「The current Saki Hanami is not human.」
The man sitting before me—a current city council member and a leading candidate for the upcoming mayoral election—didn't even try to hide his habit of licking his lips, his voice tinged with a certain irritation.
「...That's a bit far-fetched, isn't it?」 I couldn't help but let out a wry smile. 「It's ridiculous.」
A few days ago, Saki Hanami announced her candidacy for mayor.
She had announced her sudden retirement at the height of her popularity and vanished from the public eye for several years. The return of the legendary top idol sent the public into a frenzy, and the other candidates, who had also announced their runs, were forced into a defensive position against the massive typhoon that had suddenly changed course and headed their way.
「I had people thoroughly investigate her private life. Well, it wasn't exactly a commendable method.」
The man shrugged self-deprecatingly.
「But listen to this. Surprisingly, she doesn't consume any solid food. Even at dinner meetings, she only takes in a mysterious liquid or an unidentified paste.」
A hologram of investigation documents unfolded in the air. The man traced the chronological log with his fingertip. Hidden photos of Saki and her activity records were lined up without gaps.
「That's not all. She goes to bed at 8:00 PM every night and wakes up at 4:00 AM every morning. Her daily behavioral error averages thirty-seven seconds. She hasn't broken this routine once in years. Do you think such a disciplined human exists? It's as if she's a robot running on a program.」
I had no way of knowing what kind of people he used to investigate, but compared to the meticulous data I used to manage as part of her production, the granularity of the information was pathetically poor.
「Saki Hanami has always been that kind of person. It wouldn't be surprising if she continued the same lifestyle after retirement.」
「Now that is far-fetched.」
「You don't know Saki. Besides, a robot indistinguishable from a human—one that reproduces an actual person—shouldn't be that easy to make.」
「Ethically, yes. But technically, we've long since reached the stage where it's possible. Robotics has made such leaps and bounds in the last decade. And look at her in the media. You can't feel any signs of fatigue, emotional disturbance, or fluctuations in expression. She's always flashing that perfect smile. That is just too—」
「She's a former top idol,」 I sighed theatrically. 「And? You want to turn the election in your favor?」
For a moment, the man's expression hardened. But he soon exhaled and spread his hands lightly.
「Oh, please don't misunderstand. I don't want to bring her down. That's why I'm coming directly to you, her former producer. If I wanted to, I could just leak this circumstantial evidence to the public. The truth of the information doesn't matter. People are creatures that consume suspicion itself. You, who were in the entertainment industry, should know that well.」
The man's eyes were fixed straight on me. It didn't take long to realize he wasn't threatening me.
His cautious, suggestive way of speaking was likely a habit acquired while surviving as a politician. What lay behind it was a different kind of conviction. The fact that he went out of his way to visit me spoke more eloquently than anything else.
「So, what are you trying to say?」
「Current laws don't account for robots living as citizens, let alone holding public office. Even if they are more sincere and more capable than humans. This isn't a matter of like or dislike; it's a matter of the system. Our society isn't ready to accept that situation yet.」
I turned my right palm upward, prompting the man to continue.
「What I fear is not Saki Hanami. It's not the ethical question of whether robots should be granted rights. Rather, the problem is what comes after. If we once accept the precedent of Saki Hanami—an undefined existence—that standard must be explainable for the next one. That is what law is. So, when a robot made by a corporation, a state, or someone with malicious intent appears next, where do we draw the line?」
The room was deathly quiet, with only the man's low voice echoing. He slowly closed the hologram with his fingertip.
「So, Mr. Former Producer. I want you to confirm it. That the Saki Hanami currently running for mayor is the human Saki Hanami herself. You, of all people. Neither of us wants to make a big deal out of this.」
The following night, I waited for Saki at the back exit after her speech. When she noticed me, she dismissed her staff and ran toward me alone, her reddish hair swaying.
Meeting her for the first time in years, Saki possessed the same overwhelming presence as she did during her idol days.
「It's been a long time. Saki... right?」
「Oh, would you be satisfied if I said yes? Or would you be satisfied if I said I was a robot?」
It was that voice, like a ringing bell, that I had heard so many times.
「From the looks of it, you've already guessed why I came to see you.」
「Yes. It's exactly the kind of thing that man would think,」 Saki shook her head. 「If it weren't for something like this, you wouldn't have come to see me.」
「...I'm not a producer anymore. I came today as a supporter. If you can't prove you're human, he'll eventually denounce you.」
—There was a sense of wrongness.
There was no reason for the current Saki, who is neither an idol nor an athlete, to continue a lifestyle identical to back then—no matter how extraordinarily stoic she is. It was as if protecting that lifestyle itself had become the goal.
「I don't mind.」
Saki wasn't fazed at all. Her tone was calm, and there was no hesitation.
「It'll probably be picked up in a big way and turn into a scandal. But that's fine. Many people will pay attention. I think it's necessary for me to win for sure. No matter how right your policies are, if they don't reach people, it's the same as if they don't exist.」
「But—」
「To turn it around, to prove I'm a robot, they'd have to unfairly infringe on my rights as a 'person who might be human' guaranteed under the law and investigate me by force. That would mean breaking the law for the sake of the law. So, it's impossible.」
「That's reckless, Saki. This kind of situation hasn't been sufficiently debated among the people yet.」
「If that's the case, then I'll be the one to move the clock forward.」
Saki said so and quietly looked up at the sky. The wind blew her hair across her cheeks. I watched her silently as she brushed her hair back with a practiced hand.
「Saki... whose plan is this?」
「Whose? It's the 'you' inside me, Producer.」 Saki placed her hand on her chest and narrowed her eyes slightly. 「I always think about what you would do in a time like this.」
「Am I really like that?」
「Well, I don't know. My memories of you fade while we're apart, and you change too. I'm sure it's already something different from back then. Even so—」 Saki took a small breath and looked down. 「It was a necessary support for me.」
In the direction of her lowered gaze, Saki's shadow, with the streetlight behind her, stretched long across the asphalt.
「Is the current me already different from the Saki Hanami you knew?」
「...I wonder. I can't claim to understand Saki Hanami well enough to decide that. However—it seems the current Saki is still continuing her reckless lifestyle. There are parts I recognize.」
Saki's eyes widened for a moment at my words, and then she slightly relaxed her mouth. Only now did I feel like I had truly reunited with her.
「I didn't want to change. I wanted to stay the Saki Hanami you remember as much as possible. I didn't want to lose.」
「That sounds like you.」
「Hey, Producer. I thought I could do it alone, even without you. In fact, I've been doing that, and I intended to keep doing so... But meeting you again—oh, no. This wasn't supposed to— Meeting you, I... I feel relieved. The persona of the invincible Saki Hanami peels off so fragrantly, and the weak me shows her face.」
Saki's eyes wavered, catching the soft light of the streetlight. Her trembling voice melted into the silence of the night.
「You told me once that you wouldn't act tough in front of me. Saki, you're at your coolest when you're saying pathetic things.」
「What's that supposed to mean...?」
「It takes a lot of courage to show your weakness. To betray the expectations of others, to expose your fatal wounds, to feel like you're going to lose your trust, dignity, and everything—it must be so terrifying that you don't even feel alive.」
「I don't feel alive right now. You don't have to give such a detailed play-by-play of my heartbreak.」
「I thought it would be disrespectful to go easy on a sincere complaint.」
「Your trust is as heavy as ever. If you're going to say that much, then you become my secretary.」
「—Of course. I won't let you be alone anymore, Saki.」
Saki wiped her eyes with her fingertips and took a small breath.
「Watch over me, my partner.」
