Murasakino

Showering

   Cathy helped us come up with a new routine; we would walk to work on Saturdays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, then we would drive every other day. That way, we spent more time outside on the natural path than in the car. Dr Takeda agreed that it would be a good experience for us, even though we were only going to the supermarket to work.
   "It will help you get to experience what it's like to... to be real people," he told us. "You can't just spend your entire lives working in a shop like... well, machines, so I am sure that this will be beneficial."
   "Dr Takeda's right," Cathy added, getting us ready to set off. "I know you are robots, but you're meant to be as realistic as possible. Plus, going outside never gets boring, so it'll be fun too." It was a Sunday, so unfortunately we were driving again, but most of the other girls seemed happy in the car. They could just sit and talk to eachother, while Cathy put some music on for us to listen to. This music wasn't any that we'd heard before. We usually heard calm, soothing tunes playing in the shop, but this was different; there was an electric guitar, drums and a woman singing fairly loudly. Cathy was singing along, doing a pretty accurate impression of the woman's voice. I could tell she knew the lyrics off by heart.

   When we arrived at the supermarket, some of the shelves near the self-service machines were empty. A couple of men were walking up and down the aisle, pulling a trolley piled high with boxes of make-up and cosmetics. They were opening them one at a time and putting the bottles and tubs onto the empty shelves. As they filled the shelves, they brought the trolley to a room at the back of the shop and disappeared for a while. Many of the shop's first customers of the day went over to the cosmetics aisle, delighted to see new products available. One such person, a stunning blonde teenager, came to my counter to buy her things.
   "I like your hair," she told me, placing her basket on the pile. "It's so shiny and smooth looking!"
   "Oh? Thank you," I answered, running my left hand through it as I scanned her shampoo.
   "Which conditioner do you use?" she asked. I was unsure how to answer this question, since I had never washed my hair or treated it in any way, so I just made up my answer.
   "This one, actually," I lied, holding the bottle I had just scanned. "The same brand you use."
   "You do? Your hair is so much nicer than mine!" Her hair was short and curly, and looked shinier than mine. "I guess I'm not using enough."
   "Maybe," I replied.

   When we arrived back at the lab in the evening, the big hall was surprisingly empty, with only a couple of men in labcoats sat at their desks working. Everyone else seemed to be in their own separate corridors. Dr Takeda was in his, and we noticed that there was an extra knife and fork at the dinner table.
   "Who's this seat for?" Aka asked, pointing to the extra chair that had been put at the end of the table.
   "Well, we have a special guest today, girls." Dr Takeda straightened his tie and glasses then looked up at us. "The woman who owns the company, Indigo Gardner, is coming to look at the labs, and is eating with us. We're having lasagne and cheesecake, but neither are ready yet, so you can go into the other room to change clothes and shower. Just go downstairs and into the changing room I made for you." We did as Dr Takeda said, and the changing room had been made to look cheerful for us. The walls were a pale blue with clouds painted on them, and at the end of the room were two wardrobes. On the left side of the room there was a shower, and along the right wall were six individual changing cubicles with turquoise curtains for doors.
   "Should we shower first?" asked Midori, walking over to the shower.
   "I don't see why not," Honōiro replied.

   I was the first to use the shower, as the others were busy lolking at the outfits they would put on later. I opened the door, which was the same colour as the walls. As I walked inside, it closed and blocked out the sound from outside. It was hot inside, and there was a shower with a white shower curtain and a shelf for shampoos and soaps. I was looking for a switch or a button for the shower when a tile on the wall flipped itself around, presenting a tiny screen. On the screen were a circle labelled 'on' and a line that was blue at one end and gradually became red toward the other end. I quickly realised that the colours represented the temperature of the water, and that there was a grey arrow underneath it that could be dragged to any position on the line. I moved the arrow near the end of the red side and pressed the 'on' button, stepping inside. The button changed to an 'off' button, and water began pouring from the showerhead and onto the white floor. I put my head underneath it and let the water run down my hair and back. Not satisfied with the temperature, I moved the arrow closer to the red area and stood fully underneath the showerhead.

   The water was incredibly relaxing, and I closed my eyes and felt it running down my face. I stretched out my arms, tipped back my head and drew a long breath. Some water trickled into my nose, causing me to cough and slip. Luckily, I caught myself before I could fall. I noticed that the bottle of conditioner was the same as the one the girl in the shop had bought, and the shampoo was the same brand. I rubbed some into my hair and along my arms, then everywhere else. The bubbles felt odd and slippery, but satisfying nonetheless. As I was soaking myself to get the bubbles off, I thought I heard the door opening, but after hearing no further sound I relaxed again.
   "Murasakino?" said a voice from next to the shower. Before I could react, the shower curtain was drawn back sharply and steam flooded into the room. I screamed and covered my chest, and as the mist vanished I saw Ao stood before me. "Why are you showering in your clothes, Murasakino?" she asked, obviously confused. "You know you're meant to undress before you get in the shower, right? Get dried quickly; the others are waiting for their turns."