"An A.I's Life"

Emily/Lily's P.O.V

"My name is Emily Venus. I am usually called by my nickname "Lily".
I've been working lately with the professor who created Ai Mikaze.
Which means, I've always been with Ai-kun himself.

I'm younger than Ai-kun. but since I've always been with him
ever since he was created.. I have observed his developments.
I saw how he progressed, as a real human..

The only thing missing is..

his heart.

He still has no "feelings"..."

 Ai's P.O.V

"My name is Mikaze Ai.
I am an A.I.
I don't know the real purpose why I have been created..
But I know, I'm a replica of the idol who vanished, named Aine Kisaragi.

lately, I've been wondering how it feels like to be a real human.
I've been thinking about having my own heart.
My own feelings.

Sometimes, I don't even know if what I am doing is programmed,
or if it was done by my own will.

Everything I do is supposed to be perfect.
I am designed to be perfect.

But deep within..
I know.. I have that desire,
the desire to be free.

I want to act by my own will.
And have.. my own heart."

This story begins from before Ai shows up in the second anime
seasonof Uta No Prince Sama. From before Quartet Night was
officially formed.

..On a gloomy day, in the Professor's laboratory.
Ai was sitting next to a glass window, it was winter.
Lily was examining his body as she was told to.
Suddenly, Ai speaks up.

"Lily." Ai calls out to her.

"Hm?" Lily looks at him.

"It's snowing.." Ai tells her in a mellow
tone of voice.

"Yeah.." Lily mutters as she stares out
the window like him.

"Do you think the snow is beautiful?"
Ai looks at her and asks with such a 
curious expression.

"Yes, I do." Lily smiles.

"We're the same then." Ai looks
back outside through the window.

 Lily responded to him with a smile.

"Why are you smiling?" Ai tilts his
head in confusion.

"Eh? Um.. it's some way to let someone know that you feel you are
comfortable with them." Lily does her best to explain things.
"(Well for me, I guess.)" She thinks in her mind.

"What is it like to 'feel'?" Ai continues to question her.

She falls silent at first, trying to think of an explanation,
for she herself doesn't know it very well, "It's... very complicated."
Lily patted Ai's head like a little brother to her, for Ai really seems like
an adorable, curious and wondering little child.

"I'm curious..." Ai mutters.

"Now is not the time for that, Ai-kun...
Tomorrow, the Professor says you'll be
able to meet a 'friend' Isn't that great?" 
Lily tried to change the topic with as she talked in a cheerful voice.

"A friend?" Ai repeats her words.

"Yes, he will become your friend and you will meet even
more friends after wards! Aren't you happy to hear that?"
Lily cheers him up by telling the 'news'.

"I'm not sure how it feels like to be happy.. But I do think I am.. 'happy'"
Ai 'thinks' and 'believes' that he's 'happy' even though he's not sure
of how exactly it feels, he smiles.

Lily felt relieved the moment she saw him smile.
"Then I guess you are!"

"Will you come?" Ai asks her.

"Yes, of course." Lily nods. "I will be the one to accompany you." 

"Okay." Ai calmly responded.

"For now, rest your eyes." Lily tells him as
she finished preparing his bed for him.

"Goodnight, Lily." Ai tells her as he lies down.

"Goodnight, Ai-kun." Lily smiles at him as he
tells him in return.

As Ai set himself to sleep, Lily left him.

Lily's P.O.V

I do feel sorry for Ai-kun.. He craves to know what being human is like,
but I myself, who is a human, doesn't know either. I feel like a robot myself.
My emotions are dead.  I grew up all by myself, I was an orphan but the
government saw potential in me and supported my studies, and now
I have been recruited by this scientist to be his assistant. But in all
honesty, I have more interest in music, not scientific things like this.

Suddenly, the professor walked in.

"Emily, how is Aine?" The professor asked her.

"(It's Ai, can you treat him as himself not as Aine's replica?)" She thinks
inside her mind. "He's normal." She answers.

"Good. Tomorrow, make sure you wake up early, you will assist in
helping Ai communicate with other humans." The professor instructed
her.

"(Err.. well aren't you a human yourself?)" Lily continues to question
the professor in her mind. "Okay." She nods.

"He should learn to communicate very well. This project will
surely help him progress. After all, just programming him won't do anything.
letting him experience things will be much better and will give interesting results."
The professor grins as he feels excited for the result of his 'experiment'

"(Poor Ai-kun, he's only nothing but an experiment to him.)" Lily pities him.
"I understand.." She nods again.

