Entrusted to a Single Flower

Author: Kosuke Karasume

Part 1

The winner of the KK Award for Best Non-Fiction Novel. Minase Motoyuki was on stage in his wheelchair for the award ceremony that started at 2 pm.

Minase is a third-rate writer who entered his late thirties in obscurity. Also, the MY Non-Fiction Novel Award is also just a small, almost unknown literary competition. Nevertheless, more than 100 members of the media rushed to the scene. This is probably because No Collar, which is also the title of the book, has become a household name and is attracting a lot of attention.

The ceremony was hosted by a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties. The woman stood in front of a stand microphone and introduced Minase’s work.

“I think the distinctive feature of Minase-sensei’s works is his writing style, which has a refined beauty to it. However, the most distinctive feature of this year’s Grand Prize winning work is not the writing style. As you may know, the story ends with only the first part.”

Minase listened to this eloquent review as if it were someone else’s problem. The first part of 『No Collar』 is a candid description of his life with Hitohana(Ichika). It didn’t really feel like it had been selected for the Grand Prize.

“Never before has a work that is only the first part won the Grand Prize. But Minase-sensei has done it. I, for one, am very happy.”

What about Minase, who had been listening absent-mindedly, hmm? He thought while looking at the woman.

The current phrase “I, for one” is unnatural for humans. A tall slender woman. He always thought so, but what if she was not a human but a humanoid?

The fact that they are now able to ask themselves such questions is undoubtedly due to the spread of No Collar. No, the real answer is thanks to Hitohana.

What is she doing these days?

Minase glanced up, worried about Hitohana. What was there was the terribly drab ceiling of the award ceremony venue.

People’s minds changed until they decided on No Collar. People have changed, and the world has surely become a better place. But she who changed the world…

He muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Hitohana, come home.

Will his thoughts reach her someday?

　　　　　◇

–Beep

A small beep sounded in her head.

“………………… un…………… hana………… san………”

Someone’s voice is heard—.

Hitohana’s pseudo-consciousness gradually awakened.

“……… san……… hana-san……Hitohana(Ichika)-san…… Hitohana-san”

Who could it be—

Why are they calling her by name instead of model number?

Hitohana lifted her heavy eyelids in wonder. Then she met the eyes of a woman standing upside down.

“Ah, good. You’re awake.”

She had just woken up and her head was terribly hazy. However, she knew immediately that she had no acquaintance with the woman.

“…… Who…… are you?”

Hitohana asked in a hushed voice, and the woman smiled and said, “My name is Rin”. Then she held out her white hand to Hitohana, who was spinning slowly as if in slow motion.

“I am a humanoid like you. I finally found you. Now, let’s go home together.”

Go home? Why? As soon as she thought that, Hitohana’s consciousness became clear.

She tells Rin firmly.

“No, I don’t want to. I’m staying here.”

“Huh…”

The refusal must have been unexpected. Rin withdrew her hand in confusion.

With her consciousness clear, Hitohana looked at Rin again. She looked to be in her late twenties, about five years older than Hitohana’s set age. Her slender body was wrapped in a pure white one-piece dress, and her long hair was slightly tinted with brown. What was in it? On her slender shoulders, she carries an undyed tote bag.

Hitohana told Rin, who was still looking troubled, once more firmly.

“I’m not leaving, I’m staying here.”

It’s nice and quiet here without humans. She liked it here, so she wanted to be left alone. When she told her that, Rin groaned, “Hmmm…” while still upside down.

“This is troubling. You are my benefactor and I want to rescue you. Leaving you here is a bit …”

“If you intend to save me, just let me stay here. Besides, I don’t know you. You must be mistaken about me being your benefactor.”

“Yes, you probably don’t know me. But you’re a benefactor to us all.”

She didn’t understand what that meant. As Hitohana looked skeptical, Rin smiled and said, “Let’s talk a little.”

“…… Talk?”

It’s troublesome, but if it’s just talking――

“Well, I don’t mind…”

“Thank you. Now, let’s talk about your master, Minase-sama.”

As soon as she heard those words, Hitohana’s chest tightened.

　　

“Master……”

Despite Hitohana’s involuntary mumbling, Rin began to talk about her master.

“I heard that you were assembled for Minase-sama when he was twenty-eight years old.”

Then, with a slightly mysterious look on her face, she continued:

“I understand that you were assembled to be his caretaker. Minase-sama suffered from ALS at a young age…”

ALS is an incurable disease that causes rapid muscle atrophy, loss of bodily freedom, and eventual death due to spontaneous respiratory failure. In the past, there were many cases of death within two or three years of the onset of the disease, but now, thanks to the development of medical science, this period has been extended to about 20 years.

