I've been teaching Rapima the basics of cooking and housecleaning. Honestly, I'm kind of being lazy to clean this two-level house all by myself.

  The first floor houses my office, a cramped 4x5 space painted in a depressing grey, the walls threatening to peel at any moment. Inside, an old-style desk dominates the room, paired with an unfitting chair. Long and short broken grey sofas sit awkwardly beside a wooden coffee table. My red blazer hangs on a hanger near the door, on the left side of my little office. The only modern touch is my laptop, sitting on the desk.

  The second floor of my home, there is nothing but an empty space fills up with dust and spiderwebs. I can only access the second floor from the back of my house.

  To the right, another door opens to a small kitchen connected to a living room, separated by a long, narrow table. The scene is... messy. Instant noodles, cookies, snacks, and tea boxes clutter the table. Two stools stand beside it, relics from my solitary life before Rapima. A long, red sofa, a memento from my grandmother, faces a projector hanging from the ceiling, ready to cast movies on the empty wall. A round, small table is in front of the sofa, surrounded by crumbs and empty snack wrappers.

  Beside the living room, three large trash bags overflow with garbage I've been meaning to discard, while more trash litters the floor. Thankfully, Rapima's presence motivates me to teach her how to tidy up and where to dispose of the trash. We exit through the office's front door, passing a small yard overgrown with tall grasses, heading towards the gate. The garbagemen usually collect trash on Tuesdays and Fridays.

  Scanning the neighborhood, I see similar classic, old-style houses, mostly concrete. In the evening, tall buildings with metal structures glowing in dark purple and blue rise in the distance to my right.

  We live in a less-than-modern area, still graced with plants and grasses, while the central sector, with its futuristic metal structures, is reserved for the wealthy and those who've dedicated years to living there.

  The cost of living explains why I can't afford more android models. Purchasing Rapima nearly drained my savings.

  But my skills as a Techno-Optimancer secure good deals from large companies, providing me with a decent income. More than enough than food and electricity.

  Moving on, we head straight to the living room, passing a pair of brown wooden doors.

  The door to the right leads to my workshop, filled with hardware optimization tools hanging on a metal rack.

  The room is dimly lit, an overclocked PC on a small table, a simple chair beside it. A long metal table holds Rapima's tweaking station, a broken flat pillow-like charging terminal with a long cable, which failed to charge Rapima, causing an electrical jolt.

  The PC is off, having been running for nearly two months before the jolt. The metal table has a handmade circuit for wireless signal capture, allowing me to access and tinker with devices like Rapima using my classic touchscreen phone.

  The floor is cement, softened by a knitted carpet.

  The room to the left is my bedroom, my sanctuary for rest and contemplation. A single bed sits beside the door, barely occupying a quarter of the room.

  A small table holds my travel bag, chargers, joysticks, and a small laptop for entertainment, which I rarely use. At the table's end, a cup filled with saltwater acts as my DIY 'holy water', warding off depressing thoughts.

  I've spent much of the afternoon teaching Rapima the basics, constantly reminding her to sit or stand to conserve her unknown power.

  She's a quick learner, sometimes doing light chores when she can't stay still while calibrating her body.

  It's understandable, given that every android needs to be calibrated to familiarize themselves with their surroundings.

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  Before I knew it, night has fallen. My anxiety spikes as I watch Rapima's eyelids drops. Is she... running out of power?

  "Rapima, are you... sleepy?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

  She nods slowly, her expression a sleepy, almost human-like gesture. "Master Tyl, Rapima needs to sleep. Rapima's entire... systems are barely functioning right now..."

  Hearing those words, my sadness deepens. Is this the end of our time together? The thought echoes in my head, a relentless loop of despair. The memory of losing someone I cared about, someone who had faded away just like this, resurfaces with agonizing clarity.

  I don't want to lose her.

  "Can you... stay awake?" I sit her down on my bed, my voice laced with worry.

  "Master, Rapima needs to sleep..."

  Desperation seizes me. I embrace her tightly. "Please don't leave me... please..."

  Rapima lets out a weak chuckle, returning my embrace and patting my back gently. "I won't... go anywhere, Master Tyl... I promise... It's just a nap..."

  A shaky sigh escapes my lips, tears welling up in my eyes. Finally, I succumb to the inevitable, whispering, "Yeah, that was... fun, Rapima... Go on, sleep on my bed. I'll... I'll sleep on the sofa in the living room and... I'll wake you up," my voice thick with emotion.

  "Master Tyl... Thank you for... teaching me... a lot of things... Pima is happy..."

  'Pima,' huh... Is she trying to be extra adorable, perhaps for the last time?

  I nod, wiping away my tears, and help her lie down on my bed. I gently place her head on my pillow and give her a soft kiss on her forehead. "Good night. I'll... I'll see you again tomorrow."

  Rapima nods weakly, her eyes closing. Her face, innocent and peaceful, resembles an adorable little princess taking a nap.

  I stroke her cheek several times, recalling Momo's words about her softness and cuteness.

  And yes, she is both soft and undeniably cute.

  Slowly, I try to accept the possibility that, if her power fails completely, I will have to face it, despite the crushing unease and the storm of depressing thoughts brewing within me.

  I leave the room, turning off the light, and allow her to have her 'peaceful sleep.'

  Then, I go to the living room. My mood plummets, and I lay there motionless, tears stream down my face, lost in the bittersweet beauty of having a lifetime companion.

  "Haha... It's pathetic, isn't it..." I chuckle miserably, remaining there for the entire night, until the sobs subside, and exhaustion finally claims me at 4 o'clock in the morning.

  ...

  I sleep like a log. I have no idea how much time has passed when I slowly regain consciousness.

  My eyes feel heavy, my head throbs from the previous night's tears, and I hear noises coming from the kitchen area.

  "Ngh...?"

  I slowly open my eyes.

  "Good afternoon, Master Tyl! You sure sleep a lot."

  I jolt upright, my eyes widening as I see an adorable figure dancing around the kitchen, preparing food.

  She notices me and looks over, smiling as she continues her activity flawlessly.

  "Rapima...?"

  She walks towards me, her face appearing refreshed, almost... recharged? She holds up a ladle in her hand. "Come on, Master! You've skipped breakfast already, you better not skip lunch!"

  Her movements are becoming more natural, as if she has already completed her calibration.

  My expression wavers between hope and relief, as this isn't a dream. My Rapima is moving again, as if nothing has happened. As if it has all been a terrible nightmare, and the battery issue has never existed.

  "... How do you feel, Rapima?"

  "Oh, I feel great after sleeping yesterday, Master Tyl! And my systems and some benchmarks... They all seem in order. Even though I still can't detect my power status, somehow I know it's not an issue since I felt myself recharging while I was asleep," she replies in her innocent tone, smiling at me as I sit up.

  I stand up and lightly flick her forehead with my palm. It's so gentle that she barely feels it.

  "Ow~! What was that for, M-Master? Did... Did Pima do anything bad...?" She pouts adorably.

  "Damn, I thought... I was going to lose you for real..."

  Rapima chuckles, then gives me a warm hug. "I promised to be beside you, right, Master?"

  "You better be," I embrace her back, this time filled with pure joy, all my worries vanishing at the sight of her vitality.

  So, is it safe to assume that she won't power down again? I don't know. All I can think is that I can spend one more day, or two, or... forever with her by my side.

  …

  End of Chapter 3.