Episode 2. Encounter

The next day, the number of customers was not so bad. In the evening, one of our regular customers, Kimie Adachi, arrived.

"Oh my God, .I'm so over her."

As she said this, she opened the door and walked in.　Kimie is a hairdresser. She ran a small beauty salon with her husband. She always came in for coffee during the evening break. She was small in stature, but her eyes and nose were flamboyantly beautiful. She was about 50 years old. She must have been even more beautiful when she was young. She has a daughter.

"What's the matter?"

"My daughter's child's hair was getting long, so I asked her if she wanted me to cut it, but she said, 'I don't want to because you are not good at it. 'She said, 'I'll get a better hairdresser to cut my kids' hair. 'That's so rude. I've come all this way to make her look good. Oh, and a coffee blend, please."

"Yes, ma'am."

Kimie sat down at the counter and took a breath. I thought for a moment about what to say, then said something bland.

"Well, doesn't your daughter have her own ideas?"

"I don't know. But I am a hairdresser and she doesn't take advantage of that."

"That's true. Yes, coffee blend."

How does it feel to have a daughter? I couldn't imagine what it must be like to have a daughter.

At night, after closing the store, I decided to walk to Shinjuku to relieve myself. I bought a beer from a vending machine in the shopping arcade and drank it as I walked. The hot and humid summer air made the area look distorted.

Once I reached Koshu Kaido, it was a straight road to Shinjuku. On the way, I passed many businessmen and office workers on their way home from work, all of whom looked tired and listless. I probably had that look on my face, too. When I'm in the store, I can't show my tired face to the customers, so when I finish my work, all the fatigue of the day seems to come out at once. It would be good to walk once in a while. I looked up at the sky, but couldn't see any stars in the heavy sky.

I arrived in Shinjuku and wandered around the city, wondering what to do. It was strangely pleasant to wander aimlessly through the neon lights of the city. By the time I reached Shinjuku Gyoen, the neon lights had died down and the area was dimly lit. Only the convenience store across the street was glowing with a pale blue light.

In the shadows of the light, I saw a figure crouched down. It seemed to be a young woman. She was sitting on her knees, her head of long black hair hanging down. I couldn't see her face. She was wearing a lemon yellow camisole and jeans. I looked at her for a while, then went into the convenience store to tell the clerk.

"There's a young woman sitting outside."

"Oh, that's her. It's the android we used at this stor, but it stopped working. We sent it to the manufacturer once, but after a while it started to fail again. It's a broken product. It's out of warranty and I'm going to throw it away."

Discard ....... Discarding a faulty product is perfectly legitimate. There is, but...

"Is the manager here?　　If you don't mind, I'd like to take the android out front."

I answered as quickly as I could. The clerk didn't change his expression.

"One moment, please."

"Here you go."

He handed me the terminal.

"Yes, I'm the manager.  How can I help you?"

"An android sitting out front. If you want to throw it away, can I have it?"

"Yes, of course. I don't have to pay for its disposal. It'd be a big help."

"Thank you."

I left the store and crouched down next to the android.

"Hey, are you okay? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

She looked up and stared at me with her big, light brown eyes. It was more like a girl than a woman. Her white skin reflected the pale light of the electric light leaking from the window, making her look even whiter. It had to be the latest model android.

"Who are you?"

"Yeah, I just talked to the guy at the store, and he said you're going to be discarded, so I've decided to take you in."

"Yeah."

After saying that, she turned her head away again.

"You at least have a name, don't you?"

"...... Hana."

"Hana-chan? I'm Kosuke. Nice to meet you. Let's go."

She stood up slowly and followed me.

The living room was filled with an awkward atmosphere. We sat on the sofa in silence. I had picked up Hana, but I didn't know what to do. Hana was an android, but the latest model was surprisingly human-like.

"Do you want something to drink? I have plenty of coffee."

"Water is fine."

"Water."

I took some mineral water from the refrigerator and poured it into a glass. I also made myself a cup of coffee. I put some Guatemalan powder in the coffee maker, and the kitchen filled with a fragrant aroma. I took the glass to the living room and placed it on the table.

"Here you go."

"Thank you. I'll have some."

"You're photosynthesizing, aren't you?　　Do you just drink water?"

"Drink or soak in a bath to rehydrate. All I have to do is get some sunlight during the day."

"Hmm. Then take a bath."

While Hana was taking a bath, I sipped my coffee and let my eyes swim in the air, wondering what to do. Suddenly, my eyes caught sight of a decorative plant in my room. Here it is.

"Kosuke-san."

Hana was standing there, bareheaded. She was soaking wet all over.nudity

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"I didn't have a bath towel."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I forgot. Wait here."

My heart raced at the sight of her slender, youthful, supple body. I handed her a bath towel, trying not to let her know how agitated I was. Why should I be flustered? The other party is an android, a machine, isn't it? But still

"I'm sorry I forgot to give you a towel, but it's not good for a young girl to be naked."

Hana's eyes rolled up in her head like marbles.

"Why?"

"Why not? It's a rules of human society."

"I'm not human."

What am I supposed to say? I don't know what to say. If anyone knows, please tell me.

"Just don't get naked in front of me."

"I understand."

Hana nodded quietly.