Yukiko’s interest had been piqued regarding her own living space, but that enthusiasm was cut into when two hands were suddenly encroaching on either side of her. She gasped and stumbled backwards, overwhelmed by the swarm of fingers reaching to take her. Shambling as she did, Miko swiftly reeled back, locking her hands together to prove they were dismissed.
“Sorry! I-I wasn’t really thinking,” Miko nervously laughed. She was relieved to see that Yukiko was not too shaken up over being reached at. “You look so grabbable! N-No offense. Don’t worry, I bought something for this, too~”
Miko ducked away again, this time bringing out a new contraption. At a glance, it looked remarkably like an ordinary purse, but a circular window allowed its hollowness to be seen. It was a pleasant teal color with the straps made of leather while the container itself was a durable plastic. Yukiko was instinctively drawn to that familiar logo embedded beneath the window, that of the Ga-Chan Girl branding; she assumed correctly that it was something else purposed for her.
“This is so cool,” Miko started. “It’s a Safe Travel Bag for Ga-Chan Girls! See?” She angled the item in the air for Yukiko to observe, though from her perspective, it was like watching a recreational vehicle be turned around just above her. “You can load inside from these side entrances, or I can unzip it like a normal purse. The best part? It has one of those gyro-thingies, so like, the floor inside doesn’t move around a whole lot, even when I’m walking around!”
Worry and wonder mixed into a curious expression as Yukiko digested the details. Miko had begun to understand that her Ga-Chan Girl was of the shy, quiet variety, and so without pressing for a reply, she sat the Safe Travel Bag onto the counter, orienting an entrance towards Yukiko. As instructed, Yukiko opened the plastic door and tepidly stepped inside. Nothing else occupied the bag, defaulting her attention onto the window; outside were Miko’s eyes, gazing within unblinkingly.
“All set? Okay! Just a short trip, hehe~” Miko grabbed the bag by its handles, both hands applied despite it weighing as much as any empty purse. Even so, she carefully turned and moved with the item held, transferring it over from the counter down to the chabudai table in just three steps. Yukiko instinctively expected her room to shake and send her off-balance, but as explained, the floor remained surprisingly stable, allowing her to awe at the quick spin around the apartment before being set down.
“Th-There we go…” Miko said as she sat on her knees nearby, ensuring she would not rattle the table. Once seated, she eagerly opened the tiny door with a finger, urging Yukiko to step outside. “Come and take a look at your new home! It’s so cute~”
Yukiko peeked outside cautiously. Her eyes grew as she looked upon the house she was brought to, baffled by its scale being so attuned to her. White walls stretched up for two stories with enough roof space for an attic, making for an impressively sized home -- a property that yet all fit atop a table inside a shabby apartment. Yukiko marveled over an idyllic house that a family would strive for, but Miko behind her was looking over an intricate dollhouse.
Miko noticed how paused Yukiko was, and so she motioned a finger towards the front door. “Go ahead inside!” she urged. “It’s all for you, Yukiko! I still have to set up a few appliances, but you should make yourself comfortable. I-I hope you enjoy it!”
The Ga-Chan Girl drew nearer to the house on the tips of her toes, as though the door could possibly swing open with a surprise. She scaled the two steps of a patio and twisted the door knob, slowly entering the dimly lit home. The only sources of light were what came in through the windows, casting a broad darkness over most of everything. That was until the power was suddenly flicked on; lamps and bulbs all over sprung to life alongside the hum of an energy flow, pushing Yukiko into a gasp.
“Oops-- my bad! I could’ve warned you,” Miko apologized, having been the one to switch on the power. “Looks like the battery is working properly, at least. That should also let the water run now, too. C-Can you go into the kitchen and try it for me?”
“U-Um… Sure…?” Yukiko replied, aiming her voice up to the ceiling -- the most appropriate direction she could decide to respond towards. With the lights flipped on, Yukiko could now see the various furniture that was placed around the living room, which she strayed away from as though it were all off-limits. She quietly slid into the kitchen as she was asked to, peeping around the corner to first comprehend the layout. Like everything else, the kitchen was uncannily spotless, having never been used despite everything situated to be lived in. In the stretch of silence, Yukiko thought she sensed ghosts of those that once resided here, but what she was truly experiencing were more ticks of memories that told her that this was ordinary.
With so much to see and test, Yukiko nearly forgot to turn on the water as had been requested. She was spying into the fridge when she remembered as much, and she hustled to the sink to turn on one of its valves. There was a worrying groan from the pipes, but a second later, water spewed from the spout, just as a normal sink would. The slight splash spooked Yukiko into stepping back, her eyes wide with fascination.
