The first day I worked as a waiter in Tingen, I thought it would be the ultimate rock bottom of my existence.
Not because the job was undignified, but because I had been many things before becoming this. Warrior. Engineer. Survivor. In another world, my hands had held weapons, not trays. Here, they held hot plates and cheap porcelain cups.
Even so, I didn't complain.
After waking up in an alley, without money, without documents, and without understanding why the very air seemed to watch you, I learned quickly that this world did not forgive weakness. I stole. A little. Only what was necessary. And when I got this job, I returned every coin with clumsily written notes, apologizing to people I was sure I would never see again.
That day I was cleaning a table by the window when I saw them come in. The man was tall, broad-shouldered, with a rigid posture. The girl walked by his side, one step behind, looking at the place as if she wasn't really there. When she looked up, the world stopped. Not because she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, but because her expression changed suddenly. Her eyes widened slightly, her breath caught, and her lips parted as if a word wanted to escape.
"Kle..."
She stopped.
I felt a strange cold run down my back. The man also stared at me, with poorly disguised surprise. Neither of them said anything. They sat at a table in the back, against the wall.
'Again', I thought. 'It's always the same.'
It wasn't the first time someone reacted that way upon seeing me. Since I arrived in Tingen, I had noticed prolonged stares, awkward gestures, sudden silences. I didn't understand why. Maybe I looked like someone. I didn't know who, but I had a hunch.
I approached with the notepad in hand. "Good afternoon. What would you like to order?"
My voice sounded normal, professional. The man nodded and ordered two simple dishes and hot tea. The girl barely spoke. She kept looking at me, as if she feared I would disappear if she blinked. 'She's very young', I thought.
When I returned with the dishes, the atmosphere was still tense. I set the food down carefully and turned to leave when I heard the conversation.
"No matter how hard I try", she said in a low voice. "The system jams right here. If I increase the pressure, the gear breaks."
"Melissa", responded the man tiredly. "I already told you I don't understand those things. Even if you explain it ten times."
My hand stopped in the air. Gears. Pressure. Blockage. It wasn't a conscious decision. It was inertia. Instinct.
"Pardon me", I said, turning around. "If the main axis isn't compensated, any increase in pressure is going to force the friction point. You don't need more force, but to redistribute it."
Silence. The girl looked at me as if I had just opened my skull and looked inside. "That...", she murmured. "That is exactly the problem."
The man furrowed his brow. "Melissa..."
"Could you repeat that?", she asked me, leaning forward. Her eyes were shining, full of pure enthusiasm.
I cleared my throat. "I'm no expert", I half-lied. "I've just... seen similar failures."
"Are you an engineer?", she asked. "Something like that."
She stood up suddenly. "Could you be my tutor?"
The man almost choked. "Melissa, calm down."
She blinked, as if only then remembering where she was. She sat down slowly and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I got excited."
I nodded. "Seriously, I don't think I can help you much."
She observed me closely. No longer with emotion, but with suspicion, as if she didn't fully believe me. "You talk just like Professor Portland", she finally said. "Or like that speaker who came last month."
That surprised me. 'I think I spoke too much.'
"By the way, my name is Melissa, and he is my older brother, Benson", she said with a slight smile, pointing to the man, who nodded. "A pleasure."
"It's a pleasure too. My name is Krai."
"Krai... what a familiar name", Melissa murmured.
We finished introducing ourselves. From the look on both their faces, it seemed the name sounded strange to them, or perhaps familiar, but I didn't give it any importance. When they finished eating and got up to leave, Melissa stopped in front of me.
"Do you mind if I come another day?", she asked. "If I have questions."
For a moment I hesitated to answer, because I would have to get involved in the affairs of people who clearly belonged to a much higher caste than mine. It was logical, considering my current state. Somehow they had dragged me to this world with nothing. I was at the lowest point possible. 'What should I do?'
When I looked at her again, she was still insisting with her gaze, with those bright eyes, perhaps captivated by discovering how much I might know about machines.
"Yes", I responded. "If you want."
She nodded, almost smiled. "Then, if I can, I'll come tomorrow."
I watched them leave the establishment and only then did I allow myself to think about what I had been avoiding since she pronounced that name she didn't finish.
'Who do I look like?'
But, for the first time since I arrived in this world, I had a conversation that flowed as if the other person was truly interested in knowing more about me.