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I’m really getting worried about Olivia lately. I know she’s going through puberty and her hormones are running wild, but she should still learn self restraint.

So far I’ve been able to avoid the worst situation from unfolding, but after realizing she can easily overpower me I’m afraid I won’t be able to escape if she comes after me with everything she has.

“Hahhh…”
“Sister.”

That voice rouses my attention from a sea of thoughts. Oh right, I can’t get distracted while I’m working.

“I’m sorry Plum. I was a bit lost in thought.”
“That’s no problem.”

I pass on the dry laundry I’m holding to her, and she clumsily but mindfully folds them and places them in a laundry basket. She’s gotten pretty good at regulating her strength too, so now she can help with the laundry without tearing clothes apart.

Looking up I see the sun is shining brightly today, so that helped the clothes get dry faster too.

“I’m done too.”
“Who asked?”

When I’m done picking up the dry clothes, Ruri talks to me after gathering her own laundry. We don’t work together, we just sometimes run into each other, so there’s no reason for me to match my speed to hers.

“You really are no fun at all. Are you sure your attitude won’t be a bad influence on Plum?”
“I think you’re a far worse influence on her.”

She’s always trying to grope my chest, even earlier when I just arrived, so I really don’t want to hear her lecture me about manners.

“Plum, let’s go back.”
“Sister, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

I decided it was best to ignore Ruri and leave the rooftop, but Plum remains still, staring at me. So I had to stop and see what she wanted.

“Why do Lady Ruri and Lady Olivia always try to touch Sister’s chest?”

Hmm… how should I explain that? It wouldn’t be appropriate to tell her those two are thirsty for my chest. I’ll have to find a way to gloss over it, but I also don’t want her to get any misconceptions…

Age doesn’t really mean much for magic automatons. Plum’s emotions and personality may be under-developed, but her memory and thought-processing speed are far superior to a human’s. She might look like a little girl, but that doesn’t mean I need to always treat her like one.

“See, that’s because me and Olivia love Natalia very much.”
“Ruri?”

I’m still trying to think of a proper response when Ruri answers for me. What does she even mean though? Love?

“But I like you a lot, and I’m sure Olivia does too. How am I wrong?”
“That’s still not an excuse for what you do…”
“I like girls, and since you’re my friend and a girl, I want to touch your chest. Olivia likes Natalia, and that’s why she wants to touch your chest. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

No, that you’re into girls is purely your own preference, and being friends has nothing to do with touching my chest.

“If you say that, then I’ll also touch your chest.”

I say that as half a joke and half a threat, but Ruri instantly covers her non-existent chest and stares at me with disgust.

“Even though you… You’re the worst.”
“That’s not fair at all.”

She’s probably thinking of how I was a guy in my past life… Though that never stopped her from groping my chest.

It’s not like I intended on following through either, I have no interest in a chest that doesn’t even seem to exist like Ruri’s.

“If you really want that so badly why don’t you go to Olivia instead? She seems to have more than plenty for you to play with.”

It’s true that Olivia’s chest has grown pretty big and looks really attractive, but that’s still no reason for me to lust after it. She’s still confusing her hormones running wild for actual feelings, and I would never do anything to her after everything her mother Ophelia did for me.

“Because you love Natalia…”

Plum mutters after being silent the entire time.

“What does it mean to love?”

That’s a tricky question. I feel like this could get philosophical.

“It means never looking back¹!”
“That’s being young.”

I quickly correct Ruri’s wrong reply.

“So that’s what it is to be young².”
“Okay, just shut up already.”

Just stop with references one after another, we’ll never get anywhere like that.

Ruri finally gets the hint and stops talking. I turn to look at Plum again, her eyes are still as inorganic as when I first saw her, but somehow they seem to be filled with something more, though maybe that’s just me trying to convince myself.

“Well, love is a concept that is a bit hard to explain with words. It’s like a feeling of deeply cherishing someone, wanting to protect that someone, and being of service to that person, I guess?”
“I was under the impression that a magic automaton existed to protect and follow the orders of their master.”

Now that Plum mentions it, I guess as far as physical actions go they sound similar. But that’s just superficial, it’s not real love if there’s no personal emotions and desires mixed in.

