Classmates Due to the decline of birth rates and populations, these androids were created to deal with the socialization problems caused by lack of peers of the same age. It may be called the "Science Era", but occult-like conspiratorial mindsets are still widespread, so officially the existence of "foreign elements" such as artificial life has been kept under wraps. Starting with the prototype "ALICE" series, different countries have put out various models in order to gather more data.

Augmented Reality The technology is in a transitional period, with devices that can project digital information over reality starting to become commonplace. It's like one world has come to consist of several layers, though of course, monthly fees are required in order to maintain the infrastructure. An informational gap has begun to grow between those who can and cannot pay. The marketing calls it a "Beautiful and useful next-generation space", but to everyone outside a small upper class, it's more of a "Messy and ad-riddled expansion space".

Invasive Species Due to rapid pollution of air and land, many animal and plant species have become endangered in the Science Era, and the protection of native species a very important topic. On the other hand, there was research into the possibility of using genetic engineering to create subspecies more suited to the present environment and "terraform" the Earth, but the space station they pinned all their hopes on became a failed experiment and the project was abandoned. The created subspecies are all abnormally resistant, and can only be handled in high-security labs to avoid any ill effects on the ecosystem. As such, having brought any home from TORIFUNE would be very bad indeed. Merry's probably raising some such plants in her apartment.

Money In the Science Era, electronic payments have proliferated to the point that many people have never seen physical money at all. Payments in this era are biometrically verified, using a biosensor on the card to check the user's identity.

Panda Car Bank A piggy bank discovered at Renko's family home. There are still old coins left inside by someone. When you look at it more closely, it's surprisingly charming and kind of cute.

Next up: Tokyo As part of the government's policies to deal with population decline, people living in the suburbs were encouraged to move into the capital. Today, the area population is concentrated in the 23 wards of Tokyo proper. The infrastructure in these wards has been greatly rebuilt to the same level as Kyoto, but meanwhile, wide swaths of the suburbs have been more or less neglected. The infrastructure is deteriorating, fewer trains run there – West Tokyo has become more distant than even Kyoto. More than a few people appreciate this sense of seclusion and countryside living, but corners where the eye of the local government cannot reach are starting to have problems with groups like organized crime and new-age cults.