Something ruined everything
copier
· original author:
hole111
“And then they gave ‘em an old american fakkyuu and hoot n hollered all the way to the capital.” Pr. Naddy’s terran literature lectures were a trial of their own to parse what she was talking about.

She was a human woman with long blonde hair, and had an impressive figure and assets shown off by the skimpy cowgirl outfit she always wore. She said that her speech patterns were a result of her american upbringing, but you didn’t believe her on account of 1: The way she talked and dressed sounded more like a caricature of what an American sounded and looked like. And 2: her name on the class list was Yamato Nadeshiko. Even if the idea of ‘America’ still existed in the future, you had many doubts that she was american.

Suddenly there was an announcement made. “Attention, Attention: Iz’mu-Iktak, you are urgently requested at the docking bay. Iz’mu-Iktak, you are urgently requested at the docking bay.”

“Iz’mu. Why does that sound so familiar?” you asked out loud.

“Because it’s MY name,” Izumi tells you. She was sitting right next to you.

“Oh, sorry! I’m just so used to calling you Izumi that I forgot.”

“Whatever. I’m gonna go see what that’s all about.”

“You need me to come with?”

“D-Do what you want. It’s probably nothing anyway.” With that, Izumi quietly left the room as the announcer requested.

“Hey, what do you think that’s about?” Hotaru asked you.

“Not sure. I hope it’s nothing bad.”

“They did say it was urgent though.”

“Girls, calm down,” Ai said from behind you. Man, it sure was convenient you all shared the same class today. “Let’s just worry about after class-”

“What’re ya’ll three yapping about?” Pr. Naddy asked you and your girlfriends. “Is it more important than ma class?”

“Uh, well, we’re friends with Izumi, and we were just worried about why she was called all of a sudden,” you explained, rapidly preparing an excuse for why you were disrupting class.

“Aw shucks, then why don't ya go check on her?”

“W-really?”

“Sure thing. It’s your freedom to take care of yer friends, ya hear?”

“O-okay, thanks.” You left the room, followed by Hotaru who barely paid attention to the class anyway. Ai soon followed, figuring she should check up on Izumi if the rest of you were, even if she wanted to listen to the rest of the lecture.


You three arrive at the docking bay and find quite a commotion. There’s several other students gathered around two women. One of them is Izumi, and the other is an older woman grabbing her arm. The crowd (of maybe a dozen students) is held back by a perimeter of tall bodyguards.

“Let go of me! I’m not going with you!” Izumi yelled.

“Don’t talk back to your new master,” the older woman said back. “According to the law, you’re my property, and that’s final!”

“Hey! What’s going on here!” you yell from behind one of the bodygaurds.

“Shujiko?” Izumi spotted you. “Help me out here, this lady says she’s my owner.”

“I AM your owner. After Sylvia Heinlien, former CEO of Heinlein Industries, died, she left all her financial and investment assets related to the company to me: The current CEO of Heinlein Industries”

“And who the heck are you supposed to be, exactly?” you yelled.

“Yaeko Minegasaki.” The CEO pulled out her phone. “Here’s the will AND the document of ownership over you with MY name on it. My predecessor let a financial asset like you slip away, but I’m here to reacquire it.”

“I’m not an asset! I’m a student at Space School Academy,” Izumi pleaded.

“Sorry, but property can’t become students, by Heinlein Sector laws. And according to Heinlein Sector laws, that’s exactly what you are.”

“Wait, what makes you think the academy will go along with this?” you yelled, trying to find a way to save Izumi.

“Who do you think approved that announcement? Now leave us alone. I’m taking my asset and-” Suddenly a metal fist hit Yaeko right on the jaw, knocking her to the ground. “What the hell?”

“You can take your screwy business elsewhere!” said the tomboyish robot who punched her. “This person is my friend and my girlfriend’s girlfriend. Come on Izumi, letsssseerrrororor-”

“Hotaru!” you and Izumi yelled simultaneously.

