Video Rental Store — March 5th, Friday, 8:00 p.m.
Itzel, now trying to understand Earth's ways, spent the day observing and learning how to run the video rental store. The way he paid attention made everything come easily—he picked up the routine fast and worked without much trouble.
Being new in town, he naturally drew attention from the regular customers. And girls, especially, kept trying to talk to him—like the two blonde, well-dressed young women who walked in and immediately got curious.
"Girl! Did you see the new clerk?"
"I did! Should we try saying hi?!"
They went looking for romance titles, hoping it would give them an excuse to get closer to the newcomer. Maybe they could start a conversation that way.
"Excuse me!! We want these!" they said together, each holding up a romantic movie.
"Two from the romance section?" Itzel asked.
He took the DVDs to the counter, checked where the original discs were stored, and made sure there were no scratches.
"All good. Just pay at the register and bring them back in three days. Oh—and thanks for choosing us. Come back anytime."
His polite smile wasn't enough to hide his lack of interest. The girls almost felt the emotional wall between them. They paid, took their movies, and left disappointed—no conversation with the cute clerk after all.
Ren, the pink-mohawked owner, had been behind the counter the whole time. He'd watched everything, impressed, and walked up to Itzel.
"Uh… Itzel…"
"Yes?"
"Those girls… they were hitting on you."
"Oh. Yes. And what would that be?"
"Right—yeah. You're not from here. I forgot."
Ren paused, thinking about how to explain the concept to a foreigner.
"They want to date you. But, like… not seriously."
"Oh. Then I'm not interested."
The day moved on, and it was time to close. Itzel said goodbye to the last customer. Ren came up with an invitation.
"Yo, Itzel! Wanna go out tonight?"
"Wanna go… what? Go where?"
Ren blinked, then laughed.
"Oh, dude. Right. You're from outside."
Ren started doing weird, confusing dance steps to show what he meant.
"It's a place people go to dance. There's a bunch of people you don't know. But you can meet them."
"It seems strange, but it must be important to Earth natives…" Itzel thought, watching Ren's odd movements and assuming it might be some kind of ritual.
"I'm bringing my girlfriend, and a couple other friends are going. We leave here, get ready, and then we go." Ren gave a thumbs-up.
"I understood absolutely nothing, but I will accept the invitation," Itzel said, still confused—yet curious, because he would learn more about local culture.
Dance Club D — 11:00 p.m.
Night came, and everyone was ready. Itzel wore clothes he'd borrowed from Ren: a military-inspired look with leather and vinyl details. It was completely different from what he'd arrived on the planet wearing—and didn't resemble his work uniform at all.
Ren wore something similar but simpler: a plain shirt and a shorter jacket. Ren's girlfriend, Lauren, came with them in the car. She was beautiful—fair skin, green eyes, long black hair falling over one eye, a style that was very in at the time. Her look resembled a gothic rock vocalist.
They drove up to a higher part of the city, where the club was.
The place was packed with young people. Colored lights swept through the room, and a main white strobe flashed nonstop. The electronic music was deafening. Everyone jumped and danced while drinking all kinds of colorful drinks.
Everyone—except Itzel, who leaned against the wall, simply observing.
"Dark place. Flashing colored lights. Very loud sound. They dance and drink colored liquids," he thought, making mental notes.
As he watched, two beautiful, well-dressed blonde girls approached him.
"Hey, cutie! Good evening!"
"So—what's your name?"
"My name is Itzel. But I am a human."
They laughed, thinking it was charming—maybe even flirting. They kept asking.
"Oh, that's cute! Such a different name. Is it foreign?"
"Yes."
"And how long have you been here?"
"Not even a week."
"Visiting?"
"I came for work."
"That's so cool! Hey—how about taking a walk around the city with us?" the first one asked, pulling his arm.
"That's fine. I'd love to see it," Itzel agreed, taking the chance to get out of that place.
Ren spotted it immediately. He rushed in between Itzel and the girls, forcing them to let go.
"HEEEY! SORRY TO RUIN YOUR NIGHT, GIRLS, BUT THE PRETTY BOY HERE IS WITH SOMEONE," Ren cut in.
They exchanged confused looks and whispered.
"Oh no… I think the cute one plays for the other team."
After they walked away, Ren put both hands on Itzel's shoulders, trying to understand what had just happened.
"Itzel, what's your secret? I leave you alone for two minutes and TWO girls come hit on you."
"Secret? They just wanted to show me the city. Nothing serious."
"Man… you're really innocent. It's not the city they want to show you…"
Sayuri's House — Saturday, March 6th, 7:00 a.m.
The house was buzzing early. Akiko—who never woke up early on her own and hated leaving bed on a day off—was already up. Dressed, smiling, fixing up the place. Her excitement was contagious.
Sayuri had just woken up and come downstairs. Hearing running water at the kitchen sink and smelling dish soap, she stopped, confused by the scene.
"Akiko? It's 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday. Why are you up so early?"
"Today's the pajama party. I'm excited—I could barely sleep," Akiko said, practically bouncing.
"Oh! Right! The house is going to be packed. I'll ask Guang to buy food and drinks. Matsui is little—she can't stay up too late."
"Don't worry! We'll leave everything clean!"
