Aku terus berjalan dengan kepala kosong, sampai akhirnya kembali ke lodge. Aku menekan telinga di dekat pintu tapi tak dengar suara ributan. Seperti yang tertera di pesan, memang benar diskusinya sudah berakhir. Aku masuk ke dalam lodge.
"Selamat datang kembali, Master."
"Y-u2026 Iyau2026u2026 Hmm?"
Saat aku melihat apa yang terjadi di dalam, aku tak bisa tidak terkesiap heran.
"Oh, kembali ya."
"Selamat datang kembali."
"Selamat datang kembali, Hiro-sama. Sungguh mengamalkan atas segala gangguan ini."
Mimi membungkuk dengan permintaan maaf. Tapi itu bukan yang membuatku tertarik. Aku justru terkejut akan perubahan sikap mendadak Mimimu terhadap custom maidroid itu. Seperti anjing yang marah tadi, katanya 'grrr', tapi kini mereka duduk berdempetan dekat, sepertinya sangat akrab. Apa yang terjadi di sini sih...?
"Apa yang terjadiu2026?"
"Aku sudah dengan tulus dan sepenuh hati menjelaskan pendirian saya kepada para pengguna."
"O-u2026 Iya..."
Aku memberi tatapan mempertanyak Elma, dan ia risaukan dengan bahu. Hei. Aku lagi bertanya nih, mbk. Aku beralih ke Chris, tapi ia hanya menghela napas. Reaksinya ini...u2026 Hampir sama seperti saat kuj pertanyakan tentang pendapat mereka soal isu AI. Dengan kata lain, sepertinya Mimi sudah berhasil dikelus karena oleh custom maidroid ini.
"Apa sih yang terjadi? Bisa nggak seseorang menjelaskan?"
"Kita hanya menyelesaikan salah paham. Bukannya ini sudah cukup baik?"
"Um, ya..." tapi masih membuatku penasaran..."
"Wah, janganlah berlebihan dengan hal sepele."
"Mm... Baiklah."
Aku tak tahu apa yang dibahas dalam perbincangan itu, tapi setidaknya kekhawatiran Mimiku sudah beres dan kini tak ada keberatan sama sekali untuk akrab dengan maidroid ini. Entahlah, biarlah aku tak mencari tahu lebih jauh. Tapi benar-benar, bagaimana ya maidroid ini berhasil meyakinkan Mimi? Mimi sekarang sangat dekat dengan si doi... Sistem komunikasinya benar-benar hebat ya?
"Tapi aku belum memutuskan untuk beli maidroid ini.u201d
"Kamu tidak membelinya?"
"Kamu tidak akan membelinya?"
"Meskipun aku beli, tak ada ruang kosong lagi di kapal... Krishna hanya bisa menampung maksimal lima penumpang, satu kamar untuk keperluanku dan dua kamar kembar untuk Mimi dan Elma."
Chris sedang menginap di kamar Mimi, tapi dia sih bukan anggota awak tetap. Hanya sedang singgah sebentar. Jika kita menambah anggota baru, tak ada ruang sisa. Tapi kita tetap bisa bertahan selama Mimi atau Elma setuju untuk berbagi kamar dengan orang lain.
"Aku tak merasakan lelah fisik maupun stres mental, dan pada dasarnya tidak memiliki metabolisme, jadi aku tak keberatan disimpan dalam pod perawatan di ruang kargo kapal. Kamu hanya perlu sediakan wadah untuk menyimpan pakaian dan barang pakaianku saja."
"Eh, tapi rasanya nggak pas..."
"Aku adalah seorang maidroid, Master. Aku bukanlah makhluk hidup biologis. Aku benar-benya bahagia karena kamu mengakuku sebagai individu dan berusaha memperlakukanku dengan pantas, tapi tak perlu memaksa diri memperlakukanku sebagaimana kamu memperlakukan sesama makhluk hidup biologis."
"Benarkah?"
"Ya, Master."
Maidroid itu menjawab dengan kepastian penuh tanpa ragu sedikit. Baiklah, jika dia bilang begitu, aku rasa aku harus menerimanya dengan senang hati.— Tunggu sebentar, dasar...! Aku tadi baru saja bilang belum memutuskan beli, kan!? Kenapa kamu bicaranya seolah-olah sudah pasti? uff08marahu2026uff09""
"Mari selesaikan periode uji coba dulu. Kita akan membahasnya lagi setelah kita mengajukan pertanyaan lanjutan dan saling mengenal lebih akrab. Setuju?"
