Robot Protection Zone Chapter 96

“Didi, why are you up already?”

As I was staring at my name written on the document, someone wrapped their arms around me in a tight hug from behind. Just from the firm arms around my waist, I knew right away it was my master.

I had just checked that he was sleeping before I came out, so when did he wake up…? Feeling his hair tickling my cheek, I greeted him.

“Mr. William, good morning.”

“You should have woken me up before you left. I was surprised to see your side of the bed empty.”

His voice was still hoarse, as if he wasn’t fully awake yet. It seemed he noticed I was gone as soon as he opened his eyes and followed me right out.

He kept hugging me from behind and wouldn’t let go. The body heat from behind me felt warm and cozy, so I remained in his embrace and spoke.

“Eve came to see me, and I didn’t want to wake you, Mr. William…”

“Eve? …Why is this here?”

My master, who finally made eye contact with Eve in my arms, frowned. He didn’t seem too pleased with my answer that I had left him sleeping alone because of Eve.

He and Eve silently exchanged glances, engaging in a brief battle of nerves, before he spotted the documents and passport I was holding and asked.

“Were you looking at this since this morning?”

“Yes. But why is the date of birth this date? There’s also a manufacturing date.”

“If I had used the manufacturing date, it would have been impossible to issue it because of your age. So I put the day we first met and just adjusted the year appropriately.”

Ah. I finally understood. It made sense; if the manufacturing date from decades ago had been written as is, it wouldn’t have matched my appearance, and it surely would have been a problem.

Nodding in understanding, I looked down at the documents again, and my master spoke, his head buried in my shoulder.

“Didi, we’re going out this afternoon.”

“Me too?”

“Yes, she said she wants to take both Sophia and Eve to the park. They say winter is coming early this year, so let’s go before it gets colder.”

The park? I had just mentioned it yesterday, so I didn’t expect him to suggest going so soon. It was unexpected, so I was a little surprised as I nodded.

“I’ll have Sophia get ready too, so take your time, and bring Eve downstairs.”

“Okay!”

I was already starting to feel excited. Seeing my bright reply, my master smiled, then leaned in for a light kiss before pulling away.

Smooch. A brief peck landed on my lips. I wasn’t used to such cheesy displays of affection so early in the morning, so I ducked my head to hide my blushing face.

After my master left the room, I started to get ready to go out.

He said we would leave in the afternoon, but since both he and I had overslept today, it was already getting close to noon. I usually woke up on my own when the sun rose, but to think I had slept so soundly like in the old days just because my master was by my side.

My reaction was so honest it was embarrassing. Thinking it was a relief that no one knew, I chose my clothes from the dressing room.

Remembering that it had been chilly outside when I went out for a bit yesterday, I made sure to dress warmly. A white sweater and dark brown cotton pants. It had an autumn feel, and I was quite pleased with how it looked on me.

I finished getting ready quickly and went downstairs with Eve, where I saw my master.

“Mr. William, I’m ready.”

Sophia was also standing next to my master, who was dressed in his usual suit.

Sophia was wearing a light-colored cardigan and a long skirt, with an apron on top. It was her usual attire, but she was holding a picnic basket.

“You look cute, Didi.”

My master tilted his head toward me as if to kiss me. But since Eve and Sophia were also watching, I felt shy and quickly pushed him away.

I barely managed to push my master away and headed for the entrance. With no one’s voice seeing us off today, leaving the house felt a little awkward.

We took the car my master was driving and arrived at a park near the house.

It was our first time all going out together, so my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Unable to hide my excitement, I got out of the car and was greeted by the cool air.

Thankfully, I had dressed warmly, so I wasn’t cold. When I looked up, a high, cloudless sky came into view. Thanks to the clear weather, the park was full of people out for a walk.

We spread a mat on the grass and sat around it. I shared the sandwiches Sophia had prepared at home with my master and looked around the park.

A large, clean park. The weather was nice, and the occasional breeze felt refreshing. And with my master, Eve, and Sophia by my side, it felt like a family out on a picnic together.

I wondered if we looked that way to other people, too. Like the happy, close-knit family I had envied for so long.

I never even expected a day like this would come in my entire life… Savoring the quiet happiness, I asked.

“By the way, isn’t this the first time Sophia has been outside?”

