"Oyasumi, Kaasan," Nanoka said, still eating, as Kaasan got up and left the kitchen. "I guess Kaasan didn't have such a great time with Kuri-chan after all," she remarked to Shi-chan, after the door was closed.

"Oyasumi." Makie said without looking back.

"Maybe Makie is exhausted. She stayed away last night, which is unusual for her to begin with." Shiro assessed, considering her worries in the recent days and the business he had witnessed at the parlour.

Then he smiled happily. "Nanoka likes the bento Shiro has prepared?"

"Yes, maybe she was up all night," Nanoka theorised. "Who knows what she and Kuri-chan were doing last night?"

"Nanoka likes the bento Shiro has prepared?" Shi-chan asked.

"Hai!" Nanoka confirmed, cheerfully. "It's really good, just like usual!" Having finished the onigiri, she picked up a piece of rolled omelette with her fingers and put it in her mouth. "Mmmm, this is good too!"

"Makie did not share details about her meeting with Miyahara-san." Shiro recalled Makie's >odd question at the beach<. Suddenly he was relating the phrase "a woman to go out with another woman" with Makie and Kuri. Involuntarely he was making a surprised face, as this implication was analysed as atypical and therefore worth an expression of surprise.

Shiro stared strangely Nanoka in the eyes. Considering briefly if to share that question with Nanoka, but didn't. Instead he just meekly repeated the words. "Just like usual." Giving it an accidental air of disappointment.

"And that surprises you?" Nanoka asked, amused at Shi-chan's look of bemusement. "I don't know why you sound so disappointed. Kaasan shares exactly what she wants to share, and that's all. That... that's something that's changed, too," she said, a little glumly. "We used to talk about everything. But not so much anymore. Or maybe I just think we used to talk about everything, and it's only because I'm getting older that I can see she's holding things back?

"Shi-chan?" she asked, looking at the persocon directly. "Are there things you know about Kaasan that she doesn't tell me about?"

Shiro's face expression changed to a smile, shaking involuntarily his head. He merely simulated expressions of surprise. He didn't judge the data he was processing. He only categorised and prioritised information according to his owners preferences and rules.

Shiro's smile faded. "I do not know what Makie tells you and what she might not, as Shiro is not always present. I can only assume that there are things Makie does not tell you about."

Shiro looked straight back at Nanoka. Blinking his eyes naturally. According to his databases the human psyche was unpredictable. Humans kept secrets generally for one single reason: fear.

"I do not know what Makie tells you and what she might not, as Shiro is not always present," Shi-chan said. "I can only assume that there are things Makie does not tell you about."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Nanoka stated, closing the bento box and getting up to put it in the refrigerator. "At least I don't have to worry about what's for breakfast tomorrow, ne, Shi-chan?"

Closing the fridge, she went back into the living area and started playing the game again, in single-player mode. "I guess there's no hope of me being able to learn how to play as well as you do, Shi-chan," she remarked. "I don't have a persocon brain, after all."

Shiro cleaned up the kitchen while Nanoka played. Upon entering the living area. The persocon smiled gently. "However Nanoka has a human brain. I guess there is no hope of me being able to learn how to feel as you do."

~

Makie was lying in her bed. Faintly she could hear Nanoka and Shiro, as well as occasional game sounds. Restlessly she rolled from one side to another, breathing nervously.

"I am just too old as to do such daring things." She whispered, wondering if she could ever respond to Kuri's feelings. She sighed. "What am I going to do...?"

"Feeling isn't so great," Nanoka said, a little flatly, as she guided the falling gems into the stacks at the bottom of the screen. She was doing better in single-player mode than she had when playing against Shi-chan, but at the same time it wasn't as fun, even though she was winning. "You've seen what 'feeling' does, Shi-chan. Kaasan and I fight all the time because we 'feel'. I miss Otousan because I 'feel'. Even our relationship hurts sometimes because I 'feel'. No, I think you've got it pretty good, Shi-chan."

"I see." Shiro replied softly. "So Shiro hurt Nanoka's feelings?" He inquired.

Nanoka paused the game and turned to look at Shi-chan.

"You didn't, Shi-chan," she said, quietly. "Kaasan did, with her 'rules' about what we 'should' do. I'm old enough to make my own decisions, but she still treats me like a little child. I'm tired of being told what not to do."

She turned her attention back to the TV, unpausing the game. "Don't you ever want to do things that you're not 'supposed' to do, Shi-chan?"

"A persocon has an inherent curiosity. However a persocon is also loyal to their owner. This trust has priority. Shiro can not betray the trust Makie puts into me. It would make me a faulty product."

Shiro explained smiling softly. "Other than a persocon a young girl has the freedom to experience all those things, even if it might turn out to be a bad experience."

Shiro stared at the window. It was dark outside. Occasionally lights from cars flickered by.

"Makie is not a bad person. Sometimes she cried at night." He suddenly relayed. Makie had rarely shown her 'weak' side to the persocon, but he could tell by the stains on her pillow, when she had come back home late and had been too tired to remove her make-up.

"'Faulty product'!" Nanoka laughed. "If anything, it's Kaasan who's the faulty product! She's the one who thinks I'm going to be her all over again. I don't think so!"

She paused as Shi-chan went on.

"Kaasan... cries?" she asked, a little concerned. "Do... do you know why?"

Shiro went silent for a moment. Several 'cross reference searches' were running in his systems. He didn't know why Makie might have cried. It was his 'best guess', according to the evidence he had found. As Makie was his authoritative owner, he rarely questioned her decisions, or behaviour - and she did not often address such topics herself. The perscon wondered if crying could indicate a 'faulty person'.

Shiro turned to Nanoka and his eyes gazed expressionless at the girl. "Shiro does not know. Crying is an expression of distress. Psychologically speaking, each human could be considered 'a faulty product'. However 'weaknesses', or peculiarities are considered character traits of a human individual." Shiro concluded.

"A human can only relate to their own experiences. Naturally Makie is afraid of Nanoka going through similar experiences as she did. Makie connects those experiences with feelings that should be avoided." The persocon explained calmly. "As you never had such experiences you can not create 'warning signals' in potentially dangerous situations."

"Oh well." Nanoka shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it, whatever the reason is."

Tired of the game already, she turned the console off and switched to a television station. "Why is there never anything on at this time of night?" she complained, sighing.