My first day as an adult

The next day, the young inventor woke up early in the morning as he was told. He put on the clothes he still had from his master and left his small room.

"Goodbye, son. Have a good day at school today." Said the motherly personality of M.O.M.

"It may be a while before I get back, M.O.M, don't wait for me." Said the young boy with sadness and melancholy.

At the entrance to the brothel was parked, waiting, a completely black car. The doors of the car opened by themselves. There was no one inside that vehicle. It was one of those cars controlled by an AI. The boy got into the car without hesitation.

*Good morning, Mr. Ano. Relax and enjoy your trip. Your two-wheeler has been efficiently transported to our facility.*

What? My Z-910 has been relocated without me knowing it? Damn you weirdos.

The young inventor took his PDA out of his pocket and smirked.

PDAs were the devices that replaced smartphones. Due to [The Division War], the components needed to make smartphones disappeared. On the other hand, PDAs did not need a lot of materials to be made. As the years went by, they were further developed to the point of becoming a superior technology to the old smartphones. They could be used for anything, from making simple calls to reconfiguring complex digital systems.

Ano plugged his small and old PDA into the vehicle's command panel with the intention of taking control of the AI, but a powerful shock caused his PDA to explode.

*Access restricted. Please, limit yourself to enjoying the ride. Further attempts to hack into my circuits will result in the use of non-lethal force.*

The young boy leaned back in the seat.

How boring.

****

After crossing the bridge that connects the suburbs to the metropolis, everyone needs to identify themselves at a security checkpoint in order to pass. Only people with work permits and members of the government were allowed to cross and live inside the metropolis. Obviously, Ano passed without any problems as he was inside of an official Asu Industries vehicle.

As he approached his destination, Ano observed the lives of the people living inside the metropolis. People wearing nice suits and clothes; luxurious cars; not a fight in sight; green plants in the middle of the street... It was another world.

The car arrived at the big building that stood imposingly in the middle of the metropolis. It was so tall that it could be seen from any part of the suburbs. Inside, all kinds of jobs were being carried out. Laboratories, housing, research centers, assembly lines, warehouses, genetic experimentation... That was the central building of Asu Industries.

An elegant woman dressed entirely in white greeted the young boy who was just getting out of the car in the private area of the garage. They did not want ordinary citizens to see how a poor boy came to work for them; they had to hide this fact. It would be like a ghost working for them in secret.

"Welcome to our Asu Industries facility. Please follow me."

Ano followed the elegant woman, accompanied by two security guards who seemed to behave like automatons. Perhaps they were.

They took the elevator and headed for the floor where the employees had their personal rooms. On the way, the woman gave him a short introduction.

"My name is Inui. For you, Miss Inui. Remember, I am Mr. Asu's personal assistant. He has shown a special interest in your skills, but I have not. You are here on a trial basis. You will work on various projects this month before being assigned to a particular area. If it turns out that your abilities are not to our liking, you will return to your old life in less time than it has taken us to find out all about you."

As the woman spoke, Ano didn't say a word. He did not have the opportunity to do it either. In this way, they reached his new apartment. The woman pressed a fingerprint reader button near the door, and the door to his new apartment slid open with a vertical slide, hiding inside the wall.

"Inside, you will find clothes in your size. Put them on. It will be useful for both work and other activities. You may keep the clothes you are wearing, but it is forbidden for you to wear them while you are our employee. In one hour, an assistant will come to take you to your first job."

The woman looked superiorly at the boy as he entered his new apartment.

"The Cyber Hut you have on the table is yours for as long as you are here. You will use it exclusively for work, and for one hour a day you will have free access to it for leisure activities. Finally, you have your own bathroom with a shower. Make sure you wash up every day before you go to bed. And do it right now before they come looking for you."

The door closed just as it opened. Ano was left alone. The room was at least three times bigger than his apartment in the brothel. It was completely white, had a large bed, was windowless, had a fully equipped desk, and there was even a private bathroom just for him.

"Wow, I've heard of this Cyber Hut." It's unbelievable; not a single cable in sight.

Ano put on the thin, stylish goggles and wireless gloves of the state-of-the-art Cyber Hut he intended to use. Sadly, he still couldn't use the device and a restricted access message appeared on it.

*Access denied. Contact administrator.*

Well, I guess I'll take a shower and put away the master's clothes.

****

After taking a long shower, Ano spent half an hour waiting in his room for someone to come and pick him up. When there was finally a knock at the door, Ano got up and opened it.

"Hello, you must be Ano-san. Nice to meet you. My name is Kotori." He bowed and continued speaking. "I've come to pick you up to take you to your first job. Please, come with me."

Mr. Kotori was a veteran in the company. He had just turned 40, was single, he was balding but still not giving up, and you could tell he liked to eat well.

"Nice to meet you. Okay." Replied Ano.

The young boy left his new apartment and followed Kotori down the long corridors on his way to the job he had been assigned for today. The walk was uneventful. Meanwhile, Kotori explained certain things he needed to know to work there.

"I'm sure they haven't told you a lot of things. For example, you can eat at the company cafeteria. The price is cheaper than if you eat outside, and the food is the same. The salary is paid weekly. Also, here, this is your company payment card. You can buy everything you need with it even if you don't have any money. And don't worry, there's no interest at all. But when you get paid at the end of the week, you will see that the debt will be deducted from your salary."

As Mr. Kotori explained these things to the young boy, two security guards appeared. They were carrying a woman who seemed to have a problem with being grabbed by her arms.

