A/N: A part of Shinbo knows that Sumomo just turned into a human being. But the bigger part of him refuses to accept this and just dismisses the fact that Sumomo actually cried in front of him. In this chapter we find out the reason how and why Sumomo just turned into a human being. ShanniC thanks for the reviews... it really means a lot!

As Sumomo and I were walking down the pathway of the park, she just suddenly ran ahead of me and looked at me teasingly.

"Mastah!!!!! Catch me!!!!" She stuck her tongue out at me. Why the little--- I laughed and played along with her. She ran playfully, bumping a few innocent bystanders along the way. We got a few, "HEY!!" and a lot of "WATCH IT YOU MORON!!!!" as Sumomo and I chased each other around the park.

She was laughing so hard. Her pink hair flew wildly around her face. She seems so... so happy. When she was just mobile, I couldn't really tell if she was happy or not. I couldn't even try to think how she feels every moment. But now, now that she's almost the same size as me, everything is so clear. You can see every curve on her lips, every squint in her eyes... She was so... full of.. well, life! Do you know how persocom owners treat their persocom's as if they were alive? Some even marry them! I never believed in that. Persocoms are persocoms. They are used for email, online gaming and web surfing. They were never designed to be lifetime companions. Or spouses for that matter.

Somehow, someway, a persocom would do something that would remind you that it's only a persocom, not a human being.

Sumomo was still running giddily when suddenly, she tripped. Falling facedown, the sound of her laughter stopped immediately. A couple of people noticed it and looked at her in alarm.

"Sumomo! Sumomo!! Are you okay?!!?" I called after her and ran to her side. She sat up and looked at me, her face streaked with dirt.

And blood.

I didn't know how to react. I was just sitting there, speechless with my jaw dropped open until this old woman nudged me with her stick.

"Hey kid, you're girlfriend's bleeding don't just stand there!!!"

Before I could protest, Sumomo already wiped her nose and chin. She grinned at me as if saying "nothing happened, everything's alright". I stood up cautiously.

"Sumomo, you're going to tell me everything... what is happening?"

She looked as if she were about to cry. She ran and soon enough, she was out of my sight. I was going to follow her when somebody from behind me coughed, trying to get my attention. I looked behind me and saw Minoru.

"Shinbo san... I think I know what has happened to Sumomo... If you could just follow me and we can talk about it. I'll ask Yuzuki to look for her, is that okay?" He said.

I nodded and followed Minoru to a nearby coffee shop. Yuzuki bowed at the two of us and started looking for Sumomo. I just... couldn't understand. Although a little part of me wasn't surprised at all. I was able to dismiss everything that has happened as mere coincidence until now. Why was she bleeding?! I think I just really need an explanation for all of this.

"That girl with you Shinbo san is not Sumomo. She has Sumomo's microchip inside her brain but the body isn't your mobile design of Sumomo. I knew it was impossible for a persocom to just transform into a human being... believing that would be believing in snow white or Cinderella" Minoru kun said simply, taking a sip of his oolong tea.

I still couldn't understand. So the body isn't really Sumomo, but how the hell did everything happen? My thoughts must've been plastered all over my face because Minoru continued.

"Do you remember the last night of you manually fixing Sumomo? Somebody from your apartment found out about this. She happens to be... one of the scientists who invented the whole line of persocoms. Ms. Hibiya.."

"Wait a second... superintendent? The landlady Hibiya san? She's one of the founders of persocom?"

"Not only persocom, but also chobits. I thought it was just an urban legend but it was true after all. Although Sumomo is not chobits, with that I am very sure, but Ms. Hibiya was working on a separate underground project. She wanted to create a human being out of persocoms. By using the microchip that holds all of a persocom's data, infusing it in the central nervous system, her theory was that the human being would have the characteristics of the persocom that their respective owners have grown to love" Minoru kun took another sip of his tea.

I was starting to understand what he meant.

"My sources tell me that she grew sad because of the news of people falling in-love with their persocoms but realizing that they could never be loved back, they commit suicide. But still, she couldn't possibly use a live experiment because she would be questioned immediately and could never fulfill the project. So she also studied genetically manufacturing a human being. And to this she was successful. Sumomo was her test subject and now it leads to this"

"Her intentions are noble. She wants to help all those persocom owners who have grown to love their respective persocoms by transforming them into human beings, capable of replying to the words 'I love you'. But of course, this experiment is not without flaw..." Minoru kun was starting to sip his tea a lot more slowly looking intently and observing every reaction I make to his statements.

I sighed; I knew there was a catch to this. Something like this just couldn't be. This is defying the very laws of nature. Something mechanical can never live.

"Because the body made artificially is just a prototype, and this would probably be true to all that comes after, the body wouldn't be able to withstand all the data poured into its brain. The body might die and the microchip would be destroyed. The body would probably decay sooner than it should and could lead to greater complications especially if the persocom-turned-human has a husband. If you get what I mean Shinbo san... It's either it stays as a persocom or it gets destroyed... that's its cruel fate" He finally said.

Suddenly, the door opened and in came Yuzuki.

"Minoru sama, Sumomo refused to come here. She's with Ms. Shimizu right now... Ms. Shimizu said that everything is under her control and that I should just tell you that Sumomo would be returned to Shinbo san's apartment not later than midnight"

I stood up immediately, shook Minoru kun's hand and walked out of the coffee shop.

A/N: I hope this is okay.... About two more or one more chapter to go... thanks for sticking up with me