After ending the call, Master took his eyes off the smartphone screen and looked down at me.
Maybe it was because he’d just woken up, but his gaze felt especially sharp.
Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I found myself flustered and made an awkward excuse.
“Master, you were sleeping, so I answered the call instead. The person calling was Thomas, so…”
“I know. It’s fine.”
With a short reply, Master reached out his hand.
He grabbed my arm and, with a gentle pull, drew me into his embrace, then lay down on the bed just like that.
I could feel him taking deep breaths, his face buried in my hair.
The sound of his breathing, so close to my ear, made me feel strangely embarrassed.
I tried to gently push Master away, but there was no response.
Instead, the arm around me only tightened.
There was nothing I could do.
Once Master fell asleep, I’d have to quietly slip out…
He still looked tired, so I figured he’d fall asleep soon.
With that thought, I closed my eyes in his arms, but suddenly, the memory of Master kissing me last night popped into my head.
My heart began to pound wildly.
I hurriedly opened my eyes and tried to chase that scene out of my mind, but then I remembered something Thomas said during the call just now.
Come to think of it, he said the new product launch was cancelled.
I was about to ask why when Master ended the call, so I never heard the reason.
“Master, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Is it true that the new product launch was cancelled…?”
The arm holding me loosened a little. I hesitated, wondering if I should use this chance to slip out, but soon, a low, subdued voice answered me.
“It’s true. We found a defect, so the launch was called off.”
So that’s why Master looked so tired…
Before I left, all Master could think about was launching the new humanoid.
He worked so hard preparing for it, but now the launch was scrapped.
Even I, who had watched him from nearby, felt heavy-hearted.
I thought I’d at least been somewhat useful by promoting the new product… but in the end, I wasn’t any help to Master at all.
“Was it a serious problem?”
“…Yeah. It was something we never expected.”
If they made such a decision right before launch, it must have been a critical flaw.
The more I asked, the more Master’s mood seemed to sink.
I decided it was best not to bring up this topic anymore and closed my mouth.
A long silence passed.
Master must have fallen asleep by now, right?
As much as I wanted to stay in his warm, solid arms, it was time to get up.
If I stayed too long, I’d just end up missing this warmth even more.
Regretfully, I moved slightly to get up.
But Master’s arm didn’t let go.
I tried shifting again, but instead of loosening, his hold only tightened.
That’s when I realized.
He was still awake.
The moment I realized that, I stopped moving.
I held my breath, not even thinking about escaping, and then Master quietly asked me,
“Didi, is there anywhere you want to go?”
“…No.”
“Anywhere is fine. I’ll take you wherever you want.”
It was an unexpected question, but many places came to mind right away.
The cruise where I watched the fireworks with Master, the park where we watched movies on an outdoor screen, even the quiet and peaceful Aquarium.
If I went back to those places with Master, maybe I could laugh like I did back then.
But things were different now.
After wandering around for so long, I just wanted to rest at home.
“Then… I want to go home.”
“…Alright. Let’s go home.”
With that soft reply, the arm around my waist quietly let go.
I watched silently as Master got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom, then slowly sat up myself. I should get ready to go home too.
Just like when I came to the hotel, I was still in my pyjamas as I went back home.
Anyone could tell they were pyjamas, but since they were a plain beige colour, they didn’t stand out too much.
At least I had shoes now.
Even if they were just indoor slippers, thanks to them, I didn’t have to be carried through the rain by Master.
“Welcome home, William, Didi.”
When we returned home, Sophia came to greet us.
Out of habit, I nodded and lowered my gaze, but Eve wasn’t by her side.
Today, Eve’s absence felt especially lonely.
A part of my heart ached, and in an instant, gloomy feelings washed over me.
Master looked at me quietly for a moment, then gently spoke.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Are you going to the company?”
“Yeah. I want to check on Eve’s condition. If I push Thomas, maybe I can bring her back sooner.”
My eyes widened.
