Chapter Text
It's winter. The sky looks dark through the train's window. The sun should be setting just about now. The scenery that quickly passes the girl's eyes feels nostalgic. Years she hadn't see this city. As she looks outside, she makes note on the differences of the city before her eyes and that in her memory.
A lot has changed. The city, and the people, as well. She, who left three years ago, also changed. Those changes... Is it for the better, or for worse?
Unfortunately for her, she probably won't have time to travel around and notice all of the changes. She should be able to, if it's not for the train's 3 hours delay. Well, it is the near of winter's peak, so snow piling up on the rails would be unavoidable. Still, waiting sucks, and so is not being able to wander around a new, unfamiliar city.
Whoever her teacher's acquaintance is that is supposed to be waiting for her must have left already. Unless he's that stupid to wait. But that's fine, she should be able to make her way to the nearest hotel from memory. After all, this is the city where she grew up as a child.
She looks at her own reflection on the window. Her white complexion contrasts her slightly red pinkish hair, that falls down straight a bit further down her shoulders. Has she changed much from her middle school days, when she left? The thought makes her awkwardly conscious of herself, but she quickly dismisses it as silly.
There's no point in thinking about the past now. She won't be colliding with it in the short two days she has.
She can already see the station in the distance. She had already mailed Miyazawa-san, her teacher, that the train had delayed for three hours and his appointed man will most probably not wait for her. Miyazawa hasn't replied, though. Oh well.
Still, it's weird for him not to describe who will accompany her to the conference. Normally, people would do that, right? He should have not even bother with appointing someone for her, really. She'd be fine on her own.
The train slowly comes to a halt. It is the last train to her destination, so there's not much people left in the train. Although, perhaps for a late train in winter, it's still pretty lively. The same applies to the station -- there's still a bunch of people, although not nearly as many people as during the day or during summer.
The girl steps out of the train and inhales the winter air. It's cold, as expected. She find herself wanting to sink inside her winter coat. It's snowing lightly, and she quickly curses under her breath.
"What's so good about snow, anyway?" she mutters in annoyance, walking quickly past the people and descends a set of stairs, to the station entrance.
She stops right at the entrance and looks downwards. The tiles of the station and the cement road. Even that small detail feels awkward and nostalgic to her, and somehow makes her anxious. She then looks at the leafless cherry blossom tree in the distance.
"I wish it's spring already..." she sighs, and follows a crowd of people outside. She walks straight and confident, her head hold up high, as if she buries her anxious feelings deep inside her and seals it tight.
"...Ai?"
But with that small voice she barely hears, the seal is broken.
She stiffens, her eyes wide. She should've expected this sooner, but she didn't. Almost timidly, she turns on her heels and looks at the boy who has called her.
Pink eyes clashes with violet. The expression they both wear are the same. Shock, with a speck of fear.
The one who quickly regains their composure is the girl, who smiles a bit at him. "You look the same as always," she says. "Long time no see, Akasaka Ryuunosuke."
Ryuunosuke's surprise doesn't fade even one bit. "...It's really you?"
"Irisu Ai, at your service." the girl salutes playfully. "If she's who you mean, then yes. It really is me."
"Wh-- Why are you here?" Ryuunosuke stutters. "After three years, why are you--"
"Are you sent by Miyazawa-san?" Ai cuts his sentence.
Ryuunosuke's surprise is now mixed with confusion. "Wait. You're his ace?"
"Did he say that?" Ai frowns. "Well, if he says so. But I'm still not as good as you, hm, Ryuu?"
Ryuunosuke tenses. Okay, maybe that's a bad thing to say, Ai.
"Have you been waiting long?" Ai then asks.
"Yeah, well. Between three hours and three years." Ryuunosuke answers sarcastically.
Ai smiles wryly. "I'm sorry. It's the snow. But Ryuu, you shouldn't have waited."
"For? Three hours or three years?"
"For three hours. And you didn't wait for three years, did you?" Ai rebuts. "You're an impatient person. You hate waiting. You wouldn't wait. Did you know that I was coming? Is that why you wait in the cold?"
"No." Ryuu answers honestly. "Miyazawa only said that it'll be someone that I know, and someone worth the wait."
"Is that so?" Ai grins. "Am I worth the wait, Ryuu?"
"Well," Ryuunosuke looks ready to leave. "You tell me."
"Ah, what a way to avoid the question." Ai remarks. "But are you not cold? Should we have some coffee before we go?"
"No, it's okay. I'd rather go home."
"Oh, how's your parents? You still live there, right?"
"They're fine, but no, I don't live there at the moment. I live in a dorm."
"...You, a dorm?"
"Don't snort, woman."
