... a couple more tests couldn't hurt

Without meaning it to, the question roots itself in your mind of how far Yu's robot goes. You feel like a diver standing on a cliff's edge, dark waters of uncertain depth waiting beneath you.

"Just a couple last tests to finish, then we'll head out," you promise, sweat rolling down the back of your neck.

Yu smiles shyly, unsure what to do with her hands. "Um, okay."

"Initialize."

"Beep boop. What is your command, master?"

You swallow at that particular phrasing. You just have push things a little further than before, now.

"Clean this place up," you instruct.

"Loading cleaning routines. Scanning room. Executing service function."

Yutong sets off at once.

She starts by circling the room's perimeter, straightening the photos on the wall and the clock and chargers on the bed stand. Then, methodically, Yu picks everything off the floor. Clothing goes into a hamper, other odds and ends she doesn't know what to do with wind up in a spare drawer in the walk-in closet.

She goes about the task in utter silence. Making the bed, hanging discarded shirts, pairing shoes together in the closet, out of sight. You observe in equal silence. Yu's movements are precise, with a mechanical efficiency to her actions. No step is taken without a destination in mind, no motion is made without a purpose behind it.

With grace, Yu navigates the master bedroom with a domestic mastery as if she belonged to it. Indecision, no distractions, and no detail overlooked. In minutes, space transforms under her touch from presentable to spotless - an immaculate reflection of Yu's robot mode itself.

Surveying the room one last time, she quickly turns and proceeds to the door. You block the way.

"Where are you going?" you ask, surprised.

Yutong halts in her robot pose, hands at sides. "Unable to clean carpet and master bath. Initiating sweep of household for requisite equipment."

"Oh, no. This is more than enough," you say, again impressed by how much work she's done in just a few minutes. "I didn't mean you to do a deep clean."

"Beep boop. Updating parameters of task: 'Clean this place up'." Her eyes flicker, and she returns to standing attention. "Task completed."

A surge of gratification washes over you at her words. Again, you're gobsmacked by the absurdity of the situation. Yutong, with her high GPA, scientific mindset, and reserved nature, has turned totally into a house-cleaning robot at your command.

You're harder than you've been in a long time, and you feel like you're falling, or sinking. Fear gives way to anticipation. Fuck it, you can't help yourself. You have to push her further. You have to find out what the limits of this are.

"Remove..." you hesitate, but it's already begun. Like a ball rolling downhill. "Remove unnecessary or restrictive clothing."

The words hang in the air like a gunshot.

The room's instantly charged with tension. Yutong remains at attention, a flicker of hesitancy crossing her eyes. "... error."

Relief washes over you, along with a mix of regret and shame. She didn't comply, and for good reason. Why? Because you crossed the line. For all your powers and programming, rules still exist. Beneath the robot facade, Yutong is still -

"Invalid emotion detected. Recalibrating emotion core." says Yutong.

Huh?

She swivels to face you, her expression once more going smooth as glass. "Clarification needed. Define unnecessary or restrictive clothing."

You swallow, unsure of yourself or what you meant. "As in... referencing inessential garments that might impede movement or comfort," you explain, your tone joking. It's not great cover but it's the best you can manage.

"Beep boop. Clarification accepted," she monotones.

The answer takes you off guard. "Yutong, on second thought..."

Without a hint of self-consciousness, Yu begins removing her outer layer before you finish the sentence. You watch in slack-jawed amazement as she steps out of her shoes, pulls her Nintendo shirt off over her head, and pushes off her jeans, neatly folding them and placing them aside atop the bed.

It's a surreal experience, watching her undress with such clinical detachment. But there's nothing clinical about how Yu standing in front of you in her underwear, a simple white set of bra and panties.

"Task complete."

You can't help but run your over every inch of Yu, from her bare feet (her toe-nails are painted blue, matching her hair), all the way up her bare legs and svelte body, to her slender little shoulders and cherubic, perfectly expressionless face.

Her chest's so slight she doesn't even wear a proper bra, rather, she sports a little white cami bra, a narrow band of white fabric that runs taut over her barely-there breasts.

You swallow again. Geeze. This is... this is more than you bargained for.

After a minute of stupefied ogling, Yutong's voice breaks your reverie. "Unnecessary clothing removed," she reports flatly - impatiently, even. "Ready to receive additional tasks."

There are dangerous depths beneath you. But while you're down here...

"Strike a pose. Like a magazine model."

Yutong adopts a stiff, static pose, resembling a mannequin on display - one leg straight, hip cocked, one arm posed to the side, wrist bent to draw attention to her hand. The precision of the movement would be disconcerting if it weren't so fascinating. It's as if Yu's essential humanity has been set aside and replaced with a programmed automaton.

"Task complete. Awaiting additional instruction," prompts Yu.

Your mouth is dry. Vaguely, you remember the premise that led you down here to begin with. You wanted to check Yu's emotional reactions - make sure she felt comfortable, no matter what happened out there.

"How do you feel about these tasks, Yutong?" you ask.

She blinks once. Her eyes remain focused, but flat. "In robot mode, I do not experience feelings as humans do. My responses are based on logical, objective assessments." Her tone is cool. Devoid of any emotional nuance."I am satisfied to have completed my assigned tasks."

If you still needed proof that you've engineered away Yu's stage fright, this would be it. But if you linger any longer with Yu like this... that's not a balancing act you'll win. You already feel yourself tipping - if you start to fall, you can't be sure how far it'll be to the bottom.