1 Albino Boy

<Year 2XXX>

Sovereign Town is a rural type of place, a few miles far away from Utopia City, where I've lived for the past seven years. You can say that I'm kind of a new face in this village with only myself to count on. It doesn't bother me much, though. I have a part time job to make ends meet. An average room in a small apartment to sleep in and sheltering myself from any kind of weather.

The people in this town have always been nice to me although they are still not used to seeing someone like me around. The reason is completely obvious. That's because I am an...

HONK!

The sound of a horn can be heard in the middle of the busy road, at the same time it brought me out of my deep slumber. Blinking sleepily, I lifted my head and turned to look on my side only to see that someone was also sitting on the bus stop.

My gaze moved from the old lady's face to the stain of my drool on her shoulder's dress caused me to immediately jump up, wiping my mouth hurriedly. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

The old lady waved her hand as if shooing off a bothersome fly. "There's no need for an apology, son. You must be very tired from your work, I can even clearly see the dark circles under your eyes."

She stared at my face for quite some time before smiling and reaching out her hand towards me, patting my arm. "You are a very handsome young man, you know? Don't push yourself too hard. It would be fine to take some breaks from time to time."

With a sigh of relief, I rubbed the back of my neck with an embarrassed smile. "Thank you very much ma'am...-"

I was about to continue when a voice from afar stopped me. I turned around and saw a girl in the same uniform as mine, standing on the other side of the street while waving at me with both hands. She does not seem bothered with people's stares that were directed towards her but that is not the main reason.

Who would take their eyes off of this beautiful girl?

Her rose gold hair was tied into a loose ponytail and her violet eyes looked like they were sparkling with delight. In a way she looked so much like a child who had just discovered what sweets were for the first time, a child with bright smiles and sparkling eyes although we were the same age.

The moment my eyes met hers, her lips curled into a big smile and she waved again.

With that I stood up and bowed slightly to the old lady. "I will keep your words in mind and thank you again for your understanding."

She gave a small nod before I ran over to where the girl was.

"How many new grandmas have you got today?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, Iris? She's just a nice person who happens to give me kind advice."

Iris grinned before placing her arms over my shoulders, pulling me closer to her since she is smaller than me.

"It's not mere nonsense, okay? How could I forget the fact that you were like a woman magnet? You always attracted all the females who have encountered you, whether they were a child, an adult or even elderly."

I frowned a bit. "The way you talk sounds like I'm some kind of attention wh*re and I'm definitely not!"

"Well... obviously you aren't. It's not like you were flirting with every single person in this place. It's just a normal thing that always happens whenever people see an albino with red eyes. See?"

Iris pointed at a pair of girls that were passing by and suddenly turned their heads towards us while whispering to one another.

I could feel my face turn beet red and quickly pulled down my cap, trying to cover my face as I could hear Iris snorting loudly beside me.

I took a deep breath before turning back to face her once more. "Alright... but that does happen every now and then, you should know this by now."

"Oh, absolutely I am. It's not like I just met you yesterday. Now come on. Let's hurry before we get scolded for being late by that old geezer. You can blame the whole incident on me if he finds out. You know how close he is with my father."

I shook my head in disbelief when she dragged me through the streets. As we went along, Iris couldn't help but tease me again when there's another passerby.

"Iris! Please just stop!"

She raised both her arms, laughing happily like a madwoman.

<<1>>

"You think this is funny? If you were late again, I swear!"

Both Iris and I shared a glance. Then she smiled sheepishly at the man crossing his arms in front of his desk.

I could tell how annoyed he was by looking at that glare.

"But we weren't really late this time. It's just two minutes. Please let this slide old geez- I mean, boss."

Boss or Sir Robert pierced his gaze onto Iris' face before giving a sharp sigh. "Alright. Only this one time. Just don't make it a habit, and especially you..."

Then, he focused on me. "...Your co-workers told me that you always woke up early. But you have to wait for your girlfriend because you two always come to work together. How loyal can you be?"

I blinked. "I'm sorry sir but I don't have a girlfriend."

Sir Robert frowned, looking at both of us alternately. "Wait. You two are not a thing?"

The two of us gasped in surprise.

"What?! No, of course we are not!" I shook my head vigorously, making a big 'X' with my arms.

"Boss, I already have a boyfriend and he's way better than this albino. Let me introduce you to my darling right here!"

