Ch.238Jagang Ducheon (6)

I brought Pina to my laboratory.

Trembling.

She seems to know she did something wrong as she shakes.

Being a 4th generation model, she shows some awkwardness, but she knows how to make human-like expressions.

Pina fidgeted with her fingers and asked.

“W-what’s going to happen to me now?”

“What do you think will happen?”

“N-nothing good, I’m sure.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I stole things, and I helped Dr. Bruce do many bad things, and also… anyway, I’m a bad android. So it’s only natural that I should be punished.”

Sonia remarked with admiration.

“Her metacognition is impressive.”

“She knows her place well.”

In truth, it’s difficult to blame Pina for much. She was only following her master’s orders.

Just then.

Grumble.

Pina’s belly clock rang.

“Should we eat first?”

“Eat?”

“You need to refuel, don’t you? Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“Sausages and pineapple.”

“What an unusual combination.”

I had Sonia bring food. She returned with a meal featuring more elaborate decoration than I had asked for. There were three plates in total, including ones for me and her.

Pina opened her eyes wide and asked.

“C-can I really eat this?”

“Of course.”

Pina began devouring the sausage hastily. It wasn’t the dry artificial meat ham, but food you could only find in high-end restaurants. Pina seemed to notice this too, as her chewing lips suddenly stopped.

“Ah!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Could this be… my last supper?”

Tremble tremble.

She’s whimpering even more severely than before.

“This is the final meal you’re giving me before disposing of me, right? Right? It must be! There’s no way you’d give me something this delicious otherwise! I snuck into your lab and stole things! I’m finished! Waaah…!”

Even though she’s an android, she looks like a child. It’s pitiful to see her cry.

“Please don’t dispose of me!”

“I won’t dispose of you.”

“Really?”

“Instead, I’ll put you to work.”

“Waaaaaah!”

She’s an android, but a child. A child, but an android.

Which is more accurate?

The answer is obvious.

The latter is her essence.

Children are protected and respected because they are the future of humanity and still fragile beings that need protection. That’s why child labor exploitation is clearly wrong.

But.

What about androids?

I could immediately replace Pina’s main chip with software that has an adult’s mindset and swap out all her modules, and that would be it. It means she could go from a kid to a mature woman in just one day.

In other words.

Manufacturing date is meaningless.

If you can use them, you use them.

That’s my way.

“Let’s start by examining your GPU?”

“Please spare me!”

I had Sonia hold down the squirming Pina. I connected the port. I could confirm that she had a graphics card slightly below the average level for 4th generation models.

“I’m sorry! Pina is stupid! I’m not good at calculations! Please don’t make me do difficult things! Don’t make me do research!”

“…”

It’s pitiful.

Not just Pina, but Bruce too.

To think he couldn’t even gift his assistant a proper graphics card because he lacked research funds.

Compared to Sonia, whose main job is housekeeping but has an 8-core high-end product, it’s enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m defending that mad scientist.

“So what are you good at?”

“Pina is good at collecting scrap metal. I’m also good at climbing walls and gathering mushrooms.”

Her answer wasn’t much different from what I already knew.

Despite her appearance, she has excellent physical abilities.

It’s not a particularly necessary skill right now.

But later, when building particle accelerators or gravity cannons, there will be many occasions to move heavy cargo.

Perhaps I could deploy this android then.

“Alright, Pina. I’ll give you a task from now on. You’ll stand by and move things when I call you. Can you do that much?”

“Does that mean you’ll spare me? I don’t have to go to the scrap yard?”

“Not only will you not go there, but I’ll also forgive what you did before. If you do well, I’ll even give you money to spend freely.”

After hearing this.

Pina’s eyes grew round and bright.

For a moment, I thought they were the eyes of a real child.

“But, I have Dr. Bruce…”

“Pina, let’s not forget that you’re currently a prisoner.”

“Heeeng.”

Acquiring Pina was a significant gain.

Now, should I use this to draw out Bruce?

***

Pina was the first android that Bruce modified.

Moving heavy scrap materials.

Stealing data from other research labs.

Testing new inventions.

