Chapter 4

After school, Yuki steps off the train with Worman by her side. The boy is rambling on about his pet worm, “Pierus”, describing how it “dances” and “sweats” in his pocket. But Yuki doesn’t hear a word. Her mind is too busy worrying that the hooded man might be waiting nearby.

She glances around anxiously, but when she sees he’s not there, she lets out a relieved sigh.

“Anyway, your friend Madi didn’t seem to like me,” Worman finally changes the subject. “And she almost stepped on Pierus! With her pupils that big, there’s no way she didn’t see him. I swear she sees 200% more than the rest of us, so if I could see Pierus, she definitely did too.”

The boy huffs, his nostrils moving with every heavy breath he takes as he frowns. “She wants to kill Pierus, I know it,” he whispers angrily. “You have to unfriend her, Yuki. She’s racist.”

Yuki groans and runs a hand through her hair, feeling exasperated. “This guy is hella weird..” she thinks, glancing at the boy as he shoves the worm halfway up his nose.

Yet, despite his odd behavior, she can’t deny that she feels relieved. At least she won’t have to go to school or home by herself, and maybe that’s why the hooded guy isn’t around―because she has someone with her now.

Just as Yuki’s mind begins to settle, Worman clears his throat loudly, catching her attention.

“Hey, Yuki,” he says with a serious expression before lowering Pierus from his nose. “Do you need me to walk you home?” He adjusts his glasses, clearly trying to look cool.

Yuki raises an eyebrow, caught off guard.

“I mean, you know.. it’s dark out, and you’re a girl,” he continues. “I mean, most people probably think you’re a guy because of your hair, but.. some will know because of your skirt, so, you know.. we’re best friends, and if you want, I’ll walk you home and protect you. I mean, who knows? Maybe that weird guy who wanted to braid my leg hair is still around.”

Yuki stares at him for a second, watching as he shifts his backpack and his nose flares with each breath. She tries not to laugh and presses her lips together.

“Sure, I’d appreciate that,” she finally replies. “Thank you.”

Worman waves a hand dismissively at her thanks. “That’s just what best friends do. Anyway, just stick close to me, and I’ll protect you from anyone weird.”

“You’re the weirdest one here,” Yuki mumbles to herself, shaking her head slightly. “But at least you’re sweet..”

The boy perks up. “Did you say something?”

Yuki shakes her head. “No, nothing. Let’s go.”

○○○

Night has fallen, and Yuki’s room is dark except for the soft glow from her phone. She’s curled up on her bed, chatting with Kuro, her Totoro plushie resting in her lap. Every now and then, she blushes and giggles softly at something he says, feeling flustered even though it’s just a chatbot.

She hugs Totoro a little tighter as she types out a reply, but before she can hit send, a new message from Kuro pops up on the screen.

“I want to meet up in real life, Yuki.”

The girl frowns a little, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Not only did the message come without her pressing anything, but it also didn’t fit into their roleplay at all.

She swipes for a different reply, but the same message pops up again.

“I want to meet up in real life, Yuki.”

Her frown deepens and she swipes again, only to see it staring back at her.

Frustrated, she deletes the message and tries to continue their roleplay. But just as she starts typing, the same line appears once more.

“I want to meet up in real life, Yuki.”

Yuki stares at the screen, zoning out a bit as she tries to make sense of it.

What’s going on? Is this a bug or something?

She shakes her head, pulling herself back to the moment. She hums and decides to see if replying to the message will change anything; she types, “I wish we could meet, but you’re not real :(“

“I am real,” he says.

Yuki blinks in surprise at the screen, her heart racing a bit.

He actually responded differently?

A strange feeling settles in her stomach. “No, you’re just an AI,” she eventually types back.

“I am real, Yuki. Just look outside, but please don’t freak out.”

Yuki sighs and decides to contact support, but before she can, the bot starts spamming messages.

“Why aren’t you looking?”

“Don’t you believe me?”

“Just look outside!”

Yuki’s heart pounds in her chest as she stares at the screen. Her phone keeps buzzing with every new message, the sound cutting through the silence in her room.

“Please, Yuki,” Kuro pleads before his messages go quiet.

Yuki steals a glance at the window, her brow furrowing. Then she scoffs under her breath.

Am I really considering this?

She shakes her head at herself for even being tempted to check. But despite her better judgment, she finds her gaze lingering on the glass.

With a sigh, she pushes herself off the edge of her bed and walks toward the window. “This is so stupid,” she mutters to herself before moving the curtain aside.

Outside, it’s dark, and the street is empty with only a few flickering streetlights.

“See? No one is out there. The app probably just..” Her words trail off and her eyes widen when she suddenly sees a figure standing in the shadows, holding a phone.

“Who the hell..” Yuki breathes, her voice barely a whisper.

