(Sapporo, Hokkaido, October 2132)

"A sudden kiss or a hot gaze, don't screw up your love program"

A driverless taxi sped into a street bustling with neon lights and people. Drunken patrons exiting nightclubs after a rowdy round of drinks are being helped by the robot ushers into the vehicles that will take them back home, or to their next round. "Thanks…" a man said to the robot, hiccupping, then unexpectedly vomiting, prompting his friends to all jeer him for his embarrassing moment.

The white bipedal robot moved back. Its cold screen face still maintaining a blue emoji smile, assuring the patrons not to worry in an AI synthesised voice.

Soon, a green robot much shorter pulled up. It released a foam containing a, kind of bacteria that quickly dissolved the mess on the floor, gave it a wipe, and moved away.

The drunken patrons had long climbed onto the taxi, telling the autopilot AI of their destination. The taxi is completely driverless, relying on state-of-the-art AI to make decisions on roads, using quantum GPS and the city's smart traffic infrastructure to help it find its way without any problems. Nonetheless, the vehicle still has an emergency intervention system, allowing it to be controlled by living drivers in AR simulator pods at the depot, using 9G network to ensure a near real-time connection.

The taxi joined the rest of the vehicles on the packed roads, driving by several equally crowded streets filled with people rushing home after a packed and fruitful day of work, or going about their nightlife. Cleaning robots scurried among them, cleaning up the streets, with robot ushers awaiting customers by the streets.

The passengers relaxed, looking at the holographic billboards popping out.

"OpenAI's ChatGPT 40k, the AGI assistant of your needs. Technological, Intellectual, Emotional."

"BYD's new Ming Ultra electric car, powered by a diamond battery that lasts for a lifetime on a single charge!"

"NOIR Industries present our next generation household robot, featuring the DeepSeek V80 AGI. Ready to relieve you of all the troubles of home and give you the comfortable life you deserve!"

"Unhappy with your body? Fret not, we at Archangel Biomedical will provide you with your dream self with our advanced cybernetics and genetic cosmetics options!"

"Worried about your child's education? We provide state-of-the-art guidance with our team of elite educators from Earth and abroad."

"Tired of Earth? Come to the icy paradise on Europa and have some well-deserved fun. SpaceX is offering a limited time discount of only 257 000 yen for economy."

Such is the 22nd Century, an era of mankind filled with material enjoyment, and in Japan, one can once again enjoying insane levels of prosperity last seen in the Bubble era of the 1980s. 

Racism, sexism and other forms of bigotry are a distant past, only appearing in insignificant corners of historical texts…

At the surface.

The taxi then drove past another holographic banner that is flickering in and out, ignored largely by those around them:

"Sellardraxians are mankind too!"

"Sellardraxians are mankind too!" repeated his passengers in the back, then laughing hysterically as if hearing a sick joke. "What more do these demi-humans want? How much more should we give them?"

"Glory to humanity!" said his friend, burping from his alcohol. Another passenger knocked him in the head.

"You want to get arrested for that?" he warned. "It should be "Glory to mankind"! You want to be labelled a speciesism fascist?"

His friend is in a drunken stupor now, oblivious to the fact that his words could easily be considered a hate speech crime, especially given their connection to notorious "humanity-first" extremist groups that persecute Sellardraxians. Instead of recognising the gravity of the situation, he rants passionately on how they will displace humanity from its position of dominance in Earth, how they need to bear responsibility for the invasion by the aliens called the Veo 70 years ago.

"Though their girls are very good!" he teased. "Draco girls are fiery, Lita girls are seductive, Lin girls are protective, Inari girls are cute, Avis girls are gentle, Rein are dominative, while Angels will give you emotional gratification like no other!"

Hearing that, all of them got excited and joined this politically incorrect conversation, not noticing a Sellardraxian man walking past their taxi. He is of the Lin subspecies, a race of dragon folks that resembles Chinese dragons. He is dressed in a green winter coat, together with a cream sweater and a white collared shirt underneath, along a pair of khaki cargo pants and boots. He wore a knit cap to shield his elf ears from the cold. His dark cyan dragon horns popped out from his ruffled black hair, which barely covered a scar that ran along his forehead, caused by shrapnel of a 120mm mortar.

