Robot Protection Zone Chapter 91

Soon, with the sound of water boiling, steam began to rise from the kettle.

Taking that as a signal, the brief conversation we were having came to an end. After preparing the tea and returning to the drawing room, I saw the Master playing with Amy.

Amy, sitting on the Master’s lap, was fiddling with his hair, her eyes sparkling. Amy had been shy around me for a long time, but it seemed she had completely lost her heart to his beautiful, shining golden hair.

The Master wore an expression of extreme annoyance, yet he held his head still, allowing Amy to touch his hair. His neatly styled hair became slightly disheveled under Amy’s small hands.

Watching the scene, I laughed without realizing it, and my eyes met the Master’s. I quickly wiped the smile off my face and averted my gaze.

We gathered in the drawing room with warm cocoa for Amy and black tea for the rest of us.

The Master spoke first.

“How long have you been here?”

“About two weeks…”

“No wonder I couldn’t find you, holed up in a place like this…”

I heard the Master click his tongue softly.

“Why is it so quiet here? Are there any other guardians?”

“Just the master and I live here alone.”

The Master paused. He didn’t say anything else, but he seemed to have immediately grasped the situation. Leaving the Master, who had begun to quietly scan the house that was devoid of any presence, I carefully spoke to Enok.

“Enok, is it okay if I visit from time to time?”

“Of course. The master will surely be happy to see you. Right?”

“Yeah… I wish Didi would come every day…”

The Master, who had been listening to the conversation from the side, took a sip of tea and said.

“Sorry, but I’m busy, so I can’t come often.”

“I could come by myself…”

“That’s even more out of the question.”

His tone was firm. I gripped my teacup with both hands and lowered my head, crestfallen. Enok, who was watching me, smiled quietly and said.

“Still, it’s a relief to see that you two seem to be on good terms.”

“Pardon?”

As I tilted my head with a puzzled expression, I felt Enok’s gaze slowly move to my neck.

Belatedly, I remembered the Master biting the nape of my neck before we entered the house. With that much force, it was more than enough to leave a mark.

“No, this is…!”

I hurriedly covered my neck with my hand. I wanted to say it wasn’t what he thought, but I couldn’t think of an excuse.

I could see the corners of the Master’s mouth, who was sitting next to me, lift subtly. I looked at the Master resentfully with an aggrieved expression.

It was then. Amy, who had been quietly observing the lively atmosphere from one side, dropped a bombshell.

“Can’t Enok and Didi get married?”

Everyone’s attention turned to Amy. I almost spat out the tea I was drinking but managed to swallow it, choking. The first reaction came from the Master’s direction.

“What?”

The Master’s eyebrows twitched, and his face instantly hardened into a scowl. I hastily tugged on his arm, and his thoroughly displeased expression turned towards me.

I was relieved that Amy didn’t see this. If the Master’s sharp gaze had been directed at her, Amy would have surely gotten scared and burst into tears.

Enok also offered an embarrassed smile and soothed Amy.

“Master. You’re making Didi uncomfortable.”

“But… then we could be together every day…”

Amy pouted. It seemed Amy, who had been lonely living alone with Enok in this large house, had taken a liking to this lively atmosphere.

“I’m sorry, she must be remembering the storybook I read to her yesterday.”

“It’s alright.”

Enok apologized to me with an apologetic look. I smiled and shook my head.

I didn’t know what kind of storybook he had read, but I had a feeling I could guess. Maybe the last page had a sentence like, And the two married and lived happily ever after.

The Master’s lips curled into a crooked smile as he said to Amy.

“Sorry, but you can’t have Didi. I’m going to keep him with me for the rest of my life.”

“Really…?”

Amy hung her head, her face visibly disappointed. Looking at her slumped shoulders, I gave an ambiguous smile.

Just then, the Master’s smartphone vibrated. It seemed to be an important call, as the Master checked the caller ID and briefly excused himself.

As I watched the Master walk away while on the phone, Enok spoke to me.

“You’re always welcome here, Didi. If you ever have any worries, you can come to me for advice.”

I nodded my head. As we were both Human-bots, we would be able to deeply empathize with each other’s situations. Since it was Enok who had first extended a hand to me when I was wandering the streets, his words sounded especially warm.

A little while later, the Master finished his call and returned to the drawing room.

“Didi, something came up at the company, so we have to go now.”

“Yes, Master.”

I nodded and started to get up from my seat to follow the Master, but I paused. A hand reaching out from my side was gently holding onto the hem of my pants.

“You’re leaving already…?”

Her voice was thick with reluctance to part. I, too, was sad to be leaving so soon, and my feet wouldn’t move easily.

“Master, can’t I wait here?”

“No.”

I carefully asked for permission, but the Master shook his head immediately and mercilessly, even after seeing the scene. When I looked down at Amy apologetically, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

The Master, leaving us behind, took out a business card and handed it to Enok.

“You said you wouldn’t accept a reward, but if you need anything, contact this number. If you tell my secretary, he’ll help you right away.”

We exchanged simple goodbyes and left the mansion. I watched the house grow distant in the rearview mirror before asking.

“Master, what’s the matter at the company?”

“I need to give my final approval on a new product.”

“Are we going right now?”

“No. We’ll stop by the house and pick up Eve.”

A random name came out of the Master’s mouth, and I asked, puzzled.

“Why Eve?”

“We decided to release a robot dog identical to Eve for this new product, and Thomas told me to bring her over, saying he’d use her movement patterns as a reference.”

It was surprising that they were releasing a robot dog instead of the originally planned humanoid. I could feel that the Master had changed a lot while I was away. I remembered him insisting that he would never release a product like a robot dog….

Yes, the Master might have really changed. It’s just that I’m scared to accept that fact.

“Welcome, William, Didi.”

When we arrived at the house, Sophia’s familiar voice greeted me. Next to her, Eve was also sitting obediently, wagging her tail.

The Master, seeming to plan on leaving immediately with Eve, didn’t come inside the house and called for her from the entryway.

“Eve, come out.”

However, Eve didn’t move an inch. Instead, she stared intently at my movements, as if she intended to follow me into the house.

“Eve.”

The Master called Eve once more in a slightly sharper tone, but Eve still paid him no mind. I glanced back and forth between them during the unseen battle of wills, and finally opened my mouth.

“I’ll go too.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“I don’t think Eve will follow you if I’m not there.”

“…Alright.”

The Master seemed to think so as well, as he sighed and nodded. I turned around and went back outside the house. When I called Eve, this time she followed me out obediently.

As I watched Sophia see us off, standing alone at the door, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Wouldn’t it be lonely to wait all alone in an empty house for someone to return? Come to think of it, Sophia always just saw us off when we went out; I had never seen her go outside the house.

As I stopped and looked back at the entrance, the Master asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was just wondering if Sophia would be lonely guarding the house by herself…”

“That won’t happen, so don’t worry.”

The Master was right. Sophia was not a robot that could feel emotions. But seeing me still looking back at her with concern, the Master said nonchalantly.

“If it really bothers you, I guess we can all go to the park together later.”

It might have been an offhand comment, but my ears perked up.

Now that Eve’s body was able to move around freely, she would be able to run to her heart’s content if we went to a large park. Just imagining all of us at the park together seemed like it would be fun.

When I opened the back seat door, Eve got into the car by herself. I suddenly remembered the small commotion there was a long time ago when the Master was putting Eve in the car.

I grew a little nostalgic for the warm and friendly atmosphere of that time. With a faint smile, I quietly got into the car.