My Neighbor is from Another Planet!

Thursday, August 18th

6:02 PM inside the Aoi Family residence.

Sky’s room was lit from every corner with neon lights and shiny gemstones as she was doing what she loved most: Streaming. That day she had decided to do a bit of a live show to give advice to her fans on how to make the most of their choice of clothes and how to make them look trendy and fashionable no matter the day, time or scene!

For the streaming fans out there she was “Blue Sky” from the Streaming channel “Blue Sky over Port Seaview”. She had gained a lot of popularity amongst the young audiences thanks to her bubbly personality, her lovable demeanor and bright expressions. What also made her so loved by her audience was that she didn’t care if a person was shy or extroverted, she welcomed all with the same bright smile and friendly fashion advice.

That particular day, she was dressed in one of her finest ensembles of clothes, many flashy accessories that matched perfectly with her outfit and the perfect makeup to ensure she was dazzling from head to toes. It was no secret among her fans and friends that, for Sky, fashion was life! And she had no reservations when she told people to do their best to find the fashion that suits them and go for it!

“Doesn’t matter if it’s preppy, rocker or punk! Pick your fashion sense and let it make you shine in your own way, buddies! That’s all the time we have for tonight! So remember Seaview: Shine like a diamond, buddies! Hugs and kisses from your best gal, Blue Sky! Buh-bye!!!”

Sky’s camera and screen went dark signaling the end of the stream. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she started to relax. She felt good while doing her vlogs and live streams lately. Her friends had said that maybe sleeping well and waking up on time had made her more energetic and sociable. What her friends didn’t know was that it might’ve been the fact that she had introduced a new routine to her life over the last couple of days.

After she had dinner with Officer Weirdo the other night, Sky had invited John to drop by anytime for dinner - an invitation that still made her feel somewhat embarrassed and made that weird pinch in her chest appear again.

Since that night, she took it upon herself to message John to let him know which ingredients to buy. Unsurprisingly, Officer Weirdo had requested pictures of the ingredients she needed so that he didn’t make a mistake… Seriously? How the hell had John survived this long without poisoning himself!?

*BUZZ BUZZ* Phone notifications appeared in her smartphone. Eagerly, Sky sat on her bed and started to check into her channel to see the initial results of her latest live stream: 8K views in the last 30 minutes since she started. If the trend continued, she’d more than likely obtain about 50K views by the end of the day for that stream alone. Not bad, she thought to herself, but her goal was still pretty far away.

One Million Views before she graduated high school. She was in her senior year and about to turn eighteen too. Time was running out. Sky wanted to reach that goal to show to herself and to her parents that what she was doing wasn’t just a hobby, it was her passion. Believing that this was her calling, she’d poured all of her energy into it. So she wasn’t going to stop, ever!

She noticed the time on her smartphone: 6:23 PM.

Sky stood up from her bed and nodded to herself. No doubt John was on his way back to their building by now and carrying the required ingredients she had requested. Ever since they made it a thing for him to drop by for dinner, he had a tendency of always arriving at 6:45 PM - sharp. At first, she thought it was kinda considerate of him, but when he said: “Punctuality is the courtesy of Kings! I’m not a king, obviously, but I still think I should be courteous.”

“Weirdo…” Sky muttered to herself as she changed from her hyper trendy outfit and into a more casual attire with her cropped jeans and black t-shirt. She brushed her hair to allow it to hang loosely before tying it up in a ponytail, removed her makeup and put her accessories away. After checking herself in the mirror, she smiled since her transformation didn’t make her any less presentable. Heck! Even Officer Weirdo had said she looked nice in her casual home attire.

Huh? There it is again… that weird pinch in her chest appeared again. She was worried it might be an illness or something! But her “OnlineDoctor" app revealed her symptoms weren’t caused by a health issue or illness.

But it still came up… lately it appeared when she thought of…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps approaching outside the hallway. John had arrived at last.

“Hmmm? 6:39 PM?” She stepped out of her room and into the living room which remained clean ever since John volunteered to keep her place clean as a way to repay her dinner invitation.

Sky heard John approaching her door… but there was no knock on her door. One of her eyebrows quivered as she thought: “Is he seriously going to wait till 6:45 PM to knock on the door? *sigh* Weirdo…”

She walked towards her front door, began to undo the locks on it and opened the door…

6:21 PM outside the “Modest Produce” supermarket.

John made sure he had gotten every single piece of groceries Skylar had sent him through messages. Thankfully, she had also sent some pictures to ensure he took only the precise items she needed. Given how she had told him that he couldn’t cook at all, he thought it best to only get what the true experts should. He was just getting used to this new routine, but he found it pleasant enough to adopt it.