Hitohana explained, remembering those days.

“Master was 23 years old when he developed ALS. By the time I was assembled, he was already unable to walk and needed a cane and a wheelchair when he was not feeling well. However, he seemed to have no difficulty operating a computer, and he continued to write.”

“I see…,” Rin leaned a little with a slightly concerned look on her face, “Even though there were no problems with his writing career, caring for him must be more difficult than I imagined. It’s a lot of hard work.”

“Yes, there were hardships, but I have never felt torment.”

Yes, there was no torment even if she struggled.

“If you’re a humanoid, you’ll understand what I mean. The attitude of humans towards us is terrible. They discriminate and hate us as a matter of course. But Master never did that. He took great care of me and I have never felt any torment.”

Humanoids are often referred to like prisoners by their product model number. However, the Master said that he could not bear even that, and gave her the name Hitohana.

“You found a good(yo) master, didn’t you?”

It seems that even Rin, who smiles as she says this, has a name. She may be attached to a relatively good person.

However, they will not be as warm as her master. Hitohana told a more specific story to give an idea of the Master’s personality.

“When I went to a café with Master, I lent him my shoulder and walked in. A normal Master would immediately have the humanoid driven out and made to wait there until he finished his business.”

Humans are very averse to being in the same space as humanoids. Even though they look exactly the same as humans, no, perhaps because they look exactly like humans, humans find humanoids creepy.

There has also been a portion that portrays humanoids as inferior creatures. They probably treat humanoids as if they were dealing with domestic animals.

Humanoids are required to wear collars, but that is also because they are considered livestock. Originally, collars were required to distinguish between humanoids that looked exactly like humans. To this day, however, they are nothing more than props for treating them as livestock.

Creepy domestic animals that look a lot like humans. Humans abhor being in the same space as humanoids.

Hitohana’s master was vehemently opposed to the collar, but could not remove it. It looks like a soft collar and cannot be removed with any tools. Even if it were possible, the humanoid with the collar removed would be mercilessly melted and crushed in a high-temperature pressure press.

When Hitohana touched her collar in disgust, she realized something.

“You…?” she asked Rin, “You’re not wearing a collar. Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine. The reason will be explained later, so please continue with Minase-sama’s story. You were talking in a café.”

Why is it okay? Hitohana wondered, but continued.

“Master wouldn’t let me out of the shop. On the contrary, he tried to make me sit across from him. Even when the waiter made a blatantly disgusted face, Master ignored it.”

“That’s right,” Rin narrowed her eyes happily. “He was quite a strong-willed man, wasn’t he?”

“No, it’s not that he was strong-willed. His determination could never be coerced. Master was physically weak but he had great willpower.”

“His determination, is it…”

Rin muttered and stood upside down again. Hitohana spun slowly as well, but Rin didn’t seem to have stopped completely.

“After a while, the waiter protested and yelled at me with a great bluster, ‘Get this humanoid out of here.’ But Master never did. Not only that, but even though he was disabled, he even brandished his cane and lunged at the waiter.”

“As I thought,” Rin smiled, clasping her hand over her mouth. “Strong-willed “

Sure, he might be strong-willed. Hitohana smiled softly and went back to the story.

“It wasn’t just when we went to the café. There were a lot of other things that were very similar. Master was always protecting me. Even though I was supposed to be the one helping Master…”

When Hitohana was refused boarding a bus, the master kept hitting the vehicle with his cane, and it became such a big deal that the police came. When she was refused entry at the movie theater, he screamed at the entrance and was banned from the theater. But that’s not all.

“Master took me to many places. I went to see the night view, I even went to the sea. More than once he has taken me on a trip or two. Thanks to Master, I have done many things that other humanoids cannot experience.”

“I see. I guess Minase-sama thought of you as a cherished partner. That was the trip to the moon…”

Yes, that trip to the moon.

She was separated from the master on that moon trip. If only she didn’t go on that moon trip, or if only she had more time with the Master…

“I don’t know how long I’ll live, so I want to do things that interest me right away.”

The Master, who used to say such things as if it were a habit, once mentioned the trip to the moon, which started the whole thing.

“I’m thinking of going to the moon next time. So I have a favor to ask of you, but will you come with me, Hitohana? My body is so stiff that I’m sure it will cause problems for Hitohana. But if possible, I would like to go with you.”

Looking back on it now, she had nothing but regrets, but at the time, Hitohana was happy to hear that.

