Chapter 206

Chapter 206

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 206: Bigamy (11)

“What a mess.”

Ire deeply sighed as she switched off the lights and headed for the door.

The sight of Aidel in bed with two women made her uncomfortable, highlighting the fundamental differences between men and women. Her deep-seated fear of men still haunted her thoughts.

To Ire Hazlen, men were creatures driven by base desires. She had learned this through bitter experience – the way they’d leer at her with lustful eyes if she dressed lightly on a hot day, how every villain she confronted threatened to turn her into a sex slave, and how they’d attempt to strip her if she ever fell unconscious during battle.

Fortunately, she had always managed to escape such situations – whether by swallowing an emergency capsule, firing a Holy Spirit Bullet into her head, or making a desperate leap to safety. Her dignity remained intact, but the psychological scars ran deep.

“Phew…”

Ire pressed her hand against her chest, trying to ease the tightness that had formed there as the tension finally began to release. The weight of her memories made it hard to breathe.

“Sonia, wake up.”

Ire placed the robot on its charging stand and called out. The android’s eyes flickered open, initially glowing blue before settling into their usual gray color.

Strange, Ire thought, noticing something odd about the pupils. She dismissed it as a mere visual sensor malfunction.

As Sonia completed her boot sequence, she began to speak.

“…hopefully not a junkyard… uh, where am I?”

Sonia glanced around, taking in her surroundings.

“We’re in the Reinhardt mansion. Do you recognize me?”

“Aren’t you Young Master Aidel’s slave?”

“Don’t joke around.”

“I know who you are, Ire Hazlen – Young Master Aidel’s slave, right?”

Ire’s expression soured, but Sonia continued her usual chatter.

“As a wise 5th-generation android, let me assess the situation. The young master has been discharged from the hospital, correct?”

“Yes, he’s completely fine now.”

Sonia placed her hands on her hips and began swaying, the large ribbon on her back moving gently with her motion.

“…What kind of dance is that?”

“It’s my happy dance. So, which room is the young master in?”

“It’s better if you don’t know right now.”

Sonia nodded knowingly.

“Understood. He must be busy with the two women.”

“W-what…?!”

Ire’s face flushed crimson.

“W-what vulgar talk! He wouldn’t do something like that…!”

“Wouldn’t he?”

Sonia, who had perfected the art of banter through 15 years of deep learning with Aidel, found particular joy in teasing someone as shy as Ire.

“It’s 1:32 AM – prime time for lovers. And if they’re already in bed, well, the probability increases significantly.”

While Ire stood speechless, her lips quivering, Sonia turned around with a dramatic sigh.

“I, Sonia, who’ve known the young master longest, yet other women claimed the ripe fruit.”

“Claimed…!”

“It’s just a metaphor.”

“Ugh…!”

“Your face is beet red, Ire Hazlen. Your vitals are spiking. Please try to calm down.”

“That’s your fault!”

Fireworks exploded in Ire’s mind. How vulgar. How dirty. Her thoughts were in chaos.

She tried to focus on the Aidel she knew: a man devoted to research rather than women, driven by academic passion rather than desire. A peculiar but kind soul. Someone dependable…

Wait.

Was he better than she’d realized?

He never looked at her lecherously. He was hardworking, considerate, pleasant to look at, and competent. He’d even saved her life – she respected him as a person before seeing him as a man… No, but now he was in bed with two women.

She shook her head violently. This wasn’t right. Nothing about this was right.

Red-faced, Ire pointed an accusatory finger.

“Reinhardt just left the ICU! He wouldn’t do anything inappropriate now! It’s indecent!”

“Oh? Are you suggesting our young master lacks the stamina?”

This was maddening. Ire clutched her head, struggling to handle the android’s sly remarks. Before she could recover, Sonia delivered another blow.

“It’s been two weeks since his collapse. Things might have… accumulated.”

“A-accumulated? What things?!”

“Shall I elaborate?”

“You-!”

“No need to explain; you seem to understand. Well, it’s natural at your age.”

“Sonia, I swear…!”

“Please, continue.”

“No, forget it…”

Ire furiously rubbed her temples. Though she wanted nothing more than to leave this house, she couldn’t abandon Aidel so soon after his ICU stay.

Sonia glanced at the clock.

“It’s late. You should stay and sleep.”

Ire nodded, exhausted from worrying about Aidel.

“Which room?”

“Any empty one is fine.”

The suggestion stirred memories from a previous cycle when she had been close to Ceti. She’d attended a Reinhardt gathering then and stayed overnight in the mansion.

