Hideki woke up a little while later. Things he had seen and heard in the past week had been swimming around in his mind all weekend, like pieces of a puzzle, and now he was very close to figuring it all out. It had to do with Chii; he knew that, but the pieces just wouldn't connect yet. Something she had said recently just didn't fit with things he now knew about her. Things he had learned just this past week. She had said there were things she could not do for him. Children? No, that was obvious. Love? She said she loved him, and as much as any persocom could show happiness, sadness, loneliness, her love for him was real.
He thought of the diagrams and schematics that Hibiya had shown him while Chii was resting. Hibiya was happy that he had been able to express his feelings for Chii, and that she had returned to him. But, she had cautioned, you must understand Chii as a persocom, too. She had started to show him how Chii functioned. He understood some of it, but most was still too new for him. When she had started to explain her controls and connections, he, blushing furiously, had asked about why her switch was where it was. She had smiled at his embarrassment, handing him a tissue. At the same time, she understood his sincere concern for Chii's well being. She said that Chii did have a normal reset switch, inside her right ear, like other persocoms, but it was small, so he might have missed it. The switch he was referring to had another purpose, and Chii herself would explain it when the time was right. Hideki accepted that, and they went on to discuss other things about Chii, What about her was the same as every other persocom, and what was different.
As Hideki lay there, he thought about what had happened that week. He was thinking about what had happened Friday night when the picture in his mind started coming together. That night, Chii had unexpectedly put his hand to her breast, "It's ok" she had said "And perhaps someday" as she moved his hand lower. His mind flashed back to Hibiya's lab. "That switch has another purpose" she had said. He remembered the label on the diagram. "Restart" it had read, not "Reset".
Hideki sat up on the futon. He had just come to a conclusion, and, while he didn't know it yet, he was more or less right. He looked at Chii, sleeping peacefully beside him, and was grateful for her reluctance that night. He started shaking, for he realized that if things had gone differently… He soon calmed down, and resolved to talk to Hibiya in the morning, before class. He lay down again, and was soon asleep.
It was Friday night again, and this time Chii had not hesitant, but had said "and how about…" as she moved his hand. She had leaned over and kissed him, and they became more amorous. Nervously, they had begun to make love, and everything was wonderful. Suddenly, though, there was a soft 'click' and Chii's eyes went blank. Hideki scrambled to his knees, and watched in horror as Chii looked at him and said "Chii?", just as she had the first time he had started her. Hideki covered his eyed and started to cry uncontrollably as he realized what had happened. He sat there rocking back and forth, crying. Gradually, he noticed a hand shaking him. He uncovered his eyes, and blinked a few times. Chii was sitting beside him, a hand on his shoulder, and a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright, Hideki?" "You're OK!" he said, as he hugged her. He began crying again. "Thank goodness you're alright! It was all just a bad dream" Chii was puzzled. What had upset Hideki that much? Usually his dreams were of a different kind.
Downstairs, Hibiya had just finished some work in the lab, and was climbing the stairs back to her apartment, when she heard Hideki's cry. She recognized it instantly: a long, anguished cry like the one he had given on the roof just last week, when he thought he had lost Chii forever. Had something happened? Her face paled as she thought what it might be. Chii had told her, in general terms, what had happened that Friday night, and Hibiya had reminded herself to discuss a certain matter with Chii that week. Had she changed her mind? Hibiya rushed out of the apartment, barely remembering to close the lab door, and raced up the stairs to Hideki's apartment. Pausing at the door to catch her breath, she heard two low voices. Two voices! Perhaps things were alright after all! She softly knocked on the door. A moment later Chii opened the door. Hibiya could see Hideki sitting on the futon, facing the door. He looked like he had been crying.
Hideki had calmed down somewhat, and had been about to tell Chii about his nightmare, when there was a knock at the door. He started to get up so he could apologize to whomever he had woken up, when Chii said "you sit there, I'll get it." She got up, and, walking to the door, opened it. She saw her mother standing there, breathing heavily, as if she had run up the stairs. Hibiya was staring past Chii into the apartment, and it took her a moment to re-focus on her daughter standing next to her. She hugged her daughter and said "Thank goodness you're alright!" Chii was puzzled. Hideki had said the same thing just a moment ago! What was going on?
