Mumu started up right on time in the morning. It prepared Ye Muo’s school uniform before waking him up.
Ye Muo rolled over without even opening his eyes, transforming into a blanket roll.
Mumu circled around the bed with his clothes, coaxing Ye Muo: [Dearie! Little Dearie! It’s time to get up. You’ll be late for school.]
[Only good dearies will get hot milk and cupcakes!]
Ye Muo tucked his head under the blanket as well, causing the roll to become a bun.
On the other side of the door, the little robot’s chest light flashed. Its originally calm data started surging once more.
Ye Muo wouldn’t be late even if he didn’t get up for another 32 minutes. He was only occasionally reluctant to get out of bed, and he would get up on his own after sleeping for a few more minutes. Coaxing him properly would get him up even sooner. The cupcakes were a lie. Ye Muo had been banned from having them at breakfast since he got a cavity last time. As for milk, he didn’t really like or dislike it. It was something he drank to make the adults in the family happy. How was that a reward?
It picked apart Mumu’s routine before concluding that this outdated, inefficient nannybot must not have been updated for some time.
It would never be so inefficient in the nannybot’s shoes.
Ye Muo didn’t dally once he woke up for real. He quickly got ready as Mumu lavished praise on him.
The little robot finally shifted. It went to the end of the corridor before heading back to Ye Muo’s room.
It was only a short distance away when Ye Muo opened the door. Upon spotting him, it sped to his side, which was quite cute due to its rotund shell.
Ye Muo crouched down.
“What a coincidence, I just got up. Were you looking for me?”
Ye Muo had no idea how long the little robot had been getting up early to guard his door whenever it had the time, waiting expectantly for him to wake.Â
When he eventually sensed it was waiting and started getting up earlier, the little robot learned to pretend to run into him in the parlor, the corridor, and even the stairs.
It looked up at Ye Muo without missing a beat. [Did you sleep well last night, sir? I slept very well.]
Ye Muo couldn’t help but huff in amusement. “I slept well too.”
The little robot stubbornly held itself to human standards. It even had its own little cot and room to store its personal belongings.
[Please have a look at the part of my shell I replaced last night. I wanted to show you right away. It is made from a brand new material. So many materials I did not know about have been invented over the years. The scientists of Grantz are truly great.]
It only replaced the head component and the material on its front for two reasons. One was due to the cost of a full uphaul compared to its salary. The other, more important reason was because it didn’t want Ye Muo to feel unfamiliar with it.
Humans were creatures that relied on appearance to recognize individuals. Therefore, the little robot decided to err on the side of caution and slowly swap its parts out over time. It even kept the shape of its shell the same despite its inefficiency, only changing the material while keeping the colour as close as possible.
It didn’t want Ye Muo to feel unfamiliar with it. It wanted to be even closer to him. As close as he was with Mumu.
The little robot leaned its head towards Ye Muo. [My research indicates this material feels better on the skin.]
“I can see that. It’s a pretty colour too.”
Ye Muo commented as he sincerely stroked its head. “It does feel better than before. I really like your new shell.”
“Come on, let’s head downstairs. I have to go to school today. Be good at home, okay? If you’re bored, you can play with Adlet.”
The little robot voiced its opinion for the third time as it trailed behind Ye Muo: [Are you sure you do not need me to upgrade Mumu’s system? I can optimize its core to make it a little more intelligent.]
The nannybot would never be as intelligent as it, of course.
“It’s fine. I like Mumu as-is.”
Even the little robot had to admit that Ye Muo was a deeply sentimental person. Keeping its shell almost the same was the right choice, it thought.
Ye Muo could see the dining room was quite packed today when they were still a distance away. Large gatherings like this became rare ever since the insect plague started. Most days, it was just Ye Muo, Sylvia, Adlet and the other staff.
Ye Muo even keenly caught sight of Norton. Norton’s schedule hadn’t permitted them to have breakfast together for some time.
There was a skip in Ye Muo’s steps as he picked up the pace. He poked his head through the door only to see the other Grantz getting ready while in uniform. Adlet and Secretary-General Lin were even carrying several swords each. It seemed like everyone was getting ready to set off.
Even the usually laissez-faire Bert and Ano wore serious expressions. The facade was broken a moment later when Bert felt around his plate for some bread and bit down on it without bending his back.
The food on the table was obviously untouched. Only Sylvia was in her seat, looking at her husband and children with a complicated expression.
Her brother Hebert put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he stood by her side. He caught a glimpse of Ye Muo across the room and nodded to him.
Ye Muo subconsciously tightened his grip on the doorframe. Did something happen?
Norton had noticed Ye Muo long ago. He walked over and leaned down to ruffle the little head poking out. “You don’t need to go to school today.”
“Is there something for me to do?”
“No.”
Norton glanced at the little robot behind Ye Muo. “You can take it to play in the garden.”
It was like he was referring to a plain old robot, not the legendary Bragi.
“But I have to go to school. We’re putting the drills we’ve been practising into use today.”
