(Requested)

artificial intelligence au

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Your package has arrived.

The moment the light seeped into my vision, I awakened. My eyes flicked open and glowed with an artificial prominence. Slowly adjusting my focus adapters, I dilated the lenses to properly see what was in front of me. 

"Hello Master," I spoke, my lips moving smoothly to deliver the programmed speech, "I'm (Y/N), your specially programmed household robot." Giving the warmest smile a robot could, I peered at the blonde in front of me. He had a shy yet beaming grin slapped on his features, an embarrassed hand creeping up the back of his neck. After a few moments of silence, I took the time to examine the living quarters.

"It looks like you haven't cleaned in about a week," I giggled, taking out some supplies from the box I came in, "Would you like me to do that for you?" The man nodded frantically, staring at me in awe as I whisked myself away to do the chores.

"In the meantime, you can catch up on some sleep. That phone radiation hasn't done many wonders to your skin and eyes." I patted his shoulder and was about to leave before he grabbed my hand. A red notification immediately popped up but I blinked it away, turning back around to face the blonde.

"W-We don't even know each other yet," he murmured softly, his head bowed, "Let me get to know you, at least." Cocking my head, I wondered if he had short-term memory loss.

He filled out a form online describing what his ideal housekeeper was like, so why was it so important to get to know me? He made me.

But I didn't see the harm in it, so I gently grabbed his hand and sat down on the couch with him. The man yelped when I curled my fingers around his palm, and his heart rate suddenly shot up. He was flustered, but I didn't know why.

"Alright Master, what would you like to know about me?" The blonde stammered for a bit, but eventually cleared his throat and met my gaze.

"Just Zenitsu is fine." The edges of my lips curled upwards and I laughed gingerly, nodding in an understand manner.

"Master Zenitsu."

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"The weather is nice today, (Y/N)." I cast my eyes up at the bright blue sky, not a single cloud in sight. My system picked up the sounds of birds chirping and other chatter in the park we were strolling around. It was nice to be able to experience the outside world, despite being a simple household maid. Other robots were also in the vicinity, signals radiating off of their bodies. There were at least three caretaker robots and six animal ones, all of which were active. 

I never had time to think about the reason why Master never ordered another robot to do other things with. He went outside often and was rarely at home during the daytime. The hours he'd spend with me were often blown away talking about his day and just hanging around. 

There wasn't anything special, and he could've ordered a companion robot instead.

I'm sure he'd be happier that way, right?

My thoughts stopped as a yellow notification popped up, signaling that Zenitsu had stopped walking. I looked around to see where he went, and realized that he was parked in front of a balloon vendor. The old man manning the stand smiled at the blonde and handed him a white balloon with a lighting print on it in exchange for 100 yen.

"(Y/N)!" Zentisu happily exclaimed, handing the string attached to the plastic ball to me, "It's for you!" I smiled at the gift, taking it and wrapping it around my wrist. Thoughtfully gazing at the sentiment, I suddenly flinched at a red screen popping up in my vision.

"Oh dear, I need to charge up soon, I'm at 20 percent," I murmured nervously, my eyes flickering towards the direction of our apartment, "Master Zenitsu, can we leave?" He nodded and took me back, albeit a little disappointingly doing so.

For the few months, I noticed changing patterns in Zenitsu's usual behavior. He was often more alert and started to help me with cooking and such, although I was programmed to do everything by myself. It felt like he'd break his back to just spend more time with me, regardless of the task. It was funny to see, and by now I was convinced that he had a memory issue. 

He seemed to enjoy doing the household tasks, so it was puzzling to clearly decipher the reason as to why he bought me. I didn't have a problem with it, as long as he was happy doing so, but I couldn't help but grow more curious each passing day.

But I didn't know the reason would be revealed so soon.

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It had been one year since Zenitsu got me, and I was planning on celebrating after I got done charging. Waiting for the little yellow meter on my forearm to fill up, I impatiently tapped my finger and sighed, beginning to hear rustles in the kitchen. Wondering what Zenitsu was doing, I bit my tongue and hummed to myself until a small 'ding' came from the charging port.

Your charging session is now complete. Please be caref-

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Bethany," I mumbled, tugging the cord out of my arm. Shutting the flap to my charging spot, I walked out of my room and into the kitchen, peering around the corner to spot Master Zenitsu on the couch with a small cake. My eyes lit up upon seeing the dessert and noticed how small streamers were strewn around the room, along with a couple of those white lighting balloons he'd gotten me months ago.

"Oh, this is so cute," I laughed, joining the blonde on the couch, "Master Zenitsu, you really didn't have to." He shook his head desperately, squirming about, seemingly nervous about something.

"No! It was completely necessary. I mean, it's your first birthday, right?" I set my hand on his, holding it lightly. His flushed face grew even more red, a rosy coloration being replaced with a deep beet shade. He was an unusual fellow. 

"Thank you for the gesture, Master Zenitsu." To my surprise, he gave me a bright smile and clasped both of my hands in his. Staring at me with a straightforward look, I saw the not-so familiar glow of determination light a spark in his irises. Now we were getting somewhere interesting. Master usually wasn't the most motivated person, but I could sense that the matter at hand was important.

"Look, (Y/N)-" He hesitated, trying to urge himself to continue. "I've been wanting to tell you for a while- Tell you something for a while, that is. Well, I... Shit, sorry." He groaned and took a deep breath before starting over. By clearing his throat, the tone of his voice became stronger and more prominent.

"We've spent a lot of time together, and during that time, I... I've been the happiest I've been in years. I don't know exactly what I'm doing all the time, whether it be chasing after unrequited love or hopelessly scrolling through Tinder during the night, but..." He paused, as if to think about what he was going to say next.

"When I spend time with you, all my regard for those activities fade away. I really, really care about you, and as pathetic as it may seem, I want to spend as much time as I can with you. (Y/N)..." My eyes widened as Master leaned in and pushed his warm lips onto mine. All I could see was red as my system flashed multitudes of warnings. As my fingers curled at the unfamiliar feeling, the blonde parted and stared adoringly into my eyes.

"I think I'm in love with you." Immediately, I instinctively smiled, perplexed at the confession. Love?

"Master Zenitsu, I'm afraid I don't quite understand," I replied softly, "Is it that you'd like me to do other things around the house? We surely can spend more time together that way." I pressed me palm against his cheek, examining his skin. It was in a better condition than the last time I checked, and his eyes were slowly healing as well. He stopped his nightly phone marathons like I advised him to, but I still couldn't wrap my head around the reason he decided to say all of this to me.

When my gaze flickered to meet his, all I saw was fleeting happiness. His eyebrows were creased up, and pupils shrunken like tiny black dots in his irises. Master retracted his hands and loosened his grip from mine. The moment of confusion and disbelief only lasted for a few seconds, however, before the blonde produced a small, sad smile.

"Sorry about that," he chuckled docilely, "Let's continue with the celebration." I grinned at the proposition, accepting his offer and looped an arm around his shoulders while singing a birthday song I'd been programmed with.

I was excited for the future. The future of spending more time with my master. If he wanted that, he could have just indirectly said it. 

Maybe Master Zenitsu wasn't so complicated after all.