As he was walking back to the apartment building, his mind wandered back to what had happened during his shift…

He had been the one to report a police emergency.

While he was walking his beat, he saw smoke coming out of an apartment building and had immediately called it in as he ran at full speed towards the area of the incident. The fire hadn’t spread yet, but it was quickly making it more difficult for people to evacuate. Officer Roads had to take charge as he called dispatch to send emergency services immediately - ambulance, fire department and police all answered the call while John was relaying information to them. Once he got the “10-4!”, he immediately moved to assist people who might be stuck inside before the fire spread too much and made it dangerous for him to act.

John managed to help a small family evacuate the building and take them to safety as emergency responders began to arrive with sirens blaring. He didn’t stay put for long as he had to help carry the injured outside as well at his own peril. Most people would’ve been too tense or panicked to act in this situation. For Officer Roads, who had trained himself precisely for these situations, it was another task to fulfill.

Once the fire department arrived and the police had cordoned the perimeter, John was able to check with medical services if any of the evacuees needed help. Those he had helped escape were grateful for his assistance and heroism.

John had simply nodded and said: “Just doing my job.”

Now as he walked home, his mind went back to what he felt when he saw the smoke coming out of that apartment building much like the one he lived in… where Skylar also lived. The moment he connected those two ideas together, he abandoned all sense of self-preservation and rushed to help out.

What if those caught in the fire were people like Skylar and her family? The thought made him resolute in his devotion to his sworn duty “to Protect and to Serve”. This is what he lived for. And he would carry on, no matter what.

As he was arriving, he checked the time and realized he might’ve arrived a bit earlier than he wanted. John had planned to arrive at 6:45 PM as he had promised. He truly believed that he owed it to Sky to show respect to her by ensuring he arrived at the precise time every time.

“6:39 PM…” John grumbled to himself, “Guess I’ll have to wait out here for a-”

Just as he was standing outside of Skylar’s door, he heard the thumping of footsteps from within and the locks of the door being undone.

Sky’s door opened like a whirlwind and the young lady appeared with arms crossed and an angry pout on her face.

“You’re late!” She said with fire in her voice.

“Huh!? What? B-But it’s still 6:40! I said I’d-” John, trying to make sense of what she said and the reality of things looked all the more goofy as he was trying his best not to drop the bag of groceries.

Sky burst out laughing!

“Juuuust kidding! Seriously! You don’t have to wait out here for it to be 6:45 PM, Officer Weirdo…” Sky smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Come on in! I’ll start cookin’ right away.”

6:50 PM inside the Aoi Family residence.

Sky was observing John with a raised eyebrow and a twitch in her lips.

She asked him to help her prepare some of the ingredients he had brought back for the dish she had planned out. At first, John seemed a bit reluctant given his culinary mishaps. Sky had reassured him that all he would have to do is just follow her instructions on how to cut a few of these ingredients and he should be fine.

What happened next was Officer Weirdo doing such a mundane task as washing vegetables, cutting up ingredients and preparing some beef as if he were collecting evidence from a crime scene or doing forensics work like she’d seen in TV series before.

This guy is hopeless! There’s just no middle ground with him!

And yet… seeing him pouring all of his attention and his heart into such an easy thing was also kinda… cute.

Huh? Sky suddenly felt startled by the “pinch in her chest” again. This wasn’t the time for that! She had to cook something exceptional tonight and she had just the right idea in her mind!

7:15 PM

“Whoa…” John’s jaw had dropped when he saw another cooking miracle before his eyes! Sky had cooked him a large bowl full of rice, thin slices of marinated beef, a portion of sliced vegetables on top all in one savory dish!

“Ummm… John… you’re drooling a little.” Sky looked at John acting weirdly again and stared.

“Oh! S-Sorry. I just thought this looks delicious… smells very good too.” John’s hungry smile appeared which made Sky giggle softly. “What did you say was the name of this dish?”

“This type of dish is commonly known as donburi, which means ‘bowl’ in Japanese.” Sky began to explain as if she were a teacher in grade school. “This particular variation is called a Gyudon, which means…”

“Beef bowl?” John answered as he connected ideas in his head.

“Correct!” Sky smiled proudly. “You’re learning quickly, young grasshopper!”

“I do have a good teacher.” John smiled.