“Uh… I-It works,” Yukiko called out, still staring at the running water. There were rumblings of movement from outside the house, but Yukiko was deaf to it. She approached the sink and offered a finger into the stream, flinching at first when it got wet but otherwise persisting to allow her hand to be rinsed. The cold flow of the water pushing through her fingers was oddly cleansing for her mind, soothing the sensation that was her instincts flaring to life.
“Oh, good! That’s great!” Miko’s voice popped in from an unexpected direction, piercing through the wall that the sink was up against. Pulled out of her trance, Yukiko looked up from the water to see the pupil of an eye filling her window. Just as the eye blinked, Yukiko shrieked and jumped to the opposite countertop in the kitchen, grasping where her heart was thumping. Miko cooed with concern, “Ah, I d-didn’t mean to surprise you. It’s just me! Miko!”
Yukiko caught her breath soon after, chiding herself for acting so feeble. With reddened cheeks, she tepidly approached the sink again to turn off the water. She observed the remaining water swirl into the drain, prompting a question; “Should I worry about conserving water, o-or anything? Wh-Where does the water go…?”
Miko’s smile brightened, despite being out of view. “Oh, that’s all taken care of,” she answered. “Underneath the house, sort of where the crawlspace should be, is a whole filtering system for the water. I just have to empty it out and refill the tank every few days. Actually…”
From her angle outside, Miko tried to direct Yukiko with a point of her finger. After a few tries of turning, Yukiko’s attention was taken to a panel device between the kitchen and living room, where an array of small red lights waited to be lit. They were of similar design to lamps Yukiko had noticed elsewhere around the Ga-Chan house, their red tint having inspired something else to stress about.
“See those lights? That will tell you if there’s something detected to be wrong with the house,” Miko elaborated. “So, like, if the water is tainted, or if the power isn’t acting right, that should tell you. It tells me, too.” Yukiko heard a tapping from high above, which was in fact Miko referring to her own safety panel atop the roof. “If you notice any of these lights on, you should take a look here and then let me know about it.”
Yukiko hovered over the panel, but her vision gravitated towards the eye at the window. It sped out of sight as quickly as it could blink, but when Yukiko looked to another window, she saw that get filled as well. She shuddered, meekly entering the living room again to gloss over its full bookshelf, but still was she itchy from Miko’s stare.
“Is everything okay in there?” Miko wondered, her posture awkwardly looming around one corner of the model home. “You can get something to drink from the fridge, i-it should be stocked. You seem a little stiff, still…”
Yukiko thought to excuse her shyness, but there was no denying that she felt overwhelmed by the attention -- clearly so, if even Miko had taken notice. She massaged her shoulder while thinking of a fair reply. “I-If it isn’t too much to ask, actually--”
“Go for it!” Miko bubbled up eagerly. “Ask me anything! I-I’m here to help you settle in!”
Yukiko swallowed after having been interrupted. “Err… could I have a little privacy for a bit? I-It’s just that, with you looking at me and all, I-I don’t really feel…”
“Oh-- I understand! Totally!” Miko laughed and pulled away from the window, then shifted further away from the table itself. She held her hands together to keep them closeby, resisting the temptations to keep touching. “I wouldn’t want someone peeping in through my windows either, hehe. I’ll let you explore the house at your own pace! You can consider which bedroom to claim as your own, too~”
Yukiko staggered to the last window Miko had been at, gazing outside to see the giant having stood up. Though it was a relief to have that pressure removed, the Ga-Chan Girl consequently felt more alone due to the distance.
“I’m right here if you need me,” Miko said, unbuttoning the first buttons of her top. “I need to get undressed from this, anyway. I forgot I was still in my work clothes…” In mid-speech, she turned away towards a clothes cabinet, continuing to disrobe. Yukiko watched her owner for a time, but once her wariness subsided, her interest went right back to the house and the rest of it that she had yet to explore.
Yukiko wandered without an immediate goal, content with testing out the various appliances and examining the nooks of the house for its finest details. The most mundane of features managed to impress her, such as a stove that really could heat up, and books that were complete with full stories inside. The television worked as well, and there was a personal computer too, but those required more of Miko’s attention to be fully activated.
The space itself was open and refreshing, partly due to a lack of furniture. No room felt empty by any means, but the sparse amount of decorations was left open for the owners to fill in. Yukiko entertained the ideas that came to mind -- a chair here, a lamp there -- but was unsure yet of just how much control of her space she had. She was guaranteed, at least, to claim one of the four bedrooms as her own, but after exploring the three from the second floor, it was clear that the master bedroom downstairs was the most fetching.
