she was becoming interested. She had apparently judged that increasing firepower was in her interest. Had she not, she wouldn't have asked me, and could have ended the dialogue with a single "I don't care."
I felt confident and continued speaking without pause; losing her interest now would be a fatal blow.
"It's the firing position. Depending on the air pressure in the weapon, the time a bullet takes to reach the target differs between firing it from my seat or yours in the back, and firing it from the front rows where Isogai and the others sit. The difference might be fractions of a second, but our opponent moves at Mach 20. Any reduction in that time, however small, is a gain for us. Don't you agree?"
"... I have no objection to that."
I continued to press her with everything I had.
"And regarding the firing position, there's another point: the firing angle. Even if we fire from the rear, a bullet fired by Karma, who sits at the back of the row facing the podium, will arrive faster than your bullet fired from the far corner by the window. Correct?"
"That is correct."
"Different positions, different firing angles, and different bullet arrival times. If these elements harmonize, we will form a hail of fire more dense than anything you could create alone. Unless the robotic arms holding your muzzles can stretch all the way to Terasaka and Kimura's seats while bearing their own weight without breaking—but that's a different matter."
"────"
I listed the benefits of an alliance with us in rapid succession.
In truth, my comment about the strength of the robotic arms was a mere guess. However, since the arms emerging from the artillery looked very thin, I assumed in my question that they wouldn't withstand the physical stress the further they moved from the base.
"Think about the number of fire trajectories you've calculated, plus twenty-seven trajectories for every pound of fire. A dense barrage with a shared weave between us. What do you think? Will the assassination probability before graduation drop below 90% if we cooperate?"
"... I judge that the immediate calculation of these variables is difficult."
She said that and then went silent for several seconds. Silence filled the classroom as the classmates froze, watching us.
In that classroom, devoid of any human sound until the silence became painful, the sound of the artillery's processing echoed clearly.
After three full minutes, she finally decided to speak.
"Based on the calculation results, I judge that performing a collective firing operation with you is more efficient than forming a hail of fire alone. Therefore, I will participate in the group assassination during the sixth period."
"Great, that's good news."
"I will calculate possible fire trajectories based on your seat locations. Calculations are expected to finish within sixty minutes, and I will begin firing as soon as the sixth period starts. I look forward to working with you."
"Wait, hold on—"
The "character" image disappeared from the screen with an electronic cut-off sound. As we stood there stunned, the bell for the fifth period rang.
"Eh... did the negotiations succeed?"
"It seems so. And on top of that, we gained some peace during the fifth period. Well done, Nozaki!"
There would be no disruptive assassination during the fifth period. Upon realizing that, Okajima put his arm around my shoulder in congratulation.
Words of thanks and praise poured in from everyone. Karma watched us with a mocking smile, and Terasaka looked embarrassed, but I felt his gaze was softer than usual when our eyes met.
Therefore, I decided to continue giving instructions to everyone. We would use this time to restrict the artillery's movements.
"Listen, we'll give the artillery the time she needs to calculate. If she needs extra time, she might enter a 'sleep mode' like she just did. In the sixth period, we'll make her gather as much data as possible by firing from different angles and methods."
"You mean we'll give her a reason to always be forced to calculate."
"Exactly, Yoshida. A machine remains a machine; it only does what it's told. But since she's an AI, even if we can't cancel her primary order, we can show her different paths to reach the result, right?"
"Right."
"Then, we'll show her how efficient cooperation with us is—or rather, our utility value. If she's convinced that assassinating with us is more efficient, we'll be able to impose some of our conditions on her, won't we?"
"Logical, but will it really work that easily?"
"I don't know. But she said there was no benefit to her cooperating with us. Well, we'll tell her the same thing: 'There is no benefit to us in your cooperation. If you want to help us, stay quiet during lessons.' At least she's starting to realize our value, and for that reason, she's calculating now. So the probability isn't zero."
"... I see. You've planned this out well."
"I didn't expect to receive praise from Yoshida."
I said exactly what was on my mind, and irritation appeared on Yoshida's face.
I felt a sense of satisfaction for completing the task Koro-sensei had assigned me: "persuading" the new student.
However, despite this sense of achievement, Koro-sensei's words remained stuck in my chest.
"Nozaki-kun. She is also your classmate; you shouldn't treat her so coldly."
...How is my behavior now? Is what I did considered "cold"?
No, I did what I could do at this stage. Frankly, even if I'm told she's a super AI, all I feel is technical fascination. I couldn't yet consider an entity in the form of a machine that possesses human-like thought to be a true classmate.
"Oh, Nozaki-kun. Did you succeed in winning over and persuading the new classmate?"
"Yes, with great difficulty."
──
"Alright! Today's sixth period is a group assassination! I expect a lot from all of you! And by the way, since avoiding bullets all the time is boring, I'll perform some defensive moves occasionally!"
Koro-sensei said this as he stood behind the teacher's podium.
I turned toward the towering black spire beside me.
"Artillery, are you ready?"
"Yes, everything is ready."