After the cleaning mission, the whole place smelled fresh. Everything was ready for the guests. Akiko felt proud she'd finished in time. Miyu looked at the groceries and complained nothing healthy had been bought. Naoko rested her face in her hand, already exhausted from the amount of energy poured into organizing.
And they weren't even done.
They split up: Naoko and Miyu went to the stove to make brigadeiro in the pot, while Akiko got Megumi's help to plan games for the night. They kept at it until the doorbell rang.
"Aino and Yukino are here! I'll get it!" Sayuri offered.
When Akiko saw them, she ran, jumped, and grabbed Aino in a tight hug.
"Aino!!! Yukino!!! I'm so happy you came!"
"Ugh, let go! Why do you and Yukino keep doing that? Can I at least put the ice cream away?" Aino complained.
Quiet in the back, Yukino wondered why she had been dragged into the sentence with absolutely no context.
"Oh! The ice cream you make?" Akiko asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes! But hey—I'm not sleeping here, so don't get excited," Aino replied, carrying it into the kitchen.
"Girls! Let's start now and eat everything before Aino leaves!" Akiko announced.
"YOU'RE SO DRAMATIC!" Aino snapped.
They threw around ideas—karaoke, makeup, a bunch of things—but couldn't agree. In the end, they went with board games, which everyone accepted more easily.
Aino left around 10:00 p.m., and the others played late into the night. When it was time to sleep, they improvised mattresses in the living room, some on the couch—but everyone managed a good night's sleep.
Sunday, March 7th
Sunday promised high energy: strong sun, perfect beach day. Akiko woke up early and got everyone up, thrilled to have fun.
Megumi knew Guang's car, though spacious, wouldn't fit everyone comfortably, so she called a taxi to take herself, Miyu, and Naoko—so everyone could ride without squeezing.
Beach
The beach overflowed with people. The smell of the sea on the wind, scorching sand, cold water. The city wanted to enjoy the last days of summer—relax, spend time with family. That was what the girls came to do too.
Akiko immediately started pulling everyone into the day.
"Let's play ball on the beach! Who's in?"
"Wanna play, Matsui?" Naoko asked.
"Yeah!"
"I'm going for a walk," Yukino said, heading down the shoreline.
"I'm gonna read first, then I'll play," Miyu said, moving toward a quieter spot.
"I think they're all comfortable now," Guang said with relief, watching the girls.
"Yeah, they get along," Sayuri said, calming him.
"Go enjoy yourself, Guang. You don't need to watch us all the time," Megumi said, noticing he needed to relax.
The sun was blazing. On that crowded beach, Itzel, Ren, and Lauren were talking and drinking cold beer together, enjoying their day off from the store.
"Grab a beer and let's talk. Yesterday me and Lauren noticed your name is Spanish. Is that it?" Ren started interviewing him, handing Itzel a beer.
"My name. Yes. It is."
"Nice, dude! So you're Mexican?"
"Yes."
"Whoa, cool. But you're mixed, right?"
"Yes."
"Half German?"
"Yes."
"Incredible how Earth people invent stories. You just agree and it's fine," Itzel thought after answering every guess with a calm yes.
Taking the chance to explore, he stood up and told them he was going for a walk. As he wandered, observing Earth behavior, something unexpected caught his attention.
Near the shoreline, Yukino sat and tossed seawater upward, freezing the droplets instantly—training to improve her speed.
After watching for a moment, Itzel extended his hand toward the sea. The water began to drain rapidly, pulling the shoreline back.
People panicked. Screams, frantic running, bodies colliding as everyone tried to grab their things and escape.
Ren sprinted over to Itzel, trying to get him to leave, but Itzel refused, saying he would go later—he was just checking if anyone needed help.
Yukino stared at the sea with suspicion. That didn't happen in this area. Something was wrong.
The man responsible approached her calmly. She noticed and looked straight at him.
"Everything okay? Do you need help?" Itzel asked.
"No. I'm leaving," Yukino said, turning back toward her friends.
The moment she turned her back, the outsider took it as an opening.
His calm, innocent expression hardened—controlled, attentive. He spread his hands and shaped the water he had drained, launching it at Yukino.
The mass rushed forward, catching her off guard, knocking her down, pinning her.
Sayuri saw it and ran toward her to protect her. Megumi reacted instantly, firing her Light Potentia to blind the attacker—giving the others room to move.
Itzel struggled to see, but he didn't panic. Rosália had already reported the existence of these powers. And now, finding an ice Potentia and a light Potentia, he concluded he'd found the same group. Even with the harsh glare in his eyes, he stayed calm, trying to read the situation.
Sayuri positioned herself in front of Yukino. Naoko—Potentia of Water—ran in to undo the trap.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Naoko asked urgently.
"I'm fine. Thank you," Yukino replied, pushing herself up.
The appearance of the water Potentia confirmed it: yes, these were the same ones who fought Rosália. Itzel knew they were skilled, and he was at a disadvantage alone—but he decided to try to capture at least one.
He started running, using the moment they were distracted.
What he didn't notice was the dense mass of air forming behind him.
In an instant, he was caught, lifted, suspended—sealed inside a capsule of wind.
"She didn't mention any air… So there are more. This air mass is strong enough to levitate me," Itzel thought.
Even then, he stayed calm. Now he tried to identify the source of the air surrounding him.