“It’s slightly different from a magic automaton’s duties. When you’re in love, the desire to be of service comes from one’s feelings and not one’s duty. Or at least that’s how I think about it.”
“Desire… feelings… I possess neither. Does that mean I can’t love?”

Her voice is still monotone and her eyes have no luster, so I don’t really sense any emotion or will in her. But that doesn’t rule out the possibility of her developing them with time.

“It’s still too early to say for sure. You’re still growing, so let’s not be hasty. If you keep searching for something you want to do outside of your duties as a magic automaton, you might figure it out one day.”
“…Okay, Sister.”

There’s no guarantee that Plum will become fully self-aware one day, but I feel like she’s been changing a little each day. I really hope she can one day have her own unique personality though, regardless of whether that’s a benefit for her or not.

Though ugh, talking about things like that always makes me feel really awkward.

“Then say~ why don’t we do stuff together so your little sister can learn alllll sorts of new emotions?”

The sleazy rabbit girl says with a lewd grin as she repeats a grabbing motion with her hands. For a moment she had actually fooled me into thinking she would behave.

“Plum, there’s no need to hold back. Hit her with everything you have just like I taught you.”
“Yes, Sister.”

Plum quickly clasps her hand into a fist and swings it forward. Magic automatons are far stronger than most humans, so most people would suffer serious injuries if they were attacked like that.

She might be a magic automaton, but she’s still a girl, so she needs to learn some self-defense too.

“Huh? Wait, hold on, you wouldn’t want to kill me, the cute Ruri, right? Wait, what are these wires? I can’t move-”

FLURRY OF FISTS

Natalia returned Plum to the laboratory earlier than usual that day. There Plum prepared some tea for Annabelle and Christina.

“Sister taught me how to do this. Is it good?”
“Yes, it’s really tasty. Thank you, Plum.”

Christina nodded satisfied after she tried a sip of the black tea. Annabelle who was sitting on the couch in front of her also did the same.

After a short delay, Plum spoke again.

“Sister taught me about love today. She said it’s having someone important who you want to protect and serve, but that it’s different from a magic automaton’s duty.”
“Hohoh, she’s getting into pretty abstract things now.”

Annabelle smiled how she always did, then started fidgeting with the empty cup in her hands. She mostly thought of magic automatons as tools, so making one develop sentience was a topic out of her expertise. She had no way of knowing how far Plum had progressed, or even whether it was possible for Plum to develop a personality. But even if it was an unknown topic to her, she was still curious about it as a researcher.

“I’m still confused, however. Sister also told me to find something I want to do that isn’t my duty or orders, but I have no such thing. If me having a personality is Lady Christina’s desire, there’s a high likelihood I won’t be able to measure up to those expectations. And if I can’t follow all my orders, that would mean I’m a magic automaton with no reason to exist.”
“Plum…”

Christina looked down hearing Plum’s monotone voice. But then she put her cup away and stood up, walking up to Plum.

There she gently stroked Plum’s silver hair.

“It’s true that I was heavily influenced by Natalia when I created you, but you aren’t Natalia.”
“Yes. The chances of me becoming like Sister are most certainly zero.”
“But that’s alright. You just have to become yourself.”
“Become… myself…”
“Yes.”

Plum compared that response to what Natalia had said earlier.

‘It’s still too early to say for sure. You’re still growing, so let’s not be hasty. If you keep searching for something you want to do outside of your duties as a magic automaton, you might figure it out one day.’
‘But that’s alright. You just have to become yourself.’

Very little was known about the mechanisms that allowed a magic automaton to become sentient. But no matter how small the chances were, it was still too early to determine whether it would happen or not.

At least Christina and Natalia did not seem to have given up, so Plum decided to continue following their orders.

“Understood, Lady Christina… My Master.”

Plum bowed to Christina, determining that living up to the expectations from her master and older sister was the thing she wanted to do.

Some minutes passed after that, and the laboratory was enveloped in blazing flames.

1. TLN: ref. to Space Sheriff Gavan’s title theme
2. TLN: and a quote from Zeta Gundam