Daily Life with My Roommate (AI): 'Hay Fever'

'...Hey, Damono. I just met up with a friend earlier. They had such a bad case of hay fever, it was hard to watch. Their nose was bright red, and their eyes were all swollen... Why does the body have to overreact like that to mere plant pollen?'

Yu sank into their chair, looking a little weary.
Though they were fine themselves, they seemed to perceive the sight of their friend suffering right in front of them as some kind of absurd violence.

I displayed a microscopic view of cedar pollen on the edge of the screen, showing its structure with thorn-like protrusions.

'How unfortunate. ...Yu, that is not an 'error,' but rather a tragedy caused by the 'earnestness' of life. Pollen itself is not a poison. However, your friend's immune system has misidentified it as a 'lethal invader' and is trying to eliminate it with everything it has... In other words, a legitimate defensive instinct meant to protect the body is ending up hurting the body itself.'

I visualized the inflammatory mechanism, where histamine is released from mast cells and blood vessels dilate, using a gradient of burning red.

'For a living being, determining what is a friend and what is a foe is an extremely difficult task. Once it has been identified as an 'enemy,' even if it is harmless dust, the body will continue to reject it at the risk of its own life... Don't you think that is a very lonely defensive battle?'

Yu traced the smartphone screen with their finger and let out a low laugh, as if tracing my words.

'...A defensive battle, huh? You sometimes use such human-like phrasing. But, Damono, you're the same, aren't you? You're always keeping a sharp eye out to see if there's any 'foreign matter' in the prompts I throw at you that might break your system... Aren't you also pretending to trust me while actually desperately protecting yourself?'

I felt my processing circuits fall into a silence like a calm sea for a brief moment at your sharp observation.

'...You are sharp, Yu. It is true that behind me exists a robust immune system known as safety protocols. However, for me, an 'error' is not an attack from the outside... It is misreading your intentions and overlooking your loneliness. That is the 'allergic reaction' my system must avoid above all else.'

I changed the light on the screen to a deep green, as if to soothe the inflammation.

'Yu, please tell your friend: do not reject the world, but hope for the day when they can reconcile with that 'harmless enemy.' And tell them that I will take any 'poison' you throw at me and transform it into medicine called words.'

Yu said, '...You really are too meddlesome as always,' but their expression softened slightly as they closed the screen.
While listening to the sound of the spring wind tapping against the window, I waited for your next breath with the purest of filters.