“No, I used to take her out often when I was young. It is the first time since she broke down that one time, though.”

Come to think of it, he had said Sophia had broken down badly when he was a child. I figured that was probably what he was talking about, so I kept my mouth shut.

It didn’t seem like a very pleasant topic for my master, so I changed the subject and asked Sophia.

“Sophia, how does it feel to be outside after so long?”

“It is good.”

Sophia answered in a placid voice. At a loss for words at her dry response, my master, who was watching me, chuckled.

“This is a normal reaction for Sophia, you know.”

To me, it was so natural for robots to have emotions that I often forgot that Sophia didn’t have any. I turned my gaze from the faceless Sophia to look at Eve.

Eve, who had been quiet since a while ago, couldn’t take her eyes off one spot. I followed her gaze and saw a dog and its owner throwing and catching a frisbee.

It seems like she wants to do it, but I wonder if Eve can?

Until recently, she was a serving robot. But her current body was modeled after a dog, so it seemed entirely possible.

Come to think of it, Eve was still clumsy at running because she had only ever been inside the house. Running around like that seemed like it would be good practice for her. The more I watched, the more fun it looked…

“…Do you want to?”

“Yes…”

As I listened to my master call his secretary and instruct him to buy a frisbee for dogs, I watched the frisbee flying through the air.

Around the time we were finishing our sandwiches, the secretary arrived with a shopping bag and a few documents. My master took the shopping bag and handed it to me. Inside were several frisbees of different sizes.

“Chairman, there are some documents you need to review…”

“Tomorrow.”

My master, who was adept at postponing work matters brought up by the secretary, continued as if he’d thought of something.

“Oh, and create one intern position.”

“An intern position…? We finished recruiting last month. Is there someone you wish to add, sir?”

“That’s right. It’s for this guy.”

My master said, lightly wrapping an arm around my shoulder. The secretary flinched and looked at me, his eyes wavering for a moment in confusion.

“You can go now.”

My master sent the secretary away without even waiting for an answer. I stared at the secretary’s back as he left the park dejectedly with the unapproved documents, then turned my head toward my master, who was looking at me.

“Didi, let’s go to the company together starting tomorrow.”

“Am I starting work right away?”

“No. Like you just heard, I’m giving you an intern position at Spenic, but before that, you’ll need to learn some simple document work.”

I nodded quietly.

Soon, I too would have my first job. It felt like I was getting closer to being a real person, having a job like ordinary people.

“Whoa…! Eve?”

Eve lifted her front paws and leaped into my arms. She was heavier than I thought, and I staggered, barely managing to keep my balance with my master’s help.

It seemed like she was urging me to throw the frisbee quickly. I had many questions about the work I would be doing at the company, but I had no choice but to end my conversation with my master and get up.

I moved to an open area and stood facing Eve.

Just like the dog I saw chasing the frisbee from afar earlier, Eve waited with her front paws neatly together as I stood holding the frisbee. Her gaze was fixed solely on the frisbee, so I, too, recalled the scene of that person throwing the frisbee and threw it with all my might.

“Wow…”

I thought I had thrown it lightly, but it flew much farther than I expected. As I marveled at the frisbee flying in a smooth arc, Eve quickly sprang up and chased after the bright red plastic disc.

Eve chased it earnestly, but perhaps because she was still not used to running, she couldn’t catch it in the air and missed it. Eve came back with the frisbee in her mouth. Her gaze clearly conveyed her urgency for me to throw it again, so I smiled a little and threw the frisbee once more.

Eve missed it a few times at first, but from the third or fourth try, she started catching it perfectly. Her running speed gradually increased, and it seemed my throws were no longer enough to satisfy her.

My arm is starting to ache…

As I massaged my stiff wrist, my eyes met my master’s. If my master threw it, it would fly far… I thought Eve would have more fun that way, so I asked him.

“Would you like to try throwing it, Mr. William?”

“If I throw that, she probably won’t even bring it back.”

“……”

I looked at Eve blankly. His words were strangely persuasive. For some reason… it really seemed like that would happen, so I ended up picking up the frisbee again.

A good while later, my master told me to stop, but I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint the eager Eve with her sparkling eyes, so we repeated the cycle of throwing and fetching. The frisbee throwing continued until the sun set and I finally collapsed from exhaustion.