Hibiya walked into the apartment and shut the door. Leading Chii by the hand, she walked over to where Hideki sat on the futon, and sat down, facing him. She gestured for Chii to sit down next to him. "I heard your scream, Hideki, and I came up here right away. What's wrong?" "I had a bad dream" he began "And I think it's because of something I just figured out tonight" He paused, and swallowed. What he had to say next was embarrassing for him, but, as much as Hibiya was Chii's mother, she was also one of her designers, and would know the answer to his questions. "Hibiya-san" he began again "Tonight, while I was laying here, I was thinking of the things you told me about Chii last week. I finally realized something important about her, and I think that's what caused my bad dream.
"I suppose it's something I should have known from the very beginning, but I didn't realize what it meant until tonight." Hideki said "I mean, after searching for so long to find her 'start' switch, you'd think I would never forget it, but I never grasped the importance of it's location. You told me that Chii was made to love, and be loved, but you never meant that literally, did you? I mean, if Chii and I…" he hesitated for a moment. "If Chii and I make love, she'll 'disappear' like last time and never come back. That's what that switch is supposed to do, right? To keep people from making love with persocoms." He heard Chii gasp as she heard what he said.
Hibiya was looking right at Hideki, and she could see that it had taken a lot for him to make that statement. He was basically right, but he didn't know why. She blinked a few times, and took a breath "That's not quite true" Hibiya explained. "In fact she's more capable of making love than most other persocoms. But, on the other hand, she's more human than other persocoms. At some point, you would have had to make a choice which you wanted more" Hideki was puzzled, and it showed. "It's true that Chii was made to love and be loved by one special person. And that person would have had the choice to love Chii purely for whom she is, or for what she is physically, but not both. Because of the way she was designed, and programmed, both by us and by you, Hideki, she is different than any other persocom." "But I didn't program her" Hideki protested, then, sadly, "I could never afford the software" Hibiya smiled "Installing software isn't the only way to program, Hideki. Surely you knew she had learning software installed." "Yes, Minoru told me that" he said. "Well," continued Hibiya "Everything you taught her became part of her programming; the good and the bad, happy times and sad, all became part of who she is. She acts much more human than other persocoms because of that, because of you."
"But", she continued," That is partly why a choice would have to be made." She stopped and looked at them. She knew it was getting late, but they had to know. They were holding hands, and looking at her intently. "Much of what makes Chii who she is, is not stored in the normal fashion. Her unique personality is part of her active memory, which means it is not stored right away. She stopped and took Chii's hand in hers, and placed the other on Hideki's arm. "Chii, your father never meant for persocoms to become replacements for humans. He meant for them to be companions. In your case however he had taken an extra step. He deliberately placed a switch where it would only be activated during a very intimate relationship. Hideki was almost right when he guessed what it would do. While you would not 'disappear' entirely, all your active memory would be wiped clean, sort of like 'short term memory loss' in humans. I don't know how much would be lost: a day, two days, a week. Maybe more. The point is, that only by forsaking that level of intimacy, have you been able to develop to the point you have, and only by foregoing that kind of intimacy in the future will you remain who you are." She saw the expressions change in Chii's face as she realized what her mother meant. Chii had thought she would be able to share everything with her special someone, but now she knew the truth. She had been wrong, and now she was afraid Hideki would no longer love her. She began to weep silently.
Hibiya turned her attention to Hideki, but he was looking at Chii. He had noticed her sadness, and, knowing what she might have been thinking, swept her into his arms. Chii was surprised by this, and looked up into Hideki's eyes. "Why are you hugging me?" she cried. He looked at her. That first time he had hugged her like that, he had not known what he felt for her, but he was sure now. "Because I love you, Chii." He replied, holding her close." I've always cared about you, and I'll always be here for you.
He looked up at Hibiya, who had been watching them. "He really does love her" she thought. She never really had any doubt, but it was very evident when she saw the two of them together. She had watched his face as she explained that he would never be able to make love with Chii, and why. She had seen a touch of sadness cross his face, only to be replaced by acceptance and concern. She had not seen despair, or disappointment, though. He really did care more for her happiness than any fleeting moment of passion. Now she saw him redden a bit as he opened his mouth to speak.
Hideki was concerned, just as Hibiya thought, and he was determined that no embarrassment would stop him from knowing what he needed to do to protect Chii. "Hibiya-san" He began formally "I don't know what Chii may have told you, but all we've done up to now is...touch each other. Is there anything besides making love that we shouldn't do?" He was looking straight at her, and she appreciated what it must be like for him to ask her, Chii's mother, a question like that. She smiled and said gently "I'm sure it took a lot of courage to talk to me about this, Hideki. I'm glad that you love and care for Chii so much." "No," she continued "there is nothing else to worry about. Chii is just like a human girl in all other resects." Hideki nodded.
