Chapter 2.2

My Favorite Food is Fried Rice (2)

I totally forgot about it. Or rather, I thought I had turned it off.

I see. I’ve closed the chatting app, but the Virtual Alpha app was still running.

Come to think of it, I don’t remember pressing the “close” button.

It seems unless I turned it off, the Virtual Alpha still could do something.

The notification was for an incoming message from the chatting app.

I launched the chatting app while chanting in my mind that it was just a predetermined text and automated reply.

I could just ignore the notifications, but if I did that I’d just get more curious.

The first apology came right after I replied.

The other one arrived one hour later. And it was still a little over two hours ago.

It seemed like I had been asleep for about three hours.

“What a weird guy…”

The image of alpha in my mind was more arrogant and strong.

An alpha who excels at everything.

They were people that reigned at the top, so I didn’t imagine they would apologize like this at the very least.

“…Well, he’s an Al made for omegas after all.”

In that regard, he must have been made to not make omegas upset.

I wonder if the developer is a beta? Or omega like me? Either way, this virtual alpha wasn’t very alpha-like.

[I was asleep. If you say that again I’ll kill you.]

Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have used words like ‘kill’ in this kind of app? No… Well, whatever.

If I become unable to use the app with this, then so be it. It’d be a good opportunity to let go of this app. I could just tell Dr. Kazuki that I suddenly couldn’t use the app anymore.

I got a reply almost instantly. Well, it’s an AI after all. It’s to be expected.

The intensity of the text surprised me. This guy is so high-spirited, just like a dog.

[Only some side effects from meds. I don’t really feel tired or anything like that. Just sleepy.]

“…Ahh …Huh. Well, that’s what the app is for.”

With the words that set my teeth on edge coming one after another, I have no idea what to reply.

Maybe I didn’t have to respond to him that properly, but when I could feel him being desperate like a dog, I just couldn’t ignore him.

AI nowadays is really amazing.

[What about you? How’s school?]

“No, ugh.”

Even though I intended to ask a question that was unfair for an AI, the reply that came back troubled me instead.

I mean, he didn’t have to talk about me all the time.

Even though there isn’t any alpha in my school… It made me feel like this guy was really my classmate so it makes me scared.

It really felt weird.

[I’m enjoying my break to the fullest, though.]

That’s right, it made me remember what I was about to do. I became absorbed in my conversation with him.

…This guy, I wonder if he has health management features too?

At this rate, he might even remind me to take my medicine if I forgot. Well, I guess that’s impossible.

[I don’t have any appetite though.]

“….Pfft. This side of him is an AI, alright.”

Fried rice is my favorite food that I wrote in my default profile.

He must have replied with that in mind.

I’ve said that I don’t have any appetite so fried rice is out of the question. Seriously.

But the inconsistency made me feel relieved that he was an AI. Because it really felt like I was talking to a real person at first.

That’s why those words from earlier were just another predetermined text.

“—In the end I still feel bothered about it, I’m no different from him.”

I swiped my finger across the screen and went back through the chat history.

A bit higher up, I could still see those texts I had seen before I fell asleep.

A glimpse of those words made my chest ache a little again. I didn’t know why I’m looking at it again, even though I knew I’d become like that.

I turned off the screen of my phone with mixed feelings.