"Mm, I really did fall asleep. Better get up now," I thought as I got up from the sofa. A fresh smell still emerged from it, like that new fabric smell from a warehouse.
"...Tch, why is it such an unnatural, clean smell? I kind of can't stand it. Argh... mm, what time is it now?"
Tick, tick, tick.
I looked at the clock hanging on the wall. The small hand was at seven and the large hand at four, the ticking sound constant in the quiet room.
"...It looks like not much time has passed yet, I guess." I held my hand to my mouth and yawned. "Did I close the curtains? Ah... am I getting lazy or something since I dismissed the servants?"
I hadn't even opened them today, I realized. I was having these random thoughts at night as I walked out of the room. I opened the door and saw the moon in a crescent shape. Anyone would be mesmerized by the way the light illuminated the entire area, as if providing a spotlight for the garden.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!" A sound echoed from the garden area where the flowers were still blooming.
"Mm, didn't Kuro sleep?" I rubbed my eyes with my hand as I walked toward the garden. Orange-colored flowers surrounded me, their scent thick in the air.
"Woof! Woof!" The white dog with blue eyes ran up to me, tail flickering, and rushed into my arms.
"Ah, Kuro, didn't you sleep?" I asked, patting his head. A soft sensation brushed against my arm.
"Woof! Woof!" Kuro shook his head in enjoyment, wagging his tail.
"Haha, you are so cute. At least you are with me." As I patted his head, a smile bloomed on my face.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Mm... well, playtime is over. Go to sleep now, Kuro."
Kuro shook his head and looked over at the tree, his eyes glowing slightly red.
"Mm?" I looked over at the large mango tree. The mangoes were ripe and ready to be eaten. I saw nothing there at first, then I felt the vibration of the vines shaking.
"Oh, it's just our guardian tree, Koma. You already know it won't do anything, so don't worry about it," I said. The mango tree shook its branches a little, making a kirk-kirk sound. A mango dropped to the ground at my feet.
"Um, woo woo!" Kuro nodded his head and rushed over to his house at the side of the garden.
"Good," I said to no one in particular. "And thank you, Koma," I added as I picked up the mango.
The tree's vines twirled slightly as the wind rustled through the leaves, sending a cool breeze against my body.
"Oh, you are saying 'no problem'? Well then, I won't be rude." I took a bite of the mango. It was a perfect mix of sweet and sour.
"Mm, it tastes good. Even though I eat it every day since you settled in the tree," I said. I looked around the garden. There were still animals around; a squirrel had settled in a jackfruit tree.
...Ha, to be honest, wtf? Am I a Disney princess or something with this much animal communication? I thought ironically.
"Well, I should go to my room for now. I have test papers to grade. See you soon, Koma."
The tree shook its branches in contentment.
"Ha, you are too young, you can't even talk, Koma," I said softly as I walked toward my room. On the desk sat a picture of a man with red hair and purple eyes in a white jacket, holding a smoking pipe...
"Haha... haha." I laughed slightly at the photo as I grabbed my bag and took out the test papers.
"Mm, let's see which students were absent from the test today." I narrowed my eyes at the names.
Reena, Daniyal, Mia, Jackson.
"Um, oh... just like usual, Daniyal is absent. Should I go to his home? Exams are approaching and he's been on leave for a fucking week. Urgh... I'll see to it tomorrow. The others are not much of an issue since it's only one or two leaves."
I started going through the other papers.
Leon—10. Needs to improve massively. He is good at sports, but he needs grades for higher studies.
Lara—20. Um, quite good, but still needs to score higher to pass the test.
I spent some time grading the papers.
"Um, it's 8 PM." I looked at my phone. "That should be enough for today. I'll go to Daniyal's house tomorrow, or maybe I'll send that buffoon Rover since he's their class teacher."
Suddenly, the sound of bubbles popping echoed—my iPhone ringtone.
An iPhone ringtone is just right for now, I thought as I picked up the phone. I looked at the name. "Oh, it's him. I wonder what it is now." I put the phone on speaker.
"Hey, Aunt! I sent 60 lakh to your bank account. Check that out! And remember to come to the company if you have time on the weekend—" he rambled on and on.
"Okay, I will. Now shut the fuck up, brat. And don't call me 'Aunt' or anything like that. I am still young, thank you. Now get off the call," I said into the phone.
"Ha! I will, Aunt... or Uncle, if you prefer that! Haha!" He laughed and ended the call.
"Um, well, that should be enough for now," I thought as I checked my account. 200 million... Well, at least there's that. I made sure it was spread across multiple bank accounts and put the phone away.
"So, tomorrow I'll see Daniyal, or I'll send someone. I don't want it to feel like I'm intruding on his life. I'll take care of it tomorrow."
The sound of a bubble bursting. The phone rang again.
"I really need to change this ringtone, it's irritating me." I looked at the screen. Three messages. One from Lara... no, from her mom.
Tomorrow Lara can't attend school as she has a huge fever and a cold. Can you please approve her leave or talk to her class professor about it i don't have his number. —Lilly, Lara's mom.
"...Urgh, couldn't she have just told me directly when I asked at the office? I even asked if she needed to go home. Well, it was the last period at that time, so it's weirder, I guess... since school is over after that. But leave is approved, I guess."
Everything was settled for now. I looked out at the sky.
"Ah, at least it is a clear sky... if you just ignore the dust particles in the air nowadays. Ha."
Africa
A huge red lightning bolt tore through the sky, striking a massive tree. Fire erupted instantly. The smell of burning wood spread through the air as the flames began to jump from tree to tree.
"Oh no! The fire is spreading! Pour water on it!" a man dressed in animal skins shouted as he rushed toward the houses.
"Ok! Wa! Woo! Woo!" A huge horn echoed, the sound alerting everyone who was eating or sleeping outside.
"Everyone, pour water over the trees before it reaches the fields!" a man dressed in pants and a Hawaiian shirt yelled.
"Ocha! Ocha! And also call the fire station!" a woman cried as the others threw water.
"It will take some time for the fire station to get here since we are in such a remote area," a man named Rasal said. "We should just keep pouring water ourselves for now!"
"You're correct, but we should help others instead of just talking about it!" a woman named Victoria snapped as others started using water motors to rinse the flames out of the trees.