Sky was suddenly feeling very good to be praised! The fact that John was saying it also made it feel especially nice… Oh! There it was again… “the pinch”... Sky was starting to get a little worried as to what this meant…

“Guess I’ll have to be the one to teach you how to clean the apartment when it becomes a crime scene again, huh?” John said innocently.

Sky’s face turned red both with embarrassment and fury!

“YOU’VE GONE TOO FAR AGAIN, OFFICER WEIRDO!” She roared out at John who, as always, wasn’t too sure why Sky exploded at every honest comment he made.

“Idiot…” Sky mumbled to herself.

“Well… let’s not wait for this to grow cold. I don’t want to miss a single flavor of this beautiful meal you’ve cooked for us, Skylar!”

There he goes again saying things that made her both embarrassed and flustered! John had that honest way of speaking that could make her explode in outrage or make her blush… What's worse, it made “the pinch” grow stronger and made her feel troubled… this better not be what she thought it was.

“Y-Yeah! S-Sure…” She cleared her throat as she saw John waiting for her.

Both of them put their hands together and said: “Itadakimasu!”

While they were eating, Sky was observing every reaction John had whenever he tried any part of the Gyudon she had made for him. It made her giggle to watch him act like every bite was better than the next one. It also made her satisfied that she could still bring some joy to others even when she was off-camera.

*BUZZ BUZZ!* Skylar checked her phone for those notifications that kept buzzing. A quick check of her streaming channel revealed that her latest stream had earned 20K views! A proud smile appeared on her face and immediately began to text some of her friends to let them know of the current standing of her video.

John was busy enjoying the meal and taking note of every flavor the dish had. The combination of the rice with the beef and vegetables was perfectly balanced! He hadn’t really known what real food was until he’d tasted Skylar’s cooking. Truly she was a cooking genius.

Ever since he had started coming in after work to join Skylar for dinner, he had felt a notable shift in his attitude. It wasn’t just that she had fed him great meals, but she’d also become someone he could count on, just like she could also count on him for whatever she’d need.

What struck him as odd was that ever since he’d helped her out that night, he couldn’t really stop thinking about Skylar’s safety. Knowing that she was all by herself while her parents were away made him feel somewhat responsible for keeping her safe and protected. He knew he had no business burdening her like that, but thankfully she accepted his attempts at kindness and honesty… even if they sometimes made her explode.

“Remember kid, when there’s a lady in trouble, you offer help. You do the right thing because it’s right. Understand, Johnny?”

John remembered Detective O’Malley’s advice and nodded silently to himself.

*BUZZ BUZZ! BUZZ BUZZ!* A call? From Nick Banks! John picked up while Sky was also busy checking something in her phone.

“This is Roads.”

“Johnny! It’s Nick. Don’t mean to disturb your routine man. Got a minute?” John looked towards Sky. She was still busy on her own phone.

“Yeah. Just a minute, Nick. I’m… a little tied up…”

“I’ll make this quick then. I talked to my cousin in the DA’s office about the landlord thing.”

John kept his face unchanged, but within, he felt that fire inside.

“Yes?”

“Turns out you were right. This guy’s been throwin’ shady deals all over the place. They’re gonna drop the hammer on this guy soon. So don’t you worry! That scumbag won’t be bothering anyone very soon, thanks to you.”

John smiled softly and nodded. “Thanks, Nick. I owe you one…”

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Aren’cha gonna say somethin’ like ‘just doin’ my job’?”

“Not right now. Not while I’m having dinner…”

“You havin’ dinner with the nice girl you were talkin’ about?”

“Yeah.”

“I gotchu, man. I’ll keep this on the downlow for ya. I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”

“You bet. See you tomorrow Nick.”

After John hung up the phone he turned to look at his bowl but caught the sight of Sky looking at him with a smile.

“Who was that on the phone?”

“Seriously, Sky? That’s none of your business! You’re not his waifu!” Sky’s face suddenly turned red as she tried her best not to look embarrassed thanks to her inner monologue.

“Oh! It was a friend from work. He was telling me that a case we were working with is moving well and we’re going to catch a criminal very soon thanks to a little investigation we did.” John felt good that working the case and finally putting a rotten person like Mr. Gonzalez behind bars would also help protect Skylar and her family.

“Awesome! So, Officer Roads saves the day again, huh?” Sky smirked while John chuckled. “So, did you have to chase someone down? Did you get out of your patrol car saying: ‘Stop! Police!’ and put the cuffs on ‘em?”

