The series tells the story of Hideki Motosuwa, a college student who finds an abandoned , or personal computer (パーソナルコンピュータ "pāsonaru konpyūta") with an anthro-human form, which he names "Chi" after the only word it initially can speak. As the series progresses, they explore the mysteries of Chi's origin together and questions about the relationship between human beings and computers. The manga is set in the same universe as "Angelic Layer", taking place a few years after the events of that story, and like "Angelic Layer", it explores the relationship between humans and electronic devices shaped like human beings. "Chobits" branches off as a crossover into many other stories in different ways, such as "", "xxxHolic" and "Kobato."