A cheerful young man with neatly combed black hair, a stylish black shirt, and fashionable glasses was talking with someone .
But what truly captured attention in the scene were the individuals dressed in black suits, black sunglasses , leisurely enjoying their coffee or tea at nearby tables.
" Are you even listening to me?" the young man asked when he noticed that the person in front of him was no longer paying attention.
"Yes, yes .... " he replied, his lack of interest apparent.
The young man, seeing the person in front of him chuckle, remarked, "It's the first time someone dares to respond to me like that..."
Then with a serious demeanor, continued, "Normally, I would have dealt with someone like you already, but I'm feeling generous today, so I'll spare you."
He paused, expecting some kind of reaction from the person in front of him. However, the response he received was quite unexpected. The person yawned and, in a tired and sleepy voice, asked, "Mmmh, okay... and my reward?"
The young man raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by the lackluster response. He chuckled and reassured, "Ha Ha Ha, you will receive your reward, don't worry."
"You're quite different from what I expected," the young man added, gazing directly into the other's blue eyes.
The person before him was dressed in a mechanic outfit, emitting the scent of gasoline, yet there were no visible stains.
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One day earlier
[ Student No. 220139 has been disconected ]
* Pshhhh *
Tatsumi pod slowly powered down. Disoriented, Tatsumi stood up from the pod with small headache however a cheeky smile was on his face.
He was satisfied with his first victory. Even though he had won due to the enemy surrender, as long as there was a positive outcome, he was fine with it , not even ashamed.
"Judging by what I've seen, 'Silver' probably comes from a rich family..." Tatsumi mused. After all, Rick had offered a great reward to Tatsumi if he won.
Like, who would offer a reward if you win??? for a beginner like Tatsumi ??? Was it because of his arrogant attitude or maybe he just wanted to have some fun? We may never know.
But Tatsumi wasn't one to complain. He was going to fully enjoy this offer.
Despite 'Silver's' attitude, Tatsumi believed that when it came to something fun, he would invest in it .
How did he know? Because they shared the same personality traits.
Nexus, who noticed Tatsumi stepping out of the capsule while he seemed lost in thought and was ignoring him, decided to get his attention by giving the pod a solid headbutt, which produced a loud *BONK* sound.
In a slightly feminine robotic voice, Nexus approached Tatsumi and inquired, "Master, how did your experience go?"
Tatsumi, who had been lost in thought, was suddenly snapped out of it by Nexus' powerful headbutt.
He shot Nexus a glare that clearly said, "What the heck are you doing?"
In a questioning tone, he said, "Why did you do that, Nexus? Do you know that if I break this pod , I'll have to repay the damages, and we can't afford that, you know?"
Nexus replied with a hint of playfulness in his robotic voice, "I apologize, Master Tatsumi. I wanted to wake you up from your deep thoughts. But don't worry, I made sure not to cause any more damage."
Tatsumi responded with a more serious expression, pointing at the door leading to his residential quarters. "Like hell !!! " he said
"I still remember quite clearly when you destroyed my wardrobe simply because it was a gift by one of my female colleague."
Nexus responded in a nonchalant tone, "No, master. I destroyed it because it was blocking the way, and it was very ugly."
Tatsumi was left speechless upon hearing the robotic assistant's response.
One day, some colleague from the hangar had come celebrated his move, and a fellow worker had gifted him a wardrobe with some T-shirts and pants as a present.
This was because Tatsumi had sold all of his possessions, including his clothes, to afford the hangar, leaving him with only his mechanic outfit as his general attire.
However, the very next day, Tatsumi woke up to find his wardrobe destroyed, with circular marks on the wood lying on the floor.
The culprit had been quickly identified, but Nexus insisted that he had destroyed the wardrobe because it was ugly.
Sighing, Tatsumi made his way to the bathroom, ignoring Nexus, who was trying to justify his actions.
After a few minutes, he hopped on his motorcycle, which had been revived, thanks to Nexus, who prohibited him to building the ZOKU II.
Tatsumi felt the need to practice with his machines, so he decided to use an abandoned motorcycle he had found near his home.
This led to a technological masterpiece: a futuristic hybrid motorcycle with a quiet "Ninja Mode" and a roaring "Vroom Vroom" mode that emitted ear-piercing metallic sounds.
The machine's noise was so intense it could rival a heavy metal concert. It had a sleek obsidian-black color that Tatsumi was immensely proud of.
Hopping onto the motorcycle with a loud "VROOM VROOM," Tatsumi revved up the engine.
He first passed through the lifeless zone, where abandoned buildings and debris lay in ruins.
Nature was gradually reclaiming the area, as vegetation crept up the concrete walls.
In the distance, a massive wall obscured the view of what lay further ahead.
But rising above this wall were towering skyscrapers, much taller than the wall itself, resembling 30-story apartment buildings in height can be see.
* VROUM *
As Tatsumi approached the wall, gazing at Zone 4. Hope City was divided into four parts:
- Zone 4: The area beyond the city walls, inhabited by those rejected by the city.
- Zone 3: Located inside the walls, this was where commoners lived.
- Zone 2: The commercial district.
- Zone 1: The area inhabited by the "nobles" and the city's most important figures.
The Hunt Academy was situated in Zone 2, and Tatsumi was now heading there to meet "Silver."
*VROUM*
Making his way through Zone 4 and navigating the checkpoint to access Zone 3, Tatsumi couldn't help but notice a stark contrast between the two areas.
One was patrolled by S.A.M.S and maintained order, while the other resembled a lawless realm.
Upon reaching the designated meeting point, Tatsumi spotted a young man with black hair and black sunglasses, surrounded by a group of bodyguards who were leisurely sipping their coffee or tea at a nearby terrace.
Not being impressed by the bodyguards, Tatsumi made his way straight to the table of the so-called 'Silver'.
He thought he could quickly settle the reward issue, but it turned out that Rick was not ready to let it go.
Rick kept discussing things that didn't interest Tatsumi at all, such as politics, nobility, and other topics. However, Tatsumi was only interested in one thing: S.A.M.S.
Rick even tried to exert pressure, but it didn't work. However, when Rick started talking about the reward, Tatsumi's eyes, which were on the verge of falling asleep, suddenly lit up.
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POV TATSUMI
"You're quite different from what I expected," said the young man in front of me.
I chuckled and replied with an amused tone, "You are also different than I expected."
With a grin, he asked, "What did you expect?"
"I thought you'd already know who I am, but you didn't even introduce yourself. Instead, you started talking about stuff I'm not even into! Am I wrong?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
With a chuckle, the guy leaned back in his chair and said, "Fair point, fair point! But hey, I've got to keep my cards , you know? Can't reveal all my secrets right away. I can't give you a free reward for nothing! How about we play a new game?"
I couldn't help but grin at his response. "Well, you're certainly not what I expected, but I have to admit, you're intriguing. But no, give me my reward !!!"
He returned the grin and said, "You are truly interesting, Tatsumi."