I was growing increasingly exhausted amidst the endless pile of clothes.
T-shirts, jumpers, coats, pajamas… even outfits for next summer.
And that wasn’t all. It seemed they had even prepared underwear.
Feeling I’d reached my limit, I eventually ran over to my master and weakly complained.
“Master… I can’t do this anymore…”
“Tired?”
With teary eyes, I nodded.
My legs were trembling, and I was so hungry that I could barely stand.
My master quietly stared at me for a moment and then muttered softly:
“Send everything from here to there, and everything she’s tried on, to the house. Make sure to pack the first one she wore too. She’ll wear this one out.”
“Understood.”
As soon as the master finished speaking, I was overwhelmed with relief.
I was so happy I didn’t have to change clothes anymore.
Following the master, I hurried out of the department store and looked up at the sky.
At some point, the sun had turned red.
It seemed the time spent in the fitting room had been longer than expected.
A cool breeze brushed against my cheeks, but the thick coat and warm scarf wrapped around me kept the cold at bay.
I slipped my cold hands into my pockets and glanced at the master.
Are we finally going to eat dinner now?
All I’d had yesterday and today were some macarons, so I was even hungrier than before.
And since it was dinnertime, I looked at the master with hopeful eyes and cautiously asked,
“Master, where are we going now?”
“Work. I’ve got things to do.”
“…Okay…”
My brief glimmer of hope crumbled, and I nodded dejectedly.
I was starving, but I couldn’t interfere with the master’s work.
I quietly got into the car without another word.
The car ride was silent.
But suddenly, a small yet clear sound echoed from somewhere.
Growl.
Growwwwl…
“Sigh…”
The master let out a long sigh and looked at me.
My face burned with embarrassment, and I couldn’t even look at them — I just hung my head.
Despite that, my stomach continued to growl noisily, doing as it pleased.
I squeezed my eyes shut and mentally begged my stomach to stay quiet, but it was no use.
It had already stopped listening to me and was loudly announcing its hunger to the world.
“I think… I think my stomach’s broken again.”
I muttered an excuse, unsure what else to say, but the master looked at me with a disbelieving expression.
“A robot saying that? What a lie.”
“…I’m sorry…”
“Forget it. Let’s go get something to eat.”
“…Okay…”
Though I was mortified, I nodded slightly at the mention of getting food.
Just knowing I’d finally get to eat lifted my spirits a bit.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Hmm…”
I gazed out the window, thinking over the master’s question.
The unfamiliar streets, the bustling crowd, buildings tall enough to block the sky…
Everything about the scenery felt foreign.
Even the restaurants I used to frequent, the places that served my favorite meals, were gone.
“Everything’s changed…”
I stared out the window in disappointment, realizing all the familiar places had disappeared.
I didn’t know where to go and was feeling troubled — when suddenly, I saw a sign I recognized.
It was a restaurant I had once visited with my previous master.
Without realizing it, I lifted my finger and pointed at the sign.
“Oh, I’ve been to that restaurant before.”
“Really? Then shall we go there?”
Master turned the steering wheel.
It wasn’t that I particularly wanted to go there… but no other destination came to mind, so I quietly lowered my hand.
The restaurant had the same sign, but the interior had completely changed.
The fancy lighting and sleek furniture felt unfamiliar, but the trace of the past found in this strange future was still a welcome sight to me.
Perhaps because it was dinner time, the restaurant was bustling with people.
I worried there might not be a seat, but luckily a table by the window was available.
I looked out the window and recalled my memories with my former master, one by one.
“This place… One time, it started pouring suddenly, so my old master and I came in here to get out of the rain.”
“Really?”
“We weren’t that hungry, so we just ordered whatever… but it ended up tasting so good that we’d come back here often whenever it rained.”
“My old master and I always sat by the window, like today…”
I was chatting excitedly for a while before I suddenly noticed that the Master was looking at me with a bored expression, and I froze.
I realized too late—those memories with my previous master were precious only to me.
To the new Master, they were meaningless stories.
They were probably trivial memories that didn’t matter if they were erased…
I pressed my lips together and lowered my gaze, then carefully apologized.
“Sorry… I was being too loud, wasn’t I…”
“It’s fine. If you want to talk, go ahead. You might remember something important that way.”
Master said while tilting a wine glass.
But the moment I heard those words, I no longer felt like saying anything at all.
An awkward silence followed.
Amid the lively chatter around us, only our table felt strangely quiet.
Just as the silence began to feel uncomfortable, the food arrived.
“Here’s your order.”
“Wow…”
I admired the food on the plate.
The plating had changed from before, but the dishes still looked delicious and caught my eye.
“Thank you for the meal, Master.”
Master gave a nod.
Receiving permission to eat, I cautiously picked up a spoon and tried a bite.
“Hm…?”
But something felt off.
It wasn’t the taste I remembered from before.
Thinking it was too early to be disappointed, I tried another dish.
But even that didn’t match the flavors I remembered.
Naturally, the taste of the restaurant had changed.
The menu was completely different, and the interior had been remodeled—there was no trace of what it once was.
Master noticed my downcast expression and asked,
“What’s wrong? Doesn’t it taste good?”
“The taste has changed…”
“Well, everything changes with time.”
Master said calmly.
I nodded slowly, but my heart still felt oddly hollow, as if something had been pierced through.
Is that really how it is?
That everything changes with time.
Even my former master, those cherished memories… and maybe, someday, even myself?
I looked down at the plate and silently continued eating for a long time without saying another word.
After finishing the meal, we stepped outside, and the cold night air felt a little chilly.
I thought we’d be heading to the company now, but the road outside the window was going in a completely different direction.
“Master, aren’t we going to the company now?”
“It’s too late for that. We’re going home.”
I asked in confusion, and the Master answered matter-of-factly.
Was it because I was hungry that my Master’s schedule got messed up?
I started to worry that I had ruined things.
Instead of being helpful, I feared I had only gotten in the way.
I felt like a burden and couldn’t help but shrink into myself.
“William, Didi. Welcome home.”
When we arrived, Sophia came to greet us at the entrance.
At the sight of her mannequin-like face, I froze instantly.
I quickly lowered my head, but I could still feel her gaze, making me swallow nervously.
“Didi, what are you doing? Hurry up and come in.”
“Yes! Coming!”
Master urged me, seeing that I had frozen at the entrance.
I belatedly changed into indoor slippers and followed Master into the house.
“Sophia, where’s the room for Didi?”
“I’ve prepared the guest room on the second floor.”
“Good. Show him it.”
“Yes, William.”
Sophia, who had been speaking with the Master, turned to me.
A white face with no features.
Even without eyes, I felt like she was staring at me, and I tensed up.
I knew there was a camera embedded beneath that smooth skin-toned surface recognizing me, but it still gave me the creeps.
As I swallowed hard, I saw Master walking away in large strides behind Sophia.
Wait—was Master going to leave me here like this?
If so, I’d be left alone with Sophia…
“M-Master…!”
I hurried after him and grabbed his arm.
Master looked down at the arm I was holding and stopped walking.
“You’ll… stay with me, right…?”
Master’s brow furrowed slightly.
Then, perhaps realizing I was scared of Sophia, a look of annoyance crossed his face.
I furrowed my brows and looked up at him with the most pleading expression I could muster.