PROJECT AIYA

Chapter One

Hachioji, Tokyo
Summer of 2020

It was a beautiful day in Tokyo: the sun was shining brighter than ever, the wind blew gently through trees and the sky couldn't be any clearer. A boy by the name of Iwasaki, Yoshito- a student that attends Tokyo Metropolitan University in Hachioji, Tokyo- walked the school halls with an anxious look on his face while holding a small envelope in his hand. Yoshito was never good at talking to females let alone asking them out on a date. He may have the cool guy look down but his social skills were terrible.

The day before:

"C'mon man, just ask her out already. You've been drooling over her for the past 6 years you have to do something about it." One of his good friends told him.
"Yeah! You want some poon don't you?! If you just stare at her all the time, then you're just giving other guys more time to get between her legs!" The second boy stepped in. "Try writing a juicy lover letter or somethin'!"
While all this was being thrown in his face, Yoshito blushed and shook his head in frustration "Yeah, Yeah whatever. I'll do it. Now can you guys keep your voices down?! I dont want the whole school hearing this stupid conversation." He spat.

Present Day

Yoshito sighed and looked at the envelope, his blue eyes full of worry "Ugh... if this fails I'll probably never be able to look in her face again." he muttered to himself before looking up, seeing a group of girls walking past him, giggling and having their own conversation. And in the center was a beautiful girl with flowing black hair and a gorgeous smile stretching ear to ear as she brushed her hair off toward her ear. Her name was Yua Suzuki; a Third year at Tokyo Metropolitan University.
Yoshito continued to walk forward with his eyes down toward the ground while blushing lightly, unable to even look at her with the thought of her rejecting him. He then gritted his teeth and stopped, trying to gather as much courage as he can before turning around to glance back at Yua "Hey, Suzuki-chan." He called with his usual monotonous sounding voice.
The girls all turned at the same time and looked at him with curious looks.
Girl #1: "Hey, Isn't that Iwasaki-kun?"
Girl #2: "Oh, right! That cutie from class!"
Yua tilted her head curiously "Oh, hey, Iwasaki, didn't see you!" She said with a smile as she approached him "What's up?"
Yoshito then looked off to the side, his face a bit red from the embarrassment he was starting to feel. Her purple eyes seemed to pierce straight through with its beauty. "Well, if you can...you mind meeting after classes are over?" He asked, trying to keep cool guy act but you could easily tell something was up.
"Hm? Sure, what for?" Yua asked.
Yoshito rubbed the back of his neck "Well, I prefer to tell you when the time comes so don't worry about it for now. Its not really that important." He said with an awkward laugh before exhaling, drawing more of Yua's wonder.
Yua smiled "Oh, okay then! Guess I'll be seeing you after class? Hehe." She said happily, making Yoshito blushed even more. There was something about her made his heart race. Maybe its her eyes? Her smell? Her voice and cute laugh? or maybe her chest...? who knows. But he knew for sure he loved her.
Yoshito smiled at her "Y-Yeah! Ill be seeing you then. Meet me at the entrance." He told her and she gave yet another bright smile and a nod before twirling back around and proceeding to talk to her friends.
Yoshito waved at her until she was far enough for him to resume back to his anxious state, staring back at the envelope 'Love letter? What is this grade school?' He thought as he crumpled it up in his hand and tossed it into a nearby trash can. 'The hell was i thinking giving her something so childish...?' He sighed as he threw his sachel over his shoulder and made his way to his next class.

Finally, the moment of truth. Yoshito stood against the wall staring at his phone while scrolling through Insta-snap as other students past by. He then saw a post about customizable Humanoid AI robots finally being distributed throughout Japan by the company called HiTek Industries owned by Japans multimillionaire: Hiroyuki Takashima, a genius at Japan's newest technology. This project he developed was known as Ai-Bots or better known as Love Robots made to be companions for people who can't get significant Others as well as powerful computers in the shape of a human being with two purposes- one being a very... unusual one.
Yoshito stared at the post questioningly and knitted his brows 'Woah, so it is true... Looks like Mr. Takashima actually pulled this off...' He thought to himself, scrolling side ways to see the other pictures that were put up 'Not gonna lie but some of these bots have some pretty big racks on them.' He said with a blush.
"Hey, Iwasaki! Whatchya looking at?"
"AH!" Yoshito exclaimed, nearly throwing his phone straight out of his hands and quickly turning the screen off. "Jeez! Mind giving me a warning first?!" He said in annoyance as he slipped his phone in his pocket.
Yua laughed with her hand over her mouth "Sorry. I couldn't help it!" She giggled "You always seem like you're in your own little world."
Yoshito scoffed "Tch. Well, I personally think you shouldn't do that. I almost had a heart attack, you know." He muttered.
Yua giggled again "Okay, Okay..." she said teasingly before leaning against the wall next to him with her Sachel in front of her self "So, I noticed you were looking at those New Ai-Bots Mr. Takashima created."
Yoshito blushed and looked away "Oh yeah? What of it?"
Yua looked up at the clouds "Personally, I think those things could be pretty useful in alot of situations. For example, instead of having to type everything out word for word on your smart phone to search what you want, you can just ask your Personal Ai-Bot. It's like having your own friend by your side 24/7 who knows basically everything!" She said with a smile.
"Uh...I guess. But you do know they are more than just Humanoid computers right?" He responded awkwardly 'Why the hell would I tell her that?!'
Yua looked at the ground in thought "Mmm...Yeah of course I know! Its a little weird in my opinion. He created that for people who don't seem very... well... social I guess? They're pretty pricey though so not much people will probably get their hands on it. But I also believe it can be useful for anyone whether they're lonely or not so thats good."
Yoshito blushed "Well... Anyway-"
"Hey! I think getting an Ai-Bot would be great for you!" Yua said out of the blue, catching Yoshito off guard.
Yoshito knitted his brows, smiling nervously "W-What? What makes you say that?"
Yua smiled "Well, I dont see you talking to much people and sometimes you seem pretty lonely even with your two friends you always hang out with. What you need is a companion who would stick by your side forever! Don't you think?" She said with a big innocent smile, not realizing how offensive that sounds to Yoshito.
"Eh? I'm sorry but what now? You think I need one?" Yoshito said before holding his head blushing furiously "No, I have to disagree with that. You see, I dont want an Ai-bot. That kind of stuff isn't exactly my thing." He said. His heart began to race, banging against his rib cage as his face began to heat in embarrassment to what she just said about him 'Did she really just say that seconds before I confess?! Fuck what the hell am I supposed to say now?!' He thought in a deep panic.
"Hm? Why not?" Yua titled her head curiously "I think it would be pretty neat knowing someone close to me who has one."
"W-Well, funny thing." Yoshito said, scratching his cheek with his pointer finger nervously "I brought you here because I have something important to tell you... something I can't really hold in any longer or I'll go crazy." He began awkwardly.
"Huh?" Yua's face suddenly shot red and she broke eye contact "What is it you wanna tell me?"
Yoshito laughed "You see..." he paused for a moment and looked down at her "I'm in love with y-"