Will and Misato's date continues! Where will the two of them go from here? We'll have to find out! But I'm certain that between the two of them, a normal date probably won't be on the itinerary. What else does Misato have planned? Sorry for the awkward comments, reviews were weird last night and I didn't see them until now. Review anyway though!

Also, thank you to everyone who read my story "The Heir to the Dragon". I would appreciate if you continue to read and support it in the future! You can get there through my profile! The story is finally completed! Thank you for reading!

The Semi-Final Round of the second Pokemon Academy Best Girl contest has begun! Which three of these six girls will make it to the Finals? So far we've only got a few votes in, so show your support for your best girl and vote on the poll in my profile! We want this competition to be close, after all! Who's going to win?!

Semi-Finalists: Ayame, Sylvia, Marion, Sango, Elaina, Valerie

Rowlets and Oshawotts: I won't confirm or deny anything, but Marion's resort is intended to be a hotel built on an ocean preserve she builds herself, not an existing landmass.

KedharS: He is looking sexually. He's just not doing sexually. It's one thing to use a sex doll, it's another to use a sex doll that can respond to you.

Venom Cross 2: Technically Blake is two years older, but because time did not physically pass in the other reality he is still the same biological age as when he came in. He just has two years of memories that are really jumbled due to the time dilation.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Most people don't want to interact with her for precisely this reason: It's annoying and tedious. The only ones who do are Sylvia (because it amuses her) the Phantom (and then his interactions are only orders) Oscar (because he's her caretaker of sorts) and Will (partially because he has no choice). Not many people voluntarily spend time with a Mechadoll.

Aquahaze675: They definitely grow on you, and they're definitely amusing.

JoshGamerV: It's how she was programmed.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 674

Will wasn't sure why they were in the library on Valentine's Day. It wasn't exactly a traditional date location.

But it was what Misato proposed. She said that the next part of their date was going to be spent in the library.

If Will had to express his opinion, he thought that it wasn't a very good suggestion for a date. What was he supposed to do, just sit there and watch her read? Was that good enough for a "date" in Misato's opinion?

Evidently, the answer was yes, because that was exactly what she did. She went into the library with Will following obediently behind her, cleaned off one of the shelves, and plopped herself down in an armchair with the large stack of books right beside her.

Will wondered if he was really needed for this date. She wasn't even paying any attention to him, really. He felt rather uncomfortable seeing her, and not being able to do a whole lot on this date himself. Maybe he should just go.

"Where are you going?" Misato's sharp voice put an end to that plan. Will froze and turned back to see that she wasn't even looking his way. She was still reading her book, but she had still noticed that he was about to leave.

"Um, well, since you don't really need me, I thought that it would be best if I just left," Will explained, not sure what the big deal was. "I mean, if you want to meet up later to continue our date, that's okay, I guess, but just sitting here-"

"Negative." Misato's voice was snappier than usual, Will thought, but he supposed that it was just a trick of his ears.

"Huh? Why not?" Will griped.

"We are on a date. It is not acceptable for one party to a date to leave the other party and act on their own," Misato replied. Will sighed. Apparently, Misato had no idea what an actual date was supposed to look like outside of her suggestions.

Sure, she was able to determine ideas for her date based on the information that she had gathered from other sources, but that was all it was. Mimicry. Will realized how limiting that was. She couldn't think independently, or form her own ideas. She was running the data, but independent thought? She knew what a date was "supposed" to look like based on her accumulated knowledge, but those were just details.

This was a great example.

The two of them were "together" on something that was defined as a "date" so in Misato's mind it was definitely a date. But she wouldn't be able to determine what was and what was not romantic without feedback from someone else. Will watching her read in the library was just as romantic as the two of them going to see a movie, or the two of them sharing an intimate meal in a restaurant. She wasn't able to see the difference.

This was one of the reasons that Will couldn't see her as an actual romantic partner. Certainly, she was behaving more and more human. But there were always instances whenever the two of them were interacting that caused Will to see just how much she wasn't a human. It was jarring. But he was still happy to help her figure out what it meant to be "human" and what went into a romantic Valentine's Day date.

