{Private} A personal gaming session

"I know I am a mess, but... Thanks" she looked at him with gratitude. "Hearing that from you really means a lot"

"You're welcome Nayumi....do you like me?"

He looks back at the paused game.

"E-eh?!?" Nayumi jumped back and looked at her friends in the eyes, kinda startled by the sudden question. Her face went red from the embarrassment. What was he thinking?!? "W-why are you asking me such things all of a sudden?!?"

"I'm curious...the way you talk makes it seem like you do."

He shrugs and goes back to playing.

"It's okay if you do...don't worry."

"Gh... H-hey, don't just shrug about it!" Nayumi said angrily, still red in the face. "I-I mean, you can't just bring something like that up and leave it hanging! And what do you mean It's okay if you do?!? That's not the right thing to say to a girl at all! If you bring it up you gotta follow up with something like I like you too, please be my girlfriend!, or else it just doesn't work and ends up hurting the girl's feelings!" she finally finished her long rant and closed her eyes, then leaned back against the wall and sighed. "Then again... It's not like I'm just a normal girl..."

"Well I'll let you know how I feel if you let me know...seems fair."

He looks over and winks at her playfully.

"Don't get so flustered. It makes me think you really do like me."

He chuckles.

Please say yes...

"Hmm... " Nayumi let out an annoyed moan and crossed her arms, then turned her head aside in a vain attempt to hide the redness of her face. "W-well, if you truly want to know, t-then... I, um... I do like you, okay? There, I said it! Go ahead and make fun of me if you want, but I can't choose how my stupid brain works!"

He smiles and kisses her cheek.

"Good...good."

He continues playing the game acting like nothing happened just to get her more flustered.

"Ghh...." she growled angrily and turned back to Taizai. "Don't just say 'good'! Leaving someone hanging like that is the worst thing you can possibly do! Just tell me that you're not interested and that we should remain friends and all that so we can go back to playing the game and pretending like this never happened!!!" Nayumi yelled out, then hugged her knees once more, feeling a bit tired. This tense situation was proving to be a bit too much for her.

He pauses again and says nothing to her for a few seconds.

"So...you want me to lie? That is something I would ever do to you...but if you insist on it..."

He looks over at her as their eyes meet. He smiles and holds her close with one arm.

"E-eh?" Nayumi stuttered as Taizai held her close. What was he implying? This was confusing her so much! "I'm... I'm not sure I get what's going on..." she explained, hoping her lack of understanding won't make her look like an idiot.

He chuckles at her confusion.

"I like you Nayumi Tachibana. There, I said it."

"Y-you like me?" Nayumi repeated, still feeling extremely confused. "Y-you mean as a friend, right? You enjoy my company and all that?"

He nods.

"I do enjoy your company...but as more than a friend..."

He shrugs and has a goofy look on his face.

"Sorry."

The girl's face turned red again as soon as her vague suspicions were confirmed. She turned her head aside, unable to look at Taizai in the eyes after this revelation. "T-this is... I d-don't know what to say... I mean, I honestly never expected you to say that! I, um... Oh god, this is so embarrassing..." Nayumi said and tried to hide behind her scarf, only to realize that it wasn't there at all. Instead, she chose to cover her face with her palms. "H-how should I put this... It's not that I don't feel the same way! I really, really like you, Taizai, but... Even if we both want it, we can't be... Y-you know... A couple..."

"Well I don't see why not? We both like each other, and we are both here for each other. If it is because of physical activity I understand. But that doesn't matter to me."

He smiles softly and kisses her cheek again.

"That's just it!" Nayumi objected. "I mean... Just look at me! I can't do anything a proper girlfriend is supposed to do! I can't kiss you, or touch you... I can't have sex with you, either... And if we can't do that... Then it's just not a real relationship, you know?"

"Nayumi...I'm not even 15 yet...why does sex matter at our age? Is it really that important these days..."

He shrugs.

"As for touching, we are touching each other right now...Don't worry so much about things like that."

"I think it's important..." Nayumi confessed. "I'm probably very old-fashioned when I say this, but... A relationship without kissing or sex just feels too much like friendship to me..." the girl explained, obviously a bit embarrassed by her own opinion. "And... You're not touching me, Taizai. This..." she lifted her mechanical hand and looked at it. "This isn't me. It will never be me"

"Nayumi...you have a beautiful personality...the fact that this isn't the real you doesn't matter..."

He holds her hand with his and places it on his cheek. This is good enough for me."

"But it's not good enough for me" Nayumi spoke quietly and hugged her knees, pulling her face away from Taizai's hand. "I want to be a proper girlfriend... And I know I can never be one. Not with this body..."

"Well...you can always upgrade can't you? Get parts that allow things like...that. Right?"

He looks at her without realizing that what he said might not be able to happen.

"I don't think so" she spoke sadly and looked at Taizai once more. "If such upgrades existed, they would have given them to me already... To be honest, I've lost all hope of ever being able to feel again..."

"You don't have to give up...there is always hope."

He holds her close again trying to cheer her up.

"Why not? Hope just makes it hurt more at the end..." Nayumi explained and hugged her knees tightly again, burying her face in them. The memories were re-emerging. "I stopped hoping after they cut my arms off... Bastards didn't even put me under..." she said bitterly, feeling her eyes get wet again.