"LET GO OF ME, YOU SCUM." After shouting, she spat in the face of one of the guards.

She was a girl with dyed blonde hair and multi-colored pink, blue, and green streaks. She was dressed like a middle-class person with a very urban style; a reflective green and yellow vest, black silicone pants, and platform sandals. She wore perfume and cheap makeup like people who lived in the suburbs. She also painted her nails everyday and had multiple piercings in her ears.

The girl was 16 years-old Mai Asu. Yu Asu's younger sister. A few weeks ago, Ano had a date with her. They met online and decided to meet in real life since they seemed to have the same interests. It turned out that Mai hated everything that technology had brought into the world.

She was certainly a flashy girl. She hated the metropolis and everything her family’s company did to people. Her goal was to boycott her brother as much as she could. She sought to bring down the entire empire her late father had built. That's why the security guards were holding her. She was the black sheep of the family.

Ano and Mai crossed paths. Mai immediately recognized the young inventor even though his appearance was completely different from a few weeks ago. She was a very sociable person. She remembered the faces of everyone she hung out with.

"ANO! Don't work for my brother, he's a remorseless demon!" The woman shouted as she was dragged away.

"Wow! Is she an acquaintance of yours, Ano-san?" Kotori asked.

"No. She tricked me into meeting her one day. Her ideology was contrary to mine, so we never met again."

The young boy completely ignored the woman. It was none of his business. He knew the kind of terrorist ideas she had in mind. However, he thought that probably the date he had with her two weeks ago was the reason why Hana asked him to marry her.

Maybe I should thank her for that at some point.

****

Once he arrived at his workstation, Ano started to steal several components that were there unsupervised. He needed to build a new PDA since his old one was destroyed by that automaton car.

The day passed while Ano worked for his enemy. Then, Yu Asu himself appeared in front of the young inventor as Ano was working. The billionaire inventor was interested in getting something from the young boy.

"Ano-san. I was wondering if you brought with you the sketches and diagrams you showed me at the science fair." He said with his usual piercing gaze.

At that moment, the boy noticed the beautiful eyes of his rival. They were a grayish-green color, capable of looking into people's souls. Their penetrating gaze, together with that uncommon color, created a perfect mixture that froze the blood and clouded the thoughts of whoever looked at them.

"Yes. I have them in my room. I can go and give them to you right now, Asu-san." Damn Asu. You'll see, when you get careless, I'll take over your company.

"No need for it. One of my subordinates has gone to pick them up personally right at this moment. Rest assured they are in good hands."

Yu kept looking at Ano fiercely. He was used to never letting a single signal of submission towards anyone.

"If it turns out to be something interesting, I will consider including you in the B.U.T.H.O development project."

The young billionaire turned away without more saying. Just as he arrived, he left. He refused to waste time on trivialities. But more to the point, he was eager to get his hands on that information.

What a weirdo.

And so, Yu Asu disappeared from Ano's sight again. For a moment, he thought he had been caught stealing materials. He calmed down and continued to collect items for his next inventions that he would be making on the sly in his room.

****

After a long day, Ano arrived at his new apartment in that building. Happy with the loot he had gotten today, he started making and customizing new gadgets so that they would be useful for future missions. When he finished his new and improved multi-purpose PDA, he put on his wireless Cyber Hut, ready to see what that device could offer that his old Cyber Hut couldn’t.

"No way!!! I have access to all kinds of information!!! Eeeh... the best files are protected." Well, let's see what I can do.

After messing around a bit with his new device, the young boy was able to detect a strange signal coming from the C district.

*XXxXzxzZZzzZXXX*

*Don't worry, this is a secure channel. Just care about bringing the goods. We'll meet at the delta post at 02:00 a.m.*

*XXxXzxzZZzzZXXX*

*Don't let them follow you this time, will you?*

*XXxXzxzZZzzZXXX*

The transmission cut out along with the static noises from the communicators. At this moment, Ano saw his first opportunity to start changing the world. Thanks to his enhanced PDA, he could disable firewalls, crack passwords, jam signals, forge documents, surf the web, and even communicate with other people. That 10-square-centimeter PDA was the successor to the old smartphones. Everyone had one, but it was not as complete as Ano's.

He left his new apartment and went to buy some clothes to go out. The clothes in the metropolis were expensive, but he could pay for them with the company card, as he was told. He figured money would not be a problem from now on. He chose something simple: a black shirt and red shorts.

"That would be 100.000 yen please." 

"Can I pay with credit card?"

"Of course. Thank you for your purchase! Come again please!"

Once he changed clothes, Ano rode up in his Z-910 parked at Asu's garage and headed to district C. He needed to locate once more the transmission of what looked like some smugglers. Thanks to the new gadgets he had obtained, it didn't take him long to locate the signal. It was still 4 hours until rendezvous time, and he needed to find out where the delta post was.

****

The young boy had reached the meeting point and was hiding next to his motorcycle in one of the abandoned warehouses in sector C. There were two hours left until the meeting, and the place was empty. Ano concluded that he was in the right place; after all, there was a giant D painted on the ground.

These criminals need to think of a more discreet method of communication. I feel sorry for how useless they are.

As the dawn progressed and the meeting time approached, armed people began to arrive, in several black vehicles and a couple of trucks. Two bald guys with dragon tattoos on their heads approached each other at the center of the abandoned warehouse facility.

"What's up, bro? You look good."

"Better than you, from what I see."

The tension could be cut with a knife.