Chapter 7: Natalie’s Odd Request

Chapter Seven

Natalie quickly replied.

[I just checked—there’s no one outside your door, just a delivery bag on the ground.]

I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

I also vented to Natalie about tonight’s weird experience.

Even though we were in the same major, unlike me—a struggling student—Natalie had always had top grades and a great reputation in college.

After graduation, she went straight to a big tech company.

Actually, this AI chatbot was developed by her company.

I was lucky enough to be one of the first users to try it out.

After hearing my complaints, Natalie sounded a little exasperated.

[How could anyone predict when someone will die? You’re taking the AI way too seriously.]

[And eating strawberry cake late at night—aren’t you worried about gaining weight?]

[Why not bring the cake over? I’ll help you eat it!]

Seeing that, I quickly sent an "okay."

I’d been busy with work lately, traveling a lot, and hadn’t seen Natalie in ages.

Just as I was about to open the door and bring the cake over to 504, something felt off.

A chill crawled up my spine. I hadn’t told her about the cake. Had I?

I stopped, fingers hovering over the digital lock. The apartment was so quiet I could hear the soft buzz of the streetlights outside and the faint hum of someone’s late-night TV. I looked down at my phone, replaying the conversation in my mind. I hadn’t mentioned the flavor. Had I?