Robot Protection Zone Chapter 78

William’s eyes shook violently. He couldn’t believe the words that had just come out of Didi’s mouth.

“What did you say…?”

Tears streamed down Didi’s cheeks. Then, he hung his head low and said nothing. Belatedly, William realized something was wrong.

Didi was absolutely not the type to say such things lightly. William’s face turned deathly pale as he finally grasped the severity of the situation.

“Didi, you were lonely because I was away from home for so long, weren’t you? That won’t happen again.”

“…”

“Or is it because of the scandal? If it’s that, don’t worry. All we did was have a few meals together, and I’ve already ended things.”

William explained, growing anxious. But the robot before him didn’t open his mouth again, only continuing to keep his head down.

“Didi, I…”

William desperately suppressed his anxious feelings and reached out to take Didi’s hand, but Didi blatantly avoided his touch.

It was a clear rejection for anyone to see. Didi, who had never pushed William away no matter how mischievous the pranks were, had refused him for the first time. William, who had been reaching out, froze in place.

“Master, I am a robot. For a robot to fall in love with a human, that’s strange.”

“…”

“You know that well, Master…”

At Didi’s added words in a self-deprecating voice, William’s expression slowly crumbled. The thoughtless words he had uttered all this time now returned as arrows, piercing sharply through William’s heart.

Didi’s listless, mumbling voice was filled with the sorrow he had swallowed down until now. It was clear how much Didi had agonized and been hurt all alone. A heavy ache throbbed in his chest.

Didi slowly got up from the bed. He was about to walk past the frozen William and leave the room, but William urgently grabbed Didi’s wrist, stopping him.

“Didi, where are you going.”

Desperation was evident in William’s voice. The corners of his eyes contorted in pain. The face he was now properly seeing was somewhat haggard, causing Didi’s gaze to waver for a moment.

When no answer came, William, convinced that Didi was going to leave again, said in a low voice.

“Don’t go. Stay by my side.”

“…”

“Don’t leave this house. That’s an order.”

He knew he shouldn’t treat Didi like a robot. But if he didn’t do at least this, it felt as if Didi would disappear at any moment. This time, to a place where he could never be found.

For now, this was the only way William could keep Didi with him.

“If you command it, Master… I will do so.”

A brief silence followed the short reply. Didi, as if uncomfortable with the silence, lowered his eyes, then noticed the dark window outside and spoke again.

“It’s late, so I’ll go to bed for today.”

“…Sleep here.”

“Is that an order, too?”

“…No.”

“Good night, Master.”

Didi bowed his head with a nod. William couldn’t bring himself to stop Didi, who left the room as if fleeing, without a single glance back.

Click. The door closed quietly.

Left alone, William couldn’t move from that spot for a long time.

At dawn, around the time the sky was faintly brightening, my eyes opened. Perhaps because of my long life on the streets, it had become a habit to wake up automatically when the sun rose.

However, one thing was different today compared to when I was living on the streets. It was the fact that when I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling instead of the sky.

I slowly sat up and looked around the room.

“Nothing has changed at all…”

It was a familiar and cozy room, completely unchanged from before I left home. Sofia must have kept it clean every day.

“…”

My brief moment of soaking in the faint nostalgia was cut short as my mood sank into gloom, recalling the conversation I had with my master yesterday.

Saying I no longer loved my master was a lie. I had tried to sort out my feelings for him while wandering the streets for a long time, but the moment I saw his face, I realized it was impossible.

When my master said he loved me, I had almost let myself hope without realizing it. But as long as I was a robot, there was no possibility of us being together. I was merely my master’s property. I would be thrown away again someday. If that happened, I would be the one to get hurt again in the end.

If I had my way, I wanted to go back to my former master’s mansion and quietly turn off my power. But since my master had ordered me not to leave his side, as a robot, I had no choice but to obey.

As time goes on, my feelings for my master will gradually fade. Let’s just kill my emotions and wait until then. Until my usefulness is over, and my master no longer needs me.

As I convinced myself of this and stepped out of the bed, something caught on my toes.

“Clothes…?”

I thought it was the blanket, but the texture was different. I bent down and picked up what had fallen under the bed, and a familiar piece of clothing appeared. It was a white hoodie I had worn occasionally.

Why is an outfit that should be in the dressing room here?

Did I drop it without knowing? It seemed Sofia, while cleaning the room, had also missed it, mistaking it for the same color as the blanket.

If it had been under the bed since I left home, it would have dust on it, so it would be best to wash it. The season has changed too, so I probably won’t be wearing it for a while.

“It’s too clean for something that’s been under the bed for a long time…”

I checked to see if there were any dirty spots, but the white hoodie looked as if it had just been taken off yesterday.

Hmm… Sofia must manage the house so well that there’s not much dust in the room. Thinking it was nothing, I carried the clothes and went downstairs.

I put the clothes in the laundry basket and checked the time. Is Sofia about to come out of her room? Then it would be good to wait for her to help with breakfast preparations.

Thanks to learning how to cook while doing chores with Enoch, I could now be of some help. I might not be as skilled as Sofia, but I could also do the cleaning and laundry. I was no longer just a useless robot.

Come to think of it, I had something to tell my master, too.

I was planning to tell him that from today, I would not be accompanying him to the company. My role as a domestic robot was sufficient. Following my master around was just a nuisance anyway, and I wasn’t in the mood to meet anyone else right now.

“Didi, good morning.”

As I stood by the living room window looking up at the sky, Sofia came out of her room and greeted me. I also showed a faint smile and asked her.

“Sofia, you’re about to prepare breakfast, right? I’ll help you.”

She paused her movements and seemed to process her thoughts for a moment, then nodded.

First, we took out ingredients from the refrigerator and began to prepare them one by one. I was standing side by side with Sofia preparing the salad for breakfast, when suddenly a noisy sound came from the second floor.

Soon after, with the sound of urgent footsteps, my master came downstairs.

“Sofia! Didi is gone…!”

My master, who had burst into the kitchen, stopped in his tracks as his eyes met mine. He stared blankly at the lettuce in my hand, then slowly shook his head.

“No… it’s nothing.”

Come to think of it, did I forget to close the door when I came out with the laundry? It seemed my master had looked into the empty room through the open door and thought I had disappeared.

My master turned around dejectedly and headed for the living room. I watched his back without a word, then told Sofia I had something to ask my master and briefly stepped out of the kitchen.

“Master.”

My master was sitting on the sofa with his hand on his forehead. When he heard my voice, he lifted his head and looked at me.

My master’s face, seen in the bright morning sunlight, was quite different from the image in my memory. His deep, blue eyes had become cloudy, and his skin was rough as if he hadn’t slept well, with dark circles settled under his eyes.

The change in my master, who had always been so perfect, was unfamiliar. I unknowingly avoided his gaze and asked.

“Um… about the company.”

“I’m not going to the company for a while. I plan to handle my work from home.”

“Oh… I see.”

I thought he would be busier after launching the new product, but was that not the case? It was a little unexpected, but it was not my business to be curious about.

“But…”

My words trailed off as I looked around. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Eve since a while ago. Usually, she would have been the first to run over, circling around me and greeting me as soon as I came downstairs.

The last time I saw Eve was quite a long time ago. I hadn’t seen her at all since my master stopped coming home.

I hadn’t even said goodbye to Eve. Eve must have finished her repairs, returned home, and been waiting for me all this time. I wanted to quickly greet Eve and apologize for disappearing without a word, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

Thinking it strange, I asked my master.

“Where is Eve?”