by Diana Jean
“Are you sure the PLC doesn't meet your personal specifications?” Tamura had asked her after the meeting, her tone not unlike a threat.
Kathleen had ignored the question. This whole pretest felt too personal for her liking and she didn’t want to question her “personal specifications” with her boss.
Her back felt broken from all the pent up stress. She needed to get into the office more from now on; she couldn’t handle this once a week thing.
“I honestly don't think I need to take her out. I’ve had her talk to you and she’s done fine, right? Isn’t that as good as talking to strangers in public?”
Yuriko stood above her. Though she hadn’t attended Kathleen’s hellish meeting, she had happened to be in the same building that day. It was only natural that they ride the train back to the apartment complex together. “I help build PLCs. What you need is someone who doesn’t know Ai is a PLC. Someone who can give a more random interaction.”
Ever since Ai’s breakdown, Yuriko had been calling or stopping by often to check up on them both. Kathleen was very grateful for the interaction, if only because it made Ai seem even more like a product test, rather than a freaky love sim who lived in Kathleen’s apartment.
She was also grateful that Yuriko never mentioned how similar she and Ai looked. It only reinforced the thought that Kathleen probably overreacted upon initially seeing Ai. If Yuriko didn’t see it as important enough to mention, it was probably not be that noticeable.
Sometimes she thought Yuriko might say something. It was usually after Kathleen had performed some test or scan and Yuriko would be sitting there, staring at Ai like she was trying to solve a rather complicated puzzle. Then the expression would pass and Kathleen would be left wondering if she was seeing things that weren’t really there.
Kathleen groaned. “But it would be so … weird.” What if they did realize that Ai was a love robot? What would they think of Kathleen? “Besides, she has nothing decent to wear; all my clothes are super-sized on her.” Kathleen had never thought of herself as fat before she came to Japan. Then, walking into a Japanese department store and finding out she was the equivalent of a XXL was a bit disheartening.
Yuriko raised an eyebrow. “Then go and buy something for her?”
“Wouldn’t that be weirder? Buying clothes for my sex robot?”
Yuriko raised both eyebrows and Kathleen flushed.
“Not that Ai is like … at all. I mean she is … guh. But it’s just what people would think, right?”
“You sound just like a Japanese person. Didn’t they teach you in America not to care about what other people think?”
“Yeah, because in America people don’t care. We are all crazy. But people in Japan really care. I’ve gotten dirty looks for eating a granola bar while walking down the sidewalk. Like I’m some kind of uncouth caveman slobbering over a leg of turkey!” Kathleen realized too late that her voice rose. The other people in the train car were staring at her now. One man got up and moved several seats away. She looked up to Yuriko, who was attempting to hide a smile behind her hand. “See?”
Yuriko shook her head. “You are overthinking this. Come on, there are some great stores at the next stop.” She moved to the doors.
Kathleen quickly got up. “What? We are doing this now?”
“Yes, why not?”
“But I … I don’t know Ai’s size!” Kathleen knew she was just making excuses now.
Yuriko frowned, eyes narrowing. “I think I can guess it.”
There it was again, that puzzling expression. Kathleen found herself holding her breath, wondering if Yuriko was going to say something how exactly she might know Ai’s size. Then the doors opened and Yuriko's expression relaxed as she stepped out into the station.
They ended up not leaving the station because all the clothing stores they could ever want were inside. Kathleen had never explored some of Tokyo’s larger train stations, though she passed through them often enough. Most of the time she was concentrating on not getting lost. This one had a particularly large shopping area, and a ton of restaurants as well.
Yuriko led her into one of the larger clothing stores. “See anything you like?”
Kathleen tugged on a couple blouses. She’d never been good at clothes shopping and it had been a very long time since she had even gone. Some of her friends in America used to drag her out once in a while, which was how she had anything decent in her wardrobe. “I dunno, what’s a good look?”
Yuriko scanned the racks. “Probably nothing flashy, if you don’t want Ai to draw attention.”
Kathleen looked a few shirts, but she couldn’t visualize them. Would they be too shapeless? Would they look good? Too good? “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Yuriko turned to her slowly. “Would it help if I tried them on?”
