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“Feels crunchy,” Kaguya said, sloshing the omurice around in her mouth. “Did rice change this much??”
Iroha smiled, fine lines at the corner of her mouth creasing with the movement. “It’s only been ten years, you know. It’s not like there’s a new strain of rice, or anything.” She picked up a tablet computer from atop the kitchen table. “Here, I’ll adjust your taste sensors,” she said, her finger flashing across the screen. “Try it now.”
Picking up a spoonful of omurice, Kaguya held it up to the light. She felt the mechanical lenses in her eyes adjust as she focused on an individual rice grain, then she popped the spoon into her mouth. Tangy ketchup tickled her lips as she withdrew the spoon, then she closed her eyes and savored the taste of the egg and rice, whose warmth suffused into her tongue. Slowly, she maneuvered the mass onto her molars, then began masticating. “Tasty! It’s got that slippery feeling, just like old times!”
“Good, good, just don’t talk with your mouth full.” Iroha started daintily eating her own plate of omurice. While she was distracted, however, Kaguya took the opportunity to snatch up the tablet computer.
“Ooh, can I change stuff?” she said, bewildered by the numerous numbers and sliders. “Can I make my boobs bigger?!”
Iroha’s chair scraped against the floor. “Put that down!” The tablet was suddenly yanked from Kaguya’s fingers and placed into the shoulder bag hanging from the back of an empty chair. Sighing, Iroha sat back down. “Please don’t mess with your settings,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “I don’t even know what might happen if you change things willy-nilly. You might get even more hyperactive than you are now, or you might go into a coma.” She suddenly seemed unable to look Kaguya in the face. “That thing can’t change your physical appearance, only your sensor settings. Besides, I-I like your boobs the way they are.”
“Oh…” Kaguya leapt out of her chair and ran around the dining room table, then threw herself at Iroha, wrapping her arms around her neck. “Did you miss touching me that much?! There, there,” she said, rubbing Iroha’s hair. “It must’ve been tough for you. We’ll have lots of skinship to make up for!”
“Go eat your dinner,” Iroha said, pushing Kaguya away. “Sheesh. It’s hard to imagine that you’re really the older one here.” She suddenly looked flustered. “Anyway, ten years is nothing, compared to how long you had to wait.”
“Some things are worth the wait.” Dutifully, Kaguya sat back down in her chair and ate her omurice. When she placed her spoon on her cleaned plate, she let out a bone-creaking yawn. “Waa~”
Looking alarmed, Iroha quickly put her phone down and sat up. “Oh, shit! Your battery is running low.” She grabbed Kaguya’s arm and hustled her into the bedroom. “Here, lay down, I have to plug you in.”
Kaguya’s artificial limbs felt even heavier than before. “So tired~” She let Iroha lay her down in their bed, then felt a jolt of alarm when Iroha approached her with a cylindrical object in her hand. “Waa! Where are you sticking that?!”
“It just clips onto your finger,” Iroha said, gently taking Kaguya’s hand in her own, then opening the clothespin-like charger and attaching it to the tip of Kaguya’s finger. A wire dangled off the bed and towards the wall. “Just remember to put it back on if you get up at night to use the toilet.”
“Hmm?” Kaguya felt a warmth travel up her finger and into her belly. “I’ll still have to pee and stuff?”
Iroha sat at the edge of the bed and patted Kaguya’s hair. “Well, all that juice you drank has to go somewhere. Same thing with the food you eat, at least until I get this battery thing straightened out.”
Lifting her finger, Kaguya’s eyes followed the wire to its plug. “Are my nails still gonna grow out?”
Tucking a lock of hair behind Kaguya’s ear, Iroha said, “Nope, but they're made out of a material that you can paint. I know much you like to paint your nails.” She yawned herself, then got off the bed, taking her comforting warmth with her. “I’ll go get ready for bed myself. I’d tell you to wait for me, but, well…”
In the darkness, Kaguya listened to the sound of the bathroom sink running. She pulled the pillow up to her nose and inhaled deeply of Iroha’s scent. Some things just can’t be recreated in cyberspace. When Iroha returned, Kaguya watched as she got undressed, her body softly illuminated by the glow of the ambient light strips girding the ceiling. Her slender, athletic form was now accentuated by softer, womanly curves. “Damn girl, you got hot.”
“Oh, hush.” Even in the dim light, Iroha’s cheeks were obviously crimson. She looked at Kaguya, then at the floor, then back at Kaguya, then at the edge of the bed. “Just so you know,” she said, falteringly, “your… stuff works down there. For when, we, you know, do it. I made sure those parts worked. Might need some fine tuning. I didn’t tell my brother or anything, though. It’s not in the patents.” Her mumbles were drowned out by the rustling of fabric as she pulled her nightshirt over her head.
Kaguya giggled, feeling a tingle in a familiar area. “Must’ve been a long ten years, huh? You know, they make VR toys—”
“Shut up!” Showing off her quick reaction skills, Iroha threw a spare pillow squarely at Kaguya’s face. “Anyway, if it’s not with you, then it wouldn’t be the same. Like you said, some things are worth the wait.” The bed squeaked as Iroha climbed into bed behind Kaguya. Her hand settled onto Kaguya’s belly, bringing with it her soft touch. “Hey,” Iroha said, softly into Kaguya’s ear, “welcome back to Earth.”
Running her fingertips over the back of Iroha’s hand, Kaguya felt her eyelids grow heavy. Now she knew how a computer felt when she would turn it off. “I’ll never leave again,” she said. “I love you so much that not even time itself can keep us apart.”
“I know.” Iroha kissed the side of Kaguya’s cheek, her warm breath dancing against artificial skin. “And I love you so much that not even the moon’s pull can keep you from my arms.”
After a few quiet moments, Kaguya opened her lips. “Hey, Iroha? What’s your schedule look like for tomorrow?”
“Well.” Sheets rustled as Iroha moved around. “It says that I’m going to spend all fucking day with you in this bed tomorrow, and we’ll get takeout and get fat and happy.”
“Mmm.” Kaguya felt her functions slowly begin to shut down, one by one. Was that her liver? Being a robot was weird! “Sounds good. I hope we have lots of days like that from now on.”
Iroha leaned over and kissed Kaguya on the lips. “We will,” she said, then laid back down. “We’ll have all the time in the world. Now, go to sleep before your battery dies, so I won’t have to live down the embarrassment of dragging your broke-ass body back to the lab after your first day back.”
“You can drag me wherever you want, as long as we’re together.”
“Ah…!” Iroha’s quick breathing betrayed her emotions. “W-Well, your the one usually dragging me around, anyway… Anyway, good night! See you tomorrow!”
Kaguya smiled at the thought of seeing another sunrise while being held in Iroha’s arms. “G’night! See you tomorrow! And the tomorrow after that! And the tomorrow after that!” She had to restrain herself from kicking her legs in happiness, lest she bruise Iroha’s shins. Closing her eyes, she felt certain that her happy end was really just the start of a wonderful new beginning.