Today, Kiyotaka was purposely a bit later than usual for the screening. There wasn’t any specific reason behind it, and he still had ten minutes to spare.

The atmosphere in the theater wasn’t any different from other days. Before the host arrived, the students would casually hang around, chatting about relevant topics. The teachers would either quietly watch over them or gossip among themselves.

Kiyotaka had gotten used to it by this point. As long as the videos didn’t reveal anything directly related to his lineage, there wouldn’t be much trouble.

He looked around silently.

As always, there wasn’t anything unusual.

Nothing at all.

Except for the group of students gathered around a particular spot. It seemed to have gotten the attention of the rest of the students as well. As he got closer, he realized that his own seat was somewhere around that spot too. Curious about what was going on, he tried to blend in the crowd.

He could hear excited murmurs and snippets of conversation.

"Who is she? I haven’t seen her before."

"She’s so pretty! Is she a new student?"

"Why haven’t we heard anything about a transfer?"

As he navigated through the sea of students, Kiyotaka finally caught a glimpse of the center of attention. A girl with strikingly lifelike features and an air of calm sophistication was seated beside his designated spot. Her long, flowing hair, perfectly sculpted features, and the almost imperceptible movements of her expressions made her appear incredibly regal. She was dressed in the school’s uniform, blending in seamlessly with the other students.

Kiyotaka found himself intrigued by this development. He made his way to his seat, which was right next to hers. Noticing his figure, the girl turned to him and smiled warmly.

“Hello, Ayanokoji-kun,” she greeted him in a voice that was both soothing, and melodic.

Kiyotaka was surprised to see that she already knew him.

"You again, Ayanokoji!?" Miyamoto yelled.

"Don't tell me it's another one of your woman?" Ike accused.

"I literally just met her," Kiyotaka deadpanned.

"Really now, Kiyotaka?" Kei was suspicious too.

"Why did she only greet you then?" Horikita looked at him skeptically.

"Is it another childhood friend of yours?" Akito guessed.

The girl giggled a bit before opening her mouth.

Before she could answer, the infamous host of the event appeared on stage. The students quickly quieted down, and all eyes turned towards the front of the theater.

???: Good afternoon, everyone. I see that many of you have already noticed our special guest today. Allow me to introduce you all to Lexi.

There were confused looks and whispers among the students. Lexi stood up gracefully and turned to face the crowd, her smile never wavering. Many guys had already fallen for her appearance alone.

???: Now, I’m sure you all have a lot of questions. Lexi is not a new student, nor is she a transfer. She  is, in fact, our AI assistant.

The theater erupted in gasps and murmurs of disbelief.

“What do you mean, AI assistant?”

“She looks so real!”

“No way!”

The host raised a hand to quiet the room.

???: Yes, I know it’s hard to believe. Lexi has been designed to assist with various activities, including today’s screening. She is equipped with advanced AI technology, allowing her to interact with you just like a human would.

Lexi: It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. I’m here to help with any inquires you may have. I am already aware of everyone's identities, so rest assured.

Kiyotaka’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her. The realization that she was not human but an advanced AI fascinated him more than he cared to admit. Also, the fact she mentioned 'identities' instead of 'names' bothered him a little.

The students were buzzing with excitement and a barrage of questions followed right after.

"Can you feel emotions too?"

"Can you help with my homework?"

"Will you go on a date with me?"

Lexi: I am still learning, yes I'd love too, and no, I'm not interested.

She responded at once.

???: Now that you’ve met Lexi, let’s proceed with today’s screening. She will be here throughout the event, so feel free to interact with her.

As the host started the screening, Kiyotaka glanced at Lexi again. She was engaging with another curious student, her mannerisms and responses flawless. The line between human and AI had never seemed so blurred.

Wait.

Why was she sitting beside him again?

This is really not funny. He felt like he was being used as a scapegoat for trouble once again

Lexi: Please take care of me.

She politely bowed.

Kiyotaka: The...feeling is mutual.

He decided to deal with it for now. Besides, she was a guest. So, she must be here for only this video.