Kathleen felt something stick in her throat and she attempted to swallow it down. “Umm, sure?” Was Yuriko implying something? No, she was just trying to be helpful. That had to be it.
Kathleen had only seen Yuriko in business professional or that one fated morning in sweatpants and a t-shirt.
Yuriko slowly took a shirt that Kathleen had been holding. “Okay,” she said slowly. “What else did you want to see?”
Kathleen made a few random selections of shirts, pants, skirts, and even a few dresses on Yuriko’s suggestion. She didn’t want to buy too much. After all, Ai didn’t sweat, so she wouldn’t dirty the clothes. Besides Kathleen really didn’t want to take her out more than once.
Yuriko stepped out of the dressing room in a loose shirt and flowing short skirt. She stood awkwardly in the dressing room for Kathleen, tugging at the skirt. It was strange, because Kathleen had never seen her look so self-conscious.
“It looks good on you,” she blurted out.
It was true. Yuriko had great legs. Kathleen could never wear a skirt that short; her butt would hang out the bottom. She realized that she was staring at Yuriko’s legs a little too long. She snapped her eyes up.
“What do you think?”
Yuriko turned around to look in the mirror. “It seems fine.”
“Do you not like it?”
Yuriko tugged at the skirt. “I don’t think I’ve worn a skirt this short since high school.”
“But it looks great on you!”
Yuriko stared at her and Kathleen felt herself flush.
“Does that mean you think it would look great on Ai?” Yuriko asked quietly.
Kathleen tensed. “Well, I don't know. Without seeing it on her … ”
Yuriko suddenly rolled her eyes. “I don't think you need to see it on her to know.” She stared at Kathleen; her eyes felt rather like a challenge.
A challenge Kathleen wasn’t ready to take on. She started to turn away. “Maybe a little too flashy for Ai. Why don't we try—?”
Yuriko reached out, gripping Kathleen’s wrist as she was reaching for the next garment. “Don't be—” Yuriko started, voice loud.
Then she looked up and Kathleen saw a shop attendant staring at them curiously. Yuriko released her arm and lowered her voice.
“Can we just be honest for a second?”
Kathleen could still feel the warmth on her wrist where Yuriko had grabbed her. “About what?” Her voice was too high pitched to be casual.
Yuriko looked unimpressed. “Look, I know you said that Ai’s physical appearance was a mistake.”
“Y-yeah. Actually we had a rather long meeting about that. I’ve got someone looking into the problem,” Kathleen said in a rush.
“Did you ever consider that it wasn’t a mistake? I mean, it would be one thing if Ai was just female when you prefer male but Ai is … ” Yuriko lowered her voice even more, stepping closer to Kathleen. “Ai looks like me, Kathleen. You have to realize that.”
Kathleen found herself looking away, staring at the rack of clothes Yuriko was currently cornering her against. “She … it’s not … ” She could feel Yuriko’s eyes. “I don't know why she doe
s,” she finally admitted. She looked up to Yuriko, pleading, “It's not anything weird. I honestly don't know why Ai was made to look the way she is. I mean, I have a couple of theories of why some of the wires got crossed. Like, maybe she's Japanese because I do honestly need help here in a Japan. And who is better than a PLC that represents the culture? Also, I do like blue eyes. So I'm not surprised there.”
She was staring at Yuriko’s eyes. They were incredibly similar to Ai’s, but Ai was still synthetic. Her irises and pupils didn’t move like Yuriko’s did. The color was almost too vibrant with Ai. Yuriko’s color was softer, a grayish blue turning near gold at the center.
Kathleen knew she was staring and she didn’t know why. Her heart was beating in her ears and it was almost hard for her to hear Yuriko speak.
Yuriko's eyes almost glimmered. “I have to ask … Do you find Ai … or myself attractive?”
Kathleen looked away then. She had to. She couldn’t breathe properly otherwise. “Well, I've never been interested in women in that way. But, I suppose, I do think you are … beautiful, in a way. I mean,” she felt like she was gasping for air, “you do sort of have legs that go on for miles.” She attempted a lighthearted smile. It twitched on her lips.
