Episode 02

Sammy: Companions of Eve (Sammy イヴの仲間, Sammy Ivu no Nakama), also known as act02:SAMMY, is the second episode of Eve no Jikan. The episode primarily focuses on Rikuo's discovery of Sammy's visit to the cafe and her feelings.

Plot
The episode starts with Rikuo asking Sammy about her recent activities. He asks when she last left the house and why. She answers saying she went outside two days ago to purchase groceries and medical supplies as his mother had ordered. Rashly, Rikuo asks whether she had done anything beyond what she was ordered to. Sammy defies. From the sofa, Naoko says to Rikuo that he was treating Sammy like a human lately. Rikuo counters by saying their mother did the same too. He adds that she dressed up Sammy “like a doll” once. Naoko responds by saying their parent’s generation could not help but treat androids like humans. She adds that if Rikuo did it, he would be a total dori-kei. Naoko turns back to the TV and orders Sammy for her breakfast. Sammy acknowledges the command and leaves to prepare breakfast for her. The television shows a few reporters commenting on people who treat household androids like humans. One of them says that the empathy dori-kei youths show for “house-droids” indicate an inability to communicate with flesh-and-blood humans. Naoko swiftly lifts her head and asks Rikuo to “see” what she had meant. Nervous, Rikuo asks Sammy for her status. Sammy lists her orders: “Shopping is scheduled for the afternoon.”

At Rikuo’s school, an android walks to a group of girls and delivers one of them—his master—her change of clothes. The girl thanks her android in return. Another girl of the group asks why she was thanking “it”. The girl says she didn’t know why and asks her not to tell anybody about it. The other girl agrees to it. Some other girl in the background calls out to the girl and says she’s a dori-kei making her uneasy. The view shifts to Rikuo and Masaki. Rikuo tells Masaki that his android said that she did not go to the cafe. Masaki points to Rikuo’s cell phone and asks what the behavior logs meant then. Rikuo wonders if the logs wrong. Masaki says to Rikuo that he trusts androids too much, to which, Rikuo promptly responds that Sammy couldn’t be lying. Embarrassingly, he corrects the name to be “our android”. Masaki taunts him on the fact that he calls “that thing” Sammy. Rikuo then tries to thwart Masaki from asking any more questions and says that he doesn’t trust androids too much like he thinks. Masaki suggests that he restate the Three Laws of Robotics to him. Rikuo does not see the relevance of the laws, but Masaki explains that there were no laws against lying. Masaki gets surprised at the fact that Rikuo was not aware of it. He explains to Rikuo that he could not trust what “Sammy-chan” would say to him. Holding Rikuo by his shoulders, Masaki questions if Sammy would really go to shopping that afternoon, as she was scheduled. Reluctant, Rikuo counters that she would. Masaki says that they would have no choice but to go to the cafe and confirm the truth themselves.

Rikuo and Masaki stand before the cafe’s door with Masaki grinning and Rikuo having a worried expression. Rikuo asks whether they would really go inside. Masaki questions him back whether he wanted to confirm the truth himself or not. Annoyed, Rikuo agrees to enter the cafe. The two enter the cafe. Nagi welcomes them, but they do not respond. Both look around the cafe for Sammy but do not find her. Nagi looks at them, confused. Rikuo lets out a sigh of relief at the fact that Sammy did not come to the cafe. Masaki abruptly says that it would be too early to be relieved and that Sammy might come after them. Rikuo sighs and Masaki grins as the two enter the cafe.

Rikuo and Masaki both go upstairs and stand by the side railing as they wait for Sammy. Rikuo feels uneasy waiting there. Masaki suggests that they wait till dinner for Sammy. Rikuo says that he didn’t want to confront Sammy at the cafe. Masaki asks if the upstairs was a good place for observing the door. Rikuo responds that he was shortsighted and it might be difficult for him to see from upstairs. He adds that he could not see anything if he took off his glasses. Rikuo gets interrupted as something approaches him. Scared, he turns back to find a little girl, whose name is later revealed to be Chie, holding his hand. She lifts up her hand and “meows” at him. An elderly voice from downstairs gains the attention of all three. Rikuo and Masaki look down to find Shimei calling Chie downstairs. Chie responds to him and says that she’s a cat.

