Hikaru stealthily grabbed the beer and held it close to his body so it wouldn't draw attention. Before closing the fridge, he made sure no one was around and quietly slipped toward the living room, where his friends were waiting for him.
A soft, feminine hand reached from behind and touched his shoulder. Hikaru jumped in surprise, shivering slightly as he slowly turned his gaze back.
"Hikaru, dear! You went to get beer for me, right?" said Megumi, the owner of the hand, with her sweet and playful voice.
Despite her cuteness, Hikaru found Megumi absolutely terrifying. After all, there's nothing more intimidating than a gentle woman giving you a scolding. He stretched out his hand, holding the drink toward her.
"Y-Yeah! That's right! I was checking if you wanted one!" he stammered, lying through his teeth.
"Thank you so much!" Megumi replied with her usual cheerful smile.
After taking the beer in her hands, her friendly face shifted to a more serious one. Her tone remained polite, but now carried the weight of responsibility as she clearly delivered her message:
"Hikaru, I'll be traveling for work soon. Don't bother Sayuri or Guang, alright? It's already hard enough for them with so many people living here."
With that, Megumi put her hands on her hips and smiled as if to say, "Understood!?"
"Yes, Ma'am Megumi!" Hikaru replied, heading back to his friends, empty-handed.
The others saw him returning without the "artifact" and instantly knew the mission had failed.
Well, that didn't go well, they thought.
While the party continued, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Guang called out, walking to the door while thinking, "There's still more people coming!?"
The house was already packed, but Guang was patient and understood they were just teenagers. So he went to the gate and found a young man waiting with a package in hand. Guang turned the key, opened the gate, and greeted him.
"Ah, Hikaru's friend, right? Please, come in!"
"Hi! Is Miyu here?" asked Adonis, revealing himself as the guest with the gift.
What??? Miyu??? He's here for Miyu!? Guang thought, trying not to react, though his shocked expression gave him away. A chill ran down his spine. He had never imagined someone would come courting one of the girls so soon, let alone bringing a present. He had no idea how to handle it.
"She's, uh… she's kind of a quiet girl, not really into parties…" Guang stuttered as he led the young man through the house.
"Ah, I get her." the redhead replied casually as he followed along.
As they passed the living room, Adonis's classmates greeted him excitedly. He only gave brief replies, as usual.
"Minami, look, it's Adonis!" said Aino, nudging her friend.
"Adonis? I'm over him already!" Minami replied, her eyes fixed in the opposite direction.
"Over him?" Aino asked.
"Girl, Seki's way hotter." Minami answered happily.
Adonis reached the glass door that separated the living room from the backyard. Miyu was sitting on the deck, gazing at the stars. He approached slowly and sat beside her. Miyu jumped, startled by his sudden presence.
"Hey, little one, this is for you!" Adonis greeted her, handing her the gift box.
"What's wrong with you? Today's Hikaru's birthday, not mine." Miyu frowned, staring at him.
"Stop complaining and take it." he said simply.
"Fine, fine!" she sighed, giving in.
Miyu untied the green ribbon and opened the box, revealing a golden bracelet adorned with tiny chess-piece charms.
"A bracelet! It's beautiful! You've got great taste!" Miyu exclaimed, impressed by his choice.
"That's for beating me at chess. The ice cream one, though…I'm totally winning." Adonis said, resting his chin on his hand as he watched her expressions.
"For you, everything's a competition, isn't it?" Miyu replied, her smile fading back to her usual serious look.
Behind them, through the glass door, nearly the entire party was silently watching.
Hmm, guess it wasn't just a rumor after all… they thought, seeing the two sitting close together, assuming they were a couple.
Meanwhile, Guang nervously approached Sayuri, still uneasy.
"Honey, M-Miyu…" he stammered, holding onto her shoulders.
"Really? Oh, is he cute?" Sayuri asked, quickly catching on and giggling.
"WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT, SAYURI!?" Guang exclaimed, not realizing how much he sounded like an overprotective father.
After the party, Hikaru led the cleanup team. His charisma and communication skills easily convinced everyone to help. Some swept, others did the dishes, took out the trash, and soon, the house was spotless, to Sayuri and Guang's great relief.
As night fell, the noise of conversations slowly faded. Parents began arriving to pick up their kids since there were still classes the next day.
Finally, with the house silent again, everyone went to bed, exhausted, falling asleep without trouble.
April 9th — Downtown, 9 a.m.
The city woke up in waves. Parents took their kids to school around seven. By eight, offices began to open. By nine, stores welcomed the public.
It was time for business to start, and downtown gradually filled with people walking along the main square, the city's busiest spot. The clicking of high heels echoed hurriedly along the sidewalk.
The fountain was on as usual, its water drops reflecting sunlight that, despite it being autumn, burned as fiercely as a summer day.
