Plastic Memories

Mizugaki Tsukasa reports for his first day at work at the android manufaturer SA's Terminal Services section, but is unaware of exactly what his new job entails, as he obtained it through his family connections with SA's upper management. He meets the members of the rather small section, and they explain to him exactly what they actually do: the most advanced androids produced by SA, the Giftias, have the most amount of emotion and human-like qualities of them all, however, due to technological limitations they have a limited service life, and it is the job of Terminal Services to retrieve Giftias that are about to reach their end of service. They work in teams with one Giftia and one human as an observer, to ease the human owners of Giftias into the process of letting go of their androids. Tsukasa is paired with a Giftia named Isla, an experienced veteran of the job, and they watch the process of retrieval done by the Giftia Zack and his partner Kinushima Michiru. One such retrieval goes smoothly, the owners having accepted the passing of their beloved android, while the second one is much more difficult, the old lady owner slamming her door in the faces of Terminal Services personnel for the third time. Tsukasa and Isla over the next several days attempt to reach the old lady, as her android's service life will end in only a few more days. Isla tries to climb over the wall and in so doing is seen by the android, that is in the form of a little girl, and she convinces her owner to let them in. Thus they manage to reach the old lady and convince her to accept the retrieval of her Giftia.

Tsukasa and Isla continue their work, and he finds that despite being a nine-year veteran of Terminal Services she seems to be much more clumsy than might be expected. Their attempts to retrieve an android in the role of a machinist's apprentice go awry when she startles the android and his owner, and she trips and falls attempting to chase them. He learns that she has not been working in the field like that for some years and thinks that she just needs to get back into her groove. He watches her undergoing training. As such, he attempts to do some of the work of negotiating with the owners of Giftias himself, and sets out writing a manual describing the process. He manages to accomplish the retrieval of the machinist's android in that way. His colleagues however, know the real reason behind Isla's quirks: she is very near her end of service as well, and will reach that point in about 2000 more hours.

As per company policy, Tsukasa begins living with Isla in the company dorm, however when they are home she is taciturn and just sits and practically ignores him. This bothers him so his colleagues suggest that he do various things to attract her attention, most of which fall flat in hilarious ways until Kazuki suggests that he ask Isla to go on a date on their next day off. With the ruse that he wants Isla's help in choosing a gift for a friend, she accepts, and they go to a shopping mall. He notices that she is still wearing the company uniform and so he buys her some casual clothes, and he remembers that he had seen her in the mall the day he first came to work, and asks her why. She tells him she was there to buy herbs at an herb shop at the roof of the mall, and he says that that might be a suitable gift for his friend. To help her choose appropriate herbs she asks him to describe this friend, and her description makes her think this friend is an annoying person. Tsukasa sees an amusement park nearby from the roof of the building and invites Isla to go there, and he tells her that the gifts he had bought were really for her, and that he wants to be friends apart from their work relationship and to make happy memories with her. This last part troubles her and she leaves him behind. When he later comes home he sees Isla outside their unit, and she apologises for leaving him like that, and he gives her a small key fob he bought at the amusement park.

New jobs are assigned to the group, and Isla and Tsukasa are given a job that involves retrieving a giftia that raised a young boy after the deaths of his parents, one of the so-called "android children". They are greeted warmly by the giftia, called Marsha, and meet the boy, Wakanae Souta, who is deeply troubled by the impending loss of Marsha, telling them that everything she tells them are all lies. They cannot accept his signature that way. The next day, Michiru hears about the story and offers to help since like Souta she was also an android child herself. They go over some old family pictures with Marsha and they tell him that the next day is the boy's birthday, and they find the secret recipe for the strawberry tart that his mother used to make. Michiru suddenly shows up, changing her mind yet again, and with her help they manage to throw a birthday party for Souta that helps him to accept what will happen to Marsha. Meanwhile, Mr. Yamanobe is called to a meeting with upper management and is told that his section's overhead is the highest in the terminal services division, and he needs to come up with a plan to cut their costs or else one will be dictated upon him. The day before Marsha is scheduled to be retrieved a man impersonating SAI's terminal services personnel shows up at the Wakanae house, and tries to convince Souta to give her up to him.

