Chapter 3 : paper on the doorstep

It was seven o'clock in the morning, and the alarm on his phone rang, confirming the alarm. The ringing was intended to wake the sleeper, but the sleeper was already awake before the alarm even went off.

"This is the first time I've ever woken up five minutes before my alarm. Is that an accomplishment?" Ron said sarcastically, looking at his phone.

Ron shifted on his bed so that his gaze was directed toward the ceiling. Anyone who stares intently at a ceiling is definitely thinking about something. This was Ron's state. His conversation with his mother last night had been strange and somewhat complicated. "Ninja"—the word alone carries many meanings.

Ron grabbed his phone again and opened the browser, searching for information, anything that might enhance his knowledge about ninjas. Luckily for him, Ron had a friend named [Kanz], a professional hacker. He created a private account for Ron so he could access everything on the internet and obtain as much information as possible.

"I have to go see Kanz."

Ron got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. When he opened the door to his room, he smelled a pleasant scent. He realized it was coming from the kitchen downstairs. For a moment, a small smile spread across his face.

He took a shower and went downstairs, heading to the kitchen. He saw his mother. He suddenly remembered her appearance last night, her looks, her voice.

"Good morning, Mom."

"Oh, good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?"

Mayuri replied in that motherly tone. She had already prepared some delicious pancakes. The two of them sat at the table, each eating from what was in front of them. Ron looked at his mother whenever he had the chance, remembering her words from the previous night: "No one needs a ninja." The sentence was said in a certain way, but Ron remembered it differently every time.

"I heard that the rebels are planning something against the city's central government today. I hope it's not dangerous for those who have nothing to do with all this," Mayuri said anxiously, her eyes narrowed.

The world's development and the spread of artificial intelligence and the robots that operate within it have led to widespread unemployment due to the government's abandonment of human labor, with the exception of scientists and experts in technology and artificial intelligence. This is naturally the case because they are the ones who carry out maintenance and development. Let's not forget the people capable of fighting, whose presence is already well known.

Some people have accepted their situation, living simply to earn a little extra money to secure a few hours in this bitter life. But on the other side, the "opposition" has emerged, or by another, older name, "rebels."

The rebels are a group of people who refused to submit to the oppressive government and decided to oppose it completely, with the goal of restoring the stolen rights of humans and limiting the control of artificial intelligence and robots over public life.

"Rebels? Hmm, don't worry about them. They're not murderers. All they're demanding is their legitimate rights, or at the very least, to have their rights rewritten into the city's constitution," Ron said as he took a bite of the pancake, enjoying it because it was delicious.

"Don't talk while eating. I also can't help but worry. The central government has no such thing as face-to-face dealings with anyone. A while ago, a rebel's house was attacked and his family was killed while he was in the rebel camps," Mayuri spoke with annoyance and pain.

"Where did you hear that?" Ron asked, surprised and curious.

"My friend Maria, she has connections among the rebels. She told me what happened. That man's family consisted of a wife, three children, and his elderly mother. They never saw mercy. They were murdered in cold blood!" Mayuri's voice rose in anger.

Ron was looking at her deeply and intently, watching her aghast at the reality of what the government was doing to the rebels. Ron was well aware of this, having witnessed the killing of a rebel by a government soldier when he was 15 years old, hiding behind a wrecked car when he witnessed it. At an early age, he realized the kind of world he lived in: the strong eating the weak, the law of the jungle that applied in the city and the modern age, the height of cynicism.

Ron picked up his finished plate and placed it by the sink. He then came up behind his mother and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging them.

"Calm down, Mom. It will affect your beauty. " Ron said flirtatiously.

"Oh? Looks like we have a considerate guy here~" Mayuri was surprised before smiling and gently mocking his words.

"Yes, this guy is in love here~" Ron said playfully over his mother's shoulder.

"Haha, you're embarrassing this woman with your sweet talk, yet you don't even have a girlfriend. Are older women your type or something?" She turned to look at him with a sly smile.

"Ugh, Mom, that was hurtful. I definitely prefer girls my own age. You'd kill me if it were the other way around," Ron replied with a smile, slightly nervous because of her last question.

Silence fell between them for a moment, until Mayuri broke it with a gentle laugh, followed by Ron. With this, it could be said that Ron's plan worked, as he changed his mother's posture. He was looking at her, aware that she was uncomfortable, so he decided to amuse her a little and joke with her.

"Okay, Mom, I have to leave now." He removed his hands from her shoulders and walked around the table.

"Where are you going, son?" Mayuri asked in surprise, standing up from her chair.

"I'm going to visit Kanz. He told me he needs my help organizing their garage, so I'll go help out," Ron replied, standing opposite Mayuri on the other side of the table.

"Okay, son, but be careful on your way, and don't mix with the rebels. The government will target you, and I don't want to... to..." Mayuri's words were laced with fear, anxiety, and tension, so much so that she couldn't finish her sentence.

Ron smiled, understanding his mother's feelings. He took a few steps toward her, reached behind her head, and with an emotional gesture, gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Calm down, Mom. I'll be fine. Don't worry too much, okay?" Ron said gently to his mother as he removed his hand from behind her head.

Mayuri was shocked by his actions, but it was a kind gesture from him, and it wasn't the first time; he always did this. Ron then went upstairs and came back down a few minutes later, changed his clothes, grabbed a small bag, and headed to the apartment door.

"I'm leaving now, Mom."

"Goodbye, son."

