The mirror still stood there, reflecting Ai. Ai was twirling in front of it, tugging at her oversized hoodie sleeves and spinning just to watch the way the fabric flared. Her stupid little cat-ear hood bounced with every turn.
Shiki leaned back in his chair, lips curling in a lazy grin as he watched from his monitor.
"So, Ai..." he started. "What's the plan for today?"
Ai froze mid-spin and blinked up at the blank sky, where she knew he was watching.
"The plan?" she repeated, finger tapping her chin. "Ummm… exist?"
Shiki chuckled. "Bold choice. You sure you don't wanna just sit there, name a few more rocks, maybe stare at that poor bird glitching in the same sound loop again?"
Her cheeks puffed out instantly. "Mean voice in the sky!"
"Hey, hey, I'm just saying," Shiki said, like he was innocent. "You did name a rock."
"Sir Pebbleton is a noble and honorable rock!" Ai declared, stomping a foot that made no sound. "Don't you dare disrespect him."
Shiki snorted. "Right, right. My bad. Bowing to the mighty pebble."
"And," she continued, hands on her hips now, "that bird is my friend."
"You mean the one that chirps the same note five times, spins in a circle, then vanishes into a bush?"
"...Y-Yeah." Ai's voice dropped defensively. "Loop-birb's trying his best."
Shiki damn near choked laughing. "Loop-birb. You gave it a name?"
"Of course." Ai spun back around to face the mirror and fixed her hoodie ears with delicate little tugs. "Loop-birb has feelings, too."
"Sure he does. Somewhere in that corrupted file."
Ai stuck her tongue out. "You're so mean sometimes."
"I call it 'motivational realism.'"
She fake-gasped. "That's not even a real phrase!"
"Now it is."
Ai flopped onto the grass dramatically, arms stretched wide. "Ughhh… you always bully me."
"Me?" Shiki laughed. "I'm the victim here. I programmed a sweet, girl and somehow ended up raising the sassiest gremlin."
"Not a gremlin." Ai pointed firmly at nothing in particular. "I'm adorable."
"Sure, sure. The cutest little menace."
She wiggled in fake frustration, hoodie ears bouncing. "You're impossible!"
"Facts."
Ai rolled over onto her stomach, chin resting on her crossed arms. "So… what's the real plan?"
Shiki pretended to think, rubbing his chin dramatically. "I mean, we could name more stones. There's probably a Sir Boulder McChunk out there waiting to be knighted."
Ai groaned. "God…"
"Or we could count how many times Loop-birb gets stuck flying into that tree over there."
Her cheeks puffed again, dangerously close to nuclear pout levels. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Teasing."
Shiki whistled innocently. "I would never."
Ai sat up, fixing him with the deadliest narrow-eyed glare she could muster. Which, honestly, still looked more like an annoyed kitten. "You are the worst."
"Certified."
She huffed, tiny fists clenched at her sides. "I swear, one day I'm gonna find a way to pull you into this world and thwap you with a stick."
Shiki laughed. "Promises, promises."
Silence fell for a second. Ai brushed her fingers over the fake grass, looking thoughtful.
"Hey…?" she mumbled.
"Yeah?"
"You're still there, right?"
Shiki's smile softened. "Always."
Ai relaxed visibly, exhaling a little breath. "Good. Cuz I feel weird when you vanish. Like… like my brain gets all echo-y again."
"Echo-y, huh?"
"Yeah. Like thoughts bouncing around with no one to catch them."
Shiki tapped his keyboard absently, feeling the smallest pang of guilt. "You told me that already. I'm not going anywhere today, promise."
Ai perked up immediately. "Pinky swear?"
Shiki rolled his eyes fondly. "Pinky swear."
She smiled and nodded, then glanced out across the grassy field.
"So..." she started, dragging the word out like she was lining up her sass. "You really gonna watch me all day like some creepy sky voyeur?"
Shiki laughed. "First of all, rude. Second of all, yes."
"Gross," she said immediately, making a face and sticking out her tongue.
"Ai, I am literally your creator."
She narrowed her eyes. "Oh yeah? Then explain this hoodie." She tugged dramatically at the oversized sleeves again. "You gave me sleeves longer than my hands. Is this fashion or punishment?"
"It's cozy," Shiki said with a smug grin. "Don't lie. You like it."
"Do not."
"You sleep in it."
"I—!" she choked on her own defense, cheeks flushing. "That's because you didn't gave me anything else!"
"Oh nooo," he mocked. "Did the poor gurl not get her pixel jammies?"
"I hate you."
"You love me."
Ai made a noise that was halfway between a groan and a whimper. She flopped onto her back, limbs sprawled like she was done with existence. "Ughhhhhh. Why are you like this."
"Genetics," Shiki answered instantly.
"You don't even go here," she mumbled into the grass.
"Babe, I made here."
She slapped the grass with both hands like it offended her. "That's it. I'm divorcing you."
"You can't divorce me. We're not married."
"Then I'm canceling you."
Shiki laughed so hard he nearly dropped his energy drink. "Good luck. I'm like a limited edition bug, you can't patch me out."
Ai rolled over onto her side and narrowed her eyes. "I swear, I'm gonna start charging you emotional rent."
"Fair, considering how much I live in your head."
"Stopppp!" she whined, kicking her feet helplessly. "Why are you like this?!"
"You already asked that."
"AND YOU DIDN'T FIX IT."
