A shy girl in a small town prefers to stay at home rather than play outside with other children. This results in her getting bullied by the other kids. Sydney’s mother suggests that she go outside and make friends, but Sydney remains silent and expresses her love for reading books. Understanding her daughter’s situation, Sydney’s mother supports her but also encourages her to occasionally go outside and play with other children. Sydney agrees, mentioning that she enjoys reading books in her room as well. Later, after eating breakfast, Sydney goes to her room upstairs. One afternoon, while walking to a convenience store to buy food, Sydney accidentally bumps into a boy her age in front of the store and drops her purse.
The boy attempted to steal the purse and deliver it to Sydney, but she swiftly seized it and dashed into the store, fearing that another bully had discovered her. The boy observed as she managed to escape before ultimately departing. After purchasing some food, Sydney was on her way home when she spotted a bunch of kids engaging in play at the playground. Witnessing their joyfulness evoked feelings of loneliness within her and a longing for companionship and lightheartedness. In a fleeting moment of sadness, a gang of bullies approached her and deliberately bumped into her, resulting in an accidental drop of her bag of food.
Trying to apologize, she said, “I’m sorry…” but a boy yelled at her, “You were in the way!” Taking hold of the bag she had dropped, the boys forced her to run after them to retrieve her food. While chasing after the boys, Sydney begged, “Please give it back.” However, they continued running and mocking her, saying, “If you want it, go get it!” Eventually, they threw the bag away and got away. As she looked at the bag of food she needed to bring home, Sydney cried and reached the realization that friends were not needed.
While sitting at her study table in her room that night, Sydney contemplated the desire for friends yet feared being bullied again. Suddenly, she overheard two siblings arguing about a small robot toy outside their house. Curiosity compelled her to peek and she realized that even siblings could bully each other. Just as Sydney was about to return to her desk, she heard the older brother say something that profoundly impacted her: “this is my own robot, go find your doll…this is my FRIEND!” This phrase sparked an idea in Sydney’s mind – she decided to create her own robot friend. Determined, she dedicated the entire night to designing and studying robots. The next day, immediately after her classes ended, Sydney headed to the library in search of information on robots. She also began collecting various parts that she believed would be useful for her robot. One day, while busy gathering these parts, Sydney ran into the group of bullies who had previously thrown food at her. Predictably, they taunted her by taking whichever robot part Sydney picked up and forced her to chase after them.
Sydney, who ended up in tears, made a personal commitment. She pledged to do whatever it takes to enable her robot to move so that it could become her companion. Sydney envisioned a future where they would engage in play and find happiness together. After extensive effort spent collecting parts and assembling the robot, the eagerly anticipated day finally arrived for Sydney. However, there was one minor issue – the robot still required a memory device. “All my robot needs is a memory device; then I can have my own friend,” Sydney declared. One afternoon after school, while trailing behind two middle high school students, she observed them tossing something onto the grass.
Sydney overheard a conversation between two upperclassmen, one of whom questioned the need for a memory chip while the other dismissed it as an extra without knowledge of its purpose. After they left, Sydney located and retrieved the chip before heading home where she promptly installed it onto her robot. In her room, Sydney worked on finalizing some designs for her creation. The next morning, during breakfast, she eagerly shared with her mother about her new robot friend. With pride, she proclaimed that she had successfully built a companion and only needed to activate it later. Her mother smiled and attributed Sydney’s accomplishment to her father’s profession as a scientist but also harbored concerns about Sydney relying on a mechanical friend rather than human companionship for happiness. Following breakfast, Sydney activated Chibi – the name given to her robot friend – who quickly came to life and made eye contact with Sydney. Overwhelmed with joy, Sydney embraced Chibi and introduced herself while expressing the desire of forming friendship. Since Chibi lacked the ability to respond being just a robot, it fell upon Sydney to assume responsibility in teaching Chibi how to emulate human behavior and effectively communicate.During their time together, Sidney grew more at ease having Chibi around. They would frequently go out to parks, playgrounds, and stores as companions. However, during a festival, Sidney briefly lost sight of Chibi while searching for something. In an unexpected twist, she encountered the bullies she strongly disliked. While trying to escape from them and retrieve her allowance simultaneously, the bullies cornered her. Fortunately, just as they were about to harm Sidney, Chibi fearlessly intervened and shielded her from their actions.
Chibi presented Sydney with a pair of necklaces, emphasizing the significance of friends exchanging gifts. Chibi handed one necklace to Sydney, expressing their desire to give something meaningful. Sydney questioned if Chibi intentionally went out in search of these necklaces. Chibi confirmed and admitted to not fully comprehending emotions but wanting to ensure Sydney would always remember them. Sydney reassured Chibi that they would always be remembered as friends, promising an everlasting friendship. They both made a mutual commitment to remain friends forever.
