Since it was just a small wound, applying the ointment didn’t take long.
Didi watched William apply it, then looked up at him with his large, innocent eyes, as if to ask if they were done.
His expression was a silent query, his brow slightly furrowed.
Didi’s subdued demeanor, constantly trying to gauge William’s mood and anticipate his next move, was somehow displeasing to William.
It was a constant reminder of Didi’s fear and his own perceived coldness.
Without a word, William grabbed Didi’s arm, his grip firm but not harsh, and headed somewhere.
The suddenness of the movement startled Didi, who instinctively pulled back.
“M-Master? Where are we going?”
Didi stammered, his voice a soft, uncertain murmur.
His circuits whirred with apprehension, trying to process the unexpected deviation from their usual routine.
When William left the room without answering, his silence was a heavy blanket.
Didi, seemingly frightened by the unknown destination and his master’s uncommunicative demeanor, stepped back, a faint tremor running through his frame.
Didi tried a weak resistance, a slight tug against William’s hand, but due to the significant difference in strength between human and robot, he couldn’t shake off William’s grip.
He was ultimately dragged along, forced to follow his master’s determined strides.
The metallic taste of fear, though he couldn’t truly taste, seemed to fill his internal sensors.
William dragged Didi effortlessly into the room, his long strides making quick work of the corridor.
Thanks to the darkened and silent atmosphere of William’s bedroom, which was usually a sanctuary, William easily pulled Didi to the large, king-sized bed.
With a surprisingly gentle yet firm motion, he pushed Didi onto it.
“Ugh…!”
Didi gasped, startled by the unexpected motion.
He landed softly on the plush mattress, the suddenness of the action causing his internal systems to momentarily falter.
He looked up at William with wide, startled eyes, his face still red and puffy from the earlier crying.
William glanced down at Didi’s tear-streaked face, his expression unreadable in the dim light, then, with a weary sigh, calmly lay down beside him.
The bed dipped slightly under William’s weight, and Didi felt a strange mix of apprehension and relief.
“Master…?”
Didi whispered, his voice still hoarse, unsure of what was happening.
“I’m going to sleep now, so be quiet. Don’t cry, it’s noisy.”
William’s voice was firm, a command rather than a request, but there was a subtle weariness in his tone that Didi hadn’t noticed before.
He pulled the blanket over himself, the soft fabric rustling.
“Yes….”
Didi replied softly, his voice barely audible.
He obediently nodded, genuinely trying to stop crying.
He clamped his mouth shut, willing his internal circuits to quell the surge of despair.
But occasionally, small whimpers still escaped him, like a leak in a dam, and watery, sniffly sounds could be heard now and then, betraying his lingering distress.
Is he stupid or just obedient…?
William mused internally, a flicker of something akin to amusement crossing his face in the darkness.
Didi’s unwavering compliance, even in his distress, was a curious trait.
As time passed, the room grew quieter, settling into the familiar hum of the house at night.
Now I can finally sleep, William thought, closing his eyes, the day’s stress weighing heavily on him.
But almost immediately, a rustling sound kept coming from Didi’s direction, a soft but persistent disturbance.
Didi shifted, then shifted again, his small body unable to find comfort.
“Stop tossing and turning.”
William’s voice was low, laced with a hint of irritation.
He had tried to ignore it a few times, giving Didi space to settle.
But when the number of tosses and turns exceeded a single digit, his patience reached its limit.
William snapped irritably, a short, sharp burst of frustration, and then, without further warning, he reached out and hugged Didi tightly, almost roughly, to prevent him from moving any further.
He held Didi close, Didi’s small frame pressed against his, effectively immobilizing him.
“Master… I can’t breathe….”
Didi mumbled, his voice muffled against William’s chest.
The sudden, tight embrace was overwhelming, making it difficult for his internal fans to regulate his breathing.
“Bear with it.”
William’s reply was terse, but his grip remained firm, a paradox of comfort and control.
“Yes….”
Didi surrendered, his resistance fading.
Didi was held so tightly he couldn’t move, feeling suffocated by the warmth and pressure.
His internal processors registered the slight discomfort. Yet, strangely enough… he felt a profound sense of relief instead.
The tight embrace, though a bit overwhelming, was also a reassurance.
It meant he wasn’t alone.
It meant he wasn’t abandoned.
The familiar fear that had plagued him for hours began to recede, replaced by a quiet sense of security.
Didi finally closed his eyes, the tears that had blurred his vision slowly drying.
He drifted into a shallow sleep, his internal systems still humming with residual emotions but now settling into a more peaceful rhythm.
***
The weekend passed, a blur of quiet days and nights, and he went to the office with his master as if nothing had happened.
It was peaceful, and sometimes boring, just like usual.