One of the bodyguards had tased the robot, forcing her onto her knees as she shorted out.

Yaeko just stood up and pulled out her phone. “Hello? Yes, I’d like to report a defective robot.”

“W-what?” Hotaru struggled to say.

“Yes, it punched me in the face… Its designation? Robot, what's your designation?”

“H-0T4RU.”

“You got that?” Yaeko asked, not wanting to repeat it. “Good good.”

“Why’d you tell her?” Izumi asked Hotaru.

“My p-p-programming forces me to.”

“I see. Thank you,” Yaeko hung up her phone. “So apparently this is your tenth incident. Sorry to say this, but a DRR agent is on their way to take you to a scrap house.”

Suddenly, Ai shoved her way through the guards. “What makes you think you can get away with this? These are people you’re dealing with. Don't you have any compassion?”

“Oh? Surely you’re mistaken, because, legally, they aren’t people. Are you going to try and fight the law?” Yaeko taunted.

“Sometimes true justice requires going against unjust laws,” Ai said as if quoting someone in history.

“Oh how unfortunate.” Yaeko pressed a button on her phone.

Ai suddenly fell on the floor and her arms went limp. “My prosthetics? What happened?”

“Oh, did I mention? I’m also the third largest shareholder in Dynamics Cybernetics, the one that made your limbs. And one of our terms and conditions for using our products is to not conduct illegal activity. So since you announced your intention to do so, I went ahead and terminated your contract with our product before you could hurt our brand. Don’t worry, an agent will be here soon to repossess your cybernetics.”

“What? No! I need them to compete in- woah!” Without her limbs to stabilize herself, Ai was about to fall backwards. You jumped through the guards just in time to catch her fall. “Sh-Shujiko… I…” Ai was at a loss for words and was on the verge of crying.

Seeing all your girlfriends get hurt overwhelmed you with emotion. “How can you do this!? What’s your problem with us?” you yelled at her.

“Ugh, what’s with all these students having a sense of justice? I’m just a simple business woman here to reaquire my assets.” Yaeko’s eyes narrowed. “Do I have to deal with YOU too?”

You froze in fear as she brought her phone up again, waiting to see what she had planned for you.

“Wait, don’t!” Izumi yelled. Her eyes were tearing up. “Leave her alone, you’ve done enough. I…I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt Shujiko.”

“Oh, you still think you have a choice in this matter?” Yaeko said smuggly. “Well, if it means you won’t resist anymore, I suppose it’s still a good deal. Come on now, everyone. Into the ship.”

Yaeko was escorted by her guards to a luxurious looking ship. “Izumi,” you called before she could follow her supposed master. “You’re not actually going along with this, are-”

“Just shut up Shujiko,” Izumi said suddenly. While it sounded angry as usual, her eyes didn’t have the fire they usually do when she gets like that. “I…I enjoyed our time together, even if it was brief. But don’t ruin your life too for the sake of me. Just enjoy what you can. Goodbye.” With that she turned away, potentially to never be seen again.

As Yaeko said, agents soon came to take away Hotaru and Ai’s cybernetic limbs. You sat there with Ai, processing what just happened. After going through your perfect harem protagonist fantasy, meeting three wonderful women who agreed to go out with you, it was all ripped away from you by the uncaring universe.

“Shujiko?”

And right now you had no idea how to feel about it. Right now you felt empty, like the universe took your emotions too.

“Shujiko!”

“W-what?”

“I know you’re going through a lot right now, but…can you take me to my room? I can’t get there on my own like this,” Ai told you.

“R-right….okay.” You picked up Ai in your arms, holding her especially tight, careful not to let her slip through your hands. Eventually you make it to her room and you lie her down on the bed.

“...You should probably get some rest, Shujiko. If you need to talk to me, I’ll be here.” The worry was clear in her voice.

“Right. Okay.” You did what she said and went to your dorm room and lied down in bed. Maybe things will get better after you wake up?
158 views
·
March 23