[2063] Cookie and cream smoothie/Neo-Tokyo plans

Early 2063

Suwan put on his simulation headset and turned it on. A waiting screen appeared before him. It was another fifteen minutes until the beginning of the virtual concert. He read the live chat overlay as people filed into the stream.

The screen switched from the waiting screen to a live stream of the concert hall. There were about five hundred people, the concert enthusiasts.

Suwan was not a fan of the band that would be playing, so he opted for the online virtual experience instead of going through the trouble of being there in person. The only reason he was in this at all was that his brother was attending in real life.

His older brother’s name was Apaimanee. His brother discovered this band while they were performing on the streets in Siam, and Apaimanee fell in love with their sound, so much so that he wanted to attend in person. However, he had to keep it a secret from the family.

Suwan promised his brother that he would keep the family in the dark, and so he stayed home and kept the adults happy.

He located an empty seat next to his brother and appeared as a hologram.

“Hey.” He whispered.

“Hey. How are things at home?”

“Nothing to worry about. Just enjoy the concert and leave entertaining the adults to me. I think one of them will phone me very soon.”

“Grandpa?”

“Yeah, he gets lonely all the time. You know how he is.”

“Yeah. His Alzheimer’s is not improving either. Mother is considering the option of euthanizing him.” Apaimanee leaned over as the hologram projection of his brother dimmed. All the other hologram people were also dimmed to not disturb the audience present physically. “Thanks for being here. I hope you can stay.”

“Hey, if I miss this, I can always listen to the archived vid.”

“True. But nothing beats listening live.”

A messaged popped up on Suwan’s screen.

“Whoops, gotta go. Mommy wants me.”

“Alright. Come back in when she releases you.”

“Will do, big bro.”

Apaimanee waved, and his brother left the room. He shifted his attention back to the stage. The performers were already there, saying their greetings. The music began soon after that.

It was his first time attending a concert in person, and he could feel the passion overflowing from the performers on stage. It was a surge of something raw he never felt from virtual performers or AI-composed music. That power shook him to the very core.

And it was at the end of the concert that Apaimanee came to a resolution that he wanted to be a musician, just like them.

He learned how to use a music-composing program along with a synthesizer, and even had an assistance AI. However, it was not what he wanted. He wanted was to be a musician that played the instruments himself, just like the band he admired.

Apaimanee went and browsed a list of instruments, then settled for the guitar, just because it seemed like an obvious choice.

He had his own music channel and social media and everything set up, then he started by performing covers of other artist’s songs. After he gained a fanbase, he started composing his own music.

If his family knew how much time and money had gone to making music, he would probably get in trouble for not being serious about inheriting the family business.

No matter. Suwan wanted the business, not him.

While his brother aimed to be a professional musician one day, Suwan wanted to become an investigator.

He started a hobby in swordplay. It was an old, dying arts. In the old times, there used to be a form of demonstration duel before the throne, where two people perform a choreographed fights for entertainment and ceremonial purposes. Suwan’s master inherited the arts, one of the last remaining styles.

Suwan was never concerned about inheriting or preserving old arts or whatnot; he just wanted to reenact cool fights he saw in anime and use the experience for his future career.

Surprisingly, his family approved of the hobby, probably because they had noble bloodline and this kind of swordplay seemed traditional enough for their lineage.

One day, his brother came to watch him practice. Suwan was fourteen at the time, and just getting started on the tonfa. After the usual practice, Suwan went to grab his stuff before heading to the shower.

When he came back, Apaimanee was there, holding a cup of cookie and cream smoothies he probably got from a vending machine out front.

“Thanks.” Suwan accepted the drink and took a slurp. “Oh, bro, what would I do without you?”

“I need to tell you something.”

“Is it that important?”

“To me, it is. I’m going to Neo-Tokyo.”

“That is definitely important.”

“There’s a music festival there. I’ve been invited. Thing is, the family will start to suspect it if I carry my guitar there and stuff.”

“Ship the guitar, then. You have the money. If you don’t, you can have some of mine. I charge interests, though.” Suwan rubbed his thumb and index finger together while wiggling his brows.

“Aww, what’s the rate? A hundred percent?”

“A hundred and fifty.”

“You’re a shark. No, a megalodon.”

They had a good laugh, but in all seriousness, Apaimanee was really going to Neo-Tokyo to take his first step in a professional career.

He was sixteen at the time, old enough to travel alone, but it was still hard to imagine that he could go through the event without the family knowing anything.

“They’re going to post updates and shit. What if they ask us for an interview?” Suwan slurped the last of the smoothie.

“At least I’ll be in Neo-Tokyo by then. Worst case scenario, I’ll leave the family.”

“Woah, bro. You’ve been mentally prepared to say that sentence, huh?”

“If the family doesn’t want me, doesn’t matter. It’s suffocating in that house. All they ever care about is the family business. They’re strangers to me.”

Suwan gulped, thinking about what to say.

“Sorry for bringing this up so suddenly, but I know you’re more than capable of handling the family and the business in case things go sour.” Apaimanee patted his brother’s shoulder.

“But I want you there. I want our parents to understand that you’re serious about becoming a musician… Heck, nothing beats having you around in person! Whose leftover egg yolks am I going to eat when you stop joining me for dinner?!”

“If our parents don’t find out, then I’d just be going on a Neo-Tokyo trip, nothing more.” He gave his brother a few more pats. “Are you ready to leave? Let’s get you home.”

“I’m not ready to go home. Can we stop somewhere on the way? Icon, maybe?” Suwan thought of that large shopping mall with imported goods from Neo-Tokyo.

“Yeah, sure. I need to grab a few things anyway.”

The designated departure date arrived. The family’s driver went to drop Apaimanee off at the airport for the 22:15 flight. Some important minister would be boarding the same flight, to avoid public outrage at wasting state money on private jets.

However, the next thing Suwan knew was that there was an attack on the airport, and several people went missing. One of them was his brother.