Chapter 11 - "Dream"
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Ren leaned back in his chair like he owned the place, one arm draped over the backrest, the other resting on the table. The two girls had moved to the couch, waiting quietly like this was just another Tuesday.
I sat there in my towel, still dripping a little, trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was talking to another guy who wasn't a robot or a hologram.
"So," I started, voice low, "how long have you been here?"
Ren shrugged. "Hard to say exactly. I got cancer in 2150. Terminal. Doctors gave me six months. Offered cryogenic suspension—experimental, high-risk, but free if you signed the waiver. Figured why not? Worst case, I die anyway."
He gave a small, dry laugh.
"Woke up… fifty-something years later. Thawed out in a facility. First thing they do is run tests. Then they tell me the Mana Cataclysm happened while I was on ice. Most men dead or infertile. Population crashed. And me? I'm suddenly the jackpot. Natural male. Healthy. Fertile."
I stared at him.
"Fifty years…?"
"Give or take. Time gets fuzzy when you're frozen."
*2150. That's over a century from my time. And he just… slept through the end of men?*
I rubbed my face. "And you're okay with all this? The academy, the schedules, the… everything?"
Ren looked at me like I'd asked if water was wet.
"Dude. I was dying. Now I'm alive, healthy, and every day is basically a harem anime episode. Girls lining up. No job. No rent. No one telling me to study or get a real life. Just eat, sleep, and… contribute."
He nodded toward the couch where the girls were waiting.
"This is paradise. You fight it, you lose. Just enjoy it. Have all the sex you want. No strings. No feelings required. Pure win."
I felt something twist in my stomach.
"But they're using us," I said quietly. "Like test subjects. Like breeding robots. No romance, no nothing. Just… scheduled sex. Doesn't that bother you?"
Ren tilted his head, studying me.
"Bother me?" He snorted. "Look around, Kaito. This is the dream most guys would kill for. You think I'm gonna complain because it's not 'romantic'? Romance is overrated. Feelings complicate things. Here? It's simple. Everyone gets what they want."
He leaned forward.
"You're overthinking it. Just do what feels good. No one's forcing you to fall in love."
I looked down at my hands.
*Maybe he's right. Maybe I'm the weird one for wanting something more.*
But the thought of the silver-haired girl from the lab flashed in my head. Her hand in mine. That one moment before everything exploded.
No. That wasn't nothing.
I stood up.
"Thanks for the talk," I said. "I should head back."
Ren waved lazily. "Anytime. Door's open. Bring your towel next time."
I left without another word.
The walk back felt longer. Corridors quiet. Most students in class or training.
I slipped into my room and closed the door.
Akane was already there, standing by the window with her tablet.
"You were absent from morning evaluation," she said. No anger. Just fact.
"Yeah. Got… sidetracked."
She nodded, making a note. "Acceptable for today. Future absences require approval."
I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Akane."
"Yes?"
"What really happened to all the men?"
She paused, then set the tablet down.
"The Mana Cataclysm. Radiation exposure altered male reproductive systems on a global scale. Many died. Most survivors became infertile or lost secondary characteristics. A small percentage mutated into hostile mana-beasts."
I nodded slowly. "And the population? How's it still growing? You can't all be having girls forever."
Akane met my eyes.
"Android partners. Synthetic males designed solely for reproduction. They lack true DNA variability, emotion, or independent will. Offspring are always female. Stable, but stagnant."
I exhaled through my nose.
"So humanity just… accepted it? No cure? No fight?"
"Research continues. Natural males like you and Ren are part of that research. Your genetic material offers the only viable path to male offspring."
I stared out the window.
They weren't people here.
They were hope.
Or tools.
Depending on who you asked.
Akane picked up her tablet again.
"Shall we resume your schedule?"
I looked at her.
"Not yet."
For the first time, I wondered if the silver-haired girl had woken up in this world too.
And if she had… what she thought of it.
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*End*