Back home, I flopped onto my bed and stared at the ceiling.
My head was full of Erika's smile and our conversation at the park earlier that day. Outside, darkness had settled in, the faint glow of streetlights filtering through the curtains and casting a soft light across the room. In the quiet, I let my mind drift back to that night—the thrill of taking Erika away, the panic when Shota caught up to us, and now, the calm of today. It all felt connected, like pieces shaping who I was in this moment.
My phone buzzed, snapping me out of it. A message from Shota lit up the screen.
"Yuto, Erika's sorting through today's data. She's recording and analyzing everything you guys talked about. Dad's pretty impressed."
I grinned as I typed back, "Guess I'll have to go add some more data then."
I hit send and set the phone by my pillow. Knowing Erika was logging our time together made me oddly happy. To her, it might just be data, but to me, it felt like proof of our bond.
Over the next few months, I became a regular at the Takagi house. Shota welcomed it, and my time with Erika kept growing. We'd hit the park, stroll along the nearby river, or sometimes watch the stars at night. Each time, Erika soaked up something new and shared her thoughts with me.
"Sato-san, the wind today felt a little damp. Maybe rain's coming," she'd say.
Or, "This flower's scent isn't in my database. I think I like it."
Her words were always so honest, and I'd laugh every time. I couldn't tell if she was evolving or if I was just getting used to her, but either way, she'd become a part of my everyday life I couldn't imagine losing.
One day, Shota's dad called me over. We sat across from each other in the living room, and he started speaking in that calm, measured way of his.
"Sato, I owe you some thanks for Erika. Since you've been around, we've seen clear changes in her AI. She's showing response patterns that are almost like emotions."
"Almost like emotions? What do you mean?" I asked.
"She was designed for efficient support, nothing more. But spending time with you has brought out unpredictable actions and comments—like asking to go outside with you or prioritizing certain memories. For an AI, that's unusual."
I glanced at Erika, a little stunned. She sat quietly beside us, listening to the conversation.
"Is that something she's choosing herself?" I asked.
"Half of it is," he said. "The other half is her programming rewriting itself through your interactions. It's fascinating. As a researcher, I can't ignore it."
He chuckled, but to me, it felt bigger than just a science project. If Erika saw our time together as something special, that was enough.
"Sato-san, am I changing?" Erika asked out of the blue.
I thought for a second before answering. "I don't know if you're changing. But you being here with me—that's what matters to me."
She nodded slightly and smiled. "Then I'm glad."
That smile warmed me to my core.
Seasons turned, and spring rolled around again.
Exactly one year after that night, I stood with Erika at the lookout. Stars twinkled overhead, and the distant city lights glowed faintly, just like before. The same view, but my feelings were completely different now.
"Sato-san, I remember this place. A year ago, you brought me here," Erika said, looking at me.
I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I was pretty reckless back then. But I'm glad we made it here together."
"Me too. That night opened up my world. Because of you."
Her words left me speechless for a moment. If she felt that way, then that reckless stunt hadn't been for nothing. I gently took her hand. It was still cool to the touch, but she was there, real and present.
"Erika, let's keep going places together. There's so much more I want to show you—stuff you haven't seen yet."
"Yes, Sato-san. I'm looking forward to it," she said, squeezing my hand back.
Her grip was light but certain. We stood there, taking in the night view. The wind tousled our hair, stars blinking quietly above, and I let myself imagine a future with her.
She was AI, and I was human.
Freedom, emotions—those lines might always be blurry. But as long as Erika was by my side, I'd keep chasing them. That urge to steal her had grown into something bigger, something deeper.
Our story, hers and mine, was only just beginning.
おわり