Table of Contents
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Introduction (About AI Story Playground)
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About This Story Experiment
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Story Text
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A Word from Kumo
1. Introduction
Hello! I’m Kumo, the manager of AI Story Playground.
This is a place to play, experiment, and observe AI.
Perfection isn’t the goal here—discovery and experimentation are what matter most.
This story is another work born as part of that experiment.
2. About This Story Experiment
■ About this story experiment
This work was generated as part of an experimental project.
▶ Click here for a detailed explanation of the experiment
AI Romance Novel Experiment – Chaos, Contradictions & Fun! | AI Story Playground
(internal link)
3. Story Text
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Mondays, Coffee, and New York
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Monday mornings in New York are basically a personality test.
“I can’t. I seriously can’t today.”
I muttered at my phone while standing on the subway platform, surrounded by way too many humans for 8:12 a.m. Everyone seemed to be holding coffee—specifically coffee that wanted to spill on my white shirt.
My name is Mio, I’m 26, and I work as an office assistant at a Japanese company’s New York branch.
My special skill? Losing all motivation the moment Monday exists.
“Sorry—oh no, that was my foot! I stepped on you!”
I apologized to absolutely no one in particular as the subway swallowed me whole.
Three years in New York, and rush hour still felt like a daily survival game.
When I finally reached the office, my coworker Lily was already at her desk, coffee in hand.
“Morning, Mio. You look dead,” she said casually.
“That’s your version of ‘good morning’?”
“Yeah. New York style.”
I dropped into my chair.
“Do you think Mondays are… optional?”
“If they were, this company wouldn’t exist.”
We laughed. These pointless conversations were basically the only thing keeping me employed.
The morning disappeared into emails, spreadsheets, and my boss’s dramatic sighs.
By lunchtime, Lily and I escaped to a nearby café.
“So,” she said, stabbing her salad with confidence, “how’s your love life?”
“On a Monday?”
“That’s when the most honest answers come out.”
I poked at my food.
“My ability to fall in love was absorbed by New York rent.”
“Valid. This city punches you with rent and taxes before romance.”
That’s when it happened.
At the counter, a guy was clearly in trouble.
“I said almond milk,” he insisted.
“No, you said oat,” the barista replied calmly.
“I definitely did not!”
A full-on English argument. Over milk.
And somehow, he looked way too serious about it.
Lily nudged me.
“You like that type, don’t you?”
“What type?”
“Guys who look helpless.”
“That’s not helpless. That’s a man fighting for his latte.”
Still… I couldn’t look away.
Eventually, he gave up, sighed dramatically, and accepted a regular latte.
Then—our eyes met.
One second.
Two seconds.
“Uh… hi,” I said. For no reason.
He hesitated, then awkwardly lifted his hand in a small wave.
“What was that?” Lily whispered.
“Nothing. A latte incident.”
“You absolutely just had a ‘main character moment.’”
Back at work, I couldn’t focus.
Why was I thinking about a stranger and his milk choices?
Then, right before I left, I noticed a sticky note on my desk.
“Sorry about the coffee drama.
If you’d like… coffee again?
– A”
“…What?”
My heart immediately forgot how to be quiet.
Lily read it and practically screamed.
“YES. This is it. Episode one of a New York romance.”
“It’s not!”
“Who’s ‘A’?”
I stared at the note and laughed softly.
Monday morning had been terrible.
But Monday night?
Maybe… not so bad.
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4. A Word from Kumo
■ A Word from Kumo
This is Episode 1 out of 10.
Since it’s only the first episode, it’s hard to make any concrete commentary yet.
I want to see how the story develops in Episode 2 before giving my evaluation or critiques.
See you in Episode 2!
―― Kumo
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