AB Chapter 12: The Teacher Asked Me to Tell You—
Two days later,
The heavy snow has passed.
Thanks to the efforts of the city management workers, the road finally revealed a mix of snowmelt and mud.
A few small snowmen, wearing scarves, squatted on both sides of the road, grinning foolishly, not knowing which child had dragged their parents to make them in front of their houses or little courtyards.
Michel put on his down jacket, wrapped a scarf around his neck, and stood by the door, putting on snow boots while holding onto the shoe cabinet.
Behind him, Simon looked pitifully down at him and the little red flower on top of his head.
The bumblebee did not want his little flower to go outside.
He didn’t want him to leave his sight.
Even for a second, it would remind him of the terrible time after he lost the flower seeds.
“Can't you stay at home? I’m very sad, I want to follow you.” Over the past few days, Michel had found a lot of children's language books for Simon, and he could already break down sentences quite well.
“No!”
Michel decisively rejected him. After finishing putting on his shoes, he stood up straight and carefully put the hood of his down jacket on his head, pressing down the flower on top, then grabbed the bag on the shoe cabinet and put it on his back.
As he spoke, he glanced at Simon.
“I’ll go buy you some clothes first, and then you can wear them before we go out together.”
“Why? I have exoskeletons, and exoskeletons can also be used as clothes.”
“That’s different.”
“What’s different?”
“Because…”
Because I don’t want others to stare at your body and give me that irritating look, and I don’t want people who discriminate against aliens to look at you with a guarded expression. Can you understand?
Michel swallowed these words, took a breath, and stared directly into Simon’s eyes.
The brown-yellow pupils showed a trace of abandonment and sadness, along with a pain that Michel couldn’t understand.
“I can’t stand being alone.”
“I don’t want to leave you.”
The bumblebee pouted and looked sullen.
When he noticed Michel looking at him, he softened his expression again, speaking in a small voice, with his antennae swaying gently:
“I’ll stay not far from you, so they won’t know we know each other. Okay? I won’t make you lose face.”
Michel: “…”
How did Benny manage to reject his dog Sophia (an Alaskan Malamute) before going out every time?
Michel wondered.
He didn’t know how Benny rejected her.
All he knew was that Simon speaking to him like this made him feel a bit sour inside, almost wanting to nod immediately and take the bumblebee to any place he wanted to visit!
“Still… not possible…” Michel shook his head reluctantly. Seeing the light in Simon’s brown-yellow eyes dimming, Michel hurriedly stepped forward to hug him. “But I promise I’ll come back soon, really!”
“...Oh.”
Simon’s enthusiasm was low.
He stayed with a solemn expression until Michel left, still looking dejected.
Standing outside the door, Michel walked into the cold air, his mind replaying Simon’s face. Feeling guilty, he tightened his bag’s straps, exhaled a breath of white mist into the sky, and hurried toward the station.
I’ll go and come back quickly, don’t let him wait too long.
Also, I need to bring back a cake.
Simon loves sweet things.
With a lifted spirit, Michel unknowingly smiled at the corner of his lips, already looking forward to going back home…
Click.
The door locked behind him.
Simon, like a mountain, looked at the closed door.
The tips of his two antennae slowly moved, almost as if hesitating, or perhaps thinking.
After a while, he suddenly moved. The bumblebee quickly removed his tight sleep pants and neatly folded them, placing them on the shoe cabinet.
He was naked, his handsome and resolute face showing no embarrassment.
Every muscle on his body was sculpted perfectly, as strong and sturdy as iron and stone.
Quickly and with fantastic speed, changes began to occur…
It hardened, turning yellow from his neck down, with bones cracking as they changed. The muscles beneath underwent a complete transformation, growing taller and bigger!
‘Shh—’
The exoskeleton erupted instantly.
It enveloped him with a mechanical exhaust sound. Two prominent wings unfolded from his shoulder blades, quickly stretching.
After shaking them a couple of times, he retracted his wings, and at the same time, Simon’s appearance transformed into the first battle form of a carnivorous male bumblebee.
