March 5th, 2069.
Seven weeks later.
His plastic face had now been meticulously completed, sculpted with a well-defined nose and delicate human lips seamlessly integrated with his mechanical jaw, allowing him to move them just like a normal person. Rose sat alone in the center of the mini power plant facility, lost in a state of quiet meditation. The trance was broken by the hiss of the automated doors sliding open. The doctor entered, accompanied by a slender Caucasian woman. She stood nearly six feet tall, dressed in a sharp black suit, her skin strikingly pale.
Her eyes gleamed like blood-red crystals, and her sleek black hair was tied into a long ponytail that cascaded down to her waist. As the pair walked toward Rose, their conversation registered clearly in his audio receptors, despite the distance.
"I must admit, she is beautiful," the woman remarked.
"She may not be entirely flawless just yet, but Rose is ready to face the world out there," the doctor replied.
"My primary concern is your safety. Do you really think you can keep this from slipping under the radar?"
"I've kept her completely hidden. I'm being exceptionally cautious with this."
As the doctor finished his sentence, Rose opened his eyes, fully emerging from his meditation.
"Konbanwa[1]" Takiya greeted warmly in the native language.
"Konban, Doctor. Is that your partner?" Rose asked, his gaze shifting to the tall woman.
"No, this is Eva Rücksicht. She's here to take over from me. Eva will be looking after you from now on, so you have nothing to worry about."
"Hello there. You must be Rose, hmhmm. It's a pleasure to meet you." The woman reached out, offering her hand to help him up. Rose scrutinized her face for a brief moment before taking her hand and rising to his feet. "Before we set off, I'd like to give the two of you a moment alone to say goodbye. Join me outside when you're ready, alright?" Eve gently patted the machine's face with a reassuring smile, leaving him and the doctor to say their goodbyes in private.
"Rose, from this moment on, I want you to keep your eyes open to the world. Embrace whatever comes your way. Others may look at you and see nothing but an object, but remember my words: no matter what they think, you have a heart, just like anyone else." The doctor pulled out a parting gift—a brand-new, crimson heart-shaped necklace—and fastened it around Rose's neck. "I just want to know... what is the final thing you remember?" the doctor pressed with one last question.
"I can adapt," the machine answered flatly.
"Then never stop. Because that will be the very thing that guides you."
"Will I not see you again, Doctor?"
"I certainly hope our paths cross again someday, hmhmm. Well then... good luck." With those words, the doctor pulled the machine—the creation he viewed as his own flesh and blood—into a tight embrace. Rose's face remained entirely blank, offering no physical response to the gesture.
Once the farewells were over, Rose stepped out of the factory laboratory. He found the tall woman standing out in the rain, holding an umbrella overhead. Beyond the falling rain, the brilliant, multicolored neon lights of the massive cityscape pulsed against the night sky.
"All done? I expected you to take a bit longer, honestly."
Rose stepped out into the downpour, standing by Eve's side in absolute silence. "Staring out at a chaotic city wrapped in total silence..." Eve murmured. "Rare view, isn't it?"
"I am incapable of understanding that concept," Rose replied, slowly turning his head toward her. "Furthermore, what is your purpose for acquiring me?"
"I used to have... a child. A sweet, innocent little soul. You remind me so much of him."
"Currently, I assume that your child is no longer among the living."
"A maniac broke into my fuckin' house," Eve's voice trembled, her words catching in her throat. "Two mouths gasping to devour everything, a single eye that could see as clearly as if it had three... That goddamn monster tore my family away from me. I'm sorry, I—"
"I cannot experience grief myself. But if this conversation causes you distress, you should not force yourself to speak of it." Rose replied
"From today onward, you won't be just another ordinary machine. We're going to make you into something entirely new. No maid protocols, no tending to gardens for a master. As long as you are with me, freedom is just within your grasp."
As she spoke, Eve firmly gripped Rose's left wrist. Instantly, her palm surged with a blistering heat, radiating as fiercely as a raging fire, before cooling back down to a normal temperature a moment later. Rose lifted his hand to inspect what had just happened. Stamped into his palm was a fresh, charred brand shaped like a dragon.
"This mark..." he uttered.
"From this point on, you are family, Rose. You are my shadow now. We will take the absolute best care of you. I give you my word, never break a promise."
"If that is your requirement, I comply," Rose nodded without a shred of hesitation.
Eve pulled him into a firm, protective embrace. Over her shoulder, Rose stared up at a towering holographic movie advertisement flickering above the city streets. It displayed a group of assassins clad in sweeping black cloaks and masks, leaping gracefully into the air while hurling razor-sharp knives down at their enemies. As Rose watched the violent display, his head slowly, mechanically, tilted to the left. As if he were trying to understand the action.
"We have to eliminate the enemy's clan. For Shogun!! RAAAAAAA~"
[1] good evening