The Android's Devotion and the Morning After
The android was too smart. To Revi... no, even before that, it seemed that to an android, I, a living human, was a far more precious existence than I had imagined.
"Then... will you stay with me from now on? Revi."
"Of course! Chanwoo. You are the last survivor of humanity, which I thought had gone extinct. And as an android born for the victory of humanity, it is my duty to protect you."
"But androids are usually wanderers, roaming the world with the sole purpose of exterminating monsters. I might live the rest of my life here in this overgrown Seoul. Are you really okay with that?"
"Certainly. In the first place, the reason we androids seek to exterminate monsters is also for the sake of humanity. In other words, if I assist you and hunt down every monster that targets you, my existence will have achieved its ultimate purpose."
Revi said this while firmly gripping both of my hands. It was as if she were saying that I had suffered enough until now, and that I should rely on her from here on out. The warmth of the android's touch made my heart ache in sympathy. It had been such a long time since I’d received such consideration. Suddenly, in a way that didn't feel very manly, my eyes grew hot.
"If it is an order from you, Chanwoo, I will do 'anything' in my power to assist you."
Perhaps it was because she had just stood up from a naked dogeza. Because I could see everything if I lowered my gaze even slightly, my lower half couldn't help but grow particularly heated. Truly, in a manly fashion.
"Ahem! O-okay, I get it, so why don't you put your clothes back on? Revi."
"Ah, I apologize. As a mere android, I had something I wanted to ask of you, a human, and in the process, I ended up showing you something 'unsightly'."
"...? No, it wasn't particularly unsightly..."
"To ensure this never happens again, I shall endeavor to eliminate all exposure from my body from now on."
"......What?"
Why did the conversation suddenly veer in that direction? She began putting her bodysuit back on, all while checking her inventory—tucked between her cleavage—to see if there was anything else she could use to cover up. In a game where exposure was directly proportional to defense, her actions were akin to 'suicide'.
"Stop!"
"Chanwoo?"
In a situation that reminded me of a 'fucking' ridiculous 'fucking' disaster, I immediately stopped her. And like a human teaching an AI what 'lewd content' is, I decided to teach her, who was still ignorant of humanity, a bit about the 'human way of conversation'.
"Revi. I absolutely cannot allow that."
"You cannot allow it...?"
"What I just said was born out of 'politeness'."
"Politeness... you say?"
"Yeah. Among human conversational habits, there exists a method where you test someone's sense of shame by politely declining something you actually like."
"...! Did humanity really use such complex communication?"
This was likely influenced by the fact that there were few NPCs to communicate with in Soul-like games. In Star's Doll, conversations between androids were mostly monotonous, limited to 'yes' or 'no'. That was why Revi seemed so surprised by the human way of using sarcasm and testing one's sense of shame.
"Right. I mean, if I just said, 'Your tits are pretty, I want to grope them!'... the other person would be flustered, right? So you pretend to decline while secretly 'savoring' it."
"Oh, oooooh! I see. Our android conversations are usually just monotonous tones for clear information delivery, so I never expected this!"
"Yeah. Well, androids don't really have much reason to talk anyway. I understand perfectly."
Like an elementary school student who had just started school, Revi was nodding her head—and her breasts—repeatedly with a look full of curiosity. But then.
"I apologize, Chanwoo. Then from now on, I will strive to wear even more revealing clothing!"
"?! No, I didn't mean you had to go that far..."
"Oh. Is this also one of humanity's conversational methods? I have already completed the learning process."
As expected of an android. Her learning speed was far beyond what I, a human, had anticipated. To think she had already grasped the essence of my words.
"You pretended to decline out of politeness, but inside, you were thinking, 'I wish she would run around in an outfit that makes her tits shake'... weren't you?"
"Oh... you're pretty good at this?"
"You are too kind. As an android of the combat unit protecting humanity, I will take this education to heart so that I may better serve you, Chanwoo."
"Yeah, then I'll be counting on you. Revi."
"Yes, and I look forward to working with you as well, Chanwoo."
When I first woke up in this apocalyptic Earth, I thought my fate was sealed. In fact, I had almost died twice just today. But perhaps it was because I now had a 'colleague'. With Revi, an android who knew only combat, and me, who was skilled in other areas, I felt like we could make it through this. Above all, as a veteran player who had drained this world to the marrow, my pride wouldn't allow me to meet 'Yudahee' (the death screen) by getting killed early on. Thanks to that, as I shook hands with Revi, I made a vow. Since I'd started this Hard-Hard mode, I would definitely achieve results beyond the original work and create my own 'Utopia' in this terrible world.
