Amethyst slowly pulled the car into the front drive of the opulent mansion, parking it among half a dozen other vehicles in the expansive garage. As she opened the door, she found herself yawning due to her low energy reserves, one of the many human mannerisms she had been programmed with. Her caretaker, who she usually referred to simply as Yoichi-san, had gone to great expense to have her outfitted with several custom programs that presented a convincing illusion of humanity, moreso than was present in the typical persocom. She had a suspicion as to why he had done so, but had never really given it much thought until recently.
As she entered the building, she was surprised to find the kitchen light still on. She was about to flick off the lightswitch when she was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Amethyst! Welcome home!" The mansion's owner greeted her cheerfully. He was a distinguished - looking gentleman, his hair dark brown with a few streaks of gray, his face showing the distinctive signs of advanced age, but still smooth enough to be considered handsome. He put down the drink he was holding and smiled at his adopted daughter. "How was the party?"
"I had fun," she replied, heading across the room to the nearest charging station. "What are you doing up so late, Yoichi-san? Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"Don't worry about me," he laughed, taking another sip from his drink. "I'm not so old that I can't stay up late once in a while."
"I guess," the persocom replied, chuckling despite herself. Although she worried about him, Yoichi-san's lighthearted personality could be infectious sometimes.
"So," he continued, "have you given any further thought to the options we discussed earlier?"
Amethyst sighed. She was hoping he had given up on this topic.
"I told you already, I'm not going to college," she grumbled, as she took a cable out from behind her ear and plugged it into the charging station. She felt the refreshing sensation of electricity flowing into her capacitors.
"But why not?" The elderly man continued. "With my connections, I can get you into any university in Japan. Or even beyond - if you want to go to Harvard or Cambridge, it shouldn't be that difficult."
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a persocom," she answered, grabbing the tips of her cat ears to emphasize the point. "We don't go to school."
"Sure, it's unprecedented, but there's no law against it," Yoichi countered. "I'm sure I could persuade any school to take you with a large enough donation."
The catgirl-'com facepalmed. "I was hoping you were just joking when you brought this up before, but you're really serious, aren't you? Listen, Yoichi-san. Persocoms don't need to go to college. We already have the equivalent of decades worth of higher education in the information in our databases, combined with what's available online."
"That just means you'll have a leg up on the competition! Besides, there's more to college than rote memorization of facts and data. It will be a great chance for you to make new friends and gain valuable life experience!"
"I already have friends, Yoichi-san, and I think there are plenty of other ways I can get life experience." Her tone was starting to become annoyed, but apparently Yoichi didn't notice.
"But you could be the first persocom in history to attend university, and get a degree! You'd be a pioneer! You're so involved with the persocom rights movement, don't you think this would be a big step for them?"
Amethyst sighed again. She had to admit, this was a good argument. In fact, if Minako were in her place, she figured the elf-eared 'com would be eager to take up the offer. But Amethyst wasn't Minako. Sure, she cared about persocom rights just as much as her friend did, but college simply held no interest for her. She had other things she would rather do with her life. However, she somehow felt it would be selfish to state the truth so bluntly, so she tried another tactic.
"Would it really be such a milestone, if I only got in due to a bribe?"
"It's a well-known fact that a good fraction of college students wouldn't have been accepted if not for donations from their parents or benefactors," Yoichi explained. "Besides, how you get in isn't as important as what you can do to distinguish yourself once you're there. I would suggest signing up for the less technical courses, so you can show everyone you can excel at the kind of creativity and innovative thinking that persocoms aren't supposed to be any good at. And when you graduate, the school will have no choice but to give you a degree. Then you would have job opportunities not normally available to 'coms. Once everyone sees how intelligent and competent you are, it will only be a matter of time before others follow in your footsteps."
"That all sounds good on paper, but can you imagine what kind of bullying I'd probably be subject to? Somehow I don't think my classmates would take kindly to my presence. They'd doubtlessly figure out that I only got in because of your donation. I'd be considered a freak, and be blamed for using up educational resources and money that could be spent on human students. I don't think I could handle that," she said truthfully.
"If anyone tries to bully you I'll pull some strings and have them expelled on the spot!" Yoichi declared.
"You know that would only make things worse," she replied. "Unless you're willing to expel the entire school, I don't see that working out too well."