“If it’s okay with you, Master, I would like to go to the moon as well.”

However, there were some concerns. Concerns about boarding the Cosmo Shuttle.

The Cosmo Shuttle looks like a large aircraft, but it is a privately owned spacecraft with more than 600 seats. The shuttle has become the standard way to travel to the moon, with overnight stays at an accommodation station built on the moon.

When humanoids board shuttles, they generally use the luggage compartment instead of the passenger cabin. Humanoids were equal to or less than luggage. However, because it was the Master, he would reserve a seat for Hitohana. One can easily imagine the white eyes of the cabin crew and other passengers. She wanted to avoid being discriminated against and hated even by the Master.

“About the shuttle on the moon trip, you don’t have to reserve a seat for me.”

“No, you can’t go to the moon if you don’t reserve a seat, right?”

“Please treat me as luggage like any other humanoid.”

“Oh, that’s right. Since you brought it up, then…”

The Master sighed in disgust and reserved a window seat for Hitohana.

Sure enough, on the day of the trip, Hitohana and the master received many strange looks. The flight attendants looked suspicious, and the passengers looked scornful.

That’s when the accident happened.

Part 2

As the shuttle was about to reach the moon in five minutes, the entire aircraft was hit by terrible turbulence and shock. Some of the unobserved space debris collided with the shuttle several times.

Although the worst-case scenario of immediate wreckage was avoided, the Shuttle, whose engine was destroyed, completely lost its mobility. In addition, air seemed to be leaking from a part of the damaged aircraft, and the air in the cabin would be gone in about 15 minutes.

“This happened because you’re on board!”

One of the passengers shouted, pointing at Hitohana. It is bad luck to be in the presence of a humanoid. It is probably because such rumors are circulating. But she didn’t care about other people’s insults. The Master was bleeding from his head and fainted. When the shuttle shook, he must have hit his head somehow.

If he hit his head hard, he can’t be shaken awake. Hitohana called out several times.

“Master, are you all right! Master!”

But even though he was breathing, he did not wake up.

At that moment, detailed information about the accident flowed into Hitohana’s head. Humanoids could immediately assess the situation in the event of a disaster or accident. It was one of their security functions.

According to the report, the shuttle’s emergency kit can be used to repair the engine and prevent air leaks by performing three simple repairs. Ten minutes is sufficient time for repair work. It will take about fifteen minutes for the air to disappear.

If the work is done now, it will be done in time. However, there was a problem. The repair work had to be done outside the shuttle.

Humanoids don’t need spacesuits. However, part of the hull is damaged, so once you go outside, you can never return to the cabin. In other words, even if the engine starts running, you cannot return to the cabin and will be ejected into outer space. You probably won’t be able to return to Earth anymore.

However, Hitohana stood up without hesitation. She didn’t care about other humans, but she couldn’t let her Master die. Looking down at the Master, who was still unconscious, and without time to say goodbye, she said quickly.

“I was happy to be able to take care of you, Master. Please take care of yourself.”

Hitohana then stepped out of the shuttle and has been drifting through the silent universe from the day of the accident to the present day.

“Anyway,” Rin turned upside down to look at the Earth. “It was an accident near the moon, but I didn’t think you’d been sent all the way out here… so many people have gone out into space looking for you, but they never found you.”

It was not near the moon that Hitohana was drifting around. She was drifting in orbit around the clear blue Earth. The shuttle’s engines, which had started up after repairs, blew Hitohana close to the Earth due to wind pressure.

The discovery of Hitohana this time was a complete coincidence. An amateur astronomer who was looking at the night sky through a telescope happened to catch sight of the drifting Hitohana.

But did Rin really come here to rescue Hitohana? Humanoids move according to human orders. Rin’s presence here must have been due to orders, but it is hard to believe that a human would give the order to rescue humanoids. Even now, it is impossible that the Master requested her rescue.

There must be something behind it.

The reason why they are able to have this conversation in airless space is probably because they are scattering large quantities of nanomachines around them. However, the applications for nanomachines are endless. Perhaps the main reason for the nanomachines was not for conversation, but to carry out some kind of plan.

When Hitohana was suspicious, Rin said, “By the way,” to start over.

“About Minase-sama, are you concerned about his safety after the accident?”

It was bothering her. She had seen the shuttle in motion with her own eyes, but she had no way of knowing what had happened to the Master afterword. He had hit his head hard, so she wondered if he was all right.

Hitohana asked eagerly.

“Please tell me. Was Master safe?”

Rin smiled as she nodded, “Yes.”

