"What the---"
Their jaws dropped as their ship passed through between a peninsula and an isthmus of the u-shaped island. Modernization is an underrated description of the very city they are docking at the harbor. They felt their heartbeats so fast that they can almost hear and feel it throbbing, excitement and adrenaline rushed inside their body that they most likely have a fever.
They set their foot on the port of an unknown land at the center of the city. They are welcomed by the staff and were given a smartwatch they are to wear until the end of the convention. They all wore it in their right wrist and turned it on upon registration. They all felt a quick run of spark from the watch to all over their bodies as if they were charged with bearable electricity. Some students with them at the registration area shouted in shock at the sudden release of spark.
"If not for Mr. Louige's training, I would have shouted like that." Andi felt proud as he looked away from the other group.
"Be careful not to lose your watch." the staff said. "It's your Identity, privilege, and access pass in the city. So, if you don't want to be restrained in your room, you have to take good care of it.
They all looked mesmerized and they were given entrance to the city by passing a curtain in hologram. Everything they see was nothing in comparison to the land they have been. Tall buildings are made up of glasses and LCD screens as walls that flash 3D images and sceneries. Different statures surround the city that they think of themselves as mere ants standing before it, lights of different colors and hues illuminate the city that emanates a distinct feeling that the future is at hand and growing. The sounds of machines humming and robots running are serene though enticing as the parade and upbeat music engulfs the venue gave them chills and excitement.
Their necks almost got ripped from watching the scenery they're in at every angle that made them dizzy and nauseous. They found a huge Ferris wheel as big as the London eye with holographic objects surrounded by different colors of lights run by solar power. The advertisements were shown in 4D models as holograms. The cars that roam around don't use wheels but instead, use hovers that can go up or down depending on the traffic situation. Trains are run by hydroelectric devices connected to their carts. Robots roaming around act as securities that help them facilitate the convention; they are also there to maintain cleanliness in the venue and act as information boxes roaming around making them handy and reliable. They found the city wonderful, but the only setback is that all the information around the city is all written in Kanas and Kanji.
"This place is amazing!!" Andi exclaimed. "Though I can't read anything.."
"Yeah. This is pretty COOL!" Tori yelled. "But I can't read a thing. Ne, ne, Michiyo, have you been here before?" she asked.
"Not yet,, I mean, this place is exclusive for Argon employees only. You need permission if you're an outsider and wanted to tour around the city..." Michiyo replied. "I have lived at the mainland when I was younger."
"Ehh,,, it was really what Mr. Louige said, huh.." Alex muttered.
"But, but, but,,, ne, Michiyo, how do you say awesome in Japanese?" Andi asked.
"SU-GOI.." Michiyo emphasized the word by shaping her lips.
"Su-go-i?" Andi followed like a kindergarten.
"Yeah..."
"How about 'this city is awesome?" Andi asked again.
"Kono Machi wa sugoi desu!"
"Kono Machi wa Sugoi desu.." Andi's eyes sparkle in the excitement in the early noon light of the Argon.
It was a bright sunny day but the confetti rained from towers of the buildings making it a shady park of the parade. A host step on the stage on one of the floats.
"Welcome participants!!!" she said aloud in a microphone. A cute bunny dances atop of their float in a hologram. "I'm here to announce this day's events so be sure to lend me your ears!!" She wore cute bunny attire, like cosplay or something, with bunny ears and shoes.
Andi's eyes sparked like nuclear fission. He didn't think of seeing a beautiful lady in that attire. His face turned red as if smoke is coming out from his nose and ears. Meanwhile, Andra found her cousin fancying over the bunny.
"What are you doing, you pervert!" slapping his head so hard that Andi budge and held his head between his palms.
"Nothing, yo, Andra... that hurts.." Andi complained. He tried to get away from her but failed.
"You two should stop hurting each other.." Sandra muttered stopping the two. "Let's just enjoy the parade.."
An LCD at the bunny's backdrop flashed the logo of the Scorpio, a big Scorpion coiling its sting, ready to strike. The float she's in was grandiose inside and out. It was one of the masterpieces of the Scorpio that made them known to the world. "Let us welcome the arrival of the Mamorigami Kouko!!" she continued and waved her hand in the direction of the said school.
8 members of Mamorigami Kouko wearing their black uniforms walked past the crossing of a street. One of them is eating ramen and the others settled for coated apple candies. They all looked at the announcer in awe and shyness for calling them out of nowhere.
"They are part of the non-GS schools that were invited for this convention as part of the partnership of the Scorpio and their school. They also had innovative exploits both used in the Scorpio and the GSTech, ladies, and gentlemen..." the bunny went on the other direction of the float "Kindly look at the left side of the city, please" she pointed it out "..that fountain is developed by them in a three-month schedule with complex programs and interface...not to mention they are best standing academic students" the fountain she mentioned lighted in different colors and the water danced sprouting words like Scorpio and other welcoming words "..if you want more information, just swipe your AR watches and read the manuals...." She turned to the center stage and waved her hand.
"They're quite popular, huh.." Alex whispered in his grim face.
"Now, we also welcome the all known wonders of the west, where the brightest are nurtured with high-quality standards of instruction and hands-on experience having their school just at the back of the mighty ORION itself..." a drum roll was sounded "Let us all welcome the apple of the eye, Gold Star Science and Technology Institute!" confetti dropped from the sky and the band sounded loud; clapping, whistling, and a few boos echoed the whole city. "They were the runner-up of the previous tournament in Aquarius in the city of Radon, they were so close to winning but they went a little short in the last part. Well, I hope they'll be back in action this year..."