The festival had ended and both of them had returned home. Sydney happily hummed a song while walking home with Chibi. The next morning, Sydney woke up and exclaimed, “Good morning, Chibi! Huh? Where could she be?” Believing that Chibi was planning another surprise, Sydney went downstairs and had her breakfast. Sydney’s mom inquired, “Where is Chibi? Aren’t you going to school together?” Sydney replied, “She’s probably planning another surprise like last night at the festival, when she gave me a necklace as a symbol of our everlasting friendship.” Waving goodbye to her mom at the door, Sydney declared, “I’m off to school! Sydney’s mother replied, “Have a great day and come home to Chibi.” At school, Sydney couldn’t find Chibi anywhere and wondered, “Where could she be?”
Sydney was trying to find out where Chibi, her robot friend, had gone. She then ran into the same boy she had bumped into earlier at the store. Although Sydney didn’t recognize him, he knew who she was. The boy, concerned, asked Sydney if she was alright. Sydney, feeling shy, nodded and tried to walk away. However, she couldn’t escape when the boy asked her, “Where’s your robot?” Sydney nervously replied that she was looking for Chibi, clarifying that Chibi was not just a robot but her friend. Curious, the boy introduced himself as Dylan and confirmed that Sydney was indeed the smartest girl in their area who could build her own robot. Sydney was annoyed that Dylan saw Chibi as simply a robot and not a friend. Dylan quickly apologized and inquired about where Chibi was, as he noticed they were usually together. Together, Dylan and Sydney searched for Chibi inside their school.
After an unsuccessful search, Sydney decided to stop for the day. Expressing her gratitude, she told Dylan, “Maybe she’s home already, thanks for your help, Dylan.” Dylan acknowledged her words with a smile. While heading home, Sydney spotted Chibi sitting motionless on the grass – deactivated. Determined to fix her, Sydney encountered difficulties in reactivating Chibi. Exhausted from her efforts, Sydney fell asleep while working on Chibi. The next morning, Sydney had to leave for her classes, leaving Chibi at home. Waving goodbye, she promised to return and fix her later. On her way to school, Sydney and Dylan walked together, but Sydney seemed distant and barely smiled at him. Concerned, Dylan inquired, “What’s wrong Sydney?” However, Sydney remained timid and silent as they walked to school separately. After classes, unable to find Sydney in her room, Dylan turned to her classmates for answers. Unfortunately, their mean-spirited response was, “Why look for her? She’s probably doing some research on her freakish robot…” Displeased with their remarks, Dylan headed to the library in search of Sydney.
Sydney and Dylan met, with Sydney asking about Dylan’s research. Sydney explained that they were looking into robot-related topics and shared concern about Chibi being deactivated. Dylan offered their assistance by searching for books on the subject. The day ended as they both walked home, with Sydney growing more comfortable with Dylan over time. Sydney expressed never having had a genuine human friend before, to which Dylan reassured them that they could rely on their friendship anytime. They said goodbye and went their separate ways.
The following day, Dylan and Sydney convened at the library to continue their research on potential methods for reactivating Chibi. Once they departed from the library, Sydney informed Dylan of her intention to independently assess Chibi’s condition. She exclaimed, “I will go ascertain what I can do for Chibi. See you tomorrow!” As Sydney made her way home, Dylan bid farewell with a wave.
During her journey back, Sydney encountered a gang of bullies who roamed aimlessly, hunting for a target. Attempting to flee swiftly proved futile as they had already spotted her and initiated pursuit. Overwhelmed by the situation, Sydney sought refuge atop an immense garbage bin where fear overcame her and tears flowed uncontrollably.
Later, Sydney experienced silence, with no one in sight except for Dylan. She recognized him as the boy she had seen earlier. “You’re safe now!” Dylan reassured Sydney, to which she smiled and expressed her gratitude. Sydney spoke of Chibi, who used to protect her but was now gone. They both returned home and over the following weeks, grew closer as they sought a way to reactivate Chibi. Eventually, Sydney found herself forgetting about Chibi. Graduation day arrived, and Sydney was named Valedictorian, while Dylan surprised her by becoming Salutatorian. “Congratulations Dylan! You never mentioned how smart you are,” Sydney greeted him. Dylan simply smiled and revealed, “I was inspired by someone specific; I had aimed for this award.” They attended the ceremony and delivered their respective speeches. Afterward, Dylan informed Sydney of his plans to study in London for high school.
Sydney and Dylan made a promise to each other. Sydney pledged to make genuine friends, overcome her tendency to cry easily, and become stronger. Meanwhile, Dylan vowed to visit her as often as possible, despite attending a different high school in another town. Over time, Dylan immersed himself in studying robots and eventually became the president of his school’s robotics team. On the other hand, Sydney excelled as the school president while keeping Chibi in her room. One day, upon returning home she found an empty house and searched for her missing mother without success. However, upstairs she heard a familiar voice that filled her with excitement because it was none other than her long-awaited friend.