In the dim light of the room, the exoskeleton gleamed with a hard, tech-like sheen that looked almost beautiful…
Simon’s expression was no longer the gentle one Michel was familiar with.
Cold, silent.
Filled with killing intent, devoid of civilization and life, only mission after mission.
This was the true face of the carnivorous male bumblebee.
His brown eyes stared at the closed door. Simon counted the time Michel had been gone and then turned the handle…
Michel had bought large, warm clothes and shoes, but also wanted to get a few more things, so he walked around the mall, texting Benny on his phone.
Benny said he wanted to talk about something important, so he invited Michel to meet for lunch at a restaurant.
‘Okay.’
Michel sent the location to Benny right after.
In case Benny couldn’t find him.
There were many malls in Chicago, but there were no flying vehicles or robotic assistants walking everywhere. After a major disaster...
After a major catastrophe, humanity experienced a severe cultural and historical rupture. Coupled with various inevitable factors, human development began to shift towards an era dominated by heavy weaponry. While weapons science advanced significantly, fields like the humanities struggled and lacked space for development.
Even disciplines like history, archaeology, the preservation of ancient civilizations, culinary culture, and basic aspects of daily life—such as clothing, housing, and entertainment—only began to recover in the last twenty years, as humanity made contact with alien species.
In the bustling cities, one can see a blend of 22nd-century architectural styles, fashion trends, and street food. There are also police officers wielding laser guns and high-tech weapons, and strange-looking aliens navigating through the crowd. The juxtaposition is bizarre and surreal, yet somehow harmonious, forming the reality of the future.
“Can I get you anything, sir?”
A pretty girl with red, curly short hair and a store uniform winked at Michel.
“Our store’s donuts, coconut toast, and mango milk are great. Little Violet flower darling.”
While Michel was typing and urging Benny for a reply, he paused at the sound of the girl’s voice. Looking up and seeing her, he couldn’t help but smile.
"Daisy, please stop calling me Violet flower darling. If you keep doing that, I might get mad. Are you working today?"
"Yeah." Daisy shrugged. "The snow melted, so I came to do my part-time job. School is reopening tomorrow... Why can't I call you that? Hey, Michel, translated, it’s Violet flower. What a great name!”
"Just like me, Daisy. My name is a flower name too. Though a lot of people have it, I really like it. Thanks, my mom."
"That's different. You're a beautiful girl, but I'm just a regular, unremarkable guy."
"Who says? Pure-blooded Asians aren’t rare. They’re just jealous of you. Don’t mind them. They’re a bunch of jerks who only know how to fight and secretly drink."
Daisy stuck out her tongue, flashing a cute, rebellious smile. Michel chuckled at her antics and ordered two donuts with red tea.
Daisy wrote it down and, with a mischievous grin, asked, "Why are you coming here to eat dessert? You never used to come to this place. You always said it’s expensive and still wouldn't come… Is it to flirt with a girl? Can I sneak over and spy on you? I’ll help you out! After all, the girls in our school just look at the wallets, so superficial!"
“Definitely not.” Michel knew Daisy wasn’t mocking him; she was just curious.
"If I say I’m meeting Benny, would you still want to spy?"
Daisy’s smile disappeared immediately.
"Oh." She rolled her eyes. "Well, then I won’t waste my time."
“Don’t waste your money either. Benny can survive on air."
Daisy walked off with her notepad, throwing Michel a look that said, I can’t believe I wasted two minutes of my life on Benny. Michel held back a laugh.
When the donuts and tea arrived, Benny showed up in a rush. He scanned the restaurant and, spotting his familiar friend, broke into a wide smile. He jogged over, threw his bag down, and plopped down in the chair across from Michel.
"Benny! Long time no see!"
Actually, we saw each other five days ago. Michel took a sip of tea, his eyes fixed on Benny.
"Didn't you say you wanted to talk? What’s up?"
