Robot Protection Zone Chapter 1

“Didi, I have something to tell you.”

My master called me with a dark expression on his face.

“Please speak, Master.”

“I’m getting married.”

I felt a circuit somewhere in my body snap.

I had noticed a little. The master who did not hold me anymore. The master who did not tell me he loved me anymore. The master who had been avoiding me since some point in time. Still, I endured it and waited. Because I thought he would hold me warmly again, just like before, and whisper that he loved me.

“Congratulations.”

When I said that with the smile my master once praised as pretty, his expression turned strange. But soon my vision blurred, and I could not analyze what that expression meant.

My eyes felt stuffy, as if something was covering them. As I blinked my eyelids once, the stuffiness was relieved and a hot liquid streamed down my cheek.

Ah, so this is what tears are.

They said tears come out when you feel sadness, so this emotion must be sadness. It felt like all the circuits in my body, especially in my chest, were snapping and bursting. The sadness I felt for the first time was so agonizing.

My master frowned. He looked as if he was in pain somewhere. It was hard for me to look at his face, so I lowered my head.

“I’ve decided to turn you off.”

I nodded my head without a word.

Will you turn me on again someday?

“I probably won’t ever turn you on again.”

As if he had read my mind, my master answered. I nodded my head again.

“I’m sorry.”

My master slowly approached me. I was still in the midst of a pain that felt like my whole body was being severed and was bursting.

My master’s hand touched the back of my neck. Along with the cool sensation, something was pressed down firmly.

I slowly closed my eyes.

And then, I could see nothing.

Screeeak.

The sound of a rusty hinge grating echoed through the old mansion. A single ray of sunlight streamed into the dim interior, and a man in a gray suit stepped inside the mansion.

The man, who had been scanning the interior with an indifferent expression, soon began to walk toward the inside of the house. Every time he took a step, a clear shoe print was left on the dust-filled floor.

After looking around the house for a moment, he muttered.

“It’s completely empty.”

William clicked his tongue briefly and contorted his face.

This was a mansion owned by his grandfather, who had passed away a short while ago. During his lifetime, his grandfather had never once mentioned a mansion like this, and seeing as even his own parents did not seem to know, it was clear that no one knew of this house’s existence.

Normally, he would not have cared about an old mansion like this. Even if he had discovered it, he would have ignored it and passed by. But his grandfather, who had quietly closed his eyes without leaving a single noteworthy memento, had passed something on only to him.

A rusty key and a piece of paper with the mansion’s address written on it.

He was sure that something important was hidden here. Because of that, he had postponed all his important work and rushed over as soon as the funeral was over, but….

He had looked through all the rooms on the first floor, but they were all clean, with nothing inside. It was a wasted trip. William crumpled the paper in his hand and gritted his teeth. To think he had been played by a senile old man’s prank until the very end.

“What a waste of time….”

The moment he turned his body to leave, the stairs leading to the second floor came into William’s view. After a moment of hesitation, William went up the stairs.

The single room on the second floor. For some strange reason, he had a feeling that something would be there.

“Bingo.”

When he opened the wooden door, old furniture that reflected his grandfather’s taste filled the room. With this much, it was plausible that an important object was hidden here.

Finally satisfied, William’s gaze, which had been scanning the interior, stopped at one spot.

In the middle of the room, there was a glass case.

It was a glass case that was completely out of place with its surroundings. The furniture surrounding it obscured the inside, making it difficult to see, so William approached the front of the glass case to examine it more closely.

Inside the long, vertical glass case, something that looked like a person was sitting slumped over. Seeing as it did not even stir, it seemed to be a robot.

But, why is a robot in a place like this?

William looked around. The room just looked like a storage room where collectibles were gathered.

Is this robot for collection purposes too?

If it was for collection, he would have dressed it in clothes more to his taste, but the robot inside the glass case was wearing shabby clothes that were no different from pajamas. Judging by its slumped posture and attire, it felt used. It did not seem to be for ornamental purposes.

William moved closer to the front of the glass case and observed the robot.

“What era is this relic from?”

The moment he realized its identity, a gasp of admiration escaped him. The seams of its skin were not visible, and its skin was no different from a human’s.

A Humanbot.

