"Kanade, are you adjusting well?"
Yuki smiled as he asked Kanade Tachibana, walking over to her and gently reaching out to stroke her soft, silver hair.
"Mhm! I feel much better now. I can do exercises I never dared to try before."
Kanade didn't shy away, allowing Yuki's hand to rest on her head. The girl looked up at the handsome young man, her amber eyes shining with an indescribable light—a mix of gratitude and affection.
Indeed, ever since Yuki saved her from her illness, Kanade felt truly rescued for the first time. Her heart swelled with infinite gratitude towards him. Over the past month of getting along, she gradually came to understand this handsome young man. And the more she understood, the more her heart was drawn to him. Unknowingly, Kanade fell in love with Yuki, growing deeply dependent on him.
"Have you been exercising a lot lately? You should be careful not to overdo it. Even though your heart condition is completely cured, excessive exercise can still strain your body's functions."
Yuki spoke to her in an admonishing tone.
"I know."
Kanade Tachibana nodded. She naturally had a reasonable plan for her exercise time; she didn't need Yuki's reminder. After finally getting better, she certainly didn't want to cause any new trouble.
"Yuki, you're so naggy, just like my mom."
Kanade didn't forget to tease Yuki with her usual expressionless face.
Hearing this, Yuki couldn't help but smile wryly.
"I might not be your mom, but I am your doctor."
Yuki gently pinched Kanade's cream-like cheek, then led her further into the institute.
"You didn't call me here just to say that, did you?"
Yuki took Kanade to a spacious room, sitting down and gesturing for her to sit as well. This was essentially where Kanade lived. Upon entering, there was a living room and kitchen, with two rooms and a bathroom on the side.
Yuki kept Kanade here not only to monitor her recovery but also to have more opportunities to interact with her. Previously, Yuki visited about three times a week. Kanade's recovery was remarkable. From the first day after treatment ended, she no longer felt the occasional dull pain and blockage in her heart. Later, she could even engage in more intense exercise, which had excited her for quite a while.
This underground facility housed no other living person besides Kanade. Taking care of her was entrusted to the artificial intelligence robots Yuki had developed. Essentially, the entire institute operated under AI control. One central AI acted as the mastermind, directing other robots to conduct research on Yuki's projects while also caring for Kanade.
For this AI, Yuki thought of the system AI from the original Date A Live work—Kurumi Tokisaki's AI, "Maria"?
In the original work, Maria was the management AI of the Fraxinus ship's computer system; the romance options for the protagonist when pursuing Spirits were arranged and set by Maria.
Remembering this, Yuki named the AI he created Maria Arusu.
Kanade sat beside Yuki, leaning her head lightly against his shoulder.
"Of course not. It's just... staying here recently feels so boring."
Kanade stated flatly.
"Bored? Well, you have been here for quite a while. But if you say that, Maria might get upset. After all, she's been taking care of you all this time."
Yuki teased.
At that moment, a distinctly human-like female voice, different from the usual electronic tones, echoed in the room.
"Yuki-sama, Maria does not feel angry. Or rather, emotions like anger do not exist within my database."
A virtual screen projected into the air, displaying the image of a woman addressing Yuki and Kanade. The speaker was clearly the AI, Maria Arusu.
When Yuki created her, he thoughtfully designed her appearance based entirely on Maria's original image: long silver-white hair, teal-blue eyes, dressed in a black and white nun-like outfit.
"Alright, I understand, Maria." Yuki shrugged helplessly, while a faint smile appeared on Kanade's face beside him.
At that moment, Maria spoke again.
"Based on recent observations of Miss Tachibana's physical data, her condition is now completely no different from a healthy individual. Her physical ability level is entirely above the healthy average. Therefore, Yuki-sama, it would indeed be advisable to consider taking Miss Tachibana outside."
As she spoke, Maria displayed numerous virtual screens showing various data for Yuki to see.
Seeing this, Yuki waved his hand, dismissing the data displays.
"Alright, alright, I get it! Kanade, you want to go home, right? It makes sense; you've only been communicating with your parents through screens this past month. If I don't let you go back soon, they might think I sold you off."
Yuki spread his hands helplessly.
Beside him, Kanade nodded with a light smile.
"I want to see my father and mother in person this time. But... I also want to spend more time by Yuki's side."
Kanade's amber eyes gazed deeply at Yuki. Her words, though not explicitly a confession, clearly conveyed her feelings.
Yuki looked at her intently. "Kanade..."
Kanade nodded gently. She slowly took Yuki's hand and placed it over her heart.
"You know exactly what I means. Ever since the day you saved me, I felt I had already fallen in love with you. You were a ray of dawn light in my dark life, driving away all the darkness. After spending time with you, I realized even more that I seem unable to leave you. So, I think it's time for you to know my feelings. It's like my heartbeat right now—the life and vitality in every aspect are brought by you."
As she spoke, Kanade leaned closer until their faces were mere inches apart, each feeling the other's breath.
"This heart beats only for you!"
With that, Kanade pressed her lips to his. Suppressed emotions erupted forth.
Yuki needed no further words, responding with action. The two completely ignored Maria's presence.
Maria watched the intertwined pair, feeling puzzled. Is this what humans call love? she wondered, connecting to the network to search for information on the topic.
Despite the vast amount of data online, Maria, as an AI, couldn't truly comprehend these emotions. However, unbeknownst to her, the moment she began pondering this, she had already developed something akin to a "heart." And this was starting to influence her, creating subtle changes within her...