Chapter Two
Kotoko looked up. Her voice was calm. "Perhaps it would be best if you check on her."
"Yes, " Hideki agreed. He put up the plate and began to tie his shoes. "Plum, Kotoko, watch over the house, okay?"
The two persocoms nodded their small heads.
Calmly, Hideki went to Ms. Hibiya's apartment. He rang the doorbell and waited until she opened the door. "Good morning Hideki, she said, "did Chi finish cooking?"
"She did," answered Hideki. "Didn't she return your cookbook?"
"Chi? No, she didn't come."
Hideki gasped. Where could she have gone off to? Maybe she went to work! "I'm sorry to bother you," he said quickly, "bye!" Hideki ran home, unlocked his door, and slammed it open.
Kotoko and Plum looked up at him. "Were you able to locate her?" Kotoko asked.
"No," replied Hideki, his voice shaking with worry. "Bye and take care of the house," Hideki mumbled as he went out, locking the door. Hopefully Chi wasn't kidnapped again. Then he zoomed off to Chiroru's bakery store in hopes of seeing her.
Mr. Ueda saw Hideki as he walked in, taking a seat at a nearby table. "Is Chi coming to work today?" he asked.
Hideki paled a little. This meant Chi wasn't at work either. Where else would she have gone? "Have you seen Chi today?"
"Yes, " Mr. Ueda replied. "Early in the morning, she walked by the window."
"What?" Hideki cried, alarmed, "why did Chi wander off over here? Which way was she going?"
Mr. Ueda sighed. "Calm down! You can't expect me to remember all that. Maybe she went home."
"Maybe, " Hideki mumbled as he rose from his chair. "Thanks for helping me. I'll go back home and see if you're right!"
"See ya Hideki. I hope Chi's alright!" He waved good-bye.
Hideki didn't see him wave back, for he was already running down the street. Maybe Chi was home. Maybe. After quickening his pace, he soon reached his destination.
Hideki opened the door and was immediately greeted by Plum and Kotoko. "Welcome home Master!" Plum shouted, jumping with joy. Trying to ignore Plum's loud voice, Kotoko informed, "Ms. Chi came back."
Another voice shouted: "Welcome back Hideki!" This voice was sweet and cheerful. Quick as a bullet, the persocom dashed out to see Hideki.
"Chi!" cried Hideki with relief, "where did you go?"
Chi wandered why Hideki was asking this question. And how come he looks so exhausted? "Chi returned the recipe to Ms. Hibiya, " she simply replied, "did Chi do something wrong?"
Unsatisfied with her answer, he inquired, "Why did it take so long?"
Hesitating, Chi shook her head. "Chi does not think it took long. Are you feeling alright?" Innocence and worry showed on her face. The expressions were so real.
Then, Hideki noticed something. When her head shook, more hair went in front of her face than usual. Something seemed to be missing from her head, but what? He took a step closer to her, suddenly realizing her ears weren't persocom ears – they were human ones.
"Chi!" he exclaimed. "What happened to your ears?"
"Chi?" she asked confusedly. "Is something wrong with Chi's ears?"
"Your ears," Hideki replied, pointing at them. "They look human. Touch them."
Chi reached for her ears and felt them. "They are smaller," she observed, "is this a bad thing?"
Frantically, Hideki shook his head. "No! Not at all!"
Chi smiled. "That's good. Chi's stomach feels a little funny." She pointed at her stomach.
"Chi, are you hungry? No - that can't be true. Persocoms don't even eat!" He looked up at the clock. It was 5:30 p.m. Even so, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of hard candy. "Eat this Chi, " he said, handing it to the persocom.
Chi took the wrapper off the candy, and looked at it curiously.
Hideki noticed her unusual looks at the candy, and then said, "Put it in your mouth."
Chi did as instructed. After awhile, she said, "It tastes sweet."
Bewildered, Hideki looked at her with amazed eyes. "Chi, did you turn human?"
"Chi?"
Suddenly Plum popped up with her whistle. She looked back and forth from Chi to Hideki. "Miss Chi is a human now!" she shouted with glee. "Congratulations!" she shouted again, this time violently shaking Chi's hands.
Kotoko wasn't convinced. With suspicious eyes, she glanced at Chi's new ears. "Plum, stop," commanded Kotoko.
Abruptly, Plum came to a halt and looked at Kotoko. "Kotoko, is there a problem?"
"Yes, " Kotoko replied, "there is. Chi is a persocom. It is impossible for her to just turn into a human. Something nonliving cannot just be alive. Can a toy become a cat?"
As much as he didn't want to agree, he had to. "You might be right. We'll go ask Ms. Hibiya after I eat dinner."
After awhile, Hideki finished cooking. He made sure there was enough rice for Chi. Could Chi really eat? Even though she could taste the candy, that doesn't necessarily mean she could eat. But if she can eat, doesn't that mean she's human? If that was true... "Chi!" he called out, "come here!"
Chi came to Hideki. "Hideki, is there something you want?"
"Yes. I want to see if you can eat."
"But Hideki said that persocoms do not eat."
"Well, I wasn't really sure about that..." he mumbled back, hoping Chi didn't notice the uncertainty in his voice.
"Okay."
He gave Chi the bowl of rice and chopsticks. The table was already set up, and various types of food laid there. There was a plate of vegetables, a plate of pork, and some leftovers from last night.
Chi held the chopsticks oddly, wandering what she could do with these sticks.
That's right, Hideki thought. He never taught her how to use chopsticks! "Chi," he called out.
Chi looked at him.
"Let me tell you how to use chopsticks. Hold them with your hands like this..." He showed her a hand position of holding chopsticks. "It's kind of like how you hold a pencil," he continued.
Chi copied Hideki's hand position around the chopsticks.
"Now," Hideki continued. "You take the rice with the chopsticks like this..." He picked up some rice from his bowl with the chopsticks to show Chi.
Chi nodded, shouting, "Chi understands!" Enthusiastically she took her chopsticks and reached across the table into the plate with the vegetables in it. The chopsticks grabbed a leaf as her arm swung across the table, dripping oil from the leaf onto Hideki's face.
After wiping some oil from his face, he looked at Chi in amazement. She really was eating. Machines don't eat, so that must mean she's not a persocom anymore? Lost in his thoughts, oblivious to the pair of eyes peeking through the window, he just smiled at Chi.
Author's Note: Sorry about not updating, but I'll definitely finish this fanfiction before school starts! The next chapter will be even more interesting! Just you wait. Please send a review!
