Gwen put away the golden light in his hand and raised a hand in greeting.
"It had indeed been a long time... Gwen."
Walter Yang instinctively adjusted the glasses on his nose and nodded, swiftly suppressing the surprise in his expression.
"Though, that would not be entirely accurate—we had just had an exchange."
"It seemed you could still synchronize those memories. That was for the best."
Gwen showed no awareness whatsoever that he was chatting amiably with the nominal leader of the greatest hostile organization. He nodded at Walter Yang, then looked into the depths of the Sea of Quantum.
"Let's go. There's still a living person waiting for us down there."
"You really intend to let him out?"
Walter Yang frowned, still doubtful of Gwen's decision—
Anyone whose body had been beaten to the point of collapse and could only hide their consciousness inside their core would harbor resentment toward their enemy.
Even Walter Yang, despite his exceptionally composed state of mind, was no exception.
Not to mention that the other party's previous objective had truly been terrifying.
"Of course."
Gwen nodded and said seriously,
"In the plan I have yet to fully formulate, he is an indispensable part.
Besides, he does not intend to destroy the world. He has merely taken two more steps than you..."
By the end, seeing that Walter Yang's expression remained exceedingly grave, Gwen could only smile and add one final sentence.
"Of course, the most important thing is that he can't beat me."
"Two more steps..."
Walter Yang nodded faintly. As though he had not heard Gwen's final sentence, he repeated the one before it.
Although his main profession was manga artist, Teacher Yang's identity was the real deal—
When Himeko had studied at Caltech, Walter Yang had been an associate professor there.