Inspired by the 2000s cult classic game Jet Set Radio, Stories From Tokyo-To is an electrifying prelude that takes you deep into the origins of Beat, the iconic street punk. Follow his journey as he fights for a better life in the chaotic streets of...
Shuffling footsteps, the clanking of cans in my bag, any sound I made bounced off the curved cement walls of the duct. It was simultaneously eerie and cool! Entering one of the tunnels made me pace toward the light on the other side. Reaching the end of darkness, I was greeted by the evening sky.
When my eyes adjusted, I was bestowed with a graffiti-covered water duct. The tags and pieces went as far as the houses surrounding the channel and on the overpass dead ahead. Astonished, I looked all around and took in the sheer work and dedication it took to make something of this magnitude possible. However, I couldn't help but notice the patterns in everything I saw. These works shared the same red and hot pink color choice alongside a symbol. A heart that was broken in two, one-half red and the other blue.
A chill crawled up my spine as a cold wind exhaled from the tunnel behind me. Then, a rumbling noise. At first, I didn't think much of it, but the longer I waited, the more it intensified. Hell, I think I even felt the ground shaking. I took a few steps back as the sound of a tremor heading my way had a voice. It was... giggling? Was the tunnel laughing at me? I didn't want to believe it, so I approached the tunnel's opening with my head tilted to the side, and then... nothing. I figured my mind was playing tricks on me. Then, the second my head motioned away, I was greeted by a screaming banshee emerging from the darkness!
"GYAHHHHH!" Scared shitless, I fell on my back, then promptly got to my feet and started making a run for it. I looked behind to see the monster, only to realize that it wasn't a creature at all. It was a swarm of rollerblading girls, swarming me as if bees were exiting a hive! If they weren't coming from the tunnel, they made their way down from the overpass to surround me. There must've been 20, tops! One threw a can at my foot, causing me to fall face-first onto the cement. Before I could even get up, they started circling, cackling, and taunting me throughout the entire ordeal.
Soon enough, they stopped and just started to whisper between themselves. Most of them looked directly at me, some pointing and others laughing. They all had the same outfits: red hair spiked up from the back, eye patches, striped scarves, black tank tops, red and black spandex shorts, and leg-high white rollerblades with red lightning decals. Every single one had that broken heart symbol from before. However, a majority had different accessories on. Some spiked gloves and others blue lipstick. All shared the same hairstyle except for two.
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"Huh? Wha- What's going on?!?" was all that managed to escape my lips before my collar was snatched, and I met face-to-face with who I assumed was their leader.
"Huh? Wha- What's going on?!?" was all that managed to escape my lips before my collar was snatched, and I met face-to-face with who I assumed was their leader. She had bangs and a ponytail in the back, piercings, and a scar across the bridge of her nose. Meanwhile, the one who restrained my hands with a leather belt had her ponytail to one side of her head and donned a cheerleader's skirt. They kicked the back of my legs until I was on my knees. I turned to look at her. She looked up and simply grinned ear to ear. With a wink in her eye and a wave, she mouthed the words "Hi."