What will the other three be used for? Yukiko asked herself as she hovered outside her bedroom, partially leaned against the doorframe. The house was certainly spacious and could accommodate several people -- relatively speaking, it put Miko’s own home to shame -- but it was uncomfortable to imagine the whole house being reserved for just herself. I do like the quiet, she debated, but all the time would be… maddening.
The cold creep of loneliness traveled up to her shoulders. Yukiko held herself as she swayed back into the living room, her search for a distraction hooking onto the safety panel going into the kitchen. The lights were unlit like before, but she noticed there was a button labeled “CALL” just beside a flat microphone to speak into. Having explored the house sufficiently, Yukiko thought it proper to go ahead and buzz for Miko, if only to have some company again.
She pressed the button with a light poke-- Brrzzrrzzrrzzrrzzrr!! Brrzzrrzzrrzzrrzzrr!! Yukiko gasped and collapsed to her knees, defending her ears from a siren-like noise about as loud as an alarm clock. She tried to yell over the ringing, standing up in a rush to figure out how to make it cease, but smacking the button again only restarted it. Yukiko bit the tips of her fingers out of worry; it was her first day being awake, and she was already causing problems for her new owner.
Another development added to Yukiko’s shock when the ceiling suddenly began to rise, leaking in light from outside as it came apart from the walls. Yukiko fretted into the center of the living room, the farthest away she could get from the changing structure, and stared up at the second floor being removed. Replacing the ceiling then was Miko, her shadowed face looming above after she lifted the top half of the house away. Her eyes darted concernedly, but her expression softened upon confirming that nothing was truly wrong.
“Hey there!” Miko chuckled as she set aside the second floor. Out of Yukiko’s view, she flipped a small switch that put an end to the alarm, which to Miko had sounded like a typical phone ringtone. Even after the buzzing had stopped, however, Yukiko remained shaking in the middle of the floor, stuttering in attempts to apologize. “Hey, no worries. You figured out how to make a call for me -- that’s good to know! Did you finish checking things out?”
Yukiko grasped at her heart, finding the balance to speak again. “Y-Yes… It’s… nice.”
“Great! Oh, that’s great to hear,” Miko sighed. “I’m so jealous, honestly. I can only dream about having a house as nice as this.” She lowered a hand into the living room, using a single digit to gently stroke the couch, then brush along the window curtains. “If there’s any furniture you want, let me know and I’ll look for it! My apartment isn’t big enough to decorate much, but your place is really easy to rearrange! And they make so many cute things for Ga-Chans, a whole catalogue.”
“Th-That’s fun… uh, but… is the house supposed to…?” Yukiko pointed at the walls, specifically where they were supposed to meet the now-absent ceiling.
“Ah, yep! That’s supposed to happen,” Miko answered with a nod. “That makes putting furniture and stuff inside way easier. And if something were to happen to you, I can just reach in like this.” She put her hands together, above the house where Yukiko could see them. “I-I didn’t mean to scare you by opening the house up like that. I’ll give you a warning next time!”
Yukiko giggled nervously, slowly fanning out her fears as she stood back up onto her feet. She took notice of Miko’s change in appearance, having undressed from her office attire in exchange for some loose-fitting pajamas. Scanning her through a window, Yukiko saw her owner dressed in a long gray t-shirt that stretched down to her thighs and mostly hid the pink shorts underneath. Noteworthy as well was that Miko’s hair was down, free from the hair clips that kept its blonde strands in place and allowed to sway above the model house.
“Are there, um, any other clothes for me to wear?” Yukiko asked, that curiosity brought on by Miko’s attire. She pulled at the ends of her skirt, “Th-This outfit is very lovely, but I don’t know if I would wear it everyday… or to sleep in…”
“Yes, yes! There’s a whole-- here, let me just grab it…” Miko ducked aside and was heard rustling through boxes and bags. She returned with a smile curled inward, a weak attempt at restraining her amusement. Her hand dove in through the open ceiling and deposited in front of Yukiko a pod-shaped object, its clean-white design standing out compared to the normalcy of the house. It stood slightly taller than Yukiko, and printed across its two doors was the Ga-Chan Girl logo.
Encouraged to look inside, Yukiko opened it to discover that it was a wardrobe already outfitted with a collection of outfits. They were organized neatly, still flattened like stickers between thin sheets of plastic; everything would have to be aired out once before being wearable, but the selection still put a sparkle in Yukiko’s eyes. There were several options to choose from, and even more when combinations were considered. Different pants, shirts, footwear, and accessories gave her something to wear for almost any occasion.