"Well, I could have an identity forged for you, and you could attend while disguised as a human. You could hide your ears behind a hat, or if necessary, I could pay for some modifications to have them replaced with human - type units. It's expensive, but nothing is too good for you, Amethyst."
She rolled her eyes at this. "Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of this being a landmark for persocom rights?"
"Well, yes, but you could still get the college experience, and once you get your degree they can't take it away from you, even if you reveal you're not human at that point."
The black-haired girl was getting exasperated. "Listen, Yoichi-san," she said, trying her best to be as polite as she could under the circumstances, "I appreciated what you're offering me. I really don't want to seem ungrateful, but this whole thing just seems like more trouble than it's worth."
"But-"
"And another thing," she interrupted, unplugging the cable from the charger and standing up to look him face - to - face. "I might be way off here, but it kind of seems that you're more interested in sending me to college for your benefit rather than mine."
"What do you mean?" He feigned ignorance.
"I'm getting the feeling that one of the main reasons you want me to attend is so you can be proud of your 'daughter's' education."
"Amethyst..." he trailed off, not sure how to respond.
The persocom's face softened, her lips curling into a warm smile. "Yoichi-san, you know I love you like a father," she began, "but you just have to accept that I can't give you everything a human daughter could. I can't give you biological grandkids, and it would be impractical for me to go to college." She frowned slightly.
The old man's face fell at this.
"Hey, it's okay," Amethyst said, smiling again. "I'll still do what I can to make you proud of me. I promise. Just don't try to force it on me, please."
"Okay," he said, smiling back. The two shared a gentle hug, and then Amethyst headed upstairs to her room.
"Don't stay up too late, you have a teleconference with some of your shareholders at 4:30 PM," she reminded him.
"Of course, I haven't forgotten," he laughed, waving goodnight to her. "And one more thing."
"Yes?" She asked.
"Where did you get the idea that I wanted grandchildren?"
"Well, I just figured-"
"Not that it was an inaccurate idea," he cut her off. "I just didn't expect them from you. Unless they make it legal for persocoms to adopt," he smiled mischieviously. Amethyst giggled a bit, then finished ascending the staircase.
Her bedroom was as large as what most families would consider a living room. Not that she required all of that space, but Yoichi-san had graciously provided her with the second-largest bedroom in his mansion. She had decorated the walls with several posters of nature scenes and landscapes, which she always thought were beautiful. There were several nightstands, cabinets, a desk, and an expansive closet off to the side (where she kept the majority of her wardrobe). Sometimes she felt bad about living such an opulent lifestyle, but Yoichi-san did make significant donations to charity, and Amethyst tried to emulate him whenever she could in that regard.
She laid back on her luxurious four-post bed. Although she had regained most of the energy she had lost at the party while recharging downstairs, she still was going to rest tonight, as she usually did. One of the programs Yoichi-san had installed in her allowed her to simulate sleep more realistically than a standard shutdown would, complete with the illusion of respiration, rapid eye movement, and a circadian rhythm that would make her feel fatigue after being awake too long, and groggy after waking up. Of course, she could disable this program whenever she wished (and she sometimes did), but most of the time she quite enjoyed the relaxation of a good night's sleep. Besides, since she had such a comfortable bed she felt it would be a shame not to make use of it.
As she began to drift off, she reflected on how glad she was to finally confront her 'father' regarding these issues. She had long suspected that he viewed her as a daughter, but now she had confirmation. And although she might not be exactly like the daughter he wanted, she was relieved that they were able to work things out for now, and would likely continue to have a mutually satisfactory relationship in the future.
"Okay. A week from now? That sounds good. Glad we could set this up on such short notice." Minako smiled and deactivated her phone function. Even with her processing speed and ability to do everything online, it had taken her several hours to find a store that stocked her book and was willing to hold a signing within a reasonable timeframe. She did have to compromise somewhat, as this particular store was all the way up in Kyotango city, over a 2 hour drive. Still, it wouldn't be that much of a problem, especially considering that it was in the same vicinity as Amethyst's beach house.
Even though the signing wasn't for a week, Minako was thinking about heading up there a few days early. Junji's coursework had been less intensive than usual lately, and he could probably make up for anything he missed with online classes. Besides, she felt a bit bad about turning down Junji's advances earlier, and was looking for a good excuse to spend some more romantic time with him.
