ISH MOTRANGA's POV
Earlier...
Quiet.
That's how I would describe life back then. No trouble, peaceful. Like the last name of Cardo Dalisay.
As pure as Aunt Daday's eatery early in the morning. So peaceful felt like I was the only one here—
"ISSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!"
Along with the sound of the kettle, Aunt's shout followed.
She's really loud when she's around. Her mouth is like an alarm clock.
I looked at Aunt, she raised an eyebrow, arms akimbo, and wearing dark tinted shades.
"Huh?"
"Huh? What do you mean 'huh'?! The kettle's been boiling for a while now! Which planet have you been on?! Are you going to pour it or just stand there?!"
That's Aunt Daday, the owner of the eatery. She's my adopted mom's cousin.
"Sorry"
"Sorry... sorry..." She sighed, then took out money from her pocket and handed it to her child waiting outside the eatery.
Time really flies! I didn't realize it was already seven o'clock.
"Here!"
Klause counted the coins, then said, "Eh?"
Eh? What does "Eh?" mean?
He had that "I ain't believing this" look.
"Is this it?" he said.
I'm amazed by Klause. Can you believe it? Aunt gave him a bunch of coins, which if you count them, amounted to about 50 spri! That's a lot! And he's complaining? Unbelievable! Aunt really loves her son, even when his head's swelling, she still spoils him.
"Tsk! Here!" She added more coins. "Is this still not enough?"
"This is fine. Thanks!" Klause said, and before blending with the wind, he gave me an irritating smile.
This brat! He's such a spoiled child! It's infuriating! Someone stop me! I might fry him!
"Huh? What's that look on your face?"
I wanted to fry your son...
"Nothing" To avoid being scolded, I just transferred the hot water into the thermos.
When Aunt went out, I quickly grabbed a cellophane. I blew on it to make the hole bigger, then got a little bit of apan-apan—a type of delicacy, it's a water spinach with soysauce—just a little, so it wouldn't be obvious. A little advice: don't copy me, guys. After I got some delicious food, Aunt came back from gossiping.
The gossip came early… impressive!
"Aunt, I'm leaving now"
She gave me a bored look for about 30 seconds before opening her coin container, took two 5 spri coins, and handed them to me with emphasis.
Wait...
5 + 5 = 10
5 x 2 = 10
Ten?!
"Wait... Aunt? Ten? This is just enough for fare. Don't I get anything for snacks or—"
"Hey! Ish! I saw you took a serving of apan-apan! You thought you could outsmart me?!"
Oh no! I forgot! Her eyes can be detached. She must've put one of them in a corner, looking like a CCTV.
"What?! Is there a problem?!"
"Nothing, Aunt. Thanks... I'll go now"
I left the eatery and hurried to the Root's waiting shed. Just a short walk. If I had to choose the "exskill" (extraordinary skill), I'd pick the one that would help me with transportation issues. Do you agree?
"HEY! THE JEEP'S HERE!"
I heard people shouting at the waiting shed, rushing to board. There was pushing and shoving. They didn't care about the elders trying to get on. They just wanted to be the first.
I ran as fast as I could to catch up but missed it—the jeep had already started moving. I looked around... the only one left from the earlier passengers was Pepe, an adult permatype.
"Oh, it's you, Ish" That's right. He knew me. He waved when he saw me heading toward him.
"Good morning" I said, standing beside him. Pepe was tall, over 6 feet. He was a type of ex-human (extraordinary human) known as Perma-type. Those who own permanent extraordinary skills that can't be turn on and off, mostly it mutate their appearance entirely changes them.
"There were a lot of student passengers here, huh?"
"Did you miss the ride?"
"Yeah! It reminds me of when I was in high school" Pepe sighed, looking up at the sky and... he have a satisfied look on his face?
What's up there?
I looked up. I blinked three times.
Blue sky, clouds in different formations, birds flying, and traces left by a commercial plane?
Nothing else.
There were no timeline screens from his era which I had expected him to be watching at that moment.
"You know, Ish? You young people are the hope of the country"
I looked at his black work shoes with gray footprints.
Bend down and look at the state of your worn-out shoes. This is what today's youth has become... tsk.
Pepe smiled, unaware of the scary nature of today's youth. I felt sorry for him.
After a while, a bus arrived, and we boarded. Pepe treated me. The bus was crowded, and Pepe and I had to stand.
The bus stopped at Moss. I got off, thanked Pepe, and quickly walked. It was farther than I thought. After a few minutes, I was at the gate of ALVAACAD Citadel Ext. Based on my observation, some students seemed frantic. I wonder why? Wait! I need to hurry—
"OUCH!"