Rikuo and Masaki take Chie downstairs with them. Shimei apologizes for Chie’s behavior and says that kids should be left to play freely. Rikuo and Masaki, awed, agree with him. Chie grabs Rikuo’s arm again. Shimei asks her to let go of him but she doesn’t listen. Shimei sighs and says to Chie that there was something she wanted to eat. Chie says that she’s a cat and responds “ice cream”. Shimei says to her that she won’t get it if she doesn’t sit down. He apologizes to Rikuo and explains that she forgets everything else when something catches her attention. Chie lets go of Rikuo’s arm and walks towards the piano kept at a corner of the cafe. She tries to climb it. Rikuo looks at the piano. Masaki asks whether he would play it. Rikuo refuses and says that he had already told him that he had quit playing the piano. They both walk towards the piano and sit at the chairs kept behind it.

Rikuo asks if the old man and the little girl were humans or not, even though he thought they were. Masaki responds that no matter how they look at them, they were human. He adds that Akiko also ‘’seemed’’ to be a human at the cafe, negating his previous statement. They both get interrupted by a couple seated at the table directly in front of the piano. Unaware of Rikuo and Masaki, the couple have a romantic talk between them. They lean forward to kiss but notice the two awkwardly staring at them. Awkwardly, Rikuo asks if they should go somewhere else. The two get up and walk towards the front sofas, crossing the front bar and Nagi. Nagi asks them what they had been doing. Rikuo responds “socializing” as he walks on. Somewhat annoyed, Nagi asks them to order something. Masaki orders two eve blends as he walks on.

The two find a seat at the front right sofas. They sit down silently with their eve blends in front of them. Voices of Shimei serving ice cream to Chie fill the cafe. Masaki breaks their silence and asks Rikuo if he was scared, even though he himself thought he was. Rikuo asks what would he be scared of. Masaki responds that he was scared that Sammy would come to the cafe, that his own android would be at an unknown location, acting of its own accord, that “human dignity would be desecrated.” Rikuo asks if that was something his father said. Masaki says that he didn’t understand. He adds that he didn’t have an android to understand. Out of curiosity, Rikuo asks why he didn’t have one. A certain flashback appears at the back of Masaki’s mind. Before he could respond, the door opens. Anxious, Rikuo looks at the door only to find Akiko entering the cafe. Rikuo lets out another sigh of relief. He says he didn’t know why Sammy would lie to him. Masaki says it’s more difficult for him to understand robots without rings. Rikuo promptly gets up and walks towards the bar where Akiko sat.

Akiko greets Rikuo with a smile, but Rikuo does not return it. He looks at Akiko with a horrid expression, making Akiko wonder “what’s wrong”. She blushes and asks him to stop. Rikuo says that she was “completely different”. Misinterpreting his words, Akiko gets excited and says that she was happy that he thought of her to be different, making Rikuo blush a bit. Knowing that Akiko was neither a human nor a dori-kei, but a robot, Rikuo stoops and commands a question at Akiko. He asks where the ring above her head was. Akiko responds that she would be breaking the cafe’s rule if she had her ring with her. Rikuo counters by brining in the Robotics Act into the conversation, but Akiko calls it off. Rikuo looks at the front and finds Nagi with a tiresome expression plastered over her face. Akiko shamefully giggles at Nagi. Nagi’s expressions changes to a smile, when she sees Chie behind Rikuo and Akiko. She waves her hand at her. Rikuo and Akiko turn back. Akiko stoops towards Chie and greets her. Chie responds by saying she’s a cat. Akiko playfully looks at her. Chie says to Akiko that “he” is wearing something weird. Rikuo stoops towards Chie and wonders what weird thing he was wearing. Chie intently stares at Rikuo. She drops the spoon she had held onto for eating ice cream and motions her hand towards Rikuo’s face. She screams loudly in excitement and snatches Rikuo’s glasses. Akiko lets out a giggle at Rikuo’s face. Chie runs towards the stairs and climbs them. Shimei tries to stop her by imitating a cat.

