Integration

Aurélien Yamamoto's arrival at the Takagi estate was neither warm nor hostile — but marked by an almost ceremonial precision. From the very first hours, it became clear he hadn't come seeking shelter. He had come to negotiate the space necessary for his vision.

The reunion with the survivors from Fujimi Academy was understated but genuine. A comrade's embrace. Saya shot him a sharp look, Kohta burst into joy at the sight of the droids, Rei nodded with cautious reserve… but it was Takashi's gaze that stood apart from the rest. There was no relief, no hostility. Only a tense distance. Takashi felt Aurélien's actions were too radical — and harbored a buried jealousy of Aurélien's power.

Integration began at the lowest level.

The B1 droids, though intimidating at first, were quickly accepted once they started patrolling the estate's perimeter, effectively relieving the exhausted human guards. No incidents. No deviations. The machines followed precise protocols and communicated with the Takagi sentries through a parallel radio network, designed not to interfere with the estate's internal systems.

Kohta Hirano became one of Aurélien's most fervent supporters. He spent hours discussing ballistics, firing mechanics, and sensor configurations. When the teenager received an actual E-5 blaster — modified for better stability and accuracy — he didn't let go of it for a second.

"It's like a geek dream come true… except it's real life, dude," he said, glowing with passion.

Saya, for her part, observed all of this with the sharpness of a scientist. She questioned Aurélien on secondary functions, combat routines, and priority chains. He answered frankly, though without revealing his secrets.

"You'll understand better by studying them. I don't give away secrets. I share results."

Even some Takagi soldiers eventually came to appreciate the shared routines: Aurélien's spider drones — agile, silent, bristling with sensors — scouted the area for resources. They brought back everything: batteries, electronic components, cables, sometimes even entire salvaged computers.

One drone returned with a functioning 3D printer by the second day. Aurélien immediately reintegrated it into the larger project.

In an old agricultural warehouse ceded by the Takagi — in exchange for a steady energy supply — Aurélien installed the core of his ambition: a modular assembly line.

Articulated arms. Welding stations. Industrial printers. Reservoirs of molten materials. Everything had been redesigned, reassembled, and resized for flexible production. The first modules launched focused on:

Replacement parts for the B1 droids,

Standardized chassis for various types of servo-skulls,

A rudimentary medical automaton, still in early stages.

Aurélien hadn't come to contribute to the Takagi estate. He came to transcend it.

"So what exactly are you planning? A robot factory?" asked Saya, arms crossed, eyeing the holographic plans.

"Not a factory. An ecosystem. This world is dead. I want to lay the foundation for the one that comes after."

She shivered. It wasn't fear. It was a brutal realization: Aurélien wasn't rebuilding the lost world. He was replacing it.

But not everyone was as fascinated.

Takashi watched. In silence. He saw the way the guards were starting to look at Aurélien. Respect. Admiration. Sometimes even fear. He saw machines replacing humans in various tasks. And he remembered how Aurélien made decisions. Coldly. Efficiently. Without remorse.

"He's changing the rules without anyone noticing. Even the Takagis are starting to listen to him," he said to Rei one evening.

"He's helping us. You've seen it — he's making things move forward…" she replied, cautiously.

"He acts. Yes. But for who? For what? One day, he might decide we're dead weight. And he won't even blink when cutting us out."

Rei said nothing. Takashi, who saw himself as one of the group's leaders, felt the attention slowly drifting toward that pale, ever-calm, ever-working boy… and he didn't like that feeling.

Saeko, on the other hand, said nothing. But she observed.

She knew that, for all his qualities, Aurélien had a blind spot: human emotion. He understood and experienced them — but not like others. He often ignored others' feelings. He could spark tension without meaning to. Leave wounds open.

So she chose to patrol the heart of the Takagi manor more frequently. She observed the soldiers. She scanned their gazes, listened to their sighs between rounds. She spoke little — but noticed everything.

