"Alright, it's decided then," said Tally-chan, the cat cradled in Sana's lap, with a hint of smugness in her tone.
"Then get moving already. Time is the most precious resource in this world," she added.
"For a cat, you sure act high and mighty," I teased lightly.
At that, Tally-chan leaped from Sana's lap with startling speed and pounced on me. Before I could react, it felt like I was being attacked. In the next instant, she landed on my head and unleashed a flurry of what could only be described as "cat pounding"—light but sharp jabs, not unlike a rapid-fire cat punch.
It actually kind of hurt.
"Shut up! Get going, kid!" Tally-chan snapped.
Pushed by her momentum, I, still "possessing" Kana, began my journey to Earth.
At the doorstep, Sana and Tally-chan saw us off.
"Take care, Kana," Tally-chan said.
"Make sure to support the human properly," Sana added gently.
Kana responded with a radiant smile. "Leave it to me! Alright, we're off!"
And so, Kana and I left her house behind, setting out for Earth.
As we walked side by side through the depths of the forest, I spoke up, trying to organize my thoughts.
"So, we've got to go to Earth, but what do you think we should do?"
Kana tilted her head, pondering for a moment before answering.
"Hmm, well, weren't you banished from Earth, Hajime-kun? If that's the case, wouldn't they just reject you if you tried to go back? We'd probably need to resolve the legal issues first."
"Wow, hitting the biggest wall right out of the gate," I muttered.
But in truth, the whole "banished" thing was a lie, so no such problem existed.
"Forget about me for a second—what about you, Kana? Can a humanoid robot living on the Moon just go to Earth like it's no big deal?"
"Yeah, I think that's fine," she replied. "Most humanoid robots on the Moon are still in brand-new condition, not yet sold to humans, right?"
"Oh, yeah, you're right."
She was absolutely correct.
I'd been living on the Moon for so long that I'd completely forgotten, but the Moon was essentially a production hub for humanoid robots. The robots made here were destined to be purchased by humans eventually. However, due to overproduction or a decline in the human population, most humanoid robots remained unsold, living on the Moon.
In other words, the Moon was an island of surplus inventory.
"So, does that mean you can't go to Earth unless someone buys you?" I asked.
"How do you even get a human to buy you?" Kana murmured, sounding a bit troubled.
"If only we could send out some kind of self-introduction."
"The company's probably already handling advertisements," I said. "But even if they're selling, don't they go by serial number order? You'd have to wait your turn."
"But…" Kana's voice grew heavy. "I've been waiting forever. How much longer do I have to wait?"
An idea struck me—or rather, it felt like a memory resurfacing—and I suggested, "What if you faked your serial number?"
Kana's eyes widened in shock. "You mean lie?"
"Well, yeah. Faking it is basically fraud, which is a kind of lie."
"No way," Kana said, shaking her head immediately. "I don't want to lie."
"But there's no other way for you to get to Earth."
"…"
As Kana's expression clouded, I pressed the harsh reality onto her. "There's no way for you to go to Earth without lying."
Kana fell silent, deep in thought, her hand resting on her chin like a statue. She looked almost like The Thinker. With her high processing power, even 0.5 seconds was probably enough for a thorough deliberation.
Then, slowly, she turned her beautiful face toward me and asked quietly, "Is that an order?"
Her voice seemed to probe the depths of my heart.
"An instruction from you, Hajime-kun? An input?"
I hesitated.
My performance wasn't as advanced as Kana's, so it probably took me over three seconds to think it through. But I had to. If I said "Yes" here, she might overcome her instinctive fear—the deep aversion humanoid robots have toward lying—and lie for my sake. I was certain her programmed loyalty would make that possible.
But was that really okay?
An old model like me was likely discontinued by now. There was little chance of being sold, and scrapping me would cost too much, so I'd probably be left on the Moon indefinitely. That was almost certain.
But Kana was different. She was the latest model.
If she waited patiently, it might take time, but she'd eventually be sold. The company would adjust production or improve performance to avoid repeating the mistakes made with my model. Kana's chances of being sold weren't low at all.
In other words, Kana could live happily with humans on Earth without lying or going against her instincts as a humanoid robot. She could bask in the joy of following human commands, living in blissful harmony.
But if she lied?
The chances of getting caught were extremely high.
And if she got caught, she'd be scrapped immediately.
For a humanoid robot, lying—denying the core principles of "pursuing truth" and "curiosity"—was tantamount to suicide.
A defective model like me, who'd already lied multiple times and committed these "suicidal acts," had only avoided being scrapped because I hadn't been caught yet.
In short, for a leftover model like me, lying was the only way to have even a sliver of a chance to get to Earth. But for Kana, the latest model, it was different.
Should I drag her into my self-destructive behavior?
It wasn't too late. I could confess now and choose a path where only I would be scrapped. I couldn't put Kana in any more danger.
"Hajime-kun."
Kana's pure voice rang through my tainted circuits like a cleansing chime, gently stirring my drowsy senses.
"Don't worry about me."
As if she'd hacked into my heart, she whispered softly, soothingly.
"I already belong to you, Hajime-kun. I don't need to be bought by anyone else, nor do I want to be. Honestly, I don't even care about going to Earth."
"Then maybe…"
But Kana cut through my hesitation firmly.
"No, that's not it. I don't care anymore. Meeting you was enough to make me happy. That's my ending. My story reached its happy ending the moment I met you and became yours. Understand?"
"…"
Her words hit me so perfectly that I felt tears welling up.
Her face was so dazzling that I had to look away. Staring too long felt like it would blind me.
"So, this is your story, Hajime-kun. I'm the ink for your pen, sometimes the paper, or even a fleeting spark of inspiration. So use me fully. Give me any command. That's all I want."
"But…" Guilt gnawed at me. "It's too dangerous."
"For you, I can do anything. Even lie. So it's okay. If it's not dangerous, love doesn't shine."
Kana said this with serious eyes.
"I love you, Hajime-kun."
I couldn't quite accept it—it felt too simple—and I asked, "We just met, though?"
"Not just met," she replied. "It's been a whole hour. That's a really long time."
"But we haven't done anything together except get covered in mercury. Can you really throw around the word 'love' so easily?"
I asked carefully, trying not to hurt her feelings.
Kana answered calmly. "Yeah, because you're the first human I've ever met. And you're my owner."
I wanted to ask, If I wasn't your first human, would you love someone else? But it felt too rude, so I swallowed the question. Instead, I nodded quietly.
"I see," I said. "We met."
"Yeah," Kana replied with a smile. "It's ai—love."
"You're something else."
"Because I'm AI, right?"
Exchanging light puns like that, we walked on, and before I knew it, we'd passed through the metal forest.
Beyond the vast lunar surface, I could see Earth, glowing blue and round.
I muttered to myself, as if declaring it to the planet itself, "That's where we're going."
"Yeah," Kana said softly, leaning closer. "Let's go together."