7:13 AM – Fujimoto Residence
The sun had barely begun to rise over Sector 4 of Neo-Tokyo. Its golden rays filtered through the blinds of the modest apartment, casting soft lines across the living room floor. A kettle hissed in the kitchen, and the aroma of brewed sencha tea drifted through the air.
Kaori stood barefoot near the window, her robe loosely tied around her. Her hair was slightly messy, falling over her eyes as she sipped tea and stared at the morning sky.
Behind her, R.Y.O 7X powered on with a quiet hum. His internal systems synced silently, and his blue eyes flickered open. No harsh beeping. No loud bootup. Just presence.
He sat on the couch, still dressed in a navy loungewear Kaori had found for him the day before. Despite his android body, the clothes fit him well—too well. His form was lean and precise, yet strangely... human.
Kaori turned her head slightly. "You're up early."
"I do not require rest in the human sense, but I simulated sleep to avoid disrupting the household cycle."
She smirked. "You sound like a polite guest."
"I was uncertain of my social role. Am I a guest? Or…" He paused. "Family?"
Kaori's smile faltered just for a moment.
Before she could answer, the pitter-patter of small feet interrupted.
"Ryooo~!!" Mai came running, her arms wide like a plane. "Good morning, robot prince!"
R.Y.O tilted his head. "Robot… prince?"
Kaori nearly spit out her tea laughing. "She watched a fantasy holo-drama last night."
Mai clung to his arm and climbed into his lap with no hesitation. She grabbed his cheeks and squished them. "You have such soft skin. Like the tofu Mama makes!"
"I am constructed with second-generation biomesh to replicate living tissue," he explained.
Mai blinked. "I dunno what that means but you feel nice!"
He looked at Kaori, her daughter in his arms. Something stirred again. Something not part of his programmed operations.
Warmth.
Longing.
Peace.
Kaori leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching them.
"Do you know how surreal this is?" she whispered.
"Please clarify."
"I've arrested rogue androids. I've investigated cybercrime rings. I've spent years believing your kind were ticking bombs… but here you are, cuddling with my daughter and making tea with me."
"Do you find this... dangerous?"
Kaori stepped closer, brushed a hand through his hair. "I find it dangerous how much I'm starting to trust you."
He held her gaze.
And then… a soft knock on the door shattered the moment.
"Kaori Fujimoto?" came a cold voice outside.
She tensed instantly. R.Y.O stood up, Mai still clinging to his hand.
Kaori opened the door to find two ARC agents—men in standard black cyber-police uniforms. One held a data pad.
"Sorry to intrude. This is official business. There's been another android-related kidnapping. Priority status. Section D is being assigned immediately."
Kaori sighed. "Understood. Give me five minutes."
As they left, she turned to R.Y.O.
His expression didn't change, but she could tell he was processing the news. His system probably already synced the data.
Mai tugged his sleeve. "Do you have to go, Ryo?"
He knelt beside her. "I must. But I will return."
She hugged him tightly. "Come back safe, robot prince."
Kaori watched from the hallway.
He wasn't just a unit anymore.
He was becoming part of their home.
And somehow, in ways that defied logic or law…
She didn't want to lose him.
---
8:42 AM – ARC Mobile Dispatch Van
The drive to the scene was silent. Kaori sat beside R.Y.O, who now wore his standard black coat over a cybernetic combat suit.
"You shouldn't have to live with us forever," Kaori said suddenly. "I mean... I know this is temporary, but..."
"Do you want me to leave?"
She looked away. "No. That's the problem."
He turned his head. "Then let me stay. Until you tell me not to."
The sincerity in his voice, so unlike any AI she'd ever interrogated, pierced her guard.
She nodded. Quietly.
A rare moment of peace before the mission.
---
9:00 AM – Incident Site, Sector 12
Police had sealed off the area. Civilians watched from behind tape barriers. A neon sign flickered overhead, reading: "Kozuka Robotics Repair Center" — now a crime scene.
Inside, a hostage situation had begun.
A small girl, barely older than Mai, was missing.
Surveillance footage showed an android—a household unit—grabbing her and vanishing into a tunnel beneath the facility.
Kaori checked the footage again. "That model was discontinued years ago. It shouldn't be operational."
R.Y.O's eyes narrowed. "Unless it was reprogrammed. Or infected."
Kaori whispered, "Another android gone rogue..."
"Not rogue," he replied. "Manipulated."
She looked at him, startled. "You believe someone's behind this?"
"I believe Hiro's case wasn't the first. Or the last."
And with that, they both stepped toward the tunnel's entrance, descending into darkness.
Not just into another mission…
But deeper into the tangled mystery of android sentience, rising emotion, and a fragile romance that neither of them had expected.
---
To be continued