Chapter 2

The search for 191 continues on in the Asakasa headquarters, with agents scouting as much of Tokyo as they could. Even those robots hidden in crowds have her retrieval as a covert mission. While on the outside Asakasa Robotics is busy talking about their latest research to the public, inside his office Eikichi watches every flow of information regarding the missing robot's whereabouts.

Along the hallway, two robots walk to to the office door, the female's face stern as her strident steps ring across the walls.

"Is this how we will do it?" The male asks as he tries to catch up with his partner.

"This is the only way, Yoshiya. Unless you want this relationship to end."

"I don't mean it like that, but this is a large risk you, we are taking."

"I've had it, okay? I can no longer bear pretending we're simply workmates. I know, you know, pretty much everyone in this place knows, but rules don't allow that, and I'd rather lose everything else than lose you."

"Tsunami, I do care about us, and I will be with you through this. Consider what will happen if we do leave, what will we do after that?"

"We'll find a way, Yoshiya, we'll get through this."

They arrive by the office door, plain but imposing. Without so much as a knock Tsunami opens the door and the two enter.

"Ah, Miss 134," Eikichi greets the two. "just in time, I was just wondering how you've been faring with regards to the search."

"That is exactly what I want to tell you, Sir." She steps forward. "We will not take part in any of this."

"What?" He gets on his feet over such words. "How dare you defy my orders?"

"I'll keep this simple, Eikichi Asakasa. I have had enough of this. If I have to go any longer without being any closer with Yoshiya I'd rather not be here at all."

"So the rumors are true. You two really are together."

"Yes." Yoshiya answers. "And we have no plans of ever breaking this relationship, neither for you nor for anyone else."

"How can you do this, you two, robots of the finest caliber, here to betray me like this!"

"I am sure you can do well with two fewer soldiers in your army, Sir."

"How can this even be possible?! It doesn't matter now, you are no longer working here. Leave, leave this place, and don't you ever show your faces to me again!"

With all that over, the couple leaves the office, and taking only what they need they leave the company grounds.

"Damn it all," An enraged Eikichi reaches for the phone. "Bring the latest robot to the lab, we'll have a meeting ASAP."

-----

The couple, boxes in hand, trek the city, now searching for a place to settle. After a couple hours of searching, the two find a house they can rent, its owner more often working somewhere else and is letting other people fill in the place.

"So this is it, new life, new place, new everything." Tsunami lays down the box she's carrying. "Now we have to find a job soon, this reserve can only go so far."

"We are strangers in this town, though." Yoshiya starts unpacking. "It is rather lucky that we found a house to stay in in the first place."

"As long as we're nice to the people here they won't have a problem with us, right?" She looks at her old work clothes before setting them aside.

"I am surprised that you kept the old uniforms. Would those things not bring memories?"

"I just think they'd be useful one of these days, who knows? By the way, what sort of job will we take?"

"Whatever is avaliable. I would be more than willing to take even the most laborious of tasks to keep us afloat."

"Are you even built for the hard stuff? The last thing we want is for you to get injured and be found out."

"That much is true, if so I should look for something less, intensive."

"You might fit in better if only you could remove your earpiece." She giggles. "Maybe you should try being a salesman, I'm thinking of looking for some work at the nearby shops."

"That's better." Yoshiya starts changing his shirt. "We will become part of this neighborhood better that way. Maybe we should start searching now? The sun is still out and we need not bring a lot of credentials with us."

-----

"Are you ready to start school tomorrow?" Asuka asks as Fukami checks the uniform she'll wear.

"Yeah!" She excitedly answers. "But, why do I have to go? I don't think I need to."

"I know, but you still have to show yourself as a student. People will get suspicious if I don't."

"Okay... I'm also nervous about it."

"You'll be fine, just don't make it obvious that you're not human."

She nods. "I'll try to remember that, Asuka."

"You look pretty in that uniform."

"Really? Thank you." 

"I'm sure everyone will like you, just be kind to your classmates. Now cheer up!"

Accompanied by Asuka, Fukami walks to the entrance of the school, and now on her own slowly steps in to the campus grounds. Even after she has found her room she remains silent by herself until a student approaches.

"Hi, are you the new student?"

"Huh? Oh, I, I am."

"So you're Fukami? Nice to meet you! I'm Ayaka!" 

"Nice to meet you too."

"I've only heard about you, now we're classmates."

"I'm excited, too, I'll be meeting new people here."

"Oh, don't be shy, you'll feel at home here in no time."

"Thanks, I guess..."

Ayaka leaves and shortly the bell rings. The teacher enters and greets the class.

"Before we begin," The teacher starts. "we have a new student with us, if you could please stand up and introduce yourself."

Fukami silently gets up and walks to the front of the class, the stares making her wordless with nervousness for a while. "H-Hello everyone, I'm Fukami Yasashi, I hope to be friends with all of you." she bows again and walks back to her chair.

Later comes lunch break, and Fukami decides to walk around, lunch in hand. She looks at the students around her to give herself an idea of what to do. Of course a few cursory looks aren't enough, so he looks around the canteen for a table she can share with.

