As they prepared for their day out, Chii turned to Hideki and said "Thank you, Hideki" "For what?" he asked. "For what you said last night, and this morning. It was important to me to know." she replied. Hideki thought he understood her, and wanted her to know. "Chii, I would, have acted the same way no matter what. I think some guys are always nervous about that, at least I am. Maybe it was the way I was raised. And, it may take some time for me to think about us as a couple." "I just wanted you to be comfortable around me" she said. "I guess I didn't think of that. You know, that's still new to me." What is?" "Thinking; about now, and about the past. I can remember almost everything that happened since you started me, but until last week, I never had thoughts about anything back then. I was just a persocom running a program." "You mean its different now?" Hideki asked. "Yes. While I was recharging in the lab, mother installed some new software. She had put a disk with me that night you found me, but you didn't find it. All persocoms have memories, but they can't recall them, like humans can. I was built differently, so I can 'think' about things; recall memories myself, and review them. I can learn much faster now. I can remember the effort you put into teaching me, and the respect you showed me. I'm lucky Mother found you for me." Hideki was blushing now. She finished packing their lunch. "Well, shall we get going?"
It was her first time away from the apartment building since that night. She noticed everything with a new sense of awareness. Perhaps it was because he was with her, instead of hurrying to school or the tavern, but Hideki was more relaxed. They walked hand in hand, but he didn't notice anyone staring at them. As he looked around, he noticed other people, and other persocoms. He was looking ahead, as a couple came walking towards them. The persocom looked at him and smiled. Her eyes were just like Chii's. "Did you see that?" Hideki asked. "Yes. I guess Jima was right" Chii said. "What?" "That night, Jima said that what happened to me would affect all persocoms. That's why I'm anxious to see Yuzuki. I want to see if custom built models were affected, too."
After a picnic lunch in the park, they walked around for a while, then headed for Minoru's house. As the maids helped them with their shoes, Minoru came down the stairs to greet them. "Good afternoon, Motosuwa-san. I see you are not so embarrassed by my maids now. That is good." He turned to Chii "And how are you today, Chii?" "Fine, thank you" "Good. Will you come up to my study? Something interesting has happened" Yuzuki was in the study, and greeted them both. Chii noticed that her eyes had changed, too, and were now a beautiful shade of blue.
"As you can see, a change has occurred in Yuzuki. I see Chii was affected as well." "It happened a week ago last night, and you can't figure out why, right?" Minoru looked up, surprised both by the question, and who had asked it. "If I might connect to Yuzuki, I will explain" Chii continued. "Of course" Minoru said, the surprise evident in his voice. "Don't worry. I won't crash her this time. I just don't know how to run your computer." Chii said, as she connected the cable. "That voice! It was you!" Yuzuki exclaimed, as the connection was completed. "Yes, Yuzuki, it was. Minoru, you were right all along. I am a Chobit, and I have much to explain. Perhaps we should sit down.
"First of all, you should know that what I will tell you should not leave this room." Minoru nodded. He remembered what had happened with Kojima, and that it might have been because of his posting on the BBS. "This has been a busy week for all of us, I see" Chii said. "Where would you like to begin, Minoru?" His mind was a whirl of questions, but the logical part of him took control. His questions about Yuzuki would be answered in time. "How much of the legend is true?" "As far as I know, all of it" Chii answered. "Yes, I do have free will. I am completely self-aware. Yuzuki was right, when she first examined me. My OS and all programs are behind a firewall. Now, of course I can control that, so she is in no danger." Through her connection to Yuzuki, Chii displayed pictures, and other data, on Minoru's computer monitor.
"I understand you have seen these pictures, Minoru. The first one is of my sister, Freya. She no longer exists" Chii said, a little sadly "Although, unknowingly, I had been carrying her personality inside me until last week." "The other picture is of me and one of my creators, my mother. You know her as our landlady, Hibiya-san". Chii went on to explain everything she knew, up to the events on the roof of the apartment building. She answered Hideki's earlier questions about how she, as an AI, was different from other persocoms, knowing that Minoru would want to know, too. She also explained what she had learned in the past week, omitting only what had happened between her and Hideki the previous evening.
