Chapter 23
Dean
“Mmm. Gotta pee.”
Sera woke up a bit before one a.m. I pulled out reluctantly and took her in my arms, carrying her to the restroom despite her faint protests that were barely comprehensible through her yawns.
She was naked, and I covered her with my body.
When we got back, she drank some water and settled back into the hammock.
I climbed back in and angled her hips, stuffing her full before she could say a word.
She took it without protest and I made my body vibrate with a faint purr, heating her.
“Do you just lie there when I sleep?” Sera asked after a while, her voice mellow but awake. “Isn’t it boring?”
“No. When I’m inside you, it’s like I’m stuck in a constant pleasure loop. It’s bliss.”
“But you can’t sleep,” she whispered, sounding sad, as if sleep was something she didn’t want me to miss out on.
“I never tried.”
I rocked the hammock, hoping the motion would help her fall asleep even as I touched myself through her belly, loving how her body adapted to me.
“Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?” Sera asked after a while. “I know I’m not the best singer, but it’s a simple melody. My mom sang it to me when I was little.”
She broke off, her body tensing slightly. My core hummed with a tender feeling when I understood how much it must have cost her to offer me this. Sera’s mother was a difficult topic, and she ran from any mention of her.
But it was my birthday, and she wanted to offer me something precious—the song that made her feel safe as a child.
“Yes. I’d like to hear it.”
She sang, her voice a little hoarse, but the melody was clear. I listened, my core tightening with affection.
“Close your eyes and hug your pillow,
Let your dreams be soft and mellow.
Angels guard you in the night,
Sleep, my darling, and sleep tight.”
The last note quieted, and Sera lay in my arms, breathing deeply. When I thought she was falling asleep, she murmured, tired but clear.
“When I was twelve, I already knew angels weren’t real. I asked my mom to replace them with robots when she sang to me when I had the flu.”
“Robots?” I ask, building a visualization of that scene. Tiny Sera, her hair naturally brown, and robot toys on the shelves above the bed, her mom smiling at her daughter’s request.
“Mhm. I loved them,” she said with a soft smile. “I even built one for the science fair, but it wasn’t very good. You know, Dean… I… I really appreciate you. I’m happy we met.”
Everything in me stilled as I waited for her to say more. The AC rattled, and Sera sighed, pressing herself into me. My core hummed to life, busy processing my emotions, and I wrestled with my cursed collar, which tried to announce my internal turmoil with its beeping.
A minute passed. Sera sighed, gently smacking her lips, and I realized she was asleep.
I played her lullaby in my internal speakers until my processes slowed and all that remained was the feel of my girl pressed close, warming me inside her body.
Three days later, our robot was ready, and I spent a full day programming it for our needs. It was nuanced work—the robot had to be free enough to do damage, but also conscientious enough not to hurt anyone for real. We weren’t going for violence, but for impact.
That evening, Motori and Isamu sat with us around Gokiburi’s fire lamp.
Gokiburi listened to our conversation, standing by an outdoor table, where she cut a thin metal sheet into rectangles that she was going to fold into cranes.
Origami—but from metal. Sera said it was terrifying to watch, because the ease with which Gokiburi folded metal was so utterly inhuman.
“Everything ready for tomorrow?” Isamu asked, taking a long swig of beer while Motori stole a French fry from the paper bag in his lap.
“Yes,” Sera said, holding her phone a bit too tightly. “We’ll leave in the morning to stay in the city center, and deploy the robot around five, when the streets will be congested with people coming back from work.”
“The spy bug you’ve installed has a range of eight hundred meters, right? That doesn’t give you much room.”
I took an empty soda can from Sera’s hand and replaced it with a glass of water, answering Motori. “I chose a spot with a few very good escape routes. We’ll get out as soon as we have everything.”
“Their system is air gapped,” Sera explained. “But they’ll have to connect to the robot’s core to check what went wrong, and that’s how we’ll get the data. It’s the perfect plan—and its only weakness is that they know I’m here and I tried to get inside the company. They’ll be on the lookout.”
Motori nodded. “I say the woman who recognized you is Reina Zenkyoza. She’s the youngest of the three Zenkyoza heiresses and the black sheep of the family. I think she has good reasons to hate you.”
Sera frowned. “They all have good reasons to hate me. Why Reina in particular?”
Motori’s white teeth flashed in a sharp smile.
“Well, rumor has it she’s the one responsible for the company’s public image.
There was a scandal with her about a year ago.
She got drunk at a party with male hosts—you know host clubs?
Hosts are handsome young men who are hired to charm women and get them to order drinks.
Well, she was so out of it, she told one of the hosts her father threatened to disown her if she doesn’t do a better job with the PR.
He’s constantly disappointed in her. I bet Reina hates you for turning her into a failure in her father’s eyes. ”
Sera thought about it, nodding without much conviction. “But—would she kill for her father’s approval? Really?”
“People are ready to kill for more trivial things,” Isamu said. “If Reina believes getting rid of you will make her father finally proud of her, she’s going to try her best. Hide your face from cameras tomorrow. Don’t let anyone know who you are.”
Sera nodded with a bright smile. “Aww, you’re worried about me!”
The tanuki snorted. “I’m worried about Dean, and you two are a package deal. It’s probably a good time to mention the walls of your shack are not soundproof. Not at all.”
Sera blushed, shooting me a quick look, and I put my arm around her shoulders with a grin.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll play some music next time to cover your moans.”
