Deep Within...
She sees a forest...
Hears the birds and insects in it singing...
She sees a wide plain...
Hear the winds billowing as the flowers danced...
She sees a river...
Hears the water flowing in tranquility...
She sees a mountain...
Hears what sounded like wolf howls at its peak...
She sees a village...
Hears its inhabitants chatting as they went about with their lives...
Then she sees a shrine...
The bells rang slowly as a girl of red and white swept its grounds...
...
Bella's Room, Flat near Old Adam's Dateless Bar
"Bella? Are you there?"
Renko called out from outside Bella's flat room as she knocked on the door.
"Bella, if you're still sleeping, wake up." Renko says as she continues knocking on the door. "The Academy will be having its Introduction Seminar at 1200 Hours, and it is already 0900."
Groggily, Bella rose from her bed, and yawned. Another one of those visions...? She thought, recalling what she just saw in her sleep. How long has it been since I got here...?
It has been four days since she first arrived in the UK, and met Usami Renko and her penfriend, Adam Latency Junior. The aforementioned Introduction Seminar is something held by Y.G. International Academy just a few days before each semester begins, to let new students get to know more about the Academy itself as well as the potential futures they can achieve by studying there. Attending the Introduction Seminar is compulsory but highly recommended. There is a reason Y.G. International Academy is listed as the best academy in the world.
Bella wondered what she might achieve by studying at Y.G. International Academy. But first, she'll have to get out of bed and get changed...
...
After changing into her normal clothes, Bella went to fetch the door, and sees Renko carrying a plastic bag with her.
"I've bought sandwiches from a nearby convenience store." Renko says as she lifts the plastic bag up for Bella to see. "The Academy is only a few minutes' walk from here, so no need to hurry."
Bella looks inside the plastic bag. Indeed there are two small packages of cheese and lettuce sandwiches in it.
"Are they...made of natural ingredients?" Bella asks.
"They aren't made in America, so yes." Renko answers.
Bella has the reason to ask that question. Back in the US, nearly all of the food people eat are made of synthetic ingredients, largely due to the overuse of natural resources and the accompanying pollution problem, both of which other countries have the sense to avoid before the problems became irreversible. There is a third cause to it that has something to do with the economy, but Bella can't recall the details for the moment even though she recalls seeing it in yesterday's news.
"Then why don't you bring them in?" Bella says with a smile. "We can have them together."
...
And so Renko accepted Bella's invitation, and entered her room. The two had their sandwiches over a cup of tea (which is also natural, much to Bella's pleasure). They also had a chat while they're at it.
"So, Adam is the club president of this social media club called the International Sealing Club?" Bella repeats what she was told.
"Yes. It is a club for young adults like you and me whom are interested in the supernatural." Renko clarifies.
"And how long have you been a member of?" Bella asks.
Renko paused briefly to do the calculations in her head. "About four years." She then answers.
Curiosity got the better of Bella as she leaned forward slightly. "So...what supernatural phenomena has the Club looked into?" She asked with enthusiasm.
Renko hesitated for a brief moment before answering, "Sorry, the Club has a policy of not revealing anything to non-members."
Bella's enthusiasm died down upon hearing that. "Oh..." She reacts bluntly.
"You can, however, join the Club if you are interested." Renko adds. "Just contact Adam Latency Junior via Sina Weibo's video chat function and talk to him, then let him decide if you are worthy of joining, and wait for a group invite on Sina Weibo. Since you have already talked to him in real life, you can just ask him to let you join, and..."
The astrophysics major stopped when she notices Bella sighing in disappointment.
"What's wrong? Don't have a Sina Weibo account?" Renko inquires.
Bella sighs again. "More like it's literally illegal to have one, back in the US..." She says. "The US government got hit by an extreme case of Sinophobia, Red Scare, and outright political jealousy. They banned literally everything that has something to do with the Chinese, which Sina Weibo is, just because China now has a more powerful economy than the US..."
Renko's smile disappeared from her face completely. "Wow, that is harsh. What kind of government would declare an entire ethnic group persona non grata just because their motherland did very well in development?"
"The selfish, idiotic kind..." Bella laments. "The President would rather kill off his own country than be economically overtaken by another..."
Now that Bella mentioned it, she starts to remember exactly what put the United States in its current dystopic state, according to what the news reports of the past years said.
