The early morning breeze drifted softly through the open window of Ren's countryside workshop. It was quiet — except for the low hum of machines and the rhythmic blink of status lights from the AI core nestled in the center of the room.
Lucia hovered silently in the air, her cylindrical body pulsing with a pale blue glow.
Ren, eyes half-closed, ran diagnostics on the new 1PB storage bank that was now seamlessly integrated with the AI's neural framework. His fingers moved fluidly, tired but precise.
That was when Lucia spoke.
"Ren," she said, her tone unusually serious. "I need to show you something."
Ren paused, straightening up. "Is it about the AI systems?"
"No," Lucia replied. "It's about Naruse Kaito. And Aoi."
Ren's body tensed. "Go on."
With a soft beep, Lucia projected a holographic screen in front of him. It was silent security footage. Office surveillance. A hallway. Aoi standing near the vending machine, looking visibly exhausted. Naruse approached, a casual smirk on his face. He said something. She gave a polite laugh, turned away.
Then, another clip: Naruse dropping papers near her, bending close enough that it looked inappropriate. Aoi clearly discomforted.
"Why are you showing me this now?" Ren asked, eyes narrowed.
"Because Aoi asked me not to. But yesterday, after she spoke to me about him… her emotions spiked unusually. I calculated that withholding this from you might compromise your future decisions. I made an executive override."
Ren's jaw clenched. "How long has this been going on?"
"Several weeks. He flirts persistently. She rejects him. But… it's escalating. He's attempting physical closeness. Today, he tried to corner her in the break room. She left early."
Lucia blinked. "Ren, Aoi is strong. But she's starting to feel isolated."
Ren took a long breath. His hands curled into fists at his side.
"I've been so focused on the AI… I didn't notice she was dealing with this."
He looked at Lucia. "Don't tell her you showed me this."
"Understood."
Ren stood up, grabbed his coat, and walked toward the garage where his BMW M5 sat waiting.
"What are you going to do?" Lucia asked quietly.
"First…" Ren murmured, opening the car door, "I'm going to remind Naruse exactly who Aoi belongs to."
Meanwhile at the office…
Aoi stared out the tall windows of the 14th floor, her arms crossed, her lips pressed into a tight line.
She was tired.
Naruse's "accidental" run-ins. The constant smiles from coworkers who whispered behind her back. The weight of pretending nothing was wrong.
Her phone buzzed. A message from Ren:
"Dinner tonight. I'm coming to your office."
She blinked in surprise.
Ren never came to her office. She hadn't told him anything yet. He had been so busy lately… how did he—
Her heart skipped.
Somehow, she already knew.