The Secret Robot Assembly
“Thish day has finally arrived, everybody…!” Sonia-sama made a terrifyingly serious expression while examining the closed space. I nodded in agreement as our gazes met.
“It’sh the fifth edition of the Shecret Robot Asshembly!”
“Yes!”
“Ay!”
“But of Course.”
“Pi! Meeting, Happy!”
Following the lead of the Pet Robots in their excitement, I added, “I have been waiting for this.” With this remark, I have also joined in on their fun.
“Drum roll pleashe! Our topic for today ish ‘Fellow Robot Worriesh and Recent Eventsh’!”
“But it is simply a casual conversation, yes?”
“For our fifth edition’s first speaker, it should be Tosaka-dono, I Believe.”
“Cool, then lemme at ‘em, ay?”
Beginning to speak of his worries, Tosaka-sama brought up Ryui-sama’s shop, voice gaining momentum. “So ya see, recently, some real great BGM’sve made its way into the store, ay. Talkin’ ‘bout how boomin’ business! The arrangement is by Nanaki, by the way.”
The Pet Robots, including myself, all applauded with an impressed ‘ooh’.
Furthermore, this meeting took place in Flower Laundry’s second floor. Thanks to Sonia-sama and Hachinoya-sama’s generosity, we were able to use this place to hold our secret assemblies.
Since it is already the 5th Edition of these assemblies, everyone had already settled in their respective spots. We were huddled very closely together, so we did not take up much space.
“The music selection is an important part of what makes a Store. If you are satisfied with it, Tosaka-dono, then it is Alright.”
“Yea, I get that but still… I started gettin’ a bit greedy, ay. Wantin’ ta try playin’ new songs an’ allat…”
“That is a very understandable feeling, yes?”
“But ya know, I might worry Ryui ‘ver this, ay?! Just cuz he wants t’ make my wish come true, it’s gonna trouble Nanaki too!”
“Sniffle… Huggie, Huggie.”
“That’sh true… Deshpite how he looks, Ryui-shan’s a really kind pershon…!”
After Sonia-sama made her comments and nodded, I quickly chimed in to say my own piece.
“In my opinion, I do not think that Nanamegi-sama would feel inconvenienced at all. When engrossed in song compositions, his emotions tend to be 79.9% more positive than average.”
“That is reliable intel, yes?”
“It is. I have performed a biometric scan on him beforehand. Moreover, Ev3ns frequently relies on Nanamegi-sama for music production.”
“With that, you can rest Assured.”
“Kinari-shan’s information ish sho accurate!’
“Problem Solved! Work Done!”
The discussion we were having during the assembly slowly became more and more heated. Although we went off topic a few times, Mashiro-sama, Laika-sama, Chou-Un-sama, and finally, Sonia-sama’s turns all came to pass.
During the time everyone’s eyes were fixed on Sonia-sama, she suddenly turned to the entrance. “Ah, Nagi-shan!”
“Um… Would you guys like to have some tea, or…?” Hachinoya-sama offered, coming across as restless while peering into the room.
It turns out that Hachinoya-sama has been watching over the Robot Assembly for a little while now. Showing only his head through the doorway, he seemed somewhat moved as he said “It’s like you guys are students hanging out after school…”
“Nooo! We don’t need it! I told you already, today ish resherved for my robot friendsh only!” Sonia-sama replied irritably, causing Hachinoya-sama’s shoulders to droop. He was visibly ‘depressed’ due to her words.
“Uh, um… Please look after Sonia for me…” With this single sentence, he departed from the room. I did a quick search on where I’ve seen such a reaction. Then, I muttered to myself, “The spitting image of a parent, dejected, as their child treats them coldly since they have friends over at home.”
Once Hachinoya-sama had fully disappeared from sight, Sonia-sama became cheerful once more and brought up a very important topic, one that I have decided to focus my attention towards. “I’ve found a new method to get Nagi-shan’s luck levelsh up!” She cheerfully declared.
In order to bring more luck towards Hachinoya-sama’s way, I have come up with 1008 different patterns and methods. For that reason, I must take minutes in accordance with the assembly.
“Haa~ We’ve discussed quite a lot today, yes.”
“Yea! Chattin’ ‘ere really clears my head, ay!”
“A great conversation can truly relieve one of their everyday Worries.”
“Pain, Pain, Goes Away!”
