Fujimi awoke slowly, blinking his eyes against the sunlight streaming in through the window. For a moment he just laid there, staring up at the familiar posters and belongings around his room. This was his bedroom, but something felt off. Different.
Sitting up, Fujimi spotted several strange, futuristic gadgets he didn't recognize. There was a floating orb projecting holographic notifications, a panel on the wall with his biometrics displayed, and devices that looked like virtual reality gear. He noticed his clothes had changed too - he was wearing a high-tech bodysuit rather than his usual t-shirt and jeans.
"What...what is all this?" Fujimi muttered, utterly perplexed.
Cautiously, he approached the floating orb. As it sensed his presence, a robotic voice emitted from the orb. "Good morning Fujimi. Today is April 5th, 2142. The weather in Neo-Tokyo calls for sunny skies with a high of 23 degrees Celsius."
2142? Neo-Tokyo? None of this made any sense. The last thing Fujimi remembered was going to sleep in his room on a regular night in 2022.
Fujimi's thoughts were interrupted by his mother's voice calling from downstairs. "Fujimi! Breakfast is ready!"
Well, at least some things never change, Fujimi thought. He quickly got dressed and headed downstairs, even more eager for an explanation now.
Stepping into the kitchen, Fujimi was astonished to see it was a sleek, high-tech space with touch screens, auto-cooking appliances, and even a food synthesizer on the counter. His mother Sunita stood at the synth, humming a tune as she operated it with verbal commands.
"One personalized nutrition pill, balanced for a 16-year-old male athlete." she stated clearly. The machine beeped affirmatively and produced a small capsule, which she handed to Fujimi.
"Wha...what is going on?" Fujimi stammered. "Mom, since when do we have all this advanced technology? And what's this pill for?"
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Sunita looked puzzled. "Fujimi dear, we've always had visors, holoscreens, matter synthesizers and nutrition pills. I know you just woke up, but don't be silly."
Fujimi stared at her helplessly. Before he could protest further, a chirp sounded from the living room holoscreen. "This just in: Munthan Corporation has announced the next generation of its popular Gacha capsule vending machines will be released this week!" blared an excited reporter.
Despite his confusion, Fujimi felt drawn to the news story. He walked over and saw footage of people lining up outside a store, eagerly awaiting access to futuristic capsule machines.
"These incredible devices use quantum technology to literally alter fate and probability." the reporter explained. "With just the press of a button, anyone can receive a random prize drawn from common all the way to mythic rarity. The new machines will feature prizes like magic wands, mini sidekicks, and more!"
Magic...wands? Was this really the world he lived in now? Fujimi could hardly believe what he was seeing and hearing. It was like he'd woken up on a different planet.
A three-dimensional map suddenly projected from Sunita's wrist piece. "You'd better get going Fujimi, the hyperloop will arrive in 5 minutes to take you to school."
Numbly, Fujimi grabbed his backpack and the pill and headed out the door. Once inside the sleek hyperloop pod awaiting him, he sank into a seat, wrestling with questions. Had he somehow slipped into a parallel universe? Was he still dreaming?
Before long, the hyperloop arrived at Galeo Prep School - which looked identical to Fujimi's regular high school. Taking a deep breath, he walked inside cautiously.
At first glance, it seemed like a normal school. But looking closer, Fujimi saw students checking holo-tablets, conversing with AI companions, and wielding an array of bizarre objects - floating skateboards, laser swords, and more.
During lunch period, Fujimi's friend Takashi ran up waving a tiny cone-shaped device. "Check it out man, I finally got one!" Takashi exclaimed. With a flash, the cone projected a miniature unicorn into the air.
"This little beauty has healing magic. 500 Gacha tokens well spent!" Takashi grinned. "Anyway, a bunch of us are going to Leho City Centre after school to try out the new Capsule Machine. You in?"
Fujimi stared wordlessly as the holographic unicorn pranced around, completely lost in this strange new Gacha-filled world he found himself in. But he knew one thing for sure - he had to get to Leho City Centre and see those Gacha machines for himself.
"Yeah...I'm in." Fujimi said. He didn't know what awaited him there, but it seemed his ordinary world had been transformed overnight, and these Gacha machines were the only thing that stood out to him.