My Robot Sister

Kraft skillfully called Fatty Liao, asking him to request leave on his behalf. Then, Kraft took milk and bread from the refrigerator for breakfast and hurried to his studio.

Pushing open the studio door, Kraft uncapped the milk and gulped down two mouthfuls, swallowing the bread he'd stuffed into his mouth on the way.

"Phew... almost choked to death..."

Kraft lightly pounded his chest with his fist and took another couple of gulps of milk to calm himself.

He tossed the empty milk carton into the trash and began drawing the robot's design schematics.

Although Kraft could have skipped the design phase and simply replicated the manufacturing process from his dream memories, doing so wouldn't have helped him hone his skills much. Since he had enough money and time, and ample room for trial and error, he naturally chose the method that would better sharpen his technical abilities.

Kraft had no intention of altering the initial design schematics. While some of the designs struck him as bizarre, like the USB toe, the head-mounted bread maker, and the giant wind-up key the robot itself couldn't remove, he aimed to avoid modifications during his first attempt at construction for the sake of stability.

"Hm?"

While drawing the schematics, Kraft suddenly turned his head, looking back with a puzzled expression. He then stopped his work and pulled up the studio's surveillance feed. However, the footage showed only himself in the studio from start to finish.

"Was it just my imagination..."

Kraft scratched his head, still glancing warily behind him. While drawing the schematics, he had a faint sensation of being watched. Kraft's intuition was incredibly sharp; this peculiar sense had been with him since he could remember, saving him multiple times during his days of wandering. Therefore, he trusted his instincts implicitly.

However, there were occasional instances where his intuition proved incorrect. Especially when Kraft had first discovered how useful his intuition was, he'd become overly anxious at the slightest disturbance, only to realize later it was his own psychological projection. It took Kraft considerable time to adjust to this. Thus, after checking the surveillance and finding no anomalies, he dismissed the feeling.

Resuming his work, Kraft quickly finished the design schematics. He then proactively suppressed the memories of Dr. Shinonome building the robot. This was a maneuver he performed with practiced ease, a trait linked to the nature of his dream memories. Unlike ordinary memories, all dreams related to invention and creation were like individual files he could access at will, akin to a memory palace, but only for his dream-related recollections.

After suppressing the relevant memories, Kraft began constructing the robot according to his own design schematics.

He toiled away in the studio for over a week. Martin Lee had already returned from his business trip, but Kraft was still holed up in the studio.

Dr. Shinonome had finished her robot in less than a day...

Kraft had only suppressed the construction-related memories; he still recalled other details.

If only I had suppressed those too...

Kraft ran a hand through his disheveled hair, a testament to his prolonged neglect, and sighed inwardly.

"Hey! Kraft, did you stay up late again yesterday?"

Martin Lee walked in carrying a bag of steamed buns, frowning at Kraft's bloodshot eyes.

"No, no."

Kraft frantically waved his hands. His construction was nearing completion, and it would be a shame to be forced back by Martin now.

"I just overused my eyes. You can check the surveillance from last night if you don't believe me. I went to bed well past eleven!"

"Is that so? But you promised me you'd be asleep before ten."

Martin's face was grim as he stared at Kraft.

"I was just too engrossed in my work and forgot..."

Kraft sidled up to Martin, flashing a fawning smile.

"I'll set an alarm today. I'll definitely be asleep before ten!"

It'll be finished today anyway, so I'll just get through this first!

"You said it!"

Martin, unaware of Kraft's internal calculations, playfully tapped Kraft's forehead twice with his finger, a smile finally appearing on his face. He then handed over the steamed buns.

"Eat your breakfast."

"Oh! David's steamed buns!"

Just as Kraft reached out to take them, Martin suddenly retracted his hand.

"You haven't washed up yet."

"...Alright..."

Kraft's hands froze mid-air. He then dejectedly lowered his arms and shuffled towards the bathroom, looking back over his shoulder.

After finishing the breakfast Martin had brought, Kraft stretched his limbs and returned to the robot's construction. The robot's overall structure was now largely complete, with only minor details and the final power source connection remaining.

The so-called power source wasn't the giant wind-up key on its back, but a device that converted food into energy. The design schematics placed this device in the robot's abdomen. In simple terms, Dr. Shinonome had genuinely designed a "stomach" for the robot.

