Robot Protection Zone Chapter 68

Having finished the meeting that had continued since this morning, William headed straight for the company.

“Hah….”

He rubbed his tired eyes. His complexion had noticeably darkened due to his recent lack of sleep. He tried to close his eyes for even a moment while traveling to the company, but he was still unable to fall asleep.

In the end, William gave up on sleep and spent the time flipping through documents.

“Chairman, I think you should take a look outside for a moment.”

When they had almost arrived at the company, his secretary broke the silence.

He turned his gaze out the window and saw the Human-bot that Thomas brings around, pacing back and forth in confusion at the company’s main gate. Looking closely, there was also a familiar white lump next to him, and it was Eve.

“What are they doing over there….”

Nick and Eve were arguing. Observing the situation for a moment, it seemed that Eve was trying to go outside the company, and Nick was desperately trying to stop her.

William put a hand to his forehead.

He had stopped paying attention after entrusting Thomas with checking on Eve’s condition. It meant he had completely forgotten about it.

Come to think of it, has it been three weeks since I last went home? It’s about time I dropped by. Because I hadn’t seen Didi for so long, I was even showing withdrawal symptoms. Insomnia was one of those symptoms.

I had tried to forget Didi, even going so far as to meet a man who resembled him, but being with that man only made me think of Didi. Every time the man did something, it was compared to the innocent Didi’s image, and all his actions felt insincere and unpleasant. So, a few days ago, I had completely cut off contact.

Although it hadn’t even been a month since he left home, William could no longer bear the desire to see Didi. Every time he closed his eyes, the image of Didi looking at him shyly came to mind. The warm, soft body that would come into his arms would not disappear from his mind.

I should get the test results for Eve from Thomas and head home today. Just the thought of seeing Didi after so long made me feel my mood lighten considerably.

“You go on ahead.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Click.

William got out of the car and approached Nick and Eve, who were still bickering.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah! Chairman!”

Nick, having spotted William, was startled and bowed his head in greeting. As always, Nick seemed quite intimidated by William. William paid it no mind and stopped in front of him.

“W-well… Eve keeps trying to go outside the company….”

Just as I thought.

William looked down at Eve with an exasperated expression. Eve stood quietly next to William, feigning innocence as if nothing had happened. Seeing as she’s still acting strangely, has she not been repaired yet?

“Has this happened before?”

“Every day for the past two weeks….”

Nick replied, cautiously watching William’s expression.

William let out a dry laugh. For a serving robot who has never even been outside, did she think she could get back home if she left the company?

Suddenly, Didi came to mind. Didi must be missing Eve by now too. He became curious about who Didi would welcome more, his master whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, or Eve.

Of course, William thought Didi would welcome him more, but since he hadn’t returned home in a long time, Didi must be sulking, so the opposite possibility couldn’t be ignored.

“Has Thomas finished the inspection?”

“The Master has been busy, so he hasn’t been able to check yet.”

“Well, he has been busy lately.”

William gave a short nod. Recently, there had been frequent reports of robots acting strangely, and Thomas was in the middle of investigating the cause. With a new product launch just around the corner, it seemed he was working late every day due to his busy schedule.

He had planned to take Eve with him when he returned home today, but if the inspection wasn’t finished yet, it was better to leave her. The corners of his mouth lifted as he imagined Didi’s crestfallen face without Eve.

But then….

Screeeech, CRASH!

A sharp braking sound and a dull thud echoed from behind them. William and Nick turned their heads at the same time.

“……!”

A truck that had been entering the company grounds was stopped with its front bumper heavily dented, as if it had hit something. White fragments were scattered all over the ground.

What is this now….

William narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what on earth the truck had collided with. Then, he suddenly realized the space next to him was empty and flinched.

“E-Eve!”

Nick cried out in horror and ran forward.

William soon grasped the situation as well. Like Nick’s shout, he too could guess the identity of the fragments scattered on the ground. While William and Nick were talking, Eve had made a break for it and collided with the truck.

William followed Nick toward the accident scene, but Eve was already smashed to pieces beyond repair. William’s face hardened as he looked at the white fragments scattered on the ground.

A memory he didn’t want to recall came to mind. The past he had buried deep inside rose to the surface, and his vision swam for a moment. Over the shape of the shattered Eve scattered on the ground, the image of the broken Sophia from his childhood overlapped.

“Ch-Chairman. Eve is….”

“……”

William gave no reply.

He quickly regained his composure. William left Nick, who was frozen in panic, and quietly walked among the fragments.

Carefully examining the debris scattered on the ground, William found something within it and picked it up. A thin memory chip. It was the component where all of Eve’s setting information and action logs would be stored.

William handed the chip to Nick, who still hadn’t recovered from the shock, and said.

“Take this and ask Thomas to analyze it.”

Nick stood frozen, his face pale. William added another word in a low, sunken voice.

“Right now.”

“Y-yes…!”

Nick scurried into the building.

William frowned as he watched Nick’s retreating back. Although it looked fine on the outside, a memory chip was a delicate object that could be easily damaged by even a small impact. Sophia had been such a case.

All Eve ever did was clean the house, so an ordinary person wouldn’t notice even if the memory was completely wiped. But Didi was different. He was with Eve every day, and as a fellow robot, he would definitely notice.

…Just as he himself had, as a child.

William picked up a fragment of Eve, then dropped it back to the ground. The broken body itself wasn’t important. Something like this could always be made new.

But if the data Eve had accumulated so far was corrupted, that was a separate issue. From the moment the data disappeared, it would become a completely different being from the robot he originally knew.

William knew this better than anyone. That’s why he could also easily predict the shock Didi would experience.

He didn’t want to see Didi collapse after finding out his only friend was gone. Because that would surely be too similar to his past self.

William slowly surveyed his surroundings.

The truck driver had gotten out of his vehicle with a flustered look and was looking around, and employees, startled by the sudden loud noise, were coming out one by one and murmuring.

The atmosphere at the company’s main gate where the accident occurred was quickly becoming chaotic. His mind was a mess, but first, he had to resolve this pandemonium. William took out his smartphone and called his secretary.

After cleaning up the accident scene, William finally arrived home.

For now, he put the issue with Eve aside, and he already felt good at the thought of being able to see Didi after a long time. He would trap the robot, who would be expressing his sulkiness with his entire body, in his arms and torment him by preventing his wriggling limbs from moving. Then, he would smell the baby powder scent until he was sick of it, and the thought of thoroughly teasing Didi by spouting a slew of embarrassing words already seemed to relieve his fatigue.

William flung open the front door and entered the house. He waited for Didi to come running to welcome him on his long-awaited return, but the house was excessively quiet.

It’s not even night yet, is Didi already sleeping?

In the end, the only one who came out to greet him was Sophia, who showed no sign of welcome whatsoever. Discovering Sophia standing quietly in the entryway, William didn’t hide his disappointed expression.

“Welcome home, William.”

What he had wanted wasn’t this emotionless voice, but Didi’s voice, full of excitement and joy. William asked indifferently.

“What is Didi doing?”

“Didi has been out since a week ago.”

“What?”

But Sophia’s answer was enough to startle William. Didi, who wouldn’t take a single step outside the house without him, was out?

And since a week ago?