Chapter 5: Impossible Romance

Chairman Jefferson’s hand shook as he poured a glass of whiskey. He tilted back and drained the glass a single swallow, the bitterness doing little to soothe his nerves.

“Jefferson, do you need to do that?” His Partner Leeta asked, rubbing his shoulders.

“Fine liquor… is one of the… privileges of my position…” he muttered, swirling the empty glass for a moment before pouring another.

“I know, dear, but you’ve been drinking every night recently,” she said, sitting down next to him. “Is something the matter? This is a time of celebration! Another successful Sextennial and Adjustment Day! So why do you seem so sad?”

A tired smile broke across his face as he stared at the wall. Yes… another “successful” six years. What a “success” they were.

“It’s fine, Leeta…” he murmured. “Everything is fine… don’t worry…”

…

Jason met up with Skye on the way to class, exchanging the usual greeting.

“Jason! Skye!”

It was Moira. On time, for once, with Andrew at her side. Her smile seemed to light up the entire hallway.

“Good morning, Moira,” he greeted her.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, good morning, whatever. You guys looking forward to class today?”

“Of course. Every day is a chance to increase one’s understanding,” Skye said immediately.

“I’m really curious to learn more of that health stuff!” Moira said. “You know, about the-“

“Moira!” Jason cried. “We’re not supposed to say anything from our Adult Education classes in common areas, remember?”

She gasped. “Oh no! I totally forgot!” She looked around frantically, worried that one of Ai’s drones was going to pop up at any second. Luckily she hadn’t said too much.

Skye cleared her throat.

“Loitering in the hallways before class is against the rules,” she reminded them.

Moira and Jason glanced at each other sheepishly and followed her back to class. Jason in particular felt embarrassed that he’d let her distract him so easily.

…

Moira groaned when she heard that today was Literature Class. Until she learned that, as part of the expanded Adult Education curriculum, they’d be watching a film.

“I’ve been teaching Adult Literature and Film for 42 years now,” Teacher Shae said, turning on the telescreen. “Today, we’ll be watching a movie from the past, from the ‘Adult Vault’.”

That got some whispers buzzing through the class. Most of the time, anyone was able to check out any book or film from the library that they wanted. But the exceptions to this were works from the Adult Vault. Those were limited to people that were 18 years old or older, and required special authorization from a qualified instructor and from Ai.

None of them could begin to guess what sort of movie they’d be watching. What could it be about, that it had to be restricted to the vault?

“Before we start the movie, I just want to warn you that it will cover subject matter that you may be unfamiliar with,” Teacher Shae said. “Most of the books and movies you’ll be exposed to in this class will be Romances. How many of you have watched a Romance Movie?”

Every hand rose.

Romance was one of the most popular genres of literature and film, with big hits like ‘The Destined Partners’, a story about two Partners that were introduced to one another as children, worked hard for the sake of the Bunker, had their Unification Ceremony, raised their children to be model members of society, and lived happily ever after. It was so successful that every few Generations a new version was produced.

“This movie, however… is not a Romance. It is a genre known as a ‘Tragedy’.”

That was a word Jason had never heard before. As if anticipating the confused students’ hands, the teacher clarified.

“A Tragedy is a book or film or series that has an unhappy ending, or covers subject matter that would make someone feel sad. For obvious reasons, Ai confines all films of the Tragedy genre to the Adult Vault so they do not cause unnecessary duress for the younger Generations.”

Jason raised his hand. “Teacher Shae, if Tragedies are so bad, then why even keep them at all? Wouldn’t it be better to destroy them?”

“Some people have said that over the years,” she agreed, nodding sympathetically. “But they fall under the classification of Vital Knowledge.”

Everyone gasped. “Vital” Knowledge was anything deemed by the Creators who built Ai and the Bunker to be essential for the human race. No matter how incorrect or wrong that knowledge was later proven to be, it was still forbidden to destroy or alter it in any way.

