Vol 1 Chapter 1.05 (1/2)

Three Days Before

This morning is different from the others.

Today dawned with a gloomy, discontinuous rain. It is as if the sky is crying because it is going to part with the sun; the lonely rain makes people depressed as well.

I awaken Professor and prepare her breakfast after that. But today, for some reason, I accidentally charred part of the egg, I wonder why.

On this unusual morning, Professor said some unusual things as well.

“Iris, erm……”

While walking out of the arc entrance, Professor looks back at me from the place where the courtyard connects to the streets outside.

“What is it, Professor?”

“After I come home today, I have something important to tell you.”

“Something…… important?”

Professor nods while holding her umbrella.

Her expression looks very calm, but also lonely at the same time.

I ask “What is the matter?” and raise the umbrella slightly higher, looking at Professor’s face.

“I’ll tell you after I come home. Yeah, after dinner.”

“I really don't like it when you act mysterious like this!”

“Heh heh heh. Mnn, it isn’t anything bad. How should I put it…… Ah, you could say that it’s a present?”

I cry out loud “That’s great!” and raise the umbrella even higher.

“Wha- what are you giving me!? I want a marriage application with Professor!”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Ah, but, marriage application huh……. It does have the meaning of ‘eternal happiness’.”

“Huh? Eternal!? Wha- what is with this!?”

“I’ll tell you when I get back. Be a good girl 'til then”

“Understood! Professor’s Iris will be a very very good girl today too!”

“Then I'm off.”

Professor starts to walk.

“Take care on the road! Come home earlier!”

Without turning her head back, Professor waves her right hand lightly.

The blue umbrella is just like a lightly painted water color drawing, losing its focus in the raindrops and becoming foggy. Professor vanishes just like that after going around the corner.

The rain starts to get heavier. I run back to the doorstep. For some reason, I suddenly have a feeling of someone pulling my hair, so I turn around to have a look before entering the house.

There isn’t anyone at the arc door.

♠

This afternoon, I complete the housework and my task of recharging myself. After that, I start to study hard on the sofa.

This book is called ‘New: Basic Theory of Robot Engineering’, and I borrowed this from Professor’s collection of books. Professor is a young beauty with an exceptional figure, but her bookshelves are full of academic books, without even a trace of books related to fas.h.i.+on.

By the way, I’m reading the chapter ‘Emotions and Expression of Robots’ in the book.

The theme of the chapter tells of how the ‘emotions’ borne from the mental circuit of a robot would affect the ‘expression’ that is expressed by the artificial skin on their faces.

Humans usually laugh when they’re happy and cry when they’re sad.

However, it is different with robots. If a special mental circuit is not built in, robots would not have ‘emotions;’ if their artificial skins and muscles are not modified by a technician with considerable skill, the robots would not be able to convey their ‘expressions’ either.

In addition, human expressions are very complicated. Just the action of ‘laughing,’ there’s the heh heh laugh, the ho ho laugh, a gentle smile, a sweet smile, a silly laugh and so on, and there are a lot of differences between the expressions. Human expressions can be categorized into about a few hundred; only by making subtle changes to the mental circuit, robots can convey expressions that are lifelike. Hence, the facial expression and language recognition software are the best and the most expensive ones in the robot market. The price of expression software would sometimes be even higher than the price of the robot itself.

I have the latest version of the expression software installed on me. I am thankful to Professor for letting me laugh and cry, fly into a temper, throw a tantrum and so on.

I close the book that I was reading. It is now five forty five in the evening.

Professor will be back soon. I should prepare dinner now.

However.

Over an hour pa.s.sed, and it is now seven thirteen at night.

— Professor is so slow……

Professor isn’t back yet. She’s late for about one hour, thirteen minutes and twenty one seconds. The pot in the kitchen is filled with today’s dinner— Laulyl styled b.u.t.ter stew, and it’ll just need a slight heating up.

— it’s so strange.

Professor would contact me every time she comes home. Even so, I haven’t received any messages from her today.

I feel like calling Professor’s phone, but she reminded me before not to call her when she’s at work.

I impatiently stared at the hands of the clock on the wall.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Professor isn’t back yet.

Tick-tock, Tick-tock.

I finished all the housework.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Not back yet, not back yet?

The second hand turned in a circle, two circles, three circles—

At the instant when the seventh circle arrives.

Trriiiiiing, triiiiiing…… The phone in the corridor starts to ring.

— it’s Professor!

I run to the corridor like a spring, jumping onto the receiver of the phone.

“h.e.l.lo, sorry for the wait! This is the Umbrella residence!”

I wait for the answer of the opposing party with a pounding heart.

“Sorry for calling so late. This is the First Robotics Laboratory of Oval University.”

A male voice is coming from the other side of the phone. The First Robotics Laboratory would be where Professor works.

Learning that he isn’t Professor, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed, but I still answer calmly.

“I am Wendy von Umbrella’s robot. My master is not here at the moment, so please leave a message if you wish to contact her.”

I answer in the tone of a machine.

After a moment’s silence, the man says in a low voice: “I am Professor Umbrella’s a.s.sistant, Ralph Ciel.”

The sensitivity of my auditory function increased sharply.

“Is that so. Thanks for taking care of my master all this time.”

“…… about Professor Umbrella.”

“Yes.”

— it’s strange.

Gooseb.u.mps appear on my skin at that moment.

Why has this person called here specially?

If he wanted to look for Professor, he could just call her own phone.

Uneasiness and fear crawl on my back like bugs.

“E- erm!” Therefore, I can’t help but ask, “Did something happen to Professor!?”

He hesitated for a moment, then says in a determined voice.

The sharp weapon of truth pierces into my ears.

“Professor Umbrella has died in an accident.”

—?

What.