This was the perfect opportunity, in fact.

"Misato, this isn't a very good date," Will explained. Misato looked up from her book for the first time, and Will thought he had seized her attention. But no, she set it down in the pile of books she had completed. She was just finished with it.

"Why not?" Misato asked, surprising Will. She had already selected another book and was reading it, but she was engaging in the conversation just the same. It was another reminder of how inhuman Misato really was.

She was reading books a mile a minute while also talking with him, and probably paying just as much attention to both of them. Normal people couldn't do something like that, because they didn't have the processing power of a super-computer.

"Because a date is supposed to be… well, romantic!" Will explained. "And sitting here watching you read isn't romantic, it's boring!"

"Is it not possible for you to read, as well?" Misato questioned. That had taken Will aback momentarily, but he shook it off. Misato didn't understand the problem. Certainly, he could read as well, but that wasn't exactly what he felt a date was.

"I mean, yes, I can read too, but that's not the point!" Will groaned. "This just isn't something that a couple would do for a Valentine's Day date!"

"Clarification. Do you enjoy reading?" Misato asked.

"Yes, I enjoy reading, but what's that got to do with anything?" Will asked. "Just because I like reading, that doesn't mean that we should just read for a date!"

"Understood. I was informed that a potential action for a date would be for two people who both enjoy the same hobby to spend their time doing that hobby together," Misato clarified. "That way their bond would deepen based on their shared enjoyment of their mutual hobby. Is that not correct? If this is not a good decision for a date, then please provide clarification about what a valid date would entail, so that I can correct my information accordingly."

Misato looked up from her book this time, turning her eyes towards Will and staring at him. He felt like her eyes were judgmental, even though that shouldn't be possible.

He didn't like the fact that she wasn't that far off.

Yes, two people who enjoyed the same thing spending time together doing it would normally be a good decision for a date. But this wasn't exactly the best place to do it. Reading wasn't the kind of hobby that made for a good date, even if both people enjoyed it…

Hey, wait!

"But you don't enjoy reading!" Will protested. "I mean, you don't really have any emotions at all, so how do you enjoy reading?"

"Negative. While you are correct that it is not possible for me to experience emotions, and thus I cannot 'enjoy' things the way that humans do, it is still possible for me to find certain activities to be a more acceptable use of time than other activities. Reading is one such activity. It is not 'enjoyment' like how you enjoy reading, but it would not be incorrect to call it a form of enjoyment that applies to me."

Misato's explanation was rather curious. Will certainly could see the logic in it, but that was the thing, dating wasn't about logic, it was about emotion. He let out a sigh and shook his head. "Misato… it's not that simple. It's not just about activities that you find as acceptable pastimes, it's about the two of us doing things that we think are fun."

"Negative. It is not possible for me to find activities as 'fun' the way humans define that term," Misato replied. "If your definition of what goes into an acceptable date is taken as fact, then the only conclusion to draw from that is that I am not capable of experiencing a date that would be considered acceptable by human standards. Is that correct?"

Will let out a sigh. He had been doing that a lot. Misato was giving him her full attention, but he wasn't sure if he should be that happy about the conclusions she was drawing from their discussion. The way she was looking at him…

He hadn't meant to suggest that Misato was incapable of actually going on a date, but he could understand how she was drawing that conclusion. How was he supposed to explain things in a way that she could understand? It wasn't about what he was saying in words, it was more the feeling behind what he was saying!

Right, it was Misato. That was next to impossible.

"Misato, I don't think it's impossible for you to have an acceptable date," Will assured her, even though he didn't think there was any reason he should be assuaging her feelings. She didn't have any. Sometimes, he was too polite for his own good. "But I will say that I don't think it's possible for you to come up with an acceptable date on your own."

"Clarification. Why do you not believe that is possible?" Misato asked. "You have not expressed any complaints about my date prior to this."

"That's because all those events were taken specifically from things that you've experienced before, right?" Will clarified.