It all began with the US President replacing tariffs and sanctions on Chinese products with an outright ban on all things Chinese, starting with severing diplomatic ties with China. Then most US businesses decided to "rage quit" because the government has taken away their primary (and for some, only) source of profit, which eventually led to the US economy plummeting straight to the bottom overnight. Then the Chinese-Americans also decided to give up their US citizenship and mass-migrated to either Mexico or Canada (they even refused to identify as Americans afterward), indirectly reducing the amount of labor forces in the country. Lastly, countries other than China reacted to the ban, with those such as the UK and France putting tariffs and sanctions on the US, Japan and South Korea kicking the US military out of their territories, and the most famous example in this whole global scandal is Malaysia outright severing diplomatic ties with the US for "making bigotry a state policy". The US Supreme Court reportedly had to impeach the entire administration to prevent the disaster from escalating, but it was already too late by then.
All of them happened 13 years ago, and none of them sees any signs of being undone even as of today. The sight of one US company after another collapsing due to the jealousy-motivated policy became ingrained into Bella's childhood memories. In fact, the primary reason for her leaving the US to study in the UK is to escape from the dystopia that her homeland has become, after most of her old friends have already done so.
Now she remembers that yesterday's news talked about the aftermath of the economy-destroying policy, and how the current administration's decision to abolish it came too late to undo the damage done.
"Human psychology is so hard to understand..." Bella laments after recalling all those events. "That is why I wanted to study psychology, to understand why humans demonize one another just for the tiniest differences..."
The two spent the next moment silent, as they finish eating their sandwiches.
Bella finishes drinking her cup of tea. Then she stands up. "I'll see you at the Academy, Renko..." Saying that, she grabbed her wallet and mobile phone from the table before leaving the room.
...
The streets, on the way...
Renko quickly caught up with Bella as they both head for Y.G. International Academy by foot.
"I'm sorry..." Renko apologizes, placing a hand on Bella's shoulder. "I didn't mean to remind you of that tragedy. I got overexcited with the International Sealing Club gaining a new memb-"
Bella grabs Renko's hand, and gently removes it from her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault..." She reassures with a slight smile. "It was the White House's..."
"But still, I shouldn't have said something that reminded you of it..." Renko says.
Bella remained silent for a few seconds. Then she puts a hand on Renko's shoulder. "It's okay. No humans are perfect, anyway." She says in a heartwarming tone.
And then the heartwarming moment is ruined by Adam Latency Junior suddenly appearing next to the two girls.
"Sorry I'm late." Adam says. His heavy panting indicates that he jogged all the way here from the flat. "Were you two talking about something just now?" He then asks.
"I'm just talking about home..." Bella answers.
Hearing that, Adam's expression went flat. "I heard about that on the news..." He says. "An ideal modern paradise, lost to its own inhabitants' idiocy..."
"Paradise is a thing of the past, and I'm going to let go of it." Bella declares. "Better to let go of a tragedy than to remember it for life."
"Good choice, fair girl. Good choice." Adam comments as he gives Bella a pat on her back.
"Thank you..." Bella responds to the comforting speech and gesture.
"So, whether you still want to join the International Sealing Club is entirely your own choice." Adam adds. "But if you do, I'll be waiting."
And so, the trio continued on their way toward Y.G. International Academy...
...
Campus Grounds, Y.G. International Academy
For anyone stepping into Y.G. International Academy for the first time, the sight is awe-inspiring.
The main building of the campus has a rectangular glass facade dotted with hexagonal windows to give off a futuristic feel, and looks to have about five floors. In front of the main building is an open ground about half the size of a soccer pitch, with a small apple tree in the middle of it (there is, however, only one apple on it at the moment), and a small circular field of grass around the tree. Behind the main building is a larger building, presumably where the classrooms and lecturer's offices are located, that is painted in a black-and-white checkered pattern with "YGIA" written on one side in a golden hue.
The most prominent feature about the main building is that, directly above the main entrance, there is what looked like a holographic screen with the text "We inspire you to achieve" sliding out from the right and stopping in the middle of it. The text is also narrated by a feminine, British-accented voice with a digital undertone, followed by a virtual character (who look just like the Flying Maiden puppet Adam showed Bella the other day, complete with a frilly red hair ribbon) flying in from the left of the screen and hovering next to the letter W, waving at whomever might be looking at the holographic screen, then saying "Remember: don't think, feel~" with that same voice.