Coinciding with her reply, countless muzzles emerged from the sides of the machine.
I confirmed she was ready, then turned my gaze toward my classmates who were waiting for my signal.
"Everyone... get ready!"
Everyone responded skillfully, aiming their weapons at Koro-sensei in the positions they had learned from Mr. Karasuma. Rifles, pistols, and machine guns—everyone was ready for a single target.
I thought for a moment: Is it normal for me to be the one giving orders? Aren't the class reps supposed to do that? But I continued the task and shouted the next command.
"Fire!!"
Thousands of bullets flew toward Koro-sensei. It seemed some had remembered my previous instructions, as they were firing to block his escape routes.
Thanks to the results of the firing pattern simulations conducted by the artillery, some bullets succeeded in grazing his tentacles, and yellow fluid splattered into the air.
"Hey, artillery! Is it going according to your simulation so far?!"
"No. The number of bullets that hit Koro-sensei exceeds my calculations by six. I need to redo the simulation."
"Then you need more information! Hey, Sugino! Do you have the ball stuffed with anti-teacher pellets?"
"Yes, should I throw it?"
"Throw it now! And be careful not to hit any of the classmates!"
"Roger...!"
Sugino nodded, pulled his special baseball from his desk, and tightened his grip on it.
"Artillery! Simulate the trajectory of Sugino's ball, and lay down a hail of fire at the point Koro-sensei will escape to!"
"... Acknowledged."
"Instructions for the rest! Listen, as we did in the previous group assassination, we'll divide roles between those who aim directly and those who block escape routes! The group from Isogai's side to the aisle blocks the escape routes! And the group from Okano's side to the window aims at Koro-sensei! And whoever has a 'secret weapon' like Sugino's ball, try it now!"
" " " Roger!! " " "
"Let's go!!"
Sugino threw the ball, and Koro-sensei dodged it. Although the ball didn't hit him, Koro-sensei—who was completely trapped by everyone's fire—lost the tip of one of his tentacles to a precise bullet from the artillery.
"Nyuyah?!"
I didn't miss Koro-sensei's moment of confusion and continued issuing orders.
"The teacher is rattled! This is your chance, don't stop! If you run out of ammo, pick up the pellets from the floor and throw them by hand! Just touching the pellets counts as a lethal hit!"
Based on this, some put down their weapons, gathered handfuls of pellets from the floor, and threw them at Koro-sensei.
Although the force was less than a weapon, throwing a handful of pellets made them spread like a shotgun blast, making the hail of fire more effective at closing off exits.
Sure enough, the artillery's bullets succeeded in destroying another of the trapped Koro-sensei's tentacles.
"I did not know such an attack style existed."
"Are you surprised? We still have plenty more!"
I entered "The Zone."
I analyzed the trajectories of the bullets fired from the artillery. I noticed that some trajectories repeated with extreme precision, so I directed my command to the best sniper in the class.
"Chiba! Fire with the angle raised three degrees to the right and one degree up. You'll be able to destroy a tentacle."
"What? Ah... okay, I get it."
The sound of Chiba's sniper rifle rang out clearly.
His bullet intersected with the artillery's firing patterns, destroying the piece of chalk Koro-sensei was using for defense and taking the tip of his tentacle with it.
"Impossible."
"Did you read my bullet trajectory and use a hidden bullet?"
"This level is manageable, and we have talented people in this class who can snip as precisely as I request. Chiba! Great job, keep it up."
"Ah... yeah!"
"Nozaki! Isn't there anything I can do?!"
"Maehara and the group in the front rows! Create a human wall like we did before! The pellet boxes are in your desks, empty them all! It's fine; we're the ones who'll clean the classroom in the end anyway!"
" " " Leave it to us!! " " "
"Nyuyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!?"
Koro-sensei's screams filled the air.
The welcome party—or rather, the group assassination—continued until the end of the sixth period.
●○●○●
" " " Ah... ah... " " "
" " " W-We're really exhausted. " " "
We were in a state of extreme fatigue. This was the first time we had spent a full hour in continuous assassination.
But the results were impressive; we had grazed Koro-sensei several times and succeeded in cutting four tentacles.
"N-Nuru-fu-fu-fu, you still... need... more... ah... ah..."
Even Koro-sensei was panting heavily from exhaustion. But I had to finish what I started, so I turned toward the artillery.
"What do you think, artillery? How was the result of your cooperation with us?"
"Beyond expectations. At this rate, the kill probability before graduation is 100%... in fact, there is a possibility of executing it much earlier."
"... I see."
It seemed we had earned this artillery's recognition of our abilities.
"From now on, I will include the abilities of Nozaki-san and the rest in my calculations to continue the assassination. Based on that, the success rate will be..."
As she began to recalculate, assuming our continuous cooperation, I interrupted her with a cold and perhaps slightly mean tone:
"What are you talking about?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"Is there any benefit to us in cooperating with you?"
And so began the second chapter of the verbal battle between me and the AI, but this time concerning the "existence of benefit" or lack thereof.
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