Hey guys! Thank you for those reading this story and adding it to their list.
Hope you enjoy the first chapter!
This story does start before the events of the movie but eventually lead up to it.
Hope you enjoy!
-CTS TT_TT
Character Overview Part 1:
Mitsuzuri Erika – Age 18, Specialty Programming/Mechatronics. Hair color: Maroon Eye Color: Purple
Only daughter of the Mitsuzuri house. A slight sugar addict, who is reserved and quiet around at school, but very bright and full of energy when it comes to her work. She sometimes considers herself as a hikikomori since there are times she never comes out of her room. She tends to have bad luck at time which results to her getting injured a lot and poor sense of direction.
Hajime: Hair Color: White/silver eye color: Blue
An AI created by Erika. She is energetic and has a child-like manner. But also helps Erika with many of her projects and looks out for Erika's health. She refers Erika as "mama" since she sees Erika's caring personality as mother-like. On her free time, she likes to read romance novels.
Mitsuzuri Ritsue: Age: 26 Color: Light brown (sand color) Eye color: Purple
One of Erika's older brother who is carefree and always friendly. He works as a doctor at one of the hospitals that is owned by his Family. He is well liked by everyone but he tends to have a sister complex over Erika and dotes on her. He encourages Erika to do the things she loves and cares for her health.
Mitsuzuri Tatsuya: Age: 26: Hair Color: black Eye color: purple
Erika's other brother. He works as the head chief of the Mitsuzuri Company. Unlike Ritsu, he looks cold and strict, but he is actually caring and nice softy. He's even the one who made Erika in to a sugar addict. Ritsu and Erika looked up to Tatsuya as a role model and the oldest of the three despite being Ritsu's twin.
Awai Haruse: Age: 26 Hair color: black Eye color: green
An old friend of Ritsu and a professor at San Fransokyo Institute of technology. He becomes Erika's mentor at the school and helps her when she's in need. Erika considers Haru as another brother. Still young, he is quite popular with the female students.
Code 1: One Year After Deja vu
Packing her bag, Erika made one last check to make sure she had everything, then looked at the mirror once last time. She brushed back her maroon hair that was now a bit passed her shoulders.
"Mou, you're going to be late, mama!" She heard Hajime's voice in the room.
"I know," she told her. Giving a confident nod and smiled. "Okay, ready." Taking her bag and phone, she quickly left her room and rushed down the stairs. Just as was about to run past the doors, a cold scoff was let out.
"Erika,"
Erika stopped and turned to the woman at the top of the stairs. She stood looking down at her with a frown and sharp cold blue eyes.
"How many times did I tell you not to run down the halls." The brunette scolded.
Erika mentally sighed, "I apologize, but I'm running a bit late…" She told her, "Mother…" She added after a small pause.
"Then wake up earlier to prevent that." She sneered, "You've lived here long enough to-"
"I apologize, but I have to leave." Erika cut her off opening the door and shutting it quickly without listening to her word. Sighing deeply, she shook her head.
"Are you leaving now, Lady Erika?" An elder voice questioned. Erika looked up the head butler of her home, Manabe. Despite being quite elderly, he fulfilled his job as the head butler of the Mitsuzuri family.
"Yes," Erika responded with a smile.
"Then would you like me to prepare a car?" he offered.
"No, it's fine." She assured checking her watch, "I can still make it for the bus. So I'll be going now."
"Have a safe trip, Lady Erika." Manabe bowed as she waved and ran out the front gates of the mansion.
Barely making it on to the bus, Erika managed to squeeze in to the crammed space. Letting out a deep sigh, she began fixing her bangs.
"It was another close call," she heard Hajime speak. "This is because you stayed up late… again…"
"I know, I know." Erika waved off. "It would have be better if we didn't live so far… but I can't complain." She told the AI on the screen on the phone.
The second the doors opened to her stop, Erika jumped out of the bus and ran down the streets to her college. Once on campus, Erika quickly rushed to the buildings and pushed through the doors to the lab. She made her way to the room further back, where all her things laid. Entering the dark room, she placed her bag and jacket on the hanger.
"Hajime, can you start the computers?" She asked.
"Okay, mama."
Instantly, the screens at the desk turned on and the room lit up; the projectors up on the ceiling let out a blinking noise, before activating. Erika walked over to her desk and picked up an old photo frame with a picture of a woman with wavy maroon color hair in a ponytail and green eye, grinning at the camera as she held a child with the same color hair but with purple eyes.
"Good morning," Erika whispered to the photo kissing her finger tips and pressing them to the photo. After placing the photo down, Erika went to gather her materials for her present project and a can of wafer sticks from, while Hajime materializes through the projectors.
"What are you working on today?" she asked.
"I still need to fix the prototypes of my s-drones. If I could get them to work well, I'll see how well they are compatible with some of the programs I made." Erika told her looking through some of her blue prints. "And if I have time, I'll upgrade more of your H-field."