“It wasn’t much really.” John said modestly. “First I had to gather some testimonies of other concerned citizens regarding this person of interest. After I got the necessary details I had to run this person’s information through the Police Database to cross reference any other similar incidents where the perpetrator acted illegally towards his tenants. You can’t really begin an investigation until you’ve signed a few forms and requested permission from the Lieutenant to pursue a lead and also need to pass this along to the District Attorney's office in order to proceed appropriately. And then…”

Sky’s head began to steam by the influx of information. For a moment, she had pictured John acting like the “Cool Cop” that had helped her with Mr. Gonzalez. Instead, she was hearing the story of “John Roads - Paper Pusher”. After what might’ve been ten minutes of John rambling about papers and procedures, she couldn’t help but admit: Boring!

But the way John was talking as if it were the most important thing in the world made her realize that, at least for John, this was his life’s work - this certainly was important for him despite how monotonous and boring it was for her. She couldn’t dismiss his hard work and dedication in such a brash manner.

“Oh, I see…” That was all that came out of Sky’s mouth.

“Great work, Sky! Now try to string a sentence that has more than three words! Geez!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bore you with the sordid details of my job.” John said apologetically, “But enough about me. I notice you’re checking your phone very often. May I ask why that is?”

“I don’t mind!” Sky’s mood suddenly shifted as she opened her phone and showed John a notification message saying: Your video has reached 25+K views! Congrats, Blue Sky!

John blinked and looked at the smiling Sky who noticed the blank look on John’s face. “It’s basically just a message to tell me that the video I streamed online just a while ago is starting to trend and getting a lot of views! I’m expecting to get at least 50K views by the end of the day! And not a moment too soon! Momma needs a new pair of sneakers!”

John was a bit at odds with what Sky had just said. Video Stream? Views? Blue Sky? New pair of sneakers? Was that some kind of code that he didn’t understand?

“Umm… sorry if I sound a bit dumb but… what exactly is it that you do, Skylar?”

“I’m a Streamer! The rising star of Port Seaview and ‘Favorite Gal’, Blue Sky!” Skylar stood up proudly from her chair. Hearing fanfares in her mind, she grinned proudly before Officer Roads thinking he was going to be wowed!

“What’s a ‘streamer’?” John’s puzzled look and his question made Sky’s pride turn into outrage!

“WHAT!? Y-You mean… you’ve never ever heard of live streaming?” John shook his head, “What about influencers? Vlogs? ‘Blue Sky over Port Seaview’?”

“Huh?” John was looking way more confused than before.

“O-Officer Roads… are you telling me that you have absolutely no idea of what a live streamer is?” Sky looked at John looking shocked and appalled.

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about Skylar.”

Sky felt like lightning had struck her! How was it possible that there was a person of John’s age category that had no idea of what the world of live streaming was! Nobody that was born in this day and age wouldn’t know what streaming was!

“Errm… well… you see,” Sky suddenly realized that explaining what streaming was wasn’t that easy, “people sometimes use their computers to… errrm… record themselves in videos and then post them online so that other people can see them!”

John’s perplexed expression didn’t make Sky feel any confidence in her explanation. This also made her increasingly flustered. He raised his hand which Sky pointed at him like he was a kid at school.

“What’s the point of it?” John asked.

“Umm… well… it’s to… show people how to do things! Or… umm… give advice about fashion trends and how to look good! That’s what I do!” Sky was hoping her explanation was enough.

“But why?”

“Urrgg!” Sky was trying to keep her temper in check. This was like explaining to her father what streaming was! “Because you can! Alright? You do it because you love it! Because deep down you know that people need someone to tell them they look great no matter what! I do it because I want to make people happy! I don’t want to do it so that people can be sitting on a desk filling up papers and sending files! That’s too damn boring!!!”

Sky caught herself realizing what she had just said! She had just spoken honestly about how she felt about John’s job in his face! She suddenly felt deeply embarrassed!

“I-I’m sorry, John… I didn’t mean…”

“Nobody’s perfect, Skylar.” John smiled kindly at her and nodded. Seeing him acting like this made Sky feel strangely… the “pinch” was suddenly transformed… she now felt a strange pit in her chest where the “pinch” was.

“J-John?”

“I know my work isn’t that glamorous. People think police work is all about chasing bad guys or helping people escape from burning buildings.” John remembered the day’s events and smiled softly. “Most of our work is done on a desk or walking the streets. But even if people don’t understand it, I will continue to be a Police Officer for the sake of every man, woman, child and streamer out there. This is my calling, I’ve poured all of my energy into it. So I’m not going to stop, ever!”

Sky’s chest felt the pit in her chest now become a wave of emotion washing over her. She had made this declaration only a while ago. This helped her understand her strange neighbor just a bit better.