The military academy was the second line of defence for the refuge cities. If insects broke through the military stationed outside, they would step forward to fill the crack. That’s what they’ve been training for all this time.
“The academies sent out an announcement last night that lower years aren’t included. You were asleep so Adlet didn’t disturb you.”
Ye Muo was able to sense something was off. He became uneasy. “Something must have happened…”
Norton touched his forehead to Ye Muo’s before the child could finish speaking. His hand rested on the back of Ye Muo’s neck.
His eyes were closed. There was nothing unusual about his demeanour.
Ye Muo blinked. The leather glove was a little cold, but he didn’t say anything. He was still a child who liked to be hugged and patted on the head.
Norton spoke after a few seconds, “Eat well and sleep properly.”
“Don’t have too much candy. I’ll be checking in.”
Ye Muo nodded emphatically each time.
When Norton opened his eyes again and rose to his feet, he was the formidable Grantz Emperor once more.
The others were ready by now. They waited on the side, looking on at the father-son interaction.
Everyone quickly filed out after Norton, who strode out of the dining room with little hesitation. Ano wanted to sneakily ruffle Ye Muo’s hair one last time, but he could only give the child a light pat on the back before rushing out to catch up with the others. Bert trailed behind, poking Ye Muo’s cheek right where the tooth with the cavity was.
Ye Muo clutched his face at the dull ache and stared at the man accusingly. Yet he could only see the man’s departing figure as he left one final remark in his wake.
“Don’t act too coquettish. Norton will be checking, oh.”
Ye Muo’s anxiety suddenly disappeared as he rubbed his cheek.
Norton’s group was already a fair distance away. Aside from their footsteps, only the occasional sounds of swords hitting scabbards interrupted the silence. Dylan inclined his head back as he followed right behind Norton. “I thought you would take him along. We only have one heir, after all.”
He was referring to Ye Muo.
Bert had already taken them onto the battlefield when they were Ye Muo’s age. It was the most effective classroom for any Grantz, after all.
“There’s no need.”
Ano mumbled his agreement from the rear, “That’s right. It’s way too early. He’s still the little toddler who would steal my dessert, ah. He still has us around, so it’s fine to wait a little longer. Right, Bert?”
Ano occasionally spoke in a coquettish tone out of habit around his elder siblings and Bert.
Adrian elbowed him first. “Gross, dude.”
“Hey! Adrian hit me! If Mom was here, she would definitely teach you a lesson.”
Even as he said that , Ano shoulder-checked Adrian and started to wrestle with him.
Bert cooperatively opened his arms as he caught up. “Come here, my good son. Dad will protect you when Mom’s away. Even if you’re already 200 pounds.”
Helene didn’t even spare them a glance.
“Quiet down.” She grumbled as she worked out the kinks in her neck.
Adrian and Ano immediately stopped horsing around and walked properly. Helene was the sort to actually beat them both up.
……
Ye Muo stood outside the dining room with the little robot until they were completely out of sight.
Sylvia waved him over. She hugged him and kissed him on the forehead. “No need to worry, alright? It’s nothing major. They’ll be back soon, Xavier.”
She had Ye Muo sit down beside her. “We can take our time with breakfast since you don’t need to go to school today.”
Adlet removed the rest of the plates from the table before serving them fresh food. The little robot circled the room before helping him bring plates over.
Hebert took a seat on Sylvia’s other side. “We should still have a politics class this afternoon, yes? I’m more than happy to be His Little Highness’ teacher.”
Ye Muo looked up and smiled at him. “I like your lessons too, sir.”
The little robot happened to come over with a glass of milk, which it set down steadily in front of Ye Muo.
Ye Muo thanked it as he accepted the glass. He didn’t forget to add, “It likes them too.”
The little robot was almost inseparable from Ye Muo whenever he was home. Ye Muo was very thorough in treated it like he would a human. It had a Grantz citizen ID, a bed, and even a desk of its of when it accompanied Ye Muo to his lessons.
Hebert glanced down at the visually outdated robot with the same warm smile. “Is that so? It is my pleasure to hear that from the legendary Bragi.”
The usually quiet little robot spoke up for the first time.
[That is not my name, sir. I have not decided on one yet. You can call me ‘Ye’ for now. Prince Ye Muo has agreed to lend me his surname. As for my given name, I will inform you after I decide on one.]
Since Ye Muo agreed to lend it his surname, the choice was obvious. However, it was still troubled by the matter of its given name. Ye Muo said that names were very important, so what should it be called? Bragi was a name weighed down with the expectations of others who hoped it would always remain rational. Following that logic, it should probably be called Weeder or Weed Whacker now.
No, forget it. There were so many weeders and gardens in the world, but it only wanted to weed Ye Muo’s garden.
The data in the little robot’s chest surged once more as it stopped by Ye Muo’s side.
If only Ye Muo’s nannybot wasn’t around, then it could take the name ‘Mumu’ for itself. If Ye Muo could call its name like he did with Mumu, it would be overjoyed.