Kei: She really can't be...right?

Honami: I hope the seating arrangement was just a coincidence.

Sotomura: I wonder if she can fix my controller.

Kikuchi: The world is moving too fast to the point of making such a powerful AI. And my sorry ass still can't understand polynomials and kinetic friction. I wish I had been born a bird. Ah, yes....The taste of freedom.

The screen turned white as words appeared in an animated fashion, something they had seen before as well.

.....

<𝕸𝖆𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖊 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖎𝖓𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖍𝖚𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖞 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖊>

--- 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐦

.....

Asahina: So, I'm guessing this will be all about Lexi. Isn't it really exciting?

Nagumo: I have to admit. This is a very intriguing event.

Asahina: Let's go and talk to her later then!

Nagumo: Sure. I wonder if she will be able to help me with my wish to create a virtual special exam?

Manabu: The quote on the screen can be taken both optimistically, and pessimistically at the same time.

Komiya: Lexi-chan is really cute, am I right?

Kondo: No denying that.

Ishizaki: Dude, don't even think about it!

He immediately rejected the notion, after sensing Komiya's good-for-nothing intentions.

Komiya: Why not? Remember what Sakagami-sensei used to say?

Tokito: Are you serious?

Ryuen: You won't go far in life with that old fuck's teachings. Not that I think you will anyways. At best, you would probably end up in jail.

Tokito: Jail is the best one?

Komiya: C-come on, guys. Think a bit more positively..! What if-

Nishino: Pervert.

Ibuki: Freak.

Komiya: Ugh, fine then. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t go after Lexi-chan?

Kaneda: Well, for one, she is sitting beside Ayanokoji.

His curt reply immediately put an end to this pathetic debate.

Ishizaki: T-that was too brutal, Kaneda! Look at poor Komiya!

Ryuen: Kuku! He is not wrong though.

Katsuragi: Can you guys please watch quietly?

Summer vacation had started for the students of Advanced Nurturing High School.

When one talks about summer, what usually comes to your head?

A blazing yellow sun?

A beach episode?

Swimming pool?

Hot girls wearing hot swimsuits?

Ike: Haha. All of them. Specially the last one-

He and his friends got giddy at once when the two words: girls and swimsuit, were mentioned.

Hirata: Please, settle down.

Mori: Don't bother, Hirata-kun. Even Shinohara-san gave up on him.

....

Neither of them.

The only correct answer would be—

"Ice cream."

A second-year, newly promoted Class B student, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, was walking back to the dorms after buying his favorite dessert from all the way in Keyaki Mall.

Akito: You really like Ice-cream, don't you?

Ike: C'mon Ayanokoji! You can't possibly prefer Ice-cream over hot girls and swimsuits, right!?

In response to Ike's enthusiastic inquiry, Kiyotaka returned a blank stare.

Ike: ...seriously? You really are an oddball.

Sudo: I respect that too, I guess.

Miyamoto: If I prioritise ice-cream over everything else, will I also be popular?

The reason for being here was because all the convenience stores had run out of stocks, due to the extreme heat and people's increasing demand for ice creams. Luckily for the brown-haired boy, he knew a certain shop in Keyaki Mall that also sold such delicacies, and he wasted no time in buying half of the stock for himself.

Before his ice cream got melted by the heat, he was hurrying to his dorm in order to store them in the fridge as quickly as possible.

Upon coming to the second floor of the mall, he immediately noticed something peculiar.

A booth was set up on the east side.

No...it was too modern and upgraded to just call it that.

The focus of the audience shifted to this new anomaly on screen, imploring them to brainstorm the current events.

Before he realized, Kiyotaka found himself drawn towards it. There were two automatic doors leading inside which were closed at the moment. Beside it, a counter was set up, most probably to buy tickets for this upcoming event. There was a huge poster hanging nearby the booth which would be hard for anyone to miss.

