"What... the fuck?"
"What? What's wrong, Neil?"
"What... IS BLOODY WRONG WITH YOU!?!?"
"HUH!?!? What in the hell is wrong with you!?!?"
Carlson can only sigh.
Carlson has been working in the British foreign affairs for a while now. He's made a couple of acquaintances working with all sorts of people. Most of them are fleeting, mostly due to their hectic and oftentimes shifting schedules. While the foreign affairs have certain jobs that only certain people gifted in social skills have, most are just clerical staff tasked with handling information and organizing them in a cohesive, easy-to-read manner for the upper brass. Staff always get shuffled around, as a result. Carlson have made a couple of friends, though. One sitting right beside him, Neil...
"Oh, I don't know, I'm not the one who suddenly transformed into a pubescent teen with which I want nothing to do with, right Gerald!?!"
...and the other at the British Embassy in Japan, Gerald.
"How many times do I have to tell you?! My name is not Gerald!! It's Gloria, you piece of shit!"
"Carlson! Tell him/her off, would you?!" They both shouted at me through their interlinked workstations.
"What?" The sudden shout caught Carlson off-guard, merely munching on his chips while watching them bicker. "Oh, I'd say please continue. You bicker like a couple, and now you actually look like one. I'm liking it so far, so keep going!"
"Ughh... Screw you Carlson!!" Once again, they shouted in unison.
Carlson finds the whole thing amusing. Gerald is the oldest among them, at the age of 37. He's become their mentor of sorts, having the most experience as well as charisma out of all the staff. But, seeing them bicker like that, Carlson thinks that they are meant for each other (or they are close siblings, who knows).
It makes sense, too. Neil is still in his early adulthood, at 25. Of course, being paired with a pubescent teen, more or less 17 or 18 years old is pretty sus, but he can dig it. He doesn't even look like 25 at all. His clean shaven face, his brown wavy hair, his tall height, not to mention his fit body resulting from his days working out in the gym. He could say he's just 21 (which, knowing Neil, he probably wouldn't) and they would all believe it.
"Th-this is fucked, Carlson. Aside from her appearance, and her personal identity, she's basically Gerald..." Neil murmured to himself.
"What did you say, Neil?" Gera-- "Gloria" inquired.
"I said that there's no children allowed at the British Embassy offices." Neil shot back, a small grin forming in his face.
"Wha-- Oh fuck off!" Gloria's very irritated now. Carlson has to defuse the situation.
"Well... Miss Gloria, it seems that all your credentials and identification is in order. Do you have anything else to add?" Carlson said.
"I've sent the report back to the British Embassy, sir! It includes the details and inquiries about the current diplomatic situation regarding Japan. You may peruse them at your own leisure." Gloria suddenly tense up.
"Come on, don't 'Sir' me. I feel old already." Carlson chuckled at himself, knowing that Gerald, now Gloria, the oldest of the three of them is now calling him Sir. Absurd.
"S-sorry si-- Carlson. I'll keep that in mind."
"Relax, I'm just jesting. No need to be too formal. You may go now. Get some rest."
Gloria nodded and cut the connection.
"Hey, I'm getting some coffee. Want some?" Carlson asked.
"You're taking this very well, Carlson." Neil grunted.
"Eh, I just think its a clever PR ploy by the Japanese government. Poor Gerald's probably roped into this." Carlson mused. 'What happened to his wife, though? Aren't they supposed to be together working?' He thought to himself.
"So, coffee?"
"You know I'm a tea person."
"Yeah, yeah, just checking if you're still thinking clearly."
"Screw you Carlson." He jabbed in a kind manner.
"Yeah, yeah, screw you too." Carlson jabbed back in a similar manner.
Alas, they can only laugh at the absurdity of it all.
"Hmmmpp ahhhh..." Paul stretched his arms while sitting comfortably at his swivel chair.
