This place is not... familiar

“Cali!”

I call, but she’s already waiting for me outside my room, dressed in her Alias uniform. She hears me and instantly says,

“Take your time getting ready. I made plans for what we’re doing today. As soon as you’re ready, we’re going to meet the AI Singularity.”

As I start to get annoyed with her, I hear a sound from outside and see a rather large vehicle in the street in front of my house with Camille, Limer, Johan, and two other people I don’t know. Instead of getting more annoyed and questioning Cali, I just start getting dressed to go with them since they seem to be waiting for me. Camille looks particularly happy about this.

“Why didn’t you tell me before? Don’t make plans for me behind my back. It’s annoying.”

I say while putting on my clothes and looking at Cali. She somehow looks proud of it, despite it annoying me. It’s almost as if she likes seeing me like this. Isn’t she supposed to help me not get annoyed? Sigh.

“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

I say, moving toward her while still adjusting my tail in my uniform. She touches my shoulder while getting my meds. I look at them in her hand, then at her face, and say, taking the meds from her hand,

“You remember these perfectly, don’t you? Go on, get me to this tour. Just don’t expect me to enjoy it.”

She just smiles at me as she walks downstairs, asking me to follow her. It’s like she doesn’t even acknowledge my distress about all this.

“So, Layla, I invited some people—everyone you already know: Camille, Limer, and Johan. But I also asked the school to provide a guide. This man with white hair and a train driver’s uniform is the AI designated for the job.”

The robot who looks like a middle-aged man bows and compliments me as Cali and I get closer to the transport.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Layla. It will be an honor to teach you all about where we’re going.”

I simply nod and look to the side, where there’s a boy with blond hair and a big smile. I don’t know why he’s like this. There’s something about his face that irritates me. Is he staring at my tail?

“How about this one? Is he a bot like you two or just someone trying to annoy me even more than I already am?”

I say, hiding my tail behind my back and covering my ears protectively. He giggles slightly, making me even more irritated. He extends his hand for a handshake and introduces himself.

“Hello, I’m Lucil Patch8. Your classmates already told me a lot about you. I should say it’s rather interesting to see a cat girl who doesn’t want to be one. It makes you pretty unique and cute, don’t you think?”

He says this, and I instantly pull my hand away and step back. He just smiles as he says that. I truly don’t like him. As I move away, Cali starts to speak in her calm tone.

“Lucil is one of your upperclassmen. He’s at the top of every class he takes, so I thought inviting him would be good to motivate you.”

After she finishes speaking, Lucil straightens his posture and says to her, still with that smile I despise,

“And I’m really glad for the invite, Miss Cali. I was really interested in meeting the AI Singularity. This is a really awesome opportunity for me to join you guys.”

Then Limer steps next to me and touches my shoulder. She seems as uninterested in this tour as I am, and she says in a monotone voice,

“Let them talk. Let’s get inside already. I want to go home.”

I can’t help but agree and follow her into the train. I simply greet Camille and Johan and go to the farthest seats. Limer sits in the same area as me but on the opposite side of the train. Then Cali, Lucil, and the tour guide enter the train too. Cali looks slightly annoyed as she comes to sit beside me, while Lucil sits next to Johan and Camille. He seems to be talking a lot with Camille. They seem to be getting along well, but my focus on them is cut off by Cali, who murmurs at my side with crossed arms,

“I can’t believe you’re like this, going to the farthest seats and avoiding talking to them. I thought you were doing great with Camille and the others, but no, you still chose to distance yourself from them and…”

She keeps talking like this for a while, but I stop listening after a bit. She’s looking angry about my social ineptitude, and I can’t do anything about it. She knows I can’t help it. I look at the front of the train where they’re still talking about something I can’t quite understand. Then I interrupt Cali’s monologue and say softly,

“I don’t know if I want to talk to anyone and make friends, but if you feel I need it, I’ll make an effort.”

As I say this, the guide, standing at the front of the train, says,

“Everyone’s inside, so the tour and class about machinery history will start in just a moment.”

As he says this, the train lifts a few centimeters off the ground, and in a moment as brief as a blink of an eye, everything outside the window shifts. Suddenly, we’re at the entrance of the biggest building in town—the place where the AI Singularity lives. Cali looks at me and says,

“Let’s get inside. I want you to meet the Singularity. I want you to decide what to do after seeing it.”

I nod and follow everyone outside. The place is quiet, and a comfortable breeze blows around us as the guide starts speaking before leading us inside.

“As you all can see, this giant building is stunning, right? This is the only place in Nova Tempo that actually uses modern architecture. You can see it in the patterns on its structure and its color, which transitions among a few colors to better maintain the environment. All the houses in Nova Tempo have other types of technology to regulate and maintain a comfortable environment for any living being. Now, let’s get inside. There’s a lot more to show you.”

As I follow him, I can’t help but look closely at the walls, which look almost like a living being with an obsidian color. As I touch it, a few colors and sounds run through the space, and a screen appears with my picture on it. Camille and the others look slightly surprised.

“What’s the problem? You guys never saw that?”

I say, but then I quickly pull my hand away, embarrassed. It used to be a normal thing back in my hometown.