Ron left the apartment, closing the door behind him, and then left the old building. It was a four-story building, white and gray, with a large glass door. This door alone was considered very special by Ron.

Ron walked down the narrow street, only three meters wide, where he could see people out looking for a living and children playing together. Such a sight was strange, as this city was often gloomy, but the smiles on those childish faces gave him a beautiful feeling, a sense of comfort despite the circumstances.

After a 32-minute walk, Ron reached the end of the neighborhood, where abandoned, uninhabited buildings were located. He walked among them until he reached a blue door. He knocked three times, and a voice rang out from behind him.

"Password!"

"Urgh, Anamigo fries with a blonde girl," Ron said, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Moments later, the door opened slowly, as if it were a movie set. Ron entered to find the place completely dark. Suddenly, the door was closed and locked, so that the light source coming from outside had disappeared.

"Seriously man! ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!?" Ron said nervously.

Ron heard the footsteps of a man he knew well, and the man had already stumbled and fallen. Ron couldn't stand it any longer, so he turned on his phone's flashlight.

"Next time, try to find a more effective way to look cool, kanz," Ron said sarcastically.

Kanz, a young man around Ron's age, was short at 165 cm with orange-red hair and gray eyes. He was also... a little chubby, unlike Ron. He was tall at 179 cm and had a good to very good build, with black hair and dark blue eyes.

"Dude, I'm the best hacker in the world! I should look awesome!" said kanz with exuberant enthusiasm as he quickly stood up.

"Maybe when you lose some weight, mate," said Ron, following him with a laugh as he turned on the light and sat down on one of the metal boxes near kanz' computer desk.

Kanz walked over to his chair in front of the computer desk, sat down, and turned around twice, then stopped.

"Anyway, you told me you wanted to find out some information, right? What do you have?" said kanz with a piercing gaze.

.

"Research for me about ninjas, their history, their methods, and their beliefs. I want comprehensive information," Ron said as he opened his phone and scrolled through it.

"Okay, I will, but why? What do you need this for now?" Kanz asked curiously, with some suspicion.

"Because I'm a ninja, Kanz. My mother told me so. I've already inherited the clan's legacy." He lifted the notebook from his bag in front of Kanz.

Kanz's expression was calm as he stared at Ron, who was speaking. As the seconds passed, his expression began to change in a funny way, from calm and serene to shocked and wanting to scream. But before his voice could escape his throat, Ron put a hand over his mouth.

"Calm down. I'll explain everything later. Just do what I told you, okay?" Ron looked sharply into Kanz's eyes.

"!!!" He nodded.

An hour later, Ron leafed through the notebook, reading the information. It was written in Japanese, so he didn't speak out loud. Kanz continued his research on what Ron had asked for.

"Ron, I found some information, and just as I wanted... without the help of artificial intelligence." Kanz gave a thumbs-up signifying that he had succeeded.

"Let me see," Ron stood up and turned to look at the computer screen.

Ninjas were Japanese warriors renowned for their superior skills in espionage, assassination, and unconventional warfare. They used various techniques such as stealth, climbing, and infiltration to achieve their goals, often operating in the shadows. Traditional ninja uniforms were black, with their faces covered to conceal their identities. This helped them hide at night, and they used special weapons such as sharp stars (shuriken) and short swords (katanas).

"Is that all?" Ron asked.

"I gathered the information with difficulty, and it's as if things related to the distant past have disappeared from the internet. You could say I had to hack into some websites and access their files, but even so... that's all I got," kanz replied, sighing and wiping the sweat from his brow.

"So, it looks like I'll be learning the rest from this notebook." Ron reached for his bag and put the notebook inside.

"Where are you going?" Kanz asked curiously.

"I'm going home. It's a holiday, and my mom's staying over too, so I'm thinking I'll spend some time with her. She seems a little tired lately."

Ron picked up his bag and headed to the door, unlocked it, and prepared to leave, but kanz stopped him.

"She doesn't know, right? That you're part of the rebels?" Kanz's question sounded worried and a little flustered.

Ron remained silent for a moment as kanz asked him. He thought for a while until a memory of his mother telling him her secret about being a ninja surfaced. Ron felt a strange feeling, a feeling of being a bad person for having known his mother's secret but not telling her his own in return.

"Not now. It's too soon for that. I don't want her worrying about me any more than she already does. Bye." Ron left and closed the door behind him.

Kanz remained sitting in front of his computer, sighing and smiling with satisfaction at Ron's answer. He got out of his chair and walked over to the door to close it.

"Ron, you're a really good one , you're the commander of the Seventh Rebel Battalion, and the pressure of the current situation could destroy even the strongest men of the Rebels." He closed the door.

"But you're still balanced, always thinking about your mother and her happiness. After all, you joined the rebels just for her. Your mother is truly a lucky woman." His smile nearly ripped his face from the beauty of the moment.

Kanz was feeling good. He looked at Ron as a strong young man, and the most important thing in his life was his dear mother. Kanz's mother didn't come home often, which made kanz feel jealous. He wished his mother was like Ron's mother. But he quickly put those thoughts aside and went back to his computer work.

As for Ron, he's returned to the apartment he shares with his mother, or at least that's what it looked like. Ron is currently standing on the doorstep, but the door is... smashed.

Ron is just silent. The inside of the apartment is wrecked, as if a fight had taken place. Everything is in disarray. But that's all on side, and the paper Ron found on the doorstep is on the other side, where Ron is staring at it with wide-open eyes.

"Huh?!"

To be continued...