"Affirmative. I gathered my information based on what I have seen in books and other sources, as well as what Sylvia and other sources have informed me make for a good date," Misato said. "Is this not an acceptable course of action?"

"That's because that's how your brain works, isn't that right?" Will asked. "You take sources, and use those to inform your decisions. But the minute you came up with a date idea that isn't based on something in particular that you can mimic, you come up with something that is entirely lacking in romance, it feels nothing like a real date. Is this something that you can acknowledge?"

"Affirmative," Misato said. "If a date is not enjoyable to one of the parties, then it is a failure of a date. Do you mean to suggest that I should determine my date decisions based on your wants, and do activities that you would find enjoyable?"

No, that was not what Will was suggesting at all. In fact, that might even be worse. He didn't want Misato tailoring her date ideas to him, that would be something that would feel a little too awkward, and also make him feel a little guilty. Rather, he wanted Misato to come up with ideas for a date that they could both enjoy.

But Misato couldn't enjoy things.

Which returned Will to his mindset of "going on a date with Misato was a futile endeavor". She wasn't a good romantic prospect, that was just a fact, as much as he didn't want to confirm it. If Misato was a real person, and not a Mechadoll, then she would probably be hurt if he suggested that. So why wasn't he willing to tell the Mechadoll in front of him that that was how he felt about her? It didn't make logical sense.

"I don't think that's a good idea, either," Will said, shaking his head. "Look, it is important to take the preferences of your partner into consideration, but that doesn't mean you should do things that only they can enjoy."

"But I am not capable of enjoying things the way that you are," Misato replied.

"But you can still enjoy things in your own way, the way that you described earlier, right?" Will asked for clarification.

"Affirmative," Misato confirmed.

"Then it isn't impossible," Will said. "We would just have to do activities that I like, and that you find to be an 'acceptable use of time', that are also romantic. If you want to really understand what it means for two people to date on Valentine's Day, those would have to be the kinds of dates that we would have to go on, do you understand? Because those kinds of dates would actually be romantic. Or at least the closest that the two of us could get to romantic, anyway."

It was easier said than done, that was for sure. Even saying it, he didn't know if such a date would be something that he could actually come up with.

"Affirmative," Misato said.

Now, the only issue was coming up with something that they could do that would fulfill those strict criteria.

This was where Will's own lack of experience reared its ugly head. He had never been on a date with a girl before. At least not a girl who wasn't composed of circuitry and a metallic skeleton. Misato said that she had the entire date planned, but to Will, that didn't sound like something to be excited about, it sounded like something that should be sending him into either a terrified panic, or a premonition of bored dread.

"What else do you have planned for today's date?" Will asked. Depending on her suggestions, he could try and work around them to make it a more accurate experience for Misato, who was still trying to understand romance and Valentine's Day.

"There were no further plans." Misato's answer shocked Will, and for a moment he wasn't sure what to say about the fact that Misato didn't have anything else planned. "The date was meant to conclude after we spent our time together in the library."

Will couldn't believe that Misato of all people had actually thought that their romantic Valentine's Day date was going to end before lunch time. He had expected this to be a full-day thing. "Uh… really? Why not?"

"Initially the plan was for us to spend the entire day together," Misato explained. "However, during the planning of the date, Sylvia informed me that it would be most effective to end things early. The exact words that she used were… that I should 'keep him wanting more'."

Will rolled his eyes. That certainly sounded like Sylvia. And not just because Misato had perfectly replayed her voice.

"And what do you think?" Will asked. "Do you think that now is a good time to call an end to our date? I thought you would have a lot more that you would want to know about dates, romance, and Valentine's Day."

Will tried not to sound too hopeful about the prospect that he could go home early. Misato was best in small doses, especially when she was trying to make herself seem appealing. As much as he may have liked her, he didn't like her in that way, and the fact that he had to consistently go on dates with her was kind of awkward.

"Affirmative. This time is appropriate. Although it is not possible for me to determine the reason for this desire at this point in time, I cannot deny that I would find it preferable to spend more time with you," Misato answered. "The calculations that lead me to this decision must have been corrupted. The only reasonable conclusion to draw is that I arrived at this conclusion as a result of my need to learn more about the human experience, as planned."

