That late afternoon, almost evening, the downtown square was as usual. People were returning to their homes and the last shops were closing. There weren’t many people on the streets, unlike earlier when it was bustling.

The square had a central part considered the heart of the city. In the middle, there was a simple fountain with inner lighting that made the water drops shimmer at night. Around this center, there were several large flowerbeds with native trees and shrubs, cared for by the city hall and the local university.

From one of the shrubs, a bright light began to appear. That same light had been seen before, at the arrival of the two enemies, Rosália and Itzel.

The light began to take shape and revealed a young-looking woman of medium-short height, fair skin, and pastel pink hair, braided and tied up high on each side.

Her eyes were friendly and piercing, amber in color, and her makeup was soft. As accessories, she wore two golden earcuffs with dangling gems that looked precious.

She wore a leotard in shades of blue and amber with embedded stones and knee-high boots in the same palette.

"Ohhh! I’m here! It’s real!" exclaimed the woman cheerfully.

"Welcome, Maureen!" Itzel greeted her.

Her arrival had already been announced. He brought with him a long-sleeved yellow shirt with a teddy bear print to give her. Maureen took the soft shirt in her hands and seemed very happy.

 "Ahhhh, it’s so cute! This shirt is so me!" she thanked.

 "I’m glad! I thought you’d like it. Let’s go to my place." he smiled, inviting her, then started walking to show the way.

 "Okay!" she agreed, putting on the shirt.

She began to follow him, observing every place carefully: the buildings, the trees, the ground, the sky. Everything was so different from her homeland.

 "How beautiful! It must be really nice to live here." she commented.

 "Oh, yes! It is."

The two continued walking through the city toward Itzel’s residence. Maureen, who seemed absentminded, was actually paying full attention, from the architecture and vegetation to people’s behavior… Nothing escaped her eyes.

"I was kind of worried. Rosália said this place was horrible, full of monsters, and that I’d be attacked right away."

 "Ah! Rosália tends to exaggerate a little."

 "She was even worried about whether I’d recognize you. She thought you’d be disfigured, but you look fine to me."

Maureen’s last comment made Itzel look at her in confusion. He couldn’t hold it and burst out laughing at the absurdity of what his beloved Rosália must have imagined.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, they stopped in front of a corner building with two towers and sixteen large apartments. The ground floor had commercial spaces, the walls were cream and antique pink, with brown corridor areas.

In front, there was a luxurious bathroom goods store, and on the other corner, a chaotic gas station. The building was also near the city’s soccer field, though not as close as Koa and Adonis’s.

"Wow! You’re living in this huge house?" Maureen asked, impressed by the building.

"Hahahaha. It’s not big at all. This is a building. It has several houses in it, from other people. They call it an apartment."

The two entered the building, and he led her to the apartment where he was living. Inside were his three roommates: Ren, the video rental shop owner; another young-looking guy, Dylan, with green eyes, wavy brown hair hidden under a knit cap, wearing long, saturated blue and orange clothes; and another man, Kenta, tall, with a more aggressive appearance, dressed in black leather, his fringe covering one eye, with black makeup on his eyes and lips, plus some piercings in his ears and eyebrows.

The three were watching TV and drinking beer. When they heard the door open, they turned to greet Itzel. Ren, the most lively, stood up with his beer in hand to welcome his friend. But the welcome was quickly interrupted, as all three were stunned by the girl their roommate had brought with him.

"You live with Earth humans?" Maureen asked Itzel.

"Yes! I do! They’re harmless." he replied.

While the two were talking, Ren approached his friend and pulled him aside, demanding an explanation:

 "Itzel, you never said you had a girlfriend."

"No, she’s just a friend." he explained, a bit bothered.

 "Friend? Come on, man, introduce us to your friend!" Dylan, the guy in the cap, said, already showing signs of being a little drunk.

 "This is Maureen. I’ll show her around the city. See you later." Itzel gave a quick explanation and was already leaving with his friend toward the door.

As they left, the three stayed behind and loudly went "Hmmm" in unison. Itzel looked even more irritated and slammed the door shut. Maureen was startled by his attitude.

 "Itzel, is it like Rosália said? Are you being kept captive?" she asked, very concerned.

As soon as they were alone, she pointed to her eyes and blinked twice:

 "Blink twice if you need help!"

Itzel looked at the pink-haired girl seriously and awkwardly, letting out a long sigh. He resumed walking and began explaining a bit about his life on the planet:

 "I work with them and share the rent."

 "What’s rent?" she asked, curious about local habits.

 "It’s when you pay to live in a borrowed house." he explained, trying to keep it simple.

While they were talking, his friend Ren, clearly drunk, opened the window and shouted from the second floor:

 "Have a nice date!"