It took a lot of time, and while it was early evening, she wasn't quite finished. Minoru was quite interested in hearing more. "Would the two of you consider staying here tonight? I have plenty of room." Chii looked at Hideki, who nodded and said "That's very generous of you. I know Chii feels very thankful for all the help you have given us, and feels you deserve to know everything that happened. It is a lot of information." "Yuzuki" Minoru asked, "would you please see that a room is prepared, and that the evening meal is started?" "Yes, Minoru", she said, as she disconnected the cable from Chii. "May Chii come with me?" "Of course" said Minoru, and the two girls got up and left the room.
"Motosuwa-san, that is an incredible story. You are a lucky man." "Yes", said Hideki. "Yes I am. But I've had a lot of help, too. You've been a great help, Minoru-san, and I thank you for that." "Chii said that Hibiya has been teaching you a bit about persocoms. How is that going?" "Pretty well, actually" Hideki said. "And Chii has been helping, too. I may understand some of what you have been talking about." "Good" said Minoru "perhaps you can answer a few questions before dinner. "Sure, if I can" Hideki said. "I was quite surprised that she talks so naturally now. Is that because of what happened with her sister?" "Yes. Hibiya explained it like trying to do two things at once. Chii has a very powerful processor, but it had trouble handling 2 personalities." "Chii said she was a true AI." Minoru said. "Would it be possible to see the details?" "I don't think so", said Hideki. "Aside from the fact that I don't understand the more technical stuff, and couldn't explain it, Hibiya wouldn't allow it. She says there are things they built into Chii that the corporation she and her husband worked for would do anything to get. That's why Chii will have to be careful in public. Right now, Chobits is just a legend. If the wrong people learned that it was real, she would be in great danger, more so than she was from Jima and Dita" "What will you two do now?" Minoru asked. "I really don't know, exactly. We'll stay in the apartment for now. Hibiya's best able to help us."
Hideki thought for a minute. "I remember, the first time I came here, you told me that Chii was my responsibility, and I've taken that seriously. But you also told me I shouldn't fall in love with my persocom, and in a way, I followed that advice, too. I fell in love with Chii because of who she is, not what she is, and because of that, she may be in more danger." "That may be true", said Minoru "But you have each other now. I think you two will do well together. Hibiya-san is right. As long as you don't attract attention, you should be all right." "Well, I imagine dinner should be ready now. Shall we go to the dining room?"
Chapter 4 7/20/2003 5:07 PM
It was her first time away from the apartment building since that night. She noticed everything with a new sense of awareness. Perhaps it was because he was with her, instead of hurrying to school or the tavern, but Hideki was more relaxed. They walked hand in hand, but he didn't notice anyone staring at them. As he looked around, he noticed other people, and other persocoms. He was looking ahead, as a couple came walking towards them. The persocom looked at him and smiled. Her eyes were just like Chii's. "Did you see that?" Hideki asked. "Yes. I guess Jima was right" Chii said. "What?" "That night, Jima said that what happened to me would affect all persocoms. That's why I'm anxious to see Yuzuki. I want to see if custom built models were affected, too."
After a picnic lunch in the park, they walked around for a while, then headed for Minoru's house. As the maids helped them with their shoes, Minoru came down the stairs to greet them. "Good afternoon, Motosuwa-san. I see you are not so embarrassed by my maids now. That is good." He turned to Chii "And how are you today, Chii?" "Fine, thank you" "Good. Will you come up to my study? Something interesting has happened" Yuzuki was in the study, and greeted them both. Chii noticed that her eyes had changed, too, and were now a beautiful shade of blue.
