"Simon, how did you do?"

"Best I could. How about you Arnold?"

"So so."

Like a social butterfly, my friend pounced on me the moment the exam was over and our scripts were collected. The giant holographic projector at the end of the exam hall and the speakers fit all across the room were encouraging the students to create single file lines and leave and not rush out. But to most teenagers, it was equivalent to telling a feral not to jump a human; absolutely futile. Over a thousand students gave their exams in this massive auditorium turned temporary exam hall and now a veritable sea of bodies lined the exits pushing each other to get out. As veteran examinees both me and Arnold knew the struggle and found it better to simply wait for the crowd to die down.

"Finally over, huh?"

I said as I stared at the crowd filled with nostalgia.

"Not yet. We still have to pass to get the license cards."

My friend retorted.

"Please even if we fail this one, it is not like we will not get our licenses." I bit back.

"Yeah, but we won't get the starter pack or the 'Delver' title nor its benefits." came the immediate reply.

"Please, you are rolling in cash just ask 'mommy' to foot the bill. I need it more than you and I am not worried."

"Yeah... Why aren't you? Did your parents finally get their shit together and decided to act like parents for once."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny but no. still stuck at each other's necks and deep into their monster girls last time I checked."

"Fuck. Does that not ever get old? Why are they even together anymore? Just leave and move on."

"The term you are looking for is 'divorce' and no; the government gives them too many benefits for them to consider leaving and actually start working for a living."

"Then why not get other lovers? One thing your parents have going for them is that their genetics are out of this world. Their magic is average if you are being generous yet they look like S-tier explorers or idols and they have that unique ability that shoots them even higher."

"For the millionth time, this is a contract the government has dubbed 'closed marriage'. The stipulations are that you cannot have sex with other humans outside this contract, you must share your wealth and have the same living space."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Why would the government even make such an asinine rule? My mom and dad fucks a different dude or chick every day of the week, most of the time together, and see how happy they are. Marriage is supposed to be two adults coming together to form a deeper sense of love not be bound by it."

"The rule was not made for people like my parents. It was made for those uber-powerful explorers or ex-soldiers who tend to hook up with others of the same caliber. They believe that if you force them together, they will inevitably make 'super babies' that will populate the newer generation." I said the term super babies in air quotes.

"Our evil overlords being evil overlords, huh? I mean it has not even been a decade since the last uprising, and they are already trying to push a new fucking class system on everyone, only this time in the guise of 'benefits' instead of; do your duty soldier."

"Let's just drop this topic. I will give you some juicy info on my sister if you do."

My friend's face visibly lit up. One could understand his enthusiasm as there are two things everyone in the Starborn family had, one was extremely good looks. The second reason was why my lazy ass parents even got sponsored in the first place. While I did not lie when I said our parents were not any retired elite, they both have a bloodline skill that had the genetic makeup to merge and create something 'powerful'. The result was me, my younger brother and youngest sister, I did not like advertising this ability we children as it made me feel like a lab rat. My 'special ability' also soured most relationships I had with people which I know was one of the few things I could not blame anyone for but god damn did it suck. My friend wore his heart on his sleeve and though it pushed some people away it endeared me to him in a way I could only feel to my siblings.

"Alright, spill."

"So you know how her 17th birthday is coming up?"

"Yeah?"

"So the word is, she wants to go to that new fantasy park that opened near the City Hall but our parents being our parents are too stuck in their own worlds to give her that and the money I get from my part-time job does not pay nearly as much to get tickets."

"Oh really?! Thanks, man. Umm... how should I approach her?"

"Like a friend, cause you know; you are friends. Or if you want to be forward just say you wanna take her on a date. And if you want to be really forward, ask her to go on a date with the prospect of becoming a couple in the future."

I was rooting for him and my sister, even though I knew he had a snowball's chance in hell. The line of dudes that formed wherever she went could attest to that. I simply wanted to push the issue so he could get fucked, then dumped, and move on with his life. My sister was a great many things, sadly a whore was on that list, her words not mine. She changed boyfriends more often than she changed clothes. She did not do commitments of any kind, even if it was only heart as fucking others while being a couple was allowed and practiced by everyone except those contracted by the government and my friend was too lovestruck to get that through his head. Sadly my friend was too much of a pussy to ask her out so I had to play wingman.

Our conversation turned into the usual, him gushing about my sister and me listening about things even I did not notice about my sister which generally made me even sadder when the breakup eventually happened.

In a bit, the crowd finally dispersed. As my usual ritual, I tuned my mana-dampening bracelets up, put up the hoodie and wore a facemask, and then said to my friend.

"Let's leave."