Robot Protection Zone Chapter 64

“Welcome, Didi.”

“I’m home.”

Today, I returned home alone. As soon as I entered the front door, Sofia greeted me as if she had been waiting.

I exchanged greetings with her as usual and was about to go inside, but strangely, it was quiet behind me. Feeling curious, I turned my head and saw Sofia standing motionlessly at the entrance.

Seeing that she wasn’t leaving, it seemed she was waiting for my master. Come to think of it, Sofia probably doesn’t know that my master will be late. Realizing this belatedly, I opened my mouth.

“Sofia, I came back first today. My master has a lot of work, so I think he’ll be late.”

“Yes. I will take note of that.”

“Eve will also be able to return in about three days.”

Of course, I made sure to convey the news about Eve as well. Since Sofia manages this entire house, the news that Eve, who was in charge of cleaning the first floor, would be absent was also important information for her.

After confirming that Sofia was following me into the house, I went up to my room.

‘My master seemed very busy. Seeing as he even sent me home first…’

I thought, recalling the last glimpse I had of my master before leaving the company.

I knew it was a hectic time with the new product launch, so I came home without disturbing my master. But the fleeting expression on his face seemed dark, which kept weighing on my mind.

After finishing my shower, I sat on the first-floor sofa, waiting for my master to return. Without Eve, who played with me every day, the spacious living room felt strangely empty. In the kitchen, Sofia was preparing dinner. I passed the time boredly, listening to the clattering sounds.

How much time had passed? Sofia came out of the kitchen and said to me.

“Didi. Dinner is ready.”

“I’ll eat with my master when he gets back.”

“William is not scheduled to return home today.”

“What?”

My eyes widened as I whipped my head around. Sofia was standing behind me with perfect posture.

“My master… isn’t coming back today?”

“That is correct.”

“When did he say that?”

“I just received a message from William.”

When I asked her in a fluster, a voice without a hint of wavering came back.

‘He didn’t say anything to me…’

I quietly mulled over the words. If my master had told me in advance that he wasn’t coming home today, I would have somehow gotten his permission and not left the company. But it was too late to go back to the company now.

“Then I’ll eat alone.”

Thinking that I had no choice but to quietly guard the house today, I slowly got up from the sofa.

As I followed Sofia to the kitchen, a table neatly set for one person came into view. Food prepared just for me. Only then did it truly sink in that my master wasn’t coming back.

Maybe it’s because my master isn’t here, but I don’t seem to have much of an appetite today…

I sat down and quietly began my meal, but Sofia stood beside me, staring at me. She had never done this before, so her gaze felt a little burdensome. Wondering if I had done something wrong, I asked cautiously.

“Sofia, is there something you want to say to me…?”

“I have been instructed by William to report whether Didi has finished his dinner properly.”

“Ah… so that’s what it was.”

If it’s my master’s command, I guess there’s no helping it. Sofia’s gaze was a bit uncomfortable, but she too would be scolded by my master if she didn’t carry out her instructions properly.

Still, a small question lingered in a corner of my mind. Why did my master give the order to Sofia, instead of telling me directly? He could have just contacted me and told me to make sure I ate dinner… Even the news that he wasn’t coming home today, I learned through Sofia.

My mind was a little complicated, but I finished my meal. Then, after finishing the cleanup with Sofia, I said my goodbyes.

“Good night, Sofia.”

“Have a peaceful night, Didi.”

After exchanging good-night greetings with Sofia and going up to the second floor, I headed to my master’s room as if it were the most natural thing to do.

Today, I planned to sleep in my master’s room without telling him. Since my master hadn’t contacted me either, I thought it would be okay to be this mischievous.

Click.

I carefully opened the door and stepped into the dark room. As I was about to enter without permission with a resentful intention while my master was away, my heart pounded as if I were doing something wrong.

I got under the covers of my master’s bed and quietly closed my eyes.

It felt a little lonely sleeping alone after a long time. With no one to chat with all night, I thought I would be able to fall asleep quickly, but instead, my eyes were wide awake. After tossing and turning for a while, I ended up picking up my smartphone.

“No messages…”

After looking down at the empty missed calls list, I opened the photo album. Inside, a single photo was saved.

It was a screenshot of the article. I stared intently at the two figures in the photo.