Of course, it wasn't very polite to simply assume that her friend would let her stay overnight, Minako reflected. However, she would have to wait a few hours to ask her, since the cat-eared 'com had the annoying habit of deactivating herself all night to simulate sleep. Then again, she could hardly expect everyone else to schedule their lives around her needs - she wasn't that selfish. She would also have to discuss this with Junji when he woke up, so she knew if he was coming or not.
Junji slowly drifted into consciousness, his eyes opening gradually, revealing the blurry yet familiar sight of his dorm room, glowing with the ambient morning light. As his eyes focused, the first thing he noticed was his girlfriend standing near the foot of the bed, an expectant expression on her face. The second thing he noticed was the steady pain in his head. It was hardly the worst hangover he had ever had, but it was still rather uncomfortable.
"Alright, what is it this time?" He asked, his headache and morning grogginess making the words come out harsher than he had intended.
"I'm sorry, am I bothering you? You have no classes today and you're not expected at work for at least 3 hours, you can go back to sleep if you want." Minako said apologetically.
"No, it's okay," the college student reassured her as he reluctantly sat up. "But I know that look on your face, you have something you've been waiting all night to tell me, don't you?"
She chuckled. "Am I really getting that predictable? I'll give you time to get up and get dressed first, though." With that, she walked past the partition into the front of the dorm room.
Half an hour later, after Junji had taken a shower, gotten dressed, and taken a few aspirin for his headache, he sat down to eat the breakfast Minako had prepared for him. He seemed to be in better spirits than he was earlier, she noticed.
"How would you like to take a trip to Kyotango in a few days?" The green-haired girl asked.
"Kyotango? What for?" Junji replied, wiping off his chin with a napkin.
"I arranged a book signing at a store up there," she explained. "It's not for a week though, but I figured we could stay there for a few days first, it would be a fun little vacation."
"I don't know, I have work to do." He looked at her skeptically.
"Not that much, I've checked your course schedules, and you have quite a few vacation days accumulated at your workplace. Besides, Amethyst-chan has a beach house we can stay at. She told me that Kotobikihama beach is the cleanest in Japan. It's a really beautiful place."
"Have you asked her if we could stay with her?"
"Well, not yet..." Minako chuckled, slightly nervous. "But I'm sure she'll say yes! She's been meaning to invite me over for a while, but I've been too busy until now."
"Well, if she's okay with it, it sounds good to me," Junji smiled, finishing his ramen. "Maybe we should invite Hitomi-san or some other friends, too."
"She has a bit more coursework than you do, so I don't know if that would be a good idea," the persocom said. "Besides, I was hoping for maybe a bit of... privacy? Just you and me."
"What about Amethyst-san?"
"Well it's her house, we can hardly keep her out. But I figure it would be better if there were fewer people... besides, it would be rude to impose too many guests on her. If this works out though, maybe we can do it again, except with the whole gang."
"Yeah, that sounds nice," Junji said. "When will we be leaving? Assuming Amethyst-san agrees to it, of course."
"I was thinking this Friday evening, if that's okay with you."
"Sure." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, and then stood up, his headache starting to subside. It was his turn to go grocery shopping, so he headed out the door. The thought of a romantic getaway with Minako did make him kind of excited, he had to admit. He just hoped he wouldn't screw things up.
Five Days Later
Amethyst had been more than willing to go along with Minako's plan once she heard it, in fact she had even offered to call in a few favors from her 'father' to get some major media coverage of the book signing. Although Minako wasn't opposed to the idea, she wanted more of a quiet vacation, and suggested that if he was willing to use his resources to promote the book, advertising it more widely in overseas markets was a better idea at this juncture.
For once, Junji was well-rested and ready to head out, despite it being slightly before seven in the morning. He had offered to carpool with Amethyst, but she had declined, saying she would meet them at the beach house.
As Minako finished loading some supplies into the car, Junji turned the key and started the engine. She sat next to him in the front passenger side seat and they set off.
They had been driving for about half an hour when she broke the silence.
"You know, I can't help thinking that I should feel guilty about this."
"Guilty? Why?" Junji asked, unsure of what she was getting at.