"I'm sorry I woke you up tonight." he said. "Actually, you didn't wake me" Hibiya said "I was in the lab preparing something for Chii. You see, she did tell me, in a discreet way, what has happened between you. I was going to tell her about her design, and the choice to be made, this week. But now it seems I will be telling you both. Perhaps you can come by after supper tomorrow. We can talk then." She stood up. "I'll let myself out. Don't stay up too late" she said, with a twinkle in her eyes.
After Hibiya had closed the door behind her, Hideki looked back at Chii. She still looked a bit sad. He leaned over and kissed her gently. She hugged him, and, after a moment, said "You really don't mind if we can't..." He put a finger to her lips. "No I don't. When I first found you, and it seemed like you couldn't do anything, you seemed afraid that I would put you back in the trash. I told you then that I would keep you, no matter what. When I finally realized that I loved you, I wondered how much we could do, but that wasn't why I love you. Please don't think that this will change the way I feel about you." "Really?" she wondered. "Really" he promised. She smiled, and lay back on the futon, pulling him down with her. She said" I'm so sorry, Hideki. I didn't know things would be like this." "I'm just glad we found out beforehand" he said "I couldn't bear losing you." "Thank you" she said, and kissed him. They fell asleep in each other's arms.
They awoke the next morning, and although both remembered what had happened, they went through their routine in much the same way. When Hideki left for school, however, instead of his usual cheery "I'm off!" he hugged Chii, gave her a kiss, and said "Don't worry. I'll be back this evening, and we can talk to your mother about it."
Chii spent the day as usual, giving no outward sign of the thoughts she had. She knew her father had a perfectly good reason for designing her like he had, but why hadn't mother told her sooner. She remembered her mother's words from a previous conversation, and realized she had been right. She hadn't thought Chii would move ahead that quickly, and it was true. Chii was afraid of any conflicting emotions, like the ones that had crippled her sister, and so she had wanted to move slowly. Hideki had felt that way, too, for some reason. Why had he been hesitant? Chii thought she would ask someday.
After Hideki had eaten supper, they walked down to Hibiya's apartment together. She made some tea, and they sat and talked. Hibiya explained her and her husband's ideas about Chii's purpose in life, and why they had done things the way they had. Hideki, for the most part, was able to keep his embarrassment under control. He found himself admitting to a certain amount of physical attraction to Chii, but, he explained, they had both decided that they were not ready for a physical relationship yet. Yes, as both he and Chii had admitted, there had been a certain amount of intimate contact, but it had been more in the nature of just getting comfortable around each other. Chii found out, to her surprise, that Hideki's reluctance that night was because of his upbringing; while he certainly found her physically attractive, he had always thought of getting married before that final step was taken, although, with Chii he knew that might not be possible; also because she needed time, too. "So that's why you were talking about a honeymoon" she said. "Yes", he said, and explained to Hibiya that he had told Chii, and meant it, that he would marry her if there was any way for that to happen, and, if not, he'd like to have a 'honeymoon night' anyway. Hibiya, for her part, admitted that she hadn't thought that someone would ever feel that strongly about Chii. "Hideki" she said "I had always hoped Chii would find someone like you. I'm glad you feel that way about her. I'm just as glad both you and Chii have so many human friends. That is what we had in mind, for humans and persocoms to coexist, not for one to replace the other. I think my husband would have liked you, too."
As the days and months rolled past, they settled into a comfortable life together. It would be rather trite to say they lived happily ever after, but they were happy. They faced tough times together, and they and their friends supported each other. They celebrated the good times, like Yumi and Ueda's engagement and marriage. Although Chii and Hideki never were able to be married legally, being in the wedding party at least let them experience a marriage, if not be the center of one. There were other events, too, like Hideki passing his entrance exams, and Shinbo's marriage to Shimizu. There were some trying times. As technology advanced, both Chii and Hideki faced some ridicule, for no one could know of their unique relationship. Hideki, especially, was taunted as the country bumpkin who could only afford an older model persocom. Chii experienced it in more subtle ways, for now persocoms were so advanced as to be almost indistinguishable from their human companions. Since she, with her ears, was easily identifiable, she, and all other older persocoms were treated with a subtle snobbery by the newer models, and the people who owned them. Other things, placed strain on their relationship, too, but they persevered. Over the years, they created many happy memories together, all because Hideki had taken a chance, that one night, and had found a treasure in someone's trash.
