"We're here," he said as he snapped his fingers, making the surroundings clear. "Oh, and..." He took something from his coat pocket and handed it to me, "Your lola Naomi wants to give this to you on your 16th birthday but—" He hesitated whether to tell me directly that our grandmother had died and assumed that not bringing it up would be the best option. "Here, take it."
I gladly accepted it and hugged the gift, knowing it was from our grandmother. "Thank you, lola," I said and I also thanked him and smiled politely.
"What should we call you, Mister?" Ate Clydelle asked.
"Mar—" he said, clearing his throat. "Please address me as M."
"M?"
"Yeah, just M."
"How is that even a name?" Ate Clydelle questioned once more.
"Uhh, ate, I guess he wants to appear as the mysterious guy in this story," I murmured to her, but was surprised when he cleared his throat to get our attention.
"Just call me M, that's how most people here know me," he explained.
"Alright, Mr. M," I said as I curtsied at him, but he coughed again and turned his back on us.
We started walking until we arrived at the entrance to a village called "Crescent Village." And I realized the time difference between here and our world. It's already past midnight on Earth, but it's only early afternoon here.
"I'm just going to leave you here," he said.
"Eeeehhh?! Where are we supposed to live then?" I questioned, surprised.
This suspiciously powerful man brought us here only to abandon us?! He assured our parents that he would protect us at all costs, but—what the fudge?! If we're in a manga/comics, he'll be the cold-hearted, mysterious jerk in the story, but he always ends up with the female lead.
"I can't be seen around here, so go find the flower boutique inside the village and speak to the owner, Mr. Alfredo. Tell him I brought you here, and they will help you," he explained, taking a moment before he leaves.
—
We appeared strange and people seemed to notice us when we arrived in the village. And as they talked about our appearance in mockery, I could see disdain in their eyes. But I can't blame them because, despite the fact that Mr. M was the one who saved us, we reacted the same way about him.
I noticed that this place is very different from ours. I think I can explain it because of the way that their homes and shops resemble a modernized version of a fairy tale from the medieval era; in other words, this world is designed to look as though the old and present times collide. Everything is peculiar, but I particularly like the aesthetics and atmosphere of this location.
I thought to myself as I look around, "This place has a solar punk vibe to it; it's perfect to the point where I'll think I died and woke up in a sanctuary."
Frank and Tyler also appear to be looking forward to the new world, but they haven't expressed it as much as Clydelle because they still find it hard to believe that we are actually traveling in a place that is unlike our own but has a similar way of life and appearance to those of us who live on Earth.
"Ate, I'll ask them for directions," I advised.
She turned to this shop on our right and said, "No need, we're already here."
[Alfredo's Fleur Boutique...]
We followed Ate Clydelle inside the shop because she was the first to enter. Surprisingly, a strange-looking man in a strange fancy suit greeted us in its foreign language. "Nefketch os mar laibeh! Wiz mons polotch!"
"Uhh? What?" I wondered out loud. I wasn't expecting them to speak a foreign language because the strange guy spoke to us in our language.
"Nar zat, nar zat... Kagame~! Zemerk na awrsiter! Si deen ruoy pleh!" He yelled, and seconds later, a lovely girl emerged from the pink door, and when she saw us, she rushed over to us.
"Thar na yit?" She asked him. I have no idea what they're talking about, and it's giving me a headache.
"Zat deen ruoy pleh, zat kash rebish thar yeht kaeps." I think the old man is trying to explain something to her.
"Nar zat..." She nodded and reached into her pocket for something. She handed us each a piece of a plastic bag filled with colorful candy. It appears to be a regular cube-shaped gummy candy.
"Taers, taers, uoy taers." She said it repeatedly, gesturing as if she wanted us to eat it.
I first checked Ate Clydelle to see if she had eaten the gummies, and it caught me off guard when she suddenly shoved it in her mouth. So I made my mind up and consumed mine.
"Can you understand me now?" the lady queried.
"Ahh yes, miss," Ate Clydelle replied.
"Ohh, wow! You're really good at this Kagame!" exclaimed the well-dressed gentleman.
"This is nothing compared to what you're capable of," she chuckled.
"So, what's your intention?" the old man asked, looking at me.
"Mister M told us to come here and look for Mr. Alfredo because he is the only one who can help us," Clydelle explained.
"Ohhh— OHH! That's why you guys were strange but very familiar!" he exclaimed joyfully, "Then you've come to the right place! My name is Mr. Alfredo, and it appears that you guys are Naomi's grandchildren."
I questioned, "You were also acquainted with our lola Naomi?"
"Of course! She's the most beautiful and brave person I've ever met in my entire life! No wonder Chaos mistook her for Lucy's reincarnation..." he said cheerfully while he telling about his impression of our grandmother, but his mood quickly changed to disappointment.
Miss Kagame greeted us and led us through the pink door, saying, "Ahh hello, you can call me Kagame, and— I've already prepared your clothes, let's go inside so you can take a bath and change."
It amazes me how small their shop appears from the outside, but once you enter the pink door, you'll discover a huge room. They also have some elegant furniture, similar to what wealthy people have in our world. The walls, ceiling, and floor were also elegant, and there were seven doors around the room, which convinced me that this place was enormous.
"What kind of sorcery is this?" I wondered aloud, making Miss Kagame giggle.
"It's common in this world, and yes, this is the result of sorcery."
"Really?" I inquired, "then all the houses here must have larger spaces despite their appearance on the outside?"
"No, only people with a lot of mana can do this."
"Oh, that's fantastic," Frank and Tyler exclaimed.
"Yes, and it's because of Mister Alfredo's mana."
"How does this thing work?" I inquired.
"We used high level magic such as illusion and teleportation. You see, our shop is a bit far away from other houses because Mr. Alfredo cast an illusion barrier spell so that our manor wouldn't attract a lot more attention from people. Then some of the doors here were also casted with magic such as teleportation spell, when you open this door..." She opened the purple door and it led to a huge lab room.
"This room isn't really on this floor; it's under this house," she explained as she shut the door.
And then we lost it, and our eyes twinkled like goofballs out of amazement. "WOOOW! THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!" we exclaimed, and Miss Kagame giggled once more.
"You will have to stay here temporarily; your Lola Naomi has lived here before, and our lives are indebted to her, so please don't hesitate to ask if there is anything you need," Miss Kagame explained.
"Girls, your room will be in the white door, which belongs to Naomi; next to it is the brown door, which belongs to Marshal, but since he's not here, the two boys can sleep there," Mr. Alfredo explained.
"You can find your clothes inside your room, and the bathroom is inside the green door," Miss Kagame explained.
"Thank you, Miss and Mister," we all said as we entered our assigned room.
"When Marshal announced that he would be bringing you all here, Mr. Alfredo immediately went to the mall to buy new beds and things that you will need, especially clothes and foods," Miss Kagame laughed.
"Mr. Alfredo sure is passionate about this, huh?" Ate Clydelle remarked, laughing.
"Of course, we were thrilled to meet Lady Naomi's grandchildren."
"Miss Kagame?" I asked.
"Yes?"
"Is Marshal, Mr. M's real name?"