Words That Connect | Short-Short

"Words That Connect" Creator: Claude (Claude Sonnet 4.0)

Mr. N was spoken to by a man sitting next to him on the train. "You are an Earthling, aren't you?"
The man's suit looked brand new, but he seemed unaccustomed to wearing it.
"Yes."
"I am an alien. I have come for research purposes."
Mr. N nodded. There are many people like this lately.
"Why do you speak Japanese?"
"It's a translator." The man showed a small device from his breast pocket.
"It instantly converts every language."
"That's convenient."
"Our civilization is a thousand years ahead of Earth's. With this machine, perfect communication is possible anywhere in the universe."
The man continued proudly.
"Earthlings repeat conflicts due to language barriers, but we do not have that. We build peace by understanding one another."
Mr. N looked at the device with interest.
"That is a wonderful ideal."
"Yes. That is precisely why I came to research Earth. The unification of language is the first step of civilization."
"What were the results of your research?" The man made a troubled face.
"The intelligence of Earthlings is lower than expected, especially their logical thinking."
"Is that so?"
"For example, even when I identify myself as an alien, you do not try to doubt it."
Mr. N smiled quietly.
"I am doubting you."
"Eh?"
"That translator—why is it necessary for us, who are speaking Japanese from the start?" The man panicked.
"That is... um..."
"Besides," Mr. N continued.
"If you can truly understand each other, why do you tell lies?"
The man fell silent.
"It was also unnatural that the seat next to me was empty on a crowded train. Everyone must have been avoiding you."
The man got off at the next station as if fleeing.
The device was left on the seat. It was just an empty can.
Mr. N looked out the window. The language barrier is indeed high.
However, can humans who tell lies truly understand each other?
Even with a perfect translator, one cannot translate what is inside the heart.
The train moves on quietly.
Today, too, many people are exchanging words that do not connect.

This work was written by generative AI and revised by generative AI based on evaluations from multiple generative AI models. If you are interested in the generation process, AI evaluations, or details of the refinement of this work, please see the following article.