Yira bounced on her toes eagerly as she waited by the front door, mismatched eyes agleam. Today was the day she would finally repay Fujimi for his kindness in gifting her his precious academy voucher. After acing her entrance exam and securing a spot at the elite Stratos Akademiya, she had vowed to gift Fujimi an equally life-changing opportunity.

Now, giddy with excitement, she peered up the stairs, willing her friend to hurry. Any minute now, they would head to the nearby Leho Megamall where Fujimi could test his fate with the rare platinum gacha voucher Yira had given him. She knew the machines there granted unimaginable prizes - even reality-warping artifacts! Fujimi more than deserved such a miracle after selflessly helping her and her siblings.

“Come on, slowpoke, shake a leg!” Yira called out impatiently. She paused, giggling as a thought struck her. “Get it? Shake a leg? ‘Cause the roulette wheel shakes and stuff when you ride it.”

No response came from upstairs except muffled groaning. Yira sighed. Clearly Fujimi needed more convincing to embrace this destiny-altering opportunity. Time to call in the big guns.

“Loei! Amara! Let’s go help lazybones Fujimi get his butt in gear,” Yira shouted. Thundering footsteps shook the stairs as her siblings raced down eagerly.

Loei’s brown braids bounced as she skipped the last few steps. “Do you really think Fujimi can win something magical?” she asked breathlessly, eyes shining. At Yira’s enthusiastic nod, she clasped her hands. “This is so exciting!”

Amara gave his soccer ball an idle bounce, trying and failing to seem nonchalant. “Yeah, it’ll be cool to see Fujimi ride that huge roulette wheel thingy. Those gacha machines are insane!”

Yira ruffled his hair affectionately. She knew Amara looked up to Fujimi like the brother he never had. “Then let’s get him down here! Fujimmmiiii, wakey wakey!” she yelled.

A disgruntled voice called from upstairs. “Alright alright, I’m coming! Don’t get your gachas in a twist.”

Moments later Fujimi trudged down, clad in his usual jeans and hoodie. He stifled a yawn. “Remind me again why I’m being dragged to the mall at 9am on a weekend?”

Yira jabbed him playfully in the chest. “Because your destiny awaits, silly! Don’tcha wanna see what super rare prize that platinum voucher I gave you gets?”

Fujimi smiled tiredly and adjusted his hood. He appreciated Yira’s enthusiasm, but wasn’t too hopeful about his own fortunes changing. His analytical mind still rejected the idea that spinning a glorified roulette wheel could magically reshape reality. But the eager faces of Yira and her siblings convinced him to play along.

“You’re right, today’s the day,” Fujimi said, mimicking Yira’s dramatic tone. “Let’s go alter my destiny!” The younger kids cheered excitedly.

As the group set out to the transit pod, Fujimi’s father Jin waved them off from the doorway. “Have fun and look out for each other!” he called. A warm smile crinkled the corners of his eyes - in the week since Yira had moved in, their home had become much livelier.

The hyperloop’s smooth acceleration pressed them gently back into plush seats as the pod accelerated. Outside the windows, the colorful city center rushed past in a blur. Loei and Amara grinned eagerly, faces plastered to the glass.

In no time, the pod glided to a stop at the gleaming Leho Megamall station. Fujimi followed his animated companions out onto the platform and into a massive atrium thronging with shoppers. Even at this early hour, crowds bustled around dazzling storefronts and holographic displays.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Fujimi shook his head in amazement, reminded anew of how bizarrely advanced this world was compared to his own time. As they navigated through the packed concourse, Yira and the siblings oohed and ahhed over the holographic pets, nano-tech fashions, and other wonders.

Before long, they arrived at the wing of the megamall housing the major gacha pavilions. Fujimi noticed that the ceilings here stretched impossibly high, accommodating colossal structures like golden roulette wheels and snowglobe-like prize spheres. Around them, obsessed fans swarmed to catch a glimpse of the newly-unveiled Ultra-Platinum machines.