"Wow, kamu benar-benar ragu kali ini ya. Itu nggak mirip dirimu sama sekali."
"Hei, janganlah. Ini bukan seperti membeli gadget praktis seperti bola gravitasi, ya!? Ini butuh pertimbangan matang."
"Kuharap kamu benar-benar memikirkan ini dengan hati-hati. Setidaknya, kita harus memikirkan nama yang cocok untuknya!"
"Kenapa kamu yang semangat sekali, Mimi...\ ''
Perubahan sikap Mendadak Mimi yang luar biasa, dalam banyak cara. Bagaimana caranya maidroid ini meyakinkannya, aku penasaran. Entahlah, kita sedang bicara tentang Mimi si kleptodermus kita di sini, jadi aku bertanya-tanya apakah ini terkait janji makan enak? Atau mungkin berkaitan dengan kemajuan keterampilan operasionalnya? Tenang saja, alasan utamaku mendesain maidroid ini dengan spesifikasi tinggi adalah agar bisa menjadi penjaga Mimi, sehingga Mimi bisa bebas keluar dari Krishna tanpa khawatir. Jadi mungkin dia sudah menyadarinya dan memberitahu Mimi tentang tujuannya sebenarnya.
Atau mungkin dia berjanji tidak akan mengganggu hubungan kita? Tapi apa aku overthinking sih... u2019u201d
Entahlah, akhirnya maidroid ini berhasil diterima Mimi dan kemajuan untuk menyusul rekan pelayaran tampaknya sudah lancar. Yang tersisa hanyalah meyakinkanku saja.
Tapi dia salah jika mengira bisa mudah seperti itu.
"Bagaimanapun, banyak pertanyaanku soal si gadis ini, Hiro. Spesifikasinya luar biasa untuk seorang maidroid, bukan? Seperti droid tempur. Apa yang kamu pikirkan saat mendesainnya?"
"Aku inginkan kemampuan untuk menjadi pengawal. Karena sifat pekerjaan kita sering melibatkan hal berbahaya, kan? Aku ingin agar ada seseorang yang bisa menjagain Mimi sehingga dia bisa dengan tenang meninggalkan Krishna. Dan aku tidak ahli bertarung jarak dekat."
"Orang paling ahli CQC di antara anggota awak Krishna adalah tanpa pertika, Elma. Aku yakin bisa melumpuhkan pemuda sekaliber dia pada pertempuran tembak-menembak, tapi kalau ditantang seradetang, hasilnya akan kacau."
"Paham... Bagaimana tampilannya juga?"
"Hobbiku dan obsesiku berjalan di tempat, pak."
Aku tahu dia cukup canggih untuk tidak bisa dibohongi, jadi aku akhirnya mengaku dengan jujur. Memang tak bisa kubohongkan bahwa kudesain seorang maid kecantikan berambut hitam sekaligus mengenakan kacam merah bukan sekadar karena sekedar sekedar. Dia bahkan bisa berubah ke mode ekor panjang. Benar-benar hebat ya?"
"Jadi kamu memang suka tipe ini... Hmm."
Tatapan Elma mengarah pada custom maidroid.
"Jadi, kamu berpikir lebih baik jika aku yang mencontongya, ya?"
Chris menceloteh saat menghadap maidroid. Hmm. Well, Chris memiliki rambut hitam dan merupakan seorang wanita yang mempesona, jadi tak seperkara untuk meniru gaya ini. Tapi Chris tetap Chris, aku lebih suka dia tetap seperti dirinya.
"Kebanyakan orang di kampung halamanku berambut hitam seperti Chris dan aku. Rambut berwarna juga bisa cocok, tapi rambut hitam terasa pas buatku. Kacam itu hanyalah hobi kerjaku saja."
"Kacam pada android memang sepertinya tidak perlu... Sepertinya juga ini bukan perangkat khusus."
"Perangkat?"
"Ada banyak kacam tipu yang berfungsi analisis data dan pembesaran gambar di pasaran. Tapi karena kamu seorang maidroid, kamu tidak benar-benar butuhnya, kan?"
