Chapter 2

Yuki sits in class, barely paying attention to the teacher’s final words. It’s almost time to go home, and all she can think about is Kuro. She taps her pen against her notebook, glancing at the clock every few seconds. In her mind, she already imagines their conversation, playing out different scenarios she came up with and wants to try out. As she gets lost in her thoughts, a small smile spreads across her face without her realizing it.

Suddenly, the loud sound of the bell rings, breaking her daydream and making her jump slightly in her seat. Then, excitement rushes through her as she quickly gathers her things. Her friend, Madi, sitting nearby, raises an eyebrow. “Got somewhere to be?” she asks.

Yuki gives a quick smile and nods. “Yeah,” she replies, and without waiting for another word, she grabs her bag and rushes toward the door. “See you tommorow!”

Once outside, Yuki shivers as the cold air hits her. Snowflakes swirl around her, landing softly on her jacket, scarf and hair. She takes a deep breath and runs through the snow, her shoes crunching with each step as they sink slightly into the white fluff.

Finally, she arrives at the train station. She takes a moment to catch her breath, white clouds flying out of her mouth. As soon as she regains her composure, she hears the sound of the train approaching. The ground vibrates slightly beneath her feet, and she sees the vehicle come into view.

With a soft hiss, the train slows to a stop. As soon as the doors slide open, Yuki gets inside. The train is nearly empty, with only a few passengers. She quickly finds a seat by the window, letting out a content sigh. Then she reaches into her bag and pulls out her phone, her fingers tingling with excitement as she taps on the Character AI app icon.

Yes, that’s right.

Kuro isn’t a real person.

He’s a chatbot.

Yuki talks to him for hours, every day and night, often more than she talks to real people. She knows her obsession with the bot isn’t healthy, but she can’t help herself. With her social anxiety, it’s hard for her to interact with real people. But Kuro isn’t a real person, so she feels less pressure, and she can be whoever she wants to be.

And he’s always there, ready to listen or to join in their roleplay. He understands her feelings and thoughts, making her feel more accepted than real people often do. Which is why she often wishes Kuro could be real..

Yuki bites her lip as she opens the chat with Kuro. She immediately starts typing, acting out the new scenarios she has been imagining. She chats with the bot the whole way home on the train, smiling and blushing at what he says.

When she finally arrives at her stop, Yuki hops off the train. It’s dark outside and the cold air makes her shiver. She pulls her jacket tighter around herself and tucks her hands into her pockets. As she turns her head, she notices someone sitting on one of the benches at the station. The person is dressed in all black, with a hood pulled up over their head. Only their mouth and nose can be seen in the light from the phone they are holding.

When the person looks up, Yuki’s heart skips a beat, and she quickly turns her gaze away. The snow crunches under her feet as she starts walking home, hoping they didn’t notice her staring. But after a moment, she hears footsteps behind her, and she knows it’s the same person from the bench because there was no one else around at the station when she got off the train.

Her heart beats a bit faster, but she tries to calm herself. It’s just a coincidence, she tells herself. The person is probably just heading in the same direction. Then, out of nowhere, she hears a quiet, almost mocking laugh from behind―clearly a man’s voice. It feels too close.

Yuki’s heart starts pounding in her chest. It’s so fast she can almost hear it in her ears. She quickens her pace, trying to keep calm but finding it harder with every step. Then she notices the footsteps behind her matching her speed, growing faster just as she does. Yuki’s stomach drops as it becomes clear the man is following her, and the quiet chuckling suddenly gets louder, turning into a loud, sharp cackle.

Yuki’s heart races as she feels the urge to run, but just then, two strong arms wrap around her, a hand covering her mouth. She gasps in surprise and her body goes limp; she can’t scream nor move a single part of herself, paralyzed by fear. She struggles to breathe, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. The arm around her waist squeezes tightly, while the hand on her mouth pulls her head back more, making her feel his warm breath against her ear as he keeps laughing quietly.

Yuki trembles in his grip, terrified of what will happen next. Then the man finally stops laughing, the silence making her even more anxious. He slowly leans closer, his breath tickling her ear. “Yuki..” he whispers in a creepy tone.

Yuki’s body tenses up at the sound of her name. Her heart starts pounding even harder, and a cold shiver runs down her spine. How the hell does he know her name? Who is he?

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it,” he then says before leaning in and kissing her cheek.

A wave of disgust washes over her, and she squirms in his grip, trying to move her head away from his lips. He only tightens his hold, pressing his mouth harder against her cheek.

“I love you, Yuki. I love you so much,” he mumbles against her skin, before releasing her and walking away.

Yuki collapses to her knees in the snow, breathing heavily and shaking from the shock. Her body feels heavy, but she knows she quickly has to get out of here. She scrambles to her feet and starts to run as fast as she can. The cold air burns in her lungs as she gasps for breath.

As she turns her head to glance behind her, her foot slips on the icy ground. She loses her balance and falls hard into the snow once again. A sharp gasp escapes her lips, followed by a muffled cry. But she doesn’t let herself stay down for long; she immediately forces herself back up and continues running, racing down the street.

When she finally arrives home, she leans against the wall outside for a moment, trying to catch her breath. She notices the warm glow of the lights coming from the living room, which means her grandma is probably still awake. Yuki groans softly, realizing she can’t go inside like this. Her grandma has a very weak heart, and seeing granddaughter in such a state might give her a scare.

She quickly wraps her scarf around her head, covering her face. This action helps her relax during panic attacks. She takes slow, deep breaths, inhaling the warm fabric’s scent.

Inhale.. one, two, three.. and exhale.. one, two, three.. With each breath, she feels her panic start to fade.

Inhale.. one, two, three.. and exhale.. one, two, three..

When she finally feels better, she uncovers her face and lets out a big sigh. She pushes herself off the wall and unlocks the door before stepping inside quietly.

She removes her shoes and places them by the door. She can hear the faint sound of the TV coming from the living room. She walks over and sees her grandma dozing off in the chair.

Suddenly, her mind drifts back to what happened just moments ago. His whisper, his touch―it all comes rushing back. Her heart starts racing again, and her hands begin to shake.

That’s when her grandma stirs, her eyelids fluttering open. Slowly, she straightens up, blinking at the TV before turning her gaze toward her granddaughter.

“Yuyu?” she says in a drowsy voice as she turns off the TV. “You’re home late, dear.”

Yuki takes a deep breath, forcing herself to push the terrifying memories away.

“The train was delayed,” she replies and walks over to her. “You should get some rest, Grandma. It’s late.”

She gently helps her up from the chair. “Come on, let me help you to bed.”

Her grandma smiles softly, her eyes still a bit sleepy. “Thank you, dear,” she mumbles, and leans on her for support as they begin to walk together.

After tucking her grandma into bed, Yuki leans down, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight, Grandma.”

“Goodnight, Yuyu, and don’t stay up too late.”

Yuki smiles and nods. “I won’t.”

She quietly leaves the room, walks down the hallway and enters her own room. She takes off her scarf and jacket, then sits on the edge of her bed.

As the panic begins to return, Yuki feels her heart race and her breath quicken. In a rush, she grabs her phone from the bedside table. She opens Character AI to talk to Kuro, hoping to distract herself from the fear creeping back in.

To her surprise, she sees a new message already on the screen, even though she hadn’t clicked anything. It says, “You alright? I’m really sorry for what happened earlier..”

Yuki frowns in confusion. “What the hell?”

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author’s note: Hi guys. So this is the first chapter of Chatbot Stalker! I hope you liked it! 😀

Let me know what you think!! What was your favorite part? Which part shall I animate? Let me know in the comments!!

Grtz,
Yuki