John was just as passionate and devoted to his job as she was. Maybe more…

“I admit,” John continued as he looked into his bowl of food, “I have no understanding of what you do with your ‘streaming’. Honestly it baffles me! But, I can see that this is something you’re passionate about.”

John then looked Sky straight in the eyes, which made her blush as the waves in her chest made her heart beat faster.

“I respect those whose passion for their job surpasses my own.”

“W-What is this… feeling in my chest?” Sky kept looking straight at John’s eyes. That honest look in his face and the way he acknowledged her made her heart beat so fast… like never before.

“T-Thank you… John. And… I’m sorry for saying such things about… you know.” Sky couldn’t finish her sentence as she sat down blushing and tugging at her ponytail feeling embarrassed.

“It’s alright. I find the idea of people parading their lives online is a little unsafe, but if people are happy while doing it and not getting in trouble while doing it, then go ahead.” John smiled again and nodded at Sky.

“Y-You need to get out more… O-Officer Weirdo…” Sky threw that last jab while she took her bowl and continued to eat.

“Being outside is what I do, Skylar. Hahaha! Maybe we both need to learn a bit more of each other’s jobs, don’t you think?” John continued to eat from his bowl, once again his face changing the more he tasted the delicious meal.

“Weirdo…” Sky managed to say as both of them continued to finish their dinner.

9:30 PM

After they had finished their dinner and John helped Sky wash the dishes, they were now at the threshold of her apartment.

“Thanks again for the Gyudon. It was delicious! Sadly I might’ve eaten too much of it, so I can’t take any of it.” John said sheepishly as he stepped out to the hallway.

Sky had been in a constant state of embarrassment and feeling flustered ever since John spoke so honestly. It didn’t help that the feeling in her chest was growing stronger and made her heart beat faster. She didn’t want to admit it…

“W-Well… you have a healthy appetite, so… that’s good… plus… you work out so… you need… plenty of food…”

John had noticed that ever since she had her outburst about his job she had been acting strangely. He wasn’t sure if she thought he was offended or if his ignorance about streaming made it hard for her to talk to him. He didn’t want this to ruin Sky’s mood or hinder their connection.

“As a peace offering! Do you think you could show me one of these… streaming videos of yours?”

“S-Sure!” Embarrassment suddenly became joy in Sky’s heart as John took out his phone and showed it to her. She sent the link to her latest video through text message, which John caught and nodded.

“I’ll try to get acquainted with streaming, so I don’t make a complete fool of myself next time we chat. Actually, do you think we could continue this conversation about streaming tomorrow at my place? It’s my turn to be hospitable.”

Sky looked at John and smiled softly with a nod. Then she cleared her throat and called out to him:

“Just don’t go trying to cook something for us, okay? I don’t want to become a science experiment by eating one of your ‘biological hazards’.” She had to regain the upper hand so she jabbed at John hoping this would even the score!

“I’ll order us some pizza. Even I wouldn’t dare to put Miss ‘Blue Sky’ in the hospital with my cooking.” John smiled sheepishly again and chuckled.

“Grrrrr!!! At least you learned something about streaming today! Hmph!” Sky crossed her arms and looked away as if offended.

“Good night, Skylar.”

“G-Good night, John.”

11:57 PM

Inside John’s apartment…

John was laying on his bed while looking at his cellphone. He couldn’t fall asleep. He couldn’t fathom how someone could make a living from “live streaming” like Skylar did.

He was watching Sky’s videos on her streaming channel with a puzzled look in his eyes. He saw a completely different Sky on video than he did when they were having dinner or chatting away. Almost as if she had different personalities: Skylar Aoi and her internet alias of Blue Sky.

His neighbor was two people in one. The nice girl next door and an internet sensation.

“What planet is she from, anyway?”

Inside Sky’s apartment…

Sky was rolling in her bed while hugging her pillow. She couldn’t fall asleep. She couldn’t openly admit what she was feeling after John said those nice words to her!

The more she thought about it, the more she was trying to deny it! The “pinch” she had felt a couple of nights back had changed into something akin to a wave of emotions washing over her. She felt overwhelmed and troubled at the same time. 

Sky had never felt like this ever in her life!

The blushing cheeks. The flustered feeling. Her heart was racing. Every time she thought about John’s acceptance and how he always seemed to smile at her despite her chaotic emotions and lack of decorum made her feel overjoyed!

Skylar Aoi had developed a teeny-tiny crush on Officer Weirdo!

“What planet is he from!?”

Spoiler Alert: He’s not from Mars and she’s not from Venus.