On their second day at the estate, she reported to Aurélien, in the warehouse, while the machines hissed around them.

"Some respect you. Others envy you. A few fear you. You're moving fast. Too fast."

Aurélien looked at her without responding right away. Then he nodded.

"Noted."

He didn't argue. He adapted. But the set of his mouth made it clear he would not slow down. Saeko sighed but silently vowed to protect her lover from anyone with bad intentions toward him.

Later, Koharu pulled Saeko aside.

"Thanks for watching over my emotionless son, Saeko. When he's working on his machines, he forgets the world around him. He gets that from his father, he was the same. Make sure you pull him out of that workshop from time to time — even if you have to knock him out." She chuckled at her own words.

Then her tone grew serious.

"I can see my son is distancing himself more and more. He feels responsible for ensuring our survival, and he reacts by burying himself in work. I'm counting on you to remind him there's more to life than his machines."

Saeko smiled.

"Don't worry, Koharu. Aurélien accepted my demons. I'll do the same for his."

Around Aurélien, a small team of collaborators — drawn from the most capable survivors, including a few engineers and a former railway maintenance technician — worked day and night. Aurélien barely slept. He only spoke to organize, optimize, delegate. He had plans, blueprints, clear objectives. He had already sent out a few BX droids to distract the horde, slow it down, and buy the time needed to secure their supremacy. At best, calculations showed the horde would reach their location in five days.

Later that day, while onboarding some of the Takagi group's refugees, the system voice rang out:

[Quest completed: Become the leader of a community (100/100 individuals)]

[Reward received: Summon card – Servant (Fate)]

[Reward received: Droid Manufacturing Blueprint – T-series]

[New Quest: Lead a community of 1,000 individuals (100/1000)]

Intrigued, Aurélien walked toward an isolated building to proceed with the summoning of his servant.

At the Takagi manor

Soichiro Takagi, a seasoned politician, saw the dilemma looming: Aurélien was an asset, yes — but he was becoming an alternate power center. A leader with an army loyal only to him. An ally with no declared loyalty, whose power grew by the day.

Yuriko, watching him from the heights of the main house, voiced what they all vaguely felt.

"He's not imposing himself. He's making the world organize around him."

Soichiro replied calmly, without hesitation:

"Soon, we'll have to choose: encourage this growth… or contain it."

Bonus – A bit of humor (let me know if you like it!)

Inside the Takagi estate. Late afternoon. Two sweaty human guards finish their patrol under the sweltering sun. One, Kenji, adjusts his assault rifle while the other, Tadao, grumbles at the sight of a mechanical silhouette approaching.

"Another one of those droids…"

The B1 unit walks forward stiffly, its voice emitter crackling slightly.

"Identification: Unit B1–57. Status: Peripheral patrol completed. Situation report: No zombies detected. Two suspicious cats pursued for 3 minutes before misclassification was identified."

Tadao raises an eyebrow, slightly amused.

"You chasing cats now?"

"Affirmative. Targets displayed erratic behavior. Estimated infection probability: 0.0037%. Action deemed non-priority after analysis."

Kenji bursts into laughter.

"You're making us look like amateurs, you bucket of bolts."

The B1 tilts its head slightly, as if mimicking thought.

"Comparison irrelevant. Average human performance 12.7% below mechanical standards."

Tadao pretends to pull a knife.

"Wanna test that on an arm?"

"Alert: Physical threat detected. Protocol 14–B engaged. Activating defensive mode…"

The droid freezes abruptly. A LED blinks. Then it straightens up, almost sheepishly — if a droid can be sheepish.

"…Error. Protocol deactivated. Protocol 14–B reserved for cases of 'domestic violence.' Apologies for the confusion."

Kenji laughs loudly. Tadao sighs.

"Great. We've got a war robot that reads too many ministry pamphlets…"

The B1 stands there, then adds in its flat tone:

"Would you like a pamphlet on non-violent communication between armed colleagues?"