"Professor, why do I still exist?" Said the figure standing rigid and awkward beside him.
Silver hair, small face, and white skin -the way he made her. Yes, he preferred the pronoun "her" instead of "it".1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwVrPHq8vG
"Again, don't call me professor. I didn't even go to college." He put spoon he held back to the plate. He clenched his teeth a bit as he felt a slight vexation. He had to postpone indulging on his favorite mashed potatoes because of her.
"Understood, Master."
"No, that's no good too. Gosh, I am just trying to enjoy my potato here."
"Understood, Potato-freak."
"Ooi! It's getting worst, isn't it?!" he stood up from his dinning chair and bawled with a moderate voice at her. His vexation had now increased.
But then he knew he couldn't blame her. If anyone, it was himself, he thought. Because he made her.
"Okay, okay. Master is fine."
"Understood, Potato Master."
"Right. Now wait here while I go on an adventure to collect all potatoes from every farm in this region. After all, gotta pluck them all." He gave a sarcastic comeback.
"Master."
"What now?"
"I was joking. Haha haha haha haha haha." Her mouth moved awkwardly when she laughed with an unchanged expression as from before. Flat and stiff.
I am going to install facial expression on her. I knew I shouldn't left it out. He thought after seeing her face and felt unimpressed.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79EOQS4N0Z
"Stop." He halted her strange laugh which was toneless. It was not laugh. She was reciting a two-syllable word of "haha" in a monotonous way.
And some speech patterns, I guess. He let out a short sigh of regret.
He sat back on the chair again and grabbed the spoon. He stirred his -favourite- mashed potatoes on the plate above the small dining table. The magnificent smell of it that filled the room was starting to subside.
"Now sit down. You don't plan on keep standing while I eat, do you? I would feel uneasy."
"Understood, Master." Of all four, she took the vacant chair across his. She sat down facing him in the bright-looking dining room which he had it painted light-yellow.
"Now, your question. Elaborate it while I savor this delicacy."
He started stuffing his mouth while listening to her talking.
"Understood. Few days ago, I watched the television while you were out. At first, I saw a woman talking about something. I cannot recall what it was. Because I deleted the recording of her talk on my database as I deemed it worthless at that time."
"..."1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6sK1OmKLL
"I can only recount the event after that. There came another woman which was less beautiful than the talking woman. The less-beautiful woman approached the talking-woman with a shiny knife on her hands. According to my database, I predicted one thing that could happen. Bloodbath."
"..............."
“But nothing was happening. It turned out that they were selling a product. A kitchen knife. Not even a drip of blood was spilled. Unfortunately.”
“It’s fortunate.” He stressed on the word as he finished a half portion of his food. Now the plate was half-empty. Or is it half-full? He confused himself on his mind.
He grabbed the cylinder cup beside the plate and started drinking the clear water.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5w1R7aACg
Then he put back the cup which was now also half-empty. Or is it half-full? He kept minding that question which had no relevancy at all to her subject of conversation.
“And, what’s the problem?” He started filling his mouth again.
“You see, the women on the television, were talking about the function of a knife. They said that a knife is made to cut. It is the main function. One can also say it is the meaning of its existence. Even an inanimate object has its true purpose.”
“…”
“And when an object no longer able to perform its function, it has lost the true meaning of its existence. They said that a dull knife that can no longer cut is useless and should be thrown away. Then they suggested buying a new one as they advertized their product.”
“So you want to buy their knife?”
“Incorrect. Master, you made me with the purpose of combat. To help our country win the war. You finished my first version when the war started. And since then you made thirteen modifications. However, by the time you finished the fourteen version of me, the war was over.”
He put down the spoon on the empty plate. With no delay, he started to drink remaining water on the cup.
“There is no war to be fight anymore; thus I have lost the true purpose of my own existence. I am no different as the dull knife that can no longer cut. In my case, there are no more things to cut.”
He kept on swallowing down the water while listening to her.
“Then you installed in me various functions of house chores. So now, instead of shooting down the enemy, I do laundry, cleaning the house, and cooking. Et cetera.”
He let out a sigh, now of a satisfaction, as his throat now feel refreshed.
She continued to speak.
“Master, why have you not shut me down? Why do I still exist? I am a dull knife that needs to disposed of. Why are you making me doing all the things that a housewife do? Are you planning to make your wife? Is it because you spend too much at the workshop you cannot find a human partner? I am sorry but as you know I am not capable of emotions. Even though I can provide you the same pleasure of s-”
“OK, I am going to have you stop there!” He stretched his arm toward her, showing her his open palm.
