I was already out of the restaurant and hadn't walked a few meters away when the system's alarm continued to blare in my head.
[Approaching target in 100-90-80-70.]
The system began the countdown.
[Target within range!]
"Where?" I whipped my neck around, trying to see who could be the next target.
[Ding!]
[Identifying target in 100-90-80-70.]
My heart started to pound. The target better be some shy and ugly boy that I could freely talk to, not a cool boy with a pretty girlfriend.
[Target identified!]
Now, if the beating heart was a voice, ears within miles away would have been deafened by the immense thumping of my heart.
Have I ever been this nervous before? Maybe in college and high school, where going to school every day was a nightmare for me. I was usually the object of ridicule and taunts in class, and even when I walked around the school, I'd get comments that definitely weren't nice ones.
The bullying back in school by my classmates had done a good job of reducing my self-esteem.
Argh - I don't want to remember that one. Who the heck was the target?
[Ding]
[Engage target in a 2-minute conversation to lose a pound.]
Just as earlier, the sensor moved about the faces of the men as they passed by. I could see them vividly as the system was displaying them right in front of me.
It finally stopped searching when the face of a young man, who seemed to be about the same age as the first target, appeared.
This one was Black, and unlike earlier, the system didn't drop the sensor on his face. This time, the system displayed his face on the screen without pointing out his location among the crowd striding about.
"Where is he?" I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air in frustration.
A lady who was walking behind me quickened her pace while staring at me as though I was roaming with insanity.
Why doesn't she look at me like that one more time and I'll stuff my dirty hair in her silly mouth?
Ugh - I was all talk with zero actions, I know.
At least, if I couldn't challenge people or face people in reality, the least the universe could grant me as compensation would be to allow me to harbor such violent thoughts.
[Ding!]
[Target moving out of range!]
The system warned with a cautionary red light flashing around it.
Great - just great! Mrs. Del Monte would definitely feed my skin to the dogs or perhaps use it as beef, for I was sure to take longer than I should if I was to locate the target on my own.
I turned around, swiveling and searching for the cute Black boy that the system had declared a target.
"Oh, geez! Oh, please!" I was panicking, still swiveling around.
Now, people were glancing at me in wonder about what was getting me worked up.
"I can't fail the second round. I cannot live with one extra ugly feature to the ones I already have," I nagged while still searching.
Impulsively, or out of God knows what - I took the zebra crossing line and crossed over to the other side of the street.
[Host approaching target!]
I heard the cheerful robotic voice of the system, and my heart danced with joy.
If it wouldn't locate the target for me, it was giving me navigation, and that was fair enough too.
There was a complex right in front of the zebra crossing line on the other side. I moved forward and was about to give up on moving on and search the other direction when I saw him.
Dressed in a white tank top and a yellow sweatshirt coat with white stripes, blue baggy jeans, and white sneakers, there was the target.
He took a turn at the end of the complex in a rush.
It was as though he was running away from something.
Was it me he was running from perhaps? Had he caught my ugliness watching him and taken to his heels?
"Wait!" I screamed and dashed towards him.
I hate running because, always, my weight fails me. The most annoying part was the way my stomach jiggled up and down with every running stride I took.
Still, I needed to do this, so I ran.
He was running along the pedestrian line and took a turn again at the end of the complex.
It was then that he stopped, and I was finally able to catch up with him.
Dear lord, before even comprehending what was going on, I needed to catch my breath. Hell, I was panting harder than a woman in labor.
It was not until I was able to breathe a little freely that I took note of him. He was bent beside a bench, searching underneath it for something. Covered in sweat and probably smelling worse than a rotten egg, I approached him.
"Hi," I said.
As expected, my 'hi' got silence as a response. I was about to tap him again when he raised a palm straight in my face.
"Shhh. Can you go over there?" he whispered to me.
This should be my lucky day! The target was talking to me?! Why was he whispering though?
Anyway, I could give no damn about that. Like an obedient student, I did as he told me. It was when I had bent on the opposite side of the bench that I understood it all.
He wasn't running away. Not from me.
There was a black and white furry kitten under the bench. With its tail wiggling and in readiness for action - running, it was closely scrutinizing the target.
When my shadow clouded over it, it quickly turned my way and then back at the target. Then, it repeated the swiveling motion as if confused as to what enemy to conquer first.
It was dumb though; it could have easily scurried through the open space in front of the bench but it was hell-bent on going through the two sides where I and the target were covered.
"Is it yours?" I asked.
[Ding]
[Conversation initiated]
[Commencing countdown]
[Conversation ends at 2:00_ 1: 59_]
The target placed his index finger on his lips. "Shh, don't be too loud or you will scare her away," he warned, whispering.
"Is it yours?" I whispered obediently, my voice barely getting out of my mouth.
I don't know why my motion made him laugh, but he chuckled.
A man– no, a cute man was chuckling at my words? And it was not a mimicry one. It was an amused and genuine chuckle.
Oh, my!
That did something to my insides.
[Bonus Alert!]
[Endorphins status in target; Released!]
[Congratulations! Host earned a bonus!]
"You don't have to make your voice so low like that. Don't be silly," he said amidst chuckles.
The countdown was still running. Silently, I prayed the conversation would stretch up to the deadline.
[Bonus status; initiated.]
[Host has obtained a feline rush!]
What the hell was that? I wondered.
The answer came right in almost immediately. Not by the system but by the kitten.
It came directly to me and goggled its round and watery eyes my way. My heart was melted. I didn't even what I did. I outstretched my hands, and the kitten hopped right on it as though I was the one it had been waiting for. Slowly, I stood up and scratched its nape playfully.
"Wow, how did you do that?!" I heard the target's voice as he moved beside me.
[Warning!]
[Feline rush status; Exhausted!]
I didn't need to inquire the meaning of that, for the obedient and calm cat fidgeted and was about to jump off my hand, but I was quick to hold it in place. In fear of losing it, quickly, I returned it to the target.
[47–46–45–44…]
The countdown was still going on. I was more relaxed now because I knew I had passed this task. A few more seconds and two minutes would be up.
"Thank you," the target said with a grateful smile plastered on his cute face. I shyly adjusted my glasses before smiling sheepishly. "It's my pleasure."
"I'm John. This is Coco. I just got her, and she seems to be one naughty kitten. Has a mind of her own and rebellious," he explained.
I had no idea what to say. It was the first time in a long time I would be conversing with such a good-looking boy, and he would be this nice to me.
"Ohh," I nodded. "I guess Coco needs to be locked up for erring." I smiled sheepishly again.
[3–2–1–0!]
[Task status; Accomplished!]
The system cheered, and some shiny sparkles flew around the screen with noises of applause.
Pheww! I did it.
Now, I had no use speaking to the target anymore. I had better leave before Mrs. Del Monte actually uses my flesh as beef when I arrived.
"Bye!" I waved at him and hurriedly raced away to the opposite side of the street and in the direction of the fresh store.
"Bye! Thank you!" I heard the target's voice shout after me, and my face curled into a happy squeeze.
Thank you, universe, for this opportunity. I could already feel and see my life taking a U-turn to positive extent. I just couldn't wait to explore.