"Excuse me." She approaches a table with some students on it. "Can I join in?"

The groups is luckily forgiving to the new student. "Sure, have a seat."

She sits down, and opens up her lunchbox. She listens intently to the conversation as she eats.

"So," one of the students starts with her. "aren't you the new student?"

Fukami nods.

"You sure don't talk a lot."

"I, don't know what to say..."

Everyone else gets it and the group leaves her alone for a bit.

"What did you usually do before school?" Another student asks.

"I stayed home most of the time."

"You don't go outside often?"

"Sometimes I do, to buy some things."

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"I started making paper cranes... does that count?"

"Yeah, wait," he pulls out a small square brochure and passes it to her. "can you make one right now?"

"Alright..." She starts folding away, the speed and precision of her actions getting noticed. "Here it is."

"It's so perfect."

"I can never make it this well." Another student comments.

"Thanks..." She puts out a small smile.

Returning to her seat, Fukami is approached by Ayaka once more.

"Hi... Ayaka."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but why do you have those antennas?"

The question takes her by surprise. "Ah, they're, err, they're just part of my headband, they don't do anything."

"Oooh." She flicks one of the antenna.

"Please don't do that, I don't want it to break."

"Oops, sorry."

The school day finally ends for Fukami, who's taking out some items in her locker, including the box where she keeps her gun.

"Hey, Fukami!" Ayaka comes as Fukami puts the box in her bag. "Where are you going to go after class?

"I, I'm going to head home actually."

"You don't do much else after class?"

She nods. "I don't know a lot of people here yet."

"Well, what say we get some snacks?"

Fukami and Ayaka take a slight detour to a taiyaki stand. While they wait for theirs to be made, Asuka stops by on her way home.

"Fukami?"

She turns around. "Ah, Asuka!"

"How was class?"

"It went well."

"Good afternoon, miss Asuka!" Ayaka greets Asuka as well. 

"Hi, are you a classmate?" Asuka asks.

"Yeah! I'm Ayaka Nishikawa, I live just over there. Are you Fukami's sister?"

"Oh, no." Her answer is quick. "I'm only a friend of hers, but she's staying at my house."

"Why is that?"

"It's rather personal."

"I see. Oh, our taiyaki's done!"

Fukami gets her and starts slowly eating through it.

"Mmmm, this is so good!" Ayaka comments to which her classmate nods enthusiastically.

"Ah, with Asuka here I should head home now." Fukami says as she leaves.

"See you tomorrow, then!" Ayaka waves and she waves back with a nod.

-----

About a few days later, Fukami knows more about the details of her neighborhood. One day after school, she stops by the bakery and sees a new face at the storefront.

"Good afternoon, miss!" The blue-haired gentleman warmly greets her.

"H-Hello." She enters and looks for some favorites. "Do... do you still have chocolate croissants?"

Yoshiya was too busy trying to know who the seemingly familiar girl was to notice that she was talking to him. "Ah, apologises for my delay. I will ask for some in the kitchen." 

He disappears into the kitchen and returns with a tray of croissants for restocking. "How many croissants do you want, miss?"

"Two, please."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

He packs the two into a paper bag, "That would be 500 yen."

"Thanks." She pays at the counter, which Yoshiya also mans.

As Fukami leaves with her purchase, Yoshiya's eyes remain glued to her for as long as he can still see her. A strange feeling continues to bother him about the girl, even as he completes the rest of his shift and heads home.

"I'm home." Yoshiya takes off his work clothes.

"Anything interesting happen today?"

"Today is just like every other day." He pauses for a bit. "Actually, I am rather curious about the robot they've been looking for."

"Don't you know anything about it?"

"It's not that, but I think I saw someone who looks like it."

"Are... you serious?"

"She even bought something from the bakery. I can't shake off my suspicions until they have been proven or disproven."

"191's appearance is confidential info." Tsunami starts typing some information on her tablet. "I think I can retrieve a copy of the blueprint, though." A password unlock does the trick, and the couple starts scanning through a scanned copy of the blueprint. The externals match what Yoshiya had seen.

"That... that is her!" He says in absolute surprise. "But if that is indeed the case, how did she leave?"

"Someone else took her." Tsunami answers. "She was declared stolen before she was supposed to be launched."

"Given Asakasa's security measures the people who took her must have some capabilities to bypass them." He ponders on it for a bit. "There is only one way to know, I have to find out where 191 is staying."

"That's something you're good at." Tsunami smiles. "How do you plan on doing that with your irregular schedule?"

"Whatever it is, we are ahead of Asakasa, and we must take advantage of this fact. To keep her away from them."

"Huh? Why would we even do that, for someone we don't even know?"

"From the time she was turned on 191 did not see any bit of the people that made her, and just like her we are no longer involved with them. She ought not to be subject to the same things we had experienced."

"Are you sure about this?"

"This is the most we can do for her. If we want to oppose Asakasa the first thing we can do is to keep them away from their prized target."

-----

A couple of days pass until both Yoshiya and Tsunami are free. The couple starts at the bakery.

"This is where you met her, right?" 

"Yes, this is indeed the place."

A baker returning from a break notices Yoshiya. "Hey, didn't expect you here today, isn't it your day off?"

