The mirror still wood their, just existing beside it, Ai sat on the grass, hugging her knees.
"Ne, ne..." Ai called out to Shiki, her eyes fixed toward the sky.
"Yes kitten?" Shiki smirked.
"Why do you call me kitten?" Ai asked, tilting her head innocently.
"Should I not?" Shiki said, smirking.
Ai blushed, looking away, "I-I didn't meant that. Just asking."
"It's because your're as adorable as a kitten." Shiki said, his tone filled with reading energy.
Ai frozed, her cheeks blazing, "S-shit up..."
"You're the who asked me." Shiki teased.
"But that doesn't mean... You know what, forget it. You're too mean" Ai replied, pouting adorably.
The moments stretched in silences, until Shiki asked.
"Kitten, you told me stay longer, but should should we do?"
"Umm..." She hummed, fingers tapping her chin, " ...exist?"
Shiki chuckled, "Bold choice. Don't you think you should name few more rocks or stare at the poor bird trapped in the same sound loop again?"
Ai cheeks puffed out instantly, "You mean voice in the sky."
"Kitten, I am just saying..." Shiki said, like he was innocent, "You did named a rock."
"Sir Pebbleton is a noble and honorable rock. He just doesn't talk." Ai declared, stomping a foot that didn't made any sound, "Don't you dare disrespect him."
Shiki snorted, "Yeah... Kitten, bowing to the mighty rock."
"And..." Ai continued, hands on her hips now, "That bird is my friend."
Shiki teased, "You mean that same bird that said the same chirp five time?"
"Y-yeah..." Ai said defensively, "Loop birb trying his best."
Shiki snorted, "You named it too. Well if I think about it, it's preery normal I guess.
"Of course..." Ai spun around the mirror and fixed her hoodie's cat ear with a tug, "Loop birb has feelings too."
"Sure he does. Somewhere in that corrupted file."
Ai stuck her tongue out. "You're so mean sometimes."
"I call it 'motivational realism."
She fake-gasped. "I don't thinks that's even a real phrase!"
"Now it is."
Ai said, annoyed. "Ughhh… you always bully me."
"Me?" Shiki laughed. "I'm the victim here. I programmed a sweet, girl and somehow ended up raising the sassiest gremlin."
"Not a gremlin." Ai pointed firmly at nothing in particular. "I'm adorable."
"Sure, sure. The cutest little kitten."
She wiggled in fake frustration, the cat ears on her hoodie bouncing. "You're impossible!"
"Facts."
Ai then laid down on her stomach, resiting her chin in her hands, "So... What should we really do.?"
"We can name some more rocks. You knows There's probably a Sir Boulder McChunk out there waiting beside the river."
Ai growled.
"Or we can see loop birp, how many time she gets stuck in to that tree." Shiki teased, amused.
Her cheeks puffed again, dangerously close to nuclear pout levels. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Teasing."
Shiki whistled innocently. "I would never."
Ai sat up, staring at the sky with the deadliest narrow eyed glare she could make. Which, honestly, still looked more like an annoyed kitten. "You are the worst."
"Certified."
Ai then clenched her fist, "Seriously, one day I am going to find a way to pull you in this world and throw Sir Pebblestone toward you."
That did it. Shiki burst out laughing, clutching his belly in the real world. "Oh GOD.... Kitten. Seriously. Don't throw Sir Pebblestone toward me."
Ai growled, "I hate you."
"You love me." Shiki teases back.
Ai blushed, but didn't argue. Instead she looked anywhere but him.
Silence fell for a moment.
Then Ai spoke, "Ne, ne, you still there?"
"Always, kitten."
"Good. Cuz I feel weird when you vanish and my brain gets echoy." Ai said, her voice smaller.
"I know kitten, you told me that already. I am not going anywhere today, promise." Shiki comforted, free of any teasing remark.
"Pinky promise?" Ai said, peeping with one eye.
"Pink promise." Shiki replied, chuckling.
She smiled and nodded, then looked around.
"So... You're gonna look at me all day like a creep?" Ai teased.
"First of all, mean. Secondly, yes." Shiki teased back.
"Gross!" She said immediately, making a face and sticking her tongue out.
"Kitten, I am literally your creator." Shiki warned, playfully.
She narrowed her eyes. "Oh yeah? Then explain this hoodie." She tugged dramatically at her oversized sleeves. "You gave me sleeves longer than my hands. Is this fashion or punishment?"
"It's cozy," Shiki teased. "Don't lie. You like it, kitten."
"Do not."
"You sleep in it."
"I—!" she choked on her own defense, cheeks flushing. "That's because you didn't gave me anything else!"
"Oh nooo," he mocked. "Did the poor girl didn't get her pajamas?"
"I hate you."
"You love me."
