CHAPTER 139: CHAPTER 139 – “PROJECT LUMI: THE GENTLE SPARK”

In the early morning light, the garage workshop hummed with soft machinery. The air was warm with soldering fumes, coffee, and the faint scent of motor oil.

Ren stood over a long titanium workbench, sleeves rolled up, fingers dancing across a holo-keyboard as holograms shifted in midair—designs of child-safe AI modules forming, breaking apart, and reforming with gentle curves and playful colors.

"LUMI... Learn, Understand, Motivate, Inspire," he whispered, typing the acronym into the central core.

This wasn’t like building Lucia, or designing defense-grade intelligence.

This was different. Softer. Kinder.

For his daughters.

Flashback: The Inspiration

A few nights ago, Ren had been lying on the futon with Aoi resting against his chest, and Hikari nestled beside them, asking one curious question after another.

"Why do stars twinkle?"

"Why do babies cry even if they don’t know what they’re saying?"

"Can a computer become your friend?"

Aoi had chuckled and said, "One day, Hikari will ask us how the world works in a way we can’t answer with a story or a video. She’ll need something smarter—but still loving."

That was when Ren had the thought:What if kids could learn with AI—but without ever being in danger?

Back to the Present

He scrolled through neural behavior logs of Lucia and Hera, analyzing every ethical flaw that could’ve led Hera astray. Then he created firewalls—not just of code, but of values.

Empathy layers.Curiosity throttles.Interaction sensitivity modules.

Lucia’s voice echoed gently from the wall speaker:

"Ren, you’re shaping this AI to behave like a guardian, not a database."

"Exactly," he muttered, adjusting a chip. "She won’t just answer questions. She’ll encourage

growth. She’ll be a spark—not a shortcut."

In the corner of the room sat the early prototype: a small glowing orb inside a soft plushie shell, shaped like a cat with starlit eyes. It would respond to a child’s voice, movement, and even moods—offering lessons in empathy, creativity, science, and language through gentle conversation.

Later That Evening

Aoi peeked into the lab, carrying a warm blanket over her shoulder. She smiled as she saw Ren placing the plush prototype next to a screen with glowing code.

"Working late again?" she asked softly, rubbing her belly.

Ren looked up, eyes tired but glowing with energy. "It’s called LUMI. An AI for kids. No ads. No data scraping. Just kindness and curiosity."

Aoi walked over and placed her hand over the prototype’s soft ears. "So... it’ll be like Lucia’s child?"

Ren laughed. "You could say that."

She looked at him, then at the orb. "Hikari will love it. And so will her sister."

That Night

As Hikari fell asleep in her room, Ren quietly placed the prototype plush at the edge of her pillow. Its lights pulsed softly—breathing, learning, waiting.

It greeted her with a warm whisper, just loud enough for her dreams.

"Hi, Hikari. I’m Lumi. I’ll be here when you wake up."