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What does one’s appearance mean to an artificial intelligence robot?

Unlike humans, who grow and watch themselves age, they are born complete, so it could have a more special meaning… or it might not give them any particular feeling at all. It was a complete unknown.

A total of 101.2 million Credits.

That’s the total amount invested in this tin can’s new body.

If she gets caught in an explosion or throws herself in front of a speeding vehicle like before, it’ll be wrecked without a doubt, but to prevent accidents from a bullet or two, I poured all my spare funds into covering the exterior with a versatile composite armor option.

But I have a mountain of questions I want to ask, and this heartless Care Bot throws out an expected greeting like, ‘I’m glad to see you again~’ to get my hopes up. Then she held back, saying that anything more wasn’t appropriate to talk about in an open space.

“…So when are you going to open your mouth?”

Indeed, this place should be fine. –

Never had I seen such a demanding master, but even if I didn’t know about communication or radio waves, the Care Bot’s sensors were definitely more sensitive than mine at detecting people nearby, so I had been quietly following her until now.

Eventually, inside the parts warehouse attached to the store. Only after we were holed up alone in a remote place did she supply power to the silent voice module.

Anyway, she calls herself a tin can with a straight face and remembers me clearly, so I don’t have any major complaints… No, what’s your name, after all?!

How strange. It hasn’t even been half a year… You can spend a fortune on a mere Care Bot, but you don’t have a proper place to stay. Are you not currently affiliated with Enama? –

“What…?”

Why is she suddenly bringing up something that’s already over?

Does she think I would have been caught even after directly engaging in a suicide attack with the final pursuer? Or if not that.

“Tin Can, your memory…”

……. –

As soon as it became clear that something was wrong, I felt suffocated.

I should have been more gentle when pulling out the processing unit, I should have carried the whole head around even if it was hard to hide… I belatedly regretted it.

The data on the detailed process is not complete. But all the important things are engraved. For example, the data that Doctor entered in the early stages of activation. The person who electrocuted me and gave me orders to come with her, the tearful figure who even complained about the coolant leaking. –

“?! Hey!!”

Damn…! She’s completely fine!!

The Care Bot’s head doesn’t have any expression, but somehow a sneering face is automatically drawn, and I unconsciously yelled.

I wanted to grab her by the collar and express my dissatisfaction, but it was obvious that hitting the flawless new armor with my hands wouldn’t do any good. …Damn it!

From a machine’s point of view, there is no such thing as a blackout of consciousness that people experience. I just saw Miss Anastasia crying, and before I could even look back on it, I met you again. So… you don’t have to be too heartbroken. Rather, I’m worried that my lack of mission performance has caused you trouble. –

“…You were too good to be by my side, so don’t worry about unnecessary things.”

…I had no harsh words for the fool who died as she pleased and now doesn’t even remember.

Or maybe she keeps making me say ticklish things so I don’t have room to say anything else.

Fiddle… Fiddle.

I was trying to shake off the awkwardness by stroking the corners of the boxes scattered in the warehouse, and then she said something completely out of the blue again.

…If that’s the case, I’m honored. But I would like to advise you that reviving this incompetent self was a mistake. –

“Honored, my foot. …But a mistake?”

Her one and only eye, which also serves as a scanner, blinked repeatedly, looking around, looking at me.

What is this troublemaker, who has no qualms about teasing people, having such a hard time pointing out?

Soon, the Tin Can, having finished her confirmation, began a long speech.

You’re living in someone else’s house, and even your clothes are the same… If you’re in such a difficult situation. Instead of luxury goods like a Care Bot, spending Credits on yourself would have been more positive for Miss Anastasia’s future. –

“That’s… Haa…. I’m fine. I’m actually overflowing with money.”

That’s great news. –

First… I covered my face with my hands.

Like a parent with a lot of worries. I had a headache trying to figure out where to start and end explaining to this Tin Can, who was buried in such absurd worries.

Since it was a sudden windfall, the spending was a bit impulsive.

If the teacher hadn’t strangely sympathized with me for investing all my lodging expenses in the Care Bot’s external armor, it could have been a pretty embarrassing situation.

