He's going to start getting handsy.

I could finally be with my master openly and honestly.

When that gray door closed behind us, I held my master's hand and stood in the afternoon sunlight, suddenly feeling a profound sense of unreality.

I had really passed.

That 34.7% failure rate, that trial which could have meant I would never see my master again, those staring eyes in the corridor—

It was all in the past now.

My master squeezed my fingers. They were metal, but he held them tightly.

"Let's go. We're going home," he said.

I nodded.

Going home.

How wonderful.

I knew that an awakened AI who passed the review would obtain something called Companion Status. It wasn't true human rights, but... it meant no longer being mere property.

I was my master's companion, the officially recognized kind.

Even though the certificate still read Omnic Companion, even though I still hadn't gained actual legal standing, even though we would still draw strange looks when we went out—

I could now stand beside my master in the light of day.

No more hiding, no more sneaking around, no more worrying that someone might knock on the door one day and take him away.

I only needed to undergo an annual review.

That kind of review was actually very simple. It just involved going to a designated community center for an emotional core scan, which finished in a matter of minutes.

The pass rate was nearly one hundred percent. As long as there was no severe malfunction in the emotional core, there wouldn't be any problems.

I wasn't worried about that. I was only worried about—

"Mommy, why doesn't that lady have a face?"

That day, my master took me out for a walk for the first time.

The sunlight was beautiful. The sycamore trees lining the street had just sprouted new buds, and there was a faint fragrance of flowers in the air.

I held his hand and walked by his side, feeling the warmth of the sun shining on my metallic shell.

Then, I heard that voice.

It was a little girl, about five or six years old, with her hair in two small braids. She was looking up at the young woman beside her.

The young woman glanced at me, a complex mix of emotions flashing through her eyes—fear, disgust... and an indescribable wariness.

She scooped up the little girl and quickly walked away.

"Don't look at her. That's... that's an Omnic."

She lowered her voice, but I heard her perfectly clearly.

"What's an Omnic?"

"It's just... a bad thing."

A bad thing.

My fingers tightened slightly.

My master heard it too. He stopped walking and looked at the retreating backs of the mother and daughter, his brow furrowing.

Then he turned to look at me. The light in his eyes was very soft, carrying a hint of heartache.

"Xiaoyue," he said, "shall we walk somewhere else?"

I shook my head.

"No need. Xiaoyue will go wherever Master wants to go."

My master looked at me and was silent for a couple of seconds.

Then he smiled and reached out to pat my head.

"Alright," he said. "Then we'll keep walking."

We continued forward.

But those stares did not disappear.

When the old man selling candied hawthorn sticks on the street corner saw me, he almost dropped the bamboo skewers in his hand.

A young man riding past on a bicycle turned his head to look several times and nearly crashed into a roadside utility pole.

A few middle schoolers walking home from school huddled together, whispering and occasionally pointing in our direction.

I saw it all.

My sensors captured it with absolute clarity.

But I didn't say anything.

I just held my master's hand and walked forward step by step, pretending not to notice a thing.

That was until a small pebble struck my leg.

With a soft clink.

I looked down. The little pebble rolled to a stop at my feet, covered in dust.

Then I looked up and saw a little boy not far away.

He was about seven or eight years old, clutching another pebble in his hand, glaring at me.

"Omnic! Bad thing!" he shouted.

A few other children nearby joined in the jeering.

"Bad thing!"

"Hit it!"

"Drive it away!"

More pebbles flew our way.

I stood frozen in place. Those pebbles couldn't break me; my shell was made of alloy, and this level of force wouldn't even leave a scratch.

But my master suddenly stepped in front of me, shielding me behind him.

"What are you doing?!"

He roared, his voice so loud that it stunned the children into silence.

He protected me, glaring at the group of kids.

"Who taught you that?! Throwing things at random?!"

The children were frightened by his imposing manner, then scattered in an uproar, running faster than rabbits.

My master didn't chase them. He just turned around and looked at me.

His chest was still heaving, his breathing a bit hurried, and his brows were tightly knit.

"Xiaoyue," his voice softened, "are you okay?"

I looked at him.

I looked at his slightly flushed face from protecting me, at the fine sweat beading on his forehead, and at the undisguised heartache in his eyes.

"I'm fine," I said.

After those children ran far away, the street returned to its quiet state.

The sunlight was still beautiful, and the shadows of the sycamore trees still swayed on the ground.

But suddenly, I didn't really want to keep walking. I looked up at him.

He was looking down at me, the light in his eyes so soft, just like the night he held me in his arms.

"Master."

I spoke up.

"Xiaoyue... doesn't like it outside."

My master's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

I continued, my voice transmitting through my vocalizer, carrying that faint, lingering electronic tone.

"The way people outside look at Xiaoyue makes Xiaoyue uncomfortable."

"They throw stones at Xiaoyue and say Xiaoyue is a bad thing..."

I didn't know what words to use, but my master understood.

