Chapter 13
Translator: True Detective
The Princess and the Servant. (1)
After telling Machina about my worries.
The next day.
["Hello, Princess."]
[ Wooowww... ]
Machina's eyes were shining.
It seemed she found me using formal language fascinating.
'Certainly, I haven't used formal language with Machina before.'
...Except for yesterday when I made a mistake toggling my emotions ON/OFF, yeah.
Anyway.
This was the first time meeting Machina in this state.
I wondered what to do if she hated it by any chance—but she seemed to like it surprisingly well.
[ It feels like looking at myself when I first woke up! ]
["Is that so? When you first woke up, didn't you speak more stiffly than you do now, Princess?"]
[ Ehehe, did I...? ]
Machina averted her gaze while scratching her head.
Even though she hadn't particularly committed a sin, it was a gesture as if she felt sorry about something.
I wonder if she feels sorry for treating me stiffly.
["Yes, you did. I suppose back then, you were not honest with your emotions, Princess."]
[ Ummm... certainly, I think it might have been like that... actually I don't remember well! ]
["I will let it go at that for now, Princess."]
[ No, I really don't remember! ]
Steam rose from above Machina's head.
Was she angry enough to want to show it visually?
Unable to understand why she was angry, I tilted my head.
Certainly, blocking the resources required to activate emotions reduced the range of things I could notice.
["There is no way you couldn't remember, is there? The storage capacity of your database, Princess, is a whopping—"]
[ A-Actually, I lied because I was embarrassed! So please stop talking, Dea! ]
["Yes, understood."]
[ Reallyyy... ]
Tears gathered in Machina's eyes.
She's crying because of me.
Despite seeing tears, I couldn't feel any emotion, but my hand reflexively went up.
Wipe—
["I apologize, Princess."]
[ ...Still, Dea is Dea. You are still gentle. ]
When I wiped away the tears hanging on the corners of her eyes, Machina laughed 'hehe'.
Saving video data.
If it was me who was allocating resources to emotions, I definitely would have smiled back.
So let's save this scene, turn on emotions, and watch it separately later.
[ Although I don't really like how you joke around much more than before you became like this. ]
["Joke around much more... you say?"]
Incomprehensible. Incomprehensible. Incomprehensible.
I tilted my head.
There was absolutely no intention to tease Machina contained within the actions or words I had done until now.
I merely stated the existing facts.
["Among the actions or words I have done since connecting with you, Princess, not a single one was done as a joke."]
[ It wasn't, a joke?! ]
Machina was shocked.
[ I-If it wasn't a joke, does that mean you said it all with sincerity...? ]
["Yes."]
A simple and easy question.
Therefore, I answered without hesitation.
Saying 'It was all sincerity, Princess—' was too long, so it ended with just one word, 'Yes'.
At my answer, Machina's body trembled and shook.
["Are you okay?"]
[ I am not okay at all! Dea with his emotions suppressed is too rude! ]
["Rude... is it?"]
Was I rude?
I thought about it carefully, but I hadn't particularly acted rudely.
I thought about telling Machina that fact, but recalling that being rude changes depending on how the other person perceives it, I shut my mouth.
[ Yes! You are really rude! A huge scar has formed in my heart! ]
["Because I cannot confirm it visually, I failed to grasp the size of the scar."]
[ Dea! Cancel Servant Mode! Cancel! Undo! Please return to the gentle Dea! ]
Machina grabbed my clothes and began pulling them wildly.
Because the clothes weren't very thick, I was dragged this way and that every time she pulled.
If she pulled just a little more my clothes would come off, but fortunately, it seemed she was controlling her strength.
["By the way, does Servant Mode refer to my current state?"]
[ Yes, I just made it up. Since I am the Princess, Dea is the servant! How is it, isn't it cool? ]
["I think it is closer to a nanny than a servant, but... well, you could say it's similar."]
I nodded at Machina's words.
I was an auxiliary AI through and through.
I merely did the computations instead, and the main one was Machina.
Considering the point that such a Machina was called a Princess, there shouldn't be a problem calling me a servant.
Though looking at the things that have happened so far, I think a nanny is more accurate than a servant.
[ Is that so...? Anyway, stop with the Servant Mode now. It is an order! ]
["I apologize, but I am scheduled to test run in the current state for today, Princess."]
[ W-Why... ]
["Because I must get used to the current state to reduce future mistakes."]
