Tokyo in summer was awful. 32 degrees. Before you factored in the humidity. Shampoo relied on the cooling wind that came with cycling to make it bearable, because her Qinghai childhood had not prepared her for this subtropical sauna. That Tokyo was actually north of her homeland was a fact that would always melt her brain... on cooler days where the heat hadn't done the melting already.
She pulled up to the Neko Hanten, hating the blast of sweltering heat that came with stopping, but knowing she'd have the sweet relief of air conditioning soon. Stepping inside, she hovered for a moment at the entrance, just enjoying the cool air. Then her ears perked up. Was that Ranma? Her beloved?
She raised off towards the kitchen, ready to pounce the adorable redhead, only to find herself stumbling to a halt when she saw who it actually was that her great grandmother was talking to. A stranger. With long pink hair.
Shampoo hovered at the door to the kitchen, watching this unknown intruder who had invaded her restaurant.
"Mhm, that restaurant burned down though, didn't it?" Cologne was asking.
"It was not my fault!" the pink haired stranger said, her voice full of a panicked energy. "It was bad people who lived nearby!"
Cologne gave a nod. Shampoo narrowed her eyes.
"Nerima insurance packages are rather thorough... and we've had surprisingly little damage lately. I suppose I can risk it," Cologne said. "You're comfortable with urban cycling?"
It was the pink haired stranger's turn to nod, which she did with exceptional enthusiasm. "I am a very fast cyclist!"
"Excellent. My great granddaughter can give you a quick tour of the neighbourhood to help you get oriented... if she'll come into the room," Cologne said, turning to Shampoo.
Shampoo gave a small nod, before the stranger turned to her as well. She gave the intruder a wide berth as she moved around to get closer to her great grandmother.
"Who is she? Why is she here?" Shampoo whispered in her native tongue.
"A new delivery girl. Since the half-blind part-timer keeps messing up orders... it's fixable when he's waiting tables, but it's a nightmare when he's doing delivery. We've gotten too busy to rely on just you though," Cologne explained. "Now be more sociable."
Shampoo frowned as she turned to the new girl, who was all smiles. As if she didn't realise she was intruding on Shampoo's terr—in Shampoo's home.
"I'm Nuku Nuku! It's good to meet you!" the girl said.
Shampoo still wasn't amazing at understanding Japanese culture, but she knew some basics. And... "That is a most unusual name."
"Her legal name is Natsume Atsuko, but she apparently prefers the nickname 'Nuku Nuku'," Cologne explained.
The pink haired girl nodded. "I like your hairstyle! Is that a uniform requirement? They did fancy things with my hair at my old job. I didn't really understand how to do it, but one of the other girls was always happy to help."
Shampoo found herself backing up as Nuku Nuku came closer and closer to her. The girl kept chatting away about Shampoo's hair and clothing, stepping forward with every sentence, until Shampoo found herself back against the fridge. When this Nuku Nuku girl took yet another step, Shampoo decided there was nothing left but to give the other girl a quick, but light, open palm strike to the chest to try to get her to back away.
Nuku Nuku stumbled back a step, taking a moment to process what had happened. The girl backed off a few more steps, shrinking into herself a bit, before glancing to Cologne. Cologne merely raised an eyebrow.
"You will respect Shampoo's personal space, yes?" Shampoo asked, still feeling on edge about this girl.
"S-sorry! I will try," Nuku Nuku replied with a quick salute.
Shampoo nodded. "Very well. Shampoo will show you around the neighbourhood, then. Hope you are as fast a cyclist as you say."
"I am!" Nuku Nuku replied with a fang toothed grin.
Shampoo gave a confident smirk, before leading the new girl out into the sweltering Tokyo summer. She led her around, and pointed to the bicycle that Mousse normally used.
"We will start slow, so you learn Furinkan-cho and the other areas nearby. Then we see how fast you are, yes?" Shampoo said as she hopped on her bicycle.
"Affirmative, Shampoo-sempai!" Nuku Nuku said, another salute.
Shampoo wasn't sure if that was the right honorific for this situation, but decided to just roll with it. She wasn't going to display her lack of understanding of Japanese culture around this newcomer. Instead, she set off. She kept slow enough, as she promised, taking a general tour around the outer stretches of Furinkan-cho, as well as the two other nearest neighbourhoods of Wakaba-cho and Koyama-cho. That was, more or less, the extent of where the Neko Hanten delivered to. At least at their base delivery fee.
