Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama, Brighter Days Orphanage
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

“Then Honoka-san is like Tsubaki… an AI…”

Hyakka could practically hear her COMP’s voice in her head scoffing at the comparison. ‘That thing is nothing like me. In the first place yadda yadda yadda…’ But it was the correct comparison to her, because she couldn’t tell the difference between the so-called old-fashioned tech and the technology of the current era of magitech.

“Uhm, I am doing excellent.” Sheepishly answering the book, with a noticeably forced straightening of her back, Hyakka replied. “Since Alice-chan is visiting I feel even better today. I sleep well… sometimes. Not as often, lately…”

Her voice trailed off for a second. But not wanting Alice to worry about her, she quickly turned the conversation another way.

“Honoka-san, you said it’s nice to finally speak with me. Does that mean you’ve been waiting to meet me?”

It wasn’t lost on her that this AI’s name was within the list of names that had written that message to her. Maybe she could get some answers.

“Did you… are you one of the ones who wrote that letter to me? ‘To those Living in the Future?’”