Will wasn't entirely sure what Misato's string of words meant, but he was pretty sure that it meant she wanted to spend more time with him. He could at least manage to parse out that line from the word jumble.

"I mean… we don't have to leave right now," he said. What are you doing? Are you mental? Will wasn't sure why the words were leaving his mouth. Was he seriously suggesting to Misato that they could spend MORE time together?

"Negative. Although I originally blocked 2 hours 46 minutes and 32 seconds to spend reading together in the library, if that activity is not suitable for a date then the logical course of action is to suspend things here. Any further activities would be categorized as activities that would be performed between a couple that have reached a deeper level of intimacy than the two of us possess. In order to prevent things from proceeding down that path, it is necessary to distinguish this 'Valentine's Day date' from Valentine's Day dates that are meant to elicit more lascivious intentions of amour. Our date will remain in the category qualified as 'casually romantic' allowing us to part when there is still daylight with no further obligations on either side." Misato's reply was just as exhausting as the rest of her, no surprise there.

"So what, you're just going to do nothing?" Will asked. Even if Misato was a Mechadoll he was still starting to feel a little guilty at just up and leaving her.

"Affirmative. I shall continue with the original date plan and remain here until the budgeted time has elapsed," Misato answered. "Our date is now concluded and you are released from your obligation. You are free to go."

Misato ended things there, turning back to her stack of books and picking up the next one.

Will wasn't sure whether or not he should leave, but he figured that he probably wasn't going to get a better chance than this, so he figured he might as well take it. But before he could do anything, Misato looked up from her book again. Her cold, lifeless eyes stared at him.

"Or you could stay, if you want," she said. There wasn't any trace of hope to be found in her voice as she made the suggestion, but that was still the way that Will took it. Honestly… did he really have anything better to do today?

Will let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. His lack of a social life was making a really compelling case. He turned to one of the bookshelves and took out something more to his speed, a sci-fi book about robots (how fitting) and walked to a couch across from the little chamber that the two were isolated in, sitting down.

If Misato appreciated the fact that he had stayed, it certainly didn't show on her face. Without another word she turned back to her book and began reading, while Will tried to do the same. The book about robots was a lot more complex than he had expected, and he found himself dozing off more than once or twice.

Will was in the middle of a very gripping (relatively speaking, anyway) part of the novel where the female robot confesses her love for the human protagonist, when a shadow fell over him and he raised his head, surprised.

It was Misato again, staring down at him. But there was something off.

"What is it?" Will asked.

"Are you enjoying your book?" Misato asked.

"…I guess, did you need something?" Will wasn't sure why she was suddenly showing an interest in him, but something about this just felt wrong. The way she was staring at him, the way she was standing, it was just… wrong. He didn't know what it was, but it was unnerving.

That spark of discomfort was fanned into an inferno at what happened next. Misato narrowed her eyes and her face twisted into a scowl. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and let out a huff. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but that doesn't mean you have to be rude about it!"

"Wait, what are you… huh?" Misato looked… angry? And she'd snapped at him, with a reproachful, hurt voice, and… had she just used a contraction? Twice?!

Misato sighed, and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not… used to this whole dating thing yet." Her golden eyes twinkled at Will as her face lit up in a blush that needed no makeup to imitate. "I didn't mean to sound so ungrateful. I'm really glad you agreed to come to the library with me. I know it's not normal for a date, but… it meant a lot, really."

She reached out and placed her hand over his, and Will pulled away from her in shock. He stared in horror at Misato.

Her hand was soft and warm.

"What… What's going on here?!" Will sputtered.

Now, a look of confusion crossed Misato's face. Another emotion.

"Are… you okay?" She asked, her very human-inflecting voice dripping with concern. "You really must have gotten lost in that book. We're on a date, obviously!"

The way she smiled at him… it wasn't anything like the way she had smiled before. This wasn't some approximation of a smile created by a robot, it was real. And human.

What the hell was going on here?!