Bits of Love, Lines of Code
Chapter 21 - 18: The Next Challenge — Internships and Temptations

Chapter 21 - 18: The Next Challenge — Internships and Temptations

The sakura trees had long shed their petals, and the summer warmth crept into Tokyo, ushering in a season of possibilities and trials. Ren and Aoi, now officially a couple, lived under the same roof, sharing morning coffees, late-night ramen, and fleeting kisses that never quite sated either of them — but left them smiling like fools.

College life had found its rhythm. Classes passed in a blur of lectures, labs, and homework. But just as the heat started to settle, their professor dropped a surprise.

Internships.

Mandatory.

Assigned.

Ren was placed with a prestigious robotics lab partnered with several companies, known for their advanced smart-farming systems. He was thrilled. Until he saw the assignment list.

He was partnered with Saki Tachibana — again.

Aoi's smile twitched when she read the same sheet over his shoulder.

"Wow," she said in a flat tone, arms folded. "You two are getting along really well, huh?"

Ren scratched his cheek nervously. "It's... just work."

"Just like last time?" Aoi leaned closer, her voice like honey with razor edges. "You didn't seem to mind her grabbing your sleeve every time she laughed."

"That's not fair," Ren mumbled. "I can't help it if she—"

"Maybe I should intern there too," Aoi said sweetly. "Bring you homemade lunch every day. Sit on your lap while you code. Give her a front-row seat."

"...You're kidding."

Aoi leaned in and whispered:

"Try me."

The Internship Begins

The lab buzzed with state-of-the-art machines, robotic arms sorting micro components, holograms displaying smart irrigation data, and AI-assisted automation. Ren was in his element. And Saki?

She was annoyingly brilliant.

She laughed a little too loudly at Ren's jokes, leaned in a little too close while reviewing code, and once even adjusted his collar with a blush.

"You always look a bit unkempt," she said playfully. "Let me fix it."

Ren tensed.

He missed Aoi.

And sure enough...

That night, Aoi greeted him at the door in one of his hoodies and no pants.

"How was Saki-chan today?" she asked, handing him cold barley tea with a radiant smile that screamed danger.

"Aoi..." he groaned.

"Tell me," she purred. "Did she brush against your shoulder? Laugh at your algorithm jokes? Tuck your tag in?"

"You've been stalking my lab's camera feed, haven't you?"

"Maybe. I'm a tech girl too, you know."

When Tension Sparks

The breaking point came during a late lab session. Ren and Saki were alone. The lights were dimmed, just the glow of monitors around them.

"Ren," Saki said, voice low. "Can I tell you something?"

He looked up from his code.

"I know you're dating Aoi. But... I really admire you. You're kind, passionate, and weirdly adorable."

Ren froze.

"If things were different..." she whispered.

"But they're not," he said softly but firmly.

Saki looked down. Her cheeks flushed, and for a moment, silence stretched between them.

"I wish I met you before her."

Jealousy Ignites

Aoi found out. Somehow.

When Ren got home, she was sitting in the dark, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

"So?" she asked.

"She confessed," he said honestly.

Aoi stood up, walked up to him, and pressed her hand against his chest.

"Do you like her?"

"I like you."

She didn't say anything for a moment. Then... she kissed him.

Not playfully. Not shyly.

It was deep, possessive, and hungry.

"She can't have you," Aoi murmured against his lips. "Not now. Not ever."

Epilogue — A Dream Shared

Later that night, wrapped in each other's arms on the couch, the city lights flickering in through their window, Ren traced a circle on Aoi's back.

"You remember what I said before?"

"Hmm?" she hummed sleepily.

"About dreams changing?"

"Yeah..."

"I think... someday, I want us to move to the countryside. Away from the noise. I want to build machines that help people farm or live simply. Just me and you. Smart tech, but grounded life."

Aoi looked up.

"And me?"

"You'll be my wife," Ren said gently. "We'll build it together — after we're married."

Aoi's heart skipped.

"That's the most boring dream I've ever heard."

Ren smiled.

"But?"

"But I love it," she whispered. "And I love you, dummy."

And as the stars blinked through the summer haze, their future shone — not in the gleam of wires and AI, but in something much warmer.

Love.

Loyalty.

And a promise that no code could ever capture.

Thank you for reading the volume 2 of the Bits of Love, Lines of Code.