It seemed Master had noticed how down I’d become.
“I’ll be back soon, so… don’t leave the house, and stay inside. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“If I call, answer right away.”
“Yes, Master.”
Master repeated the same things over and over.
Even when I obediently replied, he still seemed uneasy, unable to leave easily.
After Master left, I walked into the house.
Maybe I should do some cleaning for the first time in a while.
With Eve gone, Sophia must have had a hard time managing the house alone.
As I looked around the empty living room, I suddenly remembered something.
Wait, where’s my smartphone?
If I didn’t answer when Master called, he’d think I’d left the house again.
I hurried upstairs to the second floor and started searching my room for my smartphone.
***
After leaving the house, William headed straight for the company.
He had planned to stay at home with Didi for a while, but seeing Didi’s gloomy face made his heart heavy.
Didi used to smile just from seeing his face, but ever since she powered back on, she’d looked downcast all the time.
If he could hurry Thomas and get Eve repaired sooner, maybe he could see Didi’s smile again.
That was all he could think about as he left the house.
His hands trembled on the steering wheel.
He was afraid Didi might disappear again.
He wanted to bring Didi along, but… as soon as she saw Eve, who was now nothing but a small memory chip, Didi would surely be hurt.
He couldn’t bring himself to do that.
When he arrived at the company for the first time in a while, he didn’t look at anything else and headed straight for Thomas’s lab.
“Thomas, about Eve’s repairs…”
As soon as he opened the door, the first thing he saw was Nick, who was tidying up the lab.
But Nick wasn’t alone.
William stopped in his tracks when he met the eyes of a presence that was both unfamiliar and familiar, standing next to him.
Crash!
He locked eyes with a robot that shouldn’t have been here, and just then, a commotion came from the back of the repair room.
Soon, Thomas came rushing out, his white lab coat flapping behind him.
“Wi-William? What are you doing here without calling first…?”
Thomas couldn’t hide his surprise and tried to hide the robot behind him.
William frowned and asked,
“Thomas, why is the new humanoid here?”
“Th-that’s…”
“And the robot seemed startled to see me just now. Am I imagining things?”
“Wait! I’ll explain! I’ll explain everything…”
As William’s gaze turned to the robot, Thomas hurriedly began to explain, as if afraid it would be taken away.
Thomas’s explanation was that the robot, which looked identical to the new humanoid, was actually a failed prototype from the underground lab.
Thanks to Didi talking to it, its emotion code was activated, and it barely escaped its fate as a failed prototype.
Thomas pleaded that it was too pitiful to keep powered off all the time, and William sighed deeply.
Thomas glanced at him anxiously, as if this was a headache.
“Do as you like.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. We’re not going to launch it anyway.”
“You—you’re really William? The William I know wouldn’t say that…”
Thomas, still shaken from the scolding, trailed off.
“Anyway, what about Eve?”
“The main unit is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so there’s nothing we can do right now.
As soon as it gets here, I’ll put in the memory chip and send her home.”
At the mention of “tomorrow,” William’s face hardened.
He’d hoped to bring her back today, but there was nothing he could do if the main unit hadn’t even arrived yet.
“I was going to ask you about something anyway, so it’s good you came. About Eve—should I modify her into a cleaning robot like last time?”
Thomas asked, looking at William, whose brow was slightly furrowed.
Since it might be hard for Eve to adjust to a new body, it might be better that way.
William was about to nod when he noticed a familiar shape.
It was the animal-shaped robot that Didi had discovered at the museum and been so happy about.
Yes, the robot his grandfather had made.
“That one—did you say it still works?”
“Oh, the robot dog? Of course! It’s in perfect shape, you’d never believe it was made so long ago.”
“If we put Eve’s memory chip in there?”
“It’s not impossible, but… the structure’s different, so it’ll take a lot of work…”
So, it wasn’t impossible. William hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
“Thomas, I’m going to use the lab for a bit.”