[Kazu's POV (Before the transmigration)]
Where am I? Which way is north? I've been all over Asia, but America is completely different, huh? I need to ask someone.
"Officer, I'm lost. Do you know where the academy is?" I ask a police officer who is passing by.
"The academy? Just go straight down that street, then turn right, and you'll see a cafeteria on the left," the officer says. He has a strange attire that makes me wonder. Is he really an officer?
"Is that so? Thank you." I thank the officer and move in the direction, but stop when he adds a reply.
"No, not yet. After that, turn right, then right again," he says.
I look at him for a few seconds and reply, "All right. Thanks again."
"Wait, sir. After the right, take the left," he says quickly.
What kind of nonsense is this?
Hmm. Is this guy messing with me?
"Is that it?" I inquire. Why? Just say it all, man. What's your deal?
"No, sir. I thought you wouldn't ask me. Hehe. Go right after the left. There's a vet shop. Give this to him." He hands me something. "Then you'll be near the academy. Ask Dr. Don for directions there," he says, pointing more directions.
I was about to snap. This guy is clearly messing with me. Tsk. He has guts giving errands to a stranger.
I guess it's all right because I have time and I think it's only about 15 minutes of walking. I thank the officer once more and leave.
The view from here is stunning. The buildings here have various designs, from modern glass towers to old brick houses. Woah. What is that?
I eat at practically every restaurant and shop along the way. As I look here and there, I take a lot of selfies. Yeah, selfies. I try to get someone to snap pictures for me, but it is a disaster. They are all blurry.
I guess it is my fault. Did I waste their time? I feel like I am imposing on them, like one officer I know.
When I arrive at the vet shop, it is already afternoon.
A young college student greets me. What stunning beauty. She is incredibly white, and her skin looks soft.
"Is Dr. Don here?" I ask.
"Yes, sir. He is here," she says.
"I've got something for him," I say and give her what the officer gave me.
"Let me look," she says gently. She takes it casually and glimpses inside.
"You!" she blurts out, staring at me.
Slap!
Then she slaps me. The lovely lady slaps me. I'm thrilled because something on my bucket list has been checked off, but I'm also confused.
"Huh? Why?"
"Do you have any idea what's in here?" she presses.
"No," I reply flatly. Yeah, to be honest, I never asked what it was.
Wait, this is a vet shop. May there be a bird or something inside?
"Was it dead?" I gulped and asked.
"So you knew…?" She slapped me again, harder than before, on the other side of my cheek.
There was a mirror on the wall and I could see my cheeks were bright red. I had no idea they could turn this color. This lady was harsh. But consider this: an animal died as a result of my neglect. The officer was also at fault here. However, being an adult meant being responsible.
"I'm sorry," I apologized after reflection. She looked furious when I glanced at her. She was redder than I was right now. Was she really this upset? A mere apology could not undo what happened.
"I'm sorry, I'll take the responsibility, please." I pleaded. She just stared at me, still flushed.
She then let out a long breath and said, "Okay, then be my boyfriend." Her face became even redder.
Boyfriend? "Huh?" Was that the norm in this place? Oh, crap! Suddenly, she slumped to the floor. "Are you okay?"
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[Alex's POV]
"Mom, have you seen my keys?" I asked, rummaging through the drawers.
"No, dear," she replied, sipping her coffee.
"Where is it? Does anyone know where my keys are, Dad?" I asked Dad, who was already opening the door, ready to go to work.
"Sorry, baby, I have to go. See you at the clinic."
"Okay, Dad, be safe."
I searched everywhere for them. Where could they be? Did they have a mind of their own? They always disappeared when I needed them, but showed up when I didn't. It was like they were playing a cruel game with me.
"Pete, have you seen my keys?" I shouted to my brother, who was watching TV in the living room.
"Your scooter key?" he asked, without looking away from the screen.
"Yes, the one with my scooter key. Have you seen it?" I repeated, getting impatient.
"Nope." He shrugged and resumed his show.
I sighed and went back to my mom.
"Mom, I can't find my keys," I said, feeling hopeless.
"Dear, why don't you ask me where my keys are?" she suggested, with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes. Mom was always trying to be funny.
"Mom, I'm looking for my keys," I repeated, ignoring her.
"No, dear, ask me where my keys are," she insisted, her voice cold.
"Mom, where are your keys?" I asked, feeling a chill down my spine.
"They're here, Alex, in the keyholder. And they're even labeled "Keys". Why don't you try putting your keys here for a change? You sound like a fool, asking for keys, keys, keys. You have eyes, Alex. Use them instead of your mouth to look," she scolded me.
She always scolded me whenever she had the chance. But she was really terrifying. She didn't even raise her voice.
"Alex, come here. Let's find your keys," she beckoned, her eyes gleaming.
I shook my head. No way. I wanted to avoid the inevitable.
"No, Mom, I'm fine. I'll go look for them," I said quickly, backing away.
"No, no, come here. Let's start on the sofa. Oh, look, Alex. It's your keys. We found them," she said sarcastically.
She found them just like that? How? I looked at the keys. They were mine. She had just found them under the sofa cushion.
"Right, Mom. We found them," I said nervously. I grabbed the keys and ran outside as fast as I could. Safe.
◇
I'm Alexandria Ambrose, but my friends simply call me Alex. I'm riding my scooter to school, thinking about something that I asked Jake to fix. Jake is my gay friend, and he's wonderful. We've been friends since middle school, when school life was different from what it is now, after the Third World War.
Anyway, I have some tasks to do at school before traveling to the clinic to help Dad. His assistant had some trouble with the Transportal and ended up in Hawaii. He won't be able to come back today.
Ting!
Jake sent me a photo of himself. I slowed down my scooter and texted Jake back, "You're gorgeous! What's that outfit you're wearing?"
"It's a police officer outfit. Doesn't it suit me?" he replied. "It's cute, right?"
"Wow, your butt is so tight!" I texted back, admiring Jake's boldness.
"So sexy, right?" he replied. "Anyway, I fixed your bird."
"Bird? You're hilarious. I'm heading to school, and then to the clinic. Thanks, Jake. You're a lifesaver."
"If you don't want me to call it a bird, shall I call it Dildo?"
"NOOOOOO!!!"
"Haha got you, catch you later."
Yes, I had Jake fix my mom's dildo for me because it vibrated nonstop. To be honest, sneaking it out of the house was really tough.
My mother was unaware, and she should never know. It was my fault; I became intrigued and broke it. No, it was not just idle curiosity; I had used it frequently, and I was embarrassed. I am a shy girl who had no idea that such a thing existed. When I did an image search, it piqued my interest. I eventually tried it and became addicted in some way. Worse, it was my mother's. I once saw her use it. Now I have a secret that I can't tell anyone except Jake.
Sigh, I'm such an idiot.
When I arrived at school, a massive shield was erected. It looked like a honeycomb, but was transparent and gently colored green. It meant "No Danger."
This time, my project is about biology, which is why I'm happy to help Dad. It's about the life expectancy of animals. One of my teammates brought his fox pet, which is quite rare; it's already 30 years old, older than its owner. Can you imagine that?
Wow, it's quite tall.
We take group photos, talk about various topics, and laugh at each other's jokes. Anna is one of my teammates, and she says strange things at every meeting. Right now, she's discussing the prospect of using urine to determine an animal's true life expectancy if it is free of illness and only dies in old age.
She's a strange girl, but she's incredibly intelligent. She is probably going to save my grades.
When the meeting is over, I rush to the clinic since I can't make Jake wait.