“Skye? Did you have another question?”

Skye looked uncomfortable, which was rare. She was probably facing the same dilemma that he was.

“Teacher Shae, if this material is so harmful, why are we watching it in class?” A few students nodded in agreement.

“Because as divisive as it may be, Ai has deemed that it’s still important to learn about. If for no other reason than to understand why it is so incorrect.”

The telescreen shifted to the menu screen of the film, showing a drawing of a black-haired boy standing between two girls, one with long, blonde hair and the other with shorter brown hair. Jason sat up curiously. “Teacher Shae, is this an animated movie?”

“Yes. ‘Impossible Romance’ is one of many works created by producer ‘Annie May’. These days animated works are for children in Primary Education and below, but in the past on old Earth there were many forms of animated media intended for adult consumption.”

Jason leaned in, wondering if there was anything he could take away from this film for his own art.

“What’s it about?” Moira blurted out. “You said it was a Tragedy, but everyone looks… happy?”

That was true, the three characters all seemed to be smiling.

“The plot of Impossible Romance is about a boy who is trying to find his destined Partner, a girl he made a promise to hold a Unification Ceremony with as a child. But he isn’t sure who she is.”

That sounded like the dumbest thing Jason had ever heard. A few people actually burst out laughing.

“How would that happen?” Andrew asked. “Wouldn’t he have been with his Partner ever since he was a child?”

“The movie will explain it a little better,” Teacher Shae answered. “But remember, before the Bunker, people weren’t assigned their Partners by Ai. They had to go and find their own Partners. It was a horribly inefficient system.”

“Why would anyone want a system like that?” Jason asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to just let Ai decide who you’re going to be with, since Ai can’t make mistakes?”

Teacher Shae shrugged, and gave an exasperated smile. “What you’ve got to remember is that people from the past weren’t as enlightened as we are. They did lots of things that simply made no sense whatsoever, instead of just doing what they were told.”

More and more hands shot up, and eventually the teacher had to stop taking questions and get on with watching the movie.

Jason watched it intently. It started okay enough. Like the teacher had said, it was about a boy named “Bakataro” who’d met a girl when he was a child. Then, the brown-haired girl popped onscreen. Her name was Osana. She had been Bakataro’s friend since they were kids. Bakataro and Osana glanced at each other and their faces turned red.

Teacher Shae paused the movie.

“What you see here is an example of what’s known as ‘blushing’. While we’ve all blushed when we’re embarrassed, in films from this era blushing is used to indicate when one party desires the other party to be their Partner and engage in a Unification Ceremony with them.”

As the movie continued, it was made clear that the two characters wished to become Partners. They would repeatedly think “I like you” in regards to one another, which Teacher Shae explained was another indicator. But neither was willing to tell the other person, for some reason. It was terribly confusing and dull. Jason figured that refusing to tell someone you wanted to be their Partner must have just been some ridiculous byproduct of an era where Partners were not assigned- yet another reason that system was such a foolish one.

Then the blonde, Emilia, appeared. She did not get along well with Bakataro, they were always arguing with one another, telling each other that they hated the other, and at several points she even got physically violent with him!

“What you see here are symptoms of the disease known as ‘tsundere’,” Teacher Shae explained. “It is a degenerative mental condition that most commonly appears in women around this age. People who suffer from it exhibit traits such as sudden, loud outbursts of emotion, a flushed complexion, declaration of others as idiots, and of course, excessive bouts of violent tantrums. Thankfully, it is a condition that we’ve managed to breed out of the population.”

Jason sighed in relief. He couldn’t imagine what life would be like if he’d been Partnered with someone like that. It was a good thing that Osana was Bakataro’s Partner and not Emilia.

“But didn’t she say that she liked him?” One of the girls asked. “If she likes him, then why is she so mean to him?”

Teacher Shae shook her head sympathetically. “Tsunderes are incapable of expressing their feelings in a positive way. Imagine, not being able to tell your friend that you appreciate their company without bursting out in a fit.”