The polite portion of the trip finished up after about thirty five minutes, and Shampoo decided to speed up a bit as they followed the Shakuji River back towards the restaurant. Nuku Nuku kept up with her, so Shampoo picked up the pace, pushing towards a speed few people could reach. Still the pink haired girl kept on her tail, smiling away.
Getting annoyed, Shampoo decided it was time to teach the newcomer who was in charge, and sped up to her maximum. As they hit a major road, she decided to abandon all pretenses of going back to the restaurant, taking a hard left and zipping past the cars. A glance over her shoulder revealed Nuku Nuku still hot on her tail, though the other girl seemed to at least be putting some effort in now.
"Are we racing?" Nuku Nuku called out.
Shampoo scrunched her face up with determination. Maybe the other girl was fast, but maneuverability was another matter. Taking another sharp turn, Shampoo dropped her feet to the ground for a second, to launch herself up onto the roof of a nearby convenience store. She was able to use the bouncing momentum to bound from one roof to the next, cutting across the city as she pleased.
And Nuku Nuku kept close behind her.
She was good. Maybe this new girl deserved some respect after all. Shampoo decided to hop down, skidding to a halt in a park. Nuku Nuku landed near her, tearing up the grass worse than Shampoo had.
"You are good delivery girl material," Shampoo said with a nod.
She wouldn't give the new girl anything more just yet, but Nuku Nuku lit up all the same.
"You really think so? Yay!" the pink haired girl declared, pumping her fists up in the air in celebration.
No longer concerned about the other girl as an intruder, so far from her home, and seeing Nuku Nuku celebrating away with such honest earnestness, Shampoo also felt herself begrudgingly admitting that the other girl was cute. Shampoo was still getting used to understanding she liked girls (Ranma having let her clue into the fact her appreciation of girls and boys was really coming from the same place), but... Nuku Nuku was easy to call cute. The smile. The fangs. The big eyes, sparkling away. And, well... the sort of figure that meant she could share Shampoo's clothing, if she felt like it.
Cologne had ended up keeping Nuku Nuku on deliveries for the first week or so. The girl had proven quite good with directions, and the elder wanted to keep the risk of the restaurant getting blown up to a minimum (even if Nuku Nuku kept insisting she'd barely been involved in what had happened down in Sakae-cho). There was also the issue of how she'd chased Mousse when he'd turned into a duck around her the one time. Most of the damage had been due to the knives Mousse had thrown at his pursuer, and Nuku Nuku had been reasonably gentle when she'd caught him, but it had still been a commotion Cologne had not needed. Cologne had made some comments about how Nuku Nuku had run about on all fours in pursuit of Mousse, but it made sense to Shampoo. The duck was small. You had to get low to chase him.
Shampoo hadn't complained about the new girl being delivery only, though. As cute as Nuku Nuku was, the restaurant was Shampoo's space. She hadn't been ready to share it with the interloper just yet.
Today, however, had required the new girl to come in. Mousse had gotten sick, and it was the last weekend before school started back up, so they were crawling with teenagers looking to enjoy their last bit of freedom for a while.
Luckily Nuku Nuku had accepted the pre-assigned tables, allowing Shampoo to maintain her personal space. Even if she was warming up to the other girl. Unfortunately, poor Nuku Nuku had to deal with Ranma's two idiot friends. Hiroshi and Daisuke.
"Come on, what are your measurements?" Daisuke asked. "We need to know so we can put you on the official 'Four Beautiful Waitresses of Nerima' list!"
"Well, Five Beautiful Waitresses now, with you," Hiroshi added.
"Eh, Kuonji 's not really a waitress anyway. She's a cook," Daisuke countered.
"I guess. And Ranma's only a waitress sometimes. So it's really just Shampoo and Konatsu... Uh, Anyway! We've got our notepad ready!" Hiroshi announced.
"Oh, um..." Nuku Nuku began, making Shampoo wonder why she was humouring them. "162cm tall. 103kg. Arm span of—"
"103kg?" the two boys said in unison.
"C'mon. If you don't want to tell us, just don't tell us! Don't be mean like that!" Daisuke protested.
