"So, this is the place..." Yasuhara murmured as he walked alongside the NA200. It was a cold day, and he was bundled up in his thick woollen coat as they headed down the street. He'd never actually been to the coffee shop before. It was a place Jeanette had found one day, and they'd just placed orders there ever since. It was conveniently close to the bank, and the coffee was good, so they'd never changed it. It was early morning and they wouldn't start for another thirty minutes, which gave Yasuhara time to accompany the NA200 for a change. The NA200 had insisted he didn't require supervision, but Yasuhara was helplessly curious about both Mai and the shop. He wanted to see how the NA200 acted around her, and see if she was as cute as her picture. "It looks homely," Yasuhara added cheerfully as he looked at the small wood framed shop front. It wouldn't look out of place in a winter wonderland setting. It was a small building with a sloped triangle roof and glass fronting.

"That is an apt description," the NA200 replied in his usual toneless voice. The interior was warm, and Yasuhara felt his cheeks heat as soon as the door shut behind them. The warmth was surprising, considering the huge glass windows along the front. Behind the counter he could see Mai, the girl from the picture, only she was much cuter in person. Her dress was also a lot lower cut than he'd thought. It was a cute maid dress with a frilly white apron and puffy skirts that stopped above her delicate knees. He noticed the NA200 looking at him from the corner of his eye, probably reading his reaction.

"Naru!" Mai called brightly as she looked up from the coffee machine. Yasuhara raised an eyebrow at the nickname. Naru? he wondered, seeing the barest pinch of the android's smooth brow. "Your usual?" she added cheerfully, to which the NA200 nodded. Yasuhara joined him at the counter, leaning on one arm as he watched the bubbly girl making their coffee. He elbowed the NA200 lightly in encouragement, noting the way Mai was constantly stealing glances at him. "You brought a friend with you today," she added as she worked.

"He is a co-worker," the NA200 corrected matter-of-factly. The reaction would have seemed cold coming from a human, but Yasuhara knew the NA200 was simply following his programming. Technically, that was right. The androids at the bank weren't programmed to make friends. They were programmed to work as part of a team and fulfil a role. The concept of friendship was lost on them, as it was on all androids. Yasuhara chuckled at the NA200 and bumped his arm lightly before turning his attention to Mai, who was still waiting for an introduction.

"Yasuhara, pleased to meet you," he greeted brightly, giving Mai a winning smile. Mai returned the smile and fell into easy conversation with them. Yasuhara was easy to talk to. He worked in business, so that probably came in handy at the office. Yasuhara quickly asked about the name Naru and where it had come from. He was surprised to learn that the NA200 hadn't shared his name actual name. Though why would he? He never gives out information unless he's asked for it directly. It was another part of their programming, mainly for security reasons.

"Since I didn't know his name, I wrote his model number on the cup, but one of my other regulars misread it," she explained, still remembering the way Takigawa had squinted at her poor writing, asking her who the hell is Naru? before she'd leaned over and corrected him. He'd laughed and teased her about it, and the name had stuck. The NA200 had been confused at first, but after a few days of Takigawa calling him Naru, he'd started to respond to it. Since it worked with Takigawa, Mai had started doing it as well. It was nice to call him something besides NA200.

"I can't believe you never introduced yourself, Kaz!" Yasuhara teased with a chuckle. The NA200 looked through his social programs and realised that he should have done so. He had been a regular customer at the café for many months at this point. He simply hadn't considered it. He'd gotten Mai's name with a simple facial scan, and their relationship was a simple server-customer affair. He hadn't thought it necessary at first, and Mai had never asked in the months since.

"You are correct. I apologise, Mai," the NA200 said in a humble tone as he gave a small bow. Yasuhara almost laughed at the way Mai's cheeks turned red. It seemed he'd never said her name out loud before. There was rarely any need to. She was always at the counter, ready to serve when he arrived, and she would often greet him first. She stammered nervously before returning her attention to the coffee she was making. Yasuhara watched Mai and the NA200 interact and noticed that he was ever so slightly softer when speaking to her than he was at the office. He almost seemed to enjoy his time at the shop. Am I projecting again? He's just a machine; he doesn't think like that...

