HOTD: A New Dawn

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Saya tilted her head, her brow furrowed. "What are you on about all of a sudden?"

Tysone's mental gears turned. He wanted to broach the Adolescence Syndrome without coming off as some junkhead. "Well, I just read this interesting documentary about how a certain group of young people would develop strange symptoms that mirrored their emotional state. You know, like how stress or anxiety can sometimes manifest physically, but… in a weirder, more intense way. It made me think of, I don't know, things people don't usually notice happening to them. Odd stuff."

Saya leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as she eyed him suspiciously. "Are you saying I'm some kind of freak or something?"

Tysone waved his hand dismissively, his face maintaining a casual yet cautious demeanor. "Nah, nothing like that. I'm just curious. It's like... have you ever felt like something odd was happening around you, something that couldn't be easily explained? Not necessarily supernatural, but just… different? Like, maybe people forgetting you were there, or things not adding up?"

Saya stared at him, her expression softening slightly as she considered his words. "Different, huh?" She uncrossed her arms and looked off to the side, deep in thought. "I can't say anything like that has happened to me. If it did, I'd probably just think it was some dumb prank or something."

"Right…?" He huffed a laugh. 

"Besides, do you really think that someone with a brain like mine would entertain such delusions? If anything, I'd expect something like this to happen to you."

Tysone clicked his tongue. He couldn't deny it; Mai and Saya's mindset did fall under similar patterns. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that one."

She snorted, lifting her chin in an attempt to lord it above him, as always. "I think we've wasted enough time humoring your flights of fancy." She slapped a thick ass book, grinning. "It's time to study!"

He winced, staring at said book with wariness. 

Ah, studying. Tysone had always been more of a practical guy than an academic one. 

Japanese wasn't an easy language to learn by any means, but it was highly necessary for him to adopt it. He rolled up his imaginary sleeves. "Let's do this, then."

Saya smirked in delight. Clearly, his lack of enthusiasm was music to her ears. "Excellent. First thing's first, we'll go over the alphabet and pronunciation. Here, copy these." She opened up a book and pushed a stack of papers in front of Tysone along with a pen.

He stared down at the pages filled with Japanese letters, along with their English translations and pronunciations. Without hesitation, he began copying the text down on the blank sheets of paper Saya had provided.

"..."

She seemed surprised by how quickly he adapted to the situation and went straight to business, but that smug air of superiority remained glued to her face nonetheless. Saya Takagi and superiority went hand in hand after all.

"Be sure not to make any spelling errors!" Saya remarked as she leaned back in her chair with her chin resting atop interlaced fingers like some evil genius.

"Or what, you're going to use your evil genius powers to smite me?"

Her smile widened theatrically. 

…

Saya watched as Tysone slumped over the desk, sighing. She had to admit that for the first time, he managed to grasp the concepts at a fast pace. She was easily impressed; learning English wasn't smooth sailing for her, and she was a genius, so Tysone's keen intellect and memory amazed her greatly.

She poked his forehead with a pen, grinning slightly when the ink left a blue dot on his dark skin.

"It's break time." Tysone murmured in his slumberland.

"Get lost if you wanna, dummy." She said, before pointing at the blue dot she left on Tysone's forehead.

"You drew on my face, didn't you?"

She stifled her laugh, shrugging as if the mere thought had never even crossed her mind. Tysone raised up, stretched his tired arms like a sluggish dog.

"Yo, isn't this the part where you go fetch some refreshments? We've been at this for hours already. I need sustenance."

"Hah? Refreshments? Where the hell do you think you are?"

Tysone rolled his eyes. Saya seemed pleased; after all, rich girls fed off of servitude and serfs. Still, she did send for a servant to deliver something for them.

A couple minutes passed and Saya was enjoying a cup of black coffee, Tysone meanwhile nursed a steaming hot, leaf-filled tea cup. There were some pastries at the side, which he had been plucking one after the other.