The views shifts from Shimei to Masaki. He stares continuously at the man sitting at the sofa beside him. The man, whose name is later revealed to be Setoro, asks Masaki if he wanted something from him. He asks him why did he not do anything beside observing him. He adds that its not comfortable when a man stares at him continuously. Masaki apologizes and Setoro smiles. He explains that he would not be able to enjoy the cafe if he defies its rules. The view pans over the cafe showing Koji and Rina while Setoro carries on with his explanation. The view shifts to Rikuo, Shimei and Akiko upstairs look down on Chie for Rikuo’s glasses. Chie lifts both of her hands, grinning, and saying that she doesn’t have them. The door opens again and Setoro asks Masaki to give his regards to Rikuo. He keeps the book he previously read on the table in front of him and stands up to leave. Akiko and Rikuo come downstairs, with Akiko telling Rikuo about how Chie once hid her hat too. Rikuo notices Masaki and tells him that his glasses were “taken”. He asks Akiko to continue about Chie hiding her hat as they both walk towards the front sofa. Akiko carries on with her story. Masaki notices the door open and sees Setoro leave the cafe. Akiko tells Rikuo that Chie had hid her hat inside her underwear, making both of them giggle. Masaki gets up and walks towards the door saying “something came up” to Rikuo in a frustrated voice. Akiko wonders about Masaki’s rash words. Rikuo narrows his eyes in an attempt to look at Masaki, but his vision remains blurry without his glasses.

Masaki goes to the door and opens it. But it does not budge. He tries to force his way out by shouldering it. Nagi stopped him saying it won’t open right then. She adds that when someone leaves, the door locks itself for a while. Annoyed and confused, Rikuo asks why. She responds saying ‘’privacy’’ is important and winks at Masaki. Masaki sits at the chair kept in front of the door and signboard, waiting for the door to unlock. Someone’s voice at the front bar catches his attention. He lifts his head up and finds himself in awe. The person at the bar talks to Nagi about the coffee the person would take to their house. The door unlocks and Masaki promptly looks at it, only to find Koji and Rina on the footsteps in front of the door. Koji asks Rina as to what they should do. Rina looks at Masaki and apologizes, asking him to go ahead. Masaki runs past the door.

Nagi serves a box of evelend to the person sitting in front of her. She asks if ‘’he’’ liked the coffe or not. The person in front says they wonder if he’ll like it or not. Nagi teases and asks them that they could ask him themselves. They respond by saying they can’t. Nagi asks why. They respond by saying ‘’he’’ doesn’t like it when they do things on their own. The person is shown to be a girl. Nagi says that he will understand. The view shifts back to the sofa where Rikuo and Akiko sat. Rikuo talks to Akiko about how the cafe’s local rule does not compare with the Robotics Act. Akiko says that she would tell on him if he breaks the cafe’s rule again. She calls off the conversation saying she wouldn’t tell Nagi about it. Rikuo realizes that Akiko can keep secrets with herself. Shimei sits in front of the two with Chie at her lap, sleeping. He tells them they both were having a strange conversation. He goes on to add that everyone hides things. Rikuo almost says that Akiko was an android but stops when he remembers the cafe’s rule. Shimei smiles and explains that he too keeps secrets from Chie, that he may even lie to her but only for her sake. He asks Rikuo whether Akiko was keeping that secret for his sake, to which Akiko promptly nods. Voices of Masaki and him discussing the robotics laws and his and Sammy’s conversation about her activities take over Rikuo’s mind. He realizes that Sammy lied to him because he would be hurt if he found out the truth, that she lied for his sake. Shimei tells Rikuo that Chie did not hand over his glasses to him only because she wanted to play with him. Confused, Rikuo asks if his glasses are not her in underwear. Akiko pats Rikuo’s shoulder. Shimei says she gave them to someone before heading upstairs. Rikuo and Akiko look at each other. They remember Chie standing near Nagi when she went upstairs.

