A Bird's-Eye View

Once outside, I follow Naomi towards the area where the flying vehicles are parked. And I can't help but admire the beautiful sight! There are giant buildings that surround us that go up so high, they look like they almost touch the sky. The outside of them is covered with fancy glass pieces that sparkle in the sun like a kaleidoscope. Every time the sun hits them, it's like watching a light show.

As we both arrive at the parking lot, I could see many translucent vehicles. Upon closer inspection, it looks like they were crafted in the form of a bird, almost as if they are resting after a long journey.

Naomi stops in front of a white vehicle; it looked big enough for two people to fit in. And each delicate wing seems constructed to mimic the anatomy of a real bird's wing. The way it shimmers in the sunlight is so mesmerizing! I could stare at it for hours!

"Isn't she a beauty?" Naomi smiles as she studies my reaction. "I named her Twinkle!" She looks at the vehicle as her eyes are sparkling with pride.

"Open your eyes, Twinkle!" The blonde woman shouts before the bird-like vehicle obeys her command.

This is incredible!

Naomi approaches one of Twinkle's eagle-like eyes and brings her own eye closer to it. After a brief moment, the flying car scans her eye. A few seconds later, the car beeps, and she pulls away. Shortly after, the vehicle starts spreading its wings, giving us both access to the doors that were hiding beneath them.

"Come on! Get in!" The blonde woman speaks before the passenger seat door automatically opens. I follow her lead before the door automatically closes behind me. Naomi then puts on her seat belt as I put mine on also.

"Hold on! Let me check the map one more time before we leave," she says, giving her nose a couple of taps with her finger.

Oh! So Naomi is also a humanoid, huh? That's good to know.

"Ready?" she asks, before pushing some buttons on the control panel. As we begin to take off slowly, I find myself gripping the edge of what seems like a leather seat with all my might.

I need to be brave!

I need to be brave!

I need to be brave!

"Don't worry, Airi! I'm a good pilot! My flight instructor was impressed with me. He said it was a miracle that I managed to pass my exams after only eleven tries," she says as we continue to fly upwards.

"THAT'S NOT A COMPLIMENT!" I shout as loud as I could while the grip on my seat grew stronger.

[WARNING! WARNING!]

[Stress levels are high.]

[WARNING! WARNING!]

Naomi laughs while seeing my reaction.

"I was kidding! Relax!" She shakes her head and laughs even louder now. "You're in safe hands, I promise!" And before I could protest, we were already high up in the sky.

The sun was up, and it was reflecting off the skyscrapers' glass panels. As I glance downwards, I notice that despite the futuristic buildings, nature remains an integral part of the scenery. The mix of technology and nature made the view very unique. A lot of trees and plants surrounded the futuristic buildings. It was winter, so not many were green, but their presence added a special touch to the scene.

As I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down, I could spot from the corner of my eye a row of holographic arrows floating in the sky. They must work like some sort of imaginary road guides for the air traffic system. Because other bird-like vehicles that are flying alongside us are also following these arrows.

This is so fascinating!

"You like it here already, huh?" Naomi interrupts my thoughts. She has now stopped at a floating traffic light with red arrows flashing.

"Yes, I'm quite speechless. After all, I've never seen anything like this before!" I say as I continue to look downwards at the people walking around the streets.

After flying with Naomi for a few minutes, I realized that she was indeed a skilled pilot. The way she controls the vehicles makes it look so easy and graceful, too. It's like watching a pro at work, and here I am, still getting used to the idea of cars not being stuck to the ground.

That's mostly because I know I would never want to try piloting this kind of vehicle. The thought of being in control of something soaring through the sky is just too much for me to handle. I didn't even have a driver's license back in the day either! I was scared of driving, and plus, my family had enough money for a chauffeur anyway. That's why I didn't bother getting a license.

Surprisingly, we now appeared to be heading towards a more rural area. The view was a stark contrast to the bustling city we had left behind. I knew we were currently in Japan, but I had no idea about the dating show's filming location.

"Um... Is this place far?" I asked Naomi, glancing back at her.

"No, just five more minutes," she replied, her eyes remaining glued to the air traffic ahead.

I couldn't help but notice that amidst the modern homes, some traditional Japanese-style houses were still standing tall. It's amazing that these historic beauties have survived for centuries! It's like someone took the best parts of the past and the future and slapped them together into this one amazing place.

Naomi gradually reduces the speed of the flying vehicle as we approach an impressive two-story house. The glass building is like something out of a fairytale, with one half bursting in fiery red and the other soothing in cool blue. It's like the house has a split personality! Many plants and trees seemed to surround the house, offering it a lot of privacy, despite the winter season.

As Naomi carefully guides the flying vehicle downwards, she is now landing on a special square on the ground that has the letter P on it. Once we are on the ground, the doors open automatically.

"Thank you, Twinkle!" Naomi says cheerfully before the birdlike vehicle closes its wings and returns to its initial resting position. 

The blonde woman then guides me towards the two-colored house. She presses her thumb in front of it before the door opens. As we both step inside, the first thing I notice is the long hallway surrounded by plants. At the end of it, there was a huge, green capsule, big enough to fit two people. The text on top says TELE-PORT. That has to be a teleportation device!

As I glanced around, I noticed that the hallway was dividing the two different colored sections of the house. Each color had its own two doors, which were both shut tight, and the walls had a bit of a frosty look to them, like you could almost see through but not quite.

"Come on, follow me!" Naomi called out, leading me down the corridor.

Just beside the TELE-PORT, there was another door on the left. She pulled it open using her thumb again—I guess Naomi really is the boss around here.

"Ta-da! This is where we will be filming a lot of our episodes as well as your first interview."

"Huh?" I turn around to look into the room, but all I see is pitch-black darkness inside. 

"What's up with the lights?" I asked, squinting into the abyss. Naomi chuckled. "It's the basement," she said, pointing out the stairs descending into the gloom. "This is where the magic happens, or at least where we will film a lot of our stuff."

Oh, no! What kind of low-budget TV show is this?