Paul have just gone from working as a clerk at a retail store. The wage isn't much, but It'll do to pay the bills. He just graduated from High School and, still with no idea what he wants to do, he decided to skip University for a few years. He does have a knack for technological stuff, however, so he took some freelancing jobs on the Net. This eventually led him to meet Aiko, a Japanese salaryman who's quite adept at English but makes up for it with the absolute lack of technical skills aside from clerical work. Paul helped Aiko once when he's struggling with one of the computer programs not working correctly. With Paul's remote assistance and technical skills, Aiko fixed the problem easily.
Paul and Aiko became fast friends after that, and Aiko even convinced Paul to play his favorite battle royale game with him. It's become their favorite pastime after work hours. The problem with it is the time difference. Paul's parents sent him to France to live with his relatives while they are still sorting out their businesses in America, while Aiko is currently living in Japan. As such, Aiko is forced to wait until close to midnight since Paul checks out at sunset. Paul is initially concerned about this, but Aiko says that he just sleeps off the time difference, and that he's fine.
Paul boots up his computer and starts the game. While the game is loading, he opens up his messaging software to see if Aiko is online. Sure enough, he is, playing the game while he waits. He gave him a message asking if he's in while he logs into his game account.
"Meh, he's probably busy killing noobs. Might as well improve my aim at Practice mode." He thought to himself.
He practiced shooting in Practice mode, trying out different weapons and taking on moving targets at various heights. After a while, he finally a received a reply from Aiko.
"Whew. Tough match. I'm ready to play again!"
"You're very excited." Paul laughed to himself. "Let's go into Voice Chat first, shall we?" Paul messaged.
"Yes. That's a great idea. I'll drink some water first, though." Aiko replied. He's still too formal in talking, Paul thought.
Paul set up the Voice channel and turned on his microphone. "Hello, hello, can you hear me clearly?" He says as he taps his microphone.
"Yes, Paul-san. I can hear you clearly!" A girl replied.
"Who-who is this?" Paul asked, not expecting the voice that he's heard.
"Oh... Ano... I forgot to introduce myself. I am Aiko."
"What? Aiko is a man."
"Ha-hai! That's me! I have no idea what happened to me. I'm just going to get some water when I looked in the mirror and saw... myself."
"D-do you... want to continue this over Video Chat?" Paul is skeptical at first, but now he's straight-up suspicious. He needs to know what actually happened.
"Ha-Hai!" he agreed.
Paul hastily set up his webcam above his monitor and connected all the cables. After which he created another Video Chat. As he opened his webcam, a video of a teenage girl, probably around 13 or 14, showed up beside his video. It says "Aiko" on the bottom of the video.
Her appearance seems to be both the spitting image and the exact opposite of his friend. Her long and smooth flowing black hair really contrasts with the former Aiko's black and almost-permanent bed hair. Her now droopy and peaceful eyes replace the former's heavy and depressing eyes. The glasses still reminds him of former Aiko's "terrible" accuracy, though it seems gigantic on her now cutesy face. Her sweatshirt is also the very same thing that Aiko always wear when they are playing. If Paul didn't know any better, he would assume that this is some kid who stumbled upon Aiko's gaming set-up, looking all confused and lost.
Thinking about both the former and the current Aiko at the same time made Paul choke on his own spit.
"A-ano... Paul-san?" The sudden call caught Paul off-guard. He's already bewildered that a teenage girl answered his friend's phone, but now he's borderline fainting seeing his friend somehow turned into a teenage girl.
"H-huh?" Paul can only cough up a reply.
"A-are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. J-just kinda shocked, that's all."
"I'm sorry Paul-san. I really don't know what happened to me..." Aiko bowed her head. Paul felt guilty.
They both stood there in silence. Paul doesn't know what to say regarding her situation, but...
"H-hey, you still up for some matches?"
"Yes!" Aiko beamed with excitement. Paul quickly recovered and chuckled to himself.
"Well then, I still don't believe you are really Aiko, but if you are, then you know that you've never won against me on kills. I'm eager to see you to not even get close to half of mine."
"That's not true! I've beaten you multiple times!"
"You wish. Anyways, let's do this!"
"Hai!"
Match Found!
"Let's Pwn Some Noobs!" They said in unison.
