–+–
Columbina tilted her head and let out a soft laugh.
She couldn’t help leaning in a little closer.
Her eyes fell on the bold title printed on the card, and clear delight colored her voice.
“Little wife?”
She savored the words, letting the end of them rise.
“That name… kind of suits you, doesn’t it, little wife Sandrone~”
“Shut up.”
Sandrone forced the two words out through clenched teeth, her cheeks flushed red.
It was pure anger.
What “little wife”… Who wanted to be something like that?
Damn you, Aha!
The shame made Sandrone want to blow up that card, this world, and everything in between.
But Aha seemed to have seen that coming.
The new card wasn’t frail like the earlier tickets.
No matter how Sandrone tore at it, it stayed tough as ever, and even let out a few mocking little “hee hee” sounds.
“And,” Columbina said, lifting one finger and lightly poking Sandrone’s puffed-up cheek, “since you’ll be doing all the dirty work and I can’t make a move… doesn’t that mean you’re in charge of protecting me, the ‘Demon Queen,’ my—”
“I said shut up! Don’t say those two words!”
Sandrone slapped her hand away and shoved the damned card into her pocket.
Then she turned and glared at the five huge boxes with murder in her eyes.
Two flames called “revenge” burned there.
“Watch yourself tomorrow! I’m not protecting you!”
Sandrone ground her teeth and grabbed the electric wrench from the toolbox.
The way she held it, she looked less like she was about to fix a machine and more like she was going to kill someone.
“For those two hours of freedom…”
She took a deep breath and pushed up her goggles.
A cold gleam flashed across the lenses.
“Columbina, go pour me coffee! Extra strong! A whole pot!”
“Of course, my Sandrone~”
Columbina answered with a bright smile, then turned and headed for the kitchen with light steps.
When she reached the kitchen door, she looked back again.
“Little wife~”
“CO—LUM—BI—NA—!!!”
–+–
That night, the lights on Sixth Street went out one by one.
Sandrone didn’t sleep.
So what if she had to pull an all-nighter?
For her, staying up late to run experiments or modify machines was just part of life.
One night of assembly work didn’t even count as a warm-up.
Columbina lay over the armrest of the sofa and watched her for a while, head tilted.
Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until at last her head dipped to the side and she fell asleep.
Her breathing turned long and even.
Her bangs slipped down and covered half her face, and her lips stuck out a little, making her look like a child with no guard up.
Sandrone was tightening a screw when her hands paused.
She glanced back, frowned, set down the wrench, and got up.
She pulled the thin blanket from the sofa and covered Columbina with it.
Her movements were a bit rough, but the blanket landed gently.
“Troublemaker.”
She muttered the word, then turned back to work.
Outside the window, the night shifted from deep black to dark blue, then from dark blue to pale gray.
When the first ray of morning light slipped through the gap in the curtains, Sandrone stood up and let out a long breath.
A tall figure stood in silence at the center of the living room.
His whole design carried the Victorian style Sandrone loved.
A tall top hat decorated with gears and sharp ornaments sat on his head.
A heavy coat trimmed in gold covered his frame, paired with fine white ruffles.
Dark gray, gold, and deep red formed his main colors, mixing the cold texture of machinery with noble splendor.
His presence felt solemn and deeply imposing.
He stood there in silence, like a quiet guard.
Sandrone yawned and raised a hand to rub her eyes.
It was just an all-nighter.
To her, it was nothing.
She turned and went to the bathroom, twisted the faucet open, and splashed cold water onto her face.
In an instant, she felt awake.
When she came back out, Columbina was still asleep.
Her position had changed.
She had gone from lying over the armrest to lying on her side.
The blanket had slid halfway down, showing part of her calf and a pale, jade-like foot.
Sandrone walked over, pulled the blanket back up, and gave Columbina’s shoulder a few impatient pats.
“Get up.”
No response.
She patted her again.
Still nothing.
Sandrone took a deep breath.
Her gaze moved over Columbina, then stopped at a certain spot.
Should she pat her… there?
