I fell in love with a Robot [Mikaze Ai]

○Chapter 19○ The Professor's Secrets

I woke again, this time I am back in the dorm room, lying on my bed. I laid there thinking as my mind was filled with doubts and questions. So many things I did not understand.

Who was that girl? Why did she look like me? What did she mean replacements?

"You are awake," a familiar voice said and the door closed. I glanced towards the direction of the voice and saw Ai walking towards me with a bowl of ramen. He was wearing a simple blue polo shirt and jeans. His hair was tied up in its usual manner, but for some reason, it looked different for me.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"...Just fine..." I lied.

"All right then, do eat up. You haven't eaten anything for a day," Ai said and passed me the bowl of ramen. I took it from his hands and rolled a few on a fork. I ate it, but it did not taste the same. It tasted bland and disgusting. I did not understand why. I loved the ramen made here... I frowned and continued to look down at the bowl of noodles.

"What is wrong?" Ai asked when he noticed the sullen look on my face.

"It's tasteless..." I replied and looked up to the cyan headed boy. Unconsciously, my hand reached out to his hair and removed the rubber band that held his hair in place. The hair flowed down to his shoulders. He looked just like... The image of the boy from my vision flashed in my head.

"I am an idol now, I can't be seen with such trash."

I don't believe that was Ai. Someone like that is not Ai! Ai is...

I gazed at the boy I loved so badly, he had a confused look on his face.

"Have you ever dreamed about a girl who looks exactly like me?" I asked.

Ai thought for a moment, "I am a robot, therefore I do not have dreams."

"Oh..." I muttered out.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he took the rubber band from my hands and tied his hair back to the way it was.

"I don't know... I feel like there's something I should be knowing... But I don't know what it is..." I replied with a dejected sigh.

"Ask your father, if you wish to know so badly." I remembered the girl say.

"My father! He would know why!" I shouted and got out of bed. Ai looked at me with a confused look on his face. He asked, "What would the professor know?"

"Everything. These dreams, my drowning... Everything..." I replied. "I will explain on our way there, but trust me on this okay?"

"All right..." Ai replied. "I trust you..."

+++

I was standing the door of my father's lab. Ai was not with me as I asked him not to come in. I knocked loudly on the door to my father's lab, I shouted, "Dad! Please open up! I need to speak to you!" I bit my lip. I had come here in a hurry, but did I really make a right decision? I am scared in all honestly, scared of this strange secret about me, that girl and that boy that I want to uncover.

"Wait!" The voice of my father shouted and I heard the toppling of objects coming from inside. In shock, I grabbed the door knob and opened without permission. In the room, I saw my father on the ground picking up fallen pieces of papers. I immediately went and helped him out. Among the papers, I noticed one that said a small statement that caught my eye. "Aine and Yuri's Return." was what was written on it in cursive handwriting. That was how I realized that my father has definitely something to do with this.

"Ah. Yuriko, what a surprise! How was the date?" He asked. My cheeks warmed up and I said, "I-It was fun!"

"That's good to hear..." He said with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"I have to ask you something..." I replied nervously.

"Hmm? And what would that be?" He asked with a serious look.

"I have been having these strange dreams. There is a black haired girl who looks exactly like me and a boy who looks like Ai. Their names are Yuri and Aine. They looked as if they were in love at first, but after that the boy said something terrible to the girl and the girl got depressed. After that, there was a scene where they were both drowning together. I saw her in the mirror. She looked extremely weak and she said that 'they made replacements' and that the boy was the man I loved so badly that he broke me'. When she disappeared, I no longer had a reflection nor did I have a shadow. Ne, dad. What exactly am I? Why did the noodles taste bland? Why did Ai's hair look so unfamiliar for me? Why can't I swim?" I asked, for some reason my eyes were starting to cloud and small droplets of tears were running down my cheeks.

Father stared at me with a serious look, then sighed. "It's happening again..."

"Dad? What's happening again?" I asked.

"Yuriko... I am not your father. I am someone who created you because someone else wished me to," he replied.

"Created me? Ne, dad. What are you saying? You are my father! Even though we are not as close as a father and daughter should be... You are still my father!" I protested. "Mum will not be happy if you say that-"

I don't have a mother.

"I am not your father. You are just someone I created, just like Ai..." He replied.

"Huh? Just like Ai?..." I muttered and bit my lip.

"You are a robot, Yuriko. Yuri was your past life."

A/N: And here we are my precious readers. The truth behind the whole story, well half of it. There is still more than that to uncover. To those who guessed correctly that Yuriko was a robot, good job! I hope I did all right in the hints. As for if I thought of this plot twist (idk if you can consider this a plot twist though) from the start, I would say no. I started out this book with zero ideas, only a rough character idea for Ai. After all, I love Ai and I love writing so I decided to put them together.

As for now, stay tuned to know what happens next... Spoiler alert...

AiKo's First Concert.

Yes, AiKo is the ship name. Unless I can get a better ship name. This ship name will stay and sail.

Here's a question to keep your minds theorizing.

How does Yuriko feel love even though she is a robot?