The man from the past

As we walked down the street, the Echoes were searching two citizens. Luckily, we passed by and they didn't call us to search them. 

“What are those robots?” 

“They're the Echoes, military robots that serve as an international army operating all over the world, protecting citizens from bandits, people who aren't identified in the system, things like that. I think if you get caught by them, you wouldn't come back.” 

“They're the cameras, right?” 

“Yes, they have facial recognition of everyone's iris. That's why I said you should look down a little and put on your hood.” 

We arrived at my house, the Man stared at the sign that said Ono residence. After staring at the sign for about 5 seconds without blinking, he said. 

“It means large field, right?” 

“Yes, my family is from Hokkaido, we moved to Tokyo when I was a child.” 

“Hokkaido seemed great.” 

He hiccuped and looked at me with an awkward smile. 

“Have you ever been to Hokkaido?” 

“Unfortunately not, but I know people who live there.” 

The man said these words with relief. However, if we took too long to get in, the Echoes might decide to search us, and that would be the end of it. 

“Without being rude, I think it’s better to go in right away, otherwise the Echoes might find you suspicious and come, I think it’s better not to risk it out here.” 

“Okay kid, thank you very much for everything you’ve done and are doing for me.” 

I breathed a sigh of relief when we finally got home. My mother was coming back from work later. The man and I went to my room on the second floor. 

“Excuse me.” 

“Make yourself comfortable.”

I lay down on the bed and finally asked what I should have asked a long time ago. 

“I know I should have asked this before, but what’s your name?” 

“Yuji-desu!”

He said, saluting and with a sparkle in his eyes. 

“Yuji-san, why the hell were you in my school’s bathroom? And, on top of that, covered in blood?”

“Oh, oh, let’s get started! To make it clear, the blood wasn't mine. And also, how can I put it? I think I've become a time traveler!”

“Ah! Ah! Ah! That's so funny, Yuji-san! You've become a time traveler? What a joke.” 

Suddenly, he looks me deep in the eyes and says, 

“It's no joke, boy. The place where the time machine was a few years ago is probably now your school's bathroom.”

“Hmmm. And the blood? Wasn't it yours?”

“Before I got into the time machine, I was running away from the Front with a friend. When I got into the machine, if it weren't for him throwing himself in front of me to save me from the shot, I wouldn't be here.”

“Wow! You're either a lunatic, or a movie scriptwriter, or you might even be telling the truth. Wait, did you say you were running away from the Front? Why?”

“Yes, the Front is an organization that wants to destroy the world!” 

The man had to be crazy. 

“The Front is responsible for the utopia we live in today! Don't talk about what you don't know!" 

"In the year 2055, the world plunged into the height of a bloody war that had been going on for about 10 years between the Rebels and the forces of..." 

"2055? 2054 was the year of the terrible Akuma that devastated the world and the Front saved the planet from the forces of terrible nature!" 

What is the man saying? He must be trying to manipulate me or something! 

"I'm sorry to tell you, but this is a lie. A farce created by this diabolical group that wants to dominate the world. But from what I'm seeing, this has already HAPPENED!"

The man was starting to get desperate and, to vent what seemed to be frustration, he hit the wall hard. 

"The Front annihilated practically all the Rebels who rebelled against their global dominance; few places on the planet became symbols of resistance against them. Without 90% of the rebels, they were free to do whatever they wanted with the rest of the world." 

The man seemed to have calmed down, and my head couldn’t stop itching. 

“Why did you come to the future?”

“As I said, in 2055 there were practically no rebels left. My family, some of my companions and I took refuge in a laboratory, because one of my companions was a scientist who was working on a time machine.” 

“So you used it and ended up here, abandoning everyone?” 

“There was an opportunity for us to leave Tokyo, which was dominated by the Front, and go to the North, which was resisting the Front’s advance. My companion was working hard to finish the time machine. His goal was to finish it and return to the past to nip the evil in the bud. My wife and baby daughter went to the North, and I stayed to help my companion and try to help in his plan to save the world from the Front and then reunite with my family.” 

I didn’t know what to say, he was so serious and when he mentioned his family, his eyes started to water. 

“My companion managed to finish the time machine, but it was too late! The Front discovered that the laboratory was being used as a shelter and invaded it. I was already inside and the time machine was on, programmed for 2001, but when my partner finished adjusting everything on the outside, Front opened the door to the room and started shooting at the time machine to break it there, but he got in front. I closed the door and...” 

The man put his hand over his face. 

“Due to...the shots that...hit the ship...there must have been some...interference that took me to the future.”

And he started to cry. I don't think he's lying, I think I can trust Yuji-san.