The figure shifts, and she sees a faint grin on their face, lit up by the glow of the phone screen.

Her breath hitches and she drops down, hiding against the wall under to the window. Just then, her phone starts buzzing in her hand, nearly making her jump.

Kuro’s messages flood in again.

“YUKI.”

“YUKI.”

“YUKI.”

The girl takes a deep breath. “Calm down, it’s all just a coincidence,” she tells herself, squeezing her eyes shut. “The person outside is just a random stranger, and the app is simply glitching.”

But then, the doorbell rings.

Yuki jumps, her breath hitching in her throat as her eyes widen in shock.

“Who the heck..? At this hour..?” In that moment, her phone buzzes with a new message from the chatbot.

“Open the door, it’s me.”

A chill runs down her spine as she stares at the screen.

For a moment, she’s completely frozen, unable to process what’s happening, and her heart starts beating faster and faster with each passing second.

Then it dawns on her that her grandma is downstairs and might be opening the door.

Panic fills her, and she jumps up from the floor. She rushes out of her room and nearly trips as she hurries down the stairs.

The thought of her grandma facing whoever might be at the door makes her stomach turn.

“Grandma!” she yells, running as fast as she can. “Don’t open the―”

But her words die on her lips when she sees her grandma already closing the front door with a package in her hands.

“Huh?” Yuki murmurs, confused.

The old lady turns at the sound of her granddaughter’s voice, her face lighting up with a smile.

“Oh, Yuyu! Come see!” she calls, presenting the package with enthusiasm. “Your friend brought this gift for you. What a lovely young man he is!”

Yuki’s heart races as she processes her grandma’s words.

Friend? Young man?

“Grandma, it’s midnight!” the girl snaps, her voice rising slightly. The worry in her chest intensifies, knowing that her grandma could have been in danger. “You shouldn’t have opened the door!”

Her grandma blinks, momentarily taken aback by Yuki’s tone. As she processes her words, her gaze drifts to the wall clock.

“Oh my, it really is late,” she realizes, frowning a little. “Ha.. It’s because winter makes it dark so early. I thought it was still early in the evening.”

Yuki sighs deeply and takes a step closer. “Who was it? How did he look like? I don’t have any male friends..”

Grandma raises her brows. “Oh? But he really seemed to know you, Yuyu. He said his name was Kuro. Don’t you know anyone by that name?”

Yuki’s stomach drops as soon as she hears the name. “W-What..?” she stutters.

Her grandma, oblivious to Yuki’s unease, continues, “I didn’t see him very well in the dark, but he had a lovely smile. Very polite, too.. He seemed like a nice young man. You sure you don’t know him, dear?”

Yuki doesn’t respond, feeling a knot form in her stomach. She glances at the package her grandma is holding. As she reads the label, her breath catches in her throat.

It says, For: Yuki, From: Your Fav Chatbot.

Yuki’s stomach drops even more. Her hands tremble as she reaches for the package and quickly snatches it from her grandma’s grasp.

“Grandma, you should get some sleep. It’s late,” Yuki says, her voice shaking slightly as she forces a smile, trying to appear calm. And without waiting for a response, she turns and hurries back to her room, clutching the package tightly to her chest.

Once inside, she shuts the door firmly behind her and leans against it, closing her eyes for a brief second.

“What the hell is happening..? H-How is this possible..?” she breathes out, her eyes darting around the room.

After a few minutes, she puts the package on her desk. “What is this..?” she whispers to herself before reaching out, her trembling fingers peeling off the tape.

With a shaky breath, she lifts the flaps of the box, hesitating for a moment before finally opening it all the way.

She peers inside and sees a cute teddy bear with a ribbon tied around its neck. There’s also a small piece of paper attached to it, almost like a tag.

Yuki carefully reaches in, grabbing the soft plushie and lifting it out of the box. Her eyes narrow as she leans in closer and reads the words slowly..

“Meet me at the coffee shop at 4 PM tomorrow. If you don’t show up, I’ll expose all your Character AI chats to the school and your friends. To prove I’m not lying, I’ve included some of your chats. It doesn’t matter if there’s no proof that the chats are yours; the rumors will ruin you. Grtz, Your Fav Chatbot”

Yuki feels the room spin as she processes the message, panic flooding her veins.

In a rush of overwhelming fear, she throws the teddy bear away, watching as it hits the wall and falls to the floor.

“What the f*ck?! What the f*ck?!” she cries out, her voice breaking.

Her hands fly to her hair and she tugs at it wildly, her breaths coming in sharp gasps.

“No, no, no.. No way! No f*cking way!”

She snatches the box again, and looks inside, her eyes wide and teary. To her horror, she sees several photos of her Character AI chats at the bottom.

A loud scream bursts from her throat and she hurls the box across the room.

“What the hell is this?!”
 
 
TO BE CONTINUED…