Estimated reading time: 5–6 minutes
Chapter 37
This is a story set in a fixed future, the year 2042.
There was a question.
This game called 「Hereafter Apollyon Online」 exists, allowing information to be obtained from the future, and various information has been brought to the present. It’s not just the information Orange has obtained. Other organizations have also succeeded in obtaining information from the future, albeit in small amounts, separately from this.
So why doesn’t the future improve?
The answer was right in front of him. It’s a newspaper article. Two ministers committed suicide. The top of the Self-Defense Forces, the Chief of Staff, was restrained after attempting to shoot himself in the head following a rape.
This isn’t just about Japan. In the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany… in every country, the closer people are to the upper echelons, the more they either die or behave as if they have given up on the future.
Watching this, the man quietly points his pistol at his own chest. Because even if he were a cyborg, he would not be spared instant death if it went through his heart. With a final glance at the VR equipment installed in his house, he pulls the trigger without a word. Dripping blood silently dampens the expressionless floor.
Two years have passed since the maintenance in March 2040. 「Hereafter Apollyon Online」 has not resumed service today.
◇
It was April 6, 2040, three days after the university entrance ceremony. Since then, I had become a university student without incident.
The entrance ceremony isn’t a big deal, to be honest. At most, it’s just a ceremony where everyone gathers and listens to speeches. I may be thinking this way because I’ve gotten too used to online classes. Is there really a need to gather? I remember struggling with my tie while thinking this, and in the end, Momiji helped me.
In this day and age, university classes are basically online. Except for experiments and orientations that double as identity verification, there are few opportunities to meet other students face-to-face at the university. That’s why I was happy that Momiji and Reina were at the same university.
Yes, it’s the loner problem. There’s simply not enough information when you’re alone. For example.
「How do I register for lectures…?」
This kind of problem. Unlike regular services, the information doesn’t circulate because it’s only for university students, and what they take differs by department.
Like for liberal arts foreign language majors, studying abroad is common, or for science majors, you have to cram in classes or risk falling behind a year, that kind of information doesn’t reach me at all. So there’s a university bulletin board, but there aren’t many people who answer, and sometimes false or outdated information gets mixed in, so it’s also problematic.
That’s where the option of going to school and making real contact comes in. Each club is in the midst of recruiting new members right now. The idea is to infiltrate and gather information. But it’s not like I want to join any particular club. So I want to just ask and leave quickly, to be honest.
…To tell the truth, if I asked Momiji or Reina, it would be over, but my pride, which remains in fragments, wouldn’t allow it. I feel like I’ve been relying on them too much lately.
So I look around. Each club has a classroom and is recruiting on their own. It’s convenient that you can see what’s happening at each activity location by entering your student number and password. But there aren’t many people around. Unlike in its heyday, club culture is being absorbed by the internet, and the scale is shrinking.
I’m not big enough to be approached by sports clubs, but cultural clubs have an unapproachable atmosphere. The gaming club, well, I haven’t been playing major games lately. 「HAO」 recently finished maintenance, but I haven’t logged in because I don’t know when the service will end. Instead of the major cooperative games that appear on my device, I’ve been quietly working through my backlog of single-player games.
As I’m wondering what to do, a pair with a strong presence passes in front of me. A tall, serious-looking male with glasses and a shorter, flashy-looking female who seems like she parties a lot, that kind of combination. And in the man’s bag are several textbooks, probably bought today, and the title of one of them is visible. 「Introduction to Mechanical Engineering II」. The textbook I plan to use next.
The moment I saw that, I stood up. With nothing but ulterior motives, thinking he would be kind to a junior in front of his girlfriend, I spoke to the glasses-wearing senior.
「Excuse me, I have something I’d like to ask…」
Coincidences are funny things, I have to think in retrospect about this fateful encounter. The glasses-wearing senior I spoke to didn’t seem annoyed, but had a somewhat difficult air about him, and the other person widened her eyes and squeezed out a thin voice.
「…O-Orange…?」
Yes, today I’m wearing orange!
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link