46 Yuki Sai - Part 3 (1/2)
Yuki watched curiously as the boy used a wrench and some other tools to take apart the steam engine on the back of the scooter. He laid the parts out neatly on the sidewalk while completely ignoring the world around him. He seemed to spot a broken gear and threw it aside. Then he opened his backpack and pulled an identical gear out. It only took him a few minutes to put the entire thing back together. A whistling sound rang out as he stood atop the scooter and started the engine. Bang! The scooter shot forward in an unexpected burst of speed and he slammed into a wall. ”OW!” He rubbed his head in pain.
”Are you alright?” She questioned.
”Huh? Ah, yeah. I'm used to this kind of thing.” He grinned.
”Did you make this scooter yourself?” She looked at it curiously. It didn't look like anything someone could buy at a store. There's no way a business would take on the liability of selling such a thing to a teenager.
”Pretty awesome, right?!”
”It's okay, I guess?” She replied.
”Huh?” He gave her a strange look. ”What don't you like about it? This thing is so much faster than walking!”
”I don't know.” She shook her head. ”It just doesn't seem that useful. Once you're older you can just get a steam wagon. It also isn't useful for saving people. Nor is it as useful as espers. What is it really good for then?”
”That...” The boy hesitated with his mouth hanging open. Then he smiled. ”It's fun! Come on. Give it a try!” He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the scooter as it shot down the street. Occasional booms rang out as it shot forward in bursts of speed. Soon, they had traveled several neighborhoods away. He stopped the scooter and turned around with excitement all over his face. ”See! Amazing, right?”
Yuki sighed. ”It was okay...”
”Just okay?” The boy seemed slightly depressed at her lack of enthusiasm.
'To get excited over such a toy...' She thought to herself. 'I've been through too many nightmare attacks. How could a scooter like that thrill me?' She looked at the boy and smiled, ”It was fun. Just not my thing, I guess. Anyways, I have to go now.”
”Wait!” He yelled while grabbing her by the hand. ”You're lying. Tell me what you really think?”
”What I really think?” She thought back to her times at the sect. Technology was practically nonexistent. Why would espers need such gimmicks? Even weak espers could strengthen their bodies and run faster than that toy. Only the mortals living in the ordinary cities cared about such things. She hesitated a moment before deciding to tell the truth, ”Technology like that is useless in the end. It's not even as fast as a weak esper. I don't understand why people waste so much time on technology like that.”
”That! You're completely wrong!” He protested. ”Technology will save the world someday! I'm going to use it to defeat the nightmares!”
”Pfft!” Yuki covered her hands as she tried to stifle her laughter. ”Sorry.” She waved a hand in front of her. ”I know you're serious, but that is just way too ridiculous.”
The boy looked upset for a moment before his eyes became serious. ”I'll show you what technology can really do! Come with me. I want to show you something.”
”That...” She hesitated a moment, then nodded. 'Not like I have anything better to do anyways.'
He controlled the scooter and shot down several streets. Soon, they were in front of a large warehouse. He threw his scooter aside and walked forward while still holding her hand.
”Ed. Here to see your father?” One of the soldiers on guard questioned.
”Not today.” He shook his head. ”I'm here to show her the paintings on the wall.”
The guard looked at the girl and hesitated. ”It's okay to allow you in, Ed. It's been approved by the higherups already since you help with the work. But we can't just have you bringing a stranger here. This is still a military factory at the end of the day.”
”But I promised her!” The boy protested. ”It's important!”.
'He didn't really promise me or anything...' She thought as she watched.
”Let them in. It's fine.” A man appeared in front of them. He was a high-ranking engineer. Although he didn't have much power, he did have the ability to offer guided tours at his own discretion.
”Dad!” Ed smiled at the man. He quickly dragged Yuki in behind him.
”When did my son get such a pretty girlfriend?” His father questioned.
”Girlfriend?!” He replied in shock. Then he realized he was still holding her hand and quickly let go. His face turned slightly red from embarrassment.
Yuki blushed as well. She shook her head, ”We just met. He wanted to show me something?”
”Oh, that. Haha.” Ed's father laughed. ”He tends to do that for a lot of people that don't appreciate technology. That's probably my fault.” He looked towards his son. ”Hurry up. You've got five minutes. Don't even think of skipping school. You'll be late if you dally any longer than that.”
”Right.” He nodded while rushing towards the hallway. He began to point at the pictures of old technology. He explained the concepts of radio, phones, computers, and more.
'Oh, so that's the phone that grandfather mentioned existing back then?' She thought to herself. The sect didn't teach much about the world before the apocalypse. Most schools throughout the world didn't do so either. It wasn't seen as a practical use of the limited amount of class time available.
”Pretty cool, right?!” He questioned excitedly.
”Mm.” She nodded. ”It's all interesting, but how could any of this compare to an esper? OP Baldy is stronger than all of it.”
”I've saved the best for last!” He walked further down the hall and showed her the nuclear weapon painting he had seen as a child. ”This is the strongest weapon before the apocalypse! It can destroy entire cities in the blink of an eye! If you have enough of them then you could even destroy the world. I bet the nightmares wouldn't stand a chance!”
She stared quietly at the painting for several moments. The horrified faces of those running from the explosion. She sighed while shaking her head, ”What an awful weapon. It might even be worse than the nightmares.”
”True.” He nodded in agreement. ”My father told me that two cities in Japan were obliterated by earlier versions of this weapon. There was also a cold war between the major nations where several close calls almost sent the world into a nuclear Armageddon.”
”They used them on Japan?!” She replied in shock. ”I've never heard of that before?”
”Yup.” He nodded. ”The first two ever made were dropped there to end a war.”
”And you plan on making something this awful? Just to defeat the nightmares?” She questioned.