“Here we are!” Yira proclaimed, stopping before an especially massive roulette wheel pavilion. Its metallic surface glinted under spotlights as the wheel spun continuously, displaying different prize capsules along its circumference. Fujimi craned his neck, intimidated by the sheer scale of the machine that would supposedly determine his destiny.

“Oooh, I’ve always wanted to see the roulette ride!” Loei exclaimed, bouncing eagerly beside Fujimi. Amara nodded, gazing up at the imposing contraption with unconcealed awe.

As they approached, Fujimi realized a crowd had gathered, watching him expectantly. News of his coveted voucher had evidently spread. He shifted self-consciously under the stare of strangers hoping to witness a legendary prize.

Yira gave him an enthusiastic shove forward. “Go on Fujimi, go spin that wheel of fate!” Sighing internally, he handed his voucher to the shopkeeper and stepped onto the platform as it began rising. Fujimi cast one last look downward where his friends gazed up, faces filled with anticipation.

Ascending into the bowels of the giant roulette wheel, Fujimi felt his stomach flip nervously. He’d really rather avoid this disorienting spectacle, but Yira’s sincere efforts to repay him convinced him to embrace the experience. As the spin began, Fujimi crossed his fingers and prayed to the Gacha Gods, hoping his generosity might finally be repaid.

The wheel’s rotation rapidly accelerated, flashing glimpses of glittering capsules interspersed with windows revealing the cheering crowd below. Fujimi gripped his seat tighter, willing his nausea to subside. This was way more intense than the casual gumball machines of his own time!

After an stomach-churning minute, the spinning began slowing until the wheel locked into place with a heavy thunk. Fujimi worriedly checked the roulette display - had the Reality Sphere capsule aligned with his portal? But no, it looked several spots over. Only the Fates knew what “prize” awaited him.

The floor beneath Fujimi abruptly retracted and he slid down a twisting tube into a dimly lit chamber filled with shelves of capsules. Regaining his bearings, he spotted a small container freshly deposited on the floor. Heart hammering, Fujimi cracked it open. Would this be the miracle he and Yira had hoped for?

Peering inside, he saw…a single argyle sock.

Fujimi’s shoulders slumped. Why had he expected anything different? His luck always seemed to tend toward useless knick-knacks. With a disappointed sigh, he headed back upstairs, bracing himself to receive the sympathetic looks from his optimistic friends. Maybe one spin wouldn’t alter his destiny, but their support gave him hope.

As Fujimi re-emerged, the gathered crowds fell silent, eagerly awaiting the reveal. Yira, Amara, and Loei watched the screens with bated breath as Fujimi displayed his hard-won prize: a lone sock.

“Oops, looks like the Gacha Gods were snoozing!” Yira exclaimed, trying to smooth over the awkward moment. She threw an arm around Fujimi’s shoulders. “No biggie though, it was still fun, right?”

Fujimi managed a weak smile. “Yeah, it was an experience for sure.” Loei and Amara looked slightly crestfallen but quickly rebounded, peppering him with questions about the exhilarating roulette ride.

As they made their way out of the wing, Fujimi glanced back at the imposing wheel, its hypnotic rotation promising incredible prizes he knew would forever elude him. He thought of the nice shopkeeper who’d quietly offered him discounted meal vouchers to make up for the dud prize. Despite his hopeless luck, there was still kindness and joy to be found in this bizarre new world. It seemed not everything operated on chance.

Smiling serenely, Fujimi turned back to his makeshift family, where Yira was now dramatically recounting his roulette ride with sweeping gestures. Maybe he couldn’t rely on random Gacha spins to determine his destiny. But the bonds growing between him, Yira, and the younger kids - those felt like fate indeed. With that thought lifting his spirits, Fujimi rejoined the playful banter and laughter of the people he cared for most as they continued their mall adventure.