2036: Four Years Later

There's something about time that really pisses me off. Whenever it's the weekend or the holidays, time always seems to go by so quickly. Some people say it's because you're having fun, so you don't notice the minutes going by. What if the government was messing with time? I love conspiracy theories.

However, when you're at school, or waiting for something that only takes up 5 to 10 minutes, like heating food up in a microwave, it seems like time drags on, and there was one day in school when it wasn't any different.

I was at school that day, and I glanced at the classroom clock-only five minutes to go. It was the last period of the day, and I was waiting for Math class to wrap up so I could go home and play CyberWorld.

I turned my attention back to Jon, who was telling me the latest news about Aiko Tokoshima. Apparently, she was turning 31 this year, and in addition to that, CyberWorld was celebrating its 5th anniversary. Yeah, it had been five years since CyberWorld was released.

"Hey Mike, do me a favour, will you?" Jon said.

"Sure, what?" I asked.

"It's nothing big," He replied. "I just want you to wish Aiko Tokoshima a Happy Birthday on Telegraph."

Telegraph was a social media platform that was the in thing then, being the most trending app in that category. Even though I knew that it would die in one or two years, Jon  had requested that I download it on my phone. I never posted anything-I was just there to see what other people posted.

"Of course, Jon." I'll do that after school." I said. To be honest, I really appreciated Aiko as a person, and it wasn't just because of CyberWorld. She could always elevate other people's emotions, and was always so damn encouraging.

Finally, the school bell rang, and my classmates started shoving their textbooks into their bags. Mr Baldwin, our Math teacher, yawned and glanced at his watch.

"Okay, students, class is dismissed." He said aloud. 

I zipped up my backback and walked out of the classroom with Jon, then he slapped me on the back and said "So, I'll see you at 4?"

"I guess."

"Don't be late again."

"Alright, Mum, I heard you." I said.

Jon grinned and waved goodbye, before running to the front entrance of the school, where his chauffeur was waiting for him. He got into the navy blue Tesla parked outside, and it sped off.

I turned around and made my way to my own car, parked in the school parking lot.

I had been asked the same question many times-why the hell I chose to drive an Audi A3 Sedan. One of my classmates actually went up to me and asked, and I replied" The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?" I remember thanking Christopher Lloyd in my mind.

He never talked to me again. Probably  wasn't a big fan.

Believe me, I tried to get an actual DeLorean when I was finally allowed to drive. I actually found a used one in an automobile workshop, and I told the elderly attendant I wanted to check it out. When he tried to turn the key in its slot, the engine conked out, and smoke started rising out of its hood. I should have known it wasn't a good idea to use a sixty year old car, but that was how I ended up getting the Audi instead.

     Owned by Universal and Amblin Entertainment 

Speaking of the DeLorean; back in 1989, when Back To The Future Part II was released, it made many bold predictions, like flying cars and hoverboards. However, when October 21st, 2015 finally rolled out, the truth became clear-those devices were fictional. Many videos about Part II's wrong predictions were released on YouTube, and Universal Pictures began to face backlash from fans.                              

Robert Zemeckis must have felt really bad, because on July 18th, 2021, he announced that was once again joining forces with Universal and various car brands for a 3 billion project named 'Lift Our Cars'. Many people assumed that it was some bullshit attempt to promote BTTF, and I admit I was with them. It wasn't until 2025, on BTTF's 50th Anniversary, that test footage and concept art was released on major networks like the ABC and NBC news, ensuring everyone that it wasn't a hoax.)

I opened the right door of the Audi and climbed inside, but didn't close it, or turn on the ignition. Instead, I took my phone out and signed into Telegraph. After that, I posted a picture with the words "Happy Birthday!" and a sparkler in the woods as the background picture. 

As the caption, I tagged Aiko with '#happybirthdayaiko', and typed that I wished for her to excel in her career even more. I knew she probably wouldn't see it, but I figured it was the thought that counted.

 As I leaned back in my seat, I began to think about Aiko, and how she became a successful person at such a young age.

                                                                                            . . .

Aiko Tokoshima was born on November 12th, 2005, to a businessman and a restaurant chain owner. She actually had an older brother, but he had died the year before she was born. Aiko was the result of her parents trying to start over with a new child, and trying to forget the sorrowful loss they had suffered.

The Tokoshimas was an insanely wealthy family, so it wasn't any surprise that Aiko was sent to attend a high-class preschool. She got to play with finely stitched dolls from France, but she didn't exactly enjoy it. She wanted something more interesting, and she got exactly that one day.

