Robot Protection Zone Chapter 15

“Old men with no abilities….”

After the meeting ended, my master’s mood had consistently been at rock bottom. My master pressed his tightly furrowed brow with his fingers and let out a short sigh.

I was sitting quietly, holding my breath to avoid being noticed, when my master called me.

“Didi.”

“Yes, master.”

“Still don’t remember anything? About humanbot technology, or where my grandfather hid the confidential documents.”

“I… don’t know anything.”

“…Alright. If you remember anything, tell me later.”

If I were to remember something, would my master praise me, saying I am useful? With that thought, I searched through my memories, but as expected, I could not find the information my master mentioned anywhere.

On the contrary, the more I retraced my memories, the more I was reminded of the happy times I had spent by my previous master’s side, and my heart just ached. My previous master had spent most of his time with me, but he had always just taken care of me kindly.

But what if the truth is that my master did not care about me, so he did not tell me anything…?

I recalled my master’s final moments as he turned off my power and kept my mouth shut. If that were true, the moment my new master found out that I was useless, I would be thrown away again.

“By the way, how did you know about the conference room?”

At my master’s question, I came out of my thoughts and answered.

“A robot guided me.”

“A robot?”

“Yes. It was white and had the company logo on it…. And… ah! It was carrying documents.”

When I told him the description of the robot that had guided me, my master muttered to himself.

“…A guide robot wouldn’t know that. Did Thomas add a new function?”

My master’s expression looked somewhat uncomfortable. However, he did not seem to have any particular suspicions and just let it go.

“Did you see Sophia?”

“Yes. They said the repairs would be finished by tonight.”

“It’s still not done? It’s taking a long time.”

My master, who had let out a sigh, leaned back in his chair, and the conversation ended there.

I observed my master, who was rubbing his brow as if he were tired. I wondered if there was anything I could do for my master, who seemed to be in a bad mood, when I suddenly saw him rubbing his stiff shoulders. It felt like a light bulb had turned on in my head.

Massaging shoulders was something I had often done for my previous master. It was also something I was quite confident in.

“Master, shall I massage your shoulders?”

My master gave a slight nod.

“Go ahead.”

“Yes!”

As soon as my master gave his permission, I jumped up from my seat. As I approached my master from behind, the faint scent of cologne drifted past me.

I carefully placed my hands on his shoulders and pressed down firmly. I could feel hard muscles through the soft suit.

They’re harder than I thought…?

I was momentarily flustered by the hardness of his shoulders felt through his clothes. Could my master actually be a robot? It was a tremendous hardness, no less than a robot’s.

My surprise was short-lived, and I soon composed myself and massaged my master’s shoulders with all my might. Just as I had massaged my previous master’s shoulders, I meticulously loosened the stiff muscles.

“You’re so weak.”

I did my best to massage him, but what I got back was a cold evaluation. I quickly became dejected. My previous master had said it felt refreshing….

It seemed that my grip had weakened because my power had been off for a long time. I thought that next time I should go to Thomas and tell him I think I am broken, and I slowly removed my hands.

“Then… I’ll stop….”

“No, continue.”

I was about to remove my hands and step back, but my master added.

I could not disobey my master’s command to continue, so I started massaging his hard shoulders again. Even though he had said I was weak, my master did not tell me to stop for a long time. As I silently massaged his shoulders, which felt like stones, I felt my hands starting to ache and secretly swallowed my tears.

I groaned all night because my arms ached and barely managed to fall asleep.

Today too, as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the empty space next to me. My master woke up first again. I was yawning and going downstairs when I paused.

Sophia was standing next to my master, who was sitting on the sofa and drinking coffee. Sophia, who had sensed my presence, looked at me. I felt our eyes meet, and I, who had belatedly grasped the situation, smiled brightly.

“Sophia!”

Just as I was about to approach Sophia, calling her name happily, I saw a familiar silhouette next to her.

‘That robot is….’