Shampoo noticed Nuku Nuku looking utterly confused. She could only guess the girl had somehow gotten kilograms mixed up with... what were those other things called? That American products sometimes came in... pounds! Yes. Pounds. 103 pounds seemed reasonable for the other girl. Maybe? They were half a kilo, right?
It wasn't really Shampoo's concern, though. She had tables to wait.
Things kept rather steady, and Shampoo was beginning to feel rather bored, when she spotted her favourite redhead walk in. She'd been in the kitchen, helping her great grandmother peel some potatoes, when Ranma had shown up. Shampoo dropped the last potato half peeled to rush over to her beloved, sure Cologne wouldn't mind too much.
Unfortunately, her dear Ranma had sat on Nuku Nuku's side of the restaurant, and the pink haired girl was at the table first.
"May I take your order, miss?"
Ranma stared at the girl, looking mildly terrified.
"Shampoo can handle this table!"
Nuku Nuku turned, looking confused again. "But it's on my side? And your side is busier?"
"Shampoo. Can. Handle," the young Nujiezu girl said, narrowing her eyes at the other waitress.
"Um... okay," Nuku Nuku replied, backing away, hiding behind her menu.
"Airen is okay, yes?" Shampoo asked, as the other girl left.
"I, uh... I think so? That girl was givin' me the heebie jeebies for some reason, though," Ranma said, eyes following Nuku Nuku. "Is she from your village?"
Shampoo shook her head. "No, no. Is from Tokyo. Lives in Sakae-cho."
Ranma gave a slow nod. "Does she have a cat curse or somethin'?"
"Not that Shampoo knows of, why?"
"That's, just... the vibes she's givin' me," Ranma muttered. "Worse than you do."
Shampoo found herself grimacing at that reminder of why Ranma so often pushed her away. Nothing she did ever seemed to break past Ranma's aversion to cats...
"Anyhow, Airen, what can Shampoo get you?" she asked, ignoring the sadness.
"The Dinner for Three version two, please," Ranma replied with a grin.
Shampoo nodded. She'd make Ranma happy with food, and maybe get one step closer to receiving the redhead's love.
The day was quiet. School was back in session, so the teenagers in the area had less money to spend, out of their summer jobs. They also had less time to waste. There was still more than enough business to get by, but Wednesdays were pretty quiet.
Shampoo stretched, having finished mopping the bathrooms, when she spotted Nuku Nuku. The other girl had curled up on a table, underneath one of the west facing windows, and had passed out in the sun. Shampoo had to admit it was a very nice little spot for a nap, having slept there in cat form a few times.
Of course, she was still a bit embarrassed to have the other girl find out about her curse just yet, so she'd kept it hidden. She... well, she was past fearing showing weakness as a warrior. Instead, she was weary of it in front of a girl she found attractive. Great grandmother would be disappointed, but at least Nuku Nuku was quite athletic? She seemed as strong as Shampoo, and as durable as Mousse.
"Who sleeps on a table?" the boy in question muttered as Shampoo wheeled the mop and bucket back to the kitchen.
"Sunlight is nice, stupid Mousse," she replied sharply.
"She's rolled up. That can't be comfortable," Mousse muttered. "And it's just... weird."
Shampoo felt rather annoyed at that. She didn't like seeing a crush insulted. So, taking advantage of what was at hand, she smacked Mousse in the face with the wet mop, transforming him into a duck. He let out an angry quack.
At that, Nuku Nuku woke up, eyes wide as she pushed herself into a sitting position to look around. Shampoo swore, for a second, that it looked like the pink haired girl had sprouted large ears out of the side of her head, but Nuku Nuku was racing down towards Mousse before Shampoo could process what she'd seen. Instead, she was left distracted by the need to diver for cover as Mousse began throwing daggers every which way.
The Tendo residence had ordered a veritable feast, celebrating the completion of the Saotomes' new home. It had been so much food it had required both Shampoo and Nuku Nuku to deliver it all.
Despite Shampoo's best efforts, she'd been unable to find Ranma while visiting, and so had left feeling disappointed.
"What's wrong, Shampoo-sempai?" Nuku Nuku asked.
"Ranma hid from me. Ranma always hides from Shampoo," she muttered. "It is all the stupid panda's fault."
"Why was there a panda there, anyhow?" Nuku Nuku asked.
"It is Ranma's father. Has a curse. Like stupid Mousse," Shampoo explained.
