Fujimi plopped down at the table with an audible thud, the metal chair legs scraping against the tile floor. He sank into the seat, letting his gangly limbs sprawl out haphazardly as he finally allowed his aching muscles some reprieve. Even his eyelids felt exhausted from keeping vigilant watch over Yira’s rambunctious younger siblings all morning.

Those two kids were bundles of pure hyperkinetic energy, Fujimi mused as he observed Amara and Loei tearing through the restaurant’s indoor playground. They scrambled up the multi-colored plastic tubes and zoomed down slides at breakneck speed, their gleeful shrieks reverberating off the play place walls. Parents dining nearby shot Fujimi sympathetic glances, as if paying silent tribute to his valiant efforts at wrangling the two wild rascals.

Yira slid gracefully into the seat opposite Fujimi, sly amusement dancing in her heterochromatic eyes. “Rough morning with my lil monsters, huh?” she teased.

Fujimi let out an exaggerated groan. “You have no idea. I seriously need to up my cardio if I’m gonna keep up with those two!” He shook his head in bemusement. “I don’t know where they get all that juice from.”

“Sugar, mostly,” Yira laughed. She nodded gratefully as a waitress brought over two steaming mugs of coffee. “Here’s to a brief moment of peace and quiet!”

They both took long sips, sighing contentedly. Fujimi studied Yira in the momentary stillness. Her vibrant dyed hair tumbled in carefree, messy waves, while expertly applied makeup made her dual-colored eyes pop dramatically. A bohemian floral blouse and paint-splattered denim skirt gave her an artsy flair. Everything about Yira’s style seemed designed to captivate attention, much like her bold spirit.

Fujimi smiled softly. In such a short time, Yira had utterly transformed not just his family’s once-tranquil home life, but his entire outlook. Her fiery determination and protectiveness towards her siblings was truly inspirational.

Yira’s gaze grew thoughtful. “Y’know, Amara’s really looking up to you lately. Trying to be the responsible big brother, like you are with him.”

“Me? Responsible?” Fujimi chuckled. “I think you’re giving me too much credit.”

“I’m serious!” Yira insisted. “Having a positive male role model around has been so great for him. For all of us.” Her voice grew thick with emotion. “If it wasn’t for you and your folks taking us in…”

Sensing Yira’s turmoil, Fujimi reached over and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “You’re part of our family now.” He shook his head in amazement. “To think it all started with me chasing after some thief who tried pickpocketing me!”

Yira laughed brightly. “Hey, a girl’s gotta get by on the streets! But bagging that golden ticket ended up being the luckiest thing that ever happened to us.”

Her expression turned thoughtful. “Speakin’ of lucky breaks, weren’t you gonna tell me how you got zapped to this freaky future world in the first place? Last I remember, you were just some average kid stressing about algebra tests and cafeteria food.”

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Fujimi nodded, brow furrowing as he contemplated his mysterious situation. “Believe me, I’ve wracked my brain trying to make sense of it all. One night, I’m asleep in my normal bedroom back in 2022. The next morning - bam! - it’s the year 2142 and I’m surrounded by floating holograms and brain implants.”

He threw his hands up in bafflement. “Everyone else here acts like all this craziness is perfectly normal. Meanwhile, I feel like I got dropped onto an alien planet overnight!”

“Whoa,” Yira breathed. She idly stirred a spoon through her coffee, deep in thought. “Have you considered…the multiverse theory?”

“The what now?” Fujimi tilted his head quizzically.

“Y’know, parallel dimensions and alterna-realities and stuff.” Yira’s eyes shone eagerly. “I heard rumours that those newfangled Gacha machines with the quantum tech can sometimes shuffle people between worlds.”

Fujimi gaped at her. “Seriously? You really think some Gacha machine magically yoinked me from one reality into this bizarro future?”

“Hey, the science geeks reckon we exist in an infinite multiverse matrix,” Yira countered animatedly. “Makes sense that today’s tech could allow travel between ‘em.”

She leaned back casually, blowing on her coffee. “I mean, think about it - what are the odds you’d just randomly blackout one night in 2022 and wake up over a century later? Gotta be some quantum shenanigans at play.”

“Huh, I guess that…almost makes sense.” Fujimi shook his head, struggling to wrap his mind around the notion. “But it still seems so crazy.”

Yira patted his arm reassuringly. “Crazy’s just another word for extraordinary, my friend. And your situation is definitely extraordinary.”

Her expression turned thoughtful. “In fact, I’ll bet those hoity-toity magic profs at Stratos Akademiya could help explain it. You should totally use another gold voucher and join me there!”

Fujimi laughed ruefully. “Yeah, somehow I don’t think my luck would cooperate even if I got another ticket. Plus, I doubt I’m smart enough for such a top-tier school.”

Yira waved her hand dismissively. “Pffft, don’t sell yourself short! Anyway, it’s worth a shot for answers, right?” She raised her mug cheerily. “Here’s to unraveling the mysteries of the multiverse!”

Their conversation was interrupted by Amara and Loei bounding over, sweaty and out of breath. Loei plopped onto the bench beside Fujimi and immediately slipped off her shoes.

“Ew, the floor is so oily!” she complained, scrunching her little nose. She grabbed the sock Fujimi had won at the Gacha pavilion earlier and pulled it over one foot, using it as a makeshift slipper.

Amara tried snatching the other sock away playfully. “C’mon, lemme have the other one!”

Loei clutched it to her chest. “No way, I saw it first! Plus I’m using it so I don’t get gross floor gunk on my feet.” She stuck out her tongue defiantly.

Fujimi and Yira exchanged amused glances as the siblings continued squabbling lightheartedly.

“Well, at least this useless sock is getting put to use,” Fujimi chuckled wryly. He shook his head, recalling his disappointment at winning such a mundane item from the extravagant roulette Gacha.

Yira smiled sympathetically. “Don’t let it get ya down. Those machines may churn out miracles for some folks, but real fortune comes from what - or who - you already have.”

She nodded meaningfully at Amara and Loei, who were now racing to see who could finish their lunch fastest. Fujimi felt a swell of appreciation for this vibrantly cobbled-together family surrounding him.

Yira was right - no random spin of a wheel could replace the bonds growing between them. As Loei cheered victoriously through a mouthful of burger, Fujimi laughed. The future may be unwritten, but moments like this made all the strangeness worthwhile.