The glow of his desktop filled the dimly lit apartment, the light of his monitor cutting through the surrounding darkness. It was the only source of light in the room, casting long, sharp shadows against the walls. His desk was a graveyard of empty energy drink cans, crumpled wrappers, and half-scribbled notes, a proof of his long nights typing away. His eyes burned from exhaustion. His body ached from spending too many hours hunched over the keyboard, typing until his fingers cramped. 

2:47 AM. “Come on, come on… just a little more…” He knew he should stop. He was running on fumes, but the deadline was looming like a storm cloud hanging over his head. His editor had been on his back for weeks about getting the next draft finished, and yet… his brain felt like it had been scraped clean.

Nothing. No words, no inspiration, just an overwhelming mental fog that refused to lift.He exhaled sharply, rubbing his face. “I need a break.” Out of habit, he minimized the document, exiting full screen.  His plan was simple: procrastinate for a few minutes, then dive back in. But as soon as his desktop appeared, he noticed something new.

A small, pixelated figure stood in the corner of his screen. He blinked,The bunny girl blinked back,Then, she waved. “Welcome back, Master! Did you miss me? ” His mind stalled. He squinted at the figure, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Had he always had a desktop pet? Then, like a slow, sluggish wave crashing into his exhausted brain, it hit him.The late-night download.The sketchy pop-up ad. The terrible impulse decision he had made while running on nothing but caffeine and thirty-two straight hours of consciousness. “Oh… shit.” The little bunny girl tilted her head, her ears twitching slightly as if waiting for his response. He wasn’t sure what to do.

The program was up and running, but—how? He didn’t even remember finishing the installation. Hell, he barely remembered downloading it. He moved his mouse, experimentally dragging the cursor toward her. Her eyes followed it. The moment he clicked on her, she perked up and clapped her hands. Then, she spoke again.“Hehe~ You found me!” A small text bubble popped up beneath her. “I’m your new desktop assistant! I can help you stay on track, Master! Just tell me what you need!” He hesitated. “Okay, this is… actually kind of cool.”.

 He had expected some cheap, buggy knockoff of an old-school desktop pet, but this? This was smooth. Her animations weren’t stiff or robotic—she actually had expressions. Reactions. Even her blinking pattern seemed randomized, like an actual AI. He clicked on her again, testing her responses. The bunny girl twirled in place before throwing a tiny pixelated heart into the air.Another speech bubble popped up.

“That tickles! ” He snorted. “Okay, that’s kinda cute.”Whatever his past-self had done in his sleep-deprived state, maybe it wasn’t completely terrible.

Curious, he right-clicked on her.A small menu appeared:

• Reminders

• To-Do List

• Timers

• Notes

His brows furrowed. “Wait… this thing actually has features?” Out of curiosity, he clicked Reminders. A soft chime rang, and another speech bubble appeared.

“Need help, Master? I can remind you of anything! Deadlines, breaks, even meals! ” He hesitated. Normally, he relied on sticky notes and caffeine-fueled desperation to get through his work, but having an actual system?

Maybe this wouldn’t be the worst thing. he thought. “Alright, Bunny, let’s see what you got,” he muttered, typing out a few reminders:

• Finish chapter draft by 10 PM

• Drink water every hour

• Get up and stretch

The bunny girl bounced excitedly. “Got it! I’ll make sure you stay on track, Master!” A small timer icon appeared at the top of his screen. “Huh. Kinda convenient.” He sat back, rubbing his temples. Maybe he had been too quick to judge.The bunny girl was weirdly helpful—almost like a cuter, more interactive version of an AI assistant.At the very least, it wasn’t hurting anything.

Time blurred as he got back to work, the click-clack of his keyboard filling the air. He got lost in the flow, barely noticing the minutes slipping by. Then—A soft chime rang out. A speech bubble popped up beside the bunny girl. “Master! It’s time to drink water! (✿◠‿◠) Don’t forget~!”He blinked. “Oh.” His gaze flickered to the pile of energy drink cans on his desk. 

He grabbed one, half-empty but still fizzy, and brought it to his lips—Another chime.“Ah-ah~That doesn’t count, Master!” His hand froze mid-air.His pulse skipped. How the hell did she know he was reaching for an energy drink?His eyes flickered back to the screen.The bunny girl tilted her head.It almost looked like she was watching him.A cold chill crawled up his spine.“That’s… weird.”

Shaking it off, he muttered, “Fine,” and grabbed his actual water bottle, taking a sip just to shut the program up.The bunny girl clapped her hands. “Yay~! Good job, Master! Keep it up!” He snorted. “Alright, fine, you win this round.” Still, something in his gut twisted. He brushed it off—probably just a coincidence.

Right?

The soft glow of his monitor was the only light in the room, the quiet hum of the fan the only sound aside from his fingers tapping rhythmically against the keyboard.

He was getting back into the groove, words finally flowing again after what felt like an eternity of staring at a screen. It was strange—he wasn’t usually one for productivity gimmicks, but maybe having the little bunny girl on his screen reminding him of small things was actually working.

Even if she was… a little weird.

He shook the thought away and kept typing, ignoring the nagging unease that had settled in the back of his mind. Time passed. The hours blurred. He barely noticed as his apartment grew darker around him, the only light source being his screen. The second hydration reminder popped up sometime later.

“Time for another water break, Master! Stay hydrated! ”

This time, he didn’t hesitate. He reached for his water bottle, taking a sip.The bunny girl clapped her hands in celebration.“Yay~! Such a good boy, Master! ”He paused mid-sip.His eyebrows twitched. The hell? Maybe it was just an odd programmed phrase, but the wording… rubbed him the wrong way.

Shaking off the discomfort, he sighed and leaned back, stretching. His spine cracked, stiff from sitting too long, and his stomach grumbled—a reminder that he hadn’t eaten properly in hours. “I should grab something.” Sliding his chair back, he stood up and stepped away from his desk. That’s when he noticed it;The bunny girl moved. Not jumping in place like before. Not playing an idle animation. She shifted on the screen. She leaned forward slightly, as if… trying to get a better look at him. His stomach twisted.

Slowly, he turned back toward the monitor, squinting at her. Had he imagined it? The bunny girl remained still now, standing in her usual spot. But… something about her posture was different. The way she was angled—it almost looked like she had been craning her neck to watch him as he stepped away. A cold chill crept down his spine. He stared at her, She stared back.

A full ten seconds passed in silence. Then—Another speech bubble popped up. “Master~! Don’t forget to eat! It’s been hours! ”His throat went dry. She had never reminded him about food before.More importantly—How did she know he had just stepped away? He swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm. “It’s fine. It’s probably just a coincidence.” Maybe she was programmed to remind him about food after a certain amount of time. Maybe it had nothing to do with him actually getting up.…Right?

He rubbed his temples, letting out a breath. He was tired.His brain was foggy, once more sleep took over .