A humanoid this sophisticated was hard to find these days. That was because Humanbots, which had the exact same appearance as humans, had their manufacturing banned almost immediately after their release due to ethical issues.

Even the Humanbots that had been made were now mostly gone. The reason was clear. In the name of making them exactly like humans, they were set to break down and fall apart completely after about 100 years of operation so that they could never be used again. Of course, even if they mimicked lifespan, they were still just robots that could be turned on and off with a single power source.

Should I sell it for a high price?

As it happened, an auction was scheduled to be held at a charity event he would be attending in a few days. Originally, he was going to toss in a piece of art hanging in his house, but it seemed like a good idea to put out the Humanbot instead. Thanks to its rarity, it would probably receive quite a lot of attention.

There were rumors that they were better to hold than sex dolls, so there were still many people looking for them, and it might fetch a pretty decent price. With that money, he could probably buy a small island.

“Hmm….”

William meticulously scanned the Humanbot’s face.

The robot had the appearance of an East Asian male with black hair and fine skin. Its neat atmosphere and cute looks were exactly….

“Dammit, I guess you really can’t fool blood.”

Not only did they have the same face, but they also had the same taste. William thought of his grandfather and made a look of disgust for a moment before looking at the robot again.

The robot had its head bowed and its eyes closed, so its face was not clearly visible. He tried to open the glass case and lift the robot’s head, but it would not budge. It seemed like it would break if he used more force, so he did not try to lift it forcefully.

Wait a minute. I think I heard that the power switch is on the back of the neck.

Remembering something he had vaguely heard in the past, he fumbled around the back of its neck and a small cover opened. William smirked. Of course. In the end, a Humanbot is just an ordinary robot.

He felt the indented interior with his hand and, finding a button, pressed it firmly. But there was no response.

Is it broken? Well, considering when it was made, that’s understandable. Looking at the way it was placed inside the glass case, it seemed like it had not been looked at for a long time after being turned off.

William stood up from his crouched position in front of the slumped robot. Seeing as its exterior was intact, it was highly likely to be a simple power issue. If he tossed it to a guy who liked this kind of thing, he would probably get to see it with its eyes open.

William stroked his chin as he looked down at the robot.

Should I take this with me? It looks small, so it’s probably light.

“Hm?”

At that moment, the robot’s finger moved slightly.

He tilted his head, wondering if he had seen it wrong, but this time its hand twitched slightly. Soon, its entire body began to stir little by little. The way its body kept squirming, it seemed to be having difficulty activating because it had been turned off for a long time.

It seemed to be taking quite a while, so William sat on a nearby chair and watched the twitching robot. Finally, the robot’s face creaked and was slowly lifted up.

“Master.”

And the black pupils of the robot, which met his eyes with a bright smile.

“That damn old man…. I have to admit his taste.”

It was, goddammit, a perfect match for William Spencer’s taste.

Just as the world brightens when the sun rises, I felt the heavy sensation gradually returning from a certain point. How long had it been turned off? Did my master come to find me again?

My body did not move easily. I must not keep my master waiting. I was sure I saw my master’s face before I was turned off, but strangely, that face was blurry. Did my memories become hazy because I was turned off?

I wanted to see my master’s face quickly, so I squirmed and tried to move my body. However, only my hands, feet, and neck moved just a little. It was frustrating that I could not move my body as I wanted. After struggling and creaking for a long time, I was finally able to lift my head.

It was dark in front of me, so I realized my eyes had been closed and slowly lifted my eyelids. Through the bright light, I could see my master’s figure unclearly.

“Master.”

You came to see me again, so Didi is so happy.

Overcome with joy, I smiled brightly.

“Fuck… Master, you say…. Thankfully, the old man’s taste was firm….”

“Master?”

My master’s voice was a little different. Could there be a problem with my auditory sensors because I was turned off for so long? I also thought I heard a vulgar word mixed in, one that my master taught me to never use. Oh no, what if my master finds it bothersome that I’m broken.

“Do you have a name?”

“Didi….”

“Didi? It’s not even a dog’s name…. Well, it’s cute though.”

I had not misheard. Something was strange, so I tried to focus. My master’s appearance blurred and then became clear repeatedly, and finally, I could see his form completely.