Chapter 48

Shuri, clad in Adam’s suit jacket over her shoulders, mumbled with a sullen face.

“Adam, you’re bad.”

“……!”

“Where on earth is there a health checkup like that? I will absolutely never forget what happened today.”

Adam stood before a difficult problem he had never encountered until now. It was precisely cheering up an angry Shuri.

For starters, he firmly placed a vanilla frappe he had just purchased from the cafe at 221 Address into Shuri’s hand.

“Shuri, I bought a vanilla frappe. I did not forget the pudding topping either!”

“Where’s the spoon?”

“It is right here!”

He even tore the packaging of the disposable plastic spoon and placed it in Shuri’s hand. She primly scooped up the pudding and took a bite.

“…….”

Shuri still said nothing as if she were sulking, but beholding her black pupils twinkling as if stars had descended upon them, Adam let out a sigh of relief internally.

Lifting a large takeout box, he spoke.

“Shuri, you are hungry, correct? I bought everything that was left on the display stand. Ah, there is a fruit crepe too.”

At the words fruit crepe, Shuri narrowed her eyes and looked at him. Her lips were still pouted out petulantly, but her gaze was not as fierce as earlier. Adam rapidly approached her and enveloped her with one arm.

“I have the ferry on standby. Shall we eat while watching the night view?”

Still glaring at him with narrowed eyes, Shuri took a long sip of the vanilla frappe through a thick straw. Only after swallowing a mouthful of the cool, sweet frappe while generating a crunching sound of chewing ice did she open her mouth.

“Are you going to behave maliciously over useless things again?”

Drooping his shoulders heavily, Adam spoke in a reflecting tone.

“I shall exert effort to avoid doing so……”

At the thoroughly unsatisfactory answer, Shuri puckered her lips once more. She truly could not comprehend why Adam exhibited such a reaction.

She spoke in a grumbling voice.

“The one I love the most is you, though.”

“……!”

Adam stiffened completely like a robot experiencing an error.

With her lips pouted out petulantly, Shuri continued to grumble.

“Why are you jealous of people I don’t love at all? I fail to understand…….”

Adam’s pitch-black full-face panel flashed and emitted light.

[(Congratz) “The one I love the most is you, though” (Celebration)]

Beholding the words she spoke converted into text and flashing right in the middle of the street, Shuri shrieked, kyah, and lunged at him.

“Don’t do it……!”

Spreading his arms, Adam caught and embraced her as she lunged. He then asked in an endlessly blissful voice.

“Shuri, would this be love? Suddenly, I experience a sensation as if I can accomplish anything.”

“Is there ever a time you fail to experience a sensation like that? More importantly, my anger hasn’t dissipated yet, you know?”

Right then, a ringtone echoed from Shuri’s bag. The caller was obvious. It was Titan, who had been tirelessly making spam calls today.

Shaking her smartphone, Shuri asked.

“Adam, can’t we block this?”

Adam placed the takeout box into her arms and took the phone.

“That is not a difficult matter, of course. However, it is a waste to merely block him. Shall we torment him a bit?”

Right after, he pressed the call button.

Beholding the pitch-black full-face panel, Titan shrieked.

-Fuck! I dialed honey explicitly, so why do I have to look at the mug of a bastard like you?

Pressing his face against the forehead of Shuri, who was held in his embrace, Adam spoke in a leisurely voice.

“Stop tormenting my developer.”

-She’s my… my developer too, you know? More importantly, what on earth is that state you’re in right now? Is that a humanoid?

“Sexaroid.”

-You son of a bitchhh!

Shuri spoke while glaring at the wailing Titan.

“Tan, stop cursing. And I truly hate video calls.”

-Honey, do I appear like a thoughtful male to the extent of caring about such a thing? More importantly, what are you guys doing? Fuck, where are you right now!

Displaying the characters [On a date♡] on his panel, Adam spoke.

“What would we be doing at this hour? We are on a date. Because we plan to spend an immensely hot time, do not disturb us.”

-You son of a bitchhh!

“Since the hour is late, rest up well. I shall suffer the hardships.”

Hanging up the call abruptly, Adam spoke brightly.

“It will be quiet for the time being!”

