Maderia

Having received treatment for his injuries aboard a coast guard vessel, Shinosuke decided to return to the Sirius Stellar Province, but before that, he pondered the repair of his newly acquired doll.

"Markus, did Cosart have a branch in Sirius's colonies?"

"Cosart is a manufacturer from the 6325 Stellar Union, but they don't have a branch in Sirius. They have a branch and a factory each in the colonies of Iruku and Gara."

From a quick inspection, M-02 appears to have a malfunction in its energy supply function, preventing energy from efficiently reaching all parts of its body, resulting in an extremely short operational lifespan.

Normally, it should be able to operate for about a month after recharging its power pack, but it seems to run out of energy within just a few minutes.

Upon checking, it appears the power pack itself is also defective. However, even if we use a different power pack, there's nothing we can do unless the main unit is repaired.

Although the power pack is compatible with Marks' model and should be able to start up immediately, after all the commotion that's occurred, it would be far too risky to power it up without first having it checked by the manufacturer.

"Then, though it's a detour, let's stop by Iruku to repair this doll before returning."

"....Understood."

"Hmm? What's wrong, Marks? You sound dissatisfied."

"I have no objection to repairing this doll, but I've also sustained damage to half my head and one arm..."

"Are you saying your current condition will interfere with your work?"

"Yes. My head only has sensors left, and since I'm replacing the damaged sensors with others, my processing capability has dropped by 6.2% to handle the adjustment. Additionally, due to damage to my arm, my close-combat ability has decreased by 28.9%."

Shin nosuke sighs.

"There's no problem then. Even the drop in information processing capability is within acceptable margins. Besides, you're a Psychoj Industries product, aren't you? You can receive treatment when you return to Salius. So, it can wait."

"I understand it logically, but it still feels unsatisfying."

"Understanding it logically is enough."

Ignoring Mark's discontent, Shin Nosuke steered the vessel toward Iluk.

The Akunelia Galactic Federation's Iluk Stellar Province is a neighboring stellar province to the Salius Stellar Province, where Shin Nosuke and his companions are based.

With few habitable planets, most people live in one of the twelve colonies located within the stellar province.

Shin Nosuke and his group docked at Colony 4, situated at the edge of the Iluk Stellar Province and serving as a trading hub, then proceeded to the branch office of Cosart Corporation, the manufacturer of M-02.

"We've verified the history of this M-02—it was originally registered as an operator on a passenger vessel belonging to a passenger transport company in the Damura Star Cluster Commonwealth. The ship it was aboard was sunk three years ago during an attack by space pirates, and this doll has been considered missing ever since. Afterward, the company itself disbanded, and the registration was ultimately canceled while the doll remained unaccounted for."

An employee at the Cosart Corporation explains about the doll Shinosuke brought in.

"This doll was used by a certain space pirate as a close-combat weapon. During a battle with space pirates, we were also attacked. Due to these circumstances, I obtained it after the pirates were apprehended."

The officer, having reviewed the data from the coast guard-issued certificate of origin presented by Shinosuke, nodded.

"Yes, confirmed. I'll register ownership under Ms. Kashimura."

The clerk efficiently proceeds with the paperwork, but by then it seems the doll has already finished its inspection.

"We've completed a full check. There are no critical damages. Issues with functions like power supply are due to repeated use of defective power packs. Once the parts are replaced and a functioning power pack is installed, it should start up without any problems."

Saying this, the clerk presents an estimate for the repair costs.

To my surprise, it was far cheaper than Shin nosuke had estimated.

"Does this include recovery of the memory unit that the coast guard recovered?"

"We've confirmed that as well, but given its current state, it only remembers its own name even if restarted. We'll need to install additional memory and basic information, so this estimate includes those costs."

If the estimate already includes the memory upgrade and basic information installation, it's a real bargain.

Just install the basic information, and the doll will learn on its own from there.

There's no need to hesitate.

Please proceed with the details in this estimate.

Understood. By the way, how do you intend to primarily use this M-02, Mr. Kashimura?

I am scheduled to be assigned as an operator of a free merchant ship equipped with escort ship capabilities, affiliated with my trading company.

I'll go ahead and input information specialized for a ship operations operator.

Please

Once the procedure is complete, all that remains is to wait—apparently, it will take about two hours.

Waiting for around two hours while sipping tea, the repaired doll was brought into the room where Shinnosuke and Marks were waiting, escorted by an attendant.

"Mr. Kashimura, we apologize for the wait. Repair and update of M-02 have been completed."

Following that, the maid-dressed doll gently lifted her skirt and bowed gracefully toward Shinnosuke.

Hello, master. I am M-02, a general-purpose doll manufactured by Cosart Corporation, designated as Madelia.

"Your Majesty...!"

Shinnosuke couldn't help but recoil in surprise at Madelia's courteous greeting.

To Shinosuke, who lacked a maid personality, being addressed as 'master' by Madelia in her maid outfit felt nothing short of awkward.

Shinnosuke Kashimura. Please take care of me from now on. But please, spare me the "master" title—it makes me uncomfortable.

Maderia tilts her head slightly, expression unchanging, as she listens to Shinosuke's words.

I apologize, but our M-02 units are programmed to refer to our owner as "Master."

Shinnosuke slumped his shoulders at the words from Madeira.

What kind of setup is this?

As if sensing ShinnoSuke's inner thoughts, the attendant added:

"M-02 models are high-performance dolls capable of adapting to any situation, but their fundamental design is service-oriented, tailored to support their owner as desired. Because many people purchase them specifically for maid service, they are set to address their owner as 'Master.' This feature is highly appreciated by numerous customers."

"Isn't this entirely a matter of personal preference?"

"That just shows how high the demand is."

To reiterate, Shinnosuke does not possess a maid attribute, nor does he indulge in the master role.

"If you'd prefer a different form of address, we can accommodate that, but it will require conversion through the central circuit each time you call. This will result in a delay of 0.0000025 seconds in response."

The response delay is negligible—there's no point in deliberately forcing inefficiency on Madeira.

"Understood. Call me however you like."

Shin nosuke accepted his master.

"Very well. It's a pleasure to serve you again, Master."