"I bet my ass... Its definitely a D."
Ren glared at him in shock... and the next line took him by surprise.
"You are betting your ass too."
"Wait! What?"
Ishiki was many things, but a coward wasn't one of them. That's why he'd, for the fifth time this week, bet his ass—yes, literally— and this time he bet it on the cup size of the Koyo clan's princess.
"You're going to lose, Ishiki. Mark my words," Ren hissed, bouncing alongside him with the rabid energy of a kid who mainlined five cans of cola after midnight. "Those were definitely an E."
The two boys walked through the dark street lit only by a flickering holographic toothpaste ad.
Well... there were also the neon lightnings from the support towers of Neo-Tokyo — The floating city, or more like a whole country, that covered the land below.
Most of the world had them now... the floating cities that have become the haven of the rich and really lucky ones who work there.
Like... slaves.
Earlier today the Koyo clan — The one owning most of the assets of the Neo-Tokyo had come down to announce that their school, the glorious gravel dump would have a shot at Neo Tokyo's recruitment.
They even brought the princess with them. And when she strode across the assembly hall, every kid present forgot how to blink, it was a next level beauty flex.
Ren couldn't shut up about her. Ishiki couldn't blame him. People like her had no business mingling with people like them, unless it was to hand out dreams and leave the poor idiots drooling in her wake.
Ren jabbed him. "You ever think about what it'd be like up there?"
"Yeah," Ishiki said. "Probably full of whiny rich kids, and snack machines that judge your credit score before giving you anything. I'll Pass."
Except he didn't pass. Not really. Ishiki wanted to experience it too, the luxuries provided by the floating heaven.
The chosen would work in Neo Tokyo—if the rumored AI interviews didn't kill their spirits by sunset. The rest would stay behind, elbow deep in disappointment.
"Bet she has a boyfriend with his own helicopter," Ishiki said. "She'd never look towards us."
Ren scoffed, thrusting his chest out. "I know how to fly a helicopter... in VR."
They both laughed.
It was all a game—their little debates about dreams and unattainable women. That was how you survived on the ground, with jokes and bets.
"..."
The night grew quieter as they wandered past a shuttered bakery, the robot cleaning van snoring against a pavement stain. Above, the city's roof sprawled with wires, pipes and the faint lights that were half lidded.
A police drone passed overhead, sensors scanning and then went by smoothly.
Ren split off down his alley, waving his phone with another hollow bet. Ishiki ambled onward, swallowing stale air and heading towards the edge of the city.
He didn't feel like going home tonight... that place only offered anxiety. He eavesdropped on his mother and heard her crying over the phone. Tomorrow morning, the money lenders would be here like every month and there were not enough sales this month to pay them.
Ishiki sighed as he reached a vintage vending machine and pressed his finger against the sensor. A green blink confirmed his payment and something popped down, at least the noise suggested that.
Ishiki bent down and his brows furrowed... there was nothing. The damn machine didn't give him the coffee.
"Hey you dumb metal box... where's my coffee." He shouted as he kicked the vending machine. His leg accidently hit a worn out metallic segment and pain flared up.
'Shit...'
[Ishiki Senju]
[Age -17]
[Offense - Shouting after sunset and attacking public vending machine.]
As Ishiki was grabbing his leg, a police drone scanned him and made a Ticket of violation. As soon as the drone left, his phone buzzed.
Ishiki opened it and gritted his teeth as he looked at the notification.
(Ticket of Violation - 20:38)
(Charges - 1000¥)
"No fuck..."
But... there was nothing he could do about it. 'Hell no... it was this fucking machines mistake.'
He kicked the vending machine again and the can of black coffee rolled down into the collecting area. He was speechless... a coffee worth more than 1000¥.
"..."
He was feeling really rich tonight.
Ishiki simply picked up his coffee can and drifted towards the wall that separated the sea from the land. He had found some foot rests over the years that allowed him to climb up the wall.
He climbed to the top and sat there, legs dangling over, gaze drifting from the restless sea to the shimmering cage overhead.