"Of course, it's about you and that Peppejia alien!" Benny lowered his voice, eyeing Michel closely. "I was taken away by my mom from the NY police station before I could even get a good look at him. Plus, Aunt Jasmine told me you're not actually human..."
Benny sighed with a complicated expression, casting an almost mournful look at Michel.
"I’ve always thought of you as a brother, but I didn’t know… you’re not human. It’s been messing with my mind, and I haven’t been able to sleep well these past few days. I didn’t contact you."
Michel: “…”
“That’s not ‘not human.’ It’s ‘not human.’” Michel couldn’t help but correct him.
Benny: "Eh, same thing!"
Michel: “…” If you weren’t my friend, I’d totally knock you on the head right now!
Benny drank from his tea, mumbling, "Well, no matter what, I still think it doesn't matter what you are. Our friendship remains the same."
Michel froze for a second, then smiled softly.
“Thanks, Benny.”
By the way, your doghead is safe.
Not knowing that his friend was thinking of smashing his head, Benny waved it off. "Forget about it. So, how’s it going with that Peppejia alien friend? I looked into their planet’s info. Is he, uh, going to marry you?"
Hearing the word “married,” Michel’s mind instantly conjured the image of a pair of warm, earnest brown-yellow eyes.
He hesitated, then nodded slightly. “Well... maybe…”
Benny's eyes widened. "Huh? Really? Oh man—no wonder Aunt Jasmine has been so grumpy these past few days. I thought the info I found was exaggerated, or that it was about your household registration."
Michel frowned. "Household registration? What happened with my registration?"
Benny licked his lips and looked around, his eyes darting. "You don't know?"
Michel: "?"
Benny: "On the day before the snowstorm, Monday, a group of aliens from the Peppejia embassy came with Aunt Jasmine to our house, and they moved your registration from the orphanage into our household. My parents even got into a fight with them."
"What?!" Michel’s heart skipped a beat. His voice rose in panic. "They didn’t do anything to Uncle Jonas and Aunt Jasmine, did they? Why didn’t you call me earlier?"
"No, no, calm down."
Seeing Michel’s distress, Benny quickly grabbed him and explained. "They were very kind, but my parents couldn’t accept it. After all, they consider you their biological son."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
Michel let out a sigh of relief but still frowned.
Benny continued, "I wanted to tell you right away, but with the snowstorm warning, my parents were worried about you coming in dangerous weather, so they didn’t call. But today your household registration came through, and Aunt Jasmine was unsure of your feelings, so she asked me to bring it to you."
Michel nodded. "Well, Aunt Jasmine and you guys are still my family. That won't change."
Benny’s face lit up with a big smile. "Hehe, I knew you’d say that! But adults, you know... they think too much."
Michel pulled at the corners of his lips. "Give me the household registration. I’ll call Uncle Jonas tonight." He wanted to check in on the situation from that day, especially since Benny's mom had a weak heart, and he was worried.
"Okay!"
Benny grabbed his bag, pulled out a thick hardcover folder, a stack of documents, and a new ID card.
When he handed them over, Michel reached for them, but Benny suddenly pulled them back.
Michel looked confused. "What’s wrong?"
"Well…" Benny broke into a cold sweat. "I just remembered something I forgot to mention."
Michel: "What?"
Benny: "Your household registration… not only was it moved, it was also registered on another planet, under someone else’s name."
Michel nodded. "I understand. It must be Simon’s."
"Yeah… and…"
"And?"
"Well, you… you—" Benny awkwardly laughed.
"You are listed as his wife"
Michel: “…”
Benny chuckled nervously. "Also, starting from the day before yesterday, your academic record, household registration, ID card, and work resume have all been updated online to reflect your married status. Ha, haha… Congratulations, Michel."
"……………"
Cough.
Because of the school records... the teacher and classmates already know. They even asked me to pass on a message to you, saying—"
He took a deep breath before speaking:
"Happy wedding!"
"……………………"
Oh, haha.
So they all know now, huh?
Michel pulled a tight smile, clutching his chest.
This really is just perfect...
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