Nonetheless, this did little to his near impeccable looks that made him look like he walked right out of a K-drama set, drawing frequent glances from women around him. His long, black and green dragon tail is hung above the pavement, covered in wool guards to keep it warm.

Sellardraxians are another race of sentient humanoids that mysteriously popped up on Earth 70 years ago, sporting exotic characteristics that makes them look like demi-humans in myths and legends. They can tap on a newly discovered fundamental force in the universe called "Cosmic Energy" which allows them to do impressive feats that are collectively referred to as "magic" by humans.

"As we danced the night away with the popular Disco"

"Plastic Love," he muttered, recognising the song that is being played. He sang along, entering the restaurant playing the song by the side, while swaying his body along, as if he is dancing, high-fiving with the robot receptionist and greeting the owner of the restaurant.

"Hey it's Sean!" laughed the owner.

Sean smiled, opening his palm, revealing a ball of flames his generated. With a quick movement of his hand, it turned into a bouquet of flowers.

"It's just a trick I learned, I'm sorry!"

"Happy birthday, Ms Kitagawa," said Sean with a smile, passing the flowers to her.

Ms Kitagawa smiled in delight, thanking Sean, and bringing him to a seat. As he walked in, he smiled and waved at Reina Kitagawa, a bartender of the Avis subspecies, and Ms Kitagawa's niece, smiling shyly at him.

"Love is just a game. If you enjoy it, that's all that matters."

Just as he is about to place his order, the drunken men from before stumbled in, prompting those seated near the door to all frown in discomfort.

The robot receptionist politely asked the men to leave, they ignored it, instead walking towards Reina at the bar.

"Hi…" said Reina, greeting respectfully in spite of the visible discomfort and fear on her face.

The men looked at her with lustful eyes. Her blue hair is feathery and soft, with lavender blue and sky-blue variations that make it look like a bird's plumage of sorts, together with wings which are incorporated into her tailored attire like some kind of cape.

"Hey cute little bird," said one of the drunken men as he tried to touch her, only for her to reflexively move away, her sapphire blue eyes glistening with tears, on the verge of crying, clearly from fright.

"You look free, come join us!" jeered another man, blocking her path backwards with his friends. The Avis girl looked around in horror to see that she had been surrounded by 4 men.

"No…sir…please…" she cried, her hands gripping tightly onto her skirt, shivering in fear.

"Now, now, I don't like a rejection!" yelled a man, reaching out to grab her feathery wings.

"Stop it!" yelled Ms Kitagawa, only for her to be slapped in the face.

"EEEK!" Reina shrieked, and a strong gust of wind exited from her outstretched palms, slicing into the man like a sharp knife.

The blow tore into the man's flesh, revealing the metal of the cybernetic arm underneath.

"Why you little—" he yelled angrily, as he and his friends pinned her against the wall. The robot receptionist warned for them to stop at once, only for another man to yank its head off, kicking it away like a ball.

"HELP!!" she cried, struggling. The rest of the people in the restaurant did call the police, but are otherwise too scared to help, frightened by the group's cybernetic enhancements.

"Don't you know using Sellardraxian magic offensively is illegal in public spaces?!" snarled another man. "Looks like we have to teach you how to behave!"

Just as he is about to lay a punch on Reina's face, a pair of hands fell on his shoulder.

"What—" before he can finish, Sean grabbed him and hurled him out of the restaurant, smashing through the window and landing on the snow outside.

"You little brat!" yelled his companions, rushing towards him. Sean quickly pulled the shocked Reina behind him…

(10 minutes later)

"Control, this is Car 3, we have arrived at the restaurant—" said the Hokkaido police officer disembarking from his police car.

Just then, a drunken man is thrown onto the car windshield. Shocked, he quickly checked on the man and his car, finding that his car is unscathed, but the man has been badly beaten up, and is almost losing consciousness.

Around the area are the whimpering bodies of the 3 other men, all badly beaten up and groaning in pain, laying in a bed of shattered glass and blood.

"Sorry about your windows, but you can thank me for not getting harassed!" said Sean, leaving the restaurant. "Evening, officers," he smiled, greeting the Hokkaido police that showed up, taking a puff of his E-cigarette, breathing out the watermelon flavoured gas.