"Teki. I had an idea." Hideo stuck his head over the back of the couch, eyes wide.

Lifting his head, Teki cocked it to one side so he could look into the boy's childishly round eyes. "Yes?" He put down his phone and propped a hand under his chin.

Standing on tiptoe, Hideo's face split with a chin. "I hate cleaning, so I'm got a Roomba. You should become friends with it."

Squinting, Teki stared at him. "What's a Roomba?"

"A robot! Like you, sorta. Less intelligent...and is not human. It's basically a vacuum with a mind."

"Am I a vacuum?"

"No." Hideo patted Teki's head and stood back up. He shoved his hands in his sweatshirt pocket. "Don't worry, I'll unbox it in a bit. It'll be great. I just thought you should know."

"Why?" 

Hideo was heading off to the kitchen. Teki sat up a bit and peered after him, but he'd already gone. He saw the boy plug a headphone into his ear before he disappeared around the corner humming, though. Teki grimaced a bit and silently hoped Hideo wasn't going to start cooking.

Footsteps padded across the carpet. Teki looked up at Daiki. "Hideo got a Roomba. He wants me to befriend it."

Daiki plopped down on the couch and looked over. "What? Do we need a Roomba?" He peeked over the back of the couch. "I need to take his credit card."

"I've been told it cleans the floor and has intelligence." Picking up his phone, Teki stuffed it in his pocket. He leaned back and stretched his metal arms in front of him. "Apparently not as much as me, though."

"Well...he's not wrong. It's a vacuum. I'm still not convinced we need it, but it could be helpful I suppose." Daiki peeked at the floor. "This floor won't clean itself..."

"Other floors can do that?" 

Daiki laughed and leaned his head back. "No, sadly not. Maybe in the future. Anyway, what about the roomba?"

"He said he got one and I should be friends with it." Teki's eyes lingered towards the kitchen before returning to Daiki. He shifted forward some. "I don't know why."

"Cause you're both robots probably. It's Hideo's thought process," he tapped at his chin some and tilted his head to the side. "It could be cool, though. Have you ever talked to any of our tech before?"

Teki shook his head. "Nope."

Nodding, Daiki cracked open his book. "Fair enough. Will you hand me the blanket, please?" 

Reaching out, Teki grabbed the blanket. He handed it off to Daiki and got up. Wandering around the couch, he started towards the kitchen and ended up detouring to his room instead. Opening the door he walked inside and looked around. The TV was off. Teki frowned. He reached down into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

I've never tried talking to human technology before. Does it answer back? Hideo talks to his computer a lot, and Daiki gets angry at his art. I suppose it's worth a try.

He held up the phone into the light and glanced around. Lowering his voice, he whispered to the phone. "Hello?"

It stared back at him silent and inanimate. Teki dropped it onto his bed and sat down. He poked at it with one finger. "Nothing to say?" he whispered again. "Am I too quiet?" He raised his voice just a bit, but not so much it would carry through the door.

No answer. Teki left the phone alone and sighed. "Maybe human tech can't talk," he thought out loud. "Oh well."

A loud knock came at the door. Teki jumped slightly and sat up. He shoved the phone in his pocket and got up. "Come in."

The door cracked open to reveal Hideo's face. He grinned and there the door open after peeking inside. A box was tucked under his arm, large and rather cumbersome. A round object was pictured on the outside with something like lights on the front of it. Teki squinted at it.

Hideo held it up in front of himself with a smile. "Behold, the Roomba. Our latest robotic addition to the family."

Tilting his head, Teki squinted more. "It's intelligent? It looks...not intelligent."

Setting the box down on the floor, Hideo shrugged. Daiki appeared behind him and put his hands up. He peeked forward, though, and inspected the box. 

"I guess we'll find out," Hideo said. He began pulling the tape and wrapping off the box, opening it up. From inside he produced the large round object that was the famed Roomba. Setting it on the floor he fished around inside for the instructions before settling back on the floor. 

Daiki worked his way inside and leaned against the door. "Do we really need this or do I need to confiscate your spending money?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Hideo waved it off. "It's fine. I have the money." He stared at the instructions.

Teki knelt down and poked at the round object. It didn't move. Didn't have any lights on like in the picture either. Was it dead? Could it even be alive? He squatted down and watched Hideo muse over the instructions. Daiki leaned over to read them over Hideo's shoulder.

"We need batteries. Daiki, do you remember where they are?" Hideo asked, looking up. He lifted a finger and booped the older man on the nose and grinned. 

Daiki stood up. He laughed slightly and nodded. "Yeah. What kind?"

"E, please."

"Got it."

Daiki disappeared. Teki picked up the Roomba and turned it over. Wheels, brushes, it did look like a cleaning apparatus. He put it back down. 

"Why am I supposed to be friends with this thing?" 

Hideo shrugged. "Just a thought. I don't even know if it's possible, but we'll know soon, won't we?"

"I suppose."

Daiki came back. Hideo stuck a hand in the air and Daiki dropped the batteries into his open palm. Leaning forward, Hideo stuck his tongue out and popped a headphone back into his ear as he flipped the Roomba over. He undid the bottom latch and plugged in the batteries before flipping it back over. Putting it back down, he hit the button on the top and squinted at it.

