Today was Monday, the start of the User Experience Week for Clitify.
The air in the rented coworking space in Akihabara was thick with the humidity generated by twenty high-end workstations, industrial-sized humidifiers, and a dozen men who had spent more time with virtual women than the physical ones.
Makoto sat at a small round table, his notebook open, his pen hovering over a list of bullet points. As part of his onboarding, Kenta had assigned Makoto to the UX Research phase with the UI/UX team. "You can't build an AI-goon app if you don't know the gooners," Kenta had said with a grin.
Beside him, Yui had traded her usual oversized sweater for a sharp form-fitting blouse and a skirt that reached just above her knees. She looked like the perfect approachable Girl Next Door.
She was currently showing a set of new UI wireframes and AI archetypes to a group of whales, users who spent upwards of 500,000 yen ($3200) a month on Clitify's digital companions.
"So, if we move the Gift icon here, closer to the Affection Meter, do you feel the interaction is more rewarding?" Yui asked, her voice steady but a little thin. She gave the group a bright, hopeful smile. Most of the users were polite, if a bit awkward. They gave feedback on color palettes, loading times, and how the waifus should talk and act.
But then, there was User #061, known as King_Slime. He was a massive man, his bulk overflowing the facility's ergonomic chair. He wore a sweat-stained anime t-shirt that was two sizes too small, and the smell of unwashed laundry and sticky hair radiated off him in waves.
Instead of looking at the wireframes on Yui's tablet, he was looking at Yui. "The UI is fine, sweetheart," King_Slime said, his voice a wet rasp.
He leaned forward, the chair groaning under his weight. "But the Boing Boing Physics you guys just patched in? It's lame. I want the models to react more when I touch them, you know? Like how you'd react if I touched you."
Yui's smile faltered. She took a small step back, her tablet clutched to her chest like a shield. "We're working on more reactive haptics for the mobile version, sir. If you look at the roadmap..."
"I don't care about a roadmap," he interrupted, his eyes raking over her body with a naked intensity. "I've spent three million yen on this app. I own the Librarian archetype. And you… You look just like her, same glasses, same proportions, cutie."
King_Slime reached out. His movements were slow and deliberate, full of ugly entitled confidence. His large hand with yellowed fingernails moved toward Yui's waist. "Lib-chan loved it when I touched her. Let's see if the real-world version matches the virtual one," he sneered.
Yui was frozen in place, her breath hitching in her throat, her eyes wide with terror. She couldn't move or scream.
But before the man's hand could make contact, a shadow fell over the table.
Makoto moved with a speed that surprised even himself. He slid between Yui and the user, his larger, broader frame acting as a physical barrier. He reached out and caught the man's wrist mid-air.
Makoto's grip was like iron. "That's enough, sir." His voice was low and flat, carrying a weight of cold authority that made the other users at the table go silent.
King_Slime blinked, his face contorting into a mask of indignant rage. "Let go of me! Do you know who I am?! I'm a Tier-10 Platinum supporter! I pay your goddamn salary!" He tried to yank his arm back, but Makoto didn't budge.
"You pay for our service," Makoto replied, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "You don't pay for the right to touch our staff. If you can't maintain professional boundaries, this session is over for you."
"You… you fat fuck!" the man shrieked, his face turning a dangerous shade of purple. "I'll delete my account! I'll charge back every single yen! I'll leave a review that will bury this company! You're fired, you hear me? FIRED!"
"Is there a problem here?" Kenta appeared at the table, his arms crossed, his usual playful grin replaced by a hard, unyielding line. He looked at the trembling Yui, then at Makoto's iron grip on the user's wrist.
"Kenta-san!" King_Slime blustered, pointing a shaky finger at Makoto. "This… this rude employee assaulted me! I was just giving feedback, and he grabbed me! I want him gone, now! Or I'm taking my three million yen elsewhere!"
Kenta looked at the man, then at the security camera mounted directly above the table, and turned back to the whale. His smile returned, but it was a cold, sharp thing that didn't reach his eyes.
"Three million yen, huh?" Kenta mused, tapping his chin. "That's a lot of money, sir. It pays for about one week of our server costs."
He leaned in close to King_Slime, his voice dropping. "But Clitify isn't a brothel, and we don't sell our people. Makoto-san didn't assault you. He protected his colleague from your harassment, which is exactly what I hired him to do."
Kenta stood up straight, his gaze sweeping over the room. "Your account is already being flagged for a TOS violation, King_Slime-san. Your credits are refunded, and you are permanently banned from our platforms."
He nodded, signaling the guards with his hand. "Security will escort you to the door. If you ever set foot near one of my employees again, I won't call the police. I'll call a lawyer who will make sure you spend the rest of your life in jail."
The room was silent as two large security guards appeared, hauling the sputtering, screaming man out of the building.
The aftermath was a blur. Yui sat in the breakroom with a cup of hot tea clutched in her hands. She was still pale, her knees trembling under the table.
Makoto sat across from her. He felt the adrenaline beginning to fade, leaving behind a heavy ache in his chest. "Are you okay, Yui-san? I didn't want to make a scene."
Yui looked up. Her eyes were shimmering with tears, but they weren't tears of terror anymore. They were luminous and filled with adoration, making Makoto's heart skip a beat.
"You…" she whispered, her voice a rough whisper. "You were like a hero, Makoto-senpai. You didn't even hesitate."
She reached across the table, her small, cold fingers brushing against the back of his hand. "Thank you, Makoto-sepai. Truly. Everyone else was just watching. But only you stood up for me."
"It's what any decent person would do," Makoto mumbled, looking at his tea.
"No," Yui said, her voice gaining a fierce strength. "It's what a good man does. It's what a Reliable-senpai does." She leaned in, her scent of vanilla and markers overwhelming him. "I'm so glad you're here."
===
Back at the apartment, the War Council was in shock.
The living room was dark, the only light the blue glow of the tablet. Yuna, Ayane, and Mafuyu were all huddled around Mika's tablet, having heard the entire exchange through the bugged phone in Makoto's pocket.
The sound of Yui's voice, "I'm so glad you're hể," crackled through the room, followed by the soft, intimate silence of the breakroom.
"He… he saved her, just like he saved me from Tatsuya," Mafuyu whispered, her hand resting over her heart. "He was so brave."
"THAT SLUT!" Yuna shrieked, but her voice was lacking its usual venom. She looked at the tablet, her violet eyes wide. "She's falling for him! She's actually falling for my big bro! I'm going to kill that whale for giving him the opportunity to look cool!"
Ayane was pacing the room, her knuckles cracking. "He caught his wrist? Like in a goddamn shounen manga? God, I wish I had been there to see it. That's so hot."
Then she stopped, looking at Mika. "Mika, what's your move? The cute coworker just got a Life-Saving Debt buff. That's a romantic flag."
Mika stared at the tablet, her face a mask of calm focus. "Makoto's protective instincts kicked in during a high-stakes situation. I don't blame him."
She said, her voice low. "Yui just went from a nuisance to an active threat. And they are going to have a Hackathon in two weeks. So, as a security measure, I'm going to install an extra feature on Makoto's tracking app."
"What feature? Will it play our voices to remind Makoto who he belongs to?" Yuna smirked.
"Better! It's an emergency alarm so loud it can wake the whole company. If that bitch dares to make a move..." Mika adjusted her glasses, her brown-pink eyes shimmering with calculation.