Blue. Blue all around. Clear blue skies. Smooth seas. Blue Cargo Pants. Blue Shipping Containers. Blue Stripes on the Ship Walls. Everything he sees, It's all blue.
"Matt, I think you're losing it man." Matt can only nod.
Matt and the other crew of the transport liner Tax Evasions (which he thinks is a rather brave name) has been stuck in the Pacific for a few days now. Now the crewmen is just lying on the ship deck with nothing to do apart from the occasional maintenance and equipment checks. The ship's supposed to arrive in Japan three days ago, and there's still no signs of land on the horizon. The captain of the ship, a heavyset man named Carlos, announced that the ship's navigation and radio equipment has gone haywire and that they have no idea where to go. As such, they have decided to continue on their current course, on the hopes that they will eventually arrive at their destination. Obviously, they didn't, and it's only a matter of time before their fuel and food stores run out. It's quite fortunate that the stuff they are transporting aren't perishable. They are transporting what seems to be various electronic and mechanical machinery. Otherwise they would have to cruise all the way back to the States.
"Sir, we have rubber boats on the horizon! 10 o'clock!" With the navigation equipment broken, someone has to sit on the radar tower with binoculars to scout out for land. Matt finds the combination of old navigation systems and military clock lingo weird.
Every crewman rose up from their slumber on the ship deck and went towards the direction of the rubber boats, Matt included. It's true, he thought. There are really rubber boats coming their way, hopefully to rescue them and guide the ship towards their destination. But, as the boats get closer, the crewmen saw something strange with its passengers.
At first, they thought that they are all a bit short for a rescue team, until they realize that they are all teenage girls. They all have exotic hair colors as well, from fiery red, lime green, and sky blue, and even with their cute and childish faces, they all share serious frowns as they stare at the ship that is Tax Evasions. They are all wearing standard military gear as well, and they even have guns. The crewmen became more anxious as the boats surround the ship, covering all sides as if this is an anti-smuggling entrapment operation. Their captain, though really unnerved by this turn of events, waded through the crowd of crew to see exactly what's going on.
One girl, presumably their leader, stood up and pulled out a megaphone from her boat. She has a long, dark messy hair with some dark red highlights on it. The military uniform really pushes squeezes on her well-developed bust, and those pants really hug her thighs. Matt also guesses that she's quite old compared to her companions, judging from her height. Still, no one salivates at her appearance, probably due to the fear of lawful apprehension or just being branded a pedophile by the rest of the crew. Looking from a logical perspective, one could assume that the girls are just role playing or LARPing, but them having access to rubber boats, military apparel and guns, fake or not, is quite the stretch. Seeing a lithe girl wearing heavy military apparel, holding a gun on one hand and a megaphone on the other, Matt is very confused.
Their leader inhaled deeply, before speaking in the megaphone.
"This is the JSDF Maritime Patrol! State your Business!"
Matt gulped.
"Hey man, you're seeing this?" A man, probably their technician, said on the radio.
"Yeah. That's very strange." Another man, probably another technician, replied.
"It's like, it has hiccups or something..."
"H-hey, if it's working, then it's working. Don't question it." A third one interjected.
"HEY YOU LAGGARDS! STOP MESSING AROUND AND FIX THE GODDAMN RADAR CONSOLE ALREADY!" A loud man suddenly shouts at the radio, probably their sergeant or something.
"SIR YES SIR!" Both men quickly replied. And then there's only silence.
Belle can only sigh. She's been stuck with her team of researchers on this dastardly military base on Midway. Their trip to Hokkaido to investigate some weird organisms currently roaming around there got cut short by orders of the military. They are quite generous with their lodgings, but still, they are stuck in a military base with nothing to do. As such, Belle is just lounging around in the benches, gazing in the clear blue skies and soft clouds.
"Eyo, you're one of the researchers they're talking about, I presume?" A soldier suddenly spoke up beside her.
Belle turned to him. He appears quite young, yet very fit for a soldier. A chiseled face, tall height, and wild brown hair just skirting within military regulations. His open leather jacket reveals his toned abs, and the tight T-shirt really shows the size of his biceps. He's like the personification of Hollywood Military Personnel. He's a military hunk, that's for sure. Belle quickly turned away.
