Homophonic: Kazuki Hoshino

[factoring]

Comments

[teenrebellion]

Just an old American band. They didn't do rave music, though.

Yeah, it's weird, right? I've never seen AR like that before. You usually need an app to see those things at all, but they're just... everywhere.

[factoring]

It's all very strange. But then again, waking up on the street and being told your currently deceased is just as odd.

[teenrebellion]

[ rolls his eyes. ]

Nutjobs like this will say anything to scare people into doing what they want.

[factoring]

And what they want is for us to form teams. How odd.

[teenrebellion]

Something about their weird game. I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling that inclined to listen to what they say just because they said it. It sounds like a load of bull.

[factoring]

Something ventured, something gained. I'm interested in seeing what happens when a team is formed, if anything happens at all.

[teenrebellion]

You get somewhere to stay, I guess?

[ shrugs. ]

If you're that curious, shouldn't you be more focused on forming your team?

[factoring]

No reason to rush into it, if we've been given several days.

[teenrebellion]

[ fair enough. ]

You don't seem all that bothered by all this.

[factoring]

I'm used to dealing with strange phenomena.

[teenrebellion]

What kind of phenomena would that be?

[factoring]

Digital entities and anomalies.

[teenrebellion]

So, like, hackers? Phishing and stuff?

[factoring]

Yes, hacking programs. Ensuring people get their accounts back clean.

[teenrebellion]

Isn't that just basic cybersecurity? What's so phenomenal about it?

[factoring]

My dear assistant arrived in the streets of Scramble Crossing in a body made of pure digital matter.

[teenrebellion]

What?

[factoring]

She was just a framework of data without skin. Just shifting blue digital matter.

[teenrebellion]

...Is this some kind of virtual reality thing?

[factoring]

That's what the network is supposed to be. What happened to them was very real.

[teenrebellion]

So... they were deleted...?

[ he's so confused ]

[factoring]

It was more akin to their mental data being forcefully ripped from their body during the log out process.

They're alive and functional, but their real body is in a coma.

[teenrebellion]

...Yeah, I'm not that much of a techie. [ he has no idea what she is saying. ] I, uh. Hope they wake up soon?

[factoring]

[ He's not the first person. 😔 ]

That's what we're hoping for them.

[teenrebellion]

Well, good luck getting back to them. Hopefully this weird game doesn't last too long so you don't miss it when they do wake up.

[ "when" because he's decided just now that he's not accepting the alternative. he doesn't even know those people. ]