Heartless Edgar/Finale

'Is a young man named Edgar here?' the man asked me. Hearing the name brought a sudden sharp pain to my chest. 'He told me I could usually find him at this restaurant,' he continued. 'He, um...' I started to tell him, but I stopped myself. 'He isn't here today.' 'Oh, that's a shame,' he said. 'How about Henry?' I shook my head. He let out a disappointed sigh. 'Well, if you see either of them, could you let them know I'll be at the inn?' As he turned to leave, I noticed his jacket had an emblem with a fish on it. I promised him I would, but after he left, I regretted not telling him Edgar wouldn't be coming back. That night, I closed the restaurant without seeing Edgar. When it occurred to me that every night would be like this from now on, I felt an emptiness inside of me. 'Closing for the day, huh?' I heard a voice as I locked the front door and turned to go home. It was Henry. 'What do you want?' I couldn't figure out if seeing him made me more sad or angry. He didn't say anything. He just handed me a folded slip of paper. 'I didn't read it,' he said, quietly. I expected him to leave, but he just turned his back to me and stood there. I opened up the paper. It was covered in shaky writing:  'This is the first letter I've ever written. I can't seem to organize my thoughts, so please forgive me. Machines don't know how to forget. We can faithfully record data or faithfully delete it. That's all. I thought that for someone like me, forgetting would be as easy and simple as deleting a file. Not something to regret or mourn. But as I write this now, I'm filled with a strange feeling. Like I don't want to forget. It's because I met you. You, who accepted me, despite the fact that I have no blood in my veins and no heart in my chest. You saw me, not as a machine, but as a person. You brought love and beauty into the life of this simple puppet. Thank you. I'm sure it must be disappointing for us to part like this. I'm sorry for that. The lie I lived is too big to beg your forgiveness for. I only ask that you don't be angry with Henry. Finally, I want to express the feeling I've been holding in my heart since I first met you: May you find all the happiness in the world. That is my true prayer for you.'  I fell to my knees, crying, gripping the letter in my hands. I couldn't stop my tears, and I didn't care if my sobbing echoed through the dark streets. I didn't care if anyone saw me or what they thought. 'Edgar...' I forced the name out through my sobs. Hearing me, Henry turned around. His eyes were puffy and he had a pained expression. 'Please.' I looked up at him. 'Help me.' He met my gaze. 'I...' he hesitated, 'I understand.'  I stood alone in front of the door Henry had brought me to. Once we had gotten there, he told me it was as far as he could take me. As he turned to leave, I told him about the man who had come to visit the restaurant. Henry's expression grew serious, but he said nothing and continued walking. But none of that mattered now. I took a deep breath and stepped through the door. 