Finally, I turned my attention to the test tube.
Inside floated a beautiful woman with long red hair, suspended in a pale, glowing fluid.
I stood there for a moment, unsure.
Releasing her… was that really salvation for her?
This was supposed to be a buried setting from the original story — one never meant to surface. I had no idea what kind of person she would become once awakened.
But even if the real world turned out to be smaller, crueler, or more disappointing than the dream she'd been trapped in…
Even if she looked around and thought she should've stayed asleep…
Right now, waking her seemed like the right thing to do.
I reached out.
The moment my fingertips brushed the glass, thin cracks spread across the surface — even though I hadn't applied any real force.
"Ah…"
Well, this world is a shitty place to live peacefully in, but I'll try to fix that.
So let's go out there together.
And if possible… it would be great if you could help me.
Right — before that…