The days unfolded with a predictable rhythm, punctuated by William’s work and Didi’s attempts to navigate his new reality.
He had returned to his ordinary routine, but somehow, he felt drained.
The emotional turmoil of being left at the café, the fear of abandonment, and the subsequent relief of being found, had taken a toll on his internal battery, leaving him feeling sluggish and unusually quiet.
After being left alone at the café, I keenly realized my helplessness.
I was utterly dependent on my master.
If he abandoned me, I had literally nowhere to go.
I’d just wander the streets aimlessly like a stray pet, lost and purposeless, or perhaps be put up for auction, a commodity to be sold to a stranger, stripped of any autonomy.
Neither option was particularly good.
Both presented a bleak and terrifying future. I slumped my shoulders, a physical manifestation of my despair, and curled up on the sofa in the corner of the office, trying to make myself small and invisible.
The snacks prepared for me every morning, meant to tide me over while waiting for my master all day, held no appeal today.
My internal appetite sensors were completely off.
In the quiet office, only the rhythmic sound of my master’s typing could be heard, a constant, steady background to my melancholy thoughts.
The silence felt heavy, amplifying my sense of unease.
As the morning was almost over, my master’s secretary arrived, breaking the silence with a soft knock.
He held two small, neatly wrapped boxes.
“Chairman, these are the items you requested yesterday,” the secretary announced respectfully.
“Leave them here,” William replied, his voice curt, not looking up from his work.
“Understood.”
The secretary placed the boxes carefully on my master’s desk and left immediately, his footsteps receding down the hall.
A moment later, my master finally looked up, his gaze falling on the boxes.
He opened them and checked the contents with a brief, efficient glance, then, to my surprise, he called me.
“Didi.”
“Yes, Master.”
As soon as my name was called, I sprang to my feet.
My internal motivators kicked in, overriding the sluggishness.
My feet were numb from sitting hunched for so long, a strange tingling sensation, but I forced myself to ignore it.
I tried to act natural as I walked towards my master, maintaining a steady, even gait, fearing he might discard me if he disliked my posture or showed any sign of weakness.
The thought of being considered ‘imperfect’ was a constant pressure.
When I stopped in front of him, my master held out the boxes to me, his hand extended.
“Take them.”
His voice was neutral, giving nothing away.
“These are….”
My optical sensors focused on the contents of the boxes.
I saw a sleek, modern smartphone and… a red, leather-belt-like object.
A smartphone and… a dog collar?
My internal processors struggled to reconcile the two items.
Inside the boxes were a brand-new, cutting-edge smartphone and a red dog collar that looked suspiciously like a pet accessory.
My internal database couldn’t quite categorize them together.
“It’s a gift.”
His master’s words were devoid of warmth, a simple statement of fact.
“But this is….”
I started, feeling a flush of embarrassment spread through my synthetic skin.
“What’s wrong with it?”
His master’s eyebrows arched slightly, a hint of impatience in his voice.
“It’s a dog collar….”
I mumbled, my voice barely audible.
I wanted to believe it wasn’t mine, that it was a mistake, but the metallic glint caught my eye.
On the silver charm hanging from the end of the collar, my name and my master’s phone number were clearly and kindly engraved.
It was undeniable.
“Why red, of all colors?”
I couldn’t help but ask, the color being quite vibrant and attention-grabbing.
“I thought it would suit you.”
His master’s response was simple, almost dismissive.
Red?
It’ll stand out even if I try to cover it with clothes.
It’ll be so conspicuous.
I hesitated, not immediately putting it on my neck.
My master observed my hesitation, then, with an impatient sigh, he reached out and personally fastened the collar around my neck.
The cool leather brushed against my skin, and the small metal charm rested against my throat.
“See? It suits you well.”
He stated, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.
I remained silent.
He says it suits me well, so I can’t argue…
I’m not even a dog, so a dog collar.
It clearly felt strange, illogical, and slightly humiliating.
I turned my head to check my faint reflection in the office window, confirming the bright red band against my synthetic skin.
I fidgeted self-consciously with the collar, my fingers tracing its outline.
“It also has a location tracking function, so always wear it.”
His master’s tone brooked no argument.
It was a clear directive.
“Yes….”
It wasn’t a gift I particularly liked, in fact, it was rather perplexing, but I nodded anyway, understanding the underlying command.
My compliance was paramount.
Next was the smartphone.
My master instructed me to save the number written on the collar into the new device.
But here a problem arose.
The thin device my master handed me looked very different from the smartphones I knew from my activation.
My internal archives of technological devices from the late 21st century couldn’t quite match it.
The thin device… no matter how I turned it, no matter how I rotated it in my hands, I couldn’t find the power button.
My optical sensors scanned its sleek surface, my processors searching for any discernible switch, but there was nothing familiar.
It was a mystery.
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