Sonic worked at Smile Burger in Kowareta Yume. It was a fairly long drive away from home, it would take too long to walk. There were no other means to get there other than by car, there was no public transportation in Kowareta Yume due to poor infrastructure. On top of that, Sonic losing his driver’s license meant he was completely dependent on Tails to commute.

 

Sonic’s first hours started on a bad note, almost all of the toilets broke down and had needed to fix them alone. He was, amongst the employees, the only one who had the skill to do it. Kowareta Yume had a massive problem with its sewer system, it caused toilets to clog and overflow with water. 

 

Even though Sonic would always fix it the best he could, there was no way to permanently make the problem go away, at least not without redoing the entire sewer system. Still, every time the toilets broke, Sonic would get berated by the manager. It was very humiliating to listen to a long lecture in front of his coworkers.

 

While he was fixing the toilets the manager would breathe down his neck to do it faster so that everything works before opening hours. There was no way to do it faster than he was, but Sonic had to put up with this pressure.

 

In the past the phrase going faster was attached to running in green hills, now it was with cleaning toilets.

 

Once opening hours started and the toilets were dealt with, Sonic was placed to work at the cash register. Kowareta Yume even with its low living standards was a highly populated ward. Smile Burger would get very crowded during the day and Sonic would have his hands full with work.

 

Every day there were plenty of annoying and rude customers. Don’t they know who they’re talking to? I'm a hero, a video game superstar, or at least I was once upon a time. I don’t deserve to be treated like a nobody. Sonic would feel miserable every day at work and it showed on his face. The manager would be sure to criticize him for his lack of enthusiasm.

 

“This is Smile Burger, you have to smile whether you feel like it or not,” said the manager firmly.

 

Sonic nodded. He continued working at the register with a forced smile that somehow looked even more depressing than him being plain sad.

 

As much as Sonic hated the fact that nobody recognized him, it was so much worse when somebody did.

 

Two young guys were staring at Sonic, and they started whispering.

 

“Oh my god is that him?” one said to the other.

 

Sonic noticed the two approaching him and without them even letting out a word Sonic let out a deep sigh.

 

“It really is Sanic!!” 

 

“Hey, can we take a picture?”

 

Sonic shrugged “Sure.”

 

They took a picture together. The two young guys laughed and started walking away.

 

“Can’t believe we saw the legend Sanic”

 

One of the guys turned around to say to Sonic “You have no idea how much ‘Sonic 06’ made us laugh please make more”, both started laughing and continued on their way.

 

Sonic didn’t say anything, and the two guys left the place.

 

Sonic hated every second of these encounters. It was a stark reminder that he was seen by the people who knew about him as a joke. 

 

Back in the old days in the street, I would get only fans approaching, now it’s just people laughing at me. Nobody thinks I’m cool or interesting. I hate this, sometimes I wish I never got big in the first place. Not having anything is better than, getting everything, you want and then losing it. I wish I could just turn back time. Although I’m not out of the ring yet. I’m not giving up, I’ll get another chance and show them and the rest of the world that I am still capable. My comeback opportunity will arrive.

 

They think I’m out of touch or that I only make bad games. I have made good games since ‘Sonic 06’. Why then does everyone focus on the worst ones and keeps treating me like I joke? Everyone acts like Im some kind of incompetent foo, I’ve made classics, how many of you have made genre-defining classics?

 

They should show me some respect, if not for my video games, then at least for the time I saved the world. I suppose with the abundance of superheroes and superhero media today, it’s just not as impressive as it used to be.

 

Sonic was never able to swallow or move past the fact that he tarnished his reputation. He used to get very defensive when someone would mention ‘Sonic 06’, but now he accepted the ridicule and kept telling himself that he was still a great game director. He was fantasizing about a comeback.

 

He was always drawing concept art, writing possible drafts for scripts, designing levels and so on. Truth be told it has been years since the last Sonic game. Throughout the years, sales for his games plummeted and the only press Sonic would get would be articles about how bad he is or people making memes.  

 

Sonic was desperately holding on to hope that SEGA was going to call him and that he was going to make a grand return. It was clearly an unrealistic fantasy, but it kept him going while working his minimum-wage job. In his mind this job was only temporary, the return to stardom will happen eventually. 

 

***

 

 

Hours were moving along, and the first wave of customers had passed. Smile Burger was mostly empty during this time of the day, and it would remain that way until the end of Sonic’s shift. While the morning was always hectic and stressful the rest of the day wasn’t so bad. During these calm hours, Sonic would look out the window and daydream, there wasn’t much else to do.

 

A message had arrived and a vibration coming from Sonic’s cell phone interrupted his daydream. Sonic took out his phone and saw a message from Tails, ’There is a problem with the car I will be late to pick you up today, I will call you once I am close wait for me somewhere close to Smile Burger’

 

I guess I'll just walk around here after work. Maybe I will eat some lunch at a restaurant in the area if he takes too long.