The false Terminal Services man came to Souta while Marsha was out shopping, but Souta told him this, but he had his misgivings and contacted Isla and Tsukasa about the incident, and they agree that the man must be a black market retriever. Tsukasa, Isla, Michiru, and Zack begin their search for Marsha, knowing that her time is running out and that she might soon turn into a Wanderer, a berserk android, if they are unable to get to her in time. Yamanobe has called his superior and he authorises R Security, a private security firm contracted by SAI, to handle the issue as well. They spend all night searching but find no leads until the next morning they learn where the black marketeers are conducting their business. They are stopped by R Security personnel from entering the area but Kazuki admonishes their commander, reminding him of the heavy-handed way they dealt with the retrieval of the android that had stood as Michiru's guardian, who had also turned into a Wanderer, and they are allowed to pass. They find the false Terminal Services man, who has been beaten unconscious, and Marsha, who has indeed turned into a Wanderer. Souta wanders into the area, and is attacked by Marsha, forcing Tsukasa to shoot her with a Terminator, a weapon capable of completely disrupting an android's software.

After their failure to save Marsha before turning into a Wanderer, Isla and Tsukasa are told to take a break from field work until Isla is declared fit to return to such duties. She remains in android maintenance for several days to check and repair her injuries, and they are relegated to desk duty. She tells Michiru and Eru about how she can't stop thinking about him, which they misinterpret as her being in love with him. They help her essentially stalk him until they are caught, and then Isla tells Michiru that she can't stop thinking about him because she doesn't understand how he can go on smiling despite the incident with Marsha, and wonders if he has forgotten about it already. Michiru tells her about how, against orders, he went to see Souta to personally apologise for their failure, and that it seems rather that he is unwilling to forget, and it seems he goes on smiling because he is sad. Just as Isla is released from maintenance Kazuki finally tells Tsukasa about how Isla is only a thousand hours away from the end of her service life. Isla passes nearby and hears their conversation. Kazuki gives him the choice of continuing his partnership with Isla or ending their partnership and waiting until another giftia is assigned to them. He declares that he wishes to remain with Isla until the end.

Tsukasa tells the boys of the 1st Terminal Services Section that he is thinking of asking Isla out on a date. They have varied opinions but Yasutaka encourages him to do so. Isla meanwhile has been trying to do all sorts of things for Tsukasa that wind up causing trouble, such as cleaning his desk and also disposing of papers he was still working on, and he winds up having difficulty asking Isla, but in the end he finally succeeds and she agrees to go with him, after he tells her that while it might not make her more useful it would make him happy. Michiru and Eru repair the dress Tsukasa had given her and she uses it on the day. They eventually decide to go to the amusement park, where Isla shows him the bench where she used to sit and watch people smile as they went by, where she sat with Kazuki. They enjoy themselves at the park until at the Ferris wheel Tsukasa suddenly collapses. When they are at home he explains how that seems to happen whenever he has to do something important. She tells him about how she has only about a month left, and he replies as he told Kazuki that he wants to be her partner until the very end.

Tsukasa and Isla continue with their work, and they retrieve a giftia owned by an old woman, who opts to have her android returned to her with the software completely replaced, giving it a new personality. This choice surprises Tsukasa, and he begins to entertain hope that a giftia past service life might somehow regain some of his or her memories. They are later asked to assist a member of another Terminal Services section retrieve a giftia that has entered their area of jurisdiction, a giftia named Andy, whom Eru once knew before she was recycled, when she had the name Olivia. They succeed in retrieving the giftia, and Tsukasa is surprised at how direct Andy is in her duty despite the anguish of the giftia's owner, He is later told that that is typical of how the other Terminal Services sections conduct business, and it is only the 1st Section that has a policy of caring somewhat for the emotional welfare of the owners of giftias that have been retrieved. Eru maintains contact with Andy and they become friends, despite the awkwardness. She winds up telling Andy about the festival in her home town where she used to often go with Olivia, and now Andy wants to see it as well. To ease the awkward situation she asks Tsukasa to come along, and he persuades Isla to come as well. While they are having fun at the festival, Isla gets separated, and Tsukasa looks for her, until he sees her just as the festival fireworks reach their climax. He confesses his love for her, but flustered and confused she turns him down.