The next day. As soon as morning broke, I was able to wake up early with the help of Revi, who I learned always woke up like clockwork.
"*Yawn*... what time is it...?"
"Yes. It is 6:30 AM, Chanwoo."
"Revi. Did you have a watch or something?"
"No. It is not that; our combat units are trained to always wake up at 6:30 AM."
"I see..."
As expected of the 4th Unit of R.P.M, the android version of the 'A-ssay' Marine Corps. Even if they were androids, the settings likely dictated that their fatigue and other senses were almost identical to humans. Yet, there wasn't a hint of exhaustion on the face of Revi, who had woken me up. She looked like a female soldier who had managed to get efficient sleep in a short amount of time.
"What about outside? At this time of day, shouldn't the monsters be starting to avoid the sunlight and head 'inside'?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, I took a quick look around, and it seems the cries that had been echoing since dawn have all ceased."
The rising of the sun meant that the apex predators reigning over the Earth in Star's Doll—the monsters—had entered their sleeping hours. Since they were mostly nocturnal, they would hide in caves or buildings where no sunlight reached and fall into a sleep state when morning came, just like now. Perhaps that was why Revi and I had slept with the curtains wide open on every floor of the motel we lived in. In this world, sleeping in the light was the most basic survival method.
"Seeing that there are no monsters inside the building, it seems we did a good job 'ventilating' the place."
"Yes. When I was living alone, I would occasionally run into monsters when heading down to the first floor, but this is all thanks to you, Chanwoo."
"Uh... have you been okay all this time? Revi."
"Yes. Perhaps I was lucky, but the entities I've encountered so far were weaker than me. So, as I learned at R.P.M, I would defeat them and roast them for nutrients."
"Ah......"
Well, monsters were essentially animals...? So, just like we slaughter and eat cows or pigs, there wasn't really anything that couldn't be roasted and eaten. However, since it was eating completely unknown life forms, in the game, attempting to do so for the first time would often trigger a 'rejection response,' and in the worst case, you'd get a 'debuff' state where you felt nauseous. Yet, Revi looked perfectly fine despite having eaten one just the other day.
"Uh... hey, Revi. How's your stomach? Does it feel bad or anything?"
"There are no abnormalities, Chanwoo."
"Oh...... I see."
"Yes. That is correct."
Well, since she said she was fine, I'd just let it slide. Anyway, we were planning to go out farming for power supplies starting now. And before a long exploration, managing one's condition was more important than anything else. If Revi's condition wasn't good, I had planned to just look around the motel area lightly by myself today. However, as if to say such consideration was unnecessary, Revi linked her arm with mine before we left the motel. It was the moment the sensation of her voluptuous breasts hit me.
"Chanwoo. As I said yesterday, I am an android who promised to escort you."
"Yeah, that's right..."
"In that position, I cannot let you go outside alone just because my body is hurting. That would be an act that strongly denies the significance of my existence."
Squish.
"Ah, is that so? My bad."
"So, you don't need to show me such 'consideration'. Because one living human like you is far more precious than 100 androids like us."
Revi, honey... right now, controlling my lower half is more important than that. As expected, an android created by humanity's final system based on a human. That volume seemed optimized to make my 'precious' one angry without a single hint of awkwardness.
"...! Confirmed an increase in the pulse rate originating from your body, Chanwoo."
"?! You could even check that?"
"Yes. Our android eyes are manufactured to be able to pierce through parts of others' bodies if we focus."
Ah, right. That was how it was possible to aim for weak points when parrying or successfully executing a perfect dodge. Augmented Vision, the technology of a super-future civilization made possible by the SF genre, which I often used in the game to scout the surroundings while farming. I never dreamed I would experience that kind of technology in this way.
"Confirmed that Chanwoo's energy is gathering between your crotch."
"Ahem. Well, that's because you're stuck to me, Revi..."
"Stuck to you? Does that mean if I am in physical contact with you like this, the efficiency of your 'energy rise,' as it is now, increases even more?"
"Well, I guess so?"
Energy rise. It wasn't exactly wrong, so I couldn't refute it. And as if she had gained a new realization from my words, Revi's eyes were sparkling again, just like last night.