[ open ] welcome, dreamer, to the new dream

[paradisefraught]

 Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz.

Akira, holding onto the train pole with one hand, fishes out his phone. It's that one group chat again, huh...he swipes at it, getting the ghost notifications off his screen. Futaba won't let him leave it, even though like, half the messages are just random blank texts...and she was weird about it...it's part of her software testing, right?

The train rumbles. His phone buzzes. The world settles.

Right. The metal is cold against his left palm; he can feel it through the leather. Futaba likes programming. She does this kind of thing all the time. Isshiki-san isn't here to rein her in. She's on a business trip. Futaba misses her.

Buzz, buzz. Bu--


Missing your parents...Akira can't relate. If anything, his dad, Takuto...nah. Akira loves his dad.

Hey, dad. I'm on the train right now. Can you imagine a world where everyone who needed one could always get a seat? That's part of your research, right?

Hazy memories of toddling around an academic conference, youngest there by far, researchers taking an interest in such a young kid, and--

Message not sent. Retry?

Huh? Akira taps the retry button.

Nothing happens.

Maybe...the metro has iffy wi-fi connection sometimes, doesn't it? He just needs to get off the train and...

The room is blue. It's so blue. His lone gloved hand, grasping nothing, falls limp by his side.

This...isn't the train station.

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[takutomaruki]

Maruki’s unease grew as Akira’s grip on his lab coat lingered longer than necessary. He stared down at the boy’s hands, feeling the warmth of the touch and the sheer weight of trust that came with it. It was almost suffocating. This boy’s unwavering belief—so blindingly pure—was both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling.

Whoever, or whatever, had brought this child into existence had done something extraordinary. It was both terrifying and humbling, and Maruki felt an odd ache in his chest that he didn’t know how to process. Parental instinct? Guilt? Curiosity?

He let out a slow breath, forcing himself to soften his gaze. “I… I’m not sure how to process this, Akira. It's not about trust its...” His voice was quiet, almost too quiet. But he managed to muster a small smile at the boy’s unrelenting excitement.

“Funny thing, though,” he began, trying to lighten the mood. “This might sound like a cliché, but... let’s start with the basics. You know, science stuff. Who doesn’t love a good experiment?”