“Uh, so let me get this straight…”

Five mechanical fingers rhythmically tapped on the table. Jets took a swig of his drink, his half-closed eyes darting towards Yushi.

“...You got seriously hurt, bumped into Yushi out of nowhere, and he took you to get fixed up at a cybernetic clinic?”

The faded TV in the corner had just finished airing Jerry's "Buddy News", transitioning to commercials. The screen suddenly filled with a flashy ad; a deep, alluring male voice boomed:

“Put on Wang Lance, dash hard for crush!”

“Yep.” Delena nodded, “Yushi's a pretty helpful guy. Even though he had conflicts with that boss, he pushed to get me some surgery time. As a friend, it’s only fair that I help him tackle some of his financial troubles afterward. We’re now sharing Yushi’s vault.”

“Ha! Two complete strangers… became best buddies just because you needed some lower body operations, and now you're sharing a vault. So who’s the guy and who’s the girl?”

A slightly tipsy Jets swayed a bit as he eyed the duo before him, then suddenly stood up, propping himself on the table, leaning in close to Yushi, startling him.

“You’re not seriously wearing that… Delena, Wang Lance? Are you?”

“Pfffhahahahaha!! Delena getting Wang Lance!!”

Sharon’s flushed face twisted with laughter, as she playfully slapped Delena on the shoulder before turning to tease Kim Soojin.

“Hey, KimSooJin~ you big sister me just got a huge Wang Lance! Wanna try my power?!”

“Ba-bo! Stop it, you… you’ve had too much to drink already!”

Kim Soojin mumbled helplessly, struggling to catch her breath as her lips were squeezed by the relentless teasing.

“I’m a guy!” Yushi shot a glare at Jets. Regret surged through him for weaving such a bizarre story to fool this bunch.

Yet at the same time, Yushi couldn’t shake his curiosity—Delena had yet to reveal her robotic identity.

Could it be… that there are many more people in this world who are actually robots, unnoticed by ordinary folks?

“Oh, so you’re gay? Or are you two into some SM thing? I really doubt Yushi, the guy’s asshole has been turned inside out by this woman, given how devoted he is…”

“Jets, they are our new friends. You might want to give them a little more respect.”

Questan calmly interrupted Jets’ chatter, but to suppress the smirk trying to break free from the corner of his mouth was a losing battle.

“Right, right.”

Jets squawked like a goose, patting Questan on the shoulder before plopping back into his seat with the booze bottle in hand.

“I don’t care if you’re fooling me, your show’s over. Now it’s your turn, hurry up and spill. Don’t think just because you’ve been around longer, you get to sit this one out. I wanna hear what dumb things you did while fighting that nearly got Linkai killed.”

“Has Jets been cooped up in this place too long? He sounds like one of those nosy old men.”

Alina frowned, crossing her legs as she lit a cigarette.

But of course, despite talking tough, this motley crew still had tales to tell.

——————————

Five days later, the weather was still oppressively warm. Yushi’s small room looked a little tidier; the assortment of broken machine parts seemed reduced, neatly organized in their places.

The walls looked a lot cleaner, likely having been freshly painted. The spiderweb in the ceiling, which had lingered in Yushi’s space for so long, had vanished.

“Ding!!”

The sharp sound of the doorbell startled Yushi, who had been engrossed in his workbench. He looked up, noticing the old stains on his clothes were completely gone.

“What’s going on? I don’t remember owing any rent… is someone really here?”

“Delena, go check the door.”

Delena, who’d been watching the computer, was the first to rise and stroll to the door. Yushi turned to glance at her retreating figure, his mind wandering.

After a day of mental preparation, Yushi had finally come to accept that he now had an extra person in his life. Even if that person was an eerily human-like robot, someone you wouldn’t even recognize as a machine unless you were looking closely.

Yushi felt oddly hesitant to tell others about Delena’s true nature, feeling it might somehow disrespect her.

Delena respected Yushi’s feelings too, doing her best to hide their master-servant relationship in public, keeping it to a simple friendship.

But can ordinary people really maintain a close friendship living under the same roof?

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Since Delena hadn’t experienced taking a shower yet, Yushi had to teach her how to wash herself. He hung up a large black cloth over the bathroom door so she wouldn’t see anything she shouldn’t.

Yushi could manage to see her head… maybe, if he pushed it, a little more than just the collarbone area. Then that was all.

Really, nothing more!

His face flushed, he awkwardly instructed her on showering, how to dry off, and put on clothes, all while reminding her that she must close the door when she bathes. Dressing should be done inside.

When night fell, Yushi couldn’t help but recall what Kuru had told him, his throat tightening.

Squinting at the workbench light, he could almost see her graceful silhouette working on the table. It was a beauty he had never encountered before.

Wait, she’s a robot! Just a helper! What nonsense am I thinking! If it’s anything… I need someone normal for that!

Yushi rubbed his face and tried to get some sleep.

One outfit can’t be worn forever. The next day, Yushi took Delena shopping for some new clothes.

Buying clothes was normal, but even for underwear, Delena had to sway them in front of Yushi, asking which looked better, making him blush furiously.

Meanwhile, the attendant’s face twisted into a suppressed smile.

Delena was a robot, but Yushi still wasn’t clear on what powered her. Did she really run on that odd “mlood”?

But it seemed Delena could eat, and sleeping would improve her efficiency later, even if it was just a couple of hours.

“A computer can’t run for a year without taking a break; it needs a few hours for rest. Of course, if the master doesn’t want Delena to sleep, that’s fine too,” Delena explained.

When there's truly nothing to do, Delena would either stand or sit and close her eyes to sleep. Yushi moved closer and was surprised to find that she still maintained normal breathing and heartbeat.

