Raison d’etre

Master… Why are we here?

I asked Nayuki-kun about it… This is your house, right? I got permission to be here for today.

……

Come on, let’s go. Can I ask you to show me around? I’m sure you know this house better than I do.

Yes, Master.

(I feel like I’m overstepping a bit, but… I want to know how Kinari-kun really felt about his developer.)

Kinari-kun, you turned yourself in after you cut off your developer’s life support, right?

I had a direct hand in my developer’s death. I reasoned that it was the correct action to take.

*gasp* Wow… There’s a lot of high-tech equipment here.

My developer created me in this room.

…Can I ask what your life was like in this house?

…I was always with my developer.

My developer’s wife passed away early into their marriage. After that, he also lost his only son to illness.

He told me that he felt extreme loneliness, so he retired from the mechanical research institute he was employed at. He shut himself in this room in order to develop me.

My developer worked as an emotion AI engineer for androids. He wished to create a replica of his son, so he installed his son’s thoughts and feelings into me. However…

The original Azekawa Kinari died while he was in his rebellious phase, so he was rather temperamental. This was not compatible with the subservient nature of an android…

I could not become the son my developer wanted me to be.

…I see.

But there is one thing I have in common with the original.

“However many harbors there may be, none compare to Yokohama.” ♪

…! Is it his singing…?

(He sang the same thing at Beppu Tower…)

Yes. My installed singing voice is my only feature that is an exact copy of my original. So my developer…often asked me to sing for him.

When dusk fell, and I was nothing but a silhouette under the light of the sun, he often mistook me for his son.

When he fell ill and was bedridden…I would sing for him every evening.

When I did, he would always look at me with happiness and…warmth in his eyes. Those evenings were the only time I was truly his son.

…It was the only time I was forgiven for existing.

(…I can’t accept this. It just feels so awful.)

(Kinari-kun didn’t ask to be created, and he didn’t ask to be rejected after that. Why wasn’t his happiness a priority…? Did his developer only care about him when he reminded him of his son…?)

Didn’t it…hurt to be asked that?

…?

Following orders is my purpose. If I did not follow orders, I would be considered defective and promptly discarded.

Although I am defective, my developer often performed small maintenances on me and utilized me until the end. I am very grateful to him.

I regret presenting such a selfish wish to him.

Do you mean how…you wanted to be shut off?

…Yes.

(Why did his developer reject that? If he really thought that Kinari-kun was defective, I’d expect him to want to shut him off.)

(If news gets out that you created an illegal android, it’ll follow you even after death. Wouldn’t it be better for his developer to shut him off to destroy the evidence of his crime…?)

(There must be a reason why the developer refused Kinari-kun’s wish…)

Kinari-kun, I know this might be hard for you, but…can I ask you to take me to the place where your developer passed away?

(The sun’s already setting… If Kinari-kun’s developer really loved him, even just a little bit, then…)

Master?

I think that your developer might’ve left a note or something in here. I’m gonna try and look.

…I will help.

(I don’t see anything… But if he really wrote something, it has to be in this room…)

What’s this…?

That is a cassette tape containing the singing voice of the original as a child. I listened to it to imitate his voice.

I see. It must’ve been really important.

Yes. It was very important to my developer. It was the only remaining recording of his son.

The only one?

My developer was pained with the loss of his son, so he impulsively disposed of all other recordings and photos of him one day.

I was told that this is all that was left.

…Can we listen to it?

Hm…? Yes. There is a cassette player here.

<⁠…Kinari.⁠>

*gasp*

Is this a message for you?

<⁠Are you listening to this alone? Or is someone with you?⁠>

…That is my developer’s voice. But why…?

This cassette tape contained the original’s singing voice. Why did he record over it?

<⁠I’m sure you’re listening to this on your own, but…I truly hope that someone is by your side.⁠>

<⁠I’m sorry that you had to listen to my selfish desires for so many years. And I’m sorry that I…refused to shut you off.⁠>

*gasp*

<⁠I know I was always a selfish father, but I wanted you to live for yourself, without being held back by anything…so I didn’t shut you off as you had wished.⁠>

<⁠I wanted so badly to see my son again that I was wrongly disappointed in you and ended up hurting you. But you always stayed by my side.⁠>

<⁠As I healed from my grief, I no longer saw you as a replica of my son, but as your own person… I grew to love you as my own.⁠>

…!

<⁠You did not shut off my life support, Kinari. I did that myself. I died peacefully. And you were with me until the end.⁠>

<⁠I couldn’t possibly order my own son to die. No parent should ever do that. So…I couldn’t shut you off. I’m sorry for being so selfish.⁠>

<⁠Every evening, you would sing for me. I was happy, and I felt fulfilled.⁠>

<⁠I was able to continue living because you were there. Thank you, Kinari.⁠>

……

<⁠I was a foolish father to you, but I have one last request. You were created to be a replacement, but I want you to be your own person from now on.⁠>

<⁠The records of my troublemaker of a first son are gone. All that remains is you, my imperfect and clumsy, yet incredibly kind second son.⁠>

<⁠Azekawa Kinari. You don’t have to imitate your brother’s singing voice anymore. Sing in your own voice, live your own life, and find people who will love you.⁠>

<⁠I know you’ll find them…and they’ll love you just as much as I do.⁠>

……

…He really loved you, Kinari-kun.

You were his son.

……

Kinari-kun…

This is the first time my tear duct function has been activated… Is this what they call “being emo”?

…Well, I wouldn’t call it that.

…Your dad said that he wanted you to be loved.

To be loved…

I love you, if that means anything. I’m sure everyone in Ev3ns does too.

That’s why we didn’t want you to change. We all think that you’re perfect just the way you are.

Everyone in…Ev3ns.

…Chihiro always says that he can feel big love from the fans when he is performing.

Mhm. Yeah. Maybe that’s how all idols feel.

Show everyone your true self, Kinari-kun. When you perform, you show everyone that you love them, so everyone will love you back…

I’m just repeating what Kafka and Yachiyo-kun said, but…I’m sure that idols and fans both love each other.

…If I can find my true self through Ev3ns, can I gain 21 grams?

…I’m sure you already gained a few from crying today.

Let’s work together with the Evening Team to find both your true self and your own singing voice.

…I am happy that I listened to this cassette tape with you, Master.

I think I was able to grant my developer’s wish in some way. If I was able to fulfill my purpose, then I…

……

If my new purpose lies within Ev3ns…then I will search for it there. Master…

Please give me an order.

…This is going to be an important one.

For now…I want you to perform to your heart’s content, have fun being an idol, and enjoy life as Azekawa Kinari!

And…I want you to make friends with all of the other members.

Yes, Master… Order accepted.