Nuku Nuku nodded. "There are lots of curses here, aren't there?"
Shampoo shrugged. "Really just the three groups. And pig boy is rarely around."
The other girl had not yet met Ryoga, so looked quite confused at that comment. Shampoo wanted to just move past the subject, though. She was curious about Nuku Nuku's life at school. She didn't get to go to one herself, and Furinkan's High School was just so weird. She wondered what a more normal one was like... okay, she more just wanted to know more about her other, less socially acceptable crush, but... information about life for a normal Japanese teen did factor in a little bit.
Unfortunately, before Shampoo could formulate her question, it began to rain. She supposed she'd gotten three weeks of keeping her curse hidden from Nuku Nuku. That was better than she would have expected. It was still embarrassing, though, to shrink in front of the other girl.
"Waah! You—!" Nuku Nuku shouted, as Shampoo climbed out from the pile of her clothes.
Shampoo let out a small and defeated meow.
"You-you-you... oh gosh... I... I will hide you!" Nuku Nuku said, to Shampoo's confusion.
The pink haired girl scooped up the small lilac cat. Nuku Nuku was looking around, panic in her eyes as she seemed to want to make sure the coast was clear.
"Does Great Grandmother-san know about this?" Nuku Nuku asked.
Shampoo gave a nod, feeling even more confused.
"I will keep you safe until we get back! Do not worry!" Nuku Nuku announced, before sliding Shampoo into her top.
After getting over the frazzling sensation of being shoved down her crush's shirt (and feeling a little too much like pig-boy for her own liking) Shampoo was struck by two things: one, Nuku Nuku's skin felt about as soft as normal skin, but her chest... it felt more like a bicycle seat or some other firm object with a little padding overtop it than... well, breasts; and two, she wasn't picking up a heartbeat. Her feline ears could hear something from the other girl's torso, but nothing that matched the sounds of a human chest. It seemed more like wiring and clicking and... well, mechanical sounds.
She had absolutely no idea what to make of that.
Nuku Nuku's chest did seem to warm up significantly as she ran back to the Neko Hanten. It was starting to get downright toasty, and, as confused as Shampoo was, her feline body said that it was the perfect place to nap. As such it was a struggle to keep awake, and she was fairly certain she dozed off briefly once or twice before the arrived back.
"Great-grandmother-san!" Nuku Nuku called out as she burst in the employee door, her shouting not causing the same chest vibration one would expect.
"Yes, what is it, child?" Cologne asked.
Shampoo poked her head up and out from Nuku Nuku's collar, letting out a small meow.
"Ah, yes. The rain. One second while I get the kettle running," Cologne replied.
Nuku Nuku gave a nod, setting Shampoo down on the floor. Shampoo noticed the pink haired girl was rather a blushing mess, and kept glancing at Shampoo before looking away.
Was it because she was technically naked right now? Shampoo couldn't think of any other reasons. Yet, Japanese women didn't seem overly flustered by the presence of nudity from other women, visiting bathhouses quite frequently. Well, at least if they weren't anxious about their figures, like Akane got sometimes. Nuku Nuku certainly had nothing to be anxious about (unless the strange firmness of her chest had been a sign they were... what had that ninja girl called them... falsies?).
As Shampoo tried to work out the mystery, she found hot water being poured on her head. She transformed back to human form with that, and her great grandmother tossed her a towel for some semblance of modesty. Not that Shampoo saw any great need for it, with only Cologne and Nuku Nuku present.
"Well, now you know Shampoo has a curse," she muttered, wrapping the towel around herself.
Nuku Nuku gave two comically slow blinks, before there was any sign she'd processed what had been said. "Oh! Oh! A curse! I have to say... you're lucky, getting to still have a way to turn back into a cat."
Shampoo stared at the other girl. "Pardon?"
"Well... I'm very thankful to Papa-san for saving my life and taking care of me, but I sometimes miss it. I have to be a human girl full time now with this android body... it's much harder to fit in lots of places, and... and... I miss having a tail," Nuku Nuku said.
"W-wait. Android body?" Shampoo asked, poking the other girl on the arm. "Is that why your chest sounded so funny?"
Nuku Nuku nodded, before turning bright red. "Right! Yes! You can not tell anyone! Please... I was not supposed to say to anyone. But... one cat to another, you can keep the promise, yes?"