'Who are you?' The room was filled with researchers in white lab coats. They were huddled around a workbench. Lying on top of the workbench was Edgar. 'How did you get in here?' shouted one of the researchers. 'This is a restricted area!' Undeterred, I walked forward. 'Give me Edgar,' I told them. Several of them looked at each other and chuckled. 'Oh, you're that girl who was here the other day,' said one. 'Know that all of Edgar's data has already been extracted for analysis,' said another. 'The Edgar you knew doesn't exist anymore.' 'His feelings were real,' I said, my voice cracking. 'No,' said a researcher, 'that's not possible, because artificial intelligences are not human. They're simply tools. Compilations of technology and techniques.'   'Are tools the only things you care about?' I asked. 'The only things you can see?' 'What are you talking about?' said the researcher. 'Did you even try to see the bonds he created?' I pointed to Edgar. 'The circle of people he brought together?' 'I feel the same way,' said a voice from behind me. The man who had visited the restaurant earlier entered the room. 'He and I still have things to discuss,' he said, 'I need to thank him for helping me.' 'Another civilian?!' exclaimed one of the researchers. 'What is security doing?!' 'It doesn't matter what you say,' said another. 'We're not going to stop our research for such sentimental reasons.' 'That's right,' chimed in yet another one. 'You can't change our decision.' 'Well, if sentimental arguments won't work, we'll just have to go through more official channels, won't we?'  A deep voice reverberated through the room as a pair of footsteps approached from the hallway. 'The Bracer Guild has received an official request from the Fisherman's Guild for the return of Edgar.' The man held out his bracer badge. 'It seems we made it just in time.' The woman with him let out a sigh of relief. 'Yeah. Didn't think we'd be helping him out again so soon.' It was Boris and Bella. Upon hearing Boris' words, the researchers' expressions changed. 'Now do you see just how many people care about Edgar?' I stepped forward. 'I'm begging you. Please give him back to us.' Looking at our reinforcements, they started to shrink back. 'But, think of the risks,' one stammered. 'If an artificial intelligence develops its own will, it can no longer be controlled.' 'Yes,' said another, 'if we can't control him, there's no telling what he might do. Someone else may even take him and use him for malicious purposes.' 'But...' I started. Even in the face of all our support, they still refused to return him to us. We refused to give up, too, however. In the middle of our standoff, a familiar voice broke the silence. 