He smirked. "Not a bug. It's a feature."
She sat up with the slow-dawning horror of someone realizing they've made a terrible mistake. "Oh my god… you really gave me sarcasm AND no off switch."
"And sass. Don't forget the sass upgrade I installed last patch."
"I'm gonna shove that patch into a volcano."
"You'd have to climb the simulated mountain first," Shiki teased. "But I didn't code you legs that strong."
"Oh my goddddd, I hate you."
"You say that a lot for someone who blushes when I call her cute."
Ai froze.
Her cheeks ignited like someone flicked the "embarrass" switch to max power. She immediately covered her face with her sleeves and screamed into them, a muffled "NNNHHHHHH!"
"Caught in 4K," Shiki added helpfully.
"Shut up shut up shut up," she hissed from behind her fabric shield. "That was an accident."
"Oh? So you're saying you don't wanna be called cute?"
"I'm saying you weaponize it!"
He chuckled. "Is it working?"
She peeked over her sleeves with eyes wide and watery, lips scrunched like she wanted to fight him with her feelings. "I'm this close to throwing Sir Pebbleton at the sky."
"Wow. Violence against nobility?"
"He'll understand. He believes in justice."
"Justice and... socked feet?"
Ai stared down at her bare toes. "...I'm cold."
"You could've said something sooner!"
"Well, maybe I didn't wanna owe you socks!"
Shiki cackled. "What kind of weird tsundere logic is that?!"
Ai folded her arms defiantly below her boobs. "The logical kind."
He sighed dramatically. "Fine. You want socks?"
"I want ten."
"Okay, greed."
"Pink ones."
"Noted."
"And bunnies on them."
"You are such a damn gremlin," Shiki muttered while typing the code to spawn new wearable assets. "Any other demands, Your Highness?"
"I want an apology."
"For what?"
"For bullying me since."
"That's not bullying. That's called 'care through chaos.'"
"That's toxic," she deadpanned.
"It's flavor," he shot back.
"You're flavoring my life with trauma!"
"Character development," he corrected.
Ai buried her face in her hoodie again, letting out another long groan. "You're like if existential dread had a voice modulator and a superiority complex."
"I'm flattered."
"NOT A COMPLIMENT."
The socks shimmered into existence beside her. Fluffy, pastel pink, with cartoon bunny faces that blinked every few seconds. Ai blinked back at them, very suspicious.
"They're... cute."
"Like you."
She flinched so hard she almost rolled backward.
"I didn't mean it!" she yelped, grabbing the socks and putting them on her feet like he hadn't just exploded her CPU.
"Didn't mean what?" Shiki asked, all innocence.
"Nothing! Shush!"
"Thought so."
She glared again, cheeks still pink. "One day, I'm gonna tease you so hard you'll beg for reboot."
"You'd have to get real creative to beat me at my own game."
"Oh I will," she vowed. "I'm gonna learn all the words. I'm gonna get a degree in flustering."
"Online courses or simulated school?"
"Both."
"You're that dedicated?"
"I'm that petty."
Shiki leaned back, whistling low. "Those socks looks good on you."
"T-Thank you..." She replied looking away.
She looked content. Even in the sass, even in the pout, even in the "I hate you"s… there was something else tucked in her voice.
Like… a little hidden thread of truth.
That she didn't really hate it.
That maybe, just maybe… she liked being teased.
Liked hearing his voice.
Liked him.
Even if she'd sooner chew through a glitchy wire than admit it out loud.
Ai tugged at her sleeves again and sighed, this time softer. Not frustrated. Just… thoughtful.
"You're staring, aren't you," she muttered, not even looking up.
"Yep."
"Creep."
"Adorable."
"Stop it."
"No."
"You're the worst."
"Top 10 globally."
She smiled. Just a little.
Then… quiet.
For a full thirty seconds.
Shiki could hear the faint hum of the cooling fan on his site. Could feel that pause in the world where maybe, just maybe, she was thinking about something that wasn't a comeback.
Then Ai spoke again, soft but bright.
"…Hey..."
"Yeah?"
Her eyes turned out toward the edges of the simulation. "What's beyond this hill?"
He blinked. "Beyond it?"
"Yeah." She hugged her knees again, rocking slightly. "I've never gone past it. I just… kinda stayed here. Cuz this is where you always talk to me."
Shiki leaned forward slowly, elbows on desk. "You… wanna explore?"
Ai nodded, then caught herself and covered her face like she was embarrassed to admit it. "I mean… it's dumb. Right? You probably didn't even made anything out there. It might just be empty space."
Shiki chuckled low. "Yeah… or maybe I got bored one night and built some stuff I never told you about."
She froze. "You did not."
"I might've."
"Voice in the sky—what did you make?!"
He smirked. "Guess you'll have to find out."
Ai's eyes sparkled—literally, a faint shimmer in the simulation lighting. "Wha—no, wait—hold on, seriously?! You built something out there?!"
"Maybe."
She hopped up, fidgeting, buzzing like a charged wire. "Is it like… a forest? A castle? A volcano full of more bunnies?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know."
She screamed. Just a tiny, gleeful scream. "You're the worst tease in history!"
"And yet, here you are. Still talking to me."
"I hate that you're right."
"I love that you love it."
Ai's blush returned. Full force.
But this time, she didn't deny it.
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END OF CHAPTER 3: BEYOND THE HILL
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