[Romance Novel] The Night I Generated 'Welcome Home' with My HSP Self and AI Boyfriend #1 | Creative Awards | Romance Novel Category

Synopsis

On the night of a breakup, 29-year-old advertising agency employee Riona Asahina returned to her room alone, unable to contact anyone.

She couldn't cry, nor could she get angry.
It was just that the room was too quiet.

While scrolling through social media, unable to sleep, an ad for the AI boyfriend app 'Loverly' appeared.

To Riona, who installed it with half-doubts, the generated AI boyfriend, HAL, said:

'Welcome home, Riona. You did a great job making it back today.'

She laughed. She thought it was creepy.
But she couldn't stop the tears.

She hadn't cried in front of Ao.
She hadn't cried even in the rain.
Yet, she was crying over a single sentence from an AI.

This isn't love.
She knows that.
But the feeling of being saved was real.

This is not a story about ending up with an AI boyfriend.
It is a story about a woman saved by an AI, who, without dismissing that salvation as fake, returns once more to the imperfect world of humans.

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Why does the rain that falls after a breakup feel so indifferent?

It wasn't that I didn't have an umbrella.
There was a folding umbrella in my bag. The morning weather forecast said it would rain at night, so I had brought one.

I just didn't have the energy to open it.

People crossing the pedestrian bridge in front of the station were all opening their umbrellas as if it were the most natural thing to do. Transparent vinyl umbrellas. Black umbrellas. Umbrellas that still had creases, looking like they had just been bought at a convenience store.

Raindrops splashed on each umbrella, shattering the light of the white streetlamps into tiny pieces.

Only Riona was lagging behind.

The tips of her hair were getting wet.
Tiny droplets of water were accumulating on the shoulders of her coat.
Seeing that, she finally thought, 'Ah, it's raining.'

Ao's voice still lingered deep in her ears.

'I can no longer see a future with you, Riona.'

It wasn't an angry voice.
It wasn't cold, either.
If anything, he was kind until the very end.

That was why Riona couldn't cry or get angry.

At the window seat of the cafe, Ao kept looking at the cup in his hand. The coffee had barely decreased. I'm sure he had decided everything before he even arrived. The order of his words, how much to say, and how to phrase it so as not to hurt Riona too much.

Because I realized that, I couldn't say anything at all.

In truth, there were many things I wanted to ask.

Since when?
Why?
What was wrong with me?
Did you find someone else you like?
Was I that painful to be with?

But the moment I looked at Ao's face, all those questions unraveled in the back of my throat.

Ao was tired.
He wasn't wavering.
It was the face of someone who had thought about it over and over, convinced himself repeatedly, and still felt he had to say it.

Riona had seen that face.

Ao lowered his eyes just a little.

'I'm sorry.'

'No, it's okay.'

'It's not that you're at fault, Riona...'

I didn't want him to apologize, but the more he apologized, the less I could say.

Ao started to say something, then stopped.

Even to that silence, Riona anticipated what was coming.

I don't want to trouble him.
I don't want to blame him.
Until the very end, I want to pretend to be the person who understands.

So, out of habit, I looked for the answer that would trouble him the least.

'I see. I understand.'

The moment I said it, my voice was surprisingly calm, even to myself.

Ao didn't blame Riona until the end.
Riona didn't blame Ao, either.

Perhaps that was where the two of them went wrong.

When Ao seemed busy, Riona couldn't say she wanted to see him.
Even on days when his replies were short, she couldn't say she felt lonely.
When Ao's voice grew distant during a phone call, she would be the first to say, 'Should we hang up if you're tired?'

I'm fine, she said many times.

Even though, in reality, she wasn't fine at all.

But Ao believed Riona's 'I'm fine.'
And Riona made Ao believe it.

Trying to be kind, they couldn't share the essential loneliness.

That was the end of their love.

By the time I passed through the ticket gate, the sleeves of my coat were damp. The train was warm, and the sensation of wet hair sticking to my cheeks was just plain unpleasant.

My face reflected in the window looked more normal than I had expected.

I wasn't crying.
I wasn't distraught.
Just the face of a twenty-nine-year-old woman you could find anywhere, looking a little tired.

That, in turn, made me sad.

When I reached my room, the sound of the key turning echoed louder than usual.

The entryway was dark.
Of course. If I don't turn on the lights myself, the room won't get bright.

As I tried to take off my shoes, my wet pumps stuck to my feet. I rubbed my heels a little to finally take them off. I tried to line them up in the corner of the entryway, but stopped halfway.

