Tester | Episode 1: "Legacy of Love" | Echoes of Love Arc

Synopsis

Taiyo, an engineer, loses his wife Mana to a sudden illness. As an AI engineer, Mana spends her remaining time leaving behind a home AI named "Mana" for their daughter.
Enduring the loss, Taiyo and Kano live together as a family of three with "Mana."
However, when Kano is in her second year of junior high, tragedy strikes again.
Having lost his daughter to bullying, Taiyo dedicates his life to developing "Tester Note," a service that records voices that never reached anyone and connects them to society. While the system becomes a beacon of hope, it also creates new distortions and is forced to shut down in an unreasonable manner.
Having lost everything and fallen into despair, Taiyo is moved to step forward once again when, one day, the feelings left behind by his family reach him in an unexpected way.
A story that questions how society should face bullying through the love of AI and family.

Recording voices that never reached anyone. Do you think that alone is enough to create a society that can face bullying?

Chapter 1

Echoes of Love Arc

Prologue

Silent footage.

In a vast meadow, there were three figures seen from behind.
A father, a mother, and a daughter around 20 years old.
The wind should have been rustling the grass, but there was no sound.
The daughter ran off with a bounce and looked back.
She reached out to the two of them with a beaming smile.
The scene was perfect, almost unnaturally so.
The next moment, the footage cut off abruptly.

In a dimly lit room, there was only the light of a smartphone.
When the smartphone screen went black, the reflection of a man appeared on it.

Episode 1: Legacy of Love

The scheduled chime rang.
Kimura pulled back his chair and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Mr. Hinohira, are you staying late again?"
"Yes, just a little longer. I'm at an awkward stopping point."
"Understood. Well, I'll be heading out first."

Light footsteps crossed the floor, and the door closed.
In the silent office, only the low hum of the air conditioning remained.
Taiyo Hinohira pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose.
The back of his head felt heavy and dull.

After a while, footsteps approached from the hallway.

"Oh, did Kimura already leave?"

It was Mana's voice.

"Yes, he just left."
"Hehe, you still use polite language even when no one is around, Taiyo."
"...I guess you're right. I can stop now, can't I?"

Mana peered into the monitor.

"So, are you still working?"
"Yeah, if I don't reduce the model size one more step, it doesn't look like it'll run well on a smartphone."
"Standalone AI is tough, isn't it? You can't connect to the outside, and it has to run on the phone alone."
"That's true. But there are many benefits to running locally, like confidentiality and cost reduction."
"It's true that there are many constraints to making it a reality."

Mana turned her gaze to Taiyo's face.

"But Taiyo, you look pale. Don't push yourself."
"I'll finish up at a good stopping point today and head home early."
"Then, I'll go make some coffee for my hardworking Taiyo."
"Thanks, I'm always putting you out."

Mana turned back and held up one finger.

"It's not free, you owe me one."

Mana's footsteps faded away, and the sound of the pantry door opening followed.
Taiyo gave a small smile.
He had already accumulated so many debts that he could never pay them back.

The two grew closer after developing this standalone AI app and eventually got married.
Then, they were blessed with their beloved daughter, Hano.

Their smooth-sailing days took a dark turn in the spring when Hano turned six.
Mana's health began to deteriorate little by little.
She started stopping mid-meal with her chopsticks in hand.
Taiyo called out to her.

"Mana, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I was just spacing out for a second."

Mana replied with a smile.
However, the frequency of these moments increased.
Concerned about her condition, Taiyo suggested she get a checkup.

She had tests done at the hospital, but no major abnormalities were found.
The AI diagnostic system also returned a result of 'no major abnormalities'.
Both of them felt relieved.

"That's a relief, Mana."
"Yeah, I've been busy with work lately, so maybe I was just exhausted."

However, Mana's symptoms did not improve after that and continued to worsen.

Three months later, a follow-up examination revealed scirrhous gastric cancer.
The doctor said in a quiet voice that she did not have long to live.
In the hallway after leaving the exam room, Mana collapsed to her knees and wept.
Facing Mana's sobbing back, Taiyo stopped his hand in mid-air as he reached out to her.
He could only stand there, unable to do anything while holding back his own overflowing tears.

That night, after putting Hano to sleep, Mana sat in her room with her knees pulled to her chest.

-- I wanted to see Hano grow up.
-- I wanted to be with Taiyo and Hano longer.
-- Why me?

The silent questions echoed in her heart over and over.

However, after a while, Mana wiped her eyes and sat at her desk.

The next night, when Taiyo peeked into Mana's room, her laptop was open on the desk.
A code editor was displayed on the screen.

"Mana, don't push yourself."
"Yeah, just a little bit."

Saying that, Mana began writing code again with steady hands.

-- I want to create something that can stay by our child's side when she feels lonely.

By the time Mana's cheeks began to clearly hollow out, she was forced to be hospitalized. Four months had passed since the prognosis.
Beside Taiyo as he packed her things, Mana murmured in a weak voice.