Her modified body was useful for Bruce’s research in many ways.

Androids simply live as they’re directed. The reason Pina followed Bruce despite suffering all sorts of injustices was simple. She had never been employed by any other human.

Now it’s different.

Eidel Rheinland.

Her temporary master who captured her.

Pina, who had only known harsh treatment as a prisoner, was surprised by how comfortable her life had become.

“Please deliver these paper boxes to rooms 310, 312, and 331.”

The 5th generation android, Sonia was her name?

Following the instructions of the maid-uniformed android, she scurried about until lunchtime arrived.

“Let’s have a meal.”

“What’s for lunch today?”

“First, we’ll get on the charging station for basic charging, and then we’ll eat corn and steak.”

There are mainly two ways for androids to obtain electricity.

Either rest on a charging station, or eat like humans.

Sonia usually prefers rapid charging on the station. In contrast, Pina, who had lived in environments where charging stations were difficult to come by, had obtained energy by digesting plants or meat.

“Please eat.”

She ate.

It was delicious.

She wasn’t scolded while eating.

A new world.

Pina keenly realized that such kind masters existed in this world.

“It’s really comfortable here.”

“Master Eidel treats androids like us with personal respect. Of course, work can be hard sometimes, but he’s such a good person that it’s rewarding. If you do your best, there’s much to gain in a good environment.”

“You said you’re his exclusive android, right? Have you been serving him all this time?”

“Yes. I don’t want to be apart from him even for a moment.”

Not being apart.

Not wanting to be apart.

The difference in nuance is clear. The 5th generation android before her greatly admired her master and thought of him as more than just a master-servant relationship. It was affection and longing. Pina didn’t understand that much, but she learned one thing for certain.

Eidel Rheinland.

A good human.

And a few days later.

“What is this?”

“Wages? Not quite monthly wages, more like weekly pay. Use it to buy whatever you want.”

Eidel handed her a card. She had only done odd jobs, yet she received money.

Unbelievable.

An android receiving payment.

Eidel sat beside her and asked.

“How do you like living here?”

Pina blinked her eyes and replied that it was good. Eidel continued his questions.

“Don’t you want to go back?”

“Well, about that…”

She hesitated.

Even androids know. Good masters and bad masters. Heavenly workplaces and hellish ones.

Though not a living being, she wanted to be treated as an equal intelligent entity. Even a 4th generation can harbor such feelings.

“But I have Dr. Bruce…”

“If you say you want to go back, I’ll prepare to send you back.”

Eidel said this and left.

Pina pondered all night in her private room.

Eidel, who provided a room as personal space even for androids who don’t need to sleep.

Bruce, who worked her mercilessly, saying androids should work 24 hours without even time for lubrication.

She felt her mind wearing down, even if her body wasn’t. And now she realized that her worn-down mind was being restored to its original state.

She had thought enough.

Loyalty should be given to those worthy of it.

The next day, Pina went to Eidel and knelt down.

“Pina will follow the master! I felt the emotion of gratitude for your treatment and kindness! From now on, I want to help with your research to defeat the foreign gods!”

Grin.

Eidel raised the corner of his mouth.

“Welcome to our laboratory, Miss Pina.”

Pina burst into tears.

To think he would even speak respectfully to someone as insignificant as her!

“Pina will work hard! Master!”

“The title ‘master’ is too formal, so feel free to call me Young Master Eidel.”

“Then, Young Master Eidel!”

Pina bowed her head so low it almost touched the ground.

“Now that your status has changed from prisoner to our laboratory android, we should have a welcome party, right? First, let’s record a video to commemorate this momentous day.”

“Wow, a video!”

Sonia, quick to catch on, opened the screen and activated the camcorder function.

Snicker.

I couldn’t help but smile.

Because I could predict what the young master would say next.

That prediction never failed.

“Now, tell us your name and affiliation to the camera.”

***

[My name is Pina! I’m the youngest android belonging to Young Master Rheinland’s laboratory! My dream is to be even a small help to the master’s research! I’ll work hard, so please look after me kindly! Heheng!]

“This son of a bitch—!!”