Chapters 6-8 Page 10 of 13 11/21/2003 9:32 AM
He thought of the diagrams and schematics that Hibiya had shown him while Chii was resting. Hibiya was happy that he had been able to express his feelings for Chii, and that she had returned to him. But, she had cautioned, you must understand Chii as a persocom, too. She had started to show him how Chii functioned. He understood some of it, but most was still too new for him. When she had started to explain her controls and connections, he, blushing furiously, had asked about why her switch was where it was. She had smiled at his embarrassment, handing him a tissue. At the same time, she understood his sincere concern for Chii's well being. She said that Chii did have a normal reset switch, inside her right ear, like other persocoms, but it was small, so he might have missed it. The switch he was referring to had another purpose, and Chii herself would explain it when the time was right. Hideki accepted that, and they went on to discuss other things about Chii, What about her was the same as every other persocom, and what was different.
As Hideki lay there, he thought about what had happened that week. He was thinking about what had happened Friday night when the picture in his mind started coming together. That night, Chii had unexpectedly put his hand to her breast, "It's ok" she had said "And perhaps someday" as she moved his hand lower. His mind flashed back to Hibiya's lab. "That switch has another purpose" she had said. He remembered the label on the diagram. "Restart" it had read, not "Reset".
Hideki sat up on the futon. He had just come to a conclusion, and, while he didn't know it yet, he was more or less right. He looked at Chii, sleeping peacefully beside him, and was grateful for her reluctance that night. He started shaking, for he realized that if things had gone differently… He soon calmed down, and resolved to talk to Hibiya in the morning, before class. He lay down again, and was soon asleep.
It was Friday night again, and this time Chii had not hesitant, but had said "and how about…" as she moved his hand. She had leaned over and kissed him, and they became more amorous. Nervously, they had begun to make love, and everything was wonderful. Suddenly, though, there was a soft 'click' and Chii's eyes went blank. Hideki scrambled to his knees, and watched in horror as Chii looked at him and said "Chii?", just as she had the first time he had started her. Hideki covered his eyed and started to cry uncontrollably as he realized what had happened. He sat there rocking back and forth, crying. Gradually, he noticed a hand shaking him. He uncovered his eyes, and blinked a few times. Chii was sitting beside him, a hand on his shoulder, and a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright, Hideki?" "You're OK!" he said, as he hugged her. He began crying again. "Thank goodness you're alright! It was all just a bad dream" Chii was puzzled. What had upset Hideki that much? Usually his dreams were of a different kind.
Downstairs, Hibiya had just finished some work in the lab, and was climbing the stairs back to her apartment, when she heard Hideki's cry. She recognized it instantly: a long, anguished cry like the one he had given on the roof just last week, when he thought he had lost Chii forever. Had something happened? Her face paled as she thought what it might be. Chii had told her, in general terms, what had happened that Friday night, and Hibiya had reminded herself to discuss a certain matter with Chii that week. Had she changed her mind? Hibiya rushed out of the apartment, barely remembering to close the lab door, and raced up the stairs to Hideki's apartment. Pausing at the door to catch her breath, she heard two low voices. Two voices! Perhaps things were alright after all! She softly knocked on the door. A moment later Chii opened the door. Hibiya could see Hideki sitting on the futon, facing the door. He looked like he had been crying.
Hideki had calmed down somewhat, and had been about to tell Chii about his nightmare, when there was a knock at the door. He started to get up so he could apologize to whomever he had woken up, when Chii said "you sit there, I'll get it." She got up, and, walking to the door, opened it. She saw her mother standing there, breathing heavily, as if she had run up the stairs. Hibiya was staring past Chii into the apartment, and it took her a moment to re-focus on her daughter standing next to her. She hugged her daughter and said "Thank goodness you're alright!" Chii was puzzled. Hideki had said the same thing just a moment ago! What was going on?
Hibiya walked into the apartment and shut the door. Leading Chii by the hand, she walked over to where Hideki sat on the futon, and sat down, facing him. She gestured for Chii to sit down next to him. "I heard your scream, Hideki, and I came up here right away. What's wrong?" "I had a bad dream" he began "And I think it's because of something I just figured out tonight" He paused, and swallowed. What he had to say next was embarrassing for him, but, as much as Hibiya was Chii's mother, she was also one of her designers, and would know the answer to his questions. "Hibiya-san" he began again "Tonight, while I was laying here, I was thinking of the things you told me about Chii last week. I finally realized something important about her, and I think that's what caused my bad dream.