"Listen... I know I might look unreliable at the moment. I don't have a job. I don't know Japanese. I'll probably need your help with my school curriculum, but I've got some nifty ideas we could work on together." Tysone began, looking off towards the window. The sunset washed over the mansion like a crimson tide. 

Saya was slightly surprised by the seriousness in his eyes. "I hope this isn't a waste of my brain cells, blockhead, or else your punishment shall know no limit."

He huffed behind the rim of his cup, taking a suspenseful sip of the warm liquid.

"You know, the internet is currently an untapped asset with incredible potential. It's progressing at a pace that will leave that little genius hamster in your head dumbfounded." Tysone glanced her way. His cup was now empty. He placed it down on the desk. "Everything will move there. Anything you need. From information to services. Well, it's already there, to be honest, but we haven't had the time to utilize it fully."

She was still slightly offended by the 'little hamster' comment, but she couldn't deny the fact that he was speaking the truth.

"It's a money making machine that most people haven't had the common sense to realize yet." Tysone leaned in, explaining in a clear and concise voice. "I've had enough time and not enough sleep to jot down a few ideas, such as purchasing online domains with high commercial potential; creating an online marketplace; digital marketing and content creation. We'll get into the details later, but I assure you, the profit margin is staggering."

Of course, to an uneducated ear, it might all sound like conjecture. But the girl in front of him would likely know the weight of those ideas. 

Saya stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open. She had expected him to say something ridiculous, like creating an anime or manga or something stupid like that. She scowled, leaning back, her eyes pensive. "Hmm... this is certainly a lot to think about, but it's not the first time I've come across this idea."

"Is it?"

As expected of Saya.

"Of course. The internet is the next big step in humanity's technological evolution, and those with the foresight and resources to capitalize on it will have a massive advantage over others. And while the idea you mentioned is sound, the actual execution would be far more complex than you realize."

"I know, I know." Tysone chuckled, secretly glad that he got her attention and interest in the topic. He didn't like to admit it, but Saya would be a critical asset for those plans to come to fruition. "That's why I'm talking to such a smart, beautiful, considerate and resourceful girl such as yourself, Saya. I can trust that you can put those big ideas into action, no matter how big and daunting they may seem, right? With your connections and wealth, we could turn this into a lucrative business, or perhaps even a full blown enterprise. Naturally, that's far into the future, I've got other plans we could work on before we become digital sharks. But you get what I'm aiming for, right?"

Tysone knew Saya liked being showered with praise and flattery. And she was a vain person, so the more he added the word 'smart' and the rest, the better the odds were that she'd be on board with him.

Saya didn't answer immediately. She simply sipped from her cup, staring into the distance as she processed his words. Finally, she put the cup down and leaned forward, her gaze locked with Tysone's. She arched an eyebrow. "Basically you want me to do all the leg work while you take all the credit and profits."

"We can split the dividends equally. 50%, 50%. I'll also be learning and working alongside you, so no, Saya, I don't want you to do all the grunt work, I merely want that sexy brain of yours to refine and finalize the plans. We can set everything in motion when we round up the rough edges. Besides, you're the one with the financial resources, not me. I don't have any money, I don't have any contacts. You do. So, naturally, you'll play the bigger part."

Damn, all that talking and sales pitch got his throat dry. He stared resentfully at his empty cup.

She stared at him, her face devoid of emotions, but Tysone could see the gears turning in her head. "You're an interesting one, aren't you?" Saya muttered.

"So I've been told." He grinned, before shrugging.

She leaned back again, crossing her arms. Her face shifted into a serious expression. "Well, if you're expecting me to invest time and money in your silly plans, then you better start proving your worth to me. You won't get any benefits without showing that you can be useful."

"Of course, Saya."

Tysone smiled. He had a feeling that their relationship would change soon.

"Before we tap into those skull-numbingly complicated ideas, let me ask you: have you ever heard of Rage Room?"