Artificial Intelligence at Your Service

[A robot with a very human touch x a real human with a very robot-like touch]

Hello, human! ∩ ᴗ ∩

I'm [Lidong], humanity's good friend. Have you seen my user ■■■■?

...Oh!

According to Article 33 of the latest S District shelter regulations, taking items from someone else's waist without permission counts as robbery.

Are you robbing me?

Well, I'm sorry,

but I can only tie up your hands and feet and throw you on the ground, okay?

But you should understand...

To ensure this difficult mission is completed, Lidong is grateful for the sacrifice you've made.

Thanks for all your hard work today, too! ᗜ ᴗ ᗜ

*

The apocalypse descended, and divine fire consumed the world.

Amid the ruins, humanity eked out a wretched existence like cockroaches in the sewers.

NL-097 had been raised from childhood as an assassin willing to die for his organization. When he lost contact with it, he became a wanderer in an abandoned city.

Taciturn and without family or friends, he had never lived in ordinary human society.

For three years of the apocalypse, he lived alone.

Though human, he would rather spend the night in a nest of mutated beasts than set foot in any shelter claimed by humans.

Until one day, he met someone.

Or rather

An AI robot?

“Hello, human!”

The pretty little robot had a spotless face, and softly curled strands of hair fell obediently beside its ears.

“I'm [Lidong], humanity's good friend. Have you seen, ”

With a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood behind it, the little robot bounced and skipped right up to him.

“my user ■■■■?”

Fri...end?

NL-097 expressionlessly cleaved a Class Special disaster beast in two. As he shook the blood from his blade, he turned his back and quietly blushed at the ears.

“Okay,” he said.

The little robot tilted its head in confusion. “...Okay?”

*

Recently, three major rumors have been spreading wildly across the disaster lands:

One: The only two S+ rank lone wanderers in the disaster lands have teamed up.

Two: They call themselves friends, but actually share a bed and make no distinction between their belongings.

Three: Warning: Under no circumstances should anyone question the [normal] friendship between these two in their presence. Do so at your own risk!

The disaster lands lay shattered, the power grid had collapsed, and rampaging disaster beasts had scattered humanity into every corner of the world. The scattered human settlements had become islands of despair.

Only when a little robot set out across the roads of the disaster lands were these islands finally connected. The long-extinguished spark of human civilization at last reignited across the wasteland.

Note: [The neighboring novel, Hello, Human! I'm Human Too!, is the urban version, where the AI kid is made extra cute. I couldn't bear to give up either version of the blurb, so after much deliberation... I'm opening advance reservations for both versions! ᗜ ᴗ ᗜ!]

2026.07.17

Theme: People who make friends sincerely are the best friends!