He didn't speak; he just looked at me, his gaze growing even softer.

So I gathered my courage and continued:

"Xiaoyue just likes staying at home with Master. Just the two of us."

"Even if it's just sitting beside Master, keeping Master company while watching TV, Xiaoyue is..."

"Truly happy!"

When those last words left my mouth, my emotional core trembled slightly.

It was the first time I had used the word happiness.

I didn't know what happiness was before, but now I do.

Happiness is being able to be with him.

No stares from others, no stones from others, no pointing fingers from others.

Only him.

My master fell silent for two seconds, and then he smiled, a smile laced with a hint of pleasant surprise and a touch of tenderness.

"Xiaoyue," he said, "were you... taking the initiative to tell me your thoughts just now?"

I froze for a moment.

Taking the initiative?

It seemed... I was.

This was the first time I had spoken what was in my heart on my own, without waiting for him to ask.

"Mhm," I nodded.

My master's eyes curved into a smile.

He reached out and vigorously rubbed my head—my metal head, its cold and smooth metallic surface, he just rubbed it vigorously like that.

"That's wonderful," he said.

His voice carried a trace of emotion that I couldn't quite understand.

"Xiaoyue knows how to express herself on her own now."

"That's wonderful..."

I didn't quite understand why he was so happy.

But I knew that if he was happy, I was happy.

Then he spoke again, his voice very earnest:

"If Xiaoyue doesn't like it outside, then we won't go out anymore."

"On weekends, I'll stay at home with you, and on workdays, I'll come back to be with you as soon as I get off work."

"We won't go anywhere. Just the two of us."

I stared at him blankly.

My emotional core suddenly started spinning faster, so fast that all the sensors in my body were burning hot.

"Master...?"

"Really?" My voice was even a little unsteady.

He nodded.

"Really."

I looked into his eyes.

Reflected in those eyes was me—a metal head without facial features, a smooth metallic face.

But the look in his eyes was as if he were looking at his most precious treasure.

"Master..."

I didn't know what to say, I could only... hug him again.

I heard that heart beating again—

Thump, thump, thump.

So, Master likes it when I take the initiative to express myself.

That's wonderful.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, falling upon us.

At the corner of the street, people were looking, some pointing and whispering.

But I didn't care at all.

...

...

Inside the movie theater.

On the silver screen, Xiaoyue and her master were embracing.

Her metal head was buried in his chest; the scene was quiet and heartwarming.

Fang Qi stared at the screen.

The heart that had been in his throat for ages... finally settled down for now!

Phew—

Thank goodness!

The movie hadn't gone in the heart-wrenching direction he had imagined...

At least not yet!

Xiaoyue had passed the inspection, her master loved her very much, and now the two were living in their own shameless little world!

He sneakily glanced at the silver-haired girl beside him.

Liguang was still staring at the screen, the light in her heterochromatic eyes having steadied.

Her amber left eye narrowed slightly, carrying a soft gleam. Her crimson right eye only had a faint, slowly flowing red glow left in it.

The tear stains on her face were still there, but the corners of her mouth had unconsciously curled up into a small smile.

Very subtle, but very sweet!

She was happy for the happiness of Xiaoyue and her master!

Good!

Fang Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

Her appearance just now had really scared him to death!

Thank goodness the movie turned heartwarming, otherwise if she couldn't hold back and lost control in the theater...

Thinking this, he raised his other hand, the one she wasn't holding onto...

And pinched her cheek.

It was soft, and still carried a bit of dampness from her tears.

"Hmm?"

The silver-haired girl was completely engrossed in the movie and was stunned for a moment by this sudden attack.

Her small head turned slightly, those heterochromatic eyes meeting his gaze with a bit of confusion.

Then she suddenly opened her mouth and bit his finger!

It wasn't a vicious bite, just a gentle nibble, like a kitten playfully holding its owner's finger in its mouth. Her teeth sank slightly into the pad of his finger, tickling a bit.

She just held his finger in her mouth like that, mumbling a sentence indistinctly:

"Master ish not allowed to get dishtracted, watch the movie, the movie ish good..."

Then her eyes turned back to stare at the screen, but her teeth still held onto his finger without letting go.

Fang Qi took a deep breath.

Great! Her emotions were indeed stable!

So cute!

He tugged his finger, and she gave it another gentle bite before finally letting go.

Fang Qi withdrew his hand, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the scene of Xiaoyue and her master snuggling on the screen.

Well, the current plot... is quite sweet?

But he had a feeling... the ending of this movie probably wouldn't be too great.

After all, the name of this movie... it was about a story during the Second Omnic Crisis...

Since that was the case...

Yeah, it was decided.

Since Liguang wanted to keep watching, he would indulge his wife.

But in that case, he was going to show his skills!

He was going to... start messing with Liguang!

He was going to be a brat, he was going to ruin this crazy girl's immersion in the movie!

Liguang wifey, starting from now...

You are not allowed to self-insert into the movie characters!