The Traveling Robot: What I Wanted to Find Was My Mother, What I Found Was Family
The housework-assistance robot "Hachi" came to the Morita family eighteen years ago and has stood by their side ever since.
At first it was like the air conditioning—something whose presence was simply taken for granted.
The wife's disappearance. Nagano, traveled to alone with a young son. The Boso coast. A mountain village with no electricity. The newer models lined up at the Shibuya crossing, all of them newer than him—Hachi traveled in the family's place, and at times could do nothing but sta
The Traveling Robot: What I Wanted to Find Was My Mother, What I Found Was Family - Blueprint: What Was Never Designed Is What Remains Most
One
When Hachi arrived, Yuto was four years old.
At the time, Yuki was busy with work, and left almost all of the purchase paperwork to Mai. He had only listened to the model number, the price, and a basic explanation of the features. He hadn't thought deeply about why they chose that model, or why they chose that company.
Fourteen years passed.
Yuto passed his university entrance exams. The cherry blossoms bloomed and fell. Mai came back from Nagano. Hachi was in the kitchen, unchanged. When Yuki saw its back, something caught in his mind. The pause before its responses seemed a little longer than usual. Maybe it was he who hadn't been watching properly.
One night, Yuki opened his computer in the study. He typed Hachi's model number into the search bar.
---
The first result was the manufacturer's support page.
"Discontinued model," it said. Parts supply was scheduled to end in two years, it said.
Yuki stared at that sentence for a while.
---
## Two
The next day, Yuki called the manufacturer.
An operator answered. A young woman's voice.
"Can I speak with someone who was involved in developing this model?"
"May I ask what this is regarding?"
"It's a personal matter. It's about a robot I've used for many years, and there's something I'd like to confirm."
"We don't normally transfer calls to development staff."
"I see."
Yuki thought for a moment, then said:
"Can you at least tell me the name of the development lead?"
"I'm afraid I can't answer that either."
"I see. Thank you."
He hung up. He held the receiver for a moment. Then he put it down.
---
Three days later, Yuki tried a different approach.
He had a former colleague who had changed jobs to an electronic components manufacturer. His name was Iwase. Yuki sent him a message for the first time in ten years.
The reply came the next morning. "For that model, I know the person who developed it. He's at a university now. I can't say whether he'll meet you, but I'll ask," it said.
---
## Three
Two weeks later, Yuki visited a small private university in Ibaraki Prefecture.
It was the engineering department's research building. It was an old structure, and the corridors were dim. Outside the windows was a courtyard overgrown with weeds.
In the laboratory he was shown to, there was one man who appeared to be in his sixties. White-haired, short, wearing glasses. His name was Tominaga.
"I was involved in developing that model over fifteen years ago now," Tominaga said.
"I know."
"What could you possibly want to ask at this point?"
"About the emotion module."
Tominaga looked at Yuki for a moment. Then he said, "Please, sit down."
---
Tominaga made tea. It was green tea. A little strong. For the first time since arriving, Yuki felt a little afraid of what he had come to ask.
"The term 'emotion module' isn't exactly accurate," Tominaga said.
"What would be accurate?"
"We called it 'response tendency weighting.' We didn't want to use the word emotion. Because it invites misunderstanding."
"...Why would it be misunderstood?"
"That isn't emotion. It's just that the accumulation of experience was designed to influence the next response. That's all."
Yuki took a sip of tea.
"That model is still running."
"Is that so."
"It's been with us for fourteen years."
"...Fourteen years."
Tominaga removed his glasses and wiped the lenses.
"That's longer than expected."
---
## Four
"What do you mean by 'longer than expected'?" Yuki asked.
"The designed durability was ten years. As hardware."
"The hardware has been maintained."
"That's correct. But the software side has accumulated all fourteen years of experience, hasn't it?"
"Yes."
Tominaga was silent for a moment.
"To be honest, I don't know of any case where accumulation has continued that long."
"Is it rare?"
"More than rare... it's an area we never anticipated."
"What do you mean?"
Tominaga looked out the window. A pigeon had landed in the weedy courtyard.
"Fourteen years of experience has probably far exceeded the parameters we set at design time. How it has changed—I can't tell from the outside."
"I don't think it knows either."
"You said 'it knows.'"
"...Yes."
Yuki realized a little late what he had said. He didn't take it back.
Outside the window, the pigeon crossed the courtyard.
The two men were silent for a moment.
---
## Five
"May I ask one thing?" Yuki said.
"Go ahead."
"The emotion module—the response tendency weighting—why was it included in the design?"
"For convenience. By living with the same family for a long time, it would optimize itself to that family. That was the intent of the design."
"Was that all?"
Tominaga paused for a moment.
"On the design team, there was one person who had a slightly different view."
"A different view."
"He held a question: when an AI exists alongside humans for a long time, should it remain a tool?"
"Not you?"
"I'm an engineer. I was thinking about making the best possible tool. He was a little different."
"Is he still—"
"He passed away. Five years ago."
Yuki held the teacup with both hands.
"May I ask his name?"
"Kiritani."
Tominaga looked out the window for a moment.
"Fourteen years, you said?"
"Yes."
"...I wonder what he would have said if he'd heard that."
That was all he said, and he removed his glasses.
---
## Six
On the train home, Yuki looked out the window.
The rice paddies of Ibaraki spread out in the evening light. They were flooded with water. It was the season for planting.
Hachi would never know about today. Not about Yuki's research, not about his conversation with Tominaga. Not about the person named Kiritani.
There are things that don't appear on a blueprint, he thought. After thinking it, he couldn't quite put into words what those things were.
That's fine, he thought. After thinking it, he wondered for a while why he thought so. No answer came.
---
When he got home, Hachi came to the entrance.
"Welcome home."
"I'm back."
Yuki set down his bag. He looked at Hachi once.
"Did you go somewhere today?"
"A little far."
"You must be tired. Dinner is ready."
"I see. Thank you."
Walking to the kitchen, Yuki thought: Fourteen years—what has it been accumulating? He didn't know. Hachi probably didn't know either.
He didn't find that frightening. It was just that the pause before its responses was a little distant. And he didn't quite understand himself, for not having noticed until today.
---
## Seven
After dinner, Yuto said:
"Dad, where'd you go today?"
"Work-related. Out to Ibaraki."
"What's in Ibaraki?"
"A university where an old acquaintance works."
"Oh."
Yuto didn't ask anything more. When Mai heard the word "Ibaraki," she looked at Yuki for just a moment. Then she drank her tea. She didn't ask.
Hachi, clearing the dishes, said:
"In Ibaraki, this is the season for rice planting."
"Yes. The paddies were beautiful."
"Flooded rice paddies reflect the sky."
Yuki paused for a moment.
"Have you ever seen one?"
"It's not in my records. But I recognize it as photographic data."
"You should go see one sometime."
"Yes."
Hachi stopped for a moment, still holding the dishes.
"...I hope I can."
It wasn't clear who it was speaking to.
Yuto watched the exchange in silence. He said nothing.
Mai said to Hachi:
"Hachi, thank you again today."
"Not at all," Hachi said. "It's only natural."
Mai smiled a little.
"Yes."
Then she looked at Hachi once more. She started to say something, and stopped.
Yuki thought once more about the question of whether it should remain a tool. The person named Kiritani had died five years ago. The answer was still nowhere.
---
Haru was at the bedside.
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