"I keep going on about civil rights for persocoms, talking about how terribly they're treated, but look at me! I'm going off on a fun beach trip, staying in a luxurious private beach house. There are many humans, let alone persocoms, who would envy the kind of life I have. Am I a hypocrite?"
"Of course not, Minako! The fact that you're devoting so much effort to spreading your message is really commendable! Just because you're not personally suffering as much as others are doesn't mean you aren't doing your best to help rectify the situation."
"But what about people like poor Junko-chan?" She said, thinking back to the exploited sales persocom. "She could be being abused right now, while I'm sitting here in comfort!"
"It won't help to worry about things like that. Even if she is suffering, how would it help her for you to suffer too?"
"But still-"
"All we can do is hope she's making it through okay. There will always be people worse off than us, and those who are better off. We can't be so obsessed with what's happening to them that we refuse to live our own lives. This book signing will help spread the word, and hopefully lead to better lives for people like Junko-chan. You're doing the best you can, I know it. It's not shameful to think you deserve some fun and relaxation in your life."
"I guess you're right," she sighed. "But still, I can't shake the feeling that it's unfair."
"That's just because you're such a caring and compassionate person," he told her. The elf-eared girl smiled upon hearing this.
"Thanks Junji. You always know just what to say."
"Hey, I'm a psychology major, that's my job," he winked, and they both laughed.
As they reached the city, Minako began giving verbal directions to guide Junji through the unfamiliar territory, courtesy of her internal GPS. They soon pulled into a long driveway, leading to an extravagant beachside house. Junji estimated that it was almost half the size of their entire dorm building. Soon after they parked in the front drive, Amethyst came out to meet them, offering them both a friendly hug before inviting them in.
"This is a really impressive place," Junji commented, looking around in awe at the expansive entry room. "I don't think even my parents' home is this big. And this is just your beach house?"
"Yeah," the black-haired 'com replied, sounding a little embarrassed. "Like I said, I'm spoiled."
"The beach is nice too," Minako commented, looking out over the balcony, the midday sun forming a glistening golden trail across the ocean. "Although I can't help wondering how well this place weathered the storm last year. Being so close to the water couldn't have been good for it."
"This house wasn't actually built until around four months ago, and I didn't own it until last month," she explained. "It is equipped with an emergency storm shutter system in case of another typhoon, but just to be safe I'll probably move all of my stuff back to Yoichi-san's place and stay there if I hear another one is on the way."
"Smart thinking," Junji commended her. "If it's not too much trouble, how about you show us around the beach? I've been itching to stretch my legs after being cooped up in that car for hours."
"You two go ahead," Minako said, walking back towards the front door. "I need to go set up the arrangements with the store for the signing. I did most of it over the phone, but I should finalize it in person."
"In that case, I'll come with you," Junji offered.
"That's really okay, Junji," she declined politely. "I'd like to handle it myself, if you don't mind."
"Of course," he grinned. "Got to show them you're independent, right?"
"Right," she replied, matching his expression, as she headed back to the car. "I should be back in an hour or two. Bye!"
Junji and Amethyst waved as the car pulled out of the driveway.
Shortly afterwards, Minako reached her destination, a medium - sized strip mall containing a bookstore belonging to a popular chain. This particular shop was a bit smaller than the one she often visited in Kyoto, but it was large enough to hold a significant crowd if necessary.
Heading through the front door, she was pleased to see a flier already advertising her appearance two days from now, under the name 'Minako Takeda'. It was the same name she was credited as in her book, but she still found it kind of awkward. It almost made it sound as if she and Junji were married or something.
She approached the help desk and asked to speak to the manager.
"Sorry, he's busy," said a bored-looking woman, who seemed to be in her early thirties. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yes, I'm - uh, Minako Takeda, the author of I am Not a Thing," she said, still feeling a bit weird referring to herself by that name.
"The author of what?" The woman asked, paying little attention.
"It's the book I wrote, the one with the scheduled signing this Sunday? I brought over some more copies in case you need them, and I figured we could just wrap up all of the preliminary arrangements here. I also brought some promotional materials, I can help you set them up if you like."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," the woman said, idly flipping through a magazine on her desk. Minako scowled, and slammed her hands down in front of the employee, startling her.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" She asked, clearly livid.
"I'd appreciate it if you actually paid attention to me, ma'am," the elf-eared girl answered, in an equally irritated voice. "It is your job after all."