“……”

The corners of my mouth crept up slowly.

The scene of my master and I kissing under the brilliant streetlights. Just as my master had said that day, it really did become a scandal.

Half of the people reacted with shock at the fact that I was a robot, and the other half reacted with disbelief, saying it was a staged situation. The world was in quite an uproar, but I didn’t care what others said.

What was important was that the kiss I shared with my master was not a lie. And the fact that the robot in that photo was me. Now, I too could proudly take my place by my master’s side in front of everyone.

As I kept looking at the photo, my restless heart gradually calmed down. A sense of relief replaced my anxiety, and I started to feel drowsy.

I turned off the screen and closed my eyes. Even after my vision went dark, the scene of kissing my master on the street glittering with lights flickered before my eyes.

The fluffy bed was filled with my master’s scent. When I wrapped the blanket tightly around my body, it felt just like being in his arms.

I had a feeling I would have a good dream tonight. I took a small breath and quietly buried myself in the blankets. And then, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

“Hmm… Master…?”

As soon as I faintly regained consciousness, the first thing I did was look for my master. Without even properly opening my eyes, I wriggled in the direction where my master would be, but even after moving to the side for quite a while, I couldn’t feel his embrace or the warm heat that should have greeted me.

That’s strange… Why isn’t my master here…

Feeling puzzled, I slowly opened my eyes. The master’s room, bright with the morning sun seeping in. Next, I saw the empty space beside me.

“Huh?”

Only then did I realize something was wrong. I sat up and looked around. But there was no sign of my master anywhere in the room.

I hastily checked the time. It was already the time my master would have gone to work. My eyes flew open, and the drowsiness vanished in an instant. Last night, I had kept looking at the article photo and had forgotten to set my alarm.

I hurried down to the first floor, but as expected, my master was not there.

Could he have come and gone while I was asleep? It was possible that he didn’t take me with him because I was too sound asleep. As I was forlornly searching for any trace my master had left behind, I spotted Sofia passing through the living room just in time and asked.

“Sofia, where is my master?”

“William has not yet returned.”

“That’s a relief…”

So he didn’t come and go while I was asleep.

In that case, my master should be returning home soon. Relieved by Sofia’s answer, I went up to my room and started getting ready to go out. So that I could follow my master whenever he returned and said it was time to go to the company.

But my master didn’t return, even as lunchtime approached. After waiting and waiting, I asked Sofia.

“Sofia, have you heard anything from my master?”

“I have not.”

“Hmm…”

Did he work all night and fall asleep at the office? My master surprisingly has trouble waking up sometimes, so it was a definite possibility.

I have no choice. I’ll have to wake him up myself. Ahem, I cleared my throat, dialed my master’s number, and made the call.

Ring ring… The dial tone went on for a long time.

— Didi?

“Ah, Master!”

My master answered the phone. But contrary to my expectation that he would be sleeping, there was no hint of sleepiness in his voice.

My plan to call and wake my master had gone awry. I was flustered for a moment, but I soon composed myself and asked.

“Master, when will you be back?”

— I’ll be staying at a hotel for the time being, so don’t wait for me.

“……”

But what came back was an unexpected answer. I was speechless for a while, then finally managed to open my mouth.

“Then… are you at the company now?”

— That’s right.

“……”

— Is that all you have to say?

When a short silence fell, my master asked. It seemed like he was about to hang up, so I shouted in a hurry.

“No! It’s just…”

— I have a meeting soon, so say it quickly.

“Can’t you take me to the company too…?”

— No.

I mustered up the courage to ask, but what came back was a cold rejection. On top of that, my master said he was busy and hung up the phone right away.

I stared blankly at the screen where the call had ended, then let my shoulders slump.

My master seemed to be really busy with the new product launch. So busy that he didn’t even have time to come home for a moment and had to live in a hotel.

Maybe he was being considerate of me. Maybe he sent me home in advance because he was worried he wouldn’t be able to take care of me properly since he was so busy.

But there was one thing my master didn’t know. I was fine with being busy and tired. I could endure physical fatigue as much as needed. It was just that the time when my master was not by my side was much lonelier and harder to bear.

I tried my best to ignore the anxiety flickering in my chest and slowly put down my smartphone.