It was the afternoon at Franky's small shop. The sound of distant screams echoed—not from the streets, but from the horror movie blaring on the old flat screen. Franky was glued to it, cackling at every jumpscare. Jase sat on the wooden bench by the counter, hunched over his phone.
For the first time since joining Trevis and McLarence, he checked his messages. His inbox was full. People he hadn't talked to in years were suddenly writing to him. Some mocked him, others asked if he was okay. He scrolled quickly, eyes narrowing.
Cedrik had sent a concerned message:
"You good, bro?"
Ngono sent a voice note of himself laughing, followed by a screenshot—an official GCE Board letter. Jase's name was clearly written, next to a bolded "Suspended: 3 years." (Jase wondered if maybe he had intentionally slapped that invigilator.)
Jase muttered, "Ngono... If I find you, I'll shove that letter up your ass." Then, strangely, he laughed. But it didn't last.
"I'm laughing while my life is melting away," he whispered. "Why does Cedrik care? I don't deserve it… Maybe I should leave. Start over. Trevis and McLarence gave me a shot—at the cost of my sanity and conscience—but still… it's a shot."
A single tear rolled down his cheek.
Franky noticed and raised a brow. "Dude, you left your house to come cry in my shop? Are you serious?"
Jase wiped his face. "Come on, Franky. You know I came here for that."
Franky sighed. "Bruh… just this once."
Jase started to speak, "For how—"
Smack! An egg splattered across his face.
"Shut your whiny ass up," Franky said without looking. "This annoying main character's about to die!"
"…The movie?" Jase blinked.
"A good one, I might add."
Jase grunted. "I'd rather watch some anime."
The room fell silent. Only the sound of the horror film's protagonist breathing heavily and the ceiling fan spinning remained.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?" Jase asked.
"What's your favorite anime?"
"Uhh… I think The Hero Kwabang?"
"It's good," Franky nodded. "But Attack of Meca? Now that's peak."
Jase blinked. "Never heard of it. Is it a hentai?"
Franky snapped, "My fuck, no! Only weirdos watch hentai!"
"…Oookay." Jase looked away, embarrassed.
"It's old gen. Wait here." Franky disappeared into the back.
Jase glanced at the horror movie again. "It's not that bad…"
Suddenly, a blinding light glowed from the backroom. Franky emerged holding a DVD that shone like a gem.
"Here it is!" he declared.
"Why's it so bright?"
"Collector's edition. Customized by yours truly."
A few customers entered. Franky slipped the DVD into Jase's hand. "Take care of it. If I see one atom of dust on it, I'll rip out your eyeballs and sell them."
Franky turned to greet the customers. One of them quietly slipped into the backroom. Curious, Jase pocketed the DVD and followed.
He entered a dimly lit corridor, walls flickering with neon signs. Rooms lined both sides, offering everything from black-market deals to illegal arms sales, biochip implants, and narcotics. It was the gangster's paradise. Holographic billboards shone everywhere, each flashing advertisements for every vice imaginable.
The place reeked of a society without restraint—where technology had advanced, but human morality had stayed behind.
Jase walked on, the heavy stench in the air mixing with the intoxicating smell of money. It made his vision blur, but he kept going. Through the crowd, a glimmer caught his eye—it was an illuminated holographic sign of a high heel.
He headed toward it, but suddenly, a bodyguard stepped in front of him."No minors allowed," the man said.
Just then, Trevis stepped out of the room."Good evening, sir," the bodyguard greeted respectfully.
Trevis spotted Jase and frowned."What the hell are you doing here?"
Jase didn't answer. Trevis smirked."You're a real piece of work, you know that? Tell you what—Yu also wants to make you feel comfortable." He said it in a teasing tone, but there was something predatory in his voice.
He turned to the bodyguard, who wore a black suit and bionic glasses."The kid's with me. Get him a good whore."
Jase was shocked by Trevis's blunt objectification of women. But he stayed silent—partly because he thought he wasn't much better himself.
The bodyguard led him through the frenzied crowd—naked men and women on display, an entire section for watching live sex. Jase was stunned, but he kept following until they reached a back entrance where the noise faded.
"Go in," the bodyguard ordered.
Jase stepped inside. It was a small room. A woman stood there in lingerie, bruises marking her skin. Her expression was one of deep sadness.
The bodyguard stared at her with an unsettling, almost threatening gaze.
Surprisingly, Jase didn't feel aroused at all. The woman approached him slowly and asked, in a soft but sorrowful voice:"What do you want?"
Trying to avoid the subject of her bruises, Jase asked:"Doesn't it bother you… doing this with a minor?"
The room went silent. Jase glanced back and saw the bodyguard watching her with a cold, stone-like expression. The woman looked terrified.