But that morning, the fountain reflected something else, a strange flash of turquoise light, shapeless at first, that quickly illuminated the plaza. When it faded, a man appeared.
Tall, with long purple hair tied neatly back with an elegant clasp and a ribbon at the end. Something about him seemed irritated.
Absurd! Why did I have to come through water? he thought, glancing at his soaked outfit: a fine linen shirt open at the chest, long puffed sleeves that narrowed at the cuffs, and perfectly tailored trousers.
His garments, clearly of the highest quality, were drenched from his arrival via the fountain.
This blazing sun should dry them soon, he thought, starting to walk, seemingly aware of his destination, confirming his direction with passing pedestrians.
His striking presence drew curious stares. Women on the street were enchanted by his beauty, even soaked, he was impossible to ignore.
He walked for quite some time under the sun. Being his first time on this planet, he couldn't move too quickly without losing his way. By the time he arrived at his destination: a video rental store. His clothes and hair had mostly dried.
He entered the shop and announced in a commanding tone:
"Citizen!"
Dylan, behind the counter, froze at the sound of that deep voice and the man's intimidating aura.
"Ah… G-Good… afternoon…" he stammered, trying to compose himself.
"Does Itzel work in this establishment?" the man asked, looking him up and down.
"Uh, y-yes, I'll… I'll check." Dylan replied, trembling.
As Dylan walked toward the back room to call his coworker, he couldn't stop peeking at the mysterious figure.
"Itzel." he whispered.
Itzel was using a box cutter to open a shipment of new movie titles when he heard Dylan's whispers. Curious, he stopped and turned.
"There's some loan shark here looking for you. Want me to make up something and send him away?" Dylan whispered nervously, assuming Itzel was in trouble.
Itzel peeked through the curtain and spotted the tall man with purple hair.
"Ah, Iker!"
"Itzel, what in the world is this place?" asked Iker, holding up a DVD he'd found behind the curtain in the restricted section.
"Iker, put that back where you found it." Itzel said awkwardly, embarrassed by his friend's curiosity.
He pulled Dylan closer to introduce them.
"Let me introduce you, this is Dylan, my coworker and also my roommate."
"You live with your servants?" Iker asked, crossing his arms in visible disapproval.
"Servants!?" Dylan muttered, offended.
"Dylan, I'm leaving early today. Gonna show Iker the apartment." said Itzel.
"Uh… fine…" Dylan replied, clearly unenthusiastic.
Itzel gathered his things, said goodbye, and left with Iker.
Itzel's Apartment
Iker entered and scanned the place. The kitchen was connected to the dining room. He looked around, unimpressed, and commented with disdain:
"You live in a box?"
"Haha, yep! And you and Maureen are getting the box in front of this one." Itzel joked sarcastically.
Iker's proud posture stiffened in annoyance. He put one hand on his hip, raised the other, and gestured dramatically as he protested:
"Itzel! Have you lost your mind? Living with Maureen? She'll bring her lovers over while I'm here!"
Itzel turned on the TV and went to the kitchen to prepare drinks. As he did, he explained how housing worked on Earth:
"There's a good variety of jobs here. If you get one, you can live on your own, as long as you can pay for it."
"Preposterous. Paying to live somewhere…" Iker scoffed.
Commercials came on. A bright ad announced the upcoming Spring/Summer Fashion Week, the grand event that showcased the latest seasonal trends.
It was a massive affair, attracting national and international media coverage, featuring men's and women's fashion, formalwear, evening looks, and student runway collections. The highlight was always swimwear, world-renowned and eagerly awaited.
The ad caught Iker's attention. He stared at the old tube TV, mesmerized, until Itzel returned with a thermos and two cups.
"Try this! It's called coffee!" Itzel offered, pouring him a full cup.
"Alright, pour it up." Iker replied, not realizing he already had one. "Itzel, what is that box showing?"
Itzel looked at the screen and explained:
"Ah, humans love showing off their clothes whenever the seasons change. It's a big thing: music, theatre, the works."
"Hmm… the culture here seems quite interesting." Iker admitted.
"You're not putting sugar in that?" Itzel asked, noticing he was already drinking.
"This is good!" Iker exclaimed, savoring it. "Perfect. I've got my mission already."
"Your… mission?" Itzel repeated, puzzled.
"Yes. Now, take me to my quarters." Iker stood up, heading for the door.
"Sure, this way." said Itzel, guiding him to Maureen's apartment just across the hall.
They knocked, and Maureen answered, lighting up immediately.
"IKER! WELCOME!"
"Maureen, I am obliged to share this dwelling with you. You are forbidden from bringing anyone here." he declared flatly, without even greeting her back.
"What!? But I was going to have people over today!" Maureen protested, pouting.
"Cancel it." Iker ordered again, his deep voice leaving no room for argument.