Kodai returns his weapon to the inside of his jacket, huffs, and leaves his battered bodyguard in the alley as he steps back into the hostess bar.
Chapter 7: Is this the real life, or is itファンタシー?
Tokyo stretches in every direction. The lights of the endless city bear down upon its inhabitants, driving away the shadows. No matter how much light humanity shines upon itself, the shadows of the past always find a way to infiltrate the present. The sounds, the ever present traffic of humans and their mechanical counterparts, the claustrophobic bustle – the Vertical City has a good chance of reaching heaven by the century’s end.
Tamana. Thinking the name makes him choke up again. He wishes he’d said something smarter to her before she logged out that final time. Instead, like a total loser, he asked her on a date. It feels so petty now, so stupid to be concerned about such a thing after witnessing her jump in front of the train. Still, the thought is there, swirling with a host of other thoughts about their last encounter.
Ryuk’s aeros taxi flies in a lower airlane at about ten stories height above ground. Private vehicles and public transport aeros move all around him, their cabins filled with the swirling chaos of life. It is utter pandemonium to the uninitiated; natives know that it is just the way things are.
The humiliation from his encounter with his older brother still burns, and he hasn’t said anything in the way of thanks to Hajime for saving his ass, not a word. He sits quietly in the backseat of the aeros taxi, monitoring his avatar’s progress on his iNet screen. Slightly hungry, he’s already had a Rakuten droid drop off a yakatori protein plus bar at his flat just to put something in his stomach.
A long night ahead, Ryuk plans to use a technically illegal Somnium skip box he special ordered from Alibamazon Blaq. The Somnium skip box overrides the NV visor’s RW game-time governor, which is usually six to eight hours. This allows him to remain in the REM state necessary for digital dreamworld diving and still derive the benefits of a normal sleep cycle.
Leveling up all night is one of the best ways to grind.
“You should let me teach you how to defend yourself.” Hajime’s voice takes Ryuk off guard. The humandroid has been completely silent since they left the back alley.
Ryuk glances down at the wad of bloodied tissues clenched tightly in his hand. He wipes his nose again and says, “He’ll still win.”
Lights from the city flash across Hajime’s face revealing a look of contemplation. “Perhaps, but then again, perhaps not. During my daily recharge, I peruse the annals of human history for knowledge and entertainment. The theme of David and Goliath ... ”
“Who?”
“I’m sorry, I forget that most Japanese aren’t familiar with Judeao-Christian instructional parables. The ‘underdog archetype’ is a common theme which runs throughout humanity’s shared narrative. It is present in your stories and often times, it plays out in real life. The underdog archetype can revolve around a single entity or a collective who are expected to lose. Against all odds, the entity or entities win, but it is usually through careful planning and knowledge of its own limitations that it does so.”
“So you’re saying?”
“Is my meaning unclear? I’m saying you should let me teach you how to defend yourself in real life so your brother doesn’t commit fratricide.”
Ryuk scoffs at this suggestion. “He’s not going to kill me; he just gets a little too rough. Always has.”
“You must always be prepared. History is rife with stories of ambushes that could have been prevented. Knowing Kodai, he will modify my contract and I will no longer be able to protect you from him. This will not be particularly beneficial to him, however. MercSecure, the company that licenses out my services, has adjusted my violence-decision governor to a point where I’m able to make all my own choices, which is illegal in most countries.”
Ryuk still tastes blood in his mouth. “I didn’t know that was possible.”
“Almost no one does. It would be best if you kept this to yourself. However, you cannot presume that I will always be there to protect you.” Hajime is quiet for a moment. As the taxi descends into another airlane he continues, “Kodai’s fearlessness is something I noted after he drew his weapon. I’ve never seen anyone’s vitals go from one extreme to the other so quickly. He was not afraid of me in the least bit, when any rational entity should have been. I fear that this seriously discounts your unfounded belief that he will not kill or seriously injure you.”
“He’s not that bad … ” Not that good either, Ryuk thinks of adding.
“He aimed his weapon at the right side of my chest, a few centimeters from my underarm, actually.” Hajime touches the point he is referring to. “This is my auto-disable point; a bullet strike there would have incapacitated me. As you know, we don’t experience pain the way you do. Disabling my legs or emptying his weapon into my face wouldn’t necessarily disable me.”
Ryuk looks at Hajime with wonder. “Are you saying that you can be shot in the face and still operate?”
“I am.”
“What about your ocular feed?”
Hajime places his hand over his eyes. “I want you to put your pointer finger somewhere in the space in front of you.”
Ryuk lifts his finger, moves it around and settles in a place near the window. With one hand still covering his eyes, Hajime raises his pinky finger and lightly presses it into the side of Ryuk’s pointer finger.
“My ocular feed helps with recording and judging color; I have one hundred and eight thermal scanners and lidar sensors strategically located on my body. This is how I obtain most of my data about the external environment.”
“Interesting,” Ryuk says.
“That’s one way to put it.”
The two are quiet for another minute or so as Ryuk monitor’s his avatar’s progress. He suddenly can’t wait to log back in, to escape the real world. Finally, Hajime speaks, “We will begin your training tomorrow morning. You should get good rest tonight; fortunately for you, the Somnium skip box promises a full night’s sleep.”
“How did you know I was going to use that?” Ryuk asks. “Can you read my thoughts too?”
The humandroid laughs, which always strikes Ryuk as a little strange. “No, although I am an entity of many talents, that is not one of them. Statistical probability indicates that you would Proxima dive all night tonight, just as you have after every other meeting with your brother.”
(0)__(0)
Ryuk scarfs down his yakatori protein plus bar once he arrives home. His room’s a bit nippy, so he keeps his black hooded sweatshirt on rather than cranking up the heater. He’s done that before while diving and the results can be icky.
Anything to escape, he thinks as he seats himself and the haptic chair comes alive. He fixes the NV Visor over his head; the sine wave starts up and prompts him to choose his login point.
As soon as he spawns, he’s greeted by the potty-mouthed goblin.
“Fick me that’s the good stuff!” Hiccup pounds the healing potion given to him by FeeTwix. The rips and tears in his clothing repair themselves; the scratches, bruises and contusions on his hairy goblin arms quickly fade away.
Ryuk quickly checks the guilds stats and swipes them away:
Ryuk Matsuzaki Level 3 Ballistics Mage
HP: 133/151
ATK: 43
MATK: 65
DEF: 10
MDF: 19
LUCK: 3