"I suppose it's something I should have known from the very beginning, but I didn't realize what it meant until tonight." Hideki said "I mean, after searching for so long to find her 'start' switch, you'd think I would never forget it, but I never grasped the importance of it's location. You told me that Chii was made to love, and be loved, but you never meant that literally, did you? I mean, if Chii and I…" he hesitated for a moment. "If Chii and I make love, she'll 'disappear' like last time and never come back. That's what that switch is supposed to do, right? To keep people from making love with persocoms." He heard Chii gasp as she heard what he said.
Hibiya was looking right at Hideki, and she could see that it had taken a lot for him to make that statement. He was basically right, but he didn't know why. She blinked a few times, and took a breath "That's not quite true" Hibiya explained. "In fact she's more capable of making love than most other persocoms. But, on the other hand, she's more human than other persocoms. At some point, you would have had to make a choice which you wanted more" Hideki was puzzled, and it showed. "It's true that Chii was made to love and be loved by one special person. And that person would have had the choice to love Chii purely for whom she is, or for what she is physically, but not both. Because of the way she was designed, and programmed, both by us and by you, Hideki, she is different than any other persocom." "But I didn't program her" Hideki protested, then, sadly, "I could never afford the software" Hibiya smiled "Installing software isn't the only way to program, Hideki. Surely you knew she had learning software installed." "Yes, Minoru told me that" he said. "Well," continued Hibiya "Everything you taught her became part of her programming; the good and the bad, happy times and sad, all became part of who she is. She acts much more human than other persocoms because of that, because of you."
"But", she continued," That is partly why a choice would have to be made." She stopped and looked at them. She knew it was getting late, but they had to know. They were holding hands, and looking at her intently. "Much of what makes Chii who she is, is not stored in the normal fashion. Her unique personality is part of her active memory, which means it is not stored right away. She stopped and took Chii's hand in hers, and placed the other on Hideki's arm. "Chii, your father never meant for persocoms to become replacements for humans. He meant for them to be companions. In your case however he had taken an extra step. He deliberately placed a switch where it would only be activated during a very intimate relationship. Hideki was almost right when he guessed what it would do. While you would not 'disappear' entirely, all your active memory would be wiped clean, sort of like 'short term memory loss' in humans. I don't know how much would be lost: a day, two days, a week. Maybe more. The point is, that only by forsaking that level of intimacy, have you been able to develop to the point you have, and only by foregoing that kind of intimacy in the future will you remain who you are." She saw the expressions change in Chii's face as she realized what her mother meant. Chii had thought she would be able to share everything with her special someone, but now she knew the truth. She had been wrong, and now she was afraid Hideki would no longer love her. She began to weep silently.
Hibiya turned her attention to Hideki, but he was looking at Chii. He had noticed her sadness, and, knowing what she might have been thinking, swept her into his arms. Chii was surprised by this, and looked up into Hideki's eyes. "Why are you hugging me?" she cried. He looked at her. That first time he had hugged her like that, he had not known what he felt for her, but he was sure now. "Because I love you, Chii." He replied, holding her close." I've always cared about you, and I'll always be here for you.
He looked up at Hibiya, who had been watching them. "He really does love her" she thought. She never really had any doubt, but it was very evident when she saw the two of them together. She had watched his face as she explained that he would never be able to make love with Chii, and why. She had seen a touch of sadness cross his face, only to be replaced by acceptance and concern. She had not seen despair, or disappointment, though. He really did care more for her happiness than any fleeting moment of passion. Now she saw him redden a bit as he opened his mouth to speak.
Hideki was concerned, just as Hibiya thought, and he was determined that no embarrassment would stop him from knowing what he needed to do to protect Chii. "Hibiya-san" He began formally "I don't know what Chii may have told you, but all we've done up to now is...touch each other. Is there anything besides making love that we shouldn't do?" He was looking straight at her, and she appreciated what it must be like for him to ask her, Chii's mother, a question like that. She smiled and said gently "I'm sure it took a lot of courage to talk to me about this, Hideki. I'm glad that you love and care for Chii so much." "No," she continued "there is nothing else to worry about. Chii is just like a human girl in all other resects." Hideki nodded.