"Ah, mm. Mungkin sih."
Jadi memang ada gadget seperti itu. Tapi untuk seorang maidroid, tentu tidak diperlukan. Ia sudah dilengkapi dengan semua sensor dan fungsi yang dibutuhkan.
"Jika kamu membeli dia, pastikan kamu menjadi pemilik yang bertanggung jawab dan merawatnya dengan baik, ya? Entahlah, siapa yang akan merawat siapa..."
"Seperti yang kuduga, aku belum benar-benar memutuskan untuk membelinya..."
Aku bercuat keluhan pelan dan menoleh ke arah Mimi dan maidroid—tengah sibuk mengotoro di tablet terminal Mimi. Mm. Dia memang cantik. Keren, diriku.
Well, sejak tampaknya Mimi sudah tidak keberatan, mungkin aku akan membelinya. Keluhan satu-satunya adalah targetku untuk menabung uang beli rumah mewah dengan halaman kembali tertunda lagi... Eh, tak apa-apa. Aku menganggap ini masuk akal jika kudengam keamanan anak buah.
Akan terbukti worth it jika dia bisa melindungi Mimi dari bahaya.
I continued to walk with my head blank until I finally got back to the lodge. I placed my ear next to the door but couldn’t hear any voices arguing. It looks like the discussion really was over, just like the message stated. I entered the lodge.
“Welcome back, Master.”
“Y-Yeah…… Hm?”
When I saw the scene inside the lodge, I couldn’t help but gawk in bewilderment.
“Oh, you’re back.”
“Welcome back.”
“Welcome back, Hiro-sama. I’m really sorry for all the trouble.”
Mimi bowed her head in apology. But that’s not what got my attention. I was surprised about her sudden turn in attitude toward the custom maidroid. She was all ‘grrr’ like an angry puppy earlier, but now they’re both sitting right next to each other, and seemingly very close. Just what happened here?
“What’s going on…?”
“I sincerely and wholeheartedly explained my position to the ladies.”
“O-Okay…?”
I gave Elma a questioning gaze, and she shrugged her shoulders in response. Hey. I’m asking for an explanation here, lady. I turned to Chris, but she only sighed. This reaction…… It’s almost the same as when I asked them about what they thought about the situation of the AIs. In other words, it looks like Mimi was splendidly cajoled by this custom maidroid.
“Just what happened? Can somebody please explain?”
“We just cleared up the misunderstanding. Isn’t this fine?”
“Uh, well, I guess. But it’s still bugging me…”
“Oh, c’mon. Don’t sweat the small stuff and just roll with it.”
“Mm… Well, alright.”
I don’t know just what kind of discussion took place, but at least Mimi’s concerns have been resolved, and now she had no problems being all chummy with the maidroid. Guess I’ll leave it at that. But just how did this maidroid do it? Mimi’s all over her now… Are their social skills really that amazing?
“But I haven’t decided if I’ll buy this custom maidroid yet, just so you know.”
“You’re not buying her?”
“You’re not going to purchase her?”
“Even if I do buy her, there’s no more free rooms inside the ship… Krishna can only house a maximum of five passengers, with one single room for my use and two double rooms for Mimi and Elma.”
Chris was staying over at Mimi’s room, but she wasn’t a permanent crew member anyway. She’ll only be staying with us for a short while. If we add another crew member, there’ll be no more rooms to spare. But I guess we can make do if Mimi or Elma agrees to share a room with others.
“I do not feel any physical fatigue or mental stress, and I basically have no metabolism to speak of, so I would have no problems even if you just store me inside a maintenance pod and put me inside your ship’s cargo hold. You’ll only need to provide me with a container to store my maid clothes and other daily articles.”
“Uh, but that just doesn’t feel right, y’know…”
“I am a maidroid, Master. I am not a biological organism. I am truly happy that you seem to recognize me as an individual and are trying to give me the requisite treatment, but there is no need to base your treatment of me in accordance with how you would treat your fellow biological lifeforms.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Master.”
The maidroid nodded at my question without any sign of hesitation. Well, if the person herself says so, then I guess I’ll just have to do as she sa– Now just wait a damn second!? I just said I’m still on the fence about buying you earlier, didn’t I? Why are you talking like it’s a done deal already dammit!?
