"How could you have such an absurd idea?" Sogo Doma tapped the tabletop with his fingers. "No field of study can advance overnight. Research into memes in this world has only reached the preliminary hypothetical stage. To truly master the method of creating memes, there is a severe lack of everything from basic theory to materials..."
Mai Sakurajima relaxed slightly. "If that's the case, can I take it that this so-called creation of a new meme is really just your delusion? You..."
"You're wrong again..." Sogo Doma flicked his lighter once more. "Millions of years ago, humanity's ancestors came to recognize the existence and value of fire through lightning. But they didn't know how to make fire. So, wise people began observing how fire existed. Under their guidance, humans began consciously preserving flames, and that step marked the beginning of human evolution...
"Humans back then truly couldn't create fire, but that didn't stop them from using it. Likewise, although I haven't mastered the means of creating memes, that doesn't mean I can't use them. Just like primitive humans preserving a flame, since you can contain a meme, all I need to do is guide things along slightly from the side, and there's a high probability I can create a new meme."
Mai Sakurajima: "..."
She increasingly felt like a lab rat.
"How do you plan to do it?" No one wanted to vanish into thin air. Having inferred that the meme weapon would not disappear after she was born, Mai Sakurajima instinctively asked.
"First, I need to see to what extent you're affected by the concept of air. I'm curious—if you pick up the coffee in front of you, would other people think the cup was floating in midair, or that it had vanished?" Sogo Doma folded his arms, lightly