"Yes. Why'd you ask?" Belle shot back, though she didn't mean it so aggressively.
"Woah, woah, easy there." He placated as he sat on the benches a couple meters beside her. "Name's Charles, by the way."
"Call me Graham. Miss Graham." Belle hates herself for being this cold, but she's not supposed to mingle with the common soldiery. They are only staying here for a few days, she thought to herself.
"Sheesh, talk about cold, man." Charles mused. "I'm just trying to have a conversation."
Belle tensed up. She swatted Charles' hand away from her head. Looks like he's about to head pat her.
"Don't touch the hair." Belle said, pertaining to her rich blonde hair tied to a ponytail.
"I'm just about to comment on your height, good lord. I'm literally freezing over here!" Charles mockingly shivered.
Hearing that, Belle felt guilty. She feels like she's isolating herself from everybody else in the base. She no longer hangs out with her research group, and no military personnel wants to go near her. Except him. Belle thinks that Charles' probably hurt by her very cold demeanor, and she wanted to apologize. She doesn't know how, though.
Belle's considered to be one of the smartest researchers on their university with regards to taxonomy. She can accurately identify, classify, and predict the origins of any species known to man. Her skills doesn't end on her memorization of existing organisms, however. She's one on a group of researchers that discovered about 30 new organisms and further expanded on the existing taxonomic compendium. This is brought about by the combination of her innate deductive reasoning and the love for reading and discovery. She focused on her studies a lot, which pretty much destroyed her social life. She never really learned how to interact with people, and they see her either as a nerd for studying too much or a snob due to her high remarks. The only reason she's accepted in the research institute is because of her skills and knowledge, not because of her social skills. She doesn't even know much about the research group she's with, and vice versa.
Still, she knows if she's crossed the line. Building up the courage to apologize, she turned to him and spoke up. Though what came out isn't what she expected.
"So... what about my height?" Belle is so ready to slap herself in the face. Now he's gonna think that she's threatening him.
"I think you're pretty short for your age." Charles said nonchalantly. He doesn't even turn to address her question. Any thought of Belle apologizing has vaporized in an instant.
"Oh really?" Belle hissed. Charles turned and his face shifted from a look of relaxation to a look of horror.
"I-I'm just kidding! Please don't kill me! I don't wanna dieeeeeeee!" Charles doesn't seem to be acting anymore. He genuinely looks horrified.
Seeing Charles in a miserable state, Belle can't help but feel a small smile creep in her face. Seeing this, Charles relaxed a bit.
"Whew, really thought I'm in trouble there..."
Belle sighed. She leaned her back on the cold container walls where the bench is placed beside. Charles tried to inch closer to her when the radio suddenly gave out static noises.
"Oh... my bad. Must've forgot to turn it off." Charles scratched his head as he removed his radio from his butt.
"It's fine." Belle looked at the clear blue skies, letting her mind wander a bit.
"So, heard anything interesting?"
"Not much, just some technicians fixing something."
"Uh huh... Is it the radar dish?"
Belle nodded.
"So that's what they're doing, huh? I thought they're just there to escape some chores."
"How relaxed are you people here?" Belle said incredulously.
"Very." Charles replied nonchalantly.
"CORPORAL MCNAMARA! TO THE HEADQUARTERS! NOW!" The sergeant from before shouted on the radio. Charles slowly stood up and sighed.
"Whelp, that's my signal. Hope you enjoy your stay here... Miss Graham."
Belle nodded at that. For a brief moment she's forgotten all about her goal in traveling here. She's able to act like a normal person, not some privileged researcher or a prodigious individual. Talking to Charles really lightened her mood. Her heartbeat is relaxed, almost as if she's talking to a friend, not a creep nor a crush. She became closer to him in a span of mere minutes, which most of her colleagues took months to achieve.
Belle felt the warm breeze, and smiled wistfully.
"Maybe being stuck here isn't that bad, after all."
"W-wha-- Come on, why did you change the channel?!?"