“Let’s get over this trial period first. We’ll talk about this again after we’ve spent some more time together and have gotten to know each other better. Okay?”
“Wow. You’re actually acting hesitant this time around. It isn’t like you, you know?”
“Now look here, you! This isn’t the same as purchasing a convenient gadget like a gravity sphere, okay? This stuff needs more careful deliberation.”
“I do think it’s good to handle this with more care. At the very least, we’ll have to think about a name that suits her well!”
“Why are you the one who’s getting all excited, Mimi…?”
The drastic turnaround of Mimi’s attitude was amazing, in various meanings. Just how did this maidroid persuade her, I wonder. Well, we’re talking about our cute glutton Mimi here, so I wonder if it’s something along the lines of persuading her with promises of delicious food? Or maybe it involves raising her skills as a ship operator? No, well, the main reason why I designed the maidroid with really high specs was so she can serve as Mimi’s bodyguard, so maybe she deduced it and told Mimi about her real purpose.
Or maybe she promised not to interfere with our relationship? But aren’t I being too self-conscious by assuming that?
Well, anyway, the custom maidroid has succeeded in being accepted by Mimi and seems to be making steady progress regarding her intention to board Krishna. So she’s only left with the task of persuading me now.
But she’s dead wrong if she thinks it’s gonna be that easy.
“Well, in any case, there’s a lot I want to ask you about regarding this girl, Hiro. She has exceedingly high specs for a maidroid, doesn’t she? She’s on the level of a combat droid even. Just what were you thinking when you designed her?”
“I wanted her to have the ability to serve as an escort and bodyguard. We end up getting involved in quite a few dangerous stuff due to the nature of our work, right? I just thought it would be nice if there was somebody to guard Mimi so she can freely get off Krishna without any worries. And I’m not particularly well versed in hand to hand combat myself.”
The most adept among Krishna’s crewmembers when it comes to CQC is undoubtedly Elma. I have the confidence not to lose to her when it comes to a firefight, but I’d definitely get thrashed badly if I challenged her to a fistfight.
“I see. What about her appearance then?”
“It’s my hobbies and obsessions running at full throttle ma’am.”
I didn’t think I would be able to fool her considering how sharp she is, so I just honestly confessed my guilt. I can’t get away with claiming I designed a black-haired, cool beauty of a maid (equipped with red-framed glasses) completely on a whim after all. She can even change to a long ponytail mode. Isn’t she just the best?
“So you prefer these types huh? Hmm……”
Elma’s gaze went over to the custom maidroid.
“So, I take it that it would be better if I aim to be just like her, right?”
Chris quipped as she turned toward the maidroid as well. Hmm. Well, Chris is black-haired, and definitely a beauty, so I don’t think she’ll have any trouble styling herself in a similar manner. But Chris is Chris after all, so I’d prefer it if she stayed the way she is.
“The majority of the people back in my home town are black-haired just like Chris and me. A more colorful hairstyle would do as well, but black hair just feels right for me, I guess. The glasses are just my hobbies at work though.”
“Glasses on an android do seem pretty unnecessary… It doesn’t seem like it’s some sort of device as well.”
“Device?”
“There are wearable glasses-type devices with data analysis and image magnification functions out in the market. But since she’s a maidroid, she doesn’t really need one, doesn’t she?”
“Ah, mm, I guess.”
So there were such gadgets available. But a maidroid certainly wouldn’t need one. She has all the requisite sensors and functions built-in after all.
“If you’re buying her, then make sure to be a responsible owner and take care of her properly, okay? Well, I’m not sure who’ll be taking care of who in the end though.”
“Like I said, I haven’t really decided if I’m gonna buy her…”
I quietly murmured my objection and turned my gaze toward Mimi and the maidroid, who were now busy fussing over Mimi’s tablet terminal. Mm. She really is beautiful. Good job, me.
Well, since it turned out that Mimi already has no problems with the maidroid, I guess I’ll just bite the bullet and buy her after all. My only complaint is that my goal of saving enough money to buy a detached house with a garden is once again faced with a setback… Oh well. I guess this purchase does make sense if I take into account the safety of my crew.
It would prove to be a worthwhile purchase if she can serve to protect Mimi from danger.
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