“I meet woman from time to time you know.”
“Really?”
“That time when you watched TV and I was away, I was on a date with someone.”
“Wow. I am jealous. Look at my face, I am so sad.”
Despite what she said, the features of her face did not even change the slightest. So, he just looked at her with a cynical stare.
“I am sorry, Sevia. But,” He moved the empty plate and the cup to the side of table. His face started to give a serious vibe.
“I never cared about the war. When I designed you, my plan was to sell your complete blueprint to the government. That’s right. I only wanted to get money of my creation, just like I did by selling the all the rights of S2 to the government. I never even thought about saving the world form war.”
It’s because the “world” didn’t care about my family when I was a child. He mumbled alone on his head.
“But when I finished the final version of you, I felt something. Something I never felt before.”
Sevia looked like as she was learning something new from her master.
“You are my first creation with an implanted AI. It’s as if you are my daughter. A living object I managed to born.”
“Daughter? I’d rather be your wife, Master.”
“It’s as if. As if.” His side of the forehead shriveled bit.
He continued. “Anyway. When the war was over I felt two things. I was disappointed by the billion of money I couldn’t have. But I was relieved I didn’t have to hand you away.”
“Then why am I still active. Am I not a waste of resources?”
“Look Sevia. I am not a philosopher, okay. I don’t have the outrageous mustache like Nietzsce did. I am just someone who likes to tinker with machines and only know how to screw a bolt.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4kQmT0e45
“Indeed. You like to screw me. A lot.”
“Right. Wait, what?”
“You screw me a lot any time. When I am active or on standby. You take out your big and long screwdriver and screw me good.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQvBPEz9io
“Stop saying it like that. And what’s that stress on the screwdriver? You’re making it like I take out something other than a real screwdriver. Don’t ever say that outside, okay.”
“Why? It is the truth. You screw me at day and night. While I lay down, sit, or even standing.”
“IT IS MAINTENANCE!!!” He exerted louder volume as he shouted.
He tried to collect composure before he started talking again.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQh49kvqdET
“Ahem. Anyway, what I am saying is that I may not give you the right answer to your question. I am not Nietzsche or Kierkegaard. But I can tell you …”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbSDNjgDwU
He started breathing normally again.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuPjBzepko
“There are things human couldn’t just throw it away. No matter how dull a knife have become, if the owner doesn’t want to throw it, then he won’t. It’s called sentiment.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOcOhOjx3m
“Sentiment? In the dictionary you installed in me, sentiment means-”
“Literal translation won’t help you understand the word.”
For the first since she sat down, Sevia tilted her head a slight to her left. The first movement other than her lips.
“Human do things like that. We have a certain object which hold a sentimental value which even transcend the worth value. Each object has its own story which makes it hard to throw it away.”
“Human does?” She put her head back to the initial position.
“We do.”
“Is that mean, that I have a sentimental value for you?”
“Yes.” He shyly averted his gaze from her when he admitted that.
“And my sentimental value worth more than a billion of money you could have from selling me?”
“You could say so.”
“I see.”
The dinner room suddenly felt quiet with no one speaking. Not even his breathing was heard. He liked this silence. It was somehow strange yet calming.
But then, he talked and ended it.
“Oii. Sevia?” He noticed the blank stare she gave since she said her last word.
“Pardon me, Master. I was processing things in my database.” Her stare was not blank anymore.
“I see. Listen Sevia, you need to stop putting something useless into your database, okay. I knew that bloodbath thing; you got it from that late night show? What was it called again? The Mistress’s Miseries?”
“Tee-hee.” Sevia let out a tongue and close her left eye.
I really need to install that facial expression on her. He remarked on that not-cute attempt Sevia pulled.
“Master. I am the 3rd generation female-modeled Supercombat, and the 14th version. S3v14 is my identifier. Yet you keep calling me Sevia even thought you know my identifier already. Why do you read the number as alphabet? Do you have a unique blindness or something?”
“O-kay, I am just going to ignore your blunt verbal attack, and keep calling you Sevia.”
“Master, you are strange. I want to be you wife after all.”
“Thanks. But, I’ll pass.”
He took the empty plate on side of the table and placed them in front of Sevia.
“Sevia. Now it’s my turn to ask you a question.”
“Yes, Master. What is it?”
He lifted the plate and smiled at her in the most candid way.
“Can I have a second of you delicious mashed potatoes?”
Sevia stared at him a little, before she took the plate from his hand.
“Yes, Potato-freak Master.”
Mimicking what she saw from her master, Sevia gave him the same candid smile.
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