Neo Tokyo was beautiful and impossible, its towers stabbing the skies with their boundless promises. He found himself cursing that city. It was the reason for all the suffering after all.
He couldn't see the moon because of it... the people on the ground didn't even had the privilege of looking at the moon.
He opened the can, took a sip and grimaced. "Bitter... some things never change."
He closed his eyes, listening to the calm breath of the ocean... he thought of the princess—the flash of pink hair, the eyes that said I own everything you'll never touch.
Maybe he hated her, maybe he envied her, probably both.
Then his mind wandered back to his mother, he could imagine her straightening his collar tomorrow morning, pretending like everything was okay.
The truth was, Ishiki knew his mother was out of options. She'd already pawned everything of value. Her voice, once bright and sharp, trembled with apologies now—apologies she never deserved to make.
"I hate it... I hate that old man."
His father had left when he was small... to work at Neo-Tokyo. But ever since he has gone there has been no reply from him...
So yeah... returning home can wait. Maybe forever.
If he went home, he'd have to pretend things were fine. Out here, he could at least feel honest.
A police drone swung by, the size of a cat and twice as smug. Its lens focused on him, synthetic voice crackling. "Dangerous Activity. Please vacate as soon as possible."
Ishiki sticked his tongue out... "I won't... now get the fuck away." To his surprise, the drone really went by.
As his head snapped back towards the ocean, something caught his eye then. A streak, bright and sharp, split the sky—an actual shooting star.
Ishiki, who'd never seen the moon, had certainly never seen a star fall. His jaw sagged.
He looked at his hands, "Did i accidently got alcohol or something?"
No it was real... he was certainly drinking coffee. His eyes widened.
"Of all nights," he muttered. "Just when I'm out of wishes."
It grew, bigger and brighter, ripping through the clouds and then it vanished in a distance. After some time a tremor followed, Ishiki almost dropped in the ocean, but he managed to propel himself backwards and land inside the walls.
before he could stand up... a series of tremors followed. He couldn't believe looking at the far sky... there were several shooting stars... or if they were even stars at this point.
Then a blast, followed by the groaning of buildings falling... no, the support pillars of Neo-Tokyo groaned and slowly the whole floating city started to break down.
Ishiki's heart shuddered. "No... what is happening?"
Then, suddenly, pieces broke loose from the sky heaven and started raining fire and ruin. Alarms wailed, neglected for years.
People flooded the streets—shouts, feet pounding on the ground as they ran here and there, the raw fear of everything breaking at once took hold of everyone.
Ishiki bolted up, dashed into the swirl, heart pounding like a drum. He saw the memories he didn't want to. His mother waiting for him at home with food, Ren screaming somewhere in the chaos.
He sprinted for the main street, dodging debris and cursing everything. Buildings on land groaned, windows exploded. People screamed, a chaos born for horror movies.
The tsunami alarms blared, but they weren't fast enough. The waves slammed against the city walls. Ishiki shoved past two men, one of them crying. The other held a little girl to his chest.
A large metal piece fell from the sky, he rolled sideways just in time and ducked behind a fallen neon sign, breath ragged.
Surrounded by chaos, he saw the little tragedies—children crying for vanished parents, neighbors stumbling over the dead. He wanted to help, wanted to scream and cry, but survival is selfish.
Heroes died first, and Ishiki intended to see another bitter sunrise if he could. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks.
In the middle of storm, the world's logic snapped. Some people nearby flickered, like lights about to burn out. Their bodies started to dissolve into pixels until nothing was left.
He watched, frozen, as a mother reached for her son only for her hand to vanish into a cloud of light.
One by one several people disappeared. His mind went blank... "What the hell is happening."
Then suddenly his vision blurred at the edges... a yellow screen appeared in front of him. It was there and at the same time it wasn't. It was like watching at a hologram in his mind.
[Congratulations. You have been chosen as a Player...]
His body felt numb... he looked at his hands which were slowly breaking apart into light fragments and the his whole body vanished leaving the chaotic world behind.