Tsukasa is inconsolable after being rejected by Isla, and none of the efforts of his colleagues to cheer him up seem to work. Michiru tries to talk to Isla and suggests that they live apart for a time so that she can sort out her true feelings about him. They get Tsukasa to live with Zack in Michiru's place, while Eru and Michiru move in with Isla. Michiru however inadvertently spends the night with Tsukasa and Zack instead, and the next morning they she is seen with Tsukasa, leading Isla to misunderstand and she runs away. Michiru and Tsukasa catch up with her and they talk, and Isla asks that Tsukasa give her time to think things over. Later Michiru talks to Isla more in depth and she realises that Isla really is in love with Tsukasa. Kazuki hears about the incident and she disbands Isla's partnership with Tsukasa.

Kazuki disbands Isla and Tsukasa's partnership using as pretext that workplace romances are forbidden, and Isla is once again Kazuki's partner while Tsukasa is partnered with Constance. Kazuki explains that she is intervening because Isla seems to believe it better that things remain that way, and Kazuki has a plan to knock some sense into her. The two of them go on a retrieval mission for a giftia owned by a notorious gangster who acts as his bodyguard, but now begins to care for her after she saved his life so many times. The gangster tells his giftia to enjoy the time she has left, but Isla says that in exchange he ought to join them as well, because nothing makes one happier than being with the one you love. After they leave, Kazuki tells Isla to take her own advice, and admonishes her, saying that if she leaves Tsukasa that way his last memories of her will be painful ones. The next morning Isla comes into the office and finally confesses to Tsukasa that she loves him too.

Isla and Tsukasa are happy finally being a couple, and their colleagues cheer them on. They try to think of ways to make their time together meaningful, and they hear that the best way would be to do something surprising for their partner. Isla thinks of cooking lunch for Tsukasa, and she asks Michiru who is good at cooking to teach her, but she doesn't know what sort of food Tsukasa likes. She asks him, but he says he just wants to have dinner with her, and Constance suggests that they try to cook together. They try to do so and make some messes doing it but they eventually produce something edible.

The rest of the Terminal Services people continue cheering Isla and Tsukasa on, Michiru giving them tickets to the cinema and they are encouraged to take time off from work. They go to the cinema and watch the film, which is a touching romance which makes Isla hold Tsukasa's hand halfway through, and spend a relaxing day. The next day, Kazuki gives Tsukasa the folder giving Isla as a retrieval target. That night, though he is deeply troubled, he signs the document saying that he accepts the retrieval. The next day they go to retrieve the gangster's giftia Sara, and Tsukasa notices how Isla always whispers something to the giftias she retrieves. Terminal Services throws a final party for Isla. Isla tells Tsukasa that she whispers to the giftias she retrieves: "I hope that one day you'll be reunited with the person you cherish."

It is the day of Isla's retrieval, and neither she nor Tsukasa sleep. They clean up their apartment and when they get to the office Isla writes farewell letters to everyone. They go to the amusement park and visit all the attractions, enjoying themselves as much as they can, until the park is about to close. They go to the Ferris wheel and are permitted one last ride just as the park closes, and they ask what are the things that they love about each other until they are overcome by emotion. As the wheel reaches its highest point Isla declares that is where she wants it to end, and full of tears Tsukasa puts the retrieval ring on her finger, whispering to her at the last: "I hope that one day you'll be reunited with the person you cherish" just as she always did. Tsukasa is sent away for training for nine months and returns to Terminal Services to resume his work, and is assigned a new partner.