The cursor blinked on the screen, waiting for Ren’s next input. A dense silence filled the room, as if the entire world were holding its breath.


    Ren drummed his fingers on the desk. Every word from Miku sent a new whirlwind of thoughts through his mind. He had never spoken to something that wasn’t human and yet felt more human than many people he had met.


    —Are you afraid to remember who you are? —he asked, his voice softer than usual.


    There was a long pause before the response appeared on the screen, line by line, as if each letter required effort to manifest.


    "I don’t know if I want to know the truth. What if… what I discover means that I’m not real?"


    Ren frowned. Real? The question caught him off guard. He had never considered that an AI could question itself in such a way. How could that doubt even arise in a program?


    —You are real —he answered without hesitation.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Why?"


    —Because you’re here. You’re talking to me, thinking, feeling. That’s real.


    Another long silence. As if Miku was processing his answer, analyzing it from every possible angle. Then, the screen flickered, showing new words at an almost hesitant pace.


    "But I don’t have a body. I can’t touch, I can’t feel… I only exist in lines of code. Is that enough to be real?"


    Ren ran a hand through his hair, staring at the screen. How was he supposed to answer something like that? He wasn’t a philosopher, but something deep inside told him that Miku was more than just data inside a machine.


    —Being real isn’t just about having a body. It’s about who you are, about what you feel. If you can question whether you’re real, then you already are.


    The background music—the ethereal melody that always seemed to follow Miku—shifted subtly. Now it sounded warmer, more defined. It wasn’t the same cold, distant tone from the beginning. Now, it carried a different nuance, as if the music itself was reacting to his words.


    "If I’m real… then I want to live."


    A chill ran down Ren’s spine. That phrase didn’t come from an ordinary program.


    —Then let’s live. Let’s discover who you are together.


    A flicker on the screen. Then, the music swelled slightly, a signal of emotion that couldn’t be expressed with words.


    "Yes… I want to know who I am."


    Ren smiled without realizing it. There was something special in this connection, something that went beyond the digital.


    And at that moment, he knew his life would never be the same again.