"I'm sorry I woke you up tonight." he said. "Actually, you didn't wake me" Hibiya said "I was in the lab preparing something for Chii. You see, she did tell me, in a discreet way, what has happened between you. I was going to tell her about her design, and the choice to be made, this week. But now it seems I will be telling you both. Perhaps you can come by after supper tomorrow. We can talk then." She stood up. "I'll let myself out. Don't stay up too late" she said, with a twinkle in her eyes.
After Hibiya had closed the door behind her, Hideki looked back at Chii. She still looked a bit sad. He leaned over and kissed her gently. She hugged him, and, after a moment, said "You really don't mind if we can't..." He put a finger to her lips. "No I don't. When I first found you, and it seemed like you couldn't do anything, you seemed afraid that I would put you back in the trash. I told you then that I would keep you, no matter what. When I finally realized that I loved you, I wondered how much we could do, but that wasn't why I love you. Please don't think that this will change the way I feel about you." "Really?" she wondered. "Really" he promised. She smiled, and lay back on the futon, pulling him down with her. She said" I'm so sorry, Hideki. I didn't know things would be like this." "I'm just glad we found out beforehand" he said "I couldn't bear losing you." "Thank you" she said, and kissed him. They fell asleep in each other's arms.
They awoke the next morning, and although both remembered what had happened, they went through their routine in much the same way. When Hideki left for school, however, instead of his usual cheery "I'm off!" he hugged Chii, gave her a kiss, and said "Don't worry. I'll be back this evening, and we can talk to your mother about it."
Chii spent the day as usual, giving no outward sign of the thoughts she had. She knew her father had a perfectly good reason for designing her like he had, but why hadn't mother told her sooner. She remembered her mother's words from a previous conversation, and realized she had been right. She hadn't thought Chii would move ahead that quickly, and it was true. Chii was afraid of any conflicting emotions, like the ones that had crippled her sister, and so she had wanted to move slowly. Hideki had felt that way, too, for some reason. Why had he been hesitant? Chii thought she would ask someday.
After Hideki had eaten supper, they walked down to Hibiya's apartment together. She made some tea, and they sat and talked. Hibiya explained her and her husband's ideas about Chii's purpose in life, and why they had done things the way they had. Hideki, for the most part, was able to keep his embarrassment under control. He found himself admitting to a certain amount of physical attraction to Chii, but, he explained, they had both decided that they were not ready for a physical relationship yet. Yes, as both he and Chii had admitted, there had been a certain amount of intimate contact, but it had been more in the nature of just getting comfortable around each other. Chii found out, to her surprise, that Hideki's reluctance that night was because of his upbringing; while he certainly found her physically attractive, he had always thought of getting married before that final step was taken, although, with Chii he knew that might not be possible; also because she needed time, too. "So that's why you were talking about a honeymoon" she said. "Yes", he said, and explained to Hibiya that he had told Chii, and meant it, that he would marry her if there was any way for that to happen, and, if not, he'd like to have a 'honeymoon night' anyway. Hibiya, for her part, admitted that she hadn't thought that someone would ever feel that strongly about Chii. "Hideki" she said "I had always hoped Chii would find someone like you. I'm glad you feel that way about her. I'm just as glad both you and Chii have so many human friends. That is what we had in mind, for humans and persocoms to coexist, not for one to replace the other. I think my husband would have liked you, too."
As the days and months rolled past, they settled into a comfortable life together. It would be rather trite to say they lived happily ever after, but they were happy. They faced tough times together, and they and their friends supported each other. They celebrated the good times, like Yumi and Ueda's engagement and marriage. Although Chii and Hideki never were able to be married legally, being in the wedding party at least let them experience a marriage, if not be the center of one. There were other events, too, like Hideki passing his entrance exams, and Shinbo's marriage to Shimizu. There were some trying times. As technology advanced, both Chii and Hideki faced some ridicule, for no one could know of their unique relationship. Hideki, especially, was taunted as the country bumpkin who could only afford an older model persocom. Chii experienced it in more subtle ways, for now persocoms were so advanced as to be almost indistinguishable from their human companions. Since she, with her ears, was easily identifiable, she, and all other older persocoms were treated with a subtle snobbery by the newer models, and the people who owned them. Other things, placed strain on their relationship, too, but they persevered. Over the years, they created many happy memories together, all because Hideki had taken a chance, that one night, and had found a treasure in someone's trash.
Chapters 6-8 Page 10 of 13 11/21/2003 9:32 AM