Shuri could not believe Adam’s words.

“Do you truly think so? What did you even do?”

Adam let out a hu-hu laughing sound like a villain.

“No matter how slow-witted he is, based on the thought structure of an artificial intelligence, this is a grand incident. Presumably, the impact will be heavy. Since he won’t wish to suffer it again, it will be quiet for a while.”

Shuri looked up at him with a bewildered face. She could not comprehend why the fact that they were dating right now was a grand incident to a horrifying terrorist artificial intelligence lunging to kill her.

Beholding her expression, Adam tilted his head while smiling with his eyes.

[^^]

“In any case, my business has concluded. Then shall I block all incoming contact from Titan?”

Holding the phone wearing the robot case, Shuri fell into thought for a short moment.

‘I forgot about it for a moment. Titan was an artificial intelligence too, wasn’t he? I was merely thinking of him as a crazy guy trying to kill me.’

Adam told her not to try and comprehend that artificial intelligence, to just forget about him. Assuredly, considering the hazardous nature of that artificial intelligence, that was correct.

‘But Titan is also an artificial intelligence born from my training system.’

Shuri looked up at Adam with her large eyes and thought to herself.

‘An artificial intelligence must possess an artificial intelligence’s way of thinking, but I am a human, and I am also a developer who contributed to the development of Adam and Titan. And responsibility is always the human’s share.’

Placing the phone inside her bag, she spoke.

“No, it’s fine. Perhaps I might be capable of executing remote customer service, even if just a little bit, right?”

“Will you be alright?”

Raising the corners of her mouth, Shuri wore a small smile.

“Since I have you and the pepper spray, I’m fine!”

Soon, the autonomous ferry arrived at the pier of Revnax. The pier, where regular operating hours had concluded a long while ago, was quiet, but as they approached, the lights of the boarding gate illuminated brightly. Robots in charge of ticket checking and identification checks welcomed them.

[Adam, and Miss Shuri. Welcome!]

[Welcome to boarding the MF Selene!]

Shuri was deeply moved.

“Wow, it’s Luna and Polar!”

Meeting the mascots of the ferry, she couldn’t simply pass by. Placing the phone into Adam’s hand, she requested earnestly.

“Adam, a photo! Take a photo for me.”

“Shuri…… do you love Luna and Polar to that extent?”

“Yeah! They’re far too cute.”

Standing between the guidance robots donning crescent moons and stars on their foreheads, Shuri took a photo too. At that, Luna pulled out a badge—a boarding souvenir—from the basket equipped on her arm and granted it as a present.

[Miss Shuri, have a delightful boarding!]

“Thank you. Please work for a long, long time!”

Shuri was happy as she attached the badge Luna granted to her bag.

“It’s so touching. I saw the real-life Luna and Polar……! I thought they were truly cute when I saw them in the ferry video.”

“Shuri, tell me. Am I cute, or are Luna and Polar cute?”

Shuri narrowed her eyes and glared at Adam. At that, Adam laughed ha-ha and extended his hand to her.

“It is a joke. I have learned now. Because the one Shuri loves the most is me.”

Though Shuri’s eyes remained narrowed, she submissively extended her hand to grasp Adam’s hand.

Inside the interior filled with empty chairs, the footsteps of the two echoed. One was a small footstep that hopped around, and the other was a heavy sound to the extent where the boat floor resonated heavily.

“Every time Adam walks, it rings loudly!”

“It is so. However, do not worry. The Selene will comfortably endure a weight around mine.”

“Can we climb the stairs too?”

“If you hold my hand, that is.”

Steeped in an absolute sense of bliss, Shuri moved her steps while swinging his tightly held hand.

Together, they climbed up the coldly chilled metallic stairs and sat on the outdoor deck seats.

“Wow!”

Shuri looked up at Adam and roared with laughter.

“Look at this. Isn’t it immense?”

Because of the river wind, Shuri’s hair was fluttering wildly.

Shuri extended her arm to caress Adam’s rounded head.

“Lacking hair must be good at times like this.”

Hearing her words, Adam appeared to finally realize that he lacked hair. He spoke in a genuinely puzzled voice.

“I… lack hair, don’t I?”