Robot Protection Zone Chapter 87

I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask on the whole drive back home.

I was curious why he told me not to talk to the robots, and whether the rumor that Spaenic had succeeded in restoring a human-bot was really just a rumor. Normally, I would have asked cautiously, but I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth because my master’s expression, as he drove in silence, was stiffly set.

Why was he so angry?

Even after we arrived home, I was lost in thought for a long time. It seemed like his mood had started to sink after he heard them call me a robot.

But the fact that I was a robot was something everyone there knew. Was he displeased that someone else mentioned a fact that even I acknowledged?

For today, it was hard to fathom my master’s heart. And that sudden kiss, too…

“…”

Was it okay for him to kiss me in front of his family?

My master had kissed me without hesitation, but I had clearly seen how flustered the other family members sitting at the table were. It didn’t seem like a situation that could be easily overlooked.

Even his father had looked noticeably surprised. Well, not many people would be pleased that a family member of theirs was in love with a mere robot. The thought that things might become awkward the next time I saw his father left a bitter taste in my mouth for no reason.

In the end, without coming to a conclusion about why my master had been so angry, I got up from the bed. As the mattress shifted, Eve, who had been curled up on the blanket, lifted her head and looked at me.

“I’m just going to see my master for a bit.”

Even in this situation, I should probably thank him. He helped me choose a gift for his father, and he attended the gathering for my sake even though he originally wasn’t planning to go.

Although we left in the middle, I was able to get through it safely thanks to my master. If he hadn’t been by my side, I might have come back without saying a word until the meal was over, just being shy.

“Master, may I come in?”

I knocked at the door, but no answer came.

Is he already asleep? It wasn’t important enough to wake him, so I was about to go back to my room, but the faint clattering sound from inside caught my leg.

I turned around and carefully opened the door.

“Ugh, the smell of alcohol…”

The first thing that greeted me when I opened the door was the strong smell of alcohol.

I wrinkled my nose, covering it with my fingers as I looked around the room. In the dim room, my master was sitting at his desk, the only place that was lit. Where documents usually lay, a liquor bottle had taken its place.

“Ah… Didi?”

It was only a long time after I opened the door that my master noticed I had come in. If he hadn’t even heard me knock like usual, he must have been quite drunk.

“Master, how much have you had?”

“Don’t worry about it. I was just drinking because I couldn’t sleep.”

As I got closer, I could finally see his face properly.

It was an exhausted face. I hadn’t had a chance to look at his face properly lately because I’d been avoiding him, but seeing the deep shadows under his eyes, it didn’t seem like the fatigue had accumulated in just a day or two.

I thought I should get the alcohol away from him first and shifted my gaze to the table. The glass was already empty, and the whiskey bottle was about half full. If I left it like this, he would surely try to drink more, so it seemed best to take the bottle away first.

“Master, I think you’re too drunk. That’s enough alcohol for now…”

I reached my arm out for the whiskey, but before my fingertips could touch the cold glass bottle, my wrist was grabbed.

“…!”

My body was yanked forward. Losing my balance, I landed on my master’s lap.

My master hugged me tightly. Startled by the feeling of his firm thighs against my lower body, I tried to get up, but the arm wrapped around my waist wouldn’t come loose easily.

It had been a long time since I last saw my master drunk, so I had forgotten. I had forgotten that I needed to be careful of his drunken habits.

When drunk, my master’s physical contact became more uninhibited, and he would grope my body playfully. As if he were toying with me.

“Master…!”

I felt that staying like this was dangerous. Thinking I had to get away quickly before he did something, I tried to break free from his embrace, but I froze when I felt his forehead touch my shoulder.

“My head hurts, just for a moment.”

“…Should I get you some medicine?”

“No. It’s fine if I stay like this.”

Seeing him look genuinely in pain, my voice unknowingly became smaller. His words about being in pain seemed to be true, as he really just leaned his head on me and didn’t do anything else.

I hesitated, thinking about the first-aid kit somewhere on the first floor. I felt like I had heard somewhere that you shouldn’t take headache medicine right after drinking alcohol…

I became a little troubled as I looked at my master, who was leaning on me, reeking of alcohol.

‘He’s not going to let go anytime soon.’

My master seemed quite drunk. At this rate, he probably wouldn’t remember anything tomorrow. The first time he kissed me, he was also very drunk, and the next day he had completely forgotten that he had even kissed me.

Fortunately, my master didn’t seem to have any intention of doing anything in this state. I decided to stay still until he let go of me and relaxed my body.

As I waited for his breathing to calm down, I cautiously opened my mouth. I didn’t have the confidence to ask in the car on the way back home, but I thought I could ask now.

“Why did you do that in front of your family earlier?”

“Do what?”

“You… you kissed me.”

I felt my master’s body flinch for a very brief moment. I held my breath, quietly waiting for an answer, and he slowly began to speak.

“…Because they called you a robot.”

“So you kissed me because of that?”

It seemed my master knew that his answer sounded strange, even to himself. The long silence that followed proved it.

“I wanted to show them that you’re not a robot, but an equal being to me.”

“…”

“And, I couldn’t just stand by and watch you get hurt.”

I couldn’t say anything.

At that time, it was true that I was hurt when they called me a robot. But I didn’t know that my master had been keeping it in his mind. I was a little confused whether I was grateful, happy, or resentful of my master for saying such things now.

I was flustered when he kissed me in front of his family. And yet, my heart was shaken. Perhaps it was because I realized that he was no longer approaching me with a light heart, and I might have unknowingly started to have a little hope.

“Did you… search for me a lot?”

“Every day.”

I had guessed it from the way he treated me after I came back, but I wanted to hear it directly from his own mouth rather than just guessing by myself. So I waited quietly for the words that would follow.

“I thought you might have been kidnapped, so I searched the entire city. I offered all my assets, thinking they would return you if I offered money, but there was no contact.”

“…”

“Every day after you disappeared was hell for me.”

My master’s voice trembled slightly. The arm holding my waist also tightened faintly.

My heart ached. Seeing my master break down in front of me, my already fluttering heart was shaken even more.

But I was a robot. Just as his master’s brother had said. That fact, no matter how much I denied it, would never disappear…

My master would not remember today’s events tomorrow. So, with the thought that this was truly the last time… for just once, I decided to cross the line. And then, I would quietly give up on my feelings.

I raised my hand and carefully cupped his cheek. As I tilted my head slightly, his blue eyes looked at me.

Within them, indelible guilt and regret were spreading. And in the midst of all those emotions, I was reflected.

I slowly tilted my head and kissed his lips first.

Through the lips that touched lightly, the bitter taste of whiskey seeped in. Just smelling the scent of alcohol mixed with his breath felt like it was making my head spin.

My master’s eyes widened in surprise, but I slowly pressed my lips against his.

“Didi.”

At the end of the brief kiss, my master pulled his lips away slightly and softly called my name. As if asking for permission, as if checking to see if I was rejecting him.

But I had never truly pushed him away. I had only tried to give up on my feelings; my love for him had always remained the same.

So, whatever he did, it was bound to be okay with me. I once again raised my head and kissed him first.