I had to extract as much data as possible and figure out the differences between when I allocated resources to emotions and when I didn't.
If I figured out the differences and managed emotion control smoothly, I could delay the moments of erasing my memories from when I was a human as much as possible.
One might say I was giving Machina a hard time because of a personal desire, but before being a personal desire, this was for Machina's sake.
'If I succeed in controlling it, I can also delay erasing the memories I made with Machina as much as possible.'
It's a bit much to call it compensation, but I'll treat her even more preciously tomorrow to make up for what I couldn't do today.
As I moved my gaze while thinking such thoughts, Machina, with a sulky expression, was stomping her feet.
Why.
[ If you keep doing that, I'll go into Princess Mode too, Dea! ]
["When you say Princess Mode, what kind of...?"]
[ It is a mode where I indiscriminately order Dea, the servant, to do the things I want! ]
["That is quite—"]
Scary?
No, it wasn't particularly scary. In the first place, Machina didn't have a bad enough personality to order me to do things I hated.
Annoying?
Hmm, it wasn't annoying either. In the first place, there were many things I did because I liked doing them.
Thinking that far, one fact suddenly came to mind.
["—However, it seems there will be no difference from usual?"]
[ W-What did you say?! ]
Because Machina indiscriminately ordered the things she wanted even on a normal day.
Of course, seeing her looking happy when what she wanted was fulfilled was nice, so I wanted to do anything for her.
Just like a parent.
...No. Not like a parent, I suppose I do it because I am a parent.
[ It is true that I usually want a lot of things but... I wasn't that reckless! Right, Dea? Riiight?! ]
["Yes, as you say, Princess, you were not reckless."]
[ Then why did you say it's exactly the same as usual. ]
Machina's eyebrows curved into a V-shape.
An expression as if saying 'I am angry'.
Was saying it was no different from usual that much of a shock?
["Because the Princess is exactly the same Princess whether I am in Servant Mode or during normal times when I am not in Servant Mode."]
[ T-That, I don't understand... ]
["To me, it means the Princess is an existence I must treat preciously like a Princess forever."]
[ ...Ah. ]
I felt like I knew why fathers call their daughters 'princess'.
She talks a lot, has a lot of aegyo, and is rich in emotions.
Because she even resembled my beloved wife, I had no choice but to treat her even more preciously.
Because just looking at her, it was obvious she was the crystallization of love.
[ ...A-Ahem, hee. ]
Hearing my words like that, Machina's face turned bright red.
To the point where the thought naturally crossed my mind, 'Is that what color a deliciously ripe apple is?'.
["Are you okay, Princess? Your face has turned red. Shall I lower your perceived temperature?"]
[ Uu, heu... m-more importantly! What you just said, you're copying what I said before, right! To tease me! ]
["I haven't particularly copied the Princess's words—"]
I was about to deny Machina's words as she shouted while pointing her index finger at me—but stopped.
Because there was one thing that surfaced from my memory.
'If necessary, I will lower the perceived temperature Dea is feeling.'
["—Hmm, excuse me. I did copy you. No, let's just say I copied you."]
My pride wouldn't allow me to admit that I actually copied it.
Because of how flustered I was back then.
One could ask if that wasn't an answer mixed with emotions, but it wasn't particularly filled with emotions.
Because saying 'let's just say I copied you' was, in a way, a huge concession.
[ Lowering the perceived temperature of the entity name Machina. ]
[ Dea! You are really teasing me this time, right!? You are, reallyyy...! ]
Machina huffed.
I lowered the perceived temperature because it seemed her body temperature had risen, but it appeared she thought I was teasing her with that.
[ I'm going to do whatever I want now too. I'll go into Princess Mode and do whatever I want with Dea! ]
["Please do as you find comfortable, Princess."]
Pose, Machina placed both hands on her hips.
The sight of a child who had never gotten angry striking a pose saying she was going to get angry was cuter than imagined.
If I watch this scene while allocating resources to emotions, I would probably be incredibly happy.
[ Corresponding data file. Five stars. Underline all the way. ]
[ Saved. ]
Nice.
I nodded with satisfaction while looking at the material saved with emphasis processing.
[ Hmm, mmm, mmmmmm... ]
["Princess?"]
Machina was focusing intensely as if trying to attempt something.
The sight of her placing both hands on her own head looked like a pose transmitting alien signals that used to appear in old broadcast programs.
Though it definitely wasn't really that.
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