"Shampoo can keep the promise, but... what do you mean 'one cat to another'? You are... aiyah! You are really a cat!?" Shampoo asked, staring at the girl in front of her. How did that work?
"Mhm. I'm so glad to know I'm not alone though. You're so good at acting human! Have you been turning into one for long?" Nuku Nuku asked.
"Shampoo is human. Shampoo has a curse that turns her into a cat."
The pair stared at one another in confusion for a few moments. Shampoo supposed she shouldn't be insulted, or anything. Nuku Nuku had said she was good at acting human.
But, wasn't Nuku Nuku good at it too? Shampoo had certainly never felt a reason to suspect her of being a cat. At least apart from Ranma's strange fear of her. Otherwise... well, Nuku Nuku seemed as much a human as Shampoo or Ranma.
Before she could wonder about that line of thought any further, Nuku Nuku's cheeks grew red.
"W-well... Shampoo-sempai turns into a v-very beautiful cat with her curse," the android girl said.
Android cat?
Wait. If Nuku Nuku was blushing about Shampoo's cat form, then... "If you have the brain of a cat... were you a boy cat or a girl cat?"
Nuku Nuku turned redder. "I am a girl! Can... can girl humans not find other girl humans pretty? It is very common with cats. You find a cute other girl who has a large litter and you help her look after the kittens, and cuddle together, and hunt together, and—"
"Shampoo is aware. Shampoo can, sort of, speak cat, and has made friends in the neighbourhood. But Shampoo knows that it is not the majority. And that humans are sometimes lazy and think all cats are girl cats," Shampoo replied. "So Shampoo wanted to check."
Nuku Nuku gave a few energetic nods. "I am a girl. Definitely. Papa-san made sure, and said he would have fixed the body if I'd been a boy."
There was another period of silence, Shampoo not sure what to say next. She still wasn't totally over the android part. The brain of a cat part was probably stranger, though... right? Like, she'd seen science fiction shows with robots and they were more or less like people. A little strange sometimes, but... a person. A cat though. A cat was an animal.
Did she have a crush on an animal? Well, no. Nuku Nuku had a human (looking) body now. She could speak. She was a sort of person too, right?
Was this just the path of logic the Musk had used? She didn't want to go down that path.
"Did I say something wrong? I'm not that good with people just yet," Nuku Nuku said softly, shrinking into herself a little.
"No! No... it is just... it is very much to take in," Shampoo replied. "You are both not human and are sort of a robot. It is not what Shampoo expected."
"Maybe we'll call your shift wrapped up for now, then?" Cologne said, reminding Shampoo that she'd been there the whole time.
Shampoo couldn't help blushing as her great grandmother led Nuku Nuku off for the night. It was fairly late, and they usually stopped deliveries during the rain anyhow. Both due to curses and the inherent risks involved with cycling when it was wet.
Nuku Nuku wasn't scheduled the next three days. Shampoo couldn't stop thinking about the issue, though. Was it wrong to have a crush on someone who'd started out a cat? Nuku Nuku was definitely smarter than a normal cat. Shampoo knew how simplistic their communication was. Even when you gave them the benefit of the doubt with the issues of cat biology (the far sightedness making them miss things right in front of their noses, the lack of thumbs, limited vocal ranges, etc), they still generally weren't what anyone would call smart. Even that stick wielding idiot who couldn't figure out both sides of Ranma were one person was smarter than any cat Shampoo had met.
Really, Lime had probably been the only human she'd met who overlapped with the smartest cats, and... well, he wasn't fully human. Even if he didn't look overly tiger-y, he still had some sort of tiger nature in his veins. He had been cute, though... all those muscles... was her type just cats?
No. No. She liked Ranma too, after all.
Wait. Nuku Nuku had said her 'Papa-san' had transferred her into the new body. Maybe he could answer Shampoo's questions?
It was probably a violation of employee privacy, but Shampoo snuck into the office while her great grandmother was busy, tracking down an address for Nuku Nuku. She then slipped out, hopping on a bike. Mousse could handle deliveries for a couple hours.
Nuku Nuku's address in Sakae-cho was a bit of a ride away, but it gave her time to try to figure out what to say. She needed to figure out specific questions, and figure out how to word them. She couldn't just go 'is it weird to date your robot-cat-daughter'. How did one even answer that? She needed to decide based on the facts she could learn.
