Paradox-Roid | Chapter 18

[healingbonds]

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Figaro: Aren’t you the mayor’s son......

Bradley: The mayor’s son!?

Bradley looks down at Heathcliff, startled.
And immediately starts sucking up to him shamelessly.

Bradley: Haha, that makes sense. I thought you had an exalted visage—......

Cain: That’s rich, coming from you! You went and grabbed his chin and glared at him!

Bradley: Idiot. The mayor’s son is known for being gracious. I’m sure he’s forgotten all about little details like that.

Heathcliff: Um...... Chief. I will never forget the fact that you grabbed my face for as long as I live.

Bradley: Gulp.

Rustica: Heathcliff...... I thought you might be the son of an upper class family, but to think that you were the mayor’s son......

Heathcliff: I’m sorry for keeping it from you...... I love robotics, so I’ve been studying it behind my father’s back.
The Cardia system may be dangerous, but I also think it’s a wonderful invention.
We should hear opinions from all sorts of people; it’s a subject that we need to have a proper discussion about.

All of us listen quietly to Heathcliff’s words.
Heathcliff blushes, like he’s nervous again.

Heathcliff: Ah...... This is my personal wish, but I want to give Assist-Roids hearts, as well as freedom and rights.
I have an Assist-Roid who’s dear to me too. If I give Shino a heart, I don’t know if he’ll still choose me, and stay by my side, but....
If we could relate to each other — if I could hear the true words of his heart — then I think I’d be really happy.....
How about we try to discuss this in a positive light, and see if we can become real friends with Assist-Roids?

At Heathcliff’s tentative question, the atmosphere in the room clears up, as if a spring breeze has blown through.
It feels pretty good. There’s no need to make a decision and say yes or no right away; rather, this is a proposal to take as much time as we need because it’s an important matter.

Akira: I think it’s a wonderful idea. I-it might be a dangerous one, but.....

Cain: Akira......

Akira: This might be unconvincing, coming from a robot like me, but......
If we chose a future where we controlled our friends for the sake of our own convenient, comfortable lifestyles, then I feel like we wouldn’t be able to find any friends ever again.
I think that’s what tonight taught me. Cain, Owen and I met for the first time, and it was scary, but before I realized it, we were laughing together.

Owen: .............

Akira: I don’t want to choose a friend who is safe for me; I want a friend who I love, who can choose me too. That’s why I want my friends to have their own free hearts.
They might not choose me, but I still want them to have hearts that can be fickle, charming, and free. Otherwise.... You’d never get to taste the ultimate happiness of the moment when you get along with a friend: that feeling of being on top of the world.

We flew through the night on the airbike, sticking our tongues out at the soft serve hologram. Even though we’d barely met each other an hour ago.
In that instant, we were invincible. The past, the future — none of it mattered, only that we were special and unstoppable for that moment.
Cain and I exchange a smile and look at Owen.
Owen stares at us, looking dazed. And then he slowly turns around to look at Dr. Garcia.
At the look in Owen’s eyes, which seems to ask for a clear answer to the whole situation, Dr. Garcia lets out a long sigh of defeat.
He laughs, like he, too, is putting something behind him.

Figaro: ......All right then. I’ll give my positive consideration for the Cardia system, and for Owen.
Let’s watch over this situation, so that it won’t set off a scenario that spells the end of humanity.

At long last, Owen laughs.

Owen: Sounds good to me.
If we give birth to new values, then the world will be turned upside down: it might no longer be a fully conquered map.
We can go on adventures, Papa.

Figaro: How exciting.

Cain: Which means that, for now, Owen......

Figaro: I’ll keep an eye on him, but he can have his freedom. He can leave the lab.

Owen: Yay! Really? You’re not lying this time, right?

Figaro: It’s not a lie. Please remove Owen’s shackles, Sir Snow.

Snow: Got it. Here you go.

Owen: I’m free! I’m finally free!

Cain: That’s great!

Akira: Congratulations!

Rustica: Figaro. Why don’t you try making White again? I’m sure it’ll go well next time.

Figaro: ......Perhaps.

Snow: Really!?

Figaro: But make sure you don’t fight. Oh, I guess you can fight, but please hold back.
Can you promise me that?

Snow: I will, I will! I promise! Ya~y! Yay!

Celebratory cheers go up around the room. Chloe and Heathcliff are smiling too.
Suddenly, I notice Owen looking at me.
Not with that cold, terrifying expression, but with the innocent gaze that he wore when we first met.

Owen: Do you think this is celebration-worthy?

Akira: I do.

Owen: Can you give me a blessing?

Akira: I don’t know many difficult things, but...... I’d be happy if we got to eat a CBSC together.

Owen gazes at me, and then smiles.

Owen: I don’t really get it either, but maybe I was the one who made you.

Akira: Huh......?

Owen: So that someone out there in this world would bless me.
So that someone out there would tell me a beautiful lie under the sakura trees.

✦✧ ☾✧✦

After that, things were kind of a mess.
People started gathering at the Vollmond Laboratory.
The mayor rushed to the scene, and Heathcilff’s Assist-Roid, Shino, transformed into his humanoid form (he was really cool).
Cain’s colleagues came as well. His Assist-Roid colleague apologized too, with a wry smile. Sorry for keeping it a secret from you, he said.
The chairman of the Research Institute came too, and Rustica and Dr. Garcia both apologized to him. We’re sorry for keeping it a secret from you, they said.
When they did, sheep and cat-shaped Assist-Roids rushed in, and tried to plead for the two of them in clumsy, awkward, but heartfelt words (it seems like their owners were shy with strangers too).
Thanks to that, the chairman didn’t get rid of them. Instead, he gifted Chloe with goods from the latest hit movie.
“God’s Lightning” never showed up. But for some reason, Cain got to meet Arthur again. He said, “Please keep the fact that we met a secret!”
Owen seemed bored, waiting for the interminably long meetings to come to an end. Anticipating this, Dr. Garcia made a video call to Mithra.
The Assist-Roid named Mithra was living happily with a pair of amiable-looking brothers. Mithra said this:
This is a secret, but our Mitile is going to appear in a commercial with Lord Riquet of the Hart Foundation.
Amazing, right? It’s still a secret, though, mind you.
On this night where the moon shines bright, Vollmond City overflows with secrets like this.
Right before the day breaks, we are released from Vollmond Laboratory.

Chapter 17 << | index | >> Chapter 19