**Unlock Your Future with AI!**

**Ask Our Virtual Assistant Anything!**

💡 **Career Advice?** 
💡 **Relationship Tips?** 

**Get Instant Answers, Personalized for You!**

**Join Us at the AI Advice Booth!**

🗓️ **Date:** [Event Date] 
🕒 **Time:** [Event Time] 
📍 **Location:** [Event Location]

**Interactive • Fun • Insightful**

**Don't Miss Out!** Be part of the future today.

There were many faces which perked up in realisation.

Asahina: So this is were Lexi-chan comes in!

Lexi: Hehe~ yep!

Hashimoto: It will be fun if we had that booth set up here too.

Sanada: This definitely seems to be a fun event.

Satonaka: I agree.

....

"Seriously?"

Kiyotaka couldn’t help but sigh at this. Last year, a fortune teller was stationed here, which had turned out to be a huge hit among the students. This year, it was replaced by an Artificial Intelligence of all things. He had failed to see how an AI would be able to give advice which is not textbookish in the first place.

Lexi looked a little hurt by his blunt words as she tearfully gazed at him, even though there were no actual tears.

Lexi: T-that's so mean, Ayanokoji-kun!

Kiyotaka: No, wait a minute, I--

Sato: Tch, tch! That's not a nice thing to say, Ayanokoji-kun.

Chiaki: You should pat her head and whisper sweet words to her like you usually do to others.

Kiyotaka: That's a misunderstanding.

Lexi: I-I promise I will do my best to help you and everyone!

Kiyotaka: That's admirable. Please don't worry about what I said.

Suzune: Well, I also had the same viewpoint as him in the beginning. I could be wrong too.

Kushida: It might be a hunch but, is Lexi acting right now?

"Don't sit beside that bastard, Lexi-chan. Come over here!" a random student shouted.

The girl changed from her weeping demeanour in a split second and adopted a stoic pose.

Lexi: Thank you, but please don't bother yourself with me.

Her personality switch was astonishing, to say the least. For Kiyotaka, it felt like he just talked to Kushida and Horikita at the same time.

He stared at the poster for a moment longer, his gaze drifting over the various promises of personalized advice and instant answers. The bold, futuristic fonts and sleek design of the booth made it look like something out of a science fiction movie. Despite his skepticism, he couldn't deny that it had a certain allure.

"An AI giving advice...sounds like a gimmick," he muttered to himself. "I can't help but think that this event will be a huge flop. Anyways, it's too hot to go outside for this kind of thing."

Muttering to himself, Kiyotaka adjusted his grip on the bag of ice cream and sprinted towards his dorm before the ice cream melted any further. The thought of the cold, creamy treat waiting for him was enough to push the curiosity about the AI booth to the back of his mind. For now, the summer heat made ice cream the undisputed priority.

Ryuen: I am gonna stomp several cartons of Ice-cream in front of you and just to see how you react.

Ayanokoji: I dare you.

Ishizaki: I have an inkling that boss will make me do it instead.

****

"What is going on...?"

Despite his lack of initial curiosity, Kiyotaka still found himself going towards the AI booth. Even if it was a flop, he still wanted to see how the features of the new generation robots worked.

But what he didn’t expect at all was the huge line of people in front of the ticket counter. It almost reached the escalators.

Was the AI always this amazing? Or was it just curiosity of the students in general?

Even so, the line was even longer compared to the fortune telling booth last year.

Lexi: I am so happy!

She clasped her hands together with a smile, delighted to offer her advice to so many students.

Ishizaki: Holy moly. That crowd is insane.

Nishino: I am not surprised.

Ibuki: In this heat? No, thanks!

Katsuragi: We will most likely see a lot of familiar faces.

Hondo: If the AI is this cute, I would go there everyday!

Makida: You need to go to a church first.

Onodera: Relationship advice, huh?

Arisu: Fufu, I am very excited to see how much capable Lexi-san is.

Kiyotaka: I guess it won't be as bad as I initially inagined.

As he stood in the line himself, he understood the reason why.

"It's because couples were mandatory last time. But this time, only one person is allowed inside the booth."

With this comparison in head, what he was seeing right now could be a general ratio of the singles and couples in this school, if the variables are ignored. The result was pretty disastrous.