It was clear why this film was labeled a “Tragedy”.

Moira turned back in her seat and looked at Jason. “Jason, I appreciate your company,” she flatly told him, and the class burst out laughing.

“See?” She said, flashing a crooked grin. “Nothing to it. Clearly blondie’s just an idiot.”

“Moira, please refrain from unsolicited outbursts. And we do not call people ‘idiots’.”

“…Sorry Teacher Shae…” She sunk down into her seat and the film resumed.

The climax was approaching. Jason’s heart soared at the revelation that the childhood friend Osana really had been the MC’s destined Partner all along. And after so much buildup she was finally about to tell him how she felt.

“I’m sorry… but I love Emilia.”

What? What? It didn’t make any sense. Osana was Bakataro’s Partner. They’d been together since they were kids. So why did he kiss Emilia? Why did he have a Unification Ceremony with her?! This film made no sense! He looked around to see if anyone else was confused by this, or if it was just him. But no, the rest of the class didn’t seem to understand what was going on, either.

The film came to an end after the Unification Ceremony, and the class exploded with confused questions.

The teacher ignored the shouts of disbelief and outrage, and called on Skye, who had actually raised her hand.

“I don’t understand, Teacher Shae,” she said, her brow furrowing. “It was clear that Bakataro and Osana were Partners. So why did he have a Unification Ceremony with Emilia? Aren’t Unification Ceremonies only for one’s Partner?”

Teacher Shae nodded. “Exactly. Osana was Bakataro’s Partner, and had been with him ever since they were children. And yet, Bakataro still ended up ‘marrying’ Emilia.”

“But you’re not allowed to have a Unification Ceremony with someone other than your Partner!” One student exclaimed. “That’s against the rules!”

“Seeing Osana cry like that… I felt awful,” Moira said, shaking her head. “How could Emilia and Bakataro do that to her? And then they even forced her to bake a cake for their wedding!”

“So you understand why this film is a Tragedy,” Teacher Shae sighed. “Instead of marrying his intended Partner, he married a violent girl suffering from mental problems. These are the sort of dangers that occur if we allow people to choose who they wish to have a Unification Ceremony with.”

A chill ran down Jason’s back. That sounded dreadful.

“But that’s not the worst of it. You may find this hard to believe, but in the past Earth there were actually people who watched that movie and wanted Emilia and Bakataro to end up together. They were happy about the ending.”

“What, were they stupid?” Moira blurted out. The teacher glared at her and she clapped her hand over her mouth.

“In the old Earth, there was significant conflict over who would be the better Partner,” Teacher Shae said, her gentle voice tinged with sadness. “That debate gave rise to many brutal wars.”

“Wars?!” Jason cried. He wasn’t alone. “War” was one of the most horrifying things they’d ever learned about. It was like getting into a fight, only so much worse.

“Yes. As best as we know it, after that movie premiered, battles known as ‘The Shipping Wars’ broke out across the world. Battleships helmed by fearsome beasts known as ‘Trolls’ sailed the seas and rained flames on those who opposed them, bombing countries and cities in order to seize the title of ‘Best Girl’ for the person they believed should have been Bakataro’s chosen Partner.”

As the teacher recounted the atrocities of the Shipping Wars, Jason pictured it in graphic detail. Hulking Trolls bashing the hideous “Simp” goblins, and doing battle with knights in white armor who defended their “Waifus” from the flames. It was a grisly exchange and it made him sick to his stomach.

“So do you understand why it’s important to watch films like this?” Teacher Shae asked. “This was not a one-off occurrence. Every time a film like this was made, another Shipping War would break out. And all because not everyone understood that the protagonist chose the wrong Partner. To prevent something like this from happening again, it’s vital that everyone remain with their assigned Partners, instead of making a mistake like Bakataro. For the benefit of all mankind.”

“For the benefit of all mankind,” the class echoed, Jasons’ voice louder than any other.