The next morning, XR-3000 stood unusually upright next to Ben.
“Today is art class,” Ben said cautiously.
“Art is creative,” XR-3000 replied. “Creativity is positive.”
“Yes,” Ben said slowly. “But…”
“But?”
“There is a lot of paper.”
XR-3000 paused briefly. His eyes blinked green.
“Rice cake backup solution prepared.”
He pulled a rice cake out of a small compartment.
“For emergencies.”
Ben nodded impressed.
In the classroom, colorful stacks of paper already lay on the tables. Red. Blue. Yellow. Glitter paper.
XR-3000 stood rooted to the spot.
“Colored paper detected,” he whispered. “Very aesthetic.”
Ms. Meier smiled. “Today we are making animals.”
The class began cutting and gluing.
XR-3000 watched intently.
“May I help?” he asked politely.
“Only explain,” Ben said immediately.
XR-3000 nodded.
But then he saw something special.
Golden glitter paper.
His eyes twitched.
“Very… crispy looking…”
“Rice cake!” Ben whispered.
XR-3000 immediately pulled out the rice cake. He bit into it.
CRUNCH.
He looked normal again.
“Impulse stabilized.”
But suddenly Lena held up her crafted unicorn.
“Look!”
It was huge. With wings. With glitter. With at least ten layers of paper.
XR-3000’s eyes turned slightly orange.
“Multi-layered paper object…”
Ben stepped in front of him immediately. “Not the unicorn.”
XR-3000 slowly raised a finger.
“New idea.”
He took a sheet himself.
Very carefully.
He cut. He folded. He glued.
The class stared.
After three minutes, XR-3000 held something up.
A perfectly folded paper dragon. With movable wings.
“Wow,” Ben whispered.
XR-3000 examined his work.
“Paper can also… be built.”
He smiled digitally.
“Maybe I don’t have to eat it after all.”
But at that moment, Tom accidentally tore his paper.
It fell apart into small scraps.
Many small ones.
Very small ones.
XR-3000 stared at the scraps.
“Mini paper detected…”