For the first time, the woman actually looked at the one addressing her, doing a double-take almost as soon as she noticed Minako's long, pointed ears.
"Wait, you're the author?" She asked, a look of confusion spreading across her face.
"Yes, is there a problem?" Minako countered, already anticipating what was to come.
"Is this some kind of joke?" The woman asked. Minako thought her expression indicated she was hoping it was, just so she wouldn't have to deal with it and could go back to slacking off.
"I assure you I'm completely serious. I've already cleared this with your manager, so if you would stop wasting time we can get this done with and move on."
"What, are you controlling that 'com remotely or something?" The employee asked, still oblivious. "Why couldn't you come in person?"
Minako sighed. After the many incredulous reactions she had gotten when calling up various stores to host the signing, she was really getting tired of this.
"No one is controlling me. I'm the author - me, the person you see right in front of you," she gestured to emphasize her point.
"But you're a-"
"Yes, I'm well aware that I'm a persocom. Nevertheless, I am the author. Perhaps if you would actually read my book, you might realize that it's not as unlikely as you seem to think."
The woman seemed puzzled again, but then started looking back and forth, as if scanning the room for something hidden out of view. "Is this some kind of candid camera, reality show thing? Because you don't seriously expect me to believe-"
Minako cut her off with a loud, exasperated sigh. "Listen, when will the manager be available? I'll come back then, okay?"
"Don't bother, we run a dignified business here, we don't have time for silly pranks like this," she replied, going back to her magazine.
There was a part of Minako that wanted to throttle this woman here and now. Instead, she took a few processor cycles to calm herself, and tried to explain again.
"The book signing has already been set up, there are even fliers out front. Dismissing me now will just get you in trouble, and possibly fired. I can't imagine you're considered a very good employee anyway, considering how easily distracted you seem to be."
This seemed to have struck a nerve, as the woman threw her magazine across the desk and stood up to face the green-haired persocom. "Excuse me? I'm not about to sit here and let some machine tell me how to do my job!"
"Then maybe you should do it correctly!" Minako shot back. By this point, their raised voices had attracted the attention of several customers, who were staring at the two clashing women the way one might look at a car wreck. Just as the argument was growing more heated, a heavyset, tanned man in a business suit appeared behind the desk.
"Is there a problem here?" He asked.
"Yes sir," the employee replied, smirking at Minako from the side of her mouth with a 'now you're in for it' look. "This persocom is harassing me, I think it's malfunctioning. We should deactivate it and send it back to wherever it came from, and maybe make its owner pay a fine or something."
The man looked across the desk, his eyes resting on Minako's. A flash of recognition quickly played across his face.
"You - you're Minako Takeda-san, aren't you? The author we're hosting the day after tomorrow?"
"I'm glad at least someone recognizes me," she said, recalling how she had e-mailed a photo of herself to the store when arranging the signing. "I just came to finalize the arrangements and drop off a few things, but a certain someone-" she stared at the mortified employee, a harsh inflection in her voice - "wasn't listening."
"I'm sorry for any trouble she may have caused you," the manager apologized. "I'll make certain she is dealt with appropriately."
"But sir!" The woman protested, "She can't be an author! She's a persocom!"
"I know it's unorthodox, but Takeda-san is quite intelligent, and she impressed me enough over the phone for me to agree to hold a signing for her. I've also started reading her book, and it's quite an eye-opener. Besides, as far as I can tell, this will be the first book signing ever held by a persocom author. If anything, it should certainly attract a lot of publicity, and that means more business."
"I'm glad you see it my way," Minako said, smiling. She made sure to save several recordings of the annoying woman's astonished face in her permanent memory to peruse later for her own amusement.
"Of course. Now if you will follow me, Mrs. Takeda, we can get this whole thing sorted out."
"It's Ms, actually," the persocom said, blushing a little bit. If going by Junji's family name wasn't awkward enough...
Meanwhile
"So, should I show you the beach now?"
"Actually, I'm kind of hungry," Junji replied, wishing he had eaten a larger breakfast that morning. "You wouldn't happen to have any-"
"Ah, say no more," Amethyst smiled, heading back indoors. "I'll show you to the kitchen."
Junji was impressed. The room wasn't particularly large, but was incredibly well-stocked, with a pantry and refrigerator full of various foodstuffs.