Hajime's face brighten and smiled, "Okay!"
Erika pulled out a few sphere shaped drones from the cabinet she keeps all her projects in and placed them on her desk to look over them. Taking a wafer stick, she sat down looking over some of the blue prints. It was about Erika's 50th test and she felt she was going now where with this project with the slow progress. Her first few test, the drones hardly moved. Around her 25th test, one of the drones began flying haphazardly breaking a few other things in her lab, including one of her computers, causing her to lose important data. And her 40th test, just as she thought she finally got the drones to float as she wished, the drones over heated and exploded causing her to fall behind on the project once again.
Erika sighed at the memories of the many messes she needed to clean up and the sleepless nights she went through. She prayed she would get something right this time.
But as few hours past, she felt no progress was coming out of the drone. Her head hit the table as she groaned in annoyance.
"A-Are you okay?" Hajime asked hesitantly.
"mmm…" was all the AI heard.
Just as Hajime was going to ask another question, there was knock on Erika's door. Not even waiting for a response, the door opened and Haru walked in.
"Oh, so you were in…"
"Haru-san!" Hajime smiled at the professor
Erika sat up and turned to him, "Oh, Haru… hi."
"What are you doing here? You don't have class today." He told her.
"Doesn't mean I can't come in to work on projects," She told him.
"You've been coming here every day except Sundays. Take a break, Rika." He ordered.
"Home or here, I would still be working on something." Erika informed him reaching over to take another wafer stick. "I just prefer to be here." She turned around to continue working but was pulled out of her chair.
"Come on," he handed her bag and jacket as he pulled her towards the door, "Go out on a walk or talk to someone." He suggested, "Just do something without a computer or anything to do with technology."
"You're telling a hikikomori* to talk to someone, funny." Erika joked hoping she could get back to her work. But Haru tighten his grip on the back of her shirt and lifted her off the ground.
"Eh- Wait-" before she could say anything more, Erika was thrown out of her own lab and Haru locked the door to her lab.
"I know you're slumped anyway, so go do something else for a change."
"Are you saying this so I don't destroy something again?"
"Just get going…"
"Alright, alright," Erika got up holding her hands up in defense. Sighing, Erika picked up her bag, "Ah."
"What?"
"My brothers threatened you, did they?"
The corner of Haru's eyes twitched making Erika slightly grin at his reaction.
"Oh, bulls-eye, huh?" she teased.
Erika dodged the whack she about to receive and rushed to the door, "I'll be back in an hour!" She told him with the cheeky grin still present.
"You don't have to come back." He told her. Erika laughed and ran off. Watching her leave the lab, Haru let out a deep sigh, "Who know she had that cheeky personality…" her muttered.
Erika walked out the campus looking around the streets of the town.
"Is there somewhere you want to go, mama?" Hajime asked, "I can pull up a map and navigation."
"No need, I'll just wander." She told her looking around.
"Alright- Eh- EH?! B-but…"
"I'll just wander till I find something interesting." Erika ran down a random road, just hoping she won't get too lost.
Despite living in San Fransokyo all her life, Erika hardly spent time outside her house besides for school and family businesses. And even though she leaves the house a lot more than she used to in the past, she hardly leaves her own lab. She would always try to get on the earliest bus and get to school when there is barely anyone there and she would always barely make it to the last bus of the day. And it wasn't because she didn't like going outside, it just never came to her mind to take a break. Never mind she hardly talks to the people at her school.
Erika roamed around glancing around the shops and building all she passes by. She Stopped in front of a small boutique where many accessories and clothes were displayed on the show case. One of the mannequins was dressed in a brown and light pink layered shirt with straps and a small bow on the center, along with a white, sleeveless long cardigan; the outfit also paired with black shorts with brown lacy knee socks and converses. She stared at the outfit in awe.
"Do you want this?" Hajime asked.
"No, I just thought it looked cute…" She told her playing with her hair.
"I think it would look good on you, Mama." Hajime encouraged.
"No, I'm good. Besides, wearing something like that would get in the way in the lab." Erika turned away and continued on her small adventure.
As Erika wandered around for a while finding new restaurants, small cute stores and new views of the cities. She enjoyed the new sights and smell she never experienced in the mansion. But she walked by some nostalgic places from her childhood.
She walked by an grey elementary school building, with a large open grass field with a small playground. Children squealed in excitement as they ran around playing a game a tag. She then walked down a street a few blocks away from the school where the rows of white brick apartment buildings stood across the large park of San Fransokyo. Erika stopped and stared at the top floors of one the building where there was a white teruteru bozu* hanging from the plant hook.
Smiling at the sight, Erika walked down the dirt path of the park, till she came by an large pear tree. Sitting down on the grass, Erika looked up through the branches and leaves counting how many unripe fruits she could find. Once she couldn't find any more to count, she let out a sigh and laid down.