Relying on ingesting food for power...

It's just too unscientific!

Martin Lee, whose workload had eased after returning from his business trip, didn't leave in a hurry. Instead, he watched with keen interest as Kraft meticulously assembled the nearly finished robot girl.

The child has grown up...

Gazing at the robot girl's adorable face, Martin Lee rested his chin on his hand and gave Kraft a meaningful look.

Kraft: ???

"Hey! Martin! Why are you looking at me like that?"

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze, Kraft couldn't help but protest.

"No, it's nothing..." Martin Lee withdrew his gaze and said to Kraft earnestly, "Although this robot looks very cute, it's not a real human after all."

"Of course I know that! I made it with my own hands!"

Kraft inexplicably rolled his eyes at Martin.

"Oh, well, maybe I misunderstood..."

Martin smacked his lips. Kraft's reaction made him realize he had probably jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"Acting all mysterious..."

Kraft pouted, not bothering to delve into what his adoptive father had misunderstood. The robot's creation was in its final stages, and he didn't have the mental energy to deal with anything else right now.

After installing the final power unit into the robot, Kraft closed the panel on its abdomen, pulled down his rolled-up sleeves, and smoothed them out. Kraft excitedly flipped the final switch.

"Click... click-click-click..."

As the wind-up key on her back turned, the robot girl slowly opened her eyes.

"Kraft?"

The robot girl tilted her head. Based on the data in her mind, she called out the name of the boy in front of her.

"Hahaha! I succeeded!"

Kraft excitedly hugged Martin beside him, then frantically shook his head up and down.

"That's right! It's me!"

Kraft rushed in front of the robot girl and started touching her all over.

"You actually made it, it's incredible!"

"Wait... wait..."

The robot girl shyly covered herself and cried out in a soft voice.

"H is a bad behavior!"

"H your head, you idiot!"

Kraft flicked the robot girl on her forehead.

"You're a robot! What's there to be H about!"

"Awu!"

The robot girl let out a cute whimper, clutched her forehead, and squatted down, her teary eyes accusing Kraft of his brutality.

Martin Lee watched his adopted son and the robot he created interact with a blank expression, his mind in disarray.

This is a robot?!

The robot Kraft had built far exceeded Martin's expectations. He thought Kraft would at most create a mechanical doll that looked like a person but was essentially a large toy. But seeing the robot girl's rich expressions and the intelligence displayed in her interactions now...

If you removed the wind-up key on her back, she'd be no different from a normal human!

After interacting enthusiastically with the robot for a while, Kraft turned to look at Martin Lee, who appeared calm on the surface but was inwardly churning like a stormy sea.

"Martin, can you help me get an identity certificate for Alice?"

"Alice?"

Martin snapped back to attention and looked at Kraft.

"Yes, that's the name I gave her."

Kraft pointed to the robot girl he had made and told Martin the backstory he had already prepared: "Alice Lee, Chinese name Li Mingnai, your distant niece, my cousin."

There was no need to give Mingnai a Japanese identity; just keeping the name was enough. As for Alice, it was inspired by Alice in Wonderland, somewhat related to dreams.

"But she looks older than you."

"In terms of seniority, seniority!"

Kraft waved his hand with annoyance. It was just that Mingnai in his dream looked like a high school student, but there was absolutely no way he could call her "sister"!

"Alright," Martin smacked his lips. It was all made by Kraft anyway, so he could call her whatever he wanted. "But..."

Martin pointed to the wind-up key on Alice's back.

"With this thing on, won't others suspect Alice's identity? Can't it be removed?"

"Sure."

Kraft casually pulled the wind-up key off Alice's back.

"It's just a decoration."

"Eh? Eh—!!!"

Alice Lee stared at the wind-up key in Kraft's hand with utter shock and asked the question that struck at her soul: "Then why did you put it on me in the first place!"

"Emmmmm..."

Kraft pondered for a moment, then responded with Dr. Shinonome's original words: "Because it's cuter this way?"

As Kraft spoke, he casually reinserted the wind-up key.

"Click-click-click..."

The reinserted wind-up key spun a small arc mischievously.

Alice Mingnai Lee: "It's not cute at all like this!!!"

Kraft: Suddenly understood why Dr. Shinonome designed the wind-up key~