Iris zipped down her uniform, and showed the T-shirt of a picture of an anime character with spiky pink hair and a big wide grin on his face. Looks familiar...

"Look! Both of us have the same hair colors which means we are destined to be together. No other people can separate us apart." Iris giggled as the boss gave her an incredulous expression.

"You better not get distracted in your work with your non-existence boyfriend."

"Ouch! Yes boss!"

Sir Robert shook his head. "Now get back to your work."

Once again, he turned to me. "And you, there are some deliveries waiting for you."

"What? Already? Who eats heavy and fast food early in the morning?"

"Are you talking about yourself, Ms. Iris? You even casually ate one of our food menus." Sir Robert asked back, sarcastically.

Iris looked down at the hamburger which she already ate half and quickly hid it behind her, smiling innocently. "Well, my case is a bit different, boss. I must eat to gain energy for work later otherwise I'll get a stomachache."

"You really like to talk back, don't you?"

"Well... ah! You heard that 'hello', boss! New customer incoming! Gotta go!" She 'ngap' the remaining of the hamburger, giving a quick salute before leaving the office.

Sir Robert sighed again. "How come polar opposites like you two can be friends?"

I shrugged with a slight smile. "Fate, I guess. Do you want a morning coffee sir?"

"Yes, as usual. This is what I like about you, kid. You are a very attentive employee." Sir Robert patted me on the shoulder.

Somehow this reminds me of the old lady from earlier.

I smiled. "You flattered me, sir."

<<1>>

I understood my boss well. One of it was his favorite time to drink coffee every morning but even so, Sir Robert is a bit picky since he likes to drink a certain type of coffee. The only café he likes to visit is a small hidden café near the place where we worked.

In order to get there, I had to go inside an alleyway and walk downstairs to the café located around the basement floor, meaning I would have to pass several staircases before finally reaching the entrance of the café.

Once I pushed the entrance door, the sound of a bell announced a new customer entered the café. I walked towards the counter.

"Oh! You are here! Ordering for your boss' favorite coffee again?"

I smiled at Adam, who is one of the café employees that I'm familiar with ever since I became a regular customer here.

"Yeah, like usual."

"Alright. One hot cappuccino coming right up. Here is your bill."

I looked at the receipt before chuckling softly. This caused Adam to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"You must have not realized this but I always get the same number in my order, no matter how many times I come here."

"Woah! I really didn't notice. Must be your lucky number." He grinned at me.

"Mm, I guess."

After paying for the coffee, I decided to sit on a table near the glass wall, my usual spot. While waiting, my eyes lingered around the interior of the café.

Even though I've been visiting this place quite often, I still found the interior a pleasant sight to look at, especially when the dim light coming from the black-grayish ceiling made everything look more unique. Everything inside the café had a calming effect on me, including the smell of fresh coffee beans mixed with sweet bakes that somehow seemed to relax my nerves.

The sounds of blender blades whirring and cups being placed in cupboards gave me some sort of comfort; it was like someone had just turned off the world for a few moments so I could be myself and enjoy a short peaceful break from all the busyness.

"Yo! Have you heard that there was a bomb happening near Rast Tunnel?" A voice coming from behind, can be heard clearly.

Even if I tried to ignore it, somehow, the two students' conversation caught my attention.

"Rast Tunnel? You mean the infamous underground mining site, where it is filled with a zillion jewels? No, I just heard it from you."

"The bomb incidents happened five days ago. Rumor said it was terrorists trying to steal the jewels. But the jewels were still safe and the real criminal had been found. Turns out, the criminals were the miners. They are the ones who want to steal the jewels."

"And the bomb were also caused by them?"

"That was what I thought at first but actually no. The Vicinal already caught the bomber. But there is one thing I think is strange."

"What is it?"

"The bomber identity still remain unknown. No one even knows who is the bomber actually is."

"Well... that is strange."

"Number twelve! Number twelve!"

Adam's voice interrupted me from listening to them further. I stood up immediately and went to the counter to receive my order.

"Thank you for ordering and have a nice day."

After giving my thanks, I walked towards the door and accidentally bumped into a kid with sunglasses.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?"

Because of the small clash, the sunglasses on their face dropped slightly and the kid stared at my eyes for a few seconds.

"Oh! I'm okay. No worries man. You should be careful too." While adjusting the sunglasses.

I gave a nod and walked outside the café.