The Promised Revenge [Manjiro Sano]

24

January 7th, 1998:

"Y/n! Y/n!" the little boy came to the dinner table running, holding a piece of paper in his small hands, the trophy he recently won shining from the living room he went past. "Guess what I'm gonna get!"

"On my nerves?" you sighed, mouth full, your father in front of you almost choking on his food from his son's sudden barging.

"Unfortunately no," he held up the torn magazine page in his hand, a picture in the middle of it as he jumped with excitement, not letting you see what he was showing clearly. "I'm getting a skateboard!"

"What?!" you spat.

"What?!" your dad spat as well.

"Mom said she already ordered this one for me," he squealed, running circles around the table.

"What are you even gonna do with it?" you asked, eyes following his figure and getting yourself dizzy. "You can't even ride a bicycle and think you can ride a skateboard?"

"I don't wanna ride it, silly," he stopped, fists on his sides, smuggling.

"Why do you want it so bad then?"

"I'm gonna build a rocketship with it!"

"With a skateboard?"

"Yep. It's for my 20 years from now project."

You stared at him, slowly blinking when he looked back with a wide grin, waiting for a response or reaction, or even a shared excitement. "Dad, you sure we're twins cuz ain't no way I'm related to this dumbass."

"Language, Y/n," your mother's voice spoke, calm and relaxed, as she stepped into the room and took her seat at the table.

"Akari..." the father said, turning to look at her peacefully eating the food he prepared with you by his side helping him. "Why didn't tell me about this?"

She didn't answer. She didn't even meet him in the eye and kept on chewing on her dinner, making you and your brother who now has settled down on the seat beside you.

"Akari?" he called again, his voice almost inaudible, still no response from his wife.

"Did Mom and Dad fight?" Aarush leaned to your side, whispering in your ear.

"But they never fought before," you whispered back, both of you adjusting your sitting when hearing your dad's loud cough, trying to shift the atmosphere.

"Anyway, kids," he said, smiling as if nothing just happened. "Have you got the results of the math test you took last week?"

"No," you said.
"Yes," Aaru said.

"Dude!" you turned to him, annoyed as he quickly covered his mouth with his hands and mumbled. "Sorry, it slipped out..."

"I take it you didn't do well in the exam," the man said, looking at your nervous gaze, sweat dripping from your forehead even.

"Father dear," you turned to face the man, your eyes shining innocently as you looked at his green sharp ones. "We live in a simulation. All of this is fake, and the government is trying hard to hide the truth from us. That's why school exists. They want you to get your mind out of the obvious signs by filling it with tests and results. But none of it is real. It's all meaningless!"

"You failed, didn't you?"

"Yeah..."

He sighed, loudly, a chuckle escaping his throat after it. "A simulation you say?" he repeated, playing with the dark curls in his hair.