She circled around the Sakae for a bit, until she found the correct apartment building. She quietly muttered complaints about Japan's byzantine address system as she climbed up the stairs. Luckily the building itself was easier to navigate and she found the correct apartment and she knocked on the door.
It took a minute or two for the door to open, revealing a man of about 30 who's messy hair covered his eyes entirely.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you Nuk-er, Natsume Atsuko's father?" Shampoo asked.
"Yes? I—she's out with Ryuunosuke right now. If you're looking for her... she should probably be back in an hour or so?" the man replied.
Shampoo shook her head. "Sha—I am looking for you, Natsume-san. I have... questions about her that I do not think she would know the answer to."
It took effort to drop the usual 'cutsie' act she put up in Japanese, but she knew it would be either useless or detrimental to her efforts to get straight answers here.
"What sort of questions?" the man asked, his hidden eyes making him so hard to read.
"I believe the term is 'technical' questions?" Shampoo replied.
"Ah. Let's discuss this inside," he said, stepping out of the way.
The apartment was large, by Japanese standards, yet also filled to the brim with... things. There was no particular focus to much of the clutter. There was sports equipment, mostly child sized. Piles of papers and file folders. Boxes she couldn't guess the contents of. She supposed, moving deeper, that the electronics and other mechanical items were the most notable source of 'stuff'.
"How did you find out, by the way? She's supposed to keep quiet about her nature," Natsume-san said, as he sat down at a low Japanese table.
Shampoo sat across from him. "It is complicated, but Sh-I heard her lack of a heartbeat. And the... other sounds coming from her torso. That, along with a bit of mutual confusion, led to the confession."
"Ah," the man said, opening a packet of rice crackers to nibble on. "What were your questions?"
"She seems smarter than a cat," Shampoo replied. "Why?"
"Mhm. The android body had a built in central processor. I had to make some modifications to the layout in there to put her actual brain in, but I kept most of it. The way things are wired up, she gets the extra processing power, but actual decision making still happens in the biological section," he explained, between rice crackers. "It's quite a fascinating study in brain plasticity, the way some of her neurons have repurposed themselves. I don't even understand all of it, but I have a friend who I'm sending the information to. He says it could lead to breakthroughs in neural implants."
Shampoo gave a slow nod. She understood... some of that. "So, she is as smart as a human?"
Natsume shrugged. "Eh. More or less. Her brain is still wired a little differently, and she's pretty naive, but... there's other things she can process faster than a human."
"And, if one were to have romantic interest in her that would not be... immoral?" Shampoo asked, not sure how to probe more subtly.
"She's beautiful, caring, and friendly. I wouldn't judge any boy for falling for her. I'd keep an eye on them, because she's naive and she's like a daughter to me, but... I wouldn't consider attraction 'immoral' or anything like that, no," the man replied.
Shampoo nodded again. "Why is her robot body beautiful, anyhow?"
Natsume gave an awkward laugh. "Well, I was charged with building an android that could pass for human. I figured I might as well make it beautiful while I was at it. No harm in having your creation be easy on the eyes."
She supposed that made sense. She smiled and stood up "Thank you for answering my questions."
"No worries, no worries," Natsume-san replied, standing up himself. "I'd like to meet the boy before he asks her out, though."
"Boy?" Shampoo asked, as she walked towards the door.
"The boy you were saying had a crush on Nuku-Nuku?"
Shampoo gave him a smile. "Shampoo did not say it was a boy."
"Oh," Natsume replied with a slight nod, before freezing. She could only assume his eyes had flashed with understanding under his messy bangs, because he then turned to her slowly. "Y-you?"
"没错. Yes," Shampoo replied.
The movement of Natsume-san's head revealed he was giving her a quick once over. "Boys are either going to be very upset or very happy if... wait, does she-?"
"Shampoo will have to see if she can like girl humans," she replied, stepping outside and giving a wave goodbye.
She had a spring in her step as she hurried down the stairs.
Shampoo was practically vibrating as she waited for Nuku Nuku's shift to start. She decided she was going to act. Today was the big day.
"It's another 30minutes until she gets here. Breath, child," Cologne said, pogoing up to her side.
"P-pardon?" Shampoo replied.