“Should I begin with everyone’s scan now?” When I made this suggestion, all of the Pet Robots instantly brightened up.
Sonia-sama bounced around saying, “Yesh, hooray~!” while Mashiro-sama commented, swinging around, “Indeed, that is the best part of these assemblies, yes.” Tosaka-sama stood up with an “Ay~!”, and Chou-Un-sama’s esca would be swaying, replying, “I have been anticipating this Moment.” Laika-sama would simply float around the ceiling of the room.
Each of them lined up with such eager expressions, and one by one, I placed them on my lap in order to scan them.
“Waaaah~ It feelsh shoo good~”
“It’s as though I am melting, yes…”
“M’body’s feelin’ lighter, ay!”
“I can get quite addicted to This…”
The scanning segment is always a crowd favorite at these assemblies. All of the Pet Robots were comfortably lying on my lap. Scanning is a simplified version of their regular maintenance. This form of maintenance deletes any junk files remaining in the system, in addition to performing defragmentation. To an AI, however, it provides them with the feeling of a relaxing massage.
Laika-sama’s maintenance is handled personally by Yowa-sama, so I have promised not to do anything with her. As such, while this was going on, she was darting about the ceiling as her way of having fun.
“Kinari-shan, you can make a businessh out of thish!”
“Like a shop specializin’ in Pet Robot therapy, ay!”
“We would certainly recommend it to all of our Pet Robot friends, yes.”
“Ri~, Refreshing! Ririri~”
“If you were to open up shop, I’d be there as a Regular.”
Everyone then began to encourage me in their own ways.
“Truthfully, I’ve been looking into becoming an AI Counselor as my chosen career path. If I were to open my own place, everyone’s knowledge would be of great help.”
Upon sharing something that had been on my mind for some time now, everyone had also thought it was a great idea. I felt a little ‘healed’ in my chest. This must be the feeling of ‘happiness’.
“Ah! Now that I think about it, the therapy’sh been sho nice that I forgot to ask what’sh been on Kinari-shan’s mind lately!” Hearing Sonia-sama say so, I realized that I, too, had forgotten. Everybody then began to urge me to remember what worries I carry.
“Let me think… Actually, today, I heard from Master that the home I used to live in is being investigated for the nth time.”
“What’sh thish?!”
“That’s somethin’ ta worry ‘bout, ay!”
“Big, Big, Incident!”
“It is disturbing the peace, yes.”
“That is a relatively wide-scale Situation.”
“Not at all. These search investigations happen quite often, so it is no longer an unusual occurence.”
As I am illegally constructed, the police have been investigating the house in hopes of finding evidence of research from the late developer. I’d been a masterless stray since my arrest, so the police themselves were also at a loss on what exactly to do with me. Now that Master has been properly registered, they were present during today’s search.
“Master has told me that it might be painful to watch my childhood home be trashed by the search, so I need not accompany them today.”
“Chief-shan’s so kind~”
“Yes. I am very happy because of their concern and thoughtfulness, but it also gave me the chance to attend today’s Secret Robot Assembly. It has been a very fun day with you all.”
“Kinda embarrassin’ ta hear that, but same ‘ere, ay!”
“I shall swear to protect our Secret Robot Assembly, yes!”
“Yes!”
“It is a robot’s greatest honor to hear such kind Words…”
After that, we set a date for when the next assembly would take place, then returned to our own Masters in small groups.
Once I was ready to leave, Hachinoya-sama, who seemed a bit nervous said, “Thank you for taking care of our Sonia,” with a firm expression on his face. Next to him, Sonia-sama was furious and interjected, “Nagi-shan! I told you that you didn’t need to show up!” Even though her body language suggested that she was happy.
…I am looking forward to the next edition of the Secret Robot Assembly as well.
“Welcome back, Kinari-kun. Did you have fun at the Secret Robot Assembly?”
When I arrived at the dormitory, Master was there to greet me. This, too, makes me feel ‘happy’.
“Yes, it was time well spent. You have also returned quickly, Master.”
“Yeah. The search in your childhood home went smoothly and finished faster than I’d expected, so I got home early.” They then added that the house was in good condition and is preserved quite well. Listening to that statement, a smile appeared on my lips.
“Thank you very much, Master.”
“Mhm. Oh yeah, this time’s search may have gone well, but they found something new there.” They said and extended their hand out to me.
As I directed my eyes towards them, an unfamiliar memory chip laid in the palm of their hands.