False Affection [Nonhuman GB]

[Tentacle-style nonhuman x female protagonist] [Female protagonist has no humanoid form] [The blurb and title may be revised later; the protagonists' names are undecided]

Interstellar Federation law states that once an experimental organism's emotions exceed the threshold, it must be humanely destroyed.

This public test features five experimental subjects of different forms. Subject One has a muscular physique, Subject Two is emaciated... Subject Five, Subject Five is a grotesque mass of reddish-brown flesh.

Subject Five belongs to the Federation's youngest professor, a strict, old-fashioned man with an almost excessively beautiful face.

Everyone guesses that Subject Five is just like its owner: cold, stiff, an excellent experimental subject devoid of any lowly emotions.

Only when the Interstellar Humanitarian Alliance brought the professor before the highest court did they learn that their guess was wrong.

*

Midway through the testing event, an official Federation news reporter conducted several interviews. Here are some excerpts.

A colleague from Subject Five's owner's institute: "XX? He's very dedicated. For a while, I felt sick whenever I saw my own experimental subject, but he could spend every day immersed in observing the data. I even saw him mopping the floor once when I passed by. He looked like he'd been crouched in front of the instrument panel for ages and could barely stand up."

A passerby: "The professor is so busy, yet he still makes time to watch Subject Five's tests. He's so patient. He must really love his experimental subject."

Then Subject Five's owner personally signed the Federation's notice ordering Subject Five's destruction.

At the same time, his name was added to the wanted list.

*

The other experimental subjects sigh to Subject Five that the genius is about to die young. "How did they find out, when your owner hid it so well?"

Subject Five: "I reported him."

The other experimental subjects: "..."

The other experimental subjects: "...But didn't you say before that the doctor was the person you loved most?"

Subject Five says indifferently, "Yes. I love the doctor most."

HE

A scientific experiment subject who seems emotionally detached but is in fact an artificial monster with intense dependency issues and erratic behavior * A noble professor who appears strict and old-fashioned but is actually a rebellious scientific madman

Theme: You have to love yourself first