Robot Protection Zone Chapter 21

Far from being praised, I was scolded instead. My spirits fell in an instant, and I became sullen. My master saw my expression, let out a sigh, and gestured with his hand.

“Stop cleaning and come here. Let me see your wound.”

“Yes…”

I approached my master and rolled up the sleeve of my pajamas.

The red, swollen skin and the clear suture marks were revealed. It was only three stitches, but on my pale skin, they looked particularly distinct.

“Did you put ointment on it?”

“Yes!”

Worried that I would be scolded by my master if a scar remained, I had diligently applied the ointment as soon as I woke up in the morning. When I nodded my head confidently, my master, who had been checking the wound, clicked his tongue.

“It’ll take a month for it to heal completely.”

A month.

It hadn’t been long since my heel had healed, and now there was a new wound. After learning that my master dislikes his possessions having flaws, I felt even more self-conscious. I was now my master’s possession too, so from now on, I had to be careful not to get any marks on my body.

“Don’t even dream of cleaning until it’s fully healed. I’ll tell Sophia, too.”

“Yes…”

It was a task I had only just found….

Swallowing my disappointment, I gripped the feather duster tightly.

My master, having forbidden me from even cleaning, went back to his work. Ordered not to do anything foolish and to sit quietly, I sat obediently in a place within my master’s line of sight, the feather duster in my hand.

Because I was prohibited from cleaning, I had nothing left to do and was bored.

“…”

I quietly gazed out the window. In complete contrast to my gloomy heart, dejected that nothing I did went right, the sky today was exceptionally bright and clear.

It seemed that spring had arrived at some point.

It was the middle of winter when I first met my master. The scenery from that day is still vividly imprinted on my heart. The sight of the whole world covered in pure white snow. In contrast to my confused heart, where everything had changed while I was briefly asleep, the world was completely clean and serene.

The sound of typing echoed rhythmically inside the room. Following the sound with my gaze, I saw my master sitting at his desk.

My new master, who has a face that looks just like my old master’s.

I was glad that he was my new master. If I hadn’t met my current master, I would have surely been lost and wandering in an unfamiliar world.

I looked out the window again.

The long-lasting cold was slowly retreating. A warm breeze brushed by, and gentle sunlight settled on the windowsill. The tree branches also swayed softly, conveying the spirit of spring.

Come to think of it, on nice days like this, I used to often go for walks with my old master….

As the peaceful memory of that time came to mind, it became difficult to sit still.

“Master, may I go for a walk?”

Since the weather was nice, a short walk around the neighborhood would lift my spirits. Walking has nothing to do with my arm being injured, so wouldn’t my master give me permission this time? I asked with anticipation, but as soon as he heard my words, my master scoffed.

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

“You’re fearless. You’d be kidnapped the moment they found out you’re a human-bot.”

“Kidnapped?”

My eyes widened. I was sure my face must have turned pale. I stared at my master in bewilderment, but his expression didn’t look like he was joking at all.

For a moment, I remembered the human-bot that had been up on the auction block at the charity event. And how that human-bot had been sold for an enormous sum of money. Recalling that situation, it wouldn’t be strange for a human-bot wandering the streets to be kidnapped without a trace.

Come to think of it, how did that robot end up in a place like that without a master? Could it be that it was really kidnapped, just as my master said…?

My mood plummeted. As I looked at my master with a cloud-covered face, my master, whose eyes met mine, shook his head.

“No.”

“No to what…?”

“You think I’ll give you permission if you act pitiful?”

“What?”

Suddenly, my master started saying strange things. When I tilted my head, not understanding what he meant, my master’s face contorted even more.

“Even if you look at me like that, no means no.”

“Wha-what did I…”

“Did you think I’d fall for it if you acted cute?”

“…?”

“Ha… just this once. There won’t be a next time.”

I had only been staring blankly, but my master got angry by himself and then suddenly changed his mind. Did I do something weird…? While I was carefully reviewing my actions, my master yelled.

“Are you not going? Why aren’t you getting ready?”