"It is, but there's something I would like to ask." Yoshiya starts. "Are you aware of a girl with short black hair, silvery gray eyes, who wears a headband with antennas?"

"I think I've seen someone like her, are you talking about Fukami?"

Yoshiya blinks. "Yes, her."

"What's it you want to know about her? I don't really see her outside often, until recently I only see her with Asuka, now she goes here on her own."

"Asuka?"

"Yeah, Asuka Ozawa, she's next door to that repair shop over there."

After thanking his coworker, Yoshiya along with Tsunami walks to Katsuhiko's repair store. No one seems to be there right now.

"Are you sure this is it?"

"He pointed at this direction, and the map says this is the only repair shop in town. It seems to be currently unmanned."

Katsuhiko comes out of his room and heads back into the shop, greeting the two strangers. "Good morning, is there anything I can help you with?"

"It's fine, thanks." Tsunami answers. "We didn't bring anything broken."

"We are here to ask about a completely different matter." Yoshiya starts. "Do you know of miss Fukami Yasashi?"

"Fukami? Oh, should I-"

"Please, don't, we are simply curious about..." Yoshiya trails off his sentence upon seeing Katsuhiko's pin on his lapel. "I guess I can be more upfront about this."

Katsuhiko looks at the only piece of Asakasa that he's kept close and back at the two strangers. "Is it something about my pin, or are you two from Asakasa?"

"We were, but not anymore." Tsunami answers. "We left after Eikichi started the search."

"How sure am I that you're both telling the truth?"

Yoshiya pulls put his wallet and from it he shows Katsuhiko a couple of cards.

"Wait, these are service cards, that can only mean you're both-"

"Indeed we are."

"But, what are you two here for?"

"We're here to help," Tsunami answers "if that's okay with you."

"What sort of help is that, is it about Fukami?"

"Yes. I take it you are not alone in doing so." Yoshiya says.

"That's right, Asuka is looking after Fukami right now, should I tell her about you?"

"You don't have to tell it to her yet, we will do it ourselves soon." Tsunami answers.

"There are also talks about using their next launch to search for her." Yoshiya adds. "I don't know your motives yet, but for now the enemy of our enemy ought to be our friend."

"Thank you, then. You should probably go now, Fukami is about to go to school. Here's my card." Katsuhiko hands them an old card, with the old information scribbled out and replaced in ink.

"Thank you. You can keep our cards for future reference as we have no need for those ourselves."

Someone's phone rings. Tsunami picks it up. "Hello? Yeah, I'll be there soon, see ya." She hangs up. "Sorry about that, I'll have to fill in for someone today."

"It's fine, you can go if you have to." Katsuhiko pockets the cards and gets his mug of coffee.

"Very well, then." Yoshiya nods. "Let us have another conversation whenever it is convenient."

"I'll let you know when I'm available."

Yoshiya nods. "We have to go now, until next time."

As the two leave, Fukami leaves her house and passes by the repair shop.

"Good morning, Fukami!"

"Good morning, Katsuhiko!" She notices two strangers walking away.

"Is there something there? It's just a couple."

"No, but one of them looks familiar..." She tries to shrug it off. "I still have to go to school."

"Oh, right!" He enters his store and comes out with a box. "That should hide your gun well."

"Thanks!" She hides inside the shop and places her gun inside the box before heading back to school.

"I better tell Asuka about the two now." He says to himself as he runs to her house.

"Katsuhiko?" Asuka appears. "What is it you're going to tell me?"

"It's, that..." Caught off-guard, he tries to gain his composure back. "Two of Asakasa's robots approached me a while ago."

"What?!" She covers her mouth agape in shock. "Are they looking for Fukami?!"

"Yes, but they said they left Asakasa." He assures her. "They even let me have their service cards. They said they wanted to help with keeping Fukami safe from Eikichi."

"Where are they then, where did they go to?"

"They left that way, but I don't know anything else outside of that."

"Oh. If I knew this would happen I would have talked to them too."

"They'll come back soon, I'm sure they also want to talk to her."

-----

"So this is the new one, huh?" An Asakasa employee looks at the robot in front of his team. The juvenile-looking machine stands in a sort of slumber, with short black rough hair and an ensemble also entirely in black: a short-sleeved shirt with a hoodie, pants wrapped at the lower end with bandages that also make a connection to his socks.

"Hot off the press." Another replies. "Latest model, number 442, so new we have no idea how this guy will be like."

"How is he going to be used? He only has a sword for his weapon."

"Don't you underestimate this one." Eikichi enters the scene. "The caliber of our craft doesn't change just because a robot doesn't wield a firearm."

"But boss, wasn't this one made months before this whole missing robot thing? Are you just gonna shoehorn what you want to it?"

"It's better than nothing, besides, the other robots are a bit busy with their other jobs." He grins. "This may not be as good as 191, but I'm sure she'll find herself a good adversary in this one."

"Doesn't 191 have a handgun, a .45 even?"

"What did I tell you about underestimating? Turn him on, now!"

The employees turn on the robot, his eyes open and flashes a sly grin. "Glad to be of service."