The Painter Who Fell From the Sky

Sora gradually opened his eyes, his body feeling heavy and weary. For a brief moment, he thought he was trapped in yet another one of his recurring nightmares. But as his eyesight began to clear, reality struck him like a thunderclap: his house was partially destroyed. In a matter of seconds, he was reminded of the chaos that had just transpired.

"Well, well, well, for a moment there, I thought you weren't going to wake up, sleepyhead."

He looked up and saw the girl from the hoverbike leaning over him. Her face shielded the sunlight, and her look was one of curiosity and displeasure. She was standing with her arms crossed in an impatient pose.

“I was starting to think I’d have to bury you in the garden,” she teased with a sarcastic tone. “And, just so we’re clear, I’m the one who crashed. You should be the one helping me!”

Sora’s brow furrowed as frustration surged through him, his face heating up with indignation. Help her? As though he could just ignore the catastrophe that had just happened.

“You destroyed my house with that thing!” he snapped.

“Wait a second! I asked for your help, didn’t I?” the girl shot back, offering her hand to pull him up. “Besides, you’re the one who put your house in the way.”

Sora was so taken aback by her audacity that he momentarily lost the will to argue. He sighed deeply and reluctantly took her hand, allowing her to help him stand up.

"Oh, by the way, my name's Mei," she replied, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I'm a painter and a pilot... in training."

"In training? "That explains a lot..."

Mei huffed and stomped her foot, clearly frustrated. "Hah! You're hilarious, Mr. Know-It-All! But your house won't be fixed by your smart little jokes!" She looked determinedly at the wreckage and rolled up her sleeves, “Alright, let’s assess the damage… Do you have a toolbox lying around on your tiny little island?"

Sora stared at her in disbelief as she carried on as if this were just a minor inconvenience. Who does she think she is?

"We don't need tools. The house is still new and comes with spare parts... And repair robots."

"Repair robots?!" Mei's eyes widened in amazement, lighting up her face. "So, besides being a sleepyhead, you are also spoiled? I was getting ready to rebuild everything from scratch!"

"Spoiled?! Do you have any idea how long I worked to buy—"

"You know..." she interrupted indifferently, walking towards the house and inspecting every inch of it. "This doesn't even look like a real house."

"What?" Sora trailed behind her, confused.

"The walls are white and cold. Everything is in neutral tones... So... lifeless." She glided around the room, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around her. — "Are you a scientist?"

"A scientist?" he asked, still following her steps.

"Yeah, a scientist! This place looks like a lab... Not even a single painting on the wall! How do you live like this?"

"First of all, that's none of your business. Second, I'm not a scientist. And third, you need to leave! I have very important things to do today, and I can't waste time with... rebellious girls trashing my house with flying motorcycles."

Before Mei could respond, a digitized voice echoed through the room:

"Master Sora, I believe I failed to note the "very important tasks" you mentioned. Your schedule for today is empty, according to my system."

Mei let out a loud laugh, while Sora's face turned as red as a tomato.

"Very important tasks, huh?" she mocked. "Sleepyhead, spoiled, and a liar..."

"Thanks, AURA..." Sora let out a defeated sigh. "Activate Repair Robots."

"Repair robots activated."

Mechanical sounds resounded as a hatch in the wall opened, releasing little spider-like robots. They marched together toward the debris. Mei watched them with curiosity, crouching next to her hoverbike, which appeared to be in a better condition than the ceiling and the wall it had crashed through.

"Unfortunately, they are unable to repair your bike. The robots are solely programmed for house repairs and they won't do anything more than leave it exactly as it was when it was manufactured."

"I doubt they could do anything on this hoverbike, it's a unique model... I'll fix it myself, don't worry about it!" Mei stood up, clapping her hands on her knees. "But at the very least, you could help me get the bike to the garden, right? After that, you can go back to your 'big schedule' of absolutely nothing."

Sora sighed with regret but agreed to help her. The faster she fixed the hoverbike, the sooner he could return to his peaceful seclusion.