“Ah… Yes! I’ll get ready right away!”

I still couldn’t understand my master’s sudden change in attitude, but I felt like I’d get scolded again if I asked more questions, so I scurried back to my room and began to prepare to go out.

“Hmm… since it’s a walk…”

Worried that my master might comment on my clothes like last time, I rummaged through the dressing room for a good while. The weather is warm today, so a light outer jacket should be good. Just then, the dark gray tracksuit set I had tried on at the department store a while ago caught my eye. It looks reasonably comfortable yet neat, so I’ll go with this.

Fortunately, when I came out after getting dressed, my master didn’t say anything in particular. It seemed this passed muster.

Come to think of it, my master was also wearing outdoor clothes. And, unlike usual, it was a rather comfortable outfit.

“Are you going too, Master?”

“Yes. I feel like you’ll get lost or kidnapped if I send you alone.”

I might not know about being kidnapped, but there’s no way I’d get lost….

It seemed that in my master’s eyes, I looked like a deficient robot who couldn’t even find his way properly. I felt it was unfair, but I was also scared of being kidnapped, so I quietly left the house with my master.

Since the purpose was a walk, we didn’t take the car and instead walked slowly, looking at our surroundings. Near my master’s house, other houses were situated sporadically. They all looked quite large and fancy. When I first came here, I thought my master’s house was huge, but looking around, every single one was magnificent.

The walking path was neatly maintained, and it was also fun to look at the houses, each with a different appearance. As we walked, happily greeting the dogs that passed by from time to time, the time flew by.

After walking for a good while, my master and I went into a café we found and warmed ourselves up by drinking hot lattes.

—Vzzzzt.

Just as I took a sip of my latte, my master got a phone call. My master, who answered the phone, exchanged a few words with the person on the other end, then suddenly scrunched up his face.

“Damn it…. I have to go right now. I’m hanging up.”

Did something serious happen…?

I quietly observed my master’s mood and took a sip of my latte. My master, who had ended the call, let out a tired sigh and stood up from his seat.

“A problem came up at the company, so I have to go for a bit. I’ll be back soon, so wait here.”

“Yes.”

I was confident in my ability to wait.

It was a shame that the peaceful weekend afternoon spent with my master was disappearing, but it couldn’t be helped. My master is always a busy person, after all.

Since I had just started drinking my beverage, it seemed there was no need to leave in a hurry. It wouldn’t be so bad to spend my time leisurely and wait at the café until my master returned.

My master left immediately in the car he had summoned.

Left alone, I slowly sipped my latte and looked around.

A large bookshelf occupied one wall of the café. The sight of various books packed tightly together drew my gaze. My master had said he would be back soon, but it still seemed like it would take a few hours.

If I read a book, time will pass quickly.

I walked over to the bookshelf and took out a book.

“Master… isn’t coming back….”

I closed the book and looked out the window. The sky had already grown dark.

My master didn’t come back for a long time. Not until the hot coffee left at his seat had grown cold, not until the last page of a thick book had been turned, and not until the bright, clear sky had turned black.

“Sir, it’s closing time.”

“Yes…”

In the end, even when it was time for the café to close, my master did not appear.

I left the café after it closed for business and stood there blankly. I thought about asking the café owner to call my master for me, but come to think of it, I didn’t even know my master’s phone number.

…I should probably head back home first.

I turned around to go back the way I came.

However, perhaps because the surroundings had gotten dark, the path laid out before me looked completely different from the walking path I had seen during the day. Faint streetlights cast long shadows, and the tree branches, shaking fiercely in the wind, rippled like waves.

Everything was unfamiliar and eerie. The moment I was about to take a step forward, pretending not to be scared, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

What if… my master abandoned me…?

Up until now, I had been of no use at all. I was always just a hindrance to my master, and on top of that, a flaw had appeared on my arm that might even leave a scar.

What if my master abandoned me, saying I had no value…? He might not welcome me even if I went back. He might turn a cold shoulder, or he might react as if to ask why I had so cluelessly come back.

If that’s really the case….

My courage to go back disappeared.