As the night passed, a whisper echoed through an office thick with the smell of caffeine. A man stood beside his desk, staring intently at his phone.
"Sir, the dust pollution and waste are increasing rapidly," a black-haired man in a white shirt said. He stood by the window with a tablet, watching the environmental ratings climb higher.
"I know, but we can't do anything about it. It's a miracle the world still functions at all, messy as it is nowadays." The man sighed as he looked up at the sky. "And there isn't much we can achieve as an environmental company." He turned his gaze to a portrait of a woman with scarlet-red hair flowing to her waist, fox-like pupils, a black shirt, and red pants.
"I guess we can only hope nothing happens," Sir Luther's secretary said, his voice trailing off into a helpless sigh.
"Yes. The world organisations are trying to reduce the impact, but they haven't had any success so far." Luther placed a pair of glasses over his face. A digital display flickered to life in his vision, showing red data points that spiked and dipped rapidly.
"Yeah. If only Madam were in America right now, sir," the secretary added, looking out the window.
"I contacted her. Maybe we'll have luck and she will return," Luther said. He sank into a chair made of soft fabric, snuggling into the cushions.
The secretary looked at his tablet, his shoulders slumping. "Sir Luther, to contact a retired person... we must be quite desperate."
"Well, what choice do we have? They can accept the help if they still want Earth to exist. Or they can always escape, since they aren't from here. They just settled here after an unfortunate situation in the past—at least, that's what I am told. I don't know the full story."
"Boss, is it okay to talk about this in public?" the secretary asked anxiously, glancing toward the door.
"Of course. What I say is my own business. But you won't repeat a word of it," Luther said nonchalantly. On his phone, news of global pollution continued to scroll by.
"Of course I won't tell anyone, sir," the secretary said, calming himself. He looked back at his tablet to meet Luther's eye.
A ray of sunlight hit my eyes.
The sun was up. I got up and jumped down from the tree. A sharp crack sounded when a branch broke under my weight. I picked the wood up and held it against the tree; it reattached itself to the trunk instantly.
"Well, good Koma," I muttered. I patted the trunk lightly before walking toward the kitchen. I decided to feed Kuro, even if he didn't strictly need it.
I turned on the heater and took some meat out to warm up. Steam and smoke rose from the pan. Once finished, I put the food on a plate and headed into the garden. The flowery scent distracted me for a moment as I placed the meal in front of a dog house where a white dog lay sleeping.
"Kuro, I am going to work. I put your food here—remember to eat it."
Woof woof!
I walked to my room and surveyed my clothes. I passed over a black and red dress, preferring my usual black outfit. I changed into pants and a black shirt with a tie. Mm, for fashion, I guess the glasses are okay. I put them on, followed by a black mask.
"Two years for all this to be over," I mused to myself, grabbing the bags of test papers from the table.
It was 8:00 AM; school didn't start for another hour. I sat on the bench to tie my shoelaces, then walked back through the garden toward the driveway. The sweet scent of roses reached me. I inhaled lightly, chuckling to myself.
"First period is Physics in Class A. Second period is Mathematics in Class B and D. I have quite a bit of free time," I murmured, mounting my bike. The Kawasaki roared to life. I pressed a remote on my arm; a metallic grinding sound echoed through the air as the mansion gates swung open. A red flash flickered over the area before returning to normal. I raced the bike through the gate.
The Kawasaki flew through the mountain passes. I accelerated to reach the market road, the aggressive roar of the engine echoing around the cliffs. It certainly helped that no one was around to see any "abnormal" activity.
I reached the main road, took a swift turn, and pulled up to the traffic lights. The sound of horns pierced my ears like a collective shout. I tapped my hand against the handlebars, waiting for the green.
The signal changed. I accelerated, keeping it under the speed limit. The wind rustled against my gear as I turned off the main road toward the school. I needed to check if Daniyal was in today; if not, I'd let Rover handle the home visit. It would be better if the classroom instructor went instead of me.
I navigated into a parking space just as a dusty wind blew through the lot. I noticed a few teachers were missing. While walking toward the office, a student called out from behind me.
"Good morning, Teacher!"
I turned around. Mask? Check. Identity card? Correct. Student uniform? Good.
"Good morning. Which class are you from?"
"Ma'am, I am Alexander from Class D."
"Oh yeah, the one from Teresa's class. Are you well? I noticed you haven't attended classes for a while."
"Urh, um, Teacher... I had a fever and a cold for weeks. That's why I couldn't come," Alexander said, staring at the ground.
I narrowed my eyes at his obvious lie. He did look like he had a cold, though, so it wasn't entirely fabricated.
"Sure. Go to your classroom; first period starts soon," I said, checking my watch.
"Um, okay Ma'am," Alexander said, scurrying away.
Tch. We should have made school online. It's more problematic now than it was back in 2019. Though it also has a problem with it
I walked toward my office as more late students arrived.