Matou couldn't sleep.
He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as Airi's soft breathing floated in from the living room.
Rina's words echoed in his mind.
> "Love shouldn't be programmable."
> "If your feelings fade, so will she."
He didn't want Airi to disappear. That much was clear.
But what scared him was the part he didn't understand—his own feelings.
He had never been in love before. He had never even had a crush that lasted more than a few awkward weeks. So how was he supposed to know if what he felt was real?
Was it love? Or just attachment? Comfort? Gratitude?
He remembered how alone he felt before the game. Every day was the same. Go to school, say nothing, come home, play games, sleep. Repeat.
Airi changed that. She made things feel different.
But was that enough?
Could something built from code, voice lines, and art assets really be loved?
His chest ached from not knowing.
---
The next morning, he woke up late. His body felt heavy, and his head was clouded.
He dragged himself out of bed and walked to the living room. Airi was already awake, wearing his hoodie again and reading one of his manga books upside down.
"You're awake!" she said cheerfully. "I tried making breakfast again. Don't worry—it's edible this time!"
Matou chuckled softly. "That's already a huge improvement."
She grinned and led him to the table, where a plate of slightly burned toast, scrambled eggs, and… what looked like a peeled banana sat neatly.
"It's… creative," he said, sitting down.
"Creative love is the best love!" she replied proudly, then sat across from him and clasped her hands.
He took a bite of the toast. Burned edges aside, it wasn't too bad.
Airi watched him closely, her eyes full of sparkle. "So? Is it good?"
"Yeah," he said. "It's not bad."
She looked genuinely happy—like she'd just won a contest.
Matou found himself smiling too, without even realizing it.
---
After breakfast, they cleaned together. Airi insisted on doing the dishes, though she kept dropping spoons into the sink with loud clanks.
"I'll get the hang of this eventually," she said.
"I believe you," Matou said quietly.
They took a walk to the nearby park after that.
Airi wanted to see the "outside world." She said it with such wonder, as if it were a foreign land.
"This is amazing," she whispered, staring at the clouds like they were magical. "They look so different in real life."
"You saw clouds in the game, didn't you?"
"They were programmed. This… feels alive."
She bent down and touched the grass, running her fingers across it.
"Everything has texture. Smell. Warmth. It's overwhelming."
He watched her for a moment. She was so curious about everything—every dog that walked by, every flower blooming along the path.
She wasn't just mimicking human behavior. She was living.
He sat beside her on a bench as she continued taking in the world around her.
"Airi," he said.
She looked at him. "Yes?"
"Do you remember… everything from the game?"
She tilted her head. "Hmm… Not everything. Some memories feel blurry. But the ones with you—they're the clearest."
"Even the first time we met?"
She smiled. "You chose the 'tease her' option during the intro."
He laughed. "Right. You got mad and called me a weirdo."
"I liked that about you. You weren't just trying to say what I wanted to hear."
He fell quiet for a moment, then asked, "Do you feel… emotions? Or are they just programmed responses?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she stood up and walked to a flower bed, gently picking a small daisy.
Then she walked back and handed it to him.
"I don't know what's programmed and what isn't," she said. "But I know that when you talk to me, my heart beats faster. When you smile, I feel warm. When you were sad the other night, I wanted to hug you."
Matou looked down at the flower.
"I don't know if I'm real, Matou. But I know that what I feel for you is."
---
That night, Matou dreamed.
He stood in a field of screens—glowing monitors stretched across the horizon, each one showing different versions of himself. Some were smiling, holding Airi's hand. Others were standing alone, surrounded by static. One screen showed Airi fading like smoke.
Then a voice whispered from the void.
> "Love created her. Doubt will destroy her."
Matou woke up in a cold sweat.
---
Airi was in the kitchen again the next morning, this time humming a cheerful tune while trying to flip pancakes.
"Morning!" she beamed.
He walked over and leaned against the counter, watching her struggle with the spatula.
"You're actually improving."
She grinned. "You think so?"
"Yeah. That one almost looks like a circle."
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Rude."
He chuckled and went to get the plates.
As they ate together, the topic shifted.
"So," Airi said between bites, "I was thinking…"
"Uh oh," Matou said. "That sounds dangerous."
She ignored him and continued, "We should go out. Like, on a real date!"
He choked slightly on his pancake. "A date?!"
"Yes! We've been stuck in this apartment too long. I want to see the world with you."
He hesitated. "But… people might ask questions. You don't have an ID. Or a school. Or—"
"We'll just say I'm a transfer student visiting. Simple!"
"…That might actually work," he admitted. "Still risky, though."
She leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Please? Just one date?"
Matou looked into her hopeful eyes and sighed. "Okay. One."
She squealed in delight and pumped her fists. "Yay!"
---
They picked a simple plan—nothing fancy.
Just a visit to the shopping arcade, some street food, maybe a stop at the bookstore.
Airi wore the best outfit they could cobble together: a long-sleeved shirt, one of Matou's jackets, and a skirt they found tucked deep in a closet—probably from his cousin's old stuff.
She twirled in front of the mirror. "How do I look?"
He tried to look casual. "You look fine."
"Just fine?"
"…Cute," he mumbled.
Her face lit up instantly. "Thank you!"
---
They headed out in the afternoon. The sun was soft in the sky, casting a warm glow over the city.
Airi was practically bouncing with excitement.
She ran from stall to stall, trying taiyaki, takoyaki, and a weird melon soda she immediately regretted.
Matou followed her, smiling despite himself.
It felt normal. Real.
At the bookstore, Airi wandered through the romance section with fascination.
"These books are all about love," she whispered, flipping through one. "Some are sad. Some are silly. But they all talk about something important."
"Yeah?" Matou said, looking at a shelf of manga.
"They all say the same thing," she continued. "Love doesn't happen perfectly. It's messy. Scary. But that's what makes it real."
He looked over at her.
She wasn't just saying lines from a script anymore.
She was learning. Growing.
Changing.
---
That night, they returned home with bags of snacks and a pile of cheap trinkets.
Airi threw herself onto the couch with a loud sigh. "Best day ever."
Matou sat down beside her, tired but content.
He reached into his pocket and pulled something out—a small charm from a shrine stall.
He held it out to her. "Here."
She blinked. "What's this?"
"A charm. It's for… staying close to the person you care about."
Her cheeks turned red as she slowly took it. "Th-Thank you…"
They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the day settling over them.
"…I had fun today," she said quietly.
"Me too."
"Even if I'm not from this world?"
He looked at her, serious now.
"You are part of my world now."
She smiled.
And then—without warning—she leaned in and kissed him.
It was soft. Brief. Gentle.
But it stopped his heart cold.
When she pulled back, her face was bright red. "S-Sorry! I don't know if that was too sudden—"
Matou touched his lips, stunned.
"No… it was…"
He looked at her.
And for the first time, he wasn't confused about how he felt.
It wasn't about whether she was real, or where she came from, or what code built her.
It was about now.
Her laughter. Her kindness. Her clumsy cooking. Her effort to be better every day.
He liked all of it.
"I like you, Airi."
Her eyes widened.
And then—tears welled up.
"I'm so happy," she whispered. "I was so scared you'd never say it…"
He reached out and pulled her into a hug.
She clung to him tightly, burying her face in his chest.
And in that moment, for the first time in his life…
Matou knew what it meant to fall in love.
---
[To be continued…]