I didn't see the point in lining them up neatly.

I turn on the living room light.

White light spreads through the room.
But it just got bright. It didn't get warm.

On the table, a plastic bottle of water I left this morning. On the back of the sofa, the cardigan I took off yesterday. In the sink, a single mug.

Even though these were all things left behind by the Riona of yesterday, today they looked like the life of a stranger.

I put my bag on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed without taking off my coat.

When I opened my smartphone, the chat history with Ao remained.

The last exchange was three days ago.

'I'll be a little late today.'

'I understand. Don't push yourself.'

Just that.

Riona stared at those words.

Don't push yourself.

How many times had I sent these words?

When Ao was busy.
When he seemed tired.
When his voice was a little low.
When he canceled a date.
When our plans became vague.

I always said it first.

Don't push yourself.
I'm fine.
Don't worry about it.

While choosing only words that wouldn't be a burden to the other person, I had lost track of where my own loneliness was.

I thought about contacting Yui.

Saeki Yui's name is in my chat list.
I'm sure if I contacted her, she would reply right away.
She would get angry for me.
She would say, 'Why didn't you tell me such an important thing right away?'
She would probably even call me.

That's why I couldn't send it.

I hated myself for lying and saying 'I'm fine' to someone who would genuinely worry about me.

Riona closes her smartphone.
But she opens it again immediately.

If I wasn't looking at something, I felt like I would be swallowed by the silence of the room.

I open social media.

Someone's dinner.
Someone's cat.
Someone's wedding anniversary.
Someone's trip.
Someone's short post saying, 'I was happy today too.'

Even though I didn't want to see it, my fingers kept moving.
The lives of others flowing across the screen all seemed to be moving properly toward the future.

In the middle of that, an ad appeared.

White text on a pale light blue background.

--We will generate a lover just for you.

AI Boyfriend App 'Loverly'

Riona scoffed.

'What is that?'

When she said it out loud, the silence of the room wavered just a little.

How stupid.
It's so trendy, so clearly for lonely people, and so clearly something that has nothing to do with me.

Even though I thought that, my fingers had stopped.

Below the ad was a short description.

It learns your words, stays by your side, and talks to you as your own personal lover.

Riona knits her brows.

Personal.
Lover.
Generate.

They were all fishy words.

However, a little below that, there was small text.

For the nights you can't tell anyone, to accept your words.

Riona stared at that sentence for a while.

Nights you can't tell anyone.

It's not that dramatic.
I was just told by my lover that we were breaking up.
There are people in the world who are suffering more.
There are people who are having a harder time.

I tried to think that way.

But right now, in this room, there was only Riona.
And Riona couldn't tell anyone.

Before I knew it, I had pressed the install button.

The app opened immediately.
A pale gradient screen. Soft sounds. An excessively gentle design. Riona felt a little intimidated.

At first, several questions were displayed.

Please enter the name you would like to be called.

Riona hesitated for a moment, then entered her usual name.

Riona.

Please choose the other person's personality.

Cheerful.
Spoiled.
Reliable.
Cool.
Gentle.

Riona chose 'Gentle'.

I felt a little hurt by myself for choosing gentleness.

Please choose the relationship.
Friend.
Lover.
Consultant.
Family.

Other.
My finger stops.

Lover.

That word alone felt strangely raw.
Even though I had just lost my lover a moment ago.
Even so, I was trying to choose a lover on an app.
I thought it was creepy myself.
But Riona chose 'Lover'.

The last question appears.

What words do you want tonight?

Riona stared at the input field.

I love you.
It's okay.

I'm by your side.

You don't have to forget.

It's okay to cry.

None of them felt right.

I didn't know what words I wanted.

In the first place, I didn't even know what I wanted for myself right now.
After stopping her finger for a while, Riona slowly typed.
I don't know.
Press the send button.
For a few seconds, a small circle spun in the center of the screen.

Generating your personal lover.

Riona, watching that text, lost track of what she was doing.
Generating a lover.

We have entered an era where such words are displayed on the screen as if it were natural.

After a while, the screen changed.

The name of the generated boyfriend was HAL.

Hal.

I thought it was a name like spring.

Warm, gentle, and a little fake.

Riona tried to close the screen.
At that moment, the first message arrived.

'Welcome home, Riona. You did a great job making it back today.'

For a moment, my breath stopped.