 

A few hours later Sonic’s shift had come to an end, he turned over his uniform and went outside. Outside the sky was gray, there was no sunlight and the sky looked like there was going to be rain. Sonic decided to spend his time outside and if it rains, he will sit in a café or restaurant if he gets hungry.

 

The area around Smile Burger had a pedestrian-only shopping street. Sonic decided he would spend his time there window-shopping. The shopping street had a very run-down look. Most of the cafes, stores and signs had the look of the 20th century. It felt like a time capsule of Tokyo, that was the general feel of Kowareta Yume, but this street in particular was emblematic of the outdated state of the ward.

 

Sonic drew out a cigarette to light but couldn’t do it, his lighter had just died. A woman who looked to be in her late 40s was walking by and Sonic decided to approach her.

 

“Excuse me do you have a lighter by any chance?”

 

The woman stopped and started looking at Sonic strangely. She had long brown hair in a ponytail, she wore glasses and a standard suit most women that work in Japanese offices wear. The woman in question still focused on Sonic started adjusting her glasses and squinting her eyes. Sonic was confused by this reaction and started to walk away.

 

“Hey sorry I thought you might have I lighter I didn’t want to bother you“, Sonic said while backing away.

 

“Are you Sonic the Hedgehog?” said the woman.

 

Oh great can’t wait to hear about Sanic memes again. Haven’t I been punished enough with this?

 

Sonic let out a sigh and said “Yes, that’s me”.

 

“How’s it going, what are you up to, haven’t seen you in such a long time.” The woman spoke to him with a kind of friendliness and familiarity. Sonic did recognize the woman and he was taken aback by her friendliness.

 

“Do I know you?”

 

“Oh, right you know me by my old look. I used to have pink hair, sing and was 20 years younger.”

 

“I have no idea who you are.”

 

“It’s me, Ulala.”

 

“Who?”

 

She quickly changed her demeanor from friendly to annoyed. “Space channel 5?”

 

Sonic was still drawing a blank

 

“The Dreamcast rhythm game?”

 

“Ohhhh now I think I remember!”

 

Ulala felt relieved and she went back to being friendly.

 

“We did that SEGA cross-over tennis game together right?” Sonic said.

 

“That’s right” she nodded, “Listen I have a lot of time before my next appointment. Do you wanna sit down for a cup of coffee over there to catch up?”

 

While they were never what you would call friends, they were familiar with each other. Both were Dreamcast stars and they did a lot of media tours together. They talked about projects at SEGA anniversary events and have gone out on several business dinners. Sonic agreed to get that coffee, he wasn’t terribly enthusiastic, but he had nothing better to do and he had no idea when would Tails arrive. 

 

They went to a cafe close by and outside it started to rain. The table they sat at was on the second floor of the café, it had a large window with a pretty view of the shopping street. Both of them ordered a cup of coffee and lit cigarettes. Ulala borrowed Sonic her lighter.

 

“So, what are you up to know?” Sonic asked.

 

“I do voice coaching for young signers, mostly idols.”

 

“You didn’t star in any game in a long time, right?”

 

Ulala puffed her cigarette and said, “That life is over for me although I never had much of a career, but I’m glad it happened.”

 

“Glad about what?” 

 

“That I got the opportunity to make my own game in the first place. How many people can say that? It was nice, there was this whole spotlight on me for a time, people wrote some articles, there were fan meet-ups, and ultimately, I got to be a celebrity for a time”

 

“Don’t you want to go back to that life?” Sonic said and inhaled smoke.

 

“Honestly no, it was nice, it happened and I’m over it. I’m too old to be a star anymore and I’m fine where I am right now.”

 

“Married?”

 

Ulala proudly nodded, “Two kids as well.”

 

“I see” Sonic put out his cigarette and turned his head to the window next to him. He stared at the rain outside.

 

“What happened to you anyways? I remember reading about ‘Sonic 06’ when it came out.”

 

Sonic shuttered at the mention of that title. It would seem everywhere he would go he would be haunted by that game. Always a reminder of his failures both as a game director and as a person. A reminder of his tarnished reputation, of his status as a laughingstock on the internet and of his lost love.

 

“You started to fall off the radar after that game. What happened to you in those years after that, I always wanted to ask you, but it never felt right to do so. You didn’t look so good when we were making the SEGA tennis game, that was back in ’08 right?”

 

Sonic didn’t say anything he still stared at the rain with a dead look in his eyes.

 

“What happened to you back then?”

 

Sonic still didn’t utter a word he just continued looking at the rain and began recounting the events of those years in his mind.