Everyone was hyped for the beach trip to Aomi Bay City—The moment summer break hit, excitement started buzzing like neon signs in a rainy alleyway. Kaito, Rika, and Akira were finally going on their long-awaited beach trip to Aomi Bay City, the coastal neon jewel of the east—glowing with towering chrome buildings, glowing billboards, and street food drones zipping through alleys. But most importantly, they were going to meet their old friend Shinji again
Rika was on a mission—operation swimsuit. She zipped through racks in the holographic boutique
"Something cute but deadly. No, not too deadly. Wait, maybe a shark print?" she muttered, holding up a neon-blue two-piece with built-in waterproof music syncher.
Meanwhile, Akira was at home packing his essentials—which honestly just meant his clothes, a box of snacks, and of course, his beloved tablet. "Ah yes," he grinned, polishing it, "the one true travel companion." and grabbed four chargers just in case.
Back at Kaito's house, things were... less organized. The guy was in his backyard, shirtless, sweat dripping as he practiced new moves from the ancient martial arts book he had found. He wasn't going to the beach to relax. Nah. He was hoping something would attack him so he could test his new technique— Whatever that was.
"Alright!" he shouted, striking a pose. "I'm ready all ready for this trip!"
The Day finally came,
Rika and Akira stood outside Kaito's house, bags packed and already annoyed.
"Haaaaaaah! Kaito's never on time!" Rika huffed, tapping her foot. "The train leaves in 30 minutes! This dumbass better not make us miss it!"
She cupped her hands and shouted, "Kaito! What's taking you so long?!"
People walking by turned to stare. Akira, embarrassed, gave a nervous laugh."Calm down," Akira muttered, trying to shrink into his hoodie. "You're gonna scare the neighbors...."
A voice yelled from inside, "I'm coming! Chill!"
Then—THUMP—Kaito jumped out of his window from the second floor with his backpack and landed superhero-style in front of them.
"HEH! The hero arrives," he grinned proudly.
Rika smacked him on the head. "You idiot! What took you so long?! And what's with the boxing wraps?!?! We're going to the beach, not a FIGHT CLUB!"
Kaito rubbed his head and mumbled,"Y-you never know when I might need them…..."
"This guy's brain is just muscles and fight scenes," Rika muttered.
"Guys, guys!" Akira said, checking his watch. "We already lost ten minutes! The train leaves in twenty! Get your butts moving!"
They tossed their bags onto Akira's hover-floater—a sleek platform with retractable wheels and magnetic stabilizers—and started speeding through the streets. Holograms blinked past them, people barely dodging out of the way as they raced toward the train station.
They just made it. The train doors whooshed closed behind them, and the loudspeaker blared:
"WARNING: Do not run into closing trains. We will NOT pay for your medical bills."
All three collapsed into seats, catching their breath.
Out of breath, Rika slumped into her seat. "We barely made it... thanks to SOMEONE."
Kaito panted, "If you hadn't nagged me so much, we'd have caught it like normal people!"
"Say that again, and I'll kick you off this train," Rika snapped.
They argued like kids while Akira sighed, sliding into his seat. "It's gonna be a loooong 24-hour ride…"
plugging in his earbuds. "It's a 24-hour ride, so maybe stop wasting energy yelling. Save it for the beach."
The bullet maglev shot through cities, tunnels, and glowing landscapes. Inside, the trio played cards, watched weird shows on Akira's tablet, and stuffed themselves with vending machine sushi and noodles.
"Hey Akira," Kaito asked while chewing, "we're staying at Shinji's uncle's beach house, right?"
"Yep. Shinji said it's just a few blocks from the ocean. And he's seriously hyped to see us again. It's been, quite a while since we last meet"
"Yeah..." Rika smiled softly. "Feels like forever."
—
The Next Morning
The train glided into Aomi Bay Central Station, its exterior reflecting the ocean-blue sky and towering silver skyscrapers. Giant holographic whales swam through the sky displays. People in glowing outfits passed by, scooters hovering overhead, and a saxophone-playing street robot nodded at them.
As the trio stepped out, they stretched like a zombie.
"Ughhh, I feel like I've been frozen for a week," Rika groaned. "My legs don't even work anymore…"
"That's 'cause Aomi Bay is like… 80,000 kilometers away," Akira said casually.
Kaito cracked his neck. "Shinji said he'd be waiting outside the station."
Right on cue—
A familiar voice called out, "Kaito! Rika! Akira! Over here!"
They turned to see a guy waving at them—and their jaws dropped.
Kaito blinked. "Daaamn, Shinji?! Is that really you? Bro, you leveled up! You're not timid at all anymore!"
Shinji scratched his head shyly. "Haha… I've been trying to change."
They ran up and hugged him, laughing.
Then Akira's eyes locked onto a sleek car parked behind Shinji. His mouth hung open.
"WAIT—is that the XZR-890 Phantom Drift!?" he squealed, pointing at a sleek black hover car. Its body shimmered with reactive nanocoat, and it had chrome vents, blue neon underglow, and drone-assist mode installed.
Shinji chuckled. "Yeah, it's my uncle's. He's crazy about cars."
They all piled into the car. The interior was clean and minimal, but covered in glowing control panels and voice command pads. A soft AI voice welcomed them:
"Welcome, passengers. Engaging Comfort Mode: Activated."
The car zipped out of the city at top speed, music playing, ocean wind blowing through the retractable roof.
Kaito leaned back, eyes closed. "This is the life..."
Rika, scrolling through swimsuit selfies, kicked his leg. "Don't fall asleep yet!"
"Wake me when there's food," Kaito mumbled.
Akira was already fiddling with the dashboard. "If I hack this car, maybe I can make it fly..."
"DON'T," everyone said in unison.
They all hopped in, blasting music as they cruised through the sunny, breezy streets of Aomi Bay City.
Everything felt like the start of a perfect trip.
But elsewhere…
In a dark, abandoned warehouse not too far from the beach, a group of shady figures surrounded by crates and broken gym equipment burst into maniacal laughter.
The real trouble hadn't even started yet.
To be continued...