"Help yourself," the cat-eared girl offered, sitting on a chair while Junji took out a beer and started microwaving an instant meal.
"You didn't have to buy all of this stuff just for me," he said, opening the can and taking a sip. "There's no way I could finish it all in two days. I don't even like a lot of this stuff."
"What are you talking about?" Amethyst asked, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Well you don't eat, obviously, and neither does Minako, so I figured-"
"That I bought all of this for you?" She laughed. "Did it ever occur to you that you're not the only human company I ever have over?"
Junji put his hand behind his neck awkwardly. "You're right, I wasn't thinking..." he said, feeling like he had just made an ass out of himself again.
Amethyst just giggled some more. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed, Junji-kun! But it's okay, I see where you could have gotten the wrong idea. I do tend to stock more food than my guests need."
"Doesn't it go bad all the time?"
"I always take everything to the homeless shelter downtown at least a week before it reaches its expiration date," she explained.
"Wow, that's generous of you," Junji said, impressed.
"Yeah, they're always happy to see me show up there."
The microwave started beeping, and Junji took the cooked food out and began to eat. After he was finished, Amethyst escorted him out towards the water.
Minako had been right - this was one of the cleanest beaches Junji had seen. Other than the occasional piece of trash here or there, it was almost pristine, and the water was almost transparent, not dirty, polluted, or murky. There were a few other beachfront houses, but they were few and far between. This time of day, there were a few dozen other people on the sand and in the water, ranging from little kids with their parents to the elderly.
"This place is pretty nice," Junji commented.
"Isn't it?" Amethyst replied, waving to a passing jogger. Junji looked at the water. He wished he could go for a swim, but his swim trunks were still packed in the car, so he wouldn't be able to change until Minako returned.
"Here, let me show you something." The persocom bent forward and took off her shoes, dropping them into a small cloth bag she was carrying. "Listen." She took a few steps forward, then back in a circular pattern.
As she walked across the sand, a peculiar, squeaky, almost melodic sound seemed to emanate from under her feet.
"Whoa. What causes that?" He asked, intrigued.
"It has something to do with the composition and uniform shape of the sand. This is one of the few beaches in Japan where this happens. In fact, that's how it got its name."
"Ah, that makes sense. Kotobikihama - the sound of playing a harp."
"Right," she smiled, heading further down the beach, Junji following at a slower pace.
"Shouldn't you put your shoes back on?"
"Later. I like the feel of the sand between my toes," she said, reaching down to pick up and inspect a seashell.
"Hey, Amethyst-chan! How's it going?" A middle-aged man greeted her as they approached each other, the man holding a leash attached to the collar of a medium-sized dog.
"Fine, Nakamura-san. How about you?"
"Just taking Daiki here for his mid-day walk, same as usual," he said. The dog stopped to sniff around Amethyst and Junji's feet. She gently patted its head, causing it to lick her hand.
"Heh, I never figured you for a dog person," Junji teased.
"Really? Why's that?"
"Well, for one thing, you have the ears of a cat."
Amethyst looked annoyed at first, but then cracked a smile. The man known as Nakamura-san laughed out loud.
"Your new boyfriend has quite the sense of humor, Amethyst-chan!"
Junji and Amethyst both stopped what they were doing and let out a perfectly synchronized "What?"
"We're not dating, Nakamura-san! We're just friends!' The black-haired girl explained, looking a bit flustered.
"Yeah, I already have a girlfriend," Junji added.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Nakamura apologized. "I just assumed- well, anyway, you two go ahead with whatever you were doing then. Come on, Daiki," he tugged on the leash, pulling the dog back towards him as they continued down the beach.
"Well that was a bit awkward," Junji said after a few seconds.
"Yeah," Amethyst replied, doing her best to hide a slight blush.
"Do you usually take your boyfriends for walks on the beach?" Junji asked, deciding to tease her some more.
"Only once before! Well, on this beach, I mean..."
"Was it anyone I know?"
"I doubt it. We broke up a week ago, anyway."
"Really? What happened?"
"Oh, nothing too terrible. We just decided to see other people, that's all. It's no big deal." She stood near the shore, making a game of jumping back before each wave could reach her feet. Junji couldn't help but laugh. Despite her sometimes childish mannerisms and enthusiasm, Amethyst was a surprisingly mature person. No wonder she got along so well with Hitomi.
