After spending two more days at the Toudou residence and settling matters in Miyagi Prefecture, Roy set off on the journey back to Asterisk City with Kirin.
Roy's control over Miyagi Prefecture remained entirely covert. On the surface, he didn't interfere with any affairs of the prefecture, making it appear as though nothing had changed. Naturally, both officials and citizens relaxed and carried on with their lives, unaware that Roy had secretly gained control over all high-ranking officials in the prefecture.
After flying back to Asterisk Airport and returning to Seidoukan Academy, Claudia immediately came to find him.
"Roy, there's a guest waiting for you."
"A guest?"
Roy raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Then you should go attend to your business, senpai. I'll head back to the middle school section first."
Kirin tactfully took a step back, offering Roy a shy yet sweet smile before scampering off toward the middle school area.
Claudia watched Kirin's retreating figure, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
Why does Kirin seem so different?
It's only been a few days—could it just be my imagination?
"Claudia, who's this guest looking for me?"
Roy turned to Claudia, noticing her suspicious gaze fixed on Kirin's departing form. He cleared his throat to regain her attention.
"It's not some CEO of a multinational corporation or anything, right? I'm not planning to meet that type of person, you know?"
"Of course not. The academy wouldn't just let such people in casually either."
Claudia snapped out of her thoughts and chuckled at Roy's remark.
"It's Ernesta Kuhne from Arlequint Academy. She says she has something important to discuss with you and hopes to meet immediately."
Ernesta?
The creator of Alde and Rimcy—that extremely lively, century-class genius?
Roy recalled the girl he had seen during the semifinals, whose bust size was rather... overwhelming, and felt a quiet sense of puzzlement.
Ernesta's reputation was anything but ordinary. Her achievements in current Stellar Engineering far surpassed many older-generation scientists, earning her the title of one of the two century-class geniuses in the field alongside another prodigy named Hilde Jane Rowlands, commonly known as "The Grand Doctor."
What could she possibly want with him? And why was it so urgent?
Still, Roy had long wanted to establish a connection with Ernesta. Her seeking him out was unexpected, but it presented a perfect opportunity.
Student Council Office.
"Oooh, long time no see, champ!"
The moment Roy followed Claudia into the office, Ernesta leaped up from the sofa, waving excitedly at him with an unstoppable, radiant grin.
"Ernesta Kuhne. To think you'd come looking for me—what an honor."
"Just call me Ernesta! I'm not big on all that formal stuff—way too boring!"
"Alright then, Ernesta."
Roy took a seat on the sofa opposite her.
Claudia sat beside Roy, her expression guarded.
"I heard you have something important to discuss?"
"Yep! I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point!"
Eneresta nodded, then turned to Roy with an expectant look in her eyes, blinking eagerly at him.
"What do you think about automatons?"
"About what?"
Roy tilted his head slightly. What kind of random question was this?
"Ahaha, my bad, my bad! I mean, what's your view on the social status of automatons?"
Eneresta laughed and lightly smacked her own forehead.
"I've always had this dream—to see self-aware automatons granted the same status as ordinary humans!"
At these words, Roy's expression softened slightly, his brows lowering.
"But right now, humans only see automatons as weapons, as disposable tools. For those with self-awareness, like Alde and Rimcy, instead of accepting them, people fear they might threaten humanity's own standing... Are self-aware automatons still just tools? Can they be considered beings equal to humans? That's what I want to ask you!"
Eneresta stared intently at Roy, her heart pounding as if she were confessing her feelings—something she'd never felt before with any man.
Her gaze was so earnest, clearly hoping for a positive answer from him.
Claudia watched her with a strange, puzzled look, utterly unable to understand why Eneresta held such aspirations.
As a human, why did she care so much about automatons?
"...Is this a question I have to answer?"
After a moment of silence, Roy finally responded with a frown.
Eneresta tilted her head thoughtfully before replying earnestly.
"Less of a 'have to' and more of a prerequisite for what we're about to discuss."
"I see... Then I'll give you my personal answer."
Roy exhaled softly, leaning back against the sofa. His face showed no particular emotion toward Eneresta's dream—neither admiration nor disdain.
"I consider self-aware artificial humans as beings equal in intellect."
"Ohh! I knew it! You really are different from the others!"
Eneresta jumped up excitedly, her cheeks flushing slightly.
She had expected Roy to give a different answer from most, but she hadn't anticipated him being far more open-minded than she'd imagined!
This was a huge surprise!
"But don't misunderstand. I only see self-aware automatons—like Alde and Rimcy—as equals in intelligence, not in status."
In the next moment, Roy poured cold water on her excitement. His answer was neither full acceptance nor outright rejection, instantly cooling Eneresta's fervor.
"So you mean...?"
"You wanted to know my stance on artificial humans, right? Then I'll be blunt."
Roy carefully chose his words before continuing in a neutral tone.
"Where do automatons ultimately come from? Did they appear out of thin air? Were they born from nature? No. They were created by humans. Their bodies, their intelligence—all given by humans. For something created by humans to demand equal status with just a few words... Don't you think that's absurd?"
Ernesta remained silent, but her brows furrowed deeply.
From a rational standpoint, what Roy said was absolutely correct.
It's just that his words grated on her ears.
"You said 'easily'?"
Yet she had keenly grasped the underlying meaning in Roy's words.
Quite rational indeed.
Roy nodded subtly to himself, feeling a hint of appreciation that Ernesta didn't immediately lose her temper with him.
"Correct. When I said they can't easily attain equal status with humans, I wasn't denying that automatons could achieve equivalent status. There's just one prerequisite."
Roy nodded naturally, acknowledging the deeper meaning Ernesta had discerned.
"Take a human family as an example. Children born into a family naturally have filial obligations to their parents. Since automatons were created by humans, why should they expect equal status without fulfilling any responsibilities?"
"If you want parental recognition, you must support your parents, isn't that right?"