Little Brain

"Absolutely not!" My voice echoes in the dark. "I'm not stepping in that dodgy basement!" I cross my arms and turn to Naomi with a frown on my face.

"Oh come on now, Airi! Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark." Naomi laughs while she shakes her head.

"Lights on!" She shouts. Then a series of lights begins to flicker to life from the depths of the basement. I watch in astonishment as the lighting equipment ascends gradually until they reach the top of the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the whole area.

Rows upon rows of crimson seats were stretching before us. The once dark basement now has the ambiance of an empty theater. My eyes are now drawn to the stage, which is dominated by a big, red sofa. Above that, there is a massive neon heart, equally as red, which hangs from the ceiling. The words "Pick a Brain & Fall in Love" are emblazoned in a tacky, retro font on a large banner beneath the heart.

Whoever made this has probably seen way too many romantic movies for their own good.

Without waiting for my response, Naomi descends the stairs that connect the elevated ground floor to the theatrical space below, beckoning me to follow her. I agreed to this interview after all. I can't back down now!

As we make our way down the stairs, we stumble upon quite a sight! There are cables and cords scattered along the floor, leading to various pieces of gadgets that I can only assume are part of the filming setup for the dating show. The closer we get to the stage, the more cluttered the area becomes. Why are all the cameras on the ground anyway?

Upon reaching the stage, Naomi pauses. "Stay right here; I'll go search for the host so we can start filming." With that, she walks towards the backstage area, disappearing from my view.

While waiting for Naomi's return, I can't help but explore my surroundings once again. The crimson color theme continues, with an array of heart-shaped monitors scattered across the stage, each displaying a different heart-themed animation. Some of them have a steady beat, like a real human's heart, while others flicker and twirl in a way that seems kind of out of this world.

"Psst!" Suddenly, a faint sound pierces the air, almost like a whisper. I spin around, but to my surprise, there is no one to be seen.

"Psst! Over here!" The whispers continue, growing slightly louder.I turn around again, but the stage is as empty as before. It is definitely coming from somewhere near me, but where exactly?

"Psst! To your right!" I move my head in the direction indicated, but there was still no one there.

"No! No! Your other right, you dumb humanoid!"

"Hey! That was rude!" I say before I realize my mistake. Then I look towards the correct side now, and I notice something unusual atop one of the floating lights. There seemed to be a tiny creature perched atop one of the monitors directly in front of me.

Frozen in place by the unexpected encounter, I find myself staring into the eyes of what appears to be an... extraterrestrial being?

[Warning! Warning!]

[Stress levels are high.]

[Warning! Warning!]

The alien remains in place, and upon further inspection, the tiny creature, of the size of a mouse, actually bears a resemblance to... a young girl?

What is happening?

She is also wearing what seems to be a Japanese schoolgirl's uniform! However, she stands out with a feature that is utterly uncanny: she has a huge brain on her head and no hair!

What the...?

"Why are you so shocked? Haven't you seen a humanoid with a big brain before?" Her voice was high-pitched but somehow cute. She had the same accent as Naomi.

"No, I haven't seen one, actually." I reply, still in shock after this encounter.

The little humanoid girl then jumps off the light and starts floating in the air, closer to me. She can fly too? Wow! I wish my body could do that, also!

"I'm assuming you're the famous Airi, huh?" She looks at me from top to bottom.

"I wouldn't call myself famous, at least not anymore, but yes, you are correct," I nod.

"Right, right. Listen, my name is Little Brain, but people know me as Brainy." She stops and stares at me. "And I'm the star of this TV show, got it?"

"Um... alright?" I reply, confused by her attitude. "Nice to meet you! You must be the host. I had no idea. It's probably because you look just like a cute fairy!" I smile. My comment must have taken her by surprise because a blush crept on her face.

"Listen here, humanoid! Don't be so full of yourself just because your brain is old." She frowns before she begins to fly around me and circle me, observing me from top to bottom."

"But I didn't do anything, I—"

"Shut it! I've read your file; you were a spoiled rich lady before, weren't you?" She then flies closer to my face.

"You think you're all pretty and smart and know how to dress?" She spoke with an intimidating aura. "But to us inhabitants of the future, you're nothing but a relic, a living fossil!"

I let out a chuckle as I continue to listen to her. She then hovered in front of me, her tiny hands now placed on her hips.

"You're the equivalent of a dinosaur!"

"Is that so? Because I think it's all about perspective." I tilt my head to the side. Brainy will have to do more than that to get a rise out of me.

"You see, you might think I'm old, but technically I just woke up in this world, so I'm just like a newborn!" I smirk proudly, "I mean, I had to learn how to walk again after all."

"Ugh! Why aren't you getting mad?" Brainy looks at me with a frown. If looks could kill right now, I'd be in serious trouble.

"Oh! I know! How is your cosmetic brand doing? Is it still around? Oops, that's right! It went bankrupt just like your other businesses!" She laughs.

Before I could reply, Naomi comes running towards us and smacks Brainy across the stage until she hits a wall.

"Be nice to our contestant, you sour brain!" Naomi catches her breath before she continues to speak."Sorry about that. It seems Brainy is feeling a bit insecure today." Naomi looks at me. "After all, you are one important guest."

"Is she alright?" I look at the little humanoid girl who was now rubbing the top of her head.

"Don't worry! That's not her actual brain. It's just a prop she uses for the show. She'll be fine!" Naomi then gently picks Brainy up and holds her with her fingers. "Now apologize to our guest!"

"Sorry!" The tiny humanoid rolled her eyes. Naomi then places her back on the stage.

"It's ok, I forgive you!" I smile. Brainy might have a big mouth, but I don't want anything bad to happen to her because of me.

"Alright, let's start over," Naomi said, extending her hand to me. "Welcome to our show! We're so excited to have you here!" She says before we shake hands.

"Let's make this dating show an experience to remember!"