"Sorry it took so long! Here's your order, and Naru, this is for you," she added as she handed him a seasonally decorated cup. It was a deep red with a few sprigs of holly dotted around the outside. The NA200 took his drink with thanks, keeping it separate from the coffees to avoid any mix-ups. Yasuhara took one of the bags and opened the door, calling goodbye to Mai as they left. It was cold, too cold to be outside, in Yasuhara's opinion. He quickened his pace, unsurprised as the NA200 kept pace beside him.

"It's so cold out here! I bet it'll snow soon," he added with a shiver as they hurried up the street towards the bank. The NA200 looked up at the clouded sky and measured the temperature before replying with a few statistics and probabilities. It turned out it was likely to snow in a few weeks if the weather patterns continued as they had for the past two years. "Just in time for Christmas!" Yasuhara added with a grin, watching as the NA200's LED span yellow. He was probably looking up Christmas. He nodded his agreement a few moments later and tilted his head as Yasuhara idly began singing White Christmas. He was still humming as they reached their small section of the office.

"So? Was she as cute as the picture?" Jeanette asked teasingly, spinning her chair to watch as the duo reached their desks. The NA200 didn't bother to respond as he sat down to begin work, but Yasuhara was always ready to gossip. He smiled brightly as he started sorting through the hot cups, finding his own straight away and leaving it on the edge of the NA200's desk.

"Cuter! You're so lucky, Kaz! I wish I had your good looks," Yasuhara lamented playfully as he handed Jeanette her coffee. He was a little more rigid as he placed Mel's coffee on her desk, something that didn't go unnoticed by Jeanette. Mel had been subdued since she'd arrived, keeping her head down and barely talking to anybody. She'd especially avoided looking at Yasuhara. It had been that way for weeks, but neither of them had been willing to talk about it. She had no idea what had happened, but the NA200 didn't seem to have noticed either.

"You are aesthetically pleasing and well proportioned. I believe many humans would find you desirable as a mate," the NA200 replied simply as he continued to type. Jeanette cackled as Yasuhara looked at the NA200 with a stunned expression. The NA200 had compared Yasuhara in his database and determined him to be above average in both looks and physique. He was also intelligent, and the humans in the office seemed drawn to his bright personality. Add to that the fact that his pay was higher than average, and he was quite a desirable life partner.

"Kaz, you say the sweetest things sometimes," Yasuhara replied in a touched tone, resting a hand over his chest in jest. Jeanette teased him a little longer before returning to her desk. She didn't miss the way Yasuhara avoided Mel's gaze as he returned to his own desk and started work, or the way Mel kept herself out of their usual playful banter. Yasuhara only looked up as Mr Royce approached, his disgruntled expression shifting slightly as he met the NA200's blank gaze. The NA200's LED flickered yellow as he approached. Yasuhara was shocked to see it blip red once.

"You. My office. One hour," Mr Royce ordered in a low grumble, something in his eyes putting Yasuhara on edge. The way he was looking at the NA200 was almost predatory. He watched the NA200's hands still on his keyboard, his LED flashing yellow as he looked up with vacant eyes. It was like he'd momentarily stalled. Mr Royce didn't seem to notice as he grabbed his Americano and checked the cup to make sure it was his.

"Understood, Sir," the NA200 replied in his usual dutiful tone, though it felt a little more robotic than usual to Yasuhara. This had been going on for a few weeks now. Mr Royce would come in every so often and order the NA200 to his office. At first, no one had taken notice. People had meetings sometimes. There was work to be done. As time had worn on and the requests had become more regular, rumours had started. Yasuhara didn't like it. He didn't know for sure what they were doing, but he could guess. He bit the inside of his mouth as the NA200 returned to work, acting as if he hadn't just been openly propositioned by their married, middle-aged boss. "Is something wrong, Yasuhara?" the NA200 asked as he noticed his worried gaze.

"Kaz, you...No...it's nothing," Yasuhara replied in defeat, knowing the NA200 wouldn't be able to tell him anything anyway. Androids like that were designed with confidentiality protocols in place to stop them from talking about sexual liaisons. Yasuhara shuddered as he wondered just who else in the office was using the NA200 like that.