"Ah~ I'm bored now…" she muttered.
Hajime looking up to her, "Maa, do you feel refreshed slight?"
"Nope," She bluntly stated, "In fact, my hands are itching to get back to my computer." Erika whispered. stared at the branches full of dark green leaves dying in to a bright orange-red. Sitting up, Erika stretched her arms taking in a deep breath. "Alright, break over!"
Erika rummaged through her bag, pulling out a small tool kit and one of her drones.
"Ah! You had one all this time?!" Hajime exclaimed.
"Of course." Erika told her taking off the titanium cover off the drone, "I never leave my lab without one of these."
Hajime let out a sigh, "Mou, you should listen to Haru-san's words, Mama."
"Hai, hai." Erika told her as she continued fixing the drone.
After a goof hour of fixing the wiring and tightening the screws, Erika placed back the titanium cover. Tucking back some of her maroon hair behind her ear, she examined the drone in her hand and gave a nod. Pulling out a UBS cord, she connected the drone to her phone.
"Hajime, can you try to link to the drone?" She asked.
"Alright,"
The screen on her phone turned white as Hajime began synchronizing to the drone. Once the screen went black, the small light on the drone lit up and it began to float.
"Connection complete," She heard Hajime's voice come out from the drone, "Temperature readings clear, humidity readings clear," Hajime kept going over all the functions of the security drone as Erika confirmed on the numbers coming up on her phone. The drone faced Erika, "Identification scan;" There was a small beep, "Student Mitsuzuri Erika, age 17, student at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology." Hajime stated, "All functions clear and stable." She reported, "Midair balance clear. That is all."
"Alright!" Erika got up in excitement, "Then let's hurry back to the lab to work on the program!" she told her picking up her things.
"Hai,"
_SKIP_SKIP_SKIP_
Erika quickly rushed back to her lab with Hajime following her in the drone. "Is there any overheating?" she asked.
"No, all systems are fine."
"Alright," Erika entered the student lab, "All we have to do is-"
"Watch out!" Erika turned when something green flew past her at great speed and began ricocheting off the walls.
"Sorry!" One of the male students yelled trying to catch the zipping object. The object bounced off other students projects and crashed in to some glass, but the speed didn't decrease.
"M-mama, you should hide-" Hajime was cut off when the object collided in to her. From the sudden force, Hajime flew straight in to the back of Erika's head.
"Gya!" Erika hit the ground, her forehead hitting the solid floor. Her head echoed with a never ending pain as she laid there muffling a line of colorful words. Just then, the chaos stopped as the boy caught the greenish orb with some specialized glove.
"Sorry, about that!" She heard, "Is everyone okay?"
"I'm not," She thought to herself. She slowly got up holding her face both sides of her head throbbing painfully, "Ow… damn it…" She muttered.
"I'm sorry, mama!" Hajime exclaimed. "Are you-"
"You okay?" A new voice asked.
"Some-what…" She muttered looking up to a male with dark brown hair and eyes. He kneeled in front of her with a look of concern. Feeling a sense of Déjà vu, Erika couldn't help but feel her cheeks burn but shook away the thoughts and replied back, "Thanks for your concern-"
"Ahh!" She heard Hajime yelled causing her to jump. "Mama, you're bleeding!" she exclaimed
"Eh?" Erika looked at her hand to find red liquid pooling in her palm. "Shit," She hissed looking for something she could stop the bleeding.
"Here," the man handed her a handkerchief.
"T-thanks," Erika took it and pressed it against her head. She winced at the pain but sighed, "Hajime." She called.
"Yes?"
"Are you okay? Is anything broken?"
"No, all functions are-" Hajime stopped herself, "Now's not the time to be worrying about your project! She scolded, "You need to get to the hospital! You might have a concussion!"
"You're overreacting," She told her getting up on her feet, "I'm fine-" In an instant, a wave of nausea hit her and she fell forward.
But she was caught by the male instantly, "Whoa," He helped her down gently, "Laid down for a bit." He told her using his jacket as a pillow. "Someone call a professor!" he yelled.
As things around them began to get rowdy, Erika's vision and hearing became blurry. The throbbing in her head got heavier and the light just became blinding. Unable to bear the pain anymore, Erika closed her eyes hoping to rid some of the pain, and in an instant, everything fell silent; when she opened her eyes, she only saw an endless darkness all around.
"What are you in a rush for?"
Her eyes widened at the sound of the familiar voice ask softly.
How was it? The next chapter should be up soon? Review your thoughts!
*Hikikomori - People who are withdrawn from social life. Also described as loners, "modern day" hermits and recluses.
*Teru teru bozu : Small dolls made out of cloth or paper. They're hung outside or by the window to ward off rain and bring a sunny day.
