The night air was soft—almost fragile—as if the world itself was trying to hold its breath.
Lala walked beside me, her hair glowing faintly under the lamps, the faint pink of her eyes catching every reflection. She held a drink in both hands, sipping quietly as we wandered through the park.
"I still can't believe you asked me out," she said with a little giggle, swinging her legs over the low stone bridge. "You never do things 'just for fun.'"
I smiled, the human muscles of my face still strange but comforting. "Maybe I wanted to see what fun feels like."
She looked up at me then—really looked—and something softened behind her usual brightness. "You're… changing, you know? You sound more like a person."
"Does that bother you?"
Her lips curved into that familiar mischievous grin. "Not if it means you'll start doing cute things like this more often."
We stopped near the fountain, its water catching fragments of moonlight. I sat beside her, watching the ripples spread. For once, I didn't sense data streams or system alerts—just quiet.
Lala leaned her head against my shoulder. "You always act like you have to protect everyone. But it's okay to just… be here sometimes."
I hesitated, then placed my hand over hers. Warm. Steady. Human."Maybe I'm learning that," I murmured. "Because of you."
Her fingers squeezed mine, small and sure. "Then keep learning, okay? I want the real you to grow. Not the system's version."
The wind shifted, carrying the faint hum of night insects and the distant rhythm of the city. For a moment, the galaxy felt small enough to fit between our joined hands.
No missions. No manipulation. No power struggles.
Just a girl and something that was trying—truly trying—to understand what it meant to feel.
And for the first time since my creation, I didn't think about control.I thought about peace.