Chapter 16: Arbitrary Concepts

Man, this is starting to get frustrating. I’ve been feeling increasingly restless and impatient with each passing day.<Have you tried not feeling that way?>

Wow, I didn’t think of that, what profound advice, Ai. Got any other groundbreaking pearls of wisdom for me?

<Sarcasm detected>

You don’t say.

It’s been a little over two months since I began at the Hunters Academy, today’s the 4th of March, 2168.

And things have been pretty uneventful since that first day. I’ve mostly just kept to myself and continued to train, though it’s been a while since I’ve gone to the gym, since I get a good workout five times a week during the Practical Training classes.

I usually zone out during the General Education classes, though I do pay attention sometimes and ask questions, just to make it seem like I’m not totally disengaged.

If I make a bad impression with the instructor, that might negatively affect my graduation, and I’m not about to go through a whole year at the Academy only to fail.

Especially since I won’t get in for free if I have to enroll a second time, and I’ll probably end up eating through all my savings by the end of the year, there’s no way I’ll be able to afford it.

So, I have to make sure I pass.

I may slack off a bit during the General Education classes since I’ve got the ideal cheat sheet in Ai, but I take the Practical Training classes seriously, I don’t spare any effort.

On the weekends, I spend most of my time just chilling, though I do still work part-time as a receptionist at the Hunters Union in the afternoons.

Thanks to that, I’ve got a decent amount of savings built up that should last me the year, but it’s not enough.

I mean, it’s enough to live off of reasonably comfortably and pay for the essentials like rent and utilities, but while I’ve got my needs covered, the same can’t be said of my wants.

Which gets pretty disappointing when I come across something I want but is out of my budget.

There’s still a whole lot of food in this era that I haven’t been able to try yet because it’s too expensive, and food aside, I also want to buy equipment and a proper weapon.

<There is no pressing need for those items at present, you will only require those after you become a Hunter>

I know, but still.

Also, I’ve been feeling pretty pent-up lately. I’m still about six months away from turning eighteen, I’ve been using porn to deal with my lust, but it’s just not enough.

I forgot how hormonal teenage bodies are, not to mention that the constant anxiety and stress I felt through the last decade of my previous life pretty much killed my libido.

That’s not the case in this life though, I have no real cause for stress, so I’ve got a more than healthy sex drive. Which makes it pretty hard to keep a lid on my sexual desires.

I mean, there are hyper-realistic VR porn games that I can access through my I-Watch, they’re pretty great. I was blown away by the realism when I first tried one, it felt so, well, real.

But since I know that it isn’t actually real, that lessens the enjoyment of the experience, especially after I got used to it.

I want to sleep with real women already, damn it!

<I do not believe there is any issue with having sex with someone at your current age>

<For all intents and purposes, you are seventeen, you should disregard your mental age, it is hardly relevant>

I have to disagree. Googlᴇ search N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

<It would not be a crime, so I do not understand why you are so opposed-...>

Doesn’t matter, sleeping with someone ’my age’ would make me feel like a predator, so like I’ve said before, I’ll abstain until I’m eighteen and legally an adult.

<That is arbitrary>

<Concepts such as legal age and age of consent have constantly varied across different eras and cultures, and while those concepts are uniform across the world in this era, they are still arbitrarily decided on by humans>

Okay, I get the logic of what you’re saying, I really do. But it’s not a question of logic, it’s a question of morals, at least as far as I’m concerned. And I don’t want to do anything that makes me feel icky.

Well, whatever, I’ll just have to find ways to distract myself until I turn eighteen.

I’ve waited this long, I can get through another six months. On the bright side, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to entertainment.

While most entertainment that’s created in this era isn’t accessible for free, that isn’t the case with entertainment from my old era.

There’s a website with a massive archive of entertainment from the era of my previous life, stuff like movies, shows, anime, YouTube videos and games, which can all be accessed for free through the I-Watches.

It’s been especially cool getting to watch all my old favorite series and stuff, not to mention that I no longer have to wait for new seasons since most of them finished airing over a century ago at this point.

Not all of them, though, some were canceled and never got new seasons or sequels of any kind, and others were never finished thanks to the appearance of the Monsters.

With the human race facing extinction, entertainment was the last thing on people’s minds, so the production of any ongoing shows and stuff at the time were brought to a permanent halt.

Plus, you know, there’s also the fact that well over ninety percent of the world’s population was wiped out by the time the Sanctuary Project was completed.

And the death toll included plenty of celebrities and those in the entertainment industry, including actors, directors and other people responsible for producing such entertainment.

I hope everyone who made my previous life miserable died brutal, painful deaths to the Monsters...

<I hate to interrupt, but is it not about time to head to the Academy?>

Hm?

Yeah, I guess...but I’m nice and comfy though, I’m in a really cozy position right now, I don’t want to waste it.

<You are going to be late>

I mean, I’ve maintained a perfect attendance record so far, so I can afford an absence or two.

<That seems like a poor decision>

<Not to mention, today is a Friday, it is the last day of the week>

Yeah, that’s true...

<Additionally, I recall Glenn Inglis informing your class that he will be making an important announcement during today’s Practical Training session>

Huh? Ohh, right...yeah, that totally slipped my mind, I forgot about that.

<You really need to start paying better attention, Kai>

I mean, I don’t really need to since I have you to remind me.

<Please do not use me as a crutch>