Itzel wanted to curse his friend, but he was so shocked that all he could do was stare at the window, mouth agape.

 "Itzel, do they think we’re together? Why don’t you tell them you already have Rosália?" Maureen was flustered, wanting to get them out of that situation.

 "I… don’t talk about my personal life." he said, without giving details.

They didn’t have to walk far to reach the diner nearby, just a block away. The place wasn’t big but was cozy and well-known in the city.

 Located on a corner, they served meals on-site and also delivered. Their specialty was the local X-Salada burger with homemade mayonnaise, corn, and peas, along with the usual meat, lettuce, and vinaigrette.

"Ohhh! Are we going to try Earth food?" Maureen showed interest.

 "Yes! I invited Koa and Adonis too!" Itzel said.

The two looked for a table with four chairs. Soon Adonis appeared and walked over. Seeing his friends, he smiled and greeted them cheerfully:

 "Hey! Itzel, Maureen! How are you?" Adonis hurried his pace.

 "Hi Adonis! Is Koa coming too?" Itzel asked.

"Oh, no. He said it wasn’t necessary since you’d take care of me." he replied.

Itzel didn’t like hearing that, realizing he’d have to pay for everyone’s meal and babysit. His wallet would be much lighter that day.

"Sit down!" Maureen said, pointing to the chair.

"Thanks!" Adonis replied, pulling out the chair and sitting down.

"I’ll order what I think you’ll like." Itzel said, looking at the menu.

Itzel was very familiar with the place since he often came with his friends, so he knew the best choices for Maureen and Adonis.

 "And is this good?" Maureen asked, looking at the picture of the X-Salada on the menu.

"I didn’t get any of this. But I didn’t know the school food either, so let’s try this too." Adonis commented, grabbing another menu, though he didn’t really understand the dishes and drinks.

Since he was the most accustomed, Itzel called the waiter and placed the orders for everyone. Meanwhile, Maureen chatted with Adonis, curious about the young boy’s experiences:

 "So tell me, Adonis, what did you come here to do?"

 "Me? Oh, try to locate the Potentia." Adonis complained, a bit annoyed.

 "Well, since you’re about the same age as them, it’s easier." Itzel explained.

 "But that makes no sense! Why don’t you and Rosália look for them? You’re the ones who saw them! Wouldn’t that be easier?" Adonis retorted, indignant.

 "Rosália was terrified, she doesn’t want to go back. I only saw the oldest. I didn’t focus on the others’ appearance. And at school, it’s easier to search as a student." Itzel explained with his friendly and enigmatic smile, trying to persuade the boy.

 "Okay, I get it… But man… I’m hating school." Adonis admitted, revealing the reason for his frustration.

"Hahaha, then you’re fitting right in. I think what you have to do is find someone with odd behavior." Itzel couldn’t hold back his laughter.

 "They’re all weird. I think I need to look for the opposite…" Adonis remarked sarcastically.

 "You should get a girlfriend." Maureen suggested.

 "What!? Gross!!" Adonis shouted, shocked, making a scene in the diner and drawing the customers’ attention to him.

 "Maureen… I don’t know how that would help the mission." Itzel tried not to be too direct but was equally shocked by the suggestion.

 "Ahhh, it’ll help you make good memories! I had several at your age!" she explained.

The two stared at her seriously and didn’t even respond. Maureen talked about dating as if she’d lost focus on the mission with her idea. They changed the subject and kept talking and sharing ideas about the planet and what they were experiencing.

During that time, a tall, brown-haired waiter, who looked around 25, came to bring drinks to the table. That was Maureen’s description of him, since she found him handsome and scanned him from head to toe.

 "The drinks are here!"

The drinks were served in glasses. The yellowish liquid with a bitter smell in Itzel’s glass caught Adonis’s attention, who asked:

 "What’s that drink you’re having?"

 "That’s beer! It’s for adults. Only Maureen and I can drink it." he explained.

 "And what’s that black drink with bubbles?" Adonis asked curiously, staring at the fizzy liquid.

 "It’s called soda. That’s what kids drink." he explained.

Maureen listened to the explanations and grabbed Itzel’s glass to drink without waiting to be served. Excited, she downed it all in one gulp. But when she tasted the bitter, salty flavor, her palate rejected it, and she spat it back out, disgusted.

"THAT’S HORRIBLE, ITZEL!" Maureen said, repulsed, putting the content back into her friend’s glass.

 "DON’T SPIT BACK IN MY GLASS, MAUREEN!" Itzel shouted, unable to keep calm, the situation was getting out of hand.

 "Itzel, is there more of this?" Adonis asked, lifting the empty soda bottle and propping his foot on the chair.

 "YOU ALREADY DRANK IT ALL?" Itzel was shocked. "AND SIT PROPERLY!"