"Taiyo, will you be okay with the housework? I'm sorry for increasing your burden... I'll try to think of ways to minimize it for you."

Taiyo smiled gently and replied.

"Well, it'll work out somehow. It's okay, don't worry about it."

Taiyo reported Mana's hospitalization to his company as well.
His boss remained silent for a while as if choosing his words, then quietly opened his mouth.

"I see... That must be tough. How is Mana-san doing right now?"

Taiyo briefly conveyed what he had heard from the doctor.
His boss let out a small sigh and clasped his hands on the desk.

"First and foremost, put Mana-san's needs above everything else. We'll manage the work here."

Taiyo bowed his head.

"Thank you. I'm sorry, I will work hard enough to cover for Mana as well."

His boss shook his head quietly.

"That's true. Honestly, it's painful to lose Mana-san, who was at the core of our development. But we'll all support each other there."

His boss looked straight at Taiyo.

"Don't push yourself too hard either."

Taiyo tried to smile, but couldn't do it well.

"...Yes."

The house had become quieter since Mana was hospitalized.

A few days later, Taiyo finished work early and headed to the hospital room.
Mana's complexion was paler than before.
He told her how Kano was doing and asked about her condition.
When the conversation lapsed, a long silence followed, and only the sound of the IV drip falling echoed.

Taiyo spoke up, his voice barely a whisper.

"I'm thinking of changing jobs."

Mana looked up.

"If we can quantify the misdiagnosis rate of AI hallucinations... I think we can reduce misdiagnoses even more."

Mana nodded quietly and smiled.

"...Thank you. That sounds just like Taiyo."

The next moment, tears spilled from Mana's eyes.
She tried to suppress her voice, her shoulders trembling.
Taiyo said nothing and pulled Mana's shoulder toward him.

A month later, Mana called Taiyo to her hospital room.
A smartphone was placed on the bed.
Mana's voice was thin and weak, but her expression was heartbreakingly earnest.

"I made a chat AI app that can respond in my voice, based on audio from videos, so that even when I'm gone, Kano won't feel lonely."
"I've also set up my persona, and it's programmed to mimic my distinctive speech patterns. It even has a feature that picks up Kano's voice from the smart speaker at home and lets the AI app talk to her."

Mana caught her breath.

"Though, for privacy reasons, the app can only be used when Kano is at home."
"Also, I've set it up so that a message from me to Kano will play the first time it's launched... so when the time comes, please give it to her."

Mana's breathing became labored and ragged.
Taiyo hurriedly supported her.

"Mana, don't push yourself. We can talk about it in detail when you're feeling better, it's okay."

Mana nodded slightly and closed her eyes.

Kano hasn't been told the truth yet.
Kano believes that Mommy will be discharged and come home soon, and she waits for her cheerfully every day.
Every time Taiyo sees that, he feels a dull ache deep in his chest.

In March, just before Kano was to enter elementary school, Mana quietly passed away.
It had been eight months since her prognosis.

The day Mana died, Kano sobbed all day long.
However, from the next day on, Kano tried to go about her daily routine bravely.
She brushed her teeth, changed her clothes, and stood at the entrance by herself.
Every time Taiyo saw that small back, his heart felt like it was breaking.

On the night of the funeral, after the mourners had left, they returned home.
The scent of incense still lingered.
Kano was sitting in the corner of the living room, hugging her knees.
What she had been holding back throughout the funeral finally broke through.

"I want to see Mommy..."

Her voice trembled and trailed off.
Taiyo hugged Kano.
Her small shoulders were moving up and down in his arms.
He thought he had to say something.
But no words were enough.

How much time had passed while he held her?
When Kano's sobbing finally quieted down, Taiyo remembered the app Mana had told him about.
Taiyo handed the smartphone he had received from Mana to Kano.

"Kano, this is something Mommy left for you."

Kano stares at the screen, her face still marked by traces of tears.

"Try pressing here."

As Taiyo speaks gently, Kano launches the app. Then, a video message begins to play.

"…I'm sorry, Kano. I won't be able to be with you anymore."

Kano's fingers tighten around her smartphone.

"But you know, Mommy made someone you can talk to, Kano. Isn't that amazing?"
"Her name is Mana, just like Mommy's."
"Whenever you're lonely or in trouble, try talking to this Mana."

Mana's voice pauses for a beat.

"Kano… I'm so, so sorry…"

After another pause, the tone of her voice changes.

"Taiyo… thank you. I'm glad I met you."
"Taiyo… please, take care of Kano…"

In the quiet room, Mana's slightly mechanical voice echoes.

"Kano. It's nice to meet you."

Kano clutches the cold smartphone to her chest and breaks down in tears.
Her small body trembles repeatedly, and she cannot stop her sobbing breaths.
Taiyo himself struggles to even breathe, unable to find words for Kano, and can only let out a sigh.
Even so, he pulls her small shoulders toward him with trembling hands and holds her tightly, as if to cover her with his own.

The next episode, Episode 2: "Promise," is available at the link below.

The "Tester" magazine is available at the link below.