"You told me it wasn't real," Nao said. "That the tag was wrong. But it felt real."
Outside, a delivery drone sliced past, painting the room in a streak of cobalt. Nao's eyes fixed on Akiro. "What do I do with that? With wanting and not wanting the same thing?"
"It felt real because it was yours before they made it theirs," Akiro replied. His voice was quiet on purpose—soft, not pity. "Tags measure physiology. They don't read promises."
Akiro unfolded a sheet of paper—handwritten notes from clients who'd come before. "You start by naming it. Consent isn't a single 'yes' recorded; it's a conversation. It can change. It can be reclaimed."