Chapter 2: The start of changes
In a school building on the third floor, directly next to the window. A soft breeze enters the classroom, causing a sheet of paper to fall to the floor.
"Ah." said Shin. He bends to reach for the paper, but it is already picked up by someone else.
"Here."
Shin took the piece of paper and glanced at the person who picked it up.
Before Shin could thank the person, he heard the guy say, "Man, it's early in the morning, and here you are drawing something."
"Shush!" Shin said. "Not now, Atom."
Shin gestured for Atom to return to his seat already.
"Ow, c'mon man, don't be like that, I've got news to tell you, you know," then he added after a pause, "But I will be damn. Man! You're really good at drawing! Though I prefer you draw girls with huge marshmallows, not these jet planes. It's like I'm looking at a blueprint or something."
"Because it's a blueprint," Shin explained, "and look, I've even drawn fine details of the jet engine."
'Crap! I should change the subject,' Atom thought as he looked at Shin. 'I forget his obsession with planes, I thought he got over it because he stopped mentioning it years ago. What changed?'
"Let me grab that and put it in your bag for now; remember, I have news to tell you," Atom replied, attempting to divert Shin's attention.
"Today!" he exclaimed loudly. Making everyone look at them.
Shin asked, confused, "Today? Today what?"
"Come on Atom, if you're messing around, I'll continue my drawing," Shin irritably replied.
"Alright, Alright. I'm trying to create tension, you know, by pausing before revealing the big news," Atom explained.
"That's not how it works," Shin retorted.
"OK, OK, look there," Atom said, motioning to the window.
"The window?" Shin inquired.
"No, outside. And look up. Look where my fingers are pointing," Atom remarked.
Shin stared up into the sky, unsure of what he suppose to see.
"There's nothing there," he stated flatly to Atom.
"Exactly!" exclaimed Atom.
"Sigh~" Shin sighed, and everyone else who was listening in on their conversation sighed as well.
A murmur can be heard in the background.
(He's at it again.)
(What did he do again last week?)
(He confesses to a teacher.)
(Really?)
(Yeah, he even broadcast it in the school auditorium.)
(No way...)
(A lot of students heard that, and I'm embarrassed to be his classmate.)
(What do you mean? That guy is a legend. Such courage.)
(He always does that because you guys always agreed to his nonsense.)
(Tsk. Attention seeker.)
(Huh? You're the one who…)
Shin and Atom's attention was drawn to a classmate who had begun to argue with another.
"Anyway. It cannot be seen with the naked eye because it is too far and the sun is high up." Atom explained.
"So?" Shin asked.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event!" said Atom loudly.
"So that's what you're talking about, Atom, it's all over the news, and what do you mean by once in a lifetime? It happened every 20 years, so there's nothing to be fuss about," Shin remarked.
"There is! Because they're much closer together this time," Atom rebutted.
He went on to say, "The last time this happened marked a new era. The age of Aquarius! Which only happens every 2,000 years, and some even speculated that the pandemic marked the end of the last era."
"And it happened in 2020, right? Then it's just recently! My grandfather is probably going to live to see it again, and he only did it in one lifetime," Shin retorted.
"No, no, Shin. Tsk, you don't understand. Poor guy. I'll explain, so pay attention." Atom helplessly patted Shin on the shoulder.
"If we disregard the celestial event that occurred in 2020 for a moment and focus on the recent one that brought both planets closer together. The most recent occurrence occurred in the year 1623. That's a 400-year gap. And it's happening right now, after 2020! March 15, 2080! There is only a 60-year gap! That is unprecedented. This kind of Great Conjunction with two planet close together with each other will not happen again for hundreds of years. And this kind of gap will not be feasible for the next thousand years!" explained Atom ecstatically.
"Fine! Fine! I get it. Just move your face, you're too close," Shin said helplessly.
Shin curiously asked, "So, what happened in the year 1623?"
"I don't know," Atom answered, his gaze intensely on Shin.
"Huh? What do you mean you don't know? You said some events happened along with it?" Shin said, feeling duped.
"How would I know that? It's not like the internet existed at the time," Atom interjected.
"Sigh, right, right," Shin sighed. 'I made a mistake taking this guy seriously,' Shin reflected.
"TING! TING! TING!"
The bell rung, signaling the start of class, and their chat came to an end. After a few seconds, a professor entered.
"Class seat down," the professor gently instructed.
"As the semester concludes, I hope everyone is prepared for your next school year, you're going to be a senior, but before the summer breaks begin, you still all have one week to attend the class, and we will have an exam before we part ways," informed the professor.
"No!!" everyone yelled in outrage at this injustice.
"Yes, yes, I can feel your excitement," the professor says, "but we won't be studying this morning because of this." The professor raised his right hand and showed something on it.
Before everyone could happily celebrate since there was no class in the morning, everyone just stared at the professor's hand.
"They're going to distribute it today?" asked one student.
"Ah, yes. I know it's bulky compared to the one you're currently using, but don't worry, it's very light," the professor remarked while waiving his hand in the air.
"But Sir, we heard rumors…"
"I know. I know," the professor nodded before asking one of the students, "Class president, distribute these."
The class president examined the bundle of paper. What was written on it astonished her. She instantly distributes the paper to the front of each row, and they knowingly pass it to the back, taking one sheet apiece.
"No way! They're making a law just so we can wear it!" screamed one student.
"They're taking our freedom, it like the internet says…"
"This is getting serious."
"Yeah, I heard a few families have been silence."
"Yes, there are fewer and fewer protesters as the days pass."
The professor simply let them ramble, wasting time on irrelevant topics. After all, there's no point in moaning; the identification bracelet is a modern-day necessity. Everything about livelihood is linked to it.
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