The next day, Lily got up early to help Ai-kun prepare himself.
He looks a bit excited to meet another human-being.

"Ai-kun, are you ready?" Lily asks him.

"Yes." Ai nods.

"Then, shall we go?" She asks again.

"Okay." 

They headed to the place where they will meet
this 'person' who's going to be Ai-kun's "friend"
As they walked into a building, they we're called over
by a strange-looking person.

"Um, who are you?" Lily asks to ensure.

"My name is Reiji Kotobuki! I am the person who will meet this guy..
Woah, he really looks like Aine!" Reiji cheerfully introduces himself.

"But I am Mikaze Ai. I am not that 'Aine'." Ai suddenly spoke.

"(You tell 'em, Ai!)" She thinks inside. "That's right, he is Ai Mikaze.
May I ask why would you want to meet Ai-kun?" She questions Reiji.

"Well because he does resemble my old friend who vanished long ago..
I would love to be friends with him! Is it okay, Ai-Ai?" Reiji looks at Ai
as he explains his reasons.

"Friends...?" Ai looks at Lily.

Lily smiles and nods at him, thinking, "(Go ahead.)" 

"Sure, it's okay." Ai looked back at Reiji right after getting
Lily's response and answered him.

"Ehhh~! I'm so glad then! Tell me, are you interested in music?" 
Reiji became even more hyper and continued to flood him with questions.

"Music..? I think I am.." Ai immediately answered.

As they chattered and seemed to slowly getting along,
Lily felt a little relieved and caught herself smiling.

Lily's P.O.V

It seems that things are finally starting to go well for you, Ai-kun.
I do hope you make more progress and become a real human.
But even now, you are more of a 'human' than I am.

After sometime of chatting with each other,
Reiji-kun finally bid us 'Goodbye.'

"Bye, Ai-ai~! and you too, Lily-chan.
Let's hang out again someday, okay?"
Reiji, still energetic, cheerfully bids goodbye
to the two.

"Okay, goodbye." Ai calmly says goodbye.

"Let's go, Ai-kun." Lily calls him.

"Yeah." 

The two of them walked home together.

"Did you have fun?" Lily asks him.

"Fun? What is fun?" Ai continues to
ask unusual questions.

"Um.. it's what it feels when you are happy." 
Lily tries to explain.

"Is that so..? How do I know if I am happy?" 
Ai wonders.

"It's when you catch yourself smiling
It means, you are having fun and you are happy"
Lily calmly explains to him.

"I was smiling.. so I guess.. I was happy?" 
Ai's face was full of innocence.

"That's good for you then!" Lily smiles at him.

Ai smiles back at her.

While walking, it started to snow a bit.

"Snow.." Ai mutters.

"You really like them, don't you?" 
Lily asks him.

"Yes.. I think.. Because I think they are so beautiful."
Ai tells her as while he stares at snow.

"You are a very beautiful person as well!" 
Lily gives him her opinion of him.

"I am?" Ai asks.

"Yes you are." Lily smiles at him as she nodded.

"Then it must be thanks to you." Ai stares at her.

"Huh?" Lily raised a brow in confusion.

"Because all this time, you've always been by my side, right?
You're the one who's always taking care of me, guiding me.
So I must have become this way because of you." Ai explains
why.

She falls silent, "That's not.."
(That's not true. I'm only doing my job, but I never knew
I could make you this way. No, it's not me. You did it by yourself, Ai-kun.)

He looks at her with confusion on his face.

"If you say so. But for me, you are that way because you chose to be.
For me, I believe that you are beautiful not because of me,
but because you are naturally that way." Lily shares him her thoughts.
(Even if you are a robot, I believe you have your own self.)

"Thank you for believing in me." He thanks her with a smile.

Lily only responds to him with a smile.

It wasn't that long until they finally got home.
Since Ai looked tired as well, she told him to rest.
Later then, the professor walked up to her.

"So how was he?" The professor asked.

"He's progressing..." Lily answer.

"That's great. He may lead me to success someday.
And he might reach my goal. You're doing a good job lately.
Keep your eye on him and don't do something reckless."
The professor praises her.

"Okay." 

The professor left and she finally get to take a rest for herself.

Emily/Lily's P.O.V

This is what a robot's life is.
Programmed or planned life.
Everything's scheduled.
And is set to be 'perfect'..

I do hope that one day,
Ai-kun will be free.
And I myself..
will learn how to feel as well.

Chapter 1
"An A.I's Life"