In 2008, when Aiko was merely three years of age, her parents took her to see a film at their local cinema. The movie was named Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr.

    Property of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Even though Aiko didn't understand what was happening on the movie screen, she loved the movie, with its explosions, fight scenes, and the special effects that were ahead of its time then-and it changed her life forever. Score one.

A few months later, she stumbled across some items in her mansion's basement. There were old DVDs packed inside some dark-coloured boxes, belonging to her parents. She chose one of the plastic cases and examined it. On it, a man and a woman were both standing in a dramatic pose, holding a thin barrel that emitted light, and an elongated pistol. In the background, there was a person wearing a dark helmet, who wore a menacing look, and two robots, the golden one human in shape, and the other one shaped like a trash can.

 Aiko couldn't even pronounce the title of the movie, but she decided to give it a go anyway. By the time she was four, Aiko had seen both the Original Trilogy and Prequels of Star Wars. Score two.

When Aiko got home from preschool, and her parents had left for work, she would take a random DVD from the boxes in the attic, and watch it on the television in the living room. That was how Aiko discovered different genres of movies from decades past. Her nannies were all surprised when they first saw Aiko watching films on the TV, but it didn't really seem to be affecting Aiko, so they kept quiet. (Didn't affect Aiko, but influenced her)

Aiko turned seven years old, and she was sent to a nearby primary school. Even though Aiko had lesser time for watching movies, she still attempted to watch at least one per week and continued to grow her already amazing knowledge about pop culture. 

When she was given the chance to learn a second language, she chose English, so she would be able to watch American movies in the language, and Aiko became fluent in both English and Japanese. Score three.

After finishing primary school, she went on to middle school, where she chose coding as an after-school activity. At fourteen years old, she coded Zombie Hunt, an action role-playing game where the player had to collect resources to build weapons and kill zombies. This was her first serious attempt in making an actual working game, as she decided to finally put her skills to the test. 

At one meeting of her coding club, she plucked up the courage to share it with everyone, and it was an instant success. The whole club cheered and applauded for Aiko, and she thought it would end there, but it didn't.

Someone must have enjoyed the game so much and shared it, because suddenly, many of the students at Aiko's school were seen playing Zombie Hunt, both guys and girls alike. When they found out Aiko was responsible for creating it, they started praising her for the amazing gameplay and graphics. Aiko even got a request to join a friend group in the school filled with popular girls, but Aiko declined, knowing that the popular friend groups were usually the bitchiest. 

Aiko continued making games, but she only shared them with her coding club, hoping that someone wouldn't share the games, but to no avail. Aiko kept getting compliment after compliment, friend request after friend request, which she all declined.

RANDOM DRAFT STUFF:

Author's note: This still has yet to be deemed canon.

[Except one.

Another schoolgirl happened to be walking past Aiko, when she accidentally bumped into her, causing Aiko's stack of novels, American comic books, and manga to drop in a pile on the floor. 

The girl made a quick apology, and kneeled on the floor, attempting to help Aiko pick up her things. As the girl looked through the books, she said something like "You like science fiction, huh?" (All the dialogue and actions are paraphrasing, and the conversation was in Japanese.)

Aiko sighed. "Yes, I do."

"Nice," The girl said, as she passed Aiko a paperback book almost as thick as a brick. "Table 7, then? At lunch tomorrow?"

Aiko was taken aback. No one had ever invited her to sit with them-Aiko spent her breaks eating uruchima rice with a thick layer of curry on top while her eyes were glued to whatever book or manga she had picked up from her local bookstore. She usually sat alone at the occasionally empty tables near the sides at the cafeteria, where none of the popular groups sat.

But she decided to give it a try anyway.

"Sure," Aiko said, as she managed to balance the books on her hands. "Where do we meet?"

The girl shrugged. "I know where you usually sit-I'll look for you."

She turned around to continue walking to wherever she was going, but Aiko stopped her.

"Wait," Aiko said, blocking the girl from walking forward and extended her right hand, while she held her books in the other. "My name is Aiko Tokoshima."

The girl looked at Aiko's hand briefly and at Aiko.

"Suki Hachiyo," She said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

The meeting must have gone well because they eventually became friends, and not long after, best friends.]

What a wonderful origin story, I thought.

I realised that I had spent the last 10 minutes daydreaming, so after I closed the car door and slipped on my seat belt, I turned on the ignition and headed for home.