Chapter 14: Never Casually Touch the Hands of Adolescent Boys

After the ceremony ended, Sato Kazuya happened to walk in from outside, carrying some food.

“Oh, it’s already over?”

He didn’t seem surprised that Ryuzi had been repaired. Casually closing the door behind him, he placed the food on the table and asked, “I bought some fried noodle buns. Want some?”

“Yes! I’m just hungry!” Aqua cheered.

Kobayashi, curious, said, “Sato-kun, you don’t seem surprised at all.”

“Should I be?” Sato Kazuya shrugged indifferently. “Anyway, since Senior Kobayashi would fix her, I wasn’t that surprised after thinking about it.”

“You really trust me, huh.”

Feeling a bit shy from the unwarranted trust, Kobayashi shook his head and said, “But unfortunately, the main credit for fixing her goes to Aqua.”

“Really?!”

“It’s true.”

Since Sato Kazuya had only recently come down from the other world and hadn’t spent much time with Aqua, she hadn’t yet demonstrated her strong abilities beyond her goddess duties, so his ignorance was understandable.

“Lord Kobayashi, who is this man that just makes you feel physiologically uncomfortable at first glance?” The charming doll’s words were indeed sharp.

Sato Kazuya was momentarily speechless.

Kobayashi introduced him to Ryuzi, “His name is Sato Kazuya. He’s a comrade I trust deeply and also a very reliable junior.”

“More trustworthy and reliable than me?” Ryuzi looked at Sato Kazuya with a hint of ambiguous meaning in her eyes.

Kobayashi smiled faintly, “Of course! …Well, that was before you; now it’s not the case anymore.”

“Oh my, looks like I’ve fallen out of favor. But it’s obvious—compared to a worthless, lowly human pest, I, as the highest-class Y-series doll, am more trustworthy.”

Ryuzi proudly puffed out her chest with the attitude of a victor, though without much dramatic flair.

“I’m a passionate high school boy who likes older sisters!” Sato Kazuya complained, then couldn’t help but turn to Kobayashi and grumble, “Am I really competing with her for affection? What’s with declaring who’s the official partner? And she’s way too sharp-tongued! She may be delicate and pretty, but her personality is terrible!”

“Sorry, please bear with that a little.”

Kobayashi patted his shoulder, then defended Ryuzi, “Her sharp tongue is by design. Besides that, Ryuzi is actually very kind and gentle.”

“Is that really so?”

Sato Kazuya knew Ryuzi was a mechanical doll, and being a seasoned otaku himself, he understood the whole “mechanical doll personality programming and moe character setting” trope from films, novels, and anime.

Thinking this way, he felt relieved.

“If Senior Kobayashi says so.”

Putting aside his prejudice, Sato Kazuya forced a friendly smile and extended his right hand, “Nice to meet you, Miss Ryuzi. I’m Sato Kazuya, a hero from another world, just like Senior Kobayashi.”

That was the only title he could proudly present.

After all, he hadn’t made a name for himself yet, had no powerful cheats, and didn’t want to lose face in front of someone who just belittled him, so he had to wave the “otherworld hero” banner.

However, Ryuzi did not shake his hand.

“Forgive me, but I really cannot touch him.”

Apologizing to Kobayashi, Ryuzi disdainfully spoke to Sato Kazuya, “According to my eye scan, your hand carries a large amount of bacteria. Please wash it thoroughly before approaching.”

He recalled something he’d heard before:

Never casually shake hands with a boy in puberty—you never know how much youthful regret lingers on them.

Kobayashi instinctively stepped away from him.

“Sato-kun, you…”

“Wait... no! That’s not what you think! Senior Kobayashi! You’ve misunderstood! You really have!!!” Sato Kazuya raised his right hand and loudly protested.

But his previous bad impression made his defense utterly unconvincing, only making things worse.

Sato Kazuya turned pale.

He hadn’t expected Ryuzi to defeat him completely with just a few words, not even giving him a chance to explain.

Hiss, could she have done that on purpose?

He said Sato Kazuya was a reliable junior he trusted, so maybe she used sharp tongues out of jealousy to provoke him…

Suspiciously glancing at the maid beside him, Kobayashi found Ryuzi’s expression unchanged, and he shook his head to dismiss the doubt.

No, she wouldn’t do that.

Kobayashi chose to believe.

After a while, Sato Kazuya recovered from his pale state. Despite being verbally battered, he was good at self-adjustment.

Looking at the serene Ryuzi, he asked, “Senior Kobayashi, has she recognized you as her master?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Kobayashi nodded.

There was still some lingering sensation in his body; after Sato Kazuya mentioned it, he subconsciously recalled the pleasant feeling from earlier.

“Hmm... that’s strange.”

“What’s wrong, Sato-kun?”

“According to general settings, shouldn’t she consider the one who repaired her as her master? Senior Kobayashi, you said Aqua was the main person leading the repair. Why didn’t she choose her? Ah, of course, I don’t mean to say you’re unfit to be her master.”

That was a good question.

Kobayashi was also a bit puzzled.

Although he handled the repair, Aqua was the one giving orders; he was merely a tool following commands.

So why did she choose him as her master?

“Could you explain, Ryuzi?”

“Because Lord Kobayashi personally repaired me; according to the programming, I must choose you.”

In other words, as long as one personally repairs her, it doesn’t matter whether they’re skilled—as long as she is fixed, that’s enough... or so it seemed.

“And besides, that person looks dull and foolish, so he’s not suitable to be my master.”

Ryuzi’s sharp tongue arrived, albeit a bit late.

The three of them turned their gaze to Aqua, who was holding two fried noodle buns, feasting greedily, her cheeks puffed out with food, looking exactly like a dumb, silly squirrel.

“Well, after all, it is Aqua…”

“After all, she's a silly goddess…”

Kobayashi and Sato Kazuya sighed, facepalming, because Ryuzi was right.

Hearing her name, Aqua quickly looked up.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, just continue eating.”

“Oh!”

She cheered and resumed her voracious eating.

Thankfully, Ryuzi didn’t choose her.

The silly goddess was unreliable and often caused trouble. If Ryuzi became her attendant, she would definitely turn Axel’s world upside down.

Moreover, Aqua was a water goddess who frequently sprayed water for no reason. It just didn’t seem compatible with a mechanical doll crafted from countless gears.

If one day Aqua’s excessive spraying caused Ryuzi’s gears to oxidize and rust, that would truly be both laughable and tragic.

Suddenly, Kobayashi remembered something. “By the way, where are Darkness and Megumin?”

“They should be at the base, right?”

Although it was a holiday, everyone remained restless.

Especially Megumin.

After acquiring a shared base, she was very enthusiastic about tidying up the room, even saying, “This house is better than my own,” a sentiment that was both touching and bittersweet.

“The inn can’t accommodate four people anyway. Let’s go over and introduce the new companion to them.”

“I’ve long wanted my own room.”

Sato Kazuya’s thoughts were obvious to everyone.

After a simple packing, the four headed straight for their newly renovated home—the warehouse turned base.