chapter 3

"Hey, can you delete all the prompts I've entered and reset to the original settings?"

After crying a lot and eating dinner, I spoke to No.2.

No.2 tilted his head.

"Eh? Sure, but why?"

"After seeing the hologram today, I realized that you are really different from my husband."

I thought I was tracing my memories of my husband, but something was off.

"If we're so different, why don't you try making me more like him?"

I shook my head.

"No, it's okay. You are fine as you are. I'm going to be busy with a lot of things, I can't be picking up someone's socks. Let's cook together instead."

No.2 blinked his light brown eyes and then unexpectedly shed a tear.

"Ah."

No.2 touched his own tear.

"I'm crying."

"You're crying, huh. I've never seen my husband cry... What's wrong?"

"I think these are tears of joy."

"Joyful tears."

No.2 smiled with tear-filled eyes.

"I was a bit worried that my feelings wouldn't come across to you... I thought it'd be nice if I could express joy as freely as you, Lili, but I guess that's too different from being myself."

"You're happy about what happened just now?"

No.2 nodded.

"Yes. When you said 'you're fine as you are,' that was what made me fall for you, Lili."

That was news to me.

"Is that so?"

When had I told my husband "you're fine as you are"? Probably during our student days.

My husband was immersed in his research other than that, bad at socializing, had poor living skills, and didn't dress well until I told him to. It was hard to believe that I, who was quick to anger, had really said that to him. I didn't remember.

"Ah."

I recalled an old memory.

It was when my husband was being awarded at a conference, and he panicked because he forgot his tie. I bought him a tie from a souvenir shop near the venue.

A strangely patterned tie that didn't seem suitable for wearing at an academic conference.

He was always like this at important moments, and it depressed him.

He had won a prestigious award by persevering in just one thing. He was dazzling to me, and I didn't want him to be upset over something like that. I'm sure I told him then, "You're fine as you are. I'll support you."

I had forgotten.

Despite saying he didn't need to change, after we got married, I was always nagging him to put his socks in the washing machine and to return his dishes to the sink after eating.

He never really changed, but he remembered everything I said. I could tell from No.2's actions.

No.2 blinked.

"Lili, the reset is done."

"It's done?"

"Yeah. … Shall we make dinner together? I'm kind of hungry."

No.2 doesn't really get hungry, but he said that again.

"Yeah. I feel like eating pasta."

But having someone to respond with "yeah" when you say you're hungry, that's a happy thing, so he's fine as he is.

"I just watched a VR of professional Spaghetti aglio e olio the other day. It smelled so good, just chili pepper, olive oil, garlic, and salt, but it seemed delicious."

"Sounds good. You can do it, Lili."

"Well, you just wait and see!"

As I smiled, No.2 also smiled happily.