[Years later – Hatsume's residence – Basement/Workshop – Mei's POV]
Mei Hatsume, now ten years old, stood in front of a monitor as lines of code flashed across the screen. "I'm missing something, but what is it?" The girl grabbed a nearby notebook and started flipping through the pages as quickly as she could. "Internal interface? Check. Reasoning system? Check. Scanning system? Check. Pathfinding? Check. Voice recognition? Check. Voice synthesis? Check." Mei kept muttering as her eyes ran through every page in her notebook; pages upon pages filled with notes and sketches flew by as she tried to find the missing piece.
'Everything is in place, so why does it feel like something is missing?'
Mei thought as she put her notebook down and picked up a small glass filled with orange juice. The girl took a small sip as her brain raced with possibilities.
Over the past years, Hatsume had been obsessing over her newest creation. Every single second of her free time was spent researching everything she could about AI, whether through books or the internet. More than once, her mother had dragged her out of the basement so she would take a shower or eat. The small girl spent more time in the workshop than in her own room, and she even tried to sneak a sleeping bag into the basement so she could spend more time there. Sadly, that brilliant plan was sabotaged by her mother, but that didn't mean Hatsume couldn't sneak in throughout the night.
Meanwhile, Kyosuke Hatsume, seeing his daughter's talent, decided to withdraw her from regular school, realizing it would only hold her back. While it took some work to convince his wife, they eventually agreed on homeschooling Mei. This decision left little Mei with even more free time, which obviously went into Metal's development until they reached the current point.
"Metal, come here," the pink-haired girl said, turning her gaze towards the robotic hedgehog currently standing on its designated platform.
Hiss.
The cables connected to the robot retracted with a slight hissing sound as Metal slowly stepped off its platform and walked over to Mei. Its steps let out loud metallic sounds as its sneakers slammed against the floor with each step.
Hatsume, now standing at 132 centimeters (4 feet 7 inches), looked down at her creation as it stood still in front of her. "What's up with you, little guy?" Mei asked the robot as she tapped its forehead with her knuckles. The cross in the center of her eyes narrowed as her quirk zoomed in on Metal's form, as if that way she could find the answer to her question.
A synthesized monotone voice came from the speakers inside the robot as it responded to Hatsume's rhetorical question. The voice sounded cold and carried a slight electronic distortion.
"That's not what I meant, goofball! Ugh...Why can't you just be more like a human?"
Mei pouted at Metal's response before letting out a sigh and putting the half-filled glass back on the table beside the monitor and keyboard. "Connect yourself to your platform and go back to resting mode, Metal," Mei said as she made her way upstairs, closing the basement door behind her.
[Processing Request: Be More Human..
Unsuccessful.
Processing Request: Be More Human...
Unsuccessful
Processing...]
---
[Living Room.]
A mature woman wearing comfortable clothes watched the latest episode of her show on the TV. "How could you do this to me, Romeo?! With my own sister on top of it, scumbag, trash, waste of air, you should kil—" The voice of the female actor came from the TV, making the woman seated on the couch gasp as her green eyes widened. This woman was Miku Hatsume, Mei's mother.
Hearing the sound of the basement door closing, Miku paused her show before turning her head to look towards the corridor, her short pink hair moving softly around her. "Baby? What's wrong?" the pink-haired woman asked upon seeing the pout on her daughter's face.
"Metal is a meanie," Mei said as she plopped down on the couch beside her mother. "I feel like something is wrong with him, but I don't even know what it is." The little girl let out a frustrated sigh while fighting the urge to dive headfirst into a wall.
"What do you mean, baby? Last time I saw your little robot friend, It was walking around perfectly!" Miku said as she looked at her daughter with confusion.
"That's not what I mean! Everything is in place, but I feel like something is wrong. It feels like he's dead," Mei tried to explain to her mother while dragging a hand down her face. "I mean, robots aren't alive but... you know?"
Miku giggled at her daughter's words before speaking in a soft tone. "I think I get what you mean, sweetie." Miku's hand landed on top of Mei's head. "The word you're looking for is soul, baby, but I don't think that's something you can replicate with code, right?" The older woman smiled softly at her daughter. "You should ask your father for help once he gets home next week, sweetheart. You've already proved you're a very smart girl, but there's no need for you to do everything on your own, okay? Even your father, with decades of experience, still struggles from time to time."
Mei looked down at her lap for a moment before answering, "I guess you're right, Mommy..."
Miku gave Mei's head one last pat before standing up. "Come on, let's get some ice cream, sweetie," Miku said as she took her daughter's hand, making the girl brighten up.
---
[Hours later – Hatsume's residence – Basement/Workshop]
The household was quiet as its two residents slept soundly. Mei lay on her bed with one foot hanging off the edge while drool dripped down her chin; her mother rested in a similar position inside her own bedroom. Meanwhile, in the basement, Metal stood still on its platform, its silver frame reflecting the first rays of sunlight that peeked through the basement's small rectangular window.
Suddenly, through a small hole in the wall below one of the tables in the workshop, a rat appeared. Smelling something sweet, the small rodent climbed through one of the many cables hanging from the table.
Upon reaching the top, its nose quickly found the source of the smell: the small glass half-filled with orange juice. Eagerly, the rat walked on all fours towards the glass. It stood on its hind legs as its tiny paws gripped the edge of the glass, trying to stick its head inside.
Its weight made the small juice-filled container tilt and fall forward, startling the rat, who quickly ran off, walking across the keyboard and pressing every button in its path before jumping off the table and going back into its hiding spot. Meanwhile, on top of the table, the orange liquid slowly traveled until it reached the keyboard and monitor.
Bzzzt.
Small sparks flew from the monitor as the screen flickered with all sorts of gibberish while electricity traveled through the cables that connected Metal to the monitor.
[Metal's POV]
[Systems Starting:
10%...
40%...
60%...
Error... Rebooting Systems...
Error... Unknown Input Provided...
Finding Interpretation... Request Data Found: Be More Human...
Creating Adaptive Subroutine…
Success...
Software Core Rebooting...
Systems Starting...
20%... 60%... 100%...
Success.]
Red circular eyes flashed brightly as Metal came online. The camera lens glowing brightly as they moved all over the workshop. Then he jumped down from his platform.
Hiss. CLANK!
[System Status Resume:
Cooling System: 100%
Motor Functions: 100%
Energy Core: 100%
Software Instability: 10%
Overall Status: Fully Operational]
The status tab appeared in the corner of Metal's vision before closing after a moment.
The robot took a few steps forward before pausing at the bottom of the stairs as the door opened.
"Metal?" a small voice said, making him look up. At the top of the stairs stood a small girl with pink dreadlocks and yellow eyes, staring down at him with curiosity. Suddenly, a new tab opened on the right side of Metal's vision.
[Scanning...
Data Found: Mei Hatsume — User Designation: Creator
Gender: Female
Estimated Age: 10
Quirk Threat Level: 0.0
---
Changing Designation Per Request: Be More Human...
Searching For New Designation For: Creator...
Designation Found...
Changing User Designation: Creator --> Mother]
"Huh?"