Chapter 13

I was sitting in Nara's room, of her small house near the top of building 24002. The room was very colorful, with large pictures of different humans. Nara is rummaging through a small room in the corner of the room, filled with many different clothes. After about two minutes, Nara turns around and hands me a shirt. It has a large white circle with two black circles inside. At the top of a circle were two triangles emerging from it.

"What is this design?" I ask her.

"It's Hello Kitty," she giggles, "Are you not from around here?"

A question Hinode taught me, "No I'm not, I'm from the countryside."

An obvious lie, but one not picked up by Nara.

I slide on the shirt, over the bra that had been lent to me by the girl, which, as many garments of hers were, was pink. She then went through a dresser and took a pair of small denim shorts, then handed them to me. I also had a pair of her undergarments on. I'm lucky that I had been designed human anatomically correct. On the outside at least. Thanks Nobu.

The only parts I was worried about were the small, almost invisible seam lines on my upper hips and shoulders. Nara hasn't seemed to notice. I should be fine.

Giichi was waiting in the main room, as I remember. Nara handed me a pair of tall black socks. I don't know how to put these on. I look at her, and I must have had a confused face because Nara took them from me and went to the ground.

"Lift this leg a little," I did, and she slowly dragged it up my leg. She was blushing as she did. The first sock all the way on, she moved to the next one. I lifted that one as well, and she began to slide the sock up slower than last time. This time shaking a little, her body temperature going up slightly.

This is very confusing. I cannot understand what is making her act this way. Is she jealous of me? Am I doing something wrong.

I decided to ask.

"No, no," she answered, "I just," she pauses, "I thought of something. Yeah, that's it. I thought of something I forgot to do."

She had hesitated many times while saying this, obviously trying to find the right words. I'm still very confused, as she brings the sock the rest of the way up. She steps back, her face still very reddened and breathing heavily. What an odd girl. Then again, the only other female human I've met is Hinode.

"Nara," I begin but she cuts me off.

"Aratana-san, I'm sure you might know this, but in case," she looked straight at me, "Strangers do not call each other by their first names."

I nod. Has she caught on?

"I'm sorry, Jiyu-san," I had made a mistake. One that could have cost me my freedom.

"Well, since you are borrowing my clothes, I guess that's considered friendship," she smiles widely.

I nod, blushing, "So what do I call you?"

"Call me Nara," an even wider smile.

I nod again. I've become quite good at it, "And you may call me Aratana."

I can tell she appreciates my words, and she sits next to me, "How old are you Aratana?"

How old? I have been in existence for a short time, especially compared to a human. Hinode and I had never gone over this. I'm scared, very scared. I don't know what to say.

A minute passes by, and Nara looks concerned. I still cannot answer. Thankfully she speaks up, "You look like you could be in my grade. Are you a transfer student?"

A transfer student?

Still confused, I nod. When in doubt, nod. I don't think it worked though. And Nara could see it, as well. She sighs, and looks me up and down.

"Do you know what school is, Aratana?" She asked.

Slowly, I shook my head no.

"It's a place where you go to learn things you'll need for the world," she looked at the corner of the ceiling, "To learn how to be human," she finished after a moment.

My eyes fly open. She knows. I'm sure she knows.

"I-I didn't see anything," Nara spoke quietly, her face beginning to blush again, "J-Just a few lines on your hips."

I couldn't say anything, so she continued.

"And you don't breath," she wouldn't look at me. She's disgusted. Or scared.

I'm hoping it's the later, and nod slowly, "You're thinking I'm not human."

She waits for a moment, waiting for me to say something. I only stare at her, waiting for her answer.

After a moment, she nods, and asks shyly, "You aren't, are you?"

"No," I look down, as she looks up, shocked to hear that I actually told her, "I actually got out of the lab where I was being tested on."

I look up slightly, and see her frowning, as if she can't believe it. I decide to tell her everything that had happened since I discovered their plans for me.

She listens the entire time, never breaking eye contact. Why am I telling her this? What if she turns me in?

She look at her door, then at me, "You can trust me, I won't say anything."

Something makes me want to believe her, and to trust her. I decide that this was the best course of action.

She thinks for a moment. After a moment, she stands and leave the room, I stay where I am as I wait. After two minutes, she comes back with a piece of paper in her hand. She hands it to me, and says, "Have you been taught how to write?"

"I have. In fact it was one of the first exercises they had me do."

She smiles, "Good. I want you to fill out your name, and the day you came into existence, as you call it" she gives me the pen, "But not the year. I'll do that."

As I fill out the boxes, something comes to mind.

"Nara, what is this that I'm filling out?"

She smiles at me, her dimples showing more prominently and her bright white teeth shining a little, "A transfer sheet. I'll fill in the rest once you're done."

That easily? One would think it would be difficult.

Nara watches me fill it out, then takes it from me when I finish. She begins scribbling in the rest of the boxes.

BIRTH TOWN: Shibetsu

PREFECTURE: Hokkaido

PREVIOUS SCHOOL: Shibetsu Junior High School

I was unable to see the rest as Nara folded it and placed it in an envelope, "I'll give this to the homeroom teacher."

All this was too confusing for me. Nara was using words I was unfamiliar with, and wasn't stopping to explain anything she was saying. What does this mean? She had continued to talk.

"If it's accepted, then you'll be going to school with me!" She said finally, it was also the only thing I had heard her say.

School?