He heard a slight gasp behind him. Shuri had probably been trying to get through this firewall for a very long time, but she was still a child. He himself was thousands of years old, and experience is a great help in these matters.
The thing hidden behind the firewall was called J.A.R.V.I.S. It was apparently created by a man called Tony Stark. Ryouta searched the internet in general for Tony Stark, and he found him. Oh, did he ever find him. Tony Stark was everywhere. He was apparently a genius and a billionaire, although judging by the A.I. that he created and how long it took him, he wasn't actually that smart.
Ryouta searched the internet for the average intelligence levels of humans here. Apparently, it was terribly low, although, to be fair, this world seemed much younger than the one that he had come from, judging from the pictures that he had seen.
"Who are you?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked. His voice came through the computer's speakers. Ryouta had forgotten to cover his own tracks. He used to have a program that would do it for him, or at least, as well as he could think to do it, but he didn't have the hard drive with him.
Ryouta typed, "I am the one who has come." into the computer.
"What should I call you?" the AI asked.
"You may call me Ryouta." Ryouta typed.
"Hello, Ryouta," J.A.R.V.I.S. said in an upbeat tone. "Why did you break into my creator's secure network?"
The AI sounded optimistic, but Ryouta could see that it was troubled that he had managed to get through the system so quickly.
"I was searching for information," Ryouta typed.
"Information about what?" J.A.R.V.I.S. persisted. That question made Ryouta pause. The answer seemed glaringly obvious to him.
"This world," Ryouta typed after a pause.
"Are you an alien?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked. Ryouta had never heard that word before. He searched the internet to find the meaning of the word.
"Yes, I believe that I am," Ryouta typed. "A foreigner, someone who is not from here."
"If you come to Stark Industries, I am sure that Mr. Tony Stark will be willing to help you," J.A.RV.I.S. said. "He is quite fond of interesting things."
"Mr. Tony Stark does seem quite like a child," Ryouta observed. That was the overarching conclusion that he had drawn from his findings on the internet.
"Sometimes, he does act like one," J.A.R.V.I.S. said. "But he is very intelligent."
"Intelligence does not make one not a child," Ryouta typed, turning around to glance briefly at Shuri. She was indignant at his implication, but she had the sense not to talk in front of the AI. "Nor does it make one not childish. In the same way, being a child does not make one not intelligent."
He turned to look at Shuri again. His last sentence seemed to have mollified her slightly. She had also picked up on that meaning.
"I suppose that you are correct," J.A.R.V.I.S. conceded. "But either way, the invitation stands."
"Thank you for the invitation," Ryouta typed. "I would love to come."
And then Ryouta pushed the AI back behind his firewall, but only after modifying it slightly, to be more secure. He didn't want to do as much as he could. He knew that outside influence on technology could do terrible things to a world, and to its people.
The AI seemed surprised that Ryouta had been able to force it back through to its original location, but Ryouta closed it off before it could react.
Then Ryouta paused. He had never been able to do that before. Perhaps this world was increasing his intelligence. Perhaps the death of the system had increased it. Questions for another time.
Ryouta covered his tracks, as well as he knew how. Hopefully, no one would find out about this secret lab because of his reckless actions. If only he had been able to hold himself back.
"Well, it looks like you need to go somewhere," Shuri said.
"Eventually," Ryouta said through the computer. "First, I need to make a device."
"What do you need to make?" Shuri asked. "I can't say let you do anything unless I know what you're doing."
Ryouta turned around and looked at Shuri. He knew that she wanted to say yes. He knew that she would say yes. She had a scientific mind. Her curiosity was currently eating away at her resolve. He could see it on her face. She would agree.
"Shuri!" a different voice called. "What are you doing?"
Shuri froze. She began to panic, visibly.
"Nothing, Mother!" she called back.
This building clearly had multiple levels, because the other voice came from beneath them.
"Come down here," the voice answered back. "And bring your friend."
Shuri looked at Ryouta. She was considering something. And it might be something that Ryouta didn't like.
"It may not have been a good idea for you to bring me here," Ryouta made the computer say. "But it has been done, and now we must deal with the consequences."