Engine Boy, I Love You!

#2: You're My Friend

Note: I split these into parts, so if you ever want to find what part you left off in, hit [ctrl] +[f] and type in [PART 1], 2, 3, etc. (Make sure the whole story has been loaded.)

PART 1

By now, going to the development studio after school had become an ingrained habit in Iida's schedule. Against all odds, he realized he'd somehow claimed this eccentric rascal as his new friend. He wasn't particularly proud of that fact, but at the very least, she never failed to amuse him with her antics.

Is that what this is? Amusement? he wasn't sure if that was the right word, but it didn't stop him from letting himself into the studio like usual.

"Hello," he greeted in his usual manner, "it's just me, Iida again."

"Engine boy!" Hatsume beamed, "You're just in time for my latest baby!"

Keeping his smile off of his face to avoid encouraging her, Iida gave her his typical response. "As long as it doesn't explode—"

"It won't explode!"

Sorry, but that doesn't reassure me.

Regardless of his thoughts however, he found himself approaching her.

"If you truly insist," he began carefully, "What exactly is this 'baby' of yours today?"

Somewhat shocked, she cocked her head at him. "You're asking me genuinely? Not even going to argue: 'yes, it will explode!' this time?"

A tiny scoff escaped him. "There wouldn't be much of a point."

Her grin widened slightly. "So he learns! Great! I don't have to design a learning algorithm for you!"

"What am I, a robot?" he muttered back.

All she had to do was mimic an arm chop for him to get the point.

"Moving on!" she said, spinning to grab her small gizmo off of the table, "What I've been hoping to show off today, is this little beauty!"

Flinching away out of reflex when she held it up, Iida eyed the curious object carefully. It appeared to be some sort of spherical, metal object, assembled by miniscule, interlocking cubes. He looked it up and down several times before readjusting his glasses and returning to his usual, straight posture.

"What is that, exactly?"

"You'll see!" she grinned, putting the cube down and grabbing a remote control, "Just watch!"

Her eyes glittering with enthusiasm, he watched as Hatsume slammed a finger down on the center button of the controller. Then, looking up, the two of them waited in anticipation for something to happen next.

A few seconds ticked by, Iida's shoulders slumping when the object continued to sit still. Determined anyway, she pressed the button a second, and then a third time, but nothing happened.

She turned to him, her happy expression contradicting as usual. "It's busted!"

"I can see that."

Perhaps miffed, when Hatsume spun again to press the button on her controller, her hair whapped Iida in the face.

"Darn this stupid hunk-of-junk! I had it working like five minutes ago!"

"Really? That's unfortunate..."

A vein bulged on her head. "Yeah it is! It's like you have this magic presence where whenever you enter the room, my stuff breaks!"

"That isn't a particularly logical observation for an inventor to make."