Yuriko took a step back and Kathleen suddenly found herself able to breathe again. She also suddenly felt cold, as if being so close to Yuriko had given her a fever. She glanced up at Yuriko, wondering why Yuriko was giving her that puzzling expression that she had only given to Ai.
Then Yuriko smiled, easy and familiar. “Thanks.” She looked down, extending one leg beneath the skirt. “I mean, it’s sort of a strange situation, but thanks. I guess I’m kind of flattered.” She actually looked a little more confused than flattered. Kathleen thought she sort of understood that emotion.
“Yeah, it is a pretty strange situation.”
Yuriko turned to the mirror. “Make sure to update me whenever you figure out what went wrong with Ai. I'm rather interested to see the results.”
“Sure. Yeah, definitely.”
There was still a lump in Kathleen's throat, but the tension was gone. The kind of tension Kathleen hadn’t even realized had formed between them. She returned the smile, finding it easily came to her lips. “But honestly, even though you can rock an outfit like that, I don't want Ai drawing that much attention.” Yuriko smiled, eyes glimmering a little more than before. “Okay, something else.”
They ended up settling for some rather bland shirts and pants and a pair of cheap shoes. It wouldn’t look hideous, like Kathleen’s clothes, nor would they be too stylish. Hopefully Ai would just fade into the background and no one would notice.
As they were leaving, Yuriko took Kathleen’s wrist. “Hey, there is a great curry place here. Want to grab some?”
“I’ve never had curry that didn’t come out of one of those packets.”
Yuriko snorted. “You are really pathetic sometimes.”
Kathleen made a face, but she was willing to put up with some teasing if she got some decent food in her stomach. She hadn’t eaten since that morning. It was only when they had been walking down the hall for some time did Kathleen realize that Yuriko hadn’t let go of her wrist. It was a little surprising, but Kathleen found she didn’t mind. She was half-dead on her feet and if she didn’t get any food in her stomach, she would probably pass out.
Kathleen had never eaten in any sort of Japanese restaurant before. This one looked like a bunch of seats facing a bar table, which the waitresses walked up and down between, handing out food from the kitchen. Yuriko took a seat and motioned for Kathleen to sit next to her. A waitress immediately appeared, handing them a couple cups of water and a menu. Kathleen noticed hers was in English. She spoke to Yuriko briefly and then walked away.
The only Japanese curry that Kathleen knew was the brown gravy-like sauce with soft potatoes and carrots that came out of an instant packet. The only reason she knew of that stuff was because Fukusawa ate it almost every day at his desk. It was ridiculously easy—just heat it up in a microwave and add some instant rice.
This place was way more elaborate than that. They had more types of meat, including fish and shrimp. The curry sauce came in all sorts of colors from yellow to green. The English menu wasn’t very helpful, barely giving enough broken description for Kathleen to understand.
Yuriko leaned over. “Do you like your curry spicy?”
Kathleen once had spicy Indian curry in America. She wasn’t afraid to admit that it made her cry from the heat. “Ah, no. I like mild.”
“They have a good vegetarian curry here. But there are also some great meat options.”
“Um, I’ll take whatever you think is good.”
“Even squid?”
Kathleen shrugged. “If you think it is good.”
Yuriko smirked. “Are you telling me that you are one of those types that is actually an adventurous eater, but you are too afraid to go out to even find adventurous food?”
Kathleen folded her menu and took a sip of her water. “If you are asking if that I’m pathetic, then I’ll have you know that I tried all sorts of food back in America. It’s just a little different ordering here.” She looked up and down the bar, finding mostly people eating alone, wearing their business attire. At least she and Yuriko matched in that way.
Yuriko flagged down the waitress and ordered. Kathleen didn’t know if she should be grateful or a little peeved that the waitress didn’t bother looking in her direction. Once the waitress left, Yuriko turned to her, resting her chin on one hand. “So, what is the craziest thing you’ve ever eaten?”
“Well, I’ve had squid.”
“Let me guess, fried and breaded calamari?”