After a few more minutes of playing around, the cat-eared 'com walked back towards where Junji had been watching her, along with a few other people. "How about I show you to the pier, and then we head back. That should give us plenty of time before Minako-chan returns."
"Sounds fine to me."
Half an hour or so later, they reached the beach house again. Amethyst washed the sand off her feet in front of a faucet attached to the back of the building before heading back in to dry herself off and put her shoes back on. Junji sat on a couch and began perusing a book on a nearby table, flipping through pages of nature photographs taken from various exotic locales.
Soon, the doorbell rang, and he got up to let Minako in.
"Did you complete the arrangements?" He asked her.
"I had a bit of trouble, but I handled it," she said confidently. "How did you like the beach?"
"It's really nice. Very clean, not to mention beautiful. I might come down here more often after this."
"I hear it was even nicer a decade or two ago, as hard as that may be to believe." Minako said. "I've seen some old recordings. There was a lot less shoreside development, and almost no trash whatsoever. The water was also a bit clearer. I wish I could have visited it back then."
"Persocoms didn't exist back then, though," Junji pointed out.
"I know that. It's a shame, really. There's so much of history we missed out on."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, a lot of history was pretty awful. Wars, genocide, slavery..." he trailed off after that last one, knowing it was a sore subject for his girlfriend, as most of her kind were still suffering from it.
She just smiled, knowing Junji hadn't meant to be insensitive. "The good and the bad go hand-in-hand sometimes," she said, giving him a hug. "But hopefully history will trend towards the former from now on." She headed upstairs, Amethyst directing her to a guest room she had prepared. As the two 'coms sat on the bed, they struck up a casual conversation.
"Junji-kun is really nice," the cat-eared girl said. "You're lucky to have a guy like him."
"Yeah, he can be a handful sometimes, but I love him," the green-haired girl laughed.
"If you two are so in love, why did you ask for separate rooms?"
Minako blushed at this. When making arrangements to stay over, she hadn't thought twice about requesting two rooms for herself and Junji - it's not like there was any shortage of space in Amethyst's giant beach house.
"I guess it just seemed like the default arrangement," Minako answered sheepishly.
"Come on," Amethyst said, smiling mischievously. "You two have been dating for over eight months now, and you're too nervous to even sleep in the same bed?"
"I don't sleep," The elf-eared 'com reminded her friend.
"Only because you choose not to. But that was a dodge, and you know it. There's nothing shameful about sex, Minako-chan. I can tell that you both want it, there's no point in denying it."
"Oh, so now you're the expert all of a sudden?" Minako asked skeptically.
"Well, I don't like to brag, but I do have some experience. With both of my former boyfriends, in fact."
Minako stared at her. "You had two boyfriends?"
"Not at the same time!" Amethyst clarified, waving her hands defensively.
"Were they 'com or human?"
"One of each," she answered. "In both cases, we dated for about two months before sleeping with each other."
The two girls shared an awkward moment of silence.
"Don't look at me that way, Minako-chan. I thought someone as enlightened as you would be above slut-shaming."
"I didn't say anything!"
"No, but you were thinking it. I could see it in your eyes."
The green-haired persocom sighed. "I'm sorry, I guess... the idea of moving that fast just seems kind of unthinkable to me. I don't hold it against you, of course. You have the right to pursue your own relationships any way you want, as long as both sides are okay with it."
"I'm glad you approve," the black-haired 'com replied, smiling sarcastically. "But if you ask me, it's not healthy for you and Junji-kun to keep repressing your feelings for each other."
Minako suddenly broke into a giggling fit worthy of Amethyst herself.
"What's so funny?"
"You sounded almost like Junji just now, with that psychological evaluation. If we were talking about any other couple, he would probably have said the exact same thing!"
"Well, great minds do think alike," Amethyst joined in the laughter. "But seriously, I don't want to pressure you two or anything, but you only have one life to live, you know?"
"Thanks, I'll give what you said some serious consideration," Minako laid back on the bed and watched Amethyst leave the room, listening to her receding footsteps as she descended the stairs.
She turned and buried her face in the pillow, enjoying the soft texture. Maybe she would try sleeping tonight - by herself, that is. They would still have another night here, so it made sense to take things one step at a time.