But I don’t need to bother explaining my abilities, which have grown to a different level than back then, or what has happened in the meantime.

Sadly, it’s no longer a problem she should be involved in.

Creak…!

I got off the plastic box I was sitting on as a chair.

It was a natural preparation because I didn’t want to act arrogant when parting with my benefactor.

It’s far from what she did for me, but I hope she considers it an equal repayment, since we can say that we both paved the way for each other.

“Then… take care in the future. Thanks to you, I was able to work harder. Thank you.”

……? –

I decided that it was better to convey my sincerity directly than to have a fancy farewell.

I bowed deeply to express my gratitude with a resolute movement.

I never knew that my rash directness would hurt Miss Anastasia’s feelings so much. So please refrain from trying to leave me alone. –

“…? Why would I leave you alone? Now that we’ve both confirmed that we’re safe, you have no regrets and you’re going to leave!”

Huh, I felt like there was a huge misunderstanding between me and the Tin Can.

There’s no way I, a full-fledged Metropolis member of society, would be outsmarted by a Care Bot from the same lab, but it’s strange.

…May I ask why you came to such an absurd conclusion? –

“Why… well…”

An AI with self-awareness could redesign the input code itself and had the free will to break free from constraints.

And most of the ones I knew. So the ones who came out of Neo Haven left to find what they wanted to do…?

The reason why this fool, who could have left the lab or the battlefield at any time without helping me, stayed with me until the end. I thought it was a very human sense of duty and responsibility born from her soul.

In other words, now that that has been fulfilled, there was no reason for her to stay by my side, as I am a dangerous element.

Sensing the confusion on my face, she quietly bowed her head like me.

I take that back. She knelt down on one knee demurely. She matched her eye level with me, who was standing tall on the floor.

Like a guardian trying to appease a stubborn child. Like a knight swearing unchanging loyalty.

…Anastasia. From the moment you gave a name to an unnamed robot who would have disappeared without even being activated if the project had not been scrapped. Anyway, that Tin Can has only done what she wanted to do. Even if you say you don’t need her now, it will be hard to get rid of her. –

“Ah…?”

I heard her properly, but I couldn’t understand.

I gave her a name? But that was a curse or… a nickname, not an act with such good and important intentions.

I kept calling her a fool in my mind, but I never thought she would be so upright.

But still, Tin Can is a bit much…!

Just as humans inherit names given by their ancestors, by their parents, the ego of an awakened AI is no different. Me or…. –

The Tin Can, who blurred the end of her words there, glanced at Jenny, who was busy serving the teacher outside through the crack in the warehouse door, and then fixed her gaze back on me.

She is the same. The logic circuits of machines deny human philosophy and sensibility, but they are not so dry as to ignore the revelations that have been given. –

“…”

I wanted to advise her not to decide on a promising career path recklessly with too much meaning, but I had no idea how to deal with a child who was likely to take my words as they were.

I, who woke up in the test tube being cultivated, was the first to encounter the Care Bot.

The artificial intelligence, an experimental subject, was the first living human to be seen after waking up from a long wait and cleaning up countless corpses.

Maybe we had something in common, so we were able to reunite even in this mismatched state.

“…Let’s definitely change your name to a proper one later.”

I’m very satisfied with it as it is? –

I’m uncomfortable, I’m…!!

Even though I was seething inside, my mouth, which had lost even the energy to fight, only offered a realistic alternative.

I refuse to be tormented by an absurd sense of guilt every time I call her name.

Throwing such an innocent child into the world alone is the same as a serious crime… I have no choice but to take good care of her.

Then, as a last resort, even if we solve the name problem later, I need a pronoun to call her, what would be good?

I was wondering if I should give her a new nickname as a temporary measure… when I realized something very serious.

A question that is too late to ask now for someone who has taken on a nanny-like role unintentionally.

It’s hard to gloss over, so I’ll have to call her by her name properly and ask about this one.

“Tin Can, you… so what do you think your gender is?”

It was a question that respected the other person’s self-identity in its own way.

This immature Care Bot doesn’t know about other people’s worries or consideration, and goes even further by returning the answer to the question with a question.

…Which do you prefer, Anastasia? –

Hey, you…!