Tsuma Ni Damatte Sokubaikai Ni Ikun Ja Nakatta ... -

I kissed her forehead, lied straight through my teeth, and drove 45 minutes to a convention center that smelled of regret and old dust.

I opened the box. Inside was a robot vacuum that looked like it had fought in a war. Scratches. Duct tape. A tiny, hopeful LED that blinked “HELLO” before flickering out. Tsuma ni Damatte Sokubaikai ni Ikun ja Nakatta ...

A box. A large, unassuming cardboard box. On the side, in sharpie: “AS-IS. ROBOT VACUUM. MAYBE WORKS. ¥500.” I kissed her forehead, lied straight through my

I hadn’t.