“And just like with the furniture, I can always get more,” Miko additionally chimed. She held her chin high with pride that she could so easily tend to someone’s wants; a significant part of the appeal to having a Ga-Chan Girl was the ability to provide so much for so cheap. “Oh, you can put that anywhere you’d like, basically. It’s your home, after all!”
Yukiko contemplated that very topic, but ran into an issue immediately. She gave a strong effort, but she was too weak to move the wardrobe effectively on her own, and was close to pushing it over rather than sliding it forward into the master bedroom. Fortunately, Miko caught the pod before it could tip, and subsequently offered to simply place it wherever Yukiko wanted.
As a few more arrangements needed to be completed, Yukiko stepped outside the model house to allow Miko the freedom to work on the inside. The internet was eventually connected to the computers within, and similarly was cable broadcasted onto the televisions. A second test was performed to ensure the electronics were working and that the water was running properly; everything checked out, listed aloud for Miko to keep up with. Every aspect of the house lifted her spirits higher, to the point she could dare admit that she was excited for the future.
Miko rested back onto a pillow seat with a sigh of relief. She stroked a wrist across her forehead, “That’s it… That should be everything.” She giggled as her glance turned to Miko. “For now, at least. There are so many cool upgrades I can get -- m-maybe on my next paycheck…”
Yukiko laughed at the small joke, a gesture that brought warmth to her human’s cheeks. “Thank you again, f-for all of this,” the Ga-Chan Girl said, pivoting back towards her new home. “It’s still a lot to take in, but… I think it’s coming together. I-I’m starting to understand what this all… is.”
“That’s awesome!” Miko cheered, controlling her volume too late. “I-I mean, I wish I could make it even easier for you. This transition has to be a lot of pressure, but I’m glad you’re getting worn in.”
Yukiko nodded as her fingers curled into the folds of her skirt. She had been biting back these worries, not wanting to draw concern during such a busy day, but the time seemed most appropriate to bring up a question that had kept her hesitant all this time. “Uh, perhaps you might know,” she began despite being unsure where to, “but… how do I know these things?”
The question was stated that simply, leaving Miko paused to reply. “Ah, well, i-it has to do with your programming… I think.”
“Programming?” Yukiko held her head gently, as if it were made of glass. “I still don’t quite understand…”
“As far as I understand,” Miko cleared her throat, “Ga-Chan Girls are activated with a certain, err, awareness already built into their minds.” The explanation was so far not working; neither for Yukiko, nor Miko herself. An analogy popped into mind: “It’s like starting over an RPG you already beat! Y-You know? You might need to level up again and find new equipment, but you’re already aware of what to do and what the rules are. Your character is at level one, but you know the game already.” Miko was amused by her explanation, but by the end of it, she feared it had gone over Yukiko’s head. “Does that… make sense?”
Yukiko was unresponsive for a second, but when pressed, she nodded in reply. “I think I get what you mean,” she said, her tone hushed as she sank into thought. “It’s weird… I shouldn’t know what an RPG is, but… I do. A… role playing game.” Her stare was lost without focus, but when Miko leaned in worried, Yukiko looked into her eyes with a reassuring grin. “I guess that’s an example of what we’re talking about. I know things, but… not until I’ve been introduced.”
“More or less,” Miko chuckled. “I’m sure it will all make sense with time. But, just know for sure that you’re safe with me! If we stick together, I think we’ll both be very happy~” Her smile widened, just as Yukiko’s was spreading in return, but her joy turned into a yawn that needed to be covered. With weary eyes, Miko looked over her precious Ga-Chan Girl and the home she set up for her; all this time, Miko had been so swept into the excitement, she forgot just how exhausted the office had left her earlier that day, and how little sleep she got the night before thinking of this very moment.
Miko unrolled her futon out onto the floor after having cleared some space for it. She would be sleeping in a corner not far from the chabudai table, a position she could keenly respond to emergencies from, but primarily, it was an angle that she could watch the Ga-Chan Girl house from for as long as it took her to fall asleep. Between the worries that something could happen to Yukiko during the night were bubbles of dreams, fantasies of what the future would hold for both of them going forward.
Yukiko had her own thoughts to reflect upon, what with there being so much to mentally unpack. Her diminutive size, her role beneath Miko, her ever-expanding memories and instincts -- questions all compounded together into one abrasive headache, but there was a lasting comfort that kept Yukiko sane. She gandered out the windows often, past the cliffside of the table’s end and across the living room, where Miko slept itchily in anticipation for tomorrow. There were many unanswered wonders, but Yukiko put her trust into Miko, confident they would brave a new everyday-life together.