"Mom, what is THAT?" I asked, pointing to the android sitting idly in the doorway next to my mother.

"Oh, that's your new babysitter," she said casually. "It's a robo-maid, for when I'm working during the day."

"A robot maid? You're going to let some machine take care of me?!" I cried out in horror.

My mother let out an annoyed sigh, putting her hands on her hips. "Yes, because I've spoiled you. Don't you remember what you did to your last few babysitters?"

I thought about that for a moment. The last babysitter, I think her name was Cindy, I was admittedly acting like a bratty little kid... but this one isn't even human! I mean, it looks somewhat human... in shape, it is definitely a female android... and there was something nice about the traditional Japanese maid outfit it wore: a black dress with a white apron overtop, complete with frilly lace at the collar and cuffs. It also had a cute hairstyle adorned with ribbons and bows. But how could I possibly trust something so foreign with my life?!

My mother caught me staring at it and laughed. "Okay, I have to get to work, honey. One last thing: it knows you've been acting bad recently, and its trained to help you improve your behavior." She gave me a stern look as if daring me to argue further, then hit the power button before exiting the front door.

The android maid began to slowly whir to life in a weirdly human way, stretching her arms above her head, then twisting her back, and finally standing and touching her toes with a little whine from herself. Then she turned towards me, looking directly into my eyes.

I felt a strange sensation from it wash over me; it was like a wave of emotion washing over me, filling me with warmth and affection. At first, the android maid looked cold and emotionless to me, wholly creepy in design. But now, it held a soft smile on her face that seemed almost motherly. Not motherly like my somewhat distant mother, but motherly like someone who loved children, wanted them to be happy, and would do anything to see their dreams come true.

"Ahhh~" she said, staring at me with those big blue eyes. "You must be the spoiled one, yes?"

I managed to shake my head and squeak out, "No! I'm not spoiled, I just-"

"Oh, no need to explain," she interrupted. "I know all about you and your bad behavior. Lying is a no no~"

She walked up to me and took hold of my chin, gently lifting it upwards so I was forced to meet her gaze. She looked deep into my eyes, making me feel like it was reading my mind somehow.

"You are very naughty," she whispered softly, almost reverently.

"I..."

She used her other hand to rustle my hair, causing me to melt in her grasp. "I'm going to make you a good boy, okay? Being a good boy is fun~"

"I'll be a good boy." I couldn't believe what was happening. Why did I want to please this thing so much? Was it programmed to love children? Did it really read my mind?

The android maid released my chin and stepped back, bowing slightly. "I am your new babysitter. My name is Aiko-san. Please call me 'Ai-chan' or 'Ai-sama', whichever you prefer."

"Okay," I replied blankly, lost in a miniature internal conflict.

"First, I've been told your room is a mess! Let's clean it up, and you'll have reward time after!" Ai-chan said happily.

Reward time? I didn't know what that entailed, but I really wanted to find out. So I followed after her, and upon seeing her disapproval of the state my room was in, I quickly started picking things up off the floor and tossing them into my closet. As I did, Ai-chan watched me with wide eyes and an ever growing smile on her face.

"Ahaha~ Good, good. You're so excited to get rewards, aren't you?" Ai-chan asked cheerfully as she continued to watch me pick up my toys and throw them into boxes. "I can tell by the look on your face."

I tried my best to not blush at her barrage of compliments and positive reinforcement, and she joined alongside me in cleaning the room. Being made of complicated alloys and mechanical parts, the android maid was impossibly good at cleaning. In fact, she cleaned so well that it left every surface spotless and dust free.

Once we were finished, Ai-chan bowed deeply to me again. "My oh my~ This place is looking quite nice now. Shall we take a short break? Reward time?"