It was the serving robot I had met at the charity party. In an instant, my sleepiness completely vanished.

“Ma, master!”

“Yes.”

“How….”

As I hurried down the stairs, the serving robot approached me and circled around me once. It was just circling around me, but for some reason, it felt like it was greeting me happily.

In my confusion, I looked back and forth between my master and the serving robot, unable to speak, when my master explained.

“You’ve been down ever since you came back from the charity event. I thought it might be because of that robot, so I checked with the organizers, and they said it was broken and they were throwing it away, so I had it repaired along with Sophia.”

“Master…!”

A great wave of emotion washed over me. While I was feeling overwhelmed and at a loss for words, Sophia came to my side.

“Didi, I heard you came to see me while I was being repaired. Thank you for your concern.”

Sophia thanked me. Hearing that, I opened my eyes wide. Sophia’s power should have been off then…?

“Huh…? How do you….”

“Thomas told me that Didi had visited.”

Aha, so Thomas told her I had visited. I was startled for a moment, thinking she had heard the entire conversation I had with Thomas. It would have been embarrassing if she had heard me consulting him about my worries of being thrown away by my master…. Fortunately, it seemed Thomas had not gone that far.

“Didi, stop chatting and come here.”

“Yes!”

Just then, my master called me. I stopped my conversation with Sophia and ran to sit by my master’s side, and my master frowned at the serving robot that had followed me.

“You, go over there.”

• 🙁

When my master firmly shooed it away, the serving robot made a dejected face and returned to Sophia’s side. Seeing that, I smiled slightly and took my place next to my master.

“Master, what should we name her?”

“Name?”

“Yes. That serving robot. We can’t keep calling her serving robot.”

“I brought her because of you, so you name her.”

“Um….”

My master left it all to me, as if he had no interest whatsoever. After thinking for a long time, a robot character from a movie I had seen a long time ago suddenly came to mind.

“Can I call her Eve?”

“Eve?”

“Yes. In a movie I saw a long time ago, the name of a robot that looked similar to that robot was Eve. It was a movie set in the distant future….”

“Do as you please.”

My master cut off the conversation without even wondering why I had chosen that name. But she’s going to be a part of our family now….

I knew my master was very indifferent, but if I were Eve, I think I would have been a little upset, so I felt sorry for Eve.

“That robot is….”

“It’s Eve….”

“…Eve, she can’t go up to the second floor because she has no legs, so I set her to clean the first floor. Sophia is old too, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a new robot.”

Only after hearing my master’s words did I, a step too late, notice the change in Eve’s body. Looking closely, I saw that cleaning tools were attached to the part with the wheels. It was a function she did not have when she was a serving robot.

So my master really brought Eve with the intention of taking her in.

Just because I was depressed…?

I turned my head and looked at my master. My master was still reading documents with an indifferent expression.

I realized that the thoughts I had had until now were wrong. My master cares for robots. Of course, it might not apply to all robots, but it was enough to change my mind.

The disappointment and skepticism I had harbored towards my new master gradually faded. If he’s this kind of person, wouldn’t it be okay to trust him once more…?

I quietly made a decision. From now on, this person was my true new master.

“I should get going.”

While I was happily exchanging greetings with Eve, I saw my master heading upstairs. It seemed he was getting ready for work.

“Master!”

Just before my master entered his room, I managed to catch up to him and grab him.

“Can I go to the company with you too?”

“Today too?”

“Not just today… but from now on.”

Even though it had been quite a while since I came here, I still did not know anything about my master. William is the person I will serve from now on, so I wanted to know more about him.

If I followed my master around, I would naturally get to know him. What he likes, and what he dislikes. And I wanted to be by his side and be of help while serving him.

My master opened his mouth as if to refuse, so I hurriedly added.

“I’ll be quiet!”

“Quiet? You?”

“Yes….”

I tried to answer confidently, but the accidents I had caused so far flashed through my mind, and my voice gradually grew smaller.