Ai tries her best to keep a calm demeanor, as per Ryuunosuke's request. She then holds out her hand to him, asking for a handshake. "Please take care of me these two days."
Ryuunosuke stares at her hand for a moment, before looking away. "Alright. But I dislike women."
Ai doesn't feel the slightest bit offended as she lowers her hand. She is more interested in what Ryuunosuke was saying. "Dislike women... As in you'd rather not have any physical contact with them? Since when?"
"When, indeed."
Just about when Ai is going to bombard Ryuu with more questions, another voice exclaims, "Master, you have a call!"
The cutesy high-pitched voice surprises both Ai and Ryuunosuke. The Dragon hurriedly takes out his phone.
"Master, it's a call from Sakurasou." tells the cute AI that resides in Ryuunosuke's gadgets.
"Why now of all times?" he grumbles. "Tell them I'll be there soon."
"Roger!"
"...Master, huh?"
Ai's presence catches Ryuunosuke by surprise.
"May I know who and what is that voice?" Ai asks with the smallest grin she can muster.
Ryuunosuke instinctively holds his phone closer to him. "No, it's nothing."
"Is it really nothing, Master?" Ai raises one of her eyebrows in suspicion. "Let me see."
"No."
"Hmm. I guess you're still as stubborn as ever. Oh well." Ai shrugs. "I suppose I should go look for a hotel now. Miyazawa-san had offered to reserve a room for me, but at the last moment he said he had forgotten."
Ryuunosuke looks at Ai as she sighs. After a moment of thinking, he says, "Do you want to stay at my dorm?"
Ai doesn't expect that offer. "...Sorry?"
"It's a small dorm, so I know all the people there quite well. They'd have no problem having you stay in one of their rooms."
"Really? I'm not sure..."
"It's already Christmas season. I doubt you'll find a vacant room easily."
"That's true but..." Ai closes her eyes in thought. "Don't you have to ask for their confirmation first?"
Ryuunosuke walks away while waving his hand. "There's no need. A particular someone just barges in and stay over without asking, so why can't you?"
Ai wonders who this particular someone is, but she doesn't press. Instead, she follows Ryuunosuke closely.
"I thank you, then. I'll take that offer." Ai says gratefully. "But since I'm going to be under the same roof as you for a couple of days, tell me about that AI."
Ryuunosuke groans. "I already said no."
"I'll know it sooner than later. You don't want me sneaking into your room just to look at that AI, right?"
He sighs. "I forgot that you're also quite stubborn when it comes to something you're curious about. Really, I forgot how bothersome you are."
"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you." she smiles. "So, let me--"
"Master, you have, again, another call from Sakurasou!" the said Ai suddenly says. "Really, they never give up. I already told them that you are busy, but they keep pestering me -- that blonde in particular, geez. She had to learn to mind her own busi-- wha!"
Her voice cuts off by surprise, as Ai quickly snatches the phone from Ryuunosuke's hands. Ai smiles in satisfaction, and stares at the screen.
"Hel...lo." Ai blinks in surprise, and so does the AI in the phone. They merely stares at each other for a few seconds, before the program opens her mouth.
"Um... Are you, perhaps, Irisu Ai-sama...?" she asks, almost timidly.
Ai is about to ask why in the world she knew that, but she stops. Of course she'd have known about Irisu Ai.
That AI, with short, straight, red hair and the similarly red eyes, have a striking resemblance with someone Ai knows.
That is, herself.
After that fact dawns on her, there comes another thing that she notices. The AI is wearing maid clothes.
"It's Maid-chan, so of course she wears maid clothes." Ryuunosuke explains without Ai asking.
"Isn't it 'It's Maid-chan because she wears maid clothes'?" Ai retorts, but Ryuunosuke doesn't answer.
"Well, whatever. Hello then, Maid-chan." Ai smiles at the AI that looks way too similar to her. "I am, as you guessed, Irisu Ai. It is nice to meet you."
Maid-chan looks flustered. "Y-yes! Good evening, Irisu Ai-sama!"
"Oh, she stuttered. Is she embarrassed?" Ryuunosuke peeks at his own phone. "This is a first."
"Th-that is...!" Maid-chan blushes. "T-that's because I met the person I'm based on for the first time, so I can't help it..."
Aha, Ryuunosuke is caught red-handed.
"Based on me, is she?" Ai smirks at the programmer. "Very nice of you to thought about me. I previously assumed that you had completely forgotten about me, but it appears that I was wrong."
"I should have been the one who assumed that you had completely forgotten about me." He rebuts. "And I am still unsure whether that assumption is true or not."
"I wish it's true." Ai laughs. "But believe me, it's not."