“It’s hard to find it any other way in the Midwest! But I’ve also had beef and kidney pie and haggis and—”
“Is your family from the UK or something?”
“And Christmas pudding!”
“Christmas pudding?” Yuriko sounded curious.
Kathleen sat up a little straighter. “You’ve never had traditional Christmas pudding, have you? Well, imagine an over-spiced fruitcake that you soak in brandy, and then leave around for weeks, while periodically soaking it in more brandy. Then you light it on fire at the dinner table.”
Yuriko chuckled. “I can’t decide if that sounds wonderful or terrible.”
“It’s terrible, because it’s hopelessly hard and dry and full of fruit. And it’s wonderful because it only tastes like brandy.”
Their food arrived. Kathleen felt her heart quicken at the sight of fresh white rice with a wonderful yellow-brown curry bursting with steaming vegetables. It was topped with a greasy sunny-side up egg. Even without tasting it, she knew why Yuriko had scoffed at her instant curry packets.
“So tell me, why have you tried all these fine English foods?”
Kathleen shrugged, watching as Yuriko used her spoon to break the egg and pick up some rice with her curry. Kathleen just mixed it all together. “An ex of mine had relatives in Scotland. I think he took some sadistic pleasure in trying to make me eat very traditional food. That kidney pie was pretty good though. Couldn’t even tell it was kidneys.” She inhaled about half her plate. “So, you see, I am not that pathetic. What is the craziest thing you’ve tried?”
“Well, I’ve probably tried some crazy Japanese food, though it might not seem crazy to me. For instance, whenever I talk about how my mother ate natto every morning, foreigners get freaked out.”
“Natto?”
“Fermented soy beans.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
Yuriko grinned wickedly. “You’ve never had it, obviously.”
It wasn’t until afterward, when she and Yuriko parted for their respective apartments did Kathleen realize what a good time she’d had. She hadn’t hung out with anyone like that since moving to Japan and it kind of felt like she finally had a real friend. Even though Yuriko was only hanging out with her to help her with work, it was still a nice
feeling.
Kathleen opened the door to find Ai watching her TV. “Okaeri!” Ai piped out.
She looked up. Kathleen had no idea why Ai watched the TV. It wasn’t like a computer could get bored, right? Maybe it was just an effect of her programming to make her seem more normal and lively. Kind of like how Ai would blink, though she didn’t need to. It just made her seem a little less like a robot. Kathleen wondered if other PLCs would find random habits to occupy their downtime. Would a PLC pick up knitting, if their customer was fond of long silences?
Kathleen held up her bag. “Here. Wear these.”
Ai immediate stood up, eyes lighting on the package. “A present? You’re so sentimental, Kathleen.”
“It’s not a present. It’s a necessity.”
Ai took the bag. “Do you want any dinner?”
Kathleen removed her shoes at the entryway. “No, I ate with Yuriko.”
Ai hummed, looking through the bag. “Let me guess. She helped you pick these out?”
Kathleen nodded, walking into the kitchen to get a glass of water. It was dark out, but the humidity was still sticky. “I also had to have a very long meeting at work today. So you are not allowed to have any more issues, okay?”
Ai giggled, walking into Kathleen’s room to change. Kathleen was glad she was able to convince her not to change in the middle of the living room. She looked when Ai stepped out of the room. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a long shirt that ended in a ruffle. It was the kind of style that Kathleen would never be able to pull off, but it worked on anyone who was too thin to have hips or breasts.
Ai grinned up at her. She had pulled her hair to the side and was tugging at the ends. “How do I look?”
Yuriko had looked better in it.
Kathleen blinked, having no idea where that thought came from. Wearing the same outfit, even with her hair styled similar, Ai should have looked exactly like Yuriko. Yet there was something different, something that Kathleen couldn’t quite describe.
She had seen Yuriko wearing that in the shop. She had even seen her smiling in it, looking just slightly shy like Ai looked now. When Kathleen had looked at Yuriko then, she had found it hard to look away. Her eyes had lingered on her legs and shoulders. On the tilt of her head and bright eyes.