"You've never been good at hiding your crushes, child. I think even Mousse has noticed," Cologne explained with a chuckle.
Shampoo's cheeks went hot. "You... that... Is Shampoo in trouble?"
"No, no. Honestly, it's pretty clear that things with young Saotome are a lost cause. This might actually be the best route to connect the bloodlines," Cologne said.
Shampoo blinked. "How?"
"He's a polite young man. I suspect he would be easy to convince to act as a surrogate father if you end up with a woman. Especially an android," Cologne replied.
Shampoo's blush returned. "Shampoo is not planning children just yet."
"No. No. But in five years or so... when you get my age that's the near future," Cologne said, before hopping away.
Shampoo found herself deeply frazzled and was distracted enough to not keep track of time as the restaurant picked up a bit. Nuku Nuku's arrival announcement in the back caused her heart to flutter, and she rushed back to greet the android girl. She noticed Nuku Nuku's cheeks were rosy as the other girl stumbled over her reply greeting.
Unfortunately, there were deliveries to be filled, and the restaurant was rather steady for the next couple of hours. Shampoo got to spend barely any time with her crush (though she noticed the blush again each time they were together). It was well into the evening, with the sun having set, before things began to slow down. Shampoo found herself impatiently cleaning a table as she waited for Nuku Nuku's return, so that they could actually talk.
"Yo, Shampoo!"
She perked up, launching herself in the direction of the voice. It was only as she was moving through the air that she realised it had been Ranma, not Nuku Nuku, who had called out. They had such similar voices.
Oh well, she could give Ranma a final hug.
"Ack!" Ranma said, nearly falling over.
"Sorry, Shampoo was expecting someone else, so used extra force," she said meekly.
"Extra fo—was that supposed t'be a tackle?" the redhead replied.
"She is just very strong," Shampoo said, releasing Ranma from her hug.
"Who—"
"I'm back from the delivery!" Nuku Nuku's voice called out from the kitchen.
"Be right back," Shampoo said to Ranma with a grin, before hurrying off.
She made it to the kitchen in only a couple strides, finding Cologne in the middle of saying something to Nuku Nuku. It was quiet, though, so it didn't matter what the specifics were. Shampoo launched herself forward. Nuku Nuku stumbled a bit at the impact, but... it was clear her previous statement of being 103 kg was likely correct. Inertia, as much as strength, kept Shampoo from knocking her over.
"H-hello?' Nuku Nuku said, looking down at her with a blush.
"Nihao," Shampoo said happily, still hugging the android girl.
"I'll leave you two to it, then," Cologne said, hopping away.
"Leave us to what?" a still blushing Nuku Nuku asked.
Shampoo broke her hug, standing up to full height, but keeping in close to Nuku Nuku. "You think Shampoo's cat form is cute, yes?"
Nuku Nuku turned completely red, as clearly robotic vaguely ear-like structures popped out of the sides of her head. Steam was released as the 'ears' shot up.
"Uh... y-yes."
"What about Shampoo's human form?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Um... well, I... I can see shared traits with your cat side. So... so... I think so? As... as much as I can for a human?" Nuku Nuku replied, shoulders rising up as her arms went rigid, swinging about a little.
"Shampoo thinks Nuku Nuku is very cute, too. What would you say to becoming Shampoo's girlfriend?" she asked, placing a hand on Nuku Nuku's upper arm.
She had to let out a yelp and withdraw it, as the android girl's arm was exceptional toasty. Another burst of steam escaped Nuku Nuku.
"I-I-I—emergency cooldown mode activated," Nuku Nuku replied, the last part somehow in her voice, yet sounding canned and automated.
That was followed by Nuku Nuku's arms shooting out to either side, as if to form a T. Steam billowed out from her joints, which had opened along seams Shampoo had never before noticed. Nuku Nuku's eyes closed, and her neck seemed to go limp for a second.
Shampoo worried, as the other girl stayed like that. Each second making Shampoo panic that something serious had happened. Then Nuku Nuku's limbs went as limp as her neck, and Shampoo hurried forward to catch her. She was indeed heavy, but nothing next to the boulders Cologne had made Shampoo carry for training many times.
Nuku Nuku's eyelids fluttered open, and she looked up at Shampoo with a soft smile. The smile was soon joined by a purring, which Shampoo hoped was voluntary and not a mechanical issue.