All eyes stared at them as if they are some kind of a superstar. Everyone outside Numbres regarded the GSSTI as a prestigious school where you can find your secure future just by entering it. Job security and social status easily come in handy when you are at school. They're considered as geniuses envied by all but resented by some.
"Oi,, oi..." Andi said "..why won't they stop staring,, we'll get melted you know.." feeling conscious. He tried to cover his face with a fan he got free from a robot.
"Stop you're whining.." Andra poked him "Just smile as if anything didn't happen." Her face turning red with embarrassment.
"That's rude..." Jayson said, "Just keep your calm and smile back..."
They looked around their area and found a few familiar faces, the people they've acquainted in the last year's convention held in Aquarius. They walked past a café and tried to enter it to have a clear view of their surrounding. But, as the moment they step foot on the entrance, a waiter robot halted them asking, "Pass..." in a mechanical coarse voice.
"Pass?" Sandra said, "What's that?"
"Pass? I don't know..." Jayson replied, looking lost.
"Be sure to register yourselves at the registration booth at the port entrance..." the bunny announced "..unless you don't want to be part of the Convention, that's it... but you can't also have leisure in the city..."
"Oh,...." Everyone sighed.
Jayson turned his back from bot said to his friends, "...I was supposed to get out nametags at the port back then."
"It's fine, we don't know about it either..." Sandra replied.
"Just let them scan your watch." Hachiro went past the Circa and showed the bot his watch. "It's our access pass therefore our data is already stored in this little thing. Isn't that basic knowledge?"
The bot scanned Hachiro's watch using its eye scanner and gave him an OK sign. He immediately entered the cafe and sat at a corner seat near the window.
"Cocky brat..." Alex murmured but Jason patted him.
"I thought I have read everything in the manual. Sorry. It was my fault." Jason said and let the bot scanned his watch. The rest of them followed and entered the cafe. They took a table away from Hachiro.
It didn't bother him. Instead, Hachiro ordered a frappe and took his time to look around the city from his seat. He looked down under his table and the floor doesn't settle him. It was not a normal concrete they're stepping on. LCD's with power-driven charges running back and forth in the ground as if the whole city is a big CPU of a computer with touch screen components. He saw a resident just stepped on a block near the police box outside his window and she changed her outfit from an old librarian to a devil cos-player in an instant, a cat also leaped on the same spot at it suddenly turned into a chimera. He didn't believed his eyes that he turned his head to look at her again. His jaw dropped knowing how powerful technology is in the city.
"Ne, Ha-chan..." Shichiro muttered "This is getting bad, right? I had a bad feeling about this..."
"Ahh, I know... we can't let our guard down. I guess bugs are overflowing here somewhere.."
"I know, should I scan the whole area?"
"Not yet, they might spot you... let's just take cover for a while.."
"Hai...Just let me know when to go..."
"I will." He kept his head low.
Jason stared at his watch as he stir his hot americano. "These things must be worn anytime at all cost, so they said." he muttered. "How didn't I thought of it as our ID cards as well?"
"You're just pretty occupied, Pres." Sandra smiled as she sipped her milk tea.
"I kinda lost my thoughts there. It might be because of the holograms and all." Jason slapped his head.
"Now you felt how we felt when you suddenly change the meeting room's interiors." Andra rolled her eyes.
Everyone laughed.
"But, Jay.." Alex said, "They seriously wrote our names in their writing, huh. Take a look." he pushed an icon on his watch and a monitor screen appeared as a hologram.
"That can't be helped you know...I guess its for the employees here to recognize us.." Jason said. "I haven't seen mine since we just let the bot scanned our watches. Can you all show this one?"
They show their name tags to others and compare how it is written in Katakana.
"Ehh?? Is this how our names are written in Kana, huh?" Alex said.
"Mine as well...this looks great!"
"But, you see... Michi's name is written different from us!" Andra said "Look.."
"That's just how we do it here. All non-Japanese origin names are written in Katakana, even foreign and borrowed words while Japanese names are written either in Hiragana or in Kanji.."
"Ehh, so your name is written in hiragana then?" Sandra said.
"Ehh,," Michiyo nodded. "You're right, Sandra-chan.."
"So, how was that kid's name written?" Tori asked.
Sandra scanned her watch and looked at Hachiro's stats. "It looks like a pair of legs and a number 3."
"So Hachiro's name is written in hiragana, huh..." Sandra thought. "...pretty cute.." she added.
"Lame." Alex rolled his eyes.
"Quite simple," Tori smirked.
"Anyways, they will have an orientation on the way to the venue via bus later..." Jayson said, "But I guess it works the same as what Mr. Louige gave us as prototypes... we can also use the chips here.."
"Ehh,, isn't that on our advantage?" Tori said.
"That's why he trained us, somehow, huh?" Andra said looking at Sandra's way.
"Ahh,, that might be it." Sandra replied, "So, when can we activate it?"
"I dunno... I guess the orientation will tell us.."
The float went near the port and they heard what the bunny was saying. "And not but not the least, Minna-san, let us welcome the last participants of this year's convention,"
Everyone from the cafe went out to see the participants. The Circa did the same. They all look at the way the bunny was mentioning.
"the defending champion...the home of talents in the east...they are one of a kind school where most programmers from the OLYMPIANS came from and are now working in prestigious companies with great discoveries and innovation...including the GS Tech companies." Drum rolls even louder and the band rejoices "Let's give a hand for the students of the Queen Aurora Technology and Science University!" applause held in every corner.
They saw the team of 8 walking towards their way wearing their smug but composed face that irritates Alex the most. They waved their hands to the bunny and all of the people who are staring at them in complement to the praises they've received.
"So, you came huh?" Alex exclaimed stepping forward to meet his old acquaintance. "I thought of you backing out.."