CHAPTER II. SECRET

When Riko arrives at his apartment, he can't stop thinking about Mizumi. "She's so... I don't know, but..." he mutters, sighing deeply, "I simply need to see her again... Would it be very strange if I'd come back tomorrow?"

"Hey, Riko-kun!" says Hideto surprised. "Enjoyed your meal so much yesterday that you're back already?"
"Ehm, yeah, kind of," Riko grins. He looks around, sees Mizumi passing the one other table with customers. It's not quite busy at the restaurant.
"Really? Only the meal?" Hideto grins. "Or Mizumi, too?" Riko looks up blushing.
"I'm sorry, I..."
"Ah, I can understand it," Hideto smiles, "I've already told you; you're not the only one who fell for her charms. Oh, did you want to take his order already, number Twelve?"
"I am HERINDERA, thank you very much," the persocom Mizumi talked to yesterday, the one with the braids, says sarcastically. "And yes, if this sir has already decided what he would like to have, I would like to know it."
"Hey, not so unkind to a customer, Herindera," Mizumi says, appearing behind her. "Oh, it is you, sir?" she smiles, when she sees Riko. "Would you like the same as you had yesterday then, sir? I have remembered your order, sir!"
"That'd be fine, Mizumi," Riko smiles. She nods happily and walks to the kitchen, watched by both Riko and Herindera.
"Oh, this is great," the last one says, "congratulations, sir, she appears to have made you her number One favourite customer."

"Hello, sir! Wow, this is already your twenty-sixth visit this month," Mizumi smiles, when Riko enters the restaurant once again. "Can I take your coat now, sir? You wear one, you wear one!"
"You may, Mizumi," he smiles, "and once more, just call me by name!"
"But I..." He lays his finger against her lips while she takes of his coat protesting.
"Come on, it's not that hard! Ri-ko, that's all!"
"Ri... Ri..." She shakes her head, hangs away his coat. "Sorry, Riko-san, I just can not say it." He smiles.
"Don't lie! You can, Mizumi."
"Huh?"
"You just called me Riko-san."
"I... did?" He chuckles when he sees her surprised face, lays his hands against her cheeks.
"Yes, you did... hey, you're blushing!"
"Oh... yes, I... ehm..."
"I never knew persocoms were able to blush?" She looks shyly at the floor, doesn't respond. Suddenly, two other persocoms appear.
"Mum, we... hey, is he not that customer you like so much?" The one with short, brown hair says. The other one, with long, black hair, sighs deeply.
"Jira!" she says muttering. Mizumi looks up sighing.
"What is up, girls? Do not yell, you disturb the other customers like that!"
"Oh, never mind," the black-haired girl says, "we will tell you later, then." Riko looks at Mizumi as the persocoms leave.
"Eh... 'mum'?"
"Quite a long story," Mizumi mutters quickly. Riko smiles.
"Hey, you won't get rid of me that easily! I love long stories! Take a seat, Mizumi, and tell me... unless you don't want to, of course."
"Riko-san, I have to work!"
"There are thirteen persocoms walking around here for ten customers, girl." Mizumi doubts, then she nods.
"Okay, it is fine. I will first ask the manager."

Mizumi takes a seat at his table, clears her throat and starts her story. "Well, Riko-san... The twins, Saka and Jira are their names, were made after the first seven persocoms of our series. I was number seven, the ultimate improvement of the other six persocoms. So, my creator made up a plan... to make two new persocoms containing my programming, but with different personalities to create persocoms as close to human girls as possible. And so, he created the twin sisters." Riko looks at her doubtingly.
"I don't get it... you say you are an improvement, but why do you keep telling me you always crash?"
"Because I do," she whispers, "I do crash a lot of times, because... The reason I am an improvement... I have something in my programming similar to a human heart."
"A heart..." She nods gently.
"Don not tell this to anyone else, Riko. Not even Tazuka-san, okay?"
"I swear." She glares at the table.
"We... the persocoms, these series... were made to improve the humans, to surpass the human being. To make computers live, let them have a heart, sleep, hunger, thirst; that is the reason why we were made. The first six attempts failed more or less, but I was the way our creator wanted us to be. Except for the fact... my heart can not cope too much. One, too strong feeling, or command, and I will crash immediately. Saka and Jira were created to improve that mistake in me, and so were the last four persocoms of our series." She sighs deeply. "But things went wrong, very wrong... and so we ended up so cheaply in that store the manager bought us. But my programming never stopped working... I still can feel... I do have a heart, Riko. Right here." She lays her hand against her chest, grabs his hand with her other hand. And then he suddenly hears her heartbeat.
"I can hear it..."
"I know you can not, but thanks for saying it," she whispers, smiling weakly. He shakes his head.
"No, girl. I mean it, I can really hear your heart beating."
"You just called me 'girl'," she whispers. He smiles, nods.
"Yes, Mizumi. You look like a girl, you behave like one... you are a complete person to me. Without the word 'com' behind it."
"Riko-chan..." She immediately puts her hands against her mouth shocked. "Oh, goodness! I am so terribly sorry; I meant to say Riko-san, but..."
"Calm down!" he laughs. "Just call me Riko-chan if you want to... Mizi." She blushes.
"Mizi... that is kind of sweet..."
"So are you," he whispers, caressing her cheek. But she turns her head away from him.
"No, Riko... Don't... Don't love me..." She suddenly stands up and runs away.