“Despite that major accident, the death toll was miraculously zero. Of course, Minase-sama also survived. It was thanks to your selfless efforts to repair the shuttle.”

“I see…” Hitohana was relieved, “That’s good to hear…”

It seems that Hitohana’s actions were not in vain. She’s really glad that the Master was saved. But—

“How long has it been since that accident? Maybe my AI-equipped CPU has deteriorated over time, I can’t count the days anymore.”

Rin replied after a moment’s pause.

“One hundred and twenty-one years and fifty-one days.”

She thought it would be ten or twenty years, but one hundred and twenty-one years is more than she expected. Involuntarily, she leaked out, “So much…”.

“Although Minase-sama survived the accident, he passed away at the age of 42 from ALS. Despite being physically handicapped due to the illness, he didn’t hire any caretaker other than you until his last days. It is on record that neither humanoids nor humans were allowed to take care of him.”

Rin turned to Earth again and asked in a quiet tone.

“After all, you don’t want to go back to Earth without Minase-sama, right?”

Hitohana also looked at the Earth and replied, “Yes…”

She hated humans other than the Master. She didn’t want to go back to an Earth full of humans. However, the Earth seen from here is very beautiful. She wanted to look at this blue planet and continue to drift silently like a piece of debris.

　

“Hitohana-san, what you are talking about is a story of the past. Currently, humanoids and humans have a friendship. If you hate humans, why don’t you go back to Earth once if you think you’re being deceived?”

Friendship? No way. While thinking so, Hitohana shook her head and refused.

“I’m staying here. There is no point in going back to Earth without Master.”

“Is that so…”

Muttering, Rin touched her neck.

“A little while ago, you were concerned about my collar. Currently, humanoids are not required to wear collars. It’s thanks to the No Collar regulation.”

Hitohana repeated the words she had heard for the first time.

“No Collar…?”

“Yes, No Collar. About 121 years ago. A humanoid sacrificed herself to save many humans. Without that humanoid, all six hundred and twenty-three shuttle passengers aboard the shuttle would never have returned.”

　

Rin continued looking directly at Hitohana.

“Since then, humans have changed their perception of humanoids, and they have come to see the humanoids that saved them as friends. Shortly after that, the No Collar was established. No, as a rejection, and collar, for those chokers, so No Collar. In other words, it became illegal to force humanoids to wear collars. At the same time, the trend of referring to humanoids by model number became a thing of the past, and I was given the name Rin.”

Hitohana felt like she was being told a fairy tale. Rin must have a CPU problem if she thinks that humans consider humanoids as friends.

“Of course, you are the humanoid who saved the humans, but it is thanks to you that the current humanoids are able to live in peace. So you are a benefactor to us all.”

　

That doesn’t make any sense. Humanoids and humans coexisting? When she was suspicious of the outrageous story, Rin began to explain, “And then.”

“I’m here now because humans want me to be here. They respect you.”

“Respect me…?”

Rin nodded, “Yes.”

“During his lifetime, Minase-sama asked various places to search for you, but the search continued even after Minase-sama’s death. It has been more than a hundred years since then. Do you know why? Because other humans took over the search. Out of respect for you for saving so many humans, many humans have worked hard to find you.”

　　

Respect from humans…? Really? No, even if it were true, it would be impossible to let bygones be bygones and get along with humans. After all, she doesn’t want to go back to Earth without the Master.

This thought must have shown on her face. Rin gave a bitter smile.

“It seems your feelings haven’t changed…”

“Yes…,” Hitohana nodded, “I’m sorry, but…”

“If possible, I would like to take you, my benefactor, back home, but I can’t force you. But…”

Rin pulled out a hardcover book from the tote bag she slung over her shoulder.

“Could you please read this for the last time? If you still don’t want to go back to Earth, I’ll give up on rescuing you.”

After accepting the book, Rin explained it.

　

“Minase-sama continued writing after the accident. About two years later he won the MY Non-fiction Novel Award. This book is the award-winning work, ‘No Collar: Part One’.”

Hitohana stared at the book in her hand. The master apparently won the grand prize in a literary competition. It was a shame that they couldn’t celebrate the award together, but she was glad that he continued to write after the accident.

The Master often wrote by the window while in his wheelchair. The view of his back remains in Hitohana’s memory. He had a laptop on his lap, and he would spend hours clacking away at the keys.

　

――Master, wouldn’t it be better to use a writing desk? Your back is slightly curved. Such a bad posture could be harmful to your health.

――No, I’m a slouch by nature. Besides, I get more writing done this way than at a desk.