"As you can see, a change has occurred in Yuzuki. I see Chii was affected as well." "It happened a week ago last night, and you can't figure out why, right?" Minoru looked up, surprised both by the question, and who had asked it. "If I might connect to Yuzuki, I will explain" Chii continued. "Of course" Minoru said, the surprise evident in his voice. "Don't worry. I won't crash her this time. I just don't know how to run your computer." Chii said, as she connected the cable. "That voice! It was you!" Yuzuki exclaimed, as the connection was completed. "Yes, Yuzuki, it was. Minoru, you were right all along. I am a Chobit, and I have much to explain. Perhaps we should sit down.
"First of all, you should know that what I will tell you should not leave this room." Minoru nodded. He remembered what had happened with Kojima, and that it might have been because of his posting on the BBS. "This has been a busy week for all of us, I see" Chii said. "Where would you like to begin, Minoru?" His mind was a whirl of questions, but the logical part of him took control. His questions about Yuzuki would be answered in time. "How much of the legend is true?" "As far as I know, all of it" Chii answered. "Yes, I do have free will. I am completely self-aware. Yuzuki was right, when she first examined me. My OS and all programs are behind a firewall. Now, of course I can control that, so she is in no danger." Through her connection to Yuzuki, Chii displayed pictures, and other data, on Minoru's computer monitor.
"I understand you have seen these pictures, Minoru. The first one is of my sister, Freya. She no longer exists" Chii said, a little sadly "Although, unknowingly, I had been carrying her personality inside me until last week." "The other picture is of me and one of my creators, my mother. You know her as our landlady, Hibiya-san". Chii went on to explain everything she knew, up to the events on the roof of the apartment building. She answered Hideki's earlier questions about how she, as an AI, was different from other persocoms, knowing that Minoru would want to know, too. She also explained what she had learned in the past week, omitting only what had happened between her and Hideki the previous evening.
It took a lot of time, and while it was early evening, she wasn't quite finished. Minoru was quite interested in hearing more. "Would the two of you consider staying here tonight? I have plenty of room." Chii looked at Hideki, who nodded and said "That's very generous of you. I know Chii feels very thankful for all the help you have given us, and feels you deserve to know everything that happened. It is a lot of information." "Yuzuki" Minoru asked, "would you please see that a room is prepared, and that the evening meal is started?" "Yes, Minoru", she said, as she disconnected the cable from Chii. "May Chii come with me?" "Of course" said Minoru, and the two girls got up and left the room.
"Motosuwa-san, that is an incredible story. You are a lucky man." "Yes", said Hideki. "Yes I am. But I've had a lot of help, too. You've been a great help, Minoru-san, and I thank you for that." "Chii said that Hibiya has been teaching you a bit about persocoms. How is that going?" "Pretty well, actually" Hideki said. "And Chii has been helping, too. I may understand some of what you have been talking about." "Good" said Minoru "perhaps you can answer a few questions before dinner. "Sure, if I can" Hideki said. "I was quite surprised that she talks so naturally now. Is that because of what happened with her sister?" "Yes. Hibiya explained it like trying to do two things at once. Chii has a very powerful processor, but it had trouble handling 2 personalities." "Chii said she was a true AI." Minoru said. "Would it be possible to see the details?" "I don't think so", said Hideki. "Aside from the fact that I don't understand the more technical stuff, and couldn't explain it, Hibiya wouldn't allow it. She says there are things they built into Chii that the corporation she and her husband worked for would do anything to get. That's why Chii will have to be careful in public. Right now, Chobits is just a legend. If the wrong people learned that it was real, she would be in great danger, more so than she was from Jima and Dita" "What will you two do now?" Minoru asked. "I really don't know, exactly. We'll stay in the apartment for now. Hibiya's best able to help us."
Hideki thought for a minute. "I remember, the first time I came here, you told me that Chii was my responsibility, and I've taken that seriously. But you also told me I shouldn't fall in love with my persocom, and in a way, I followed that advice, too. I fell in love with Chii because of who she is, not what she is, and because of that, she may be in more danger." "That may be true", said Minoru "But you have each other now. I think you two will do well together. Hibiya-san is right. As long as you don't attract attention, you should be all right." "Well, I imagine dinner should be ready now. Shall we go to the dining room?"
Chapter 4 7/20/2003 5:07 PM