They struggled to drag the hoverbike into the garden. Despite its small size, it was surprisingly heavy. Mei promptly opened a compartment on the bike and took out a toolkit, ready to work. Meanwhile, Sora returned to the scene of the accident to inspect the house's damage.

In addition to the massive hole in the wall and ceiling, a wind turbine and internet antennas were destroyed. In other words, no connectivity until everything was fixed. The robots started using holographic grid projections to scan the scene and determine the extent of the damage.

As he waited for AURA to inform him that the robots' report was finished, he decided to go upstairs, anxious to see if there were any other damages.

As he began climbing the steps, Sora glanced toward the garden. Mei remained focused, her hazelnut hair swaying gently as she worked. Despite all the irritation, he had to admit she was very beautiful.

"If you're going to stare for so long, take a picture, it will last longer!" Mei yelled without taking her eyes off her work.

Sora quickly turned his face away, embarrassed, and hurriedly climbed the remaining stairs.

***

Sora climbed to the second floor, inspecting the damage. Fortunately,  it wasn’t nearly as bad as the ground floor. After deploying another group of Repair Bots, he got lost on his computer. Time passed unnoticed, and when he looked up, the sky was already dark. That was when Mei emerged, pounding up the stairs with determination.

“Hey, you lazy bum!” Without any formality, she rushed into the room. "You spent the entire afternoon gaming while I worked on my bike? What kind of man does that?”

"I-I wasn't gaming the whole time!" Sora stammered, attempting to defend himself, but his voice faltered.

Mei placed her hands on her hips, her piercing gaze cutting through him like a sword.

"Do you know how many men would kill to be stuck on an island with a girl like me? Honestly... You didn’t even bother to check if I was okay! I was starving! My stomach would have been growling all day if it weren't for your voice assistant."

Sora sighed and rolled his eyes.

“For someone who crashed onto my island, you sure complain a lot. Did you fix your hoverbike?"

"I wish…" Mei huffed and crossed her arms. "It's going to take days to repair everything."

“Days?!” Sora’s eyes widened. “Can’t you just call a mechanic?”

Mei shook her head, “Even if your internet was working — which it isn't, I checked — no conventional mechanic would know what to do with a bike like this. It's a one-of-a-kind design for a one-of-a-kind rider."

Sora saw a quick glimpse of something in her eyes. As though trying to avoid a painful memory, she quickly looked away.

"How did you even lose control if you're so unique? Are you sure you know how to ride it?”

Mei's cheeks suddenly became a deep scarlet.

"Of course, I know how to ride it, moron! The issue was…" Her voice drifted off, and she paused before continuing. “It doesn’t matter! Who are you to question my skills?”

“Skills?” Sora grinned playfully. “It looks like you could use some more practice.”

Mei ignored the jab, firmly shifting the subject.

“By the way, I’m taking your room. Don’t even think about peeking at me, got it?” She then turned and made her way to the room.

"Wait, what? Why would you stay in my room?" Sora protested and followed her.

“Because I’m a lady! You clearly know nothing about chivalry. This is what happens when you isolate yourself from society!”

“But I—!” 

Mei slammed the door in his face before he could finish. Sora stood there, stunned.

“Who does she think she is?!” he muttered, rubbing his forehead in frustration. His initial motivation for isolating himself on the island was precisely this kind of attitude.

He was about to slip into his thoughts when the door opened again, much more carefully this time.

"Hey…" Mei began hesitantly. Her voice became considerably softer, “Thanks for letting me stay.”

Astonished, Sora blinked.

"I understand that I may come across as rude, but… if I’d crashed into the ocean or the old city, that would’ve been the end of me.  So, in a weird way... I’m relieved to be here.”

Mei's typical assurance briefly gave way to an unanticipated vulnerability. Uncomfortable, Sora scratched the back of his neck.

"You don't need to thank me... I'll just... I'll just get a pillow, okay?"

Mei observed him quietly as he stepped away. Just as he was about to close the door, she said gently, almost too faintly to be heard:

“Thanks again, sleepyhead.”