CHAPTER 15: Yumeko Jabami

Mitsuko and I don’t speak of last night, just like the first time. She looks at me in brief glares, a clue of anger, regret or annoyance in her eyes. The gentle whispers are gone, evaporated into just my hazy memories. This time I know for sure it was real. When I woke up, Mitsuko’s heels were still in the room, scattered on the floor.

I would never admit this to her, but like a cold glass of water, the first thing I wanted to do was inhale her scent… So I did. It lacked the fresh scent and the comforting warmth when they were freshly worn, but it was enough to make me tremble. I only took one whiff, confident that Mitsuko had a sixth sense and would catch me in the act if I continued further.

I felt a little dirty for doing it without her consent. It was something else to be ordered by her, to be watched as I followed her commands. It was different to sneak behind her back. The feeling was like a thumbtack in my skull, reminding me throughout the day to be more obedient, to not let myself get carried away. Eventually I’ll tell her, but for now…

I can’t look in her eyes without feeling an overbearing hatred toward me. I’m so disoriented... 99 percent of the time she seems to be evil, the other one percent she feeds me little nibbles that show she must care somewhat. Then I remembered I’m in her house, that she kindly let me stay here in my darkest hour. Of course she cares; even if it is just that one percent, I’ll hold onto it like a priceless treasure. It’s all I have. I need it. I need her…

“My mom is going to be home soon. I don’t know when. Just be ready to leave, alright?”

“Understood.” We’re watching anime in her living room, something called Kakegurui. Everything these days is made by AI; it’s refreshing to watch something from the old-world before the collapse. I grin each time Mitsuko laughs. It’s an enticing sound that makes my heart skip a beat. She loves the Yumeko character a lot. I see a resemblance.

The phone rings. Mitsuko answers it. Her mom is on the way. She turns to me. “You said your pod is by the school?”

“Yeah, only a few minutes away.”

“Let’s go.”

Mitsuko slips her sheer tights into her sneakers. “You don’t have to walk me home,” I say.

“I know that. Just shut up.”

We travel through the cluster of buildings. Everything in the city is tightly packed together. We enter District 73 and stop in front of a dilapidated building towering up to the sky.

“This is where you live now?” Mitsuko says, disgusted and concerned.

“It’s only 500 credits a month. Well, 1000 but…” I hesitate.

Mitsuko crosses her hands behind her back, a cheeky grin on her face. “But what?”

“I get a fifty percent discount…”

“Oh? Why is that? Is it because you’re a loser?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s… a program for orphans.”

Mitsuko’s lips part open. “Oh… Is that why you live by yourself?”

I nod my head, smiling sadly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t want people to worry about me, you know?”

Mitsuko looks remorseful. “I understand. Will you… show me your pod?”

“Uh, sure. I haven’t seen it myself, so it’ll be my first time too.”

“Cool,” Mitsuko says distantly. She seems to be thinking hard about something. Her sad expression troubles me. We take an elevator to the 40th floor. The hallway is dingy, dark and smells like vodka. There’s not a single cleaning cube hovering the walls or floors. I scan my eye at the door labeled 40-L.

“Hey, look at that. L for loser!” Mitsuko makes the shape of an L on her forehead. I laugh and she smiles. It’s nice she is back to her normal self. We walk in. My things that were confiscated by the government are in a cardboard box in the center of the pod. It’s unbelievably small; impossible to lay down horizontally without being curled into a ball. The ceiling is just tall enough to stand, but a hazard if one were to jump.

Mitsuko looks at the dump with her mouth agape. “Fuck… This is… Wow.”

“I can’t complain. It’s right next to the school, affordable…” I search for pros but cannot think of anything else. “I’ll walk you out?”

Mitsuko seems impressed by my offer. She shrugs, ‘okay’.

We can see the academy from the front of my building. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” I say.

Mitsuko’s defenses go up. “I guess.”

“I… I won’t say anything to you. Or anyone else about… You know…”

“Good.”

Mitsuko leaves without saying goodbye, escaping me with a fast walk. Here I am, alone once again. A robot bird lands on the light pole, scans my face and watches me sulk. I don’t want to go back to my pod.

It feels weird to have extra spending money. I’m torn between needless spending and frugality. The plastic bag in my hand is full of 4oz Mad Bulls. I hope they fit in the new shoebox fridge. I splurge and buy a rice cooker and a 2 pound bag of white rice. Being able to actually buy food… I feel giddy like a child with candy.

I pass by a shop. Something catches my eye. I double-back and peer inside through the window. Anime figurines, but not just any… I walk inside. In the back of the store is an electric cat cleaning itself. I’m drawn to a specific figure of Yumeko Jabami, Mitsuko’s favorite character! The price tag says 1200 credits… I pay for it without a second thought.

“Payday?” the depressed shopkeep says. Most people are struggling to pay their bills, yet here I am buying half-naked anime girls…

“Something like that,” I reply as he wraps up the figurine. “Can I get that in like, a box? It’s… for a girl I like.” I blush hearing my own words. “I-I’ll pay extra!”

“Sure, sure…” The shopkeep sluggishly stuffs the waifu in a box and covers her in pink wrapping paper. I give him 50 extra credits. He smiles at this. “Thank you for your patronage, come back any time!” People treat you a lot better when you’re rolling in credits.

The city is bathed in neon lights. I hear holograms chattering away as I walk past. My forearms are pumped carrying all this stuff. I get to my pod and set up camp. I put my gift for Mitsuko in my backpack. I hope she likes it. That night, I dreamt of Mitsuko’s kind whispers in my ear, feeling my heart swell up with good feelings as I hugged my pillow. I wonder if she’s thinking about me? Pfft, yeah right… Don’t be naive.