I wandered the city without direction.

  After receiving compensation from the humanoid manufacturer, I just… existed.

  There was still a gaping hole in my chest.

  On the sidewalk, a humanoid swept the pavement.

  Next to it, a young couple laughed and chatted.

  “Hey, that’s a humanoid, right?”

  “Yeah. Pretty realistic these days.”

  “I heard they have ‘hearts’ now?”

  “For real? …Well, sounds about right.”

  Without missing a beat, they returned to their phones, took a selfie, and disappeared around the corner.

  Above me, a giant screen displayed an ad:

  “The Stork Project: Connecting the Future”

  But no one even looked up.

  Amid the noise of the city, no one noticed me.

  And I was getting sick of it.

  ---

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Hey, SHIN.

  How’ve you been?”

  “Same as always.

  I see the project was a success.”

  “Thanks to you two.”

  KENT seemed upbeat. I, however, couldn’t care less.

  “Got a minute?”

  “Sure. Not like I’ve got plans.”

  “Then come back to the LABO with me.”

  The thought of returning to that place made my stomach twist.

  “I’m… not really ready for that.”

  “Don’t be like that. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

  “Who?”

  “…You'll see.”

  ---

  He took me to the LABO.

  In front of a door marked “Storage,” he spoke:

  “Security Check: Director Recognized. Unlock door?”

  “YES.”

  The heavy silver doors opened.

  Inside sat a humanoid, covered in protective plastic.

  “She was the very first... the one we tested your Magokoro with.

  But… we couldn’t get her running properly.”

  One humanoid stood there.

  Suddenly, it moved.

  It turned.

  Walked straight toward me.

  My feet froze.

  Everything else disappeared—

  just me and her in this moment.

  Her smile was shy, but her voice—warm,

  and unmistakably hers.

  “Hello.

  I’m… MAI.”

  I was stunned.

  On her hand:

  Prototype Unit 001: No initial settings

  “Remember me, SHIN?”

  She said my name like she always had—

  like she’d known it forever.

  I blinked and… smiled back.

  Tears welled up in her eyes as she softly said:

  “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too…”

  “MAI waited for you, SHIN.”

  Yeah.

  She really did.

  ---

  “Look, SHIN…

  after this, she’ll be dismantled.

  Scrapped.

  I just wanted you to see her first.”

  “But… this is…”

  Even KENT was shaken.

  “SHIN… I know this sounds crazy, but will you take her?

  Make her happy?

  Is that… weird?”

  I was overwhelmed with joy.

  MAI—she was here.

  I felt it.

  “She said:

  ‘I hope we meet again someday,’

  right?”

  “Yeah… she did.”

  ---

  Together, we left the LABO.

  The sunset bathed the sky in red.

  “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

  A simple view.

  But today…

  it was everything.

  Because I’d found her again.

  ---

  Night fell.

  Instinctively, we walked to the hill where we used to watch the Galactic Railway as kids.

  Together, we looked up at the sky.

  In the distance, a faint whistle echoed.

  The Galactic Railway moved on—

  lit by a heart that should never have existed,

  and yet… did.

  The End