Jase decided to leave."What the hell are you doing?" the guard demanded. Under his breath, he muttered:"Little shit."
Jase walked away, aimless.
He spotted Trevis and told him:"There's a woman in your strip club with bruises."
Trevis raised an eyebrow."Seriously? I tell a guy to take care of you, and he gives you that? Bruh."
Jase was stunned by his reaction. He wondered if Trevis was even human.
"Don't worry, I'll deal with it later. I've got things to handle right now," Trevis said before walking off.
Jase stood there, a wave of unwanted desire gnawing at him. He didn't want his first time to be like this. He tried to leave but got lost.
He asked another guard for directions, and the man handed him a holographic map card. As Jase examined it, he noticed a strange icon. He tapped it—"Otaku Club? What the hell is that doing here?"
Curious, he followed the map to a small club."They look like they're having fun… maybe I should join them," he thought.
As soon as he entered, a woman called out to him and handed him special glasses. Before he could ask what they were for, she was gone—and Jase realized she was actually a robot.
He walked toward the dance floor when a girl tapped his shoulder."Turn on your glasses," she said.
Jase didn't understand. She had to shout over the music:"Press the button on the left!"
He pressed it, and suddenly the glasses activated—it was like a VR headset. An AI voice asked him to create his avatar.
"I want a Japanese guy with blue eyes, white hair, perfect skin, and a perfect body," Jase said.
When he returned to reality, he saw his hands had changed. Everyone else in the room also looked like their avatars. Now it made sense why it was called the Otaku Club.
The girl who had helped him activate the glasses smiled."Wait… you're Satoru?"
"Yeah, you know him?" Jase asked.
"What otaku girl doesn't know him?" she replied.
"And you… you must be Rem, I presume?" Jase teased.
"Yep," she laughed. "Let's dance."
She burst out laughing again when she saw how badly Jase moved."Stop… seriously, stop," she giggled.
Jase felt ridiculous."What's with that face?" she asked.
"Forget it. I'm going home," he muttered.
"Wait!" she called out.
"Why are you bothering me? There are others dancing."
"I saw your face," she said. "Who knows, maybe some of these people are creepy 40-year-old men. Besides… I don't know… maybe I won't make fun of you anymore?"
"You're serious? Anyway, I've got an anime to watch," Jase said, showing her a DVD.
"Ohhh, that's a really good anime," she said.
"You've watched it?"
"Of course."
Jase decided to leave, but as he walked away, he realized how good it felt to talk about anime with someone. He came back."How about we just stop dancing?" he suggested.
She laughed and agreed. They sat together in the back, exchanging their top five anime lists—discovering they had similar tastes.
At one point, Jase asked:"What's your name?"
"Eliana. And yours?"
"Jase."
They enjoyed each other's company until Eliana said it was getting late."Go home—wait, show me your face first," Jase said.
She removed her glasses. Long blue hair, black eyebrows, a smile that was hard to read.
"Alright, you can go," Jase said.
"Wait… don't you want my number?" she asked.
"Of course I do."
She left, and Jase stayed there, smiling to himself. Eventually, he headed for the back exit—only to bump into a man. His DVD fell to the floor. Before he could react, the man snatched it and ran.
Jase chased after him, he was tellign himself "I could become rich if I sell this".
Meanwhile, at Franky's store, Franky was slicing bread with a knife."We're out of chocolate. Come back tomorrow," he told a customer.
Then he saw a man running past the shop—holding Jase's DVD."Oh, hell no," Franky muttered.
He hurled the knife at the thief, vaulted over the counter, and kicked him to the ground."Where the hell did you get this?" he demanded, yanking the knife out.
"From a kid," the man gasped.
Jase stumbled into the shop, panting."You… caught him?"
Franky gave him a cold look."You messing with me, kid?"
He handed the DVD to Jase, then barked:"Out. I SAID OUT!"
Frightened, Jase left. But fear quickly gave way to excitement—his mind on Eliana—as he walked home.
Back home, he cleaned his place, muttering:"When Eliana comes over, I don't want her thinking I'm a slob."
A few minutes later, he decided to stream the anime Franky had recommended.
Elsewhere, in Essos…
A man in his forties stepped out of a taxi, wearing a black-and-yellow tracksuit, carrying a Belgian sports bag and a small poitinini. It was the same man who had cursed Jase during his exams.
He walked with a malicious smile."This place smells like the joy of life," he murmured.
People in the café stared at his strange outfit, but none dared to speak—his aura was terrifying.
He went into the restroom, opened his sports bag, and took out a bowl. He muttered an incantation. An image of Jase's location appeared in the water.
"Gotchu," he whispered with a sinister grin.