If there’s one thing I miss about our past, it’s having friends. Here in 212X, it’s nearly impossible to have a normal conversation with people—everyone depends on screens or artificial intelligence to communicate. I remember 100 years ago, we could just text each other, and within minutes, we’d meet up at the outdoor cafe to catch up face-to-face.

In the future, everything is digital, and people live in these machines called “Kari”—silver, egg-shaped pods filled with AI personas and apps. Communication only happens between me and the AI; there’s no real connection. It feels grey and empty, like there’s no hope. I hope you don’t end up in this future. If I could, I’d go back 100 years just to catch up with you. But, stuck here in 212X, I have no choice.