"You... no, nothing."
Annie looked at Ryan and suddenly smiled.
Of course, she still had questions, but for her, as long as she knew Ryan was still the same Ryan, that was enough!
"Is that so?"
Ryan raised an eyebrow and stood up from his computer chair.
A little girl's thoughts were always hard to guess, but judging from Annie's happy smile, it was clear that the knot in her heart had been untied. That meant he had accomplished his goal.
"I'm heading out. Want to come?"
"Of course. Don't even think about leaving me behind."
Annie ran over, looped her arm through his, and hugged it tightly.
"You're acting like a little girl begging for attention right now!" Ryan teased.
"Got a problem with that?" Annie asked, her cheeks slightly red as she glared at him fiercely.
"Uh, no!" Ryan quickly answered, choosing to yield.
After leaving the room, the three of them walked through the streets of twenty-second-century Japan.
Technological development had not brought people in this world more prosperous lives. Instead, as the gap between rich and poor continued to widen, those at the bottom had been forced to work even harder. It would not have been strange to call them "human livestock."
Capitalists and officials stood high above everyone else, enjoying the best education, healthcare, and services.
Ordinary people, meanwhile, found it difficult even to acquire enough knowledge. If they did not work as hard as beasts every day, then in this world, where even the air and soil had been polluted, simply surviving through self-sufficiency was little more than a fantasy.
When he had first entered this cannibalistic world, he had also spent a great deal of effort figuring things out. If Suzuki Satoru had not helped him, then relying solely on himself and his