After the Kabao incident, the Copy Robot and I went straight back to my room. The lingering tension from the confrontation slowly began to dissipate, replaced by the mundane comfort of my familiar space. He casually tossed his school bag onto the floor, then stretched, letting out a surprisingly human groan.
"Well," he announced, turning to me with a glint in his eye, "that was... productive. Now, how about we actually relax for a bit? Got any good games on that phone I got us?"
I blinked, surprised. "Games? You want to play games?"
He shrugged, already pulling out the sleek new smartphone from his pocket. "Why not? It's been a long day of heroics and handling bullies. Even a super-smart robot needs some downtime. Besides, it's good for hand-eye coordination."
Soon enough, we were sprawled on my bed, heads close together, absorbed in a ridiculously addictive mobile game. We played in silence for a while, the tapping of fingers on the screen the only sound. It was weirdly comforting, sitting there with my perfectly intelligent, fiercely protective, yet utterly human-like clone, just wasting time.
Mid-game, a thought popped into my head. "Hey," I mumbled, my eyes still glued to the screen as my character narrowly avoided a spike pit. "When are we going to meet Kirei again?"
The robot didn't even look up from his own intense gameplay. "We won't. Not until we absolutely need her help again."
My thumb slipped, and my character crashed into an obstacle. "What?! But... if we only call her when we need her, she'll know we're using her, won't she? That's not very nice."
He finally paused his game, looking at me with a wry grin. "Anyone would help Perman, even if they knew he was only calling them when he needed assistance. He's Perman! It's a huge privilege to be involved. Maybe they'll probably try to use Perman too." He sounded so nonchalant about it, like it was just another transaction.
suddenly someone started banging the window. My stomach lurched.
"PERMAN! MITSUO! OPEN UP! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"
It was Pako. And she sounded furious. My blood ran cold. "Oh no," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "She's here. She's really mad about the award ceremony."
The Copy Robot's eyes, however, sparkled with mischief. He quickly nudged me with his elbow. "Act indifferent, Mitsuo. Remember: Perman's duties are paramount."
The banging grew louder, more insistent. "PERMAN! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE, ITS BETTER FOR YOU TO OPEN NOW!"
The robot calmly stood up, walked to the door, and opened it a crack, peering out. Pako's enraged face filled the gap.
"Perman! There you are!" she shrieked, her eyes blazing. "What was that on the call?! You just hung up on me! And you didn't even came for award! What was so important that you couldn't show up?!"
The Copy Robot maintained his perfectly serene expression. "Pako," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle, almost mournful. "Perhaps... perhaps there's no need for me here right now. It seems my presence is causing more distress than good." With a dramatic sigh that would rival any stage actor, he turned, taking my Perman suit, and, without another word, zipped out the window, soaring into the sky.
Pako stood there, jaw agape, watching him go. Then, she slowly turned to me, who was still frozen on the bed. "Oh!" she stammered, then suddenly beamed, her fury completely evaporated. "Oh, thank you very much robot! Thank you for leavin us alone!" She looked at me,"Now we can finally talk!"
I stared after the rapidly disappearing red speck in the sky, then back at Pako's face. "You... you idiot robot!" I muttered under my breath, my voice thick with exasperation. "You just left me here alone!" It was ridiculous. He had literally just thrown me under the bus, all with a theatrical flair.
Pako, oblivious to my internal monologue, plopped herself onto the bed beside me, her anger completely forgotten. "So, Mitsuo," she began, her tone shifting to her usual cheerful chatter, "tell me everything! What's going on with you? You've been so different lately!"
And there I was, stuck. Again.