[One year later – Hatsume's residence – Basement/Workshop – Kyosuke POV]
The father-and-daughter duo stood side by side in the basement, both of them looking at a small metallic body currently standing on a circular platform connected to various cables and monitors. Its frame was bright silver, reflecting the lights of the basement. The design was small and compact, yet it held a certain intimidating air around it. On its chest was a circular hole. Its feet were large, mimicking a pair of sneakers, and its head resembled Sonic's, but replacing anything that made the blue hedgehog look friendly with sharp, sleek edges. It stood around 100 centimeters (3 ft 3 in) tall, not taking into account the platform it was standing on.
Kyosuke glanced down at his daughter while she was distracted examining every single detail of the robot.
'I knew she had talent, but this... is on another level. I'll be surprised if she doesn't surpass me by the time she's in high school.'
When Mei first asked him if they could build the robot together, Kyosuke heard something more along the lines of: "Dad, can you make the robot for me while I pretend to help?" And yet, they managed to not only finish the body but also create a basic AI framework. Every time Kyosuke found himself stuck on the project, Mei would come out of nowhere and give absurd ideas that somehow worked as. Not only that, but the speed at which she understood every task was off the charts. The little pink goblin only needed to watch Kyosuke do something once before she could mimic it perfectly.
In the past year, Mei researched everything she could about the character she was trying to bring to life. She wanted the design to be as close as possible to the one she saw in the game, which gave Kyosuke quite the headache—especially the weird-shaped head. Nevertheless, after calling in some favors and getting tips from some of his fellow engineers, Kyosuke managed to pull it off with Mei's help.
"I think it's ready for a test run," Kyosuke said as he walked over to a nearby monitor.
"Really?!" Mei gasped as she turned her neck fast enough to break it. "I can't wait! Turn it on!" The small girl took a step back while bouncing on her feet as she stared at the robot.
Kyosuke chuckled at his daughter's eagerness before his fingers started moving across the keyboard. After running a few commands and receiving positive responses, he let out a sigh. "Alright, get ready... 3... 2... 1!"
Electricity traveled through the cables connected to the metallic body. Sparks flew from the connection points, and the lights flickered for a moment. After a few tense seconds, the current stabilized.
Kyosuke and Mei watched as the bottom of the circular hole on the robot's chest started humming before it began spinning. The previously dark hole lit up with red energy as the robot came alive. The camera lens behind the screen on its face lit up red as the systems activated.
"It worked!" Mei said while throwing her arms up in celebration. Meanwhile, Kyosuke kept a close eye on the monitor, making sure everything was functioning correctly.
"Seems like it... Why don't you try giving it some commands?" Kyosuke said, to which Mei responded with a quick thumbs up.
"Alright, ummm... let's see. Metal! Left arm up!"
The robot's shoulder joints creaked softly as it slowly moved its left arm upward.
"Great! Now, Metal! Right leg up!"
Metal didn't respond, making Mei tilt her head to the side in confusion.
"Metal! I said right leg up!"
This time, it responded by lifting its other arm instead. Suddenly, its eyes flickered before the light went out alongside the core on its chest.
"Dad, what's wrong with Metal?" Mei asked as she stared at the robot, which had returned to its previous resting position.
Kyosuke's black eyes moved from side to side across the monitor as he scanned through every line of code.
"The AI is too primitive for such a complex body," Kyosuke said after a few moments. "It's like having the frame of a sports car with the internal parts of a beat-up Corolla."
Mei stared at her father for a moment before letting out a sigh. She had zero idea what a Corolla was, but she understood the analogy.
"Can you fix it, Daddy?" the small girl asked as she moved to stand beside her father, rising onto her tiptoes to look at the monitor.
"I don't know, sweetie. AI isn't exactly my strong suit." Kyosuke glanced at his daughter before sighing at the pout on her face. "I have a friend who's much better at this than me, but don't expect anything. This line of work doesn't exactly scream free time."
Kyosuke reached into his pocket to grab his phone, but a small hand stopped him.
"I'll do it!" Mei said while staring into her father's eyes with burning determination. "Metal is my project, so I should be the one to give him life, right?"
"Are you sure?" Kyosuke asked after a brief pause. "Even with the speed at which you pick things up, it could take you years. Not to mention, one error could ruin the whole thing."
Mei's response came in the form of an eager nod.
"Okay then... just remember that you can always ask for help." Kyosuke ruffled Mei's pink hair with a small, fond smile.
"DINNER IS READY!" a feminine voice called from upstairs, catching the duo's attention.
With that, the father-and-daughter duo started walking up the stairs, though Mei's little head was somewhere else.