Robot Protection Zone Chapter 34

Around the time the movie was almost over, the sound of a door opening was heard from the second floor, and then the master came down. It seemed he had finished his IV drip and had slept for a while.

The master, who had been yawning, noticed me sitting on the sofa and came over.

“Master, are you feeling okay now?”

“Yes, I feel better after resting a bit.”

The master glanced at the movie playing on the TV, then naturally took a seat next to me. As the master pushed away Eve, who had originally been beside me, and sat down, Eve paced back and forth in front of the master, expressing its dissatisfaction. However, the master simply pushed it away with his foot as if it were a nuisance.

Just then, Sophia passed by nearby, and the master called her over as well.

“Sophia, you come and sit too.”

And so, with Sophia joining us, the master, Sophia, Eve, and I all gathered in one place to watch the movie.

It was a peaceful atmosphere. As if we had truly become a family. Like a family enjoying fireworks in a park…

Then, the master pulled my shoulder, making me lean against him. I watched the movie in that state, but my heart was in such an uproar that I couldn’t concentrate well.

I secretly glanced at the master. I thought the master was more handsome than the male lead in the movie. Strangely, my gaze kept drifting more and more toward the master rather than the screen.

Just then, a kiss scene came on in the movie. The memory of kissing the master that one time flashed through my mind. The master, who had become even more affectionate lately. My heart pounded as I imagined a gentle kiss at the end.

And so, the movie ended. The ending credits were rolling, but I couldn’t properly remember the last part. That was because I had been pouring all my attention not on the movie, but entirely on the master.

I was worried that the master would hear my loud heartbeat. I was hiding my reddened face and checking on the master, when I noticed that his eyes, which had been leaning back deeply into the sofa, were now closed.

“Master…?”

He’s fallen asleep.

Even though I had been paying attention to the master the entire time we were watching the movie, I hadn’t even noticed that he had fallen asleep. Still, I was relieved that I no longer had to hide the sound of my heart.

Just then, Sophia stood up from the sofa and said.

“Didi, dinner will be ready in 30 minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll wake the master up then.”

She said she was going to prepare the meal and left.

Thirty minutes was a somewhat awkward amount of time. Should I tell the master to go up to his room and sleep? As I was contemplating whether to wake the master, his face suddenly caught my eye.

Even though he had said he was feeling a little better, he didn’t look well up close. Come to think of it, since I had met the master, he had always been working. I thought he was just someone who only worked, but it was clear that he had been overworking himself.

Come to think of it… when I had a cold, my old master had kissed me, saying that you get better if you pass the cold on. Fortunately, the cold didn’t transfer to him, but miraculously, my cold was gone the next day as if it had all been a lie.

Although the master before me now had teased me, saying an idiot can’t catch a cold…

“I wish I could catch the cold for you instead…”

If I could be of help to the master even in that way, I thought I would be a little happy.

The master was fast asleep, and Sophia was in the middle of preparing dinner, so she wasn’t here. Eve was next to me, but…

“Shh…”

I lightly brought a finger to my lips and gave Eve a small signal. Eve’s screen flickered, and then it displayed a question mark.

In any case, Eve doesn’t have vocal cords, so it can’t make a sound. So, it wouldn’t be able to tell the master what I did, and I wouldn’t get caught.

I looked at the sleeping master. My heart pounded, and my pulse began to race faster and faster. Yes, I think I like the master.

I lowered my head and carefully closed my eyes.

Smooch.

The master’s dry lips touched mine softly.

Feeling a pleasant fluttering, I slowly pulled my lips away. I was thinking that it was too short and feeling a bit disappointed as I raised my eyelids, but my eyes met the master’s.

“Ma-Master.”

“I didn’t know you would do something like this to a sleeping person.”

“That’s not it…”

I couldn’t think of an excuse. My lips became parched. I was so flustered that I could feel my face turning pale.

“The cold… I was just hoping it would transfer to me…”

“There’s no way a cold would transfer just by touching lips.”

That was true. I had barely managed to open my mouth, but soon I was at a loss for words and hung my head low.

In the midst of the tension that was tightening my chest, the master’s hand lifted my chin. The master’s face, which I was forced to look at, was smiling pleasantly, shattering all my expectations.

“Other than that, is there anything else you want to say?”

A low, soft voice tickled my ear.

The master wasn’t angry, nor was he interrogating me. Rather, as if suggesting we share a secret that no one else knew, he whispered to me in a sweet voice. Just like a flower luring a butterfly…

Huh…? Could this be…?

Could the master feel the same way I do?

Was that why he kissed me that one time? My heart started to pound. The vague feeling grew larger and larger, filling my chest. The hope that the master might accept my feelings. And the anticipation that the master might feel the same way I do.

My face flushed red.

“Ma-Master.”

“Yes, go on.”

His expression was as if he already knew everything I was about to say. The master was looking down at me with a relaxed smile. My heart fluttered even more at his face, which looked quite pleased.

Could it be that the master really felt the same way I did?

I couldn’t believe it. I was so happy. My heart, which had gone out of control, began to pound rapidly.

“I think I like you, Master…”

At the confession I had managed to get out, my rapidly beating heart throbbed as if it would burst. The emotions I had hidden deep inside my heart flowed out, awakening all the circuits in my body.

Thump, thump.

My chest pounded. I was scared my racing heart might break, but if this was how happy it felt, I wouldn’t mind if it did.

“…Heh.”

But then, the master suddenly started laughing. I couldn’t even breathe properly as I waited for the master’s reply, but the master just kept laughing and said nothing.

“Master…?”

Feeling uneasy, I called out to the master quietly, and he finally stopped laughing.

“What to do? I don’t date robots.”

…Huh?

My mind went completely blank. My heart, which had been full of expectation, instantly deflated like a popped balloon. The overwhelming hope turned into deep disappointment with just a single sentence.

My lips trembled slightly.

“Then why…”

Unlike me, who had frozen in shock, the master looked extremely pleased. But the master’s joy was of a completely different kind than what I had thought.

Unlike me, who had been happy under the misunderstanding that we felt the same way, what the master was feeling wasn’t a grand emotion like love. It was simply the satisfaction of having completely possessed even the heart of his property.

The moment I realized that, my hotly beating heart grew cold. I couldn’t say anything and just froze as if my power had been turned off.

The master reached out a hand to me, who was standing there frozen and blank. Then, he fiddled with the red leather collar around my neck and whispered.

“Don’t worry. Even if I can’t accept your feelings, I’ll be sure to cherish you.”

A meaningless kiss landed on my forehead.

“…Ugh!”

As I belatedly came to my senses, I reflexively pushed the master away and shot to my feet. Then, I turned around and ran straight to the study.

SLAM!

After slamming the door shut and locking it, I collapsed to the floor and hugged my knees. My huddled body trembled slightly.

How foolish… To have gotten swept up in the mood and confessed. Convinced that the master liked me too, that we felt the same way. But to the master, I was just a robot left behind by his former master. A tool for restoring the humanbot.

And so, I was rejected. Because I am a robot. And the fact that I am a robot was a truth that would never change for the rest of my life, so just as the master had said, this relationship would never change either. The fact that nothing would change just because I confessed to the master made me despair even more.

I was still the master’s robot, and the master was still my master.

And would be, forever.