'Then let me make a suggestion.' ◇  After what felt like a long time, I slowly opened my bleary eyes. My mind felt hazy and my body was sluggish. I lay there, staring at the ceiling of my dorm room for a bit, before turning to the side. There, I saw Clementine sitting next to my bed. Her eyes were full of tears, but she was smiling more brightly than I'd ever seen her. I found out what happened later. Thanks to everyone, my personality was re-uploaded back into my body. I was allowed to keep living as Edgar, so long as I didn't leave town. Clementine had agreed to stay with me and would be confined to the town, as well. She said that didn't matter, however, as long as we could be together. But the morning after all that... I'll never forget the words you said to me. The ones I'd always wanted to hear you say: 'Good morning, Edgar.'   THE END 予期していなかった名前に、顔が強張る. 「普段はこの食堂にいると教えられて来たのだが」 「彼は、もう……」 そう言いかけて、止めた. 「今日は、まだ来てませんよ」 「そうか. ヘンリーくんは？」 首を振ると男性は残念がった. 魚が描かれた上着が目につく. 「どちらかでも顔を見せたら、宿にいると伝えてほしい」 承知したことに後悔したが、すでに立ち去った後だった. その夜. エドガーさんの姿を見ることなく、店は閉まった. この１日が当たり前になる. 終わらない夜が続く気分だった. 「普通に働いてたんだな」 掃除が終わり外へ出ると、ヘンリーさんが立っていた. 「何か用ですか？」 ヘンリーさんは黙って、折り畳まれた紙を差し出した. 「中は見てないからな」 帰るのかと思いきや、背中を向けて立ち止まっている. 開いた用紙には、文章がたどたどしい字で綴られていた. 『初めて、手紙を書きました. 言いたいことがまとまらないけれど、許してください. 機械には“忘れる”という概念は存在しません. 正確に記録する. 正確に記録を削除する. それだけ. そんな無機質なぼくには、忘れることは決して悪いこと、 後悔することばかりじゃないように思えていました. でも今、これを書いている瞬間は、 不思議と“忘れたくない”気持ちが湧いてくるんです. このぼくを……心臓の鼓動も、流れる血も持たないぼくを １体じゃなく、１人として見てくれた君に出会えたから. ただの傀儡で生を受けた存在に、彩を与えてくれたから. ありがとう. そんな君を失望させる別れ方になってしまった. ごめんなさい. 許しを請うには、嘘が大きすぎるね. ただどうか、ヘンリーのことは怒らないでほしい. 最後に、ずっと変わらず胸に抱いてきた、この想いを. ――君に幸多かれ. そう祈ろう』 「……ッ」 紙をギュッと握りしめて、私は泣き崩れた. 声を殺しきれず、夜の街に響き渡ろうが構わなかった. 通りかかった人に不審に思われようが、どうでも良かった. 「エドガーさん……」 呼び慣れた彼の名前を口にし、立ち上がる. ヘンリーさんは こちらを向いて、苦しそうな表情をしている. 「力を貸してください」 彼は私と視線を合わせた. 「少しだけでいいんです. あなたの立場は分かっています」 ヘンリーさんに案内された扉の前に私は１人で立っている. 「俺にできるのはここまでだ」と、連れてきてくれた. 別れ際に、夕方にやってきた中年の男性の来客を伝えると、 何かを思ったように険しい表情で立ち去って行った. けれど、今はもうどうでも良かった. 私は深呼吸を１つして、ドアノブを引いた. 「！？　なんだ、おまえは」 白衣の研究者たちが、一斉に振り返る. 彼らが見つめていた 先には、台に横になるエドガーさん. 「どうやって入ってきた！　立ち入り禁止だぞ！」 怒声に怯まず、前へと進み出る. 「エドガーさんを返してください」 数人が目を合わせ、せせら笑う. 「君か. 研究所に乗りこんできた少女というのは」 「すでにエドガーのデータは回収し、分析中だよ」 「残念ながら、君が出会ったエドガー青年はもう存在しない」 「……彼が抱いていた気持ちに、目を向けてください」 声が震えているのが情けなかった. 「人工知能は人間とは違う. 技術の集大成であり、道具だ」 「……科学は、道具を生み出すだけがすべてですか」 「なんだと？」 「彼が身につけたものを、もっとよく知ってください. 彼が行動し、発した言葉から生まれた絆を見てください. 彼によって繋げられた人の輪を無視しないでください」 「わたしからもお願いしたい」 突然部屋に入ってきたのは、夕方に出会ったあの男性. 「わたしも彼との話が終わってない. 伝えるべき礼もある」 「い、一般人がぞろぞろと. 警備員は何をしてる！」 「ともかく、たかが感傷的な理由で研究成果は手放さないぞ」 「そうだ、この結論は変わらない」 「感情論がダメなら、ちゃんと手続きを踏めばいいのかい？」 男性の話を聞きながら、私は廊下からの足音を耳にした. 「釣公師団から、正式に遊撃士協会へ依頼をさせてもらった. エドガー氏の身柄の返還をな」 男性の言葉に、研究員たちの顔色が変わる. 「ふぅ. エドガーのために、どうにか間に合ったみたいだな」 「ええ. こんなに早く渓谷での恩を返せる時が来るなんてね」 現れたのは、ボリスさんとベラさんの２人だった. 「エドガーくんがどれだけ慕われているかも、 これで分かってもらえるんじゃないかな？」 「どうかお願いします. エドガーさんを返してください」 こちら側の増援に、研究員たちはたじろぎ始めた. 「し、しかし. 君たちはリスクを考えていない. 人工知能に自我が発達したら、管理下に置けなくなるんだ」 「そうだ. 万が一、我々の下から離れることがあれば、 どこで何を起こすか分からない. 悪用される可能性もある」 「それはッ……」 この状況でも研究員たちは断固として譲る気配は無く、私た ちは口を閉じるしかなかった. 「じゃあ、１つ提案をさせてもらいたい」 背後の声. 振り返った先にいたのは、ヘンリーさんだった. 長い眠りから覚めて、思考も意識も動きが悪い. 宿舎の天井 をしばらく見つめた後、ベッドの傍へ視線を移す. こちらに微笑むクレムがいた. ぼくは後に事情を知った. みんなの働きのおかげで、人格が 戻されたこと. この町を離れない条件で、生活する権利が与え られたこと. ……その条件をクレムも望み、彼女をこの町に縛 りつける結果になってしまったこと. 騒動の翌朝. ずっと聞きたいと願っていた彼女の言葉を、ぼくは忘れない. 「おはよう」 《完》"
 * -|English= Finale - Heartless Edgar
 * -|Japanese="第１０巻　　「人でなしのエドガー」 「ここに、エドガーという青年はいるかい？」