Hajime

~~~🏍️~~~

"Make way!"

"Miss Kaori, no!"

I gripped on the handle with all my strength. The morning was beautiful, the weather ideal, and under the warm morning sun filtered between skyscrapers, I raced through the city's streets at high speed. With my black bag at my side, my dark autumn clothes, an excited gaze, and my yellow motorcycle, I felt like the conqueror of the Motorcycle World Championship. Thank goodness I hadn’t had any sake before hopping on.

"Go, Sparkling!"

My right wrist twisted the handlebar forward, sending more power to the wheels of my yellow-framed motorcycle. A sharp hum of quantum energy accompanied the surge of speed as I dodged a car just ahead.

"Woooo! I love this!" I cheered into the air, never letting go of the handlebar.

"Miss Kaori! Please respond!"

"Ah, eternal Father!"

In a split second, I raised two fingers on my right hand and swiped upward, summoning my Lob’s display in front of my eyes. The text read "SAFE DRIVING MODE, CALL ON BACKGROUND." Click, off. A face appeared before me, and the projection began capturing my face.

"Wah! Miss!" The boy on the other side panicked. He had elegant blonde hair and ocean-blue eyes, wearing an impeccable Anima uniform in service to his house, with black and metallic blue accents that highlighted his demeanor. A blinking green light was visible on his forehead, but not more than his expression of worry.

"What do you want, Hakase? I’m not letting you ruin my big day!" I shouted as I glanced at the projection just a few inches above my right hand.

"First, switch back to speaker mode, please! You could crash if distracted!" Hakase closed his eyes adorably as he complained. "Second, turn on autopilot! You’re going too fast!"

"First, boring. At least let me see your crying Anima face if you’re going to nag. And second, mmm… boring too!" I was sure my smile was visible through the helmet.

"But Miss, your father has already paid too many speeding fines! And he definitely doesn’t want his daughter to die in a traffic accident!"

"Oh, how sweet of you, Hakase. But it’s not my fault," I extended my left hand, and the command system recognized my movement, automatically opening the folder of codes on the screen over my wrist. "Volland Motors has the easiest vulnerabilities to exploit." I quickly opened a file, my fingers working in sync with every sharp turn as I dodged cars. "A script here, another there, and boom. No more limiters. They sure don’t make them in Germany like they used to."

My script folder was one of my greatest prides. Any quantum-tech component was marvelous. But it could always be a bit more marvelous with a few restriction overrides.

"You shouldn’t be so carefree!" Hakase continued. "Besides, you could cause an accident. Isn’t it your vocation to protect people?"

Protect. A word that stirred something deep within me every time I heard it. It brought back memories of times that would never return. Hakase's words didn’t slow me down, but they softened my tone.

"Don’t worry, Haki," I tried to show a warm smile through my helmet. "I know how to ride better than the autopilot. And I plan to protect many people starting today."

Hakase used to say that when I was happy, my eyes were what calmed him the most. As if seeing his owner’s daughter happy triggered his Adanium chip. That was probably the case as he watched my face through the helmet visor, showing his own expression of relief.

"If you say so, Miss. It’s good you’re confident in your abilities. Both your father and I are sure you’ll contribute greatly to society."

"Yeah, I know. It’s so excit- Ah!"

My eyes managed to focus on the road just in time to see a truck stopped right in front of me at a red light. With a quick flick of my wrist, I swerved to the left, but my bike dragged me toward the center of the road just as the traffic on the crossing avenue began to move.

"Miss Kaori!"

"Damn!"

I was definitely going to dodge them, but not by braking. I sped up even more, feeling the metal horse between my legs shoot forward. I barely avoided the cars, but I had done it.

"Ha!" I shouted, between the adrenaline and the fear. "That was close."

"Miss Kaori!" Hakase panicked again. "Didn’t you say you drive better than the autopilot?"

"Forget that, little robot! Help me check the documents. Do I have everything?"

"Let me check. Meanwhile, keep your eyes on the road." As I zigzagged between vehicles, the information that would normally stay muted until dismounting appeared to my left. "Certificate of Clean Record, Medical Affidavit, Bank Account Information, Employee Compliance Policy..."

"And the personal data form?" I asked, noticing the most important one was missing.

"The one you left for last? You said you’d complete it overnight."

A wave of nerves swept through me, remembering I had spent the night prepping my outfit and dreaming of my new position instead of filling out paperwork.

"Damn, I forgot! Can you complete it for me and send it to my inbox?"

"As you wish, Miss."

The folder previously displayed closed, replaced by a document ready to be filled out. Hakase didn’t need to move to do it. After all, Anima could interact with digital devices with just their minds.

"Name?"

"You’ve got to be kidding, Haki. You can’t be that dense." I glared at him.

"It’s an affidavit; I’m required to ask."

"Huh, damn. I hate documentation" I complained while looking at the sky for an instant. "Kaori Kakushi."

The information filled instantly on the form.

"Age?"

"Twenty-five."

I glanced briefly at the form before starting to weave through another line of cars.

"Gend-"

"Female," I cut him off. "Bachelor of Computer Science. 4-8-5 Fushimi-ku, Kyoto. Japanese, A+, single."

With another electric roar, the bike lifted its right wheel as I resumed a straight line. When I looked again, the form was complete.

"You really excel at quick reading. Just one left. Does your family have a functional Anima? Since when?"

I pondered for a second, frowning as I alternated memories with the surrounding traffic.

"Functional, we have none."

"Daaaa."

Hakase complained with a distressed face, while I chuckled playfully. It wasn’t my fault his personality was so… joke-friendly.

"Alright, alright. Since 2028. Christmas Eve when I was ten."

As he heard my real answer, Hakase's expression softened, regaining his usual calm.

"It’s impossible to erase that childlike smile of yours from my memory, Miss Kaori."

His words brought another nostalgic smile, soon overshadowed by the thrill of what I spotted in the distance.

"I’m arriving. Take care of Dad, Hakase. See you later," I said cheerfully.

"Understood. Good luck, Miss."

The call ended, clearing the screen to reveal the real world. I accelerated even more, savoring every moment of the final stretch of my journey.

The buildings on either side gave way to a scenic view of the bay to my left. A large, abrupt depression in the land stretched for miles before my eyes. I noticed the big road sign reading "ENTERING YAMASHINA CRATER," commemorating what had been the largest blast in Kyoto during the war. I could swear the memories of air-raid sirens still echoed in my mind, interspersed with cluster bombs and distant detonations.

But the road was turned into a highway and started a gradual descent into the vast crater, with massive pillars holding the structure. And in the center of the unnatural hole, hope was reborn. Now, a giant complex of buildings of every height and size stood proudly. One I had admired ever since its rapid construction. My destination.

The day had finally come for me to work as a hacker to protect society.

That day, October 5, 2043, I would start my job in the Cybersecurity Department of Anima Tech Kyoto. My dream was beginning to come true.