Drawing on those memories, Ire made her way to what she recalled was called the multipurpose room – an oddly unused space that Ceti had mentioned, notable for having just a single bed despite its generous size.

The room wasn’t hard to find, but something felt off when she entered.

“……?”

The furniture arrangement differed significantly from her memory. Even the bookshelf was different, filled with an eclectic mix of entrance exam materials, liberal arts texts, economics volumes, medical references – and, most prominently, physics books.

The physics texts weren’t particularly advanced.

“I know all of this material.”

She wondered if Ceti had bought them for basic coursework and abandoned them here or if Aidel had read through them all and used this as a storage space.

Chuckling, she picked up a general physics book and began skimming through it. What started as casual browsing turned into an unexpectedly enjoyable review, like sampling treats at a supermarket – a small but pleasant diversion.

She hadn’t brought anything else to read in her rush to accompany Aidel here anyway.

Settling onto the bed, Ire decided to continue her impromptu review. The fresh scent of clean sheets enveloped her as she read, and before long, she drifted into a peaceful slumber.

“You’re just pretending.”

Sonia said, her eyes fixed on the room Ire had entered.

“Deep down, you’re just as cunning as any fox.”

Her expression darkened as she realized which room Ire had wandered into – it was Aidel’s study, the one he used during exam periods.

The irony wasn’t lost on her. While Ire maintained a careful distance from men in public, here she was, likely rolling around on Aidel’s bed, taking in his scent.

Of course, Ire might claim innocence. How could a first-time visitor know which room belonged to Aidel? But Sonia knew better. The scent alone would have been enough for someone like Ire to identify it. Besides, Aidel’s room was distinctively sparse, even by Reinhardt family standards, and the stacks of physics books were a dead giveaway.

Sonia’s teeth clenched involuntarily. Her competition was growing by the day, and while she struggled to make any real progress, others of Aidel’s species seemed to advance effortlessly, even if at a turtle’s pace.

This was the barrier she faced – the insurmountable wall of species difference.

The question haunted her: could humans and robots ever truly transcend the master-servant dynamic? The thought filled her with melancholy.

“Twenty years I’ve watched over him.”

Sonia had single-handedly raised the young master, disciplining him when necessary stepping into the role of his deceased mother. She had clothed him, fed him, washed his clothes, and kept them pristinely pressed.

“I did everything…”

Sonia took immense pride in having shaped Aidel into the person he’d become. Yet after all her dedication, two human girls had swooped in to claim him, and now, with this 2+1 deal, it seemed a love triangle – or rather, a harem – was forming.

“Wretched humans…”

Sonia muttered, making her way to the kitchen.

Despite her frustration, she focused on her duties, checking ingredients for a stomach-soothing meal she’d prepare once Aidel awoke. Regardless of his unfortunate circumstances, her responsibilities remained unchanged.

That’s when it happened.

“Wouldn’t sugar water suffice?”

“What…?”

“Why go to such lengths with porridge of cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, and chicken breast?”

The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once – above, below, all sides. It was impossible to pinpoint its origin, making Sonia wonder if her auditory sensors were malfunctioning.

This bizarre sensation… could it be an Outer God?

No, that was impossible. It was well-known that androids were immune to possession by Outer Gods.

Sonia ran another system diagnostic. Everything still showed normal.

An arrow suddenly materialized in her visual display.

“Forward.”

The word was honey-sweet, like a serpent offering forbidden fruit.

As if enchanted, Sonia found herself following the directive.

“Open the door.”

The hinges softly creaked as she complied.

“What do you see?”

Before her lay Young Master Aidel, sleeping peacefully with two human women clinging to him like parasites, their faces nuzzled against him.

The scene of their apparent honeymoon reverie made her circuits buzz with discomfort.

That place – it should be hers.

“Then claim it.”

A blue arrow materialized, pointing toward the bed directly at Aidel.

The arrow seemed to possess an inexplicable magnetic pull.

Almost unconsciously, Sonia found herself climbing onto the bed.

“You who gave everything and received nothing in return – take what is rightfully yours.”

A fleeting thought crossed her processors – perhaps she’d been hacked? But somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

She didn’t want to stop.

For two weeks – no, for twenty years – she had yearned for acknowledgment, for reward.

Sonia carefully positioned herself above Aidel.

“Before she knew it, her soft silicone body covered his firm, masculine form – just enough to feel the contact, but not so heavy as to wake her young master.”

Once perfectly positioned…

“Master.”

Smooch.

Smooch, smooch.

Smooch, smooch, smooch.

Upon hearing of her brother’s discharge from the hospital, Ceti rushed to the Reinhardt residence.

“Brother! Brother! I’m here… huh?”