Final Destination

Two weeks later, Shibuya.

Two more days until the meteorite strikes.

We stroll at a relaxed pace until we finally reach the iconic crosswalk for which Shibuya is renowned. The roads and buildings are overrun with moss and roots, as if nature is suffocating everything mankind has created.

“…”

“…We’re here…” Alice muttered.

“…Yeah…”

“All we have to do now is find the place…” Alice looks down at her map, her shoulders jolt in surprise. “It’s… really close…”

“How close is it?” I lean to my side, looking at the map.

“Just right here…” Alice points at a specific circle to the train station's left. “And we’re right here…” Alice points at the large intersection we’re currently standing in, the circle located across the intersection.

“…”

“…”

“Well… let’s visit it…” I mutter.

“Yeah…” Alice looks towards the station.

“…” I grab Alice’s hand, standing by her side.

“…”

Keeping our grip tight, we look forward to Shibuya Station, with strips of white on the concrete road separating us from it.

The entire building has much of its interior in ruins, but it hasn’t fully collapsed, meaning that we can still navigate through it to reach the other side. If my hypothesis is correct, it should just be a straight line for us to get to the other side…

“…”

“…Let’s go.” Alice tightens her grip.

“…” I nod.

Both of us took our right feet off at the same time.

Passing one of the white tiles.

…

…..

……

---

A few minutes of walking later, we arrived at the place.

“Bishoujo Spa…” I mutter.

Cramped in a small corner are pictures of several girls wearing cute costumes, their designs completely worn out, and their faces covered in dust and debris. Above them, there’s an enticing red sign with the establishment's name written on it; however, the letters have lost their balance, most crooked beyond belief.

“…” Alice placed her hand on the door.

Pushing it open.

“…”

Alice delves deeper as I accompany her.

As we enter the building, we’re greeted by a long alleyway with walls covered in thick red wool. After a short walk through that hallway, we find a small counter to our left and a touch screen on the right where we would choose which room to reside in.

“I believe Dad’s office is somewhere in there," Alice indicates, pointing to a door behind the counter.

“…”

We navigate the debris on the ground, circumvent the counter table, and move towards the room Alice indicated.

Upon arriving, my eyes were immediately drawn to a single large computer situated to my left. Across the room, on the far right end, was a substantial electricity compartment that seemed to hum with potential. In the center, I noticed a large pad covered in a series of numbers, ranging from one to fifty.

“This place is really thought out..." I remarked as I touched the pad.

“Yeah…” Alice scans the area until her eyes catch something on the ground. “Hm?”

“Did you find something?” I ask.

“I think so…” Alice bends her body down, pulling a carton box from below a rack.

“…”

Alice places the box onto a nearby table, causing dust to swirl around the room and making both of us cough violently for a moment.

“Oh god…” Alice placed her arm over her mouth, waving her hand to push the dust away. “How long has this been down there?”

“*Cough* *Hack*” I rub my eyes; some of the dust has entered my retinas.

Once the dust recedes, Alice carefully opens the box to reveal a tablet inside. The tablet appears quite old, with scratches covering its screen. Next to it is a box filled with various cables, including Type-C, USB, and HDMI.

“…Hey, Alice…”

“Hm…?” Alice grabs the tablet, analyzing its build from top to bottom.

“I know it’s too late to ask this now, but…” My voice trails off, small beads of sweat form on my forehead. “Why does your dad own a brothel?”

“He doesn’t…” Alice holds the power button until the screen slowly lights up. “Battery’s not dead!”

“...So, who owns this place?” I survey my surroundings.

“My step-father did…” Alice grabs a nearby office chair and sits on it, her eyes still glued to the tablet.

“W-Wait, huh…?" I lean back onto the table, my head gradually melting like molten cheese.

“Sorry, let me try to explain it clearly,” Alice lets out a small cough, before looking up at me. “My step-dad is a no-good horny bastard that should’ve went to hell long ago…”

“…”

“Sadly, my dad is my step-dad’s big brother…” Alice rested her left arm on the table, her head resting atop her hand. “My fate has already been sealed before I was even born…” she says, glancing at the pad with an irritated look.

“…”

“My mother passed away after I was born, so my dad had to take care of me by himself. Though the workload became overwhelming for him at some point, he decided to work at his little brother’s establishment to make more money while still being able to take care of me…” Alice’s eyes shift back to the tablet in her hands, her brow furrowing.

“...”

“Not sure how, but that perverted bastard was able to open a new branch in Fukuoka, so my dad and I got transferred over to that new place to take care of it…” Alice states, her eyes glistening.

“…”

“When I was about nineteen, my father passed away quietly from exhaustion cause he didn’t want to hire new workers to help lighten his workload…”

“Alice…”

Nineteen…

Meaning that it wasn’t that long ago…

“Of course, the person who has to manage things around became me, but I never really cared about the place, so all I did was take a bunch of money from frequent customers, which is surprisingly a lot…” Alice gazed towards the ceiling.

“But… how were you able to keep the place running?” I ask.

“I didn’t.” Alice shrugs.

“…?” I tilt my head.

“A few months after I became manager, the first meteor struck down, practically avoiding taxes!” Alice raised her hands with a cheerful expression.

“…”

“For the record, it’s not that I’m reluctant to share this with you, okay?” She waved her hands. “It’s just that you never asked, so I never really saw a reason to tell you about it…”

“It’s okay. It’s just…” I glance away while scratching my cheek. “If you hate your stepdad so much, then why do you want to come back?”

“…”

“You mentioned you’ve planned this journey for a year, right?" I crouch on the floor, looking up at Alice. “If you dislike him, why make such an effort to come here?”

“…”

“…”

“…That’s because…” Alice placed her finger on the tablet, swiping it left to right, causing the screen to move. “He wants me to come back…”

“…”

“It’s really surprising when we called for the first time…” Alice’s fingers stop, her gaze fixed on the tablet. “He sounded… sad…”

“…”

“Of course, that’s not enough for me to stop thinking he’s gross, but…” The tablet’s screen shuts off, reflecting Alice’s expression. “I don’t know…”

“…”

“Well! We’re already here, and I don’t even know why! Hahahaahaha!” Alice puffs out her chest as she laughs loudly, tossing the tablet onto the table.

“…”

“Sorry for disappointing you, Yuiko…” Alice lowers her head. “A pretty anticlimactic ending, isn’t it?”

“…That’s not true, Alice.” I lifted myself up and then sat down on Alice’s lap.

“Y-Yuiko?” Alice’s face goes red.

“There’s a bunch of toys in here, right?!”

“…Eh?” Alice’s shoulders dropped.

“Since we’re already here, let’s have some fun before things come to an end!” I jump up and down in excitement.

“Y-Yeah…” Alice looks away, her ears becoming red. “J-Just get off for a second…”

“Ehhh? Whyyy~?” I press my chest forward, feeling Alice’s D cup.

“Cause you’re… getting me excited…” Alice mutters.

“…Well,” I put my lips next to Alice’s left ear. “Let’s go wild for a whole day…”

“…!” Alice’s jaws drop, her face bright red.

“Hehe!”

“You idiot!”

“W-Woah?!”

Out of nowhere, Alice stood herself up, pushing me off balance, but she maintained a strong grip on me, holding me as if I were a princess.

“Let’s head to a room first, shall we?” Alice smirks as she looks down at me.

“…!”

“Since it’s the wish of my highness, I will do everything I can to pleasure you for the whole day…” Alice says, a smug smile plastered on her face and her ears completely red.

“O-Okay…” I cover my steaming face.

…

…..

…….