"Since when are you interested in news, Jake?"
"Easy honey, it's nice that Jake cares about news from time to time."
Jake sulked in the couch, beside his caring mom, Margaret. Meanwhile, his dad Robert went through the channels, probably to look for sports channels or something.
Jake has long been a semi-closeted weeb. Though his interest in Japanese culture and media has been known by many of his colleagues, he doesn't let it define him as a person. He's not the person to shout out Anime references in conversations, neither does he really recommend people to watch the stuff he watches unless they ask for it. He's not the one to idolize anime characters, neither does he spend ridiculous amount of money on merchandise (though he may buy one or two if it's really good). To many, he's just an average high school student with a quirk of being a weeb. And even he's slightly losing it. The sheer amount of schoolwork, hanging out with friends, and playing sports has eaten up the majority of time he usually spends watching anime. The only thing keeping him tethered in the weeb community is the memes and shitposts that he regularly sees.
That's why, when the news broke out about the Japanese incident, Jake is ecstatic. The situation is literally like a premise of an anime. An entire nation turned into schoolgirls sounds like a great time for a pubescent boy such as him. He could lose himself in all the pretty faces that he'll see. All that's left is for everyone of them to have a very outrageous quirk, like a former pilot turned jet fetishist. Still, if there are no men in the country, what will happen to the couples there? And what about the public and private occupations, like policing, firefighting, clerical work, all that? What will happen to them?
These thoughts rumbled through Jake's mind. He's thrilled of all the possibilities and mystery behind that country that literally turned into the personification of slice of life anime. Which, of course, the Japanese government banned all outgoing and incoming flights and cruises. No one can enter, and no one can leave. And now, his dad don't even want to watch the news. He'll be forced to watch the news online, but by then all the memes have come out and he no longer has to.
Jake sighed. "Well, I'm gonna go back to my room."
"Come on, son. Don't you want to watch some sports with your Dad?" Jake's dad turned to him while
"I'm really not interested, Dad. Besides, there's no sports shows anyway. It's all news."
Jake's mom patted her husband on the back. "It's fine, honey. Our little kid is growing up. Let him do what he wants."
His dad sulks in reply. "Fine, I guess." Jake knows that his dad is only putting in an immaturity act, but he still feels guilty.
Jake walks up towards his room and collapsed in his bed. He stares blankly at the ceiling, with no motivation to play games or read his DMs. The news linger in his mind, consuming him. Suddenly, his phone rings.
Jake answers the phone. "Hello?"
"Yo Jake! Have you heard the news?!" It's his friend, Rob.
"No." He replied sternly.
"O-oh... Well forget all about that! I have something to show you!"
"What?"
"You see, a big cargo ship docked this morning."
"So? What's that gotta do with me?"
"Ehehehe..." Rob giggled maliciously. "Here's the best part. I've heard that the ship's sailing towards Japan. But you haven't heard the news yet so I guess it doesn't really matter."
"R-really?" Jake tried to feign indifference but failed.
"Oh ho ho, is that curiosity I hear?"
"Yes! Now what are you planning to do?!"
"Well, I'm just planning to board it while no one's looking. Boom, free sailing straight towards the 'Land of the Rising Schoolgirls'!"
"'Land of the Rising Schoolgirls', really?"
"Hey, don't diss on my amazing naming skills! Anyways, you in?"
"Yeah. Count me in."
"Awesome! Meet me at the docks at 10 PM. I'll be waiting..." Jake noticed that the last sentence sounds more nefarious than the others. Signature Rob.
Jake's mom suddenly opens the door to his room. "Jake, dinner's ready. Oh, is that Rob on the phone? Tell him Mom says hi!"
"Rob, Mom says hi." Jake said nonchalantly.
"O-oh I almost forgot. You should ask your parents for permission. Make something up."
"Gotya gotya. Anyways, I have to go."
"Same. See you at 10." Rob ends the call.
Jake hurried towards his mom.
"Mom, say, can I go on a trip with Rob today?"
There's a moment of silence before his mom replied.
"Let's talk about this over dinner, shall we?"