I'd go with simulation, myself. [or that this is some sort of shared cognitive reality, like Mementos, like the Phantom Thieves and their Palaces, but that's -- a little harder to explain]
[either way, after a beat, he tells him:] Either way, I can promise you I'm perfectly real.
no subject
[either way, after a beat, he tells him:] Either way, I can promise you I'm perfectly real.