"You caught me!" Nuku Nuku said, still smiling and purring away.
"Shampoo can do more than that," she said, shifting to lift the other girl into a bridal carry. (Carrying Nuku Nuku around would really be a nice workout.)
"Oh! Oh my! It's been so long since anyone carried me!"
"So... what is the answer to Shampoo's question?" she asked, still holding Nuku Nuku and gazing down into her eyes.
"Did I not say yes? I meant to say yes," Nuku Nuku replied, cheeks going red again as her body warmed a little.
"A good answer!" Shampoo said.
With that, she carried Nuku Nuku out into the dining area, spinning her about once or twice.
"What's goin' on?" a now male Ranma asked, as Shampoo set her girlfriend down.
"We are dating!" Shampoo announced, beaming away.
"You're... that... huh," Ranma began, before hopping up and walking over to them. "Well, congrats!"
Shampoo narrowed her eyes at Ranma. "You can seem a little more upset that Shampoo has dumped you, Ranma."
"Wait, why are you dumpin' me?" Ranma asked.
"Am I a homewrecker?' Nuku Nuku asked, at the same time. "I did not mean to seduce your girlfriend, Saotome-san!"
"I'm fine with you seducin' her, but was it your idea she had to dump me?" Ranma asked.
Nuku Nuku shook her head. "I did not know you and her were dating. I would not have said yes if it meant causing a break up."
Shampoo took a moment to try to follow what was being said. In the end she realised that was a doomed effort. "What? Ranma? How could Shampoo get a girlfriend and not dump you?"
"W-well, I thought ya'd be like Ukyo is? Since her and Konatsu and a thing, but she ain't dumped me. It's... polyploidy?" Ranma said.
"...Polyamory?" Shampoo offered.
"Maybe?" Ranma replied. "It was definitely poly-something-y."
"What's that?" Nuku Nuku asked.
"Ucchan didn't really explain. She just said it meant she could date Konatsu without dumpin' me?" Ranma replied.
"Poly means many, amory means love," Shampoo explained. "It is about voluntary and open dating of multiple people. Or... something like that, as far as Shampoo knows."
"I think my litter siblings all had different dads... is that the same thing?" Nuku Nuku replied.
"Litter siblinbs?" Ranma asked.
Shampoo let out a tired sigh. How did her idea of a clean break end up like this? She didn't even know what to say, as she vaguely processed Nuku Nuku explaining that she was actually a cat. The way Ranma paled was amusing, but didn't solve Shampoo's headache. Maybe it would scare Ranma off enough to let her escape the marital obligation that led her to so much suffering?
Apparently the universe took offense to her moment of optimism, because, at that moment, the door to the Neko Hanten burst open, revealing the tall and imposing figure of one Kuno Tatewaki.
"Foul knave, Saotome!" Kuno shouted. "I come with thine bane, to avenge Akane's honour!"
Ranma turned, staring at Tatewaki with as much confusion as Shampoo was feeling right now. "What."
"A substance which attracts thine greatest fear!" Tatewaki replied, pulling a sachet from his kendo uniform and throwing it at them.
Nuku Nuku caught the package, eyes alight at the excitement of having something thrown her way. Then, as she looked down at it, it exploded, covering her, Shampoo, and Ranma is a fine powder.
"Apologies to you two maidens, but worry not, the contents are only a threat to Saotome for they summon the felines he fears so much!" Kuno shouted.
Shampoo swore she could feel her pupils dilating. "Is that smell..."
"Catnip," Ranma said, looking as affected by the powder as Shampoo was feeling.
"Oooh. That's the good nip," Nuku Nuku said, a smile spreading across her face.
Shampoo felt herself getting exceptionally giggly feeling. When had Ranma's pigtail gotten so... so... bouncy?
Shampoo blinked a few times, the world coming back into focus. She felt safe. It took her a moment to realise that it wasn't just the after effects of catnip. She was being hugged from both sides, Ranma behind her, Nuku Nuku in front of her. She was quite content, and felt herself purring. She didn't do that much in human form, but this wasn't the first time. Nuku Nuku was purring away as well, snuggling up against her. And, as she listened, she picked up a deeper purr from Ranma.
This was nice.
Maybe Ranma was right. Maybe polyamory was a good option, and she didn't have to dump him.
As long as he learned to behave around Nuku Nuku. She came first.