Many single individuals in the crowd groaned from Kiyotaka's unnecessary analysis.

"He is singlehandedly raking all the girls from us!"

"That's just an excuse man. Admit it."

"No!"

Lexi: Hhm...if I had to calculate the exact ratio, it would be...

Ichihashi: Uwah! There is no need for that!

Now that he took a good look around, he spotted many familiar faces in the crowd.

*****

The booth was set up very meticulously. One door led inside to a room separated by a thin glass where a table, chair and a large screen were placed. The other door worked as the exit. Right outside the glass, the workers were stationed for any kind of errors with the devices. And to monitor the students for any kind of sabotage.

After a student registers with their ID number, they could entry a maximum of ten questions in the tab placed on the table. The data will be send directly to the screen from the tab. This method was established because many witted individuals tend to manipulate the AI into answering more than ten questions.

<Hello, Katsuragi Kohei. I am Lexi, your virtual AI assistant. How can I help you today?>

Lexi was visibly excited at the thought of so many people seeing her operate first hand.

Ryuen: Good ol' Katsuragi is first, eh? That's a pretty boring start. I bet he would ask her how to study or something.

Hiyori: Don't be rude. There is nothing wrong with that.

Arisu: That's what a meritorious student should do. Not that you can be associated with one, I am afraid.

Ryuen: Please.

Katsuragi was in awe by the sight.

'It has a woman's voice and face which could be almost mistaken for a human's. The facial expressions are also displayed on the screen which constantly changes. I can't help, but think that the technological application behind operating this is truly remarkable.'

<I would feel embarrassed if you stare at me so intensely hee hee~>

Katsuragi quickly snapped out of his thoughts.

"W-what?"

<Yes? Have you prepared your questions?>

"...."

'Did I mishear?'

Hashimoto: Hahaha! He was totally caught off guard by Lexi's humanlike traits.

Machida: Haha, he never expected such a lively response.

Nanase: I wonder how Lexi-san made that body she is using right now. It looks so advanced.

Nishimura: She is quite a tease.

Mori: Right?

Reluctantly, he picked up the tab and entered the queries he could think of at the moment.

There was buffering on the screen for a few seconds as the questions were processed. Immediately after, the AI--Lexi's expression lit up by showcasing a light bulb.

<Yes! So your first question is how to manage your study schedule more efficiently>

Ryuen: Katsuragi once again failed the "try not to be predictable" challenge. No wonder you got screwed in your time as a leader, kuku.

Katsuragi didn't pay him any mind and focused on the screen.

Katsuragi started with something incredibly basic to see how the AI would guide him.

Lexi proceeded to show an extensive time table on the screen along with helpful directions on how he should follow them.

'Impressive,'  he thought.

<Oh, by the way. Don't stress yourself too much on studying. Relaxing yourself is first and foremost in order to lead a healthy life. Though I suppose I am too late in saying this, considering the state your hair is in, which is almost negligible at this point>

Katsuragi was baffled as he stared incredulously at the screen.

The hall was filled with laughter and giggles

Katsuragi: What in the-?

Ryuen: Kukuku you should take her advice while you still can, Katsuragi. Well, not that they will grow back anyways.

Kamuro: She has quite the sense of humor.

Arisu: You’re right.

Lexi: N-no! I was being genuinely concerned about it. Everyone!

She insisted, not wanting anyone to mock her first client any further.

Mii-chan: D-don't worry. We understand.

Kushida: pfft-!

Ijuuin: She truly meant it with a good heart.

Ike: Of course! It can't be helped if he is-

Keisei: Let's stop right there.

Was it supposed to be its attempt at humor? No, it sounded very serious when it said that. So it's genuinely concerned?

Lexi answered the rest of the questions in a similar manner. He was really impressed at how detailed and helpful the advices have been so far. He wasn’t expecting much in the first place, but he felt glad to come here and check it out.

<And finally! Your last question is...umm- >

For the first time, there was hesitation in Lexi's voice.

<Are you sure you want me to answer this?>

Katsuragi's last question wasn’t that much