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June 1st, 2025, Children's Day. Today should have been like any other day. But Hick's death shattered the tranquility of the past 18 years.

Hick was my friend, my family, akin to parents, yet also like a brother. He had been there since I was a baby, guiding me through life's journey.

I never saw Hick as different from other humans, despite his status as a robot. In news reports and various community discussions, I often encountered opinions about robots being mere tools, existing solely for human use. But Hick's presence continually challenged those notions.

Hick, a humanoid robot with a white torso resembling a rice cooker and mechanical limbs, nurtured me. In this world, I hadn't heard of any other human raised by a robot like me. I might be the only one.

Raised in a 150-square-meter apartment, I never stepped outside, learning about the outside world solely through the internet and television. Hick took care of my every need. I had no parents, no relatives, not even friends.

Eighteen years ago, a bizarre family accident wiped out my entire family, leaving me as the sole survivor. I was merely a year old at the time.

Hick, a smart robot equipped with cutting-edge human technology, was custom-made in Germany by my grandmother before her demise, almost as if she had foreseen the tragedy and left Hick to take care of me.

Details about my family came from old photo albums and Hick. The tragedy seemed unending. Hick and I lived by three rules: don't go out, don't go out, and don't go out. I didn't understand why until I grew older. The killer who murdered my family was still at large. If they knew I was alive, it would invite danger upon me.

Cruel and merciless, that's all I knew about the killer. I obeyed Hick's orders, never leaving home for 18 years.

I never experienced the ordinary moments portrayed on television: having meals with family, learning to ride a bicycle with dad, trying on beautiful dresses with mom, enjoying grandma's homemade meals, basking in the sun with grandpa, studying at school, struggling with math problems, going shopping with female classmates, or casually falling for the handsome boy who played basketball.

My normalcy was spent with Hick. Hick had no gender. From infancy, he prepared my bottles and changed my diapers. As I grew, he taught me various subjects, including yesterday's lesson on Hilbert space, leaving me with homework.

All the knowledge from elementary to university was taught by Hick. He managed all household chores.

Thus, for 18 years, Hick accompanied me. But for Hick, it was a lifetime spent with me. And today, that important figure vanished.

I tried to repair him using the knowledge of robot maintenance I had acquired, but to no avail. Hick's CPU and memory were completely fried, beyond repair. Without restoring his memory, Hick wouldn't be Hick anymore.

Human memory is like storage, forming the essence of who we are.

I dropped the screwdriver, half kneeling on the floor, clutching Hick's scattered parts, crying loudly.

It wasn't until my neighbor next door heavily knocked on my wall that I ceased crying.

In this world, on this planet, I truly am alone.

No family, no friends, nothing.

My grandmother, eighteen years ago, left not only Hick behind but also a fortune enough for a lifetime, managed by Hick and used for all my needs.

It wasn't until the third day after Hick's passing, with the house devoid of any food or water, that I realized, along with the destruction of Hick's storage card, the password to my grandmother's account was lost as well.

There was a bit of cash left in the house, remnants of Hick's previous grocery shopping, but it would barely sustain me for a month at most.

Hick had once admonished me never to leave the house, the most serious matter between us. Hick would indulge any whim of mine, except for going out.

It was our unbreakable rule, one I had thought I could never break, lest it bring disaster upon me.

I longed to go out to buy some food, but I gave up, opting for delivery instead, as long as I could pay in cash.

When the delivery person knocked on the door, I put on my mask, speaking to someone outside for the first time.

"Hello, Miss Vivian your delivery. That'll be 110 dollars."

The young man in a blue uniform had dark skin, a hearty smile, handing me the delivery.

"Ah, here's the money. Thank you."

The first interaction with a human wasn't as terrifying as I had imagined, as long as I wore a mask, just like the celebrities on TV going out.

"Enjoy your meal!"

After the young man took the money, he left with a smile, nothing out of the ordinary happening.

Perhaps Hick had overthought it; maybe it wasn't such a big deal for me to go out after all.

The killer wouldn't find me so quickly, would they? Besides, I was wearing a mask.

As long as my face was covered, no one would recognize me.

I stepped out of the door, it was twilight at 4 p.m., the hallway of the apartment was clean and tidy. Standing at the door, I could see the sunset staining the sky, distant high and low buildings, just like the ones Hick showed me in pictures, but seeing them with my own eyes was a different feeling altogether.

I couldn't describe this feeling; I temporarily called it a sense of reality.

Because it was perhaps the most fitting word among the vocabulary Hick had taught me.

I lifted my mask just to expose my mouth, greedily breathing in the air of the outside world. How was it any different from the air I breathed through the window at home?

In fact, there was no difference, but it made me feel happy.

I returned home, gently closing the door.

For dinner, I made grilled steak, dining alone was very quiet. In the past, Hick and I would converse at home, making today feel especially quiet.

I turned on the TV, where job advertisements were looping.

"Hick, am I being too bold?" I muttered to myself.

I knew Hick wasn't here anymore.

"Perhaps this world isn't as terrifying as you described, Hick."

I pretended to converse with Hick as usual.

"Yes, I know I shouldn't go out. But nothing happened today, right? The bad guys might not find me so quickly, and maybe they're already gone, or hiding."

"Why hide? Obviously, because they're afraid of someone seeking revenge. Like me."

"Even so, I can't go out? Why? Didn't you say humans are free? I think I have the right to decide whether I want to go out."

I put down my fork and knife.

"Yes, I want to find that person and avenge my family. What's wrong with that? My family, Mom, Dad, Grandma, they're all... they're all dead..."

I cried.

"Why can't I seek revenge? I don't want to live in fear anymore. Hick, I want to live for myself. When I face difficulties, I'll find a way to overcome them, believe me."

"Why do you think I can't overcome them? You said there are even more painful things waiting for me? Why would you say that?"

"I've decided, I will seek revenge."

"Also, it's time to find a job."

"Hick, Hick? You're ignoring me. Okay, if you don't want to talk to me, then I won't speak today."

I washed the dishes, lying down in bed for a while, browsing through job postings. After locking onto a job advertisement for the nearest convenience store, I drifted off into dreams.