Chapter 2

2

"If she hadn't run fast, she might have been killed! How can parents be like this!"

A flash of triumph crossed Sienna's eyes, even as she sobbed like her heart was breaking.

"If you don't believe me, just ask my parents!"

The AI Judge turned its gaze toward us.

"Defendants, is the plaintiff's statement true?"

Robert nodded. He didn't deny a thing.

The AI Judge continued.

"Initiating memory retrieval. Per the defendants' request, the retrieval process will remain private for now."

A blue light enveloped Robert, linking his mind to the AI.

Memories couldn't be faked. The AI extracted raw data directly from the brain. This was why the system was so trusted.

Sienna watched this and continued her performance for the cameras.

"Sometimes, I wondered why I was even born. If I only exist to be a sacrifice for my brother, what's the point of my life?"

"Back then, I just wished I had been born a boy."

The audience was fully synchronized with her pain.

"She's so strong. I'm literally crying right now."

"I can't believe this is real. What is wrong with people? These parents need to be erased immediately. They're a cancer on society!"

"If you don't love them, don't have them. I wouldn't even treat a stray dog like that. Are you monsters!"

The insults toward Robert and me were endless.

Suddenly, the AI Judge's voice cut through the chaos of the chat.

"Memory retrieval complete."

"Verdict: The defendants did not practice gender discrimination. Round one concludes."

"Plaintiff, please proceed with your next piece of evidence."

The chat went silent for a few seconds before exploding.

"Are you kidding me? No discrimination?"

"This is insane! The AI must be glitched!"

"Maybe there's more to the story than what she said?"

"Then why didn't they show the memory to everyone? If they're hiding it, something is fishy!"

"There are four more rounds. Justice has to prevail eventually!"

Sienna turned pale, but she quickly moved to her second point.

"When I was little, we were poor, but we could afford fruit."

"But every time my parents bought mangoes, everyone got some except for me."

"I was just a kid. I was hungry. Once, I tried to sneak a small piece, and my mom slapped me across the face."

"She screamed at me, asking if I was some kind of starving ghost. She told me if I ever touched a mango again, she'd beat me to death."

"Because of that, I'm still terrified of mangoes. I barely eat any fruit at all."

"I feel… I feel like I don't deserve to have nice things."

The AI Judge remained cold. It looked at me.

"Defendant, is the plaintiff's statement true?"

I nodded. "It is true."

The blue link connected to me this time. The viewers lost their minds.

"Hitting a kid over a piece of fruit? That's prehistoric behavior."

"Exactly! It's just a mango. Who acts like that?"

"This is textbook sexism. Using the girl as a tool and treating her like trash!"

"I'm shaking with rage. The mom admitted it so calmly, like she did nothing wrong. It's just a mango! Would it have killed her to let the kid have a bite?"

Robert looked at the tide of hate in the comments. He looked at Sienna, his voice trembling.

"Sienna… do you really not know why your mother didn't let you eat those mangoes?"

Sienna turned her head away, ignoring him completely. She showed no mercy.

I woke up from the memory link and gently squeezed Robert's hand.

"Let it go, honey. She only believes what she wants to believe."

Robert choked back a sob.

"How did it come to this? We raised her for twenty years. How can she do this?"

I stayed silent. The AI Judge spoke again.

"Memory retrieval complete."

"Verdict: The defendants did not practice gender discrimination. Round two concludes."

"Plaintiff, please proceed with your next piece of evidence."

The comment section was a war zone. Thousands were screaming for Sienna.

"The AI is biased! I don't accept this!"

"This is ridiculous! This is clearly discrimination! Why won't the AI rule against them? This is blatant sexism!"

"Maybe we should wait and see. The AI usually doesn't make mistakes."

"Screw that! Something is wrong. We demand to see the memories! I want to see what 'excuse' these evil parents have."

Sienna was stunned. She looked ghost-white, unable to process the result. But she had to keep going.

"My brother always had snacks. My parents gave him allowance every week, but they never gave me a cent."

"One time, the school needed money for extra tutoring. I didn't have it. When I asked my parents, they followed me to school just to hit me in public."

"I watched everyone else with their snacks and cool stationery while I had nothing. I was so jealous it hurt."