"As a rule, he's slow to trust. I suppose being secretive with an interest most people take as childish fits with that." Goro as Akako knows him might not be as guarded, but no doubt she can see how that's happened in cases where she's not present.

"It's been going well enough. It helps that half the real population is versions of someone I know very well, when it comes to socialising - opportunities haven't been common at home. There's another version of me here as well; if you need to differentiate you can call me Rose. We've been working together on a gardening project, as well as maintaining our own separate beds."