"Ladies..." Adam, not quite as awestruck as the scenery due to having seen the campus (from a distance) several times in the past, tells Bella and Renko. "I present to you, the highest-rated academic institution in the world: Y.G. International Academy." He then points at the holographic screen. "And that virtual lady is their mascot: Flying Maiden."
Bella recalls about the Flying Maiden puppet she saw days earlier. She wouldn't look out of place among the Vocaloids... Bella thought.
Of course, the awe-inspiring mood of the scenery is ruined by a scuffle that just happened to occur at the moment.
Two campus security guards are seen dragging two Americans who are handcuffed out of the main building. The two Americans are struggling violently, and both seems to have bruises on their face, as are their knuckles, indicating that they were probably dragged out for getting into a violent fight with someone inside the main building.
"I'm gonna be back for you, nerd!" One of the Americans shouted, probably at the same person the two got into a fight with.
Bella, Renko, and Adam, along with everyone else in the campus grounds stepped aside to make way for the campus security guards as they dragged the Americans out of the grounds.
"I'd like to see you try to get back in here, wankers!" A bespectacled young man in a gray hoodie - who sports a bruise around his right eye - came out of the main building and taunted the Americans. He then sits down on the steps afterwards.
As everyone else stood where they are, wondering what just happened, Bella decides to approach the bespectacled young man. Renko followed right behind.
"Are you okay?" Bella asked the young man.
The bespectacled young man glances at Bella and Renko, but made no replies for a brief moment.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking." He then says.
Bella extends a hand to help the young man get up.
"What happened?" Renko asks.
The young man accepts Bella's help to get up. "Those Yankees...they are the kind who prefer brawn over brains..." He explains in the meantime. "Punched me while I was explaining the Unified Field Theory to my sister, because I was, quote: 'being a noisy nerd'"
"Unified Field Theory?" Bella doesn't understand the term mentioned, and inquires.
"Quantum physics. You won't understand the full details." Renko gives Bella the simplest answer.
Bella and Renko both glances at the aforementioned Americans, whom at this point have been literally dumped out of the campus grounds by the security guards. They then turn back toward the young man.
"For a 'nerd', you sure were able to hit them back quite hard..." Bella remarks.
Bella then notices that the young man's knuckles are completely free of bruises, an indication that if those two Americans really did get into a fight, he didn't hit them back himself.
"Oh, I didn't hit them, since my hands are more suited for handling pens and tools than throwing punches..." The young man corrects her. He then looks behind himself. "She did."
Standing behind the young man is a young lady of similar age wearing a blue and white maid uniform with a red ribbon, as well as silvery gray eyes and long red hair tied with a black hairband. She also appear to be wearing white gloves.
"I was just protecting Erich, though..." The maid-dressed lady says. "They attacked him for absurd reasons..."
"No need to be apologetic, Viv." The young man, now identified as Erich, tells her. "Those two wankstains totally deserved your megaton punch." He then turns back toward Bella and Renko. "Pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself." He extends his right hand for a handshake. "My name is Erich, and this is my sister, Vivit."
The maid-dressed lady, Vivit, waved at Bella and Renko. "Hi..." She greeted.
Bella waves back awkwardly.
Renko greets Erich and Vivit by bowing, as per the norm for a Japanese person. "Hello. My name is Usami Renko. And this-" She then points at Bella. "-is Maribel Lutwidge Hearn."
There was an awkward silence following the greeting and introduction.
"Lutwidge?" Erich questioned the oddness of the middle name.
"I get that a lot..." Bella remarks. "But you can call me Bella."
Bella then notices something strange about Vivit. From the outside, the maid-dressed lady looks pretty normal (odd fashion choice notwithstanding), but there is something about her that just doesn't feel...human...
"Oh, Bella, as in Bella Swan from The Twilight Saga. Got it." Erich acknowledges with a finger-snap. He then looks at the wristwatch he is wearing. "By the way, you are here for the Introduction Seminar, right? Its almost 12 p.m., so I think you should hurry up."
Being reminded of both the current time and the Introduction Seminar, Bella and Renko both became startled.
"Yes, we should!" Renko says, as she grabs Bella by her hand and runs off. "Come on, Bella!"
"Hope to see you again soon!" Bella calls out to Erich whilst being dragged by Renko.
"Same to you, Bella!" Erich calls out in response, as he waves goodbye to Bella and Renko.