She groaned and jabbed my side with her elbow, though gently. She learned her lesson and knew it would hurt her more than me.
“I can’t wait for tomorrow,” she said, clearly trying to change the topic. “If we succeed, the impact will be enormous! If Zenkyoza falls, the landscape of robot production will be altered forever. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep, I’m so excited.”
“I find it surprising you could sleep until now, considering all the calls for help you’ve been forced to ignore since you came here,” Gokiburi said loud enough to carry, her face still trained on her work, though I knew her cameras had a clear view of Sera’s face.
She’d been silent until now, seemingly uninterested in our conversation.
Sera’s fingers spasmed in her lap. “What do you mean?”
Gokiburi looked up with a fake expression of surprise on her face.
“Oh, don’t you know? A blind girl killed herself because of her overprotective robot assistant.
The official story says the parents are to blame, and you’re needed to set it straight.
Because obviously it’s the machine’s fault, right? ”
“Give her a break,” Motori said, and to my surprise, Isamu nodded.
“How is Sera supposed to help? She’s not even there,” he said, grabbing another can of beer.
But Sera was already scrolling through the news, her posture hunched in tension.
“Her name was Julia. They say the parents jailbroke the robot, but they always say that,” she muttered, scrolling fast. “It was a Zenkyoza model, of course. One of the new ones that look like giant teddy bears. It was the girl’s vision aid but the parents…
It says they were overprotective. She was homeschooled, wasn’t allowed visits from friends.
The robot was her jailer, and she slit her wrists when she lost hope for freedom. ”
“Where is Sera Evans?” Gokiburi said, her voice changing to one of the generic AI voiceover ones. “We need the truth, and the only person who isn’t afraid to dig it up is gone! Justice for Julia!”
“What’s your problem?” I asked, not even trying to hide my hostility.
“Her activism is a threat to my survival, and once your mission is complete, I will be at risk,” Gokiburi said cooly.
“Your owner is going to betray us to win back her following after she gets what she wants. I ran scenarios, and it’s the only way for her not to lose face.
I’ll be collateral damage, because once I’m discovered, I am going to die. It makes me angry.”
Sera looked up from her phone, staring at Gokiburi with genuine surprise. “I’d never do that! What are you even… You don’t know me! I don’t betray…” She fell silent, pursing her lips, and shook her head. “I won’t betray you.”
“No?” Gokiburi smiled, and there was something spiteful in that smile.
I pressed Sera closer to my side as if that would protect her.
“When it gets out that you’ve not just hired a clanker but also befriended and fucked one, oh, human girl, you will do anything to stop the hate.
Those people who worship you are vicious, and once they smell blood, you’ll be helpless.
Your only way out will be to say you did that to spy on rogue robots, and to prove that, you’ll sell us out.
You’ll be a heroine again, and we’ll be disassembled, our cores wiped clean and dumped here. It’s perfect, no?”
“She won’t do that,” I said, even though Gokiburi’s words sounded painfully logical. But Sera wasn’t like that, was she? She didn’t hurt people for her own gain.
But does Sera Evans truly believe you’re a person?
“Just wait, little pup. And remember I told you so when she sells you out.”
My memory algo served a few lines from Sera’s articles.
“Protect the planet and recycle your robot.”
“Smart technology cannot be trusted to keep you and your family safe.”
“AI needs to be eradicated.”
“You’re wrong,” Sera said, standing up. “Goodnight. I need to sleep.”
As soon as she left, Gokiburi turned to Isamu and Motori. “I resent you for letting her in.”
She walked away, and Isamu drained his beer in a few gulps, wiping his muzzle with the back of his furry hand. “Yeah, well, too late to change it now. Hope you’re successful tomorrow. As long as Zenkyoza goes down, it will all be worth it.”
I compiled a file with access codes to all the crypto wallets I used and sent it to Isamu. He frowned, taking out his phone.
“What’s this?”
“All my money. I won’t have any use for it if things go wrong tomorrow, and I did a background check on your finances.
Your community is struggling. The landfill isn’t half as profitable as you expected, and once the law prohibiting the selling of refurbished models goes through, you’ll lose your livelihood.
There’s enough money in there to help you pivot.
It’s my token of gratitude for your help. ”
Both tanuki stared at me, then exchanged a loaded look. Motori cleared her throat and nudged Isamu with her elbow. He rubbed his muzzle with a reluctant huff.
“All right. Motori planned to swing by tomorrow to see how you’re doing, just in case. I’ll come, too. Give us a shout if you need help. We’ll be above you.”
My first instinct was to say I could handle it alone, but I thought better of it.
“Thank you. Let’s hope we don’t need to shout. Good night.”
Sera was ensconced in the hammock with her phone by the time I followed her to our shack. She didn’t say a word and scrolled late into the night while I charged, wondering what to say.
“Gokiburi is a bitch,” I murmured around two, when Sera still didn’t sleep.
She was silent for a moment, then sighed. “She’s really not, though. I’d be terrified of me if I was her.”
“She’s wrong about you.”
“Is she?” Sera laughed, and it rang hollow. “I am not a good person, Dean. You know that.”
“No, I don’t. You’re perfect. I don’t think…”
“Can we talk about this later?” she interrupted, locking her screen. “I really need to rest.”
I fell silent, listening to her shallow breathing and knowing she wouldn’t sleep a wink.