The instant that thought appeared, Columbina opened her eyes as if she’d seen it coming.
Those pink eyes still held the haze of sleep.
She slowly sat up.
Her hair was a mess, with a few strands sticking up on top of her head.
“Tch.” Sandrone pulled her hand back, looking a little disappointed.
Columbina rubbed her eyes and looked around in a daze.
Then her gaze settled on the tall figure in the middle of the living room.
“Pulonia…”
She walked forward barefoot and brushed her fingers over the robot’s cold arm.
The corners of her mouth lifted.
“Welcome back.”
–+–
At exactly nine in the morning, the sunlight had already grown a bit glaring.
Behind the video store, in the parking lot, several people stood beside the gray-orange car.
Belle yawned and leaned against the car door.
Her hair stuck up even more than yesterday, making it clear she’d only dragged a hand through it twice before leaving home.
Wise stood beside her, holding Eous in his arms.
His face was calm, and he looked to be in pretty good shape.
Nicole crouched beside the hood, tapping away at her phone and muttering under her breath.
Anby stood behind her with a rolled-up map in her hands, her posture straight and her face blank.
Billy leaned against the car door on the other side, staring at his phone screen.
From time to time, he let out a lovesick little laugh and mumbled, “Big Sis Monica~”
“Why aren’t they here yet…” Belle muttered, then yawned again.
As soon as she said it, heavy footsteps came from the corner of the street.
Dull, steady, one after another, like some kind of huge machine drawing near.
Everyone turned their heads at the same time.
Then they all froze. The source of this chapter is g.com.
A massive robot came around the corner.
He wore a tall top hat decorated with gears and a heavy gold-trimmed coat.
Each step landed on the ground with a low thud.
And Sandrone—she was sitting in the robot’s palm like a delicate doll.
One hand held her, steady as a moving sofa.
Her legs were together, and her posture was neat, as if she were riding in some private carriage.
Columbina sat on his other hand, gently swinging her bare feet.
She held a half-finished bag of milk in one hand and looked to be in a good mood.
“Bro… am I seeing things?” Belle rubbed her eyes.
“No.” Wise’s voice stayed calm, but his eyes had grown a whole size wider than usual.
Nicole’s mouth formed an O.
Anby’s brows moved a little.
For her, that was the largest change in expression she could make.
Billy shoved his phone straight back into his pocket, his eyes going wide.
“Whoa—” He dragged the word out.
“That is way, way too cool!!!”
Pulonia walked up to them and stopped.
Sandrone patted the hand beneath her.
Pulonia slowly crouched and lowered his palm until it touched the ground.
Columbina hopped down with ease.
Sandrone landed with grace as well, then stood firm and patted away dust that didn’t exist from her clothes.
“Good morning,” she said.
Columbina walked to her side and took her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Once the two of them had stepped down, Pulonia straightened again and towered over them.
He only stood there in silence, but the pressure he gave off was like a walking fortress.
The private cars parked nearby seemed to turn into toys at once.
The others were still stunned.
Columbina waved at the dazed group.
“Good morning, everyone.”
Belle finally came back to herself.
She pointed at the robot standing silently behind Sandrone, then pointed at herself.
Her mouth opened, and it took her a moment to find her voice.
“Th-this is…?”
Sandrone glanced back.
“Pulonia,” she said.
“My… assistant.”
“Assistant?” Nicole’s voice shot up an octave.
“You call this thing an assistant?”
“Part-time butler,” Sandrone added.
Belle suddenly remembered something, and her eyes grew wider.
“Wait—he couldn’t be… from those boxes we were looking for before, right?”
Sandrone nodded.
Belle fell silent for two seconds, then gave yesterday’s self a thumbs-up in her heart.
Thank goodness she’d dragged them in.
This wasn’t backup.
This was a cheat code.
“So cool, so cool!!!” Billy had already circled Pulonia several times, his eyes shining.
“Those lines! That texture! This is a man’s romance!”
Nicole cleared her throat.
“All right, all right!” She clapped her hands and pulled everyone’s attention back.
“Since everyone’s here, let’s get started!”