Teki imagined holding his breath as three little lights appeared on the top. A small singsong melody came from the bot as it came to life finally. Teki sat up straighter. He cocked his head to one side.

"It is intelligent..." he murmured.

"What, how do you--"

Hideo silence Daiki with a finger. "Just let them interact..." he whispered.

Teki put a finger out and bumped the Roomba's front sensor. It recoiled back and turned around, trundling off to start cleaning. It chirped as it went. Teki stood up and followed it a few steps. He put a foot in front of it. It turned around. He moved and it headed back off into his room. 

"Well?" Hideo piped up. 

Teki glanced over at him. "I'd say it's the equivalent of your human pets. Cats and such."

"How do you know that?" Daiki asked, tilting his head. He had both hands latched firmly over Hideo's shoulders as he watched the Roomba from the corner of his eye.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Teki shrugged. "Well for one, it speaks, but it is not very intelligent. I believe it only knows a few phrases."

Hideo's eyes widened considerably. "You know what it's saying? Does it like us."

"I think so. It appears happy to clean. That appears to be it's primary motive as you said earlier."

"Yess." Forming a first, Hideo grinned and pumped it in the air. "We have a robot friendship!"

Moving after the Roomba, Teki watched it track around his room. It occasionally stopped and chirped as it spun around and surveyed the contents of the floor. After a minute or two, it trundled back past his foot. Teki reached down and put his hand in front of it. It stopped.

"Can I name it?" he asked, peeking up at Hideo.

Daiki was still watching it warily from behind Hideo. He squinted at the robotic creature slightly. 

"Why not?" Hideo shrugged. He looked up at Daiki. "Right?"

"Sure..."

"You good, you look a little scared." Hideo poked at Daiki's hand and peeked up at him. 

Daiki's grip loosened. He plastered on a smile. "Totally fine, just worried it's gonna run over my feet." He flushed and rubbed at the top of his head, missing up his silver hair. 

Teki put a hand on the back of the Roomba and let its electronic warmth seep into his hand. He looked over at Daiki. "It is incapable of running over your feet. It would detect them first and move. I believe it should fear being stepped on more." 

"That's fair..." Daiki said. He shifted and stood up some.

Teki patted the Roomba and moved his hand. It headed off into the living room. He looked up. "Ramen. I'm going to call it Ramen."

Hideo stood up and crossed his arms with a grin. "Ramen the Roomba. I like it. Maybe we should get it cat ears or something."

"No point," Teki said. "It is not a cat. It's Ramen."

"Fair point."

Daiki emerged from where he'd been behind Hideo and looked out into the living room. He ventured out of the room, watching for the Roomba as he walked to gather up the blanket left on the couch. Ramen came by and whistled as it headed under the couch. Teki sighed.

"It's going to get stuck."

Hideo laughed. "Ramen may not be the brightest Roomba out there."

Jogging over to the couch, Teki grabbed up the Roomba before it could slide too far under the couch. He turned it around and put it back down. "Bad Ramen," he whispered and sent it off on a clear path.

It turned around and circled his feet before heading back under the couch. Teki threw his arms in the air.

From his doorway, Hideo threw his head back and laughed louder. "I was wrong, I think it's just rebellious!" 

Catching up the Roomba before it could disappear under the furniture, Teki hugged it to his chest and carried it to his room. It chirped plaintively until he put it down and set it to face the inside of his room. "Stay in there," he chided.

With a nudge of his foot, it rolled inside to re-patrol. Teki ushered Hideo out and closed the door. "It is not very bright at all and very rebellious but means well," he sighed.

Hideo was still giggling. He just looked down and shook his head as he pulled a headphone from his ear. "I guess this means your friends now. Can't believe that actually worked."

"We are acquainted yes. I will observe it and judge whether or not we will become friends." Teki squinted at the door. "It may be a bad influence."

"Ah yes, because Roombas are terrible influences." Hideo walked away, shaking his head. "I think if nothing else, you'll be a good influence on it."

"Thank you."

Daiki peeked over the back of the couch. "Are you gonna keep it in your room?" he asked. 

Teki nodded. "Until it can behave. If that's okay with Hideo."

"Fine by me!"

He nodded again. "Yes."

Daiki nodded. "Let me know when you let it out. I don't wanna step on it and break it."

"Will do." Teki smiled. He heard a bump and turned around to face the door. Reaching for the handle, peeked inside and saw the Roomba stubbornly bumping at the closed door. He nudged it back with his foot and fixed a finger on it. "Stay here. You really don't know what to get into and what not to get into." He sighed and slipped into his room and picked it up again as it continued to resist turning around. Hugging Ramen to his chest, Teki carried him away from the door and closed it. "Crazy Ramen," he muttered and shook his head.

Ramen chirped and Teki patted it.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna show you where you can go and where you can't. Just don't get stuck, okay?"

He put the Roomba back down. It chirped and turned around, whirring as it trundled away from his foot. Teki smiled.

"Good job, Ramen."