After that, he didn’t have the chance to observe more. Delena would quickly wake up, asking him if something was wrong. Yushi would then stop observing, even though she was eager to show him.

“Creak.”

The front door swung open, and Delena tilted her head slightly down. A girl with sky-blue hair stepped in.

The girl’s aloof expression turned blank upon seeing Delena, and for a moment, there was a hint of awkwardness in the air.

“Um… did I walk into the wrong place?”

“Who are you looking for?”

Delena asked sweetly. Her warm tone was enough to put anyone at ease.

“I’m looking for…”

The girl’s brows furrowed, her pink pupils shimmering as she scanned the room.

Delena stood with her arms crossed, patiently waiting for her response.

“No, it can’t be—I was told the info from Jin was spot on, it was supposed to be right here…”

The girl’s face clouded with confusion.

She sized up the dignified woman before her and, after a moment's thought, incredulously asked,

“You transgendered?”

“I’ve always been me, dear guest,” Delena replied.

“What the hell… you mean, you’ve become who you’ve always wanted to be?”

“Indeed.” Delena nodded again. When she had her body restoration, she had indeed chosen all the dimensions herself.

If you put it like that, she wasn't wrong.

“Okay, okay, so that's how you wanna happen…”

The girl chuckled mirthlessly, unsure how to continue the conversation. She stepped aside, kicking the black box that reached her knees.

“Okay, now let’s talk some serious business. Mr. Yushi… no, Ms. Yushi, I’ve heard great things about your craftsmanship, so…”

Before she could finish, Yushi’s voice rang out from inside,

“What?! Delena, who’s calling me?!”

“A guest who wishes to pay their respects,” Delena truthfully said.

“…”

The girl clenched her fists, her back molars grinding audibly.

“No way! When you open the door, you can’t even introduce yourself? I thought the one called Yushi had transitioned!”

“Sorry, I haven’t learned to read minds yet, so I can only answer your verbal questions.”

“Gah!!”

The girl’s face flushed red with anger. She wanted to say more but was momentarily dumbstruck before Delena’s calm demeanor.

How was this girl named Delena so completely unflappable? It sent a chill up her spine.

“...Well, forget about the details.”

She eventually sighed, “Will you ask Mr. Yushi to step out? The guest is already at the door, shouldn’t the host come out to greet them? Especially if it’s a customer?”

“See? I told you, just let me come out in the first place! So annoying.”

The girl had no choice but to listen as the chatter continued from inside the room, soon replaced by a man.

It was Yushi—the real Yushi.

“Uh, hello, I'm Yushi. And you are?”

Yushi rubbed his hands on his clothes and reached out toward her.

Then he hesitated, realizing that no matter how much he wiped his hands, they were dirty, and pulled back.

“Just call me Sharon.”

Sharon reverted to her earlier composure, smiling gently as she pushed the box closer to Yushi with her foot.

“I’ve heard your skills are top-notch, so I’m wondering if you could help me fix these. There’s a handsome reward when you’re done.”

“Why me? Isn’t that cybernetic clinic next door pretty good too?”

Yushi was puzzled as he tried to lift the heavy black box but, after a couple of strained grunts, ended up awkwardly standing up with beads of sweat on his forehead.

What the hell? Didn’t she look so easy just now when she kicked it? Why’s it so heavy all of a sudden!

“You don’t need to worry about that, just go fix it. Here’s the deposit… eh?”

Sharon waved her hand, her pupils momentarily gleaming but then froze.

“No way… dude, where’s your vault?”

“Hmm? You mean my bank account? Just scan this.”

Yushi fished out his phone, holding it up to her face. “Go ahead and scan it.”

“...Oh wow, I can only say I’m impressed. I can't believe there are actually people in this age without a vault chip.”

Sharon rolled her eyes before her angered gaze flitted to the small screen.

“Vault deposit received, three thousand Worlb. Thank you for your business.”

“What??”

Yushi’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the phone screen, then back at Sharon.

“Did you add an extra zero?”

“Do you think I'm poor?” Sharon shot back.

“No, no, I—welcome to my humble shop! Would you like to come inside, ma’am? We might not have tea, but the tap water satisfies!”

Yushi hurriedly stood at attention, saluting her respectfully before tugging the box back into the room.

“Just so you know, part of this money includes a gag order. After I leave, don’t tell anyone I was here. You can’t reveal what’s in this box either—understood?”

She closed her eyes, chuckling as she shook her head, turning to leave.

“Don’t worry, ma’am, my mouth is tighter than my back door!”

Yushi rushed after her, grinning as he waved her off, but Sharon simply waved her arm as she walked away.

“I hope you can keep your place a bit lower. There isn’t even an elevator here—climbing stairs is exhausting!

Anyway, I’ll be back tomorrow morning at eleven to pick up the goods. Whether you stay up all night or not, you better have it done by then. Got it? No need to see me out.”

“Sure, sure! Safe travels, ma’am! Have a safe trip!”

After Yushi waved her off, he glanced at his phone and noticed he’d got her contact info too.

“Did that get added when she paid? I didn’t even notice.”

He kicked the door closed behind him with a bang and inspected the box.

“What’s inside? It’s pretty heavy.”

Its outer shell was coated in black spray paint, giving a sharp metallic echo when tapped.

The box was about 40 cm tall, 80 cm long, and 60 cm wide. There were two handles on top, folding into its lid.

“Who packs a machine in a box like this? It’s a pain to transport. The last time I saw something like this was on TV—the bank robbers used it for carring…”

He squatted down, mumbling as he unfastened the reflective metal buckles, and then froze in shock.

“...For carrying weapons.”