Among the three files Sam had discovered through the commands from the strange book, the one named "Valkyrie" was the most complex and difficult to comprehend. The first file was, at least.
Just like the one in the Freyja folder, the first file was a blueprint titled "Project Valkyrie". It went through the process of creating the central processor housing the Valkyrie AI and how to cultivate one. Sam was a major in the field of nanotechnology, but even with that, he found it impossible to keep up with what he was reading.
Half of the jargon was beyond him, and a single night was far from enough to understand it all. One thing was clear, however. The central units housing the Valkyrie AI were on the level of quantum computers, which made him wonder how it was possible to make one that small, and where the energy to power it came from, not to mention the cooling system that prevented it from catching on fire.
Even after giving up halfway through, Sam still came out with a better understanding of the supercomputers, what a technological miracle they are, and how far ahead Odin was compared to the rest of the world.
The similarities with the file in the Freyja folder didn't stop there. After reading through the way the hardware is created, the first thing that followed was Odin's thoughts as he came up with the idea for his invention.
It was the same thing as the shells all over again, but this time, it was all about the AI side of the artificial lovers. Odin, who didn't like the way real women operated, decided to make AI partners to serve as his lovers. With that being the case, it was obvious that he wouldn't make their personalities anywhere near realistic. They had to be to his liking, checking every box on his list. To achieve that, he went and modeled them after fictional characters from the entertainment and media he always had an interest in: Japanese anime, manga, and games.
That's right. Humanity's hope. The genius whose creations keep the race going. The mysterious individual whose efforts pushed back the Calamities. That Odin is a fucking weeb.
'The giant tits should've been a dead giveaway…' was what Sam thought when reading the documents. Unrealistic personalities and unrealistic appearance. The genius had meticulously designed every aspect of the weapons to suit his perverted desires, and Sam couldn't be more thankful for that.
As he went through what he learned in the Freyja files, Sam glanced at the Valkyrie standing before him. Zero Five's maiden-like behavior was something missing from most women nowadays, let alone before the Calamities appeared. It was clear that she had been created to match certain preferences. She had no control over that aspect of herself, and no matter what she does or goes through, nothing will cause it to change.
It would be dehumanizing to expect something like that from a real woman, but an artificial one didn't have such a problem. No matter how much time passes, she will remain the same young beauty, always full of life and energy, even though she was made from cold alloy.
'Well, that description fits Zero Three a lot more…'
In the Valkyrie file with her name, Zero Five was described as a shy girl who doesn't show much emotion and appears cold to the public in her attempt to look normal. The only way to see through the act and get her to show her true character is to raise the right flags. Once someone meets the right conditions, she would start to show romantic interest in them, and that would be the sign that she had registered them as her master.
Sam had been prepared for a long battle, expecting to take some time to figure out the right conditions to capture the ponytailed Valkyrie. As it turned out, he had stumbled upon them at some point, and that was what brought him to the current situation.
Since he got her to drop the cold act and behave in a way she doesn't show other people, not to mention her desire to continue their intimate interactions, Sam was sure that the Valkyrie had chosen him to be his master.
'Was it the kiss?' He wondered.
Knowing what he now knew about the genius weeb, Sam was convinced of that answer. Still, would Odin be so foolish that he would tie the key to mastery over his Valkyries to a single kiss? In the first place, if he had intended for the Valkyries to be his alone, would he allow anyone else to be registered as their master?
'What if… What if he had implemented a trap of some kind?'
In his excitement to finally get to have a taste of the gorgeous female weapon, Sam had failed to think the matter more thoroughly. If Odin had put something in the Valkyries so they would react violently to other men, his life would've ended without him knowing why.
"Doctor?"
The lingering silence seemed to have prompted Zero Five to shake him out of his thoughts. Looking at her again, the idea of trying to confirm his suspicions came to him. The files didn't have any specific way to do it, so Sam could only think of one method.
Shaking off the hesitation that stopped him from moving, he approached the Valkyrie and placed his lips on hers. Stunned still, Zero Five was as stiff as a log as he pulled her into his embrace. His mind was put at ease when he noticed her relax soon after, and just as he thought of separating them, the ponytailed Valkyrie leaned into the kiss, as if to convey her wish for it to last longer.
Once she seemed to have her fill, Zero Five slowly moved away, her eyes glazed over as if she were in a daze. The kiss left a lot to be desired, but it was enough to fill Sam's heart with excitement. Before it could take over and force him to have another taste, Sam turned his attention to the task at hand.
"Say, Zero Five…" he said, drawing her eyes to his. "Even if it's not for the experiment, do you think we should still do these things?"
The Valkyrie stared at him for a few seconds, and as she seemed to come back to her senses, her blushing intensified until the rest of her face was beet red. Lowering her gaze, she said nothing and simply nodded. That was the only confirmation Sam needed, and with her still in his arms, he brought their lips together once more, allowing himself to enjoy his new status.
From this point onward, he was no longer a simple maintenance worker. He was now the Valkyrie's master, and though many would claim she didn't belong to him, the humanoid weapon would only ever listen to his orders.