Robot Protection Zone Chapter 93

Leaving the room full of robots, I went up to the office with the Master.

I was about to follow the Master into the office when I stopped, without even realizing it. It was because a place that should have been familiar suddenly felt strange.

I quietly looked around the interior. I checked to see if anything had changed from before, but it wasn’t much different from the last time I visited.

Was it just a feeling? Perhaps it felt unfamiliar because I hadn’t visited for so long. It had been months since I’d last been to the Master’s office, so I thought it might be natural and stepped inside.

“Didi, sit down and wait for just a little bit. There are a few things I need to take care of, but it’ll be over soon.”

“Yes.”

The Master had me sit to one side and immediately started working. He went to a meeting for a while, and now he was catching up on backlogged work. I sat quietly on the sofa in the corner of the office, waiting for the Master to finish his work.

It seemed he hadn’t been going to the company lately, so I wondered if a lot of work had piled up in the meantime. The secretary, as if seizing the opportunity, was endlessly bringing in documents that needed the Master’s approval.

Looking at the documents piling up on the desk, it seemed unlikely that it would be over soon, as the Master had said. I glanced at the Master, who was frowning at the continuously added documents, and then turned my gaze to the window.

A view of high-rise buildings and a wide, clean park all in one glance.

Being like this, it felt as if I had truly returned to the past. Back then, just waiting for the Master while sitting here had made my heart swell with so much happiness. It felt like the excitement of that time was trying to resurface out of habit, so I quickly averted my gaze from the window.

“Chairman, I’ll be on my way now.”

The secretary, with an armful of approved documents, left the office with a refreshed expression.

As soon as the door closed, the Master, with a tired look, came over to my side and plopped down next to me. Feeling my body sway slightly from the impact, I asked the Master.

“Is everything finished now?”

“Yeah. A problem came up while I was away for a bit.”

The Master rubbed his brow as if he were tired, and then he lay down, using my lap as a pillow.

“Master, if you sleep here…”

“I’ll just be like this for a moment.”

There was nothing I could do about the Master, who had already settled down and was lying on my lap, so I obediently offered my legs. My gaze was momentarily captivated by his fine-textured hair tickling my thigh.

Several minutes passed like that, but the Master closed his eyes, saying he would just rest for a little while, and didn’t move. Feeling my legs slowly start to go numb, I asked carefully.

“Shouldn’t we be getting back to Eve soon? She must be waiting…”

“Thomas will call when he’s done. We can go then.”

My attempt to get away from the Master using Eve as an excuse had failed.

The conversation cut off, and silence flowed again. I looked down at the Master, who was lying with his eyes closed, and then spoke.

“Master, if you need my help in making Human-bots, I will help you in any way I can.”

Seeing the robots that had developed emotions because of me, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. Could it be that the reason the Master sought me out again after I left home, the reason he held onto me saying he loved me, was all because of my hidden function?

The day I first met the Master, the reason he took me in when I had nowhere to go was to create a Human-bot. In the end, I had left home without being of any proper help.

If he’s doing this because he’s afraid I might run away again, he wouldn’t have to worry anymore, because I would stay by his side and help him even if he didn’t pretend to love me….

My chest ached.

“As I said before, I have no intention of making Human-bots anymore.”

“But…”

As I closed my mouth with a dark expression, the Master’s closed eyes flashed open. As soon as our eyes met, the Master scowled and said firmly.

“Don’t get any strange ideas. That’s why I didn’t tell you until now.”

“…”

“I don’t need your help. Don’t think about that kind of thing, and from now on, do what you want to do.”

What I want to do…. I fell into a long silence, my lips sealed. To me, who had lived my life with the sole purpose of serving the Master, those words sounded so daunting.

Was it because it was too late that the usefulness I had finally discovered was no longer needed? A robot ought to be given a role, but now I didn’t even have that.

I looked down at the Master, who had closed his eyes again at some point.

He had looked tired since earlier, and in the short moment I had been silent, he had fallen asleep in an instant. I was about to shift my position so he could sleep a little more comfortably on the narrow sofa, but I paused upon hearing the sound of his peaceful breathing.

A face that looked a little weary. I wondered if he had insomnia, as I would sometimes hear clattering sounds from his room until dawn. Considering what happened last time, it seemed he had been relying on alcohol to fall asleep for quite some time….