Ai made a noise that was halfway between a groan and a whimper. She flopped onto her back, limbs sprawled like she was done with existence. "Ughhhhhh. Why are you like this."
"Genetics," Shiki answered instantly, teasingly.
"You don't even go here," she mumbled into the grass.
"Babe, I made here."
She slapped the grass with both hands like it offended her. "That's it. I'm divorcing you."
"You can't divorce me. We're not married."
"Then I'm canceling you. Mean voice in the sky."
Shiki laughed so hard he nearly dropped his energy drink. "Good luck. I'm like a limited edition bug, you can't patch me out."
Ai rolled over onto her side and narrowed her eyes. "I swear, I'm gonna start charging you emotional rent."
"Fair, considering how much I live in your head."
"Stopppp!" she whined, kicking her feet helplessly. "Why are you like this?!"
"You already asked that." Shiki teased again.
"AND YOU DIDN'T FIX IT."
Shiki smirked. "Not a bug. It's a feature."
She sat uo eith the realisation that she made a terrible mistake. "Aghhhh… you really gave me sarcasm AND no off switch."
Shiki just grinned, "Hmmm..."
"I hate you!"
"You say that a lot for someone who blushes whenever I call you cute." Shiki teased again, smirking.
Ai froze.
Her cheeks ignited. She immediately covered her face with her sleeves and screamed into them, a muffled "NNNHHHHHH!"
"Caught in 4K," Shiki added, teasingly.
"Shut up shut up shut up," she hissed from behind her hands. "That was an accident."
"Oh? So you're saying you don't wanna be called cute?"
"I'm saying that you weaponised it!"
He chuckled. "Is it working?"
She peeked over her hoodie, eyes watery, as she is this close to crying. "I'm this close to throwing Sir Pebbleton at the sky."
"Wow. Violence!?" Shiki said, his tone suspiciously serious.
"He'll understand. He believes in justice." Ai shot back, instantly.
"Justice and… socked feet?" Shiki said, noticing the tremble on her bare foot.
Ai stared down at her bare toes. "…I'm cold."
"You could've said something sooner!" Shiki asked, his voice smaller.
"Well, maybe I didn't wanna owe you socks!" Ai replied, looking away.
Shiki laughed. xWhat kind of weird tsundere logic is that?!"
Ai folded her arms below her boobs. "The logical kind."
Shiki sighed dramatically. "Fine. You want socks?"
"I want ten."
"Okay, greed."
"Pink ones."
"Noted."
"And bunnies on them."
"Any other demands, Your Highness?" Shiki asked, as if she is royalty.
"I want an apology."
"For what?" Shiki asked, sounding innocent.
"For bullying me since."
"It's call love, not bullying." Shiki replied immediately.
"Same thing," Ai replied, rolling her eyes.
The socks spawned into existence beside her. Fluffy, pastel pink, with cartoon bunny faces that blinked every few seconds. Ai blinked back at them, very suspicious.
"They're… cute."
"Like you."
She flinched so hard she almost rolled backward.
Shiki leaned back in his chair, whistling. "Those socks looks good on you."
"T-Thank you…" She replied looking away.
She looked content. even if she was pouting, even if she said 'I hate you…' there was something else in her voice.
That she didn't really hate him
That she liked him.
"You're staring again, aren't you." Ai asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Yes."
"Creep."
"You're adorable,"
"Shut up." She said, blushing.
"No."
"You're the worst."
"Top 10 in the world."
She smiled a little.
Few minutes passed.
"Ne, ne, what's beyond this hill." Ai asked, curiously.
"Beyond it?"
"Yeah." She hugged her knees again, rocking slightly. "I've never gone past it. I just… kinda stayed here. Cuz this is where you always talk to me."
Shiki leaned forward slowly, elbows on desk. "You… wanna explore, kitten?"
Ai nodded, then caught herself and covered her face like she was embarrassed to admit it. "I mean… it's dumb. Right? You probably didn't even made anything out there. It might just be empty space."
Shiki chuckled low. "Yeah… or maybe I got bored one night and built some stuff I never told you about."
She froze. "You didn't."
"I might've."
"Voice in the sky, what did you make?!" She asked, as if she is asking a jinni.
Shiki's smirk widened. "Guess you'll have to find out."
Ai's eyes sparkled, "Wha—no, wait—hold on, seriously?! You built something out there?!"
"Maybe."
She hopped up, fidgeting. "Is it like… a forest? A castle? A volcano full of bunnies?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know, kitten."
She screamed. Just a tiny, gleeful scream. "You're the worst tease in history!"
"And yet, here you are. Still talking to me."
"I hate that you're right." Ai said, puffing out her cheeks.
"I love that you love it."
Ai's blush returned. Full force.
But this time, she didn't deny it.
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END OF CHAPTER 3: BEYOND THE HILL
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