The girl in front of Nagi says that they must leave to prepare dinner. She thanks her for another box of evelend. Realizing that his glasses were with Nagi the whole time, Rikuo goes to the bar. Nagi gives him his glasses remarking that he ‘’finally’’ realized. Rikuo asks why she didn’t tell him about them any sooner. She responds that he never asked about them. Rikuo puts on his glasses and looks at the girl standing by them in front of the bar. As soon as he realizes who it was, he lets out his hand and snatches the band that tied her hair into a ponytail. The girl quickly covers her face with her hands. Rikuo watches in awe as she lowers her hand to reveal herself to be Sammy. Sammy quickly picks up her bags and runs out the door. Rikuo runs towards the door, but it autolocks before he could get out. He tries to open the door and curses at it. Nagi calls out Rikuo’s name thrice, but he does not bother listen. Annoyed, he says “it” did things on it own. He turns around to look at Nagi with an angered expression, almost saying she was his android. But he gets interrupted by a frustrated Nagi who orders him to sit down.

To lighten the mood, Nagi serves Rikuo a cup of evelend. Nagi explains to Rikuo about how Sammy first came to the cafe, how she was bewildered at first, but she gradually opened their heart to the regulars at the cafe. Rikuo asks how she “opened her heart” to hem. Nagi explains that Sammy would talk to them about lots of different things, about the mother who brought her clothes, about her scary dreams she would sometimes have, about the boy who quit the piano. She tells Rikuo about how one day Sammy entered the cafe saying she wanted to make better coffee. She adds that Sammy always seemed troubled about a lot of things. Rikuo asks what would she be troubled about. Nagi explains about how Sammy didn’t know if she was doing the right thing or not. With the coffee served, Nagi leaves to enter the kitchen. She turns back and says to Rikuo that as long as he obeys the rule, Time of Eve is alway open to welcome him. As Nagi enters the kitchen, the door unlocks. Rikuo decides to have his coffee rather than confront Sammy right away. He thinks hard about Nagi’s words.

Back at Rikuo’s house, Masaki calls Rikuo and tells him that he lost sight of Setoro in the end. Surprised, Rikuo asks if he really chased him outside. Masaki answers that he wanted to check if Setoro had anything above his head. He adds that the shop seemed suspicious to him, before getting interrupted by Rikuo, who expresses his desire to go there again sometime. Masaki agrees and says that he would come too, to solve the mystery of the cafe. Though for different reasons, Masaki and Rikuo agree to go to the cafe again. Ending the call, Masaki taunts Rikuo and asks him to say hi to “Sammy-chan” for him. Sammy stand beside Rikuo. He commands a question at her. He asks about the shop, but does not complete his question making Sammy ask for details. Instead of completing the question, he asks for coffee instead. Sammy leaves to prepare coffee for him. With a blush on his face, Rikuo compliments that the coffee recently had been delicious. Facing his back towards Rikuo, Sammy thanks him and smiles.

A woman, later revealed to be Dr. Ashimori, in her office talks with someone over her phone. The person on the other end, later revealed to be Setoro, reports his day to her. He says that he saw a lot of different things but none were worthy for a specific conclusion. Dr. Ashimori asks him whether the Ethics Committee was involved in the matter, but he responded that they wouldn’t “tail him so bad” referring to the chase Masaki gave to him outside the cafe. He adds that he would let “him” swim freely and observe. Dr. Shimori agrees. Setoro remarks that individuality had began manifesting itself. Dr. Shimori interrupts him saying “preconceptions distract from the truth”, something Shiotsuki would say. Setoro says that he would carry on with his investigation into the cafe. The view zooms out to reveal Dr. Ashimori’s office and the giant screen behind her that displayed a map of the area with location of Time of Eve specifically marked.