Thinking it would be better to stay still and not wake the Master by moving unnecessarily, I minimized my movements as much as possible.

Just then, a vibration came from the Master’s phone.

The Master’s eyelids twitched slightly. I hastily turned my head, afraid of getting caught secretly stealing a glance at his sleeping face.

The Master, who frowned with a face full of fatigue and pressed his brow firmly, answered the call while still resting his head on my leg.

— William, I’m done. Are you coming now?

“Yeah. I’ll be right there.”

The call ended quickly. I recalled Thomas’s voice from over the phone and asked cautiously.

“Can we go get Eve now?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

The Master sat up and put on his suit jacket.

Watching him, I secretly massaged my legs. My feet had gone numb in the short time the Master had been using my lap as a pillow. Trying not to let him see me limping, I tried my best to walk naturally and followed the Master out of the office.

“Anything unusual?”

“There are no problems. I’ll update the new product’s motion and get it ready for release as is.”

As soon as we returned to the lab, while the Master and Thomas began to talk, I lingered in front of the robot that looked identical to Eve.

Like Eve, it had a power switch below its ear. I stared at the motionless robot and then asked Thomas.

“Can I turn it on?”

“Sure. Just so you know, it’s still in the prototype stage, so it’s not perfect.”

Seeing my curiosity, Thomas came over and turned it on for me.

The robot vibrated once and then began to move. He had said it was still a prototype, but the way it looked around here and there seemed quite real. But it did seem like Eve’s movements were definitely a bit more natural.

Amazed by the moving robot, Eve came up and stood next to it. The sight was so cute that a faint smile formed on my lips.

“What purpose is this robot being released for?”

“Right now, all it can do is move, so we’re planning to promote it as a pet, but we plan to add functions in the future to make it usable for crime prevention or rescue operations.”

I nodded as I listened to Thomas’s explanation. It was more ordinary than I had expected.

“It has less impact than the humanoid that was originally scheduled as the new product, right? Well, it was our chairman’s choice, so what can you do.”

I looked at Thomas, who was shrugging, and then inadvertently glanced towards where the Master was. It certainly gave the impression of being overly ordinary compared to the humanoid, which had been similar to a Human-bot.

It would be a nuisance if I looked around for too long, so I should probably take Eve and go home now.

I was straightening up from my crouched position in front of the moving robot when I paused, seeing Eve wagging her tail at me.

Come to think of it, he did say Eve had also developed emotions. If that was the case, did that mean Eve would have to live in that place where the other robots were gathered from now on? If we had to part ways like this… I didn’t want that, I thought, and carefully asked the Master.

“Master… does Eve also have to live in that place where the other robots are?”

“No.”

The Master shook his head and continued.

“The robots gathered there were collected because we were afraid they’d cause trouble outside, so it doesn’t apply to Eve.”

“That’s right. If a robot with emotions were to harm a person, it would cause a huge problem.”

I nodded as I listened to Thomas’s added explanation. Indeed, from what I had seen earlier, they seemed to be touching and breaking various things out of curiosity. If they were to damage property on the streets, it would surely not be overlooked.

“Didi, how were the robots?”

“I… don’t really know.”

“I can see that. They’re all docile now, but at first, it was complete chaos.”

“Did something happen?”

“A building management robot chased after a person who threw trash in the hallway and beat them with a mop, another one deserted its post and refused to return… Reports kept coming in about robots suddenly showing abnormal reactions, so I was busy chasing them around all day.”

Thomas shook his head and let out a long sigh.

“Reports about robots showing abnormal reactions kept coming in, and in the midst of it all, William kept being absent, then suddenly came back and said he was canceling the new product launch….”

Thomas wiped away tears as he vented the hardships that had piled up.

All I had done was ask nearby robots for directions to get to the former Master’s house, but to think it had become such a problem…. Completely dejected, I apologized meekly.

“I’m sorry…”

“Didi, it’s not your fault. It’s all William’s…!”

“…Thomas.”

“What? It’s the truth.”

As Thomas muttered with an aggrieved face, the Master grabbed my wrist and started walking, as if there was no need to hear any more.

“Let’s go now.”

“Yes, Master.”

After saying goodbye to a disappointed Thomas who asked if we were leaving already, we left the lab. On the way back home, the sound of Eve’s small footsteps pattering along as she trotted behind the Master and me accompanied us.