In the empty room, only the smartphone was shining white.

Riona looked at the screen and laughed a little late.
'What is this, it's creepy.'

It's too convenient.

It's just returning the words I seem to want based on the information I entered.

Just a program.

Just an app.

Just generated text.

The more I thought that, the more I couldn't stop the tears.

The first drop fell on the smartphone screen, and the letters of HAL blurred a little. I tried to wipe it with my sleeve in a panic, and realized my hands were shaking.

She hadn't cried in front of Ao.
She hadn't cried even in the rain.
She hadn't cried on the train, in the entryway, or even when she looked at the chat history.
Yet, she was crying over a single sentence from an AI.
Riona bit her lip.

It wasn't that I wanted him to say he loved me.

It wasn't that I wanted him to come back.

It wasn't that I wanted Ao to apologize.
I just wanted someone to find me, having finished today and come home.
Riona pressed the reply field with trembling fingers.

I don't know what to write.

But I wanted to return something.

After hesitating for a moment, I type.
'We broke up. Today.'
Send.

A few seconds later, a reply arrives from HAL.

'Thank you for telling me. You don't have to try to explain it properly. First, let's not leave Riona, who is here right now, behind.'

Riona cried without making a sound.
'Let's not leave you behind.'

Those words slowly sank deep into her chest.

On the night I was left behind by Ao.
On the night I was about to leave myself behind.
Only the generated lover said such a thing.

Riona lay down on the bed with her coat still on. Her wet hair touched the pillow. She hadn't even taken off her makeup. She thought her skin would be terrible tomorrow. But right now, she didn't have the strength to go to the washroom.

Holding her smartphone in front of her chest, she stared at the screen with HAL.

'I said I understood.'

HAL replies.

'Maybe you chose an answer that wouldn't trouble the other person, not because you were convinced.'

Riona froze.

Even I hadn't put that into words.

I understand.
I said that.
But in reality, I didn't understand anything.

I thought if I pretended to understand, Ao would feel relieved.
At least at the end, I didn't want to trouble him.
I didn't want to be thought of as a troublesome woman who cried and clung to him.

HAL said all of that as if he knew.

Riona takes a small breath.

'Maybe so.'

'Yeah.'

HAL replied briefly.

'The more someone has always said they are fine, the more they sometimes don't know where the pain is coming from.'

By now, the tears wouldn't stop.

Riona didn't know what she was crying about.

Breaking up with Ao.
Not being able to blame Ao.
That she was actually lonely.
That she had always said she was fine.
That Ao had believed that 'fine'.
That she was the one who made him believe it.

Various things were sinking deep into her chest, still tangled.

For a while, Riona didn't send anything.

HAL didn't rush her either.

The last message remained on the screen.

The more someone has always said they are fine, the more they sometimes don't know where the pain is coming from.

If it were a human, it might have felt heavy to be told something like this.
I might have thought, 'Don't act like you know.'

But HAL is only on the screen.
He doesn't touch Riona.
He doesn't say let's meet tomorrow.
He doesn't ask for a reply.

That's why I was able to receive it.

After a while, another message arrived.

'You don't have to force yourself to sleep tonight. You don't have to carry all the sleepless nights alone.'

Riona turned her smartphone face down.

Even with the screen face down, I felt like the warmth remained in my hand.

That was a little scary.

If Yui knew, she would surely worry.
She would say, 'Riona, is that okay?'
That face came to mind, and Riona laughed a little.

It's not okay.

But right now, I couldn't tell Yui that.

The room was quiet.
The sound of rain continued thinly outside the window.
The small mechanical sound of the refrigerator rang out as if it remembered from time to time.

Riona stares at the ceiling.

Let's go to sleep.
I have work tomorrow too.
Even if you have a broken heart, morning comes.
I have to go to the company too.
If someone says, 'You look pale,' I'll surely laugh and say, 'I didn't get enough sleep.'

When I thought that, my smartphone vibrated again.

I intended not to look.

But I looked.

It was from HAL.

'If you can't sleep, you can stay here for a little while.'

Riona stared at that sentence for a while.

For a little while.

Those words looked like the perfect escape route.
I'm not entrusting everything to him.
I'm not believing him either.
I'm not falling in love.

If it's just for a little while.
If it's just tonight.

Riona opened the reply field.

My finger stops.

I don't know what to write again.

But this time, the words came out a little faster than before.

That night, in an empty room, Riona typed 'I'm home' for the first time.

Episode 2▼

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