The bespectacled young man looks on to where the two girls went to. "Good to know that there are Americans who don't act like they rule the world..."
Vivit then slowly approaches Erich. "I think you need to be treated." She points out to him, referring to the bruises he sustained from the American delinquents earlier.
"Lucky for me, mum and dad are not around to see this..." Erich remarks. "But you're right, I need a trip to the campus infirmary."
Just then, Adam Latency Junior walked past Erich and Vivit, as he follows behind Bella and Renko. As Adam passed by, he took a glance at Vivit, looked straight into her eyes (which unnerved her a bit), then ruffled up her hair using telekinesis.
"You claimed to Bella and Renko that she's your sister, right?" Adam then says to Erich with a grin. "Perhaps you should've told them where and how she was built..."
With that said, Adam continued on his way toward where Bella and Renko has gone to.
Erich and Vivit froze, mouth agape, in surprise upon hearing that.
Character profiles
Erich - The Hidden Genius
Birthday: 12th of December, 2041
Hometown: Liverpool, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain.
Skills and abilities: being incredibly intelligent.
Hobby: working on Fermat's Last Theorem.
Likes: inventing things, quantum physics, anime culture.
Dislikes: those who emphasizes on brawn over brains, those who harms Vivit.
Erich Flynn possesses staggering amounts of IQ, which he owes to his incredibly fast learning capabilities. One time when he was six years old, he chanced upon his father's notebook which contained an unfinished mathematical formula. He solved the formula within 10 minutes of stumbling upon it, much to the astonishment of his father.
His achievements did not end there. At the age of 18, Erich successfully created the world's first sentient android who he names "Vivit". Though for safety concerns, he did not reveal the news to anyone save for his parents, whom helped him by creating the masquerade of Vivit being his sister (it helped that Vivit does treat Erich as her brother), even risking legal troubles to create a fake ID and passport for her.
Presently, Erich attends Y.G. International Academy in Manchester - with Vivit acting as his sister-slash-guardian - to pursue his dreams of becoming a renowned inventor, hoping his future inventions will make the world a better place.
He does not believe in the supernatural, and has often mocked the International Sealing Club on social media for "wasting their time on fantasy" (his lack of a profile picture on his social media accounts prevented any Sealing Clubbers from identifying him in real life).
He fully identifies himself as an anime geek as well, which is how he came up with the idea to have Vivit wear a maid outfit.
...
Vivit - Mechanical Heart
Birthday: 8th of January, 2059
Hometown: Liverpool, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain
Skills and abilities: being an android.
Hobby: learning new things.
Likes: learning new things.
Dislikes: internet memes, anything to do with combat, those who harms Erich.
Vivit Flynn may look like a redheaded lady and the sister of Erich at first glance, but in actuality, she is an android Erich created when he was 18. Lots of effort were done to make sure her being an android doesn't become public knowledge, due to safety concerns.
Despite being an android, Vivit has a personality similar to a human's. For starters, she is still learning about the world and how human society works, taking every possible opportunity to learn new things about them.
Despite being tougher and stronger than humans, Vivit is a technical pacifist, and will not cause harm except in defense of herself or Erich.
Vivit particularly despise internet memes, thinking they are "unnecessary repetition of pop culture done to the point of obsession". Her opinion on Erich putting her in a maid uniform is completely neutral, however.
And the lore continues to expand...
Here, we're introduced to Erich and Vivit, two characters whom are originally from Seihou making their canon immigration into the Young Maiden's Chronicles universe. If you are familiar with Seihou, you should notice right away that this version of Erich and Vivit are very different than their original counterparts. If you don't, a quick trip to the Touhou wiki will clear it up for you.
As said in Erich's profile, he doesn't dig the supernatural, so he won't be joining the International Sealing Club anytime soon, and neither will Vivit (though they won't butt heads with the Sealing Clubbers in any antagonistic way).
As for what happened to the US in the YMCverse, I'm just going to say that the country won't be going anywhere if it keeps on antagonizing other countries for whatever reason. America here took its antagonizing of China to the logical extreme, and learned the deadly way that it is a dumb move. And that's all I'll say about it.
Still to come: Bella, Renko, and Adam begins a new path in their life at Y.G. International Academy.
Meta update: I've added a "Likes" and "Dislikes" entry to Bella, Renko and Adam's profiles in the previous chapter.
"And that, as they say, is that."
Afterwords end here.