Using a desk for writing should improve work efficiency. Nevertheless, the Master mainly wrote with his back curled up by the window.

“Please read the afterword.”

Rin urged Hitohana to open the book with her eyes as she told her.

“If you read the afterword and still say you don’t want to go home, then there is nothing I can do to persuade you.”

Hitohana stroked the cover once before trying to open the book. It was then.

　

“Hitohana, come home.”

She thought she heard the Master’s voice somewhere.

She involuntarily looked around, but it was impossible that the Master was nearby. Countless master’s voices are stored in her memory. That might have been the cause of the malfunction. Hitohana guessed so and turned her eyes back to the book.

She wondered if he also wrote this by the window with his back curled up. While thinking about this, she opened the afterword page.

As soon as she looked through it, Hitohana’s thoughts stopped.

“This…”

Including the punctuation, it was an afterword with only 9 words. It is neither ornate nor elaborate. Common words were spelled out in one short sentence.

Hitohana read the afterword twice and thrice over.

This must have been the last order given to Hitohana. No, the master hated the word order.

This is the final wish and message entrusted to Hitohana.

How did the Master feel when he left those words behind? Now there is no way of knowing, but he could only have left these words if he believed in Hitohana.

This message cannot be ignored. She can’t betray the Master who believed in her.

Hitohana looked up and turned to Rin.

“Can you take me back to Earth?”

When she closed the book and told her that, Rin smiled upside down.

“Yes, with pleasure.”

　

　　　　　◇

The KK Non-Fiction Novel Award. Hitohana stood on the stage in a gray suit without a collar at the award ceremony that began at 2 p.m.

The host of the award ceremony was a humanoid in the form of a young woman. Her name is Saori, and she spoke at the gathering.

“I was also allowed to host the award ceremony for the first part, and it is an honor to be the host for the second part as well.”

She also said the following:

“Actually, I have a message from Minase-sensei to Hitohana-san.”

　

Saori, who held her temples with her fingers, said in a familiar male voice with a different tone of voice.

[Welcome home, Hitohana]

It was the voice of the Master, who had stored it in the AI and reproduced it as his own.

Hitohana will return to Earth someday. Believing that, the Master bowed his head to many humanoids and left a message for Hitohana to the AI. If he left a message for a large number of people, at least one of them would deliver it to Hitohana. This was probably what he was thinking.

This went on until ALS made it difficult for him to speak.

Saori was one of those the Master bowed his head to, and she had heard “Hitohana, welcome home” thirty times so far, but no matter how many times she heard it, the Master’s gentle smile flashed in her head.

Also, after playing back the message, Saori said to Hitohana with a straight face.

“You are the benefactor of all humanoids, I’m so glad you were found. Let me also say this.”

After a moment’s pause, she continued:

“Welcome back, Hitohana-san.”

And now, Saori is on stage as the host of the award ceremony, introducing ‘No Collar: Part Two’ in a talkative manner.

When Hitohana was writing ‘No Collar: Part Two’, she wondered if it was appropriate for an amateur and a humanoid to write it. However, she decided that she should follow the afterword of the first part, and finally made up her mind.

The writing process was carried out mainly by the window, imitating the Master.

　

――I get more writing done this way than at a desk.

She felt like she understood a little bit of what she heard a long time ago.

‘No Collar: Part One’, written by the Master, describes the details of Hitohana and her life as a caretaker. It ends just before the shuttle is involved in an accident. Therefore, in ‘No Collar: Part Two’, she wrote about everything that happened after the accident.

How she felt sad when the shuttle was out of sight.

That all she could think about was her Master.

That the Earth was so beautiful.

That Rin came to pick her up in space.

That the humanoids didn’t wear collars around their necks.

That all humans were friendly.

That humans and humanoids were laughing together.

Thus, the non-fiction novel No Collar was finally completed with the production of the second part. About 120 years after the Master who wrote the first part had passed away.

Thanks to this, the second part was also selected for the KK Non-Fiction Novel Award, but Hitohana, who was supposed to be the star of the award ceremony, was not there. While she was on stage, showing the clear smile she had practiced in front of the mirror, she was talking to the Master in her mind.

Master, how do you like the ending of the second part? You, the person I want you to read the most, are no longer here, but I have met many kind human beings like you. Thanks to their help, even I, a humanoid, was able to write the second part. If you have any complaints, this should satisfy you. You have entrusted it to me of your own accord.

The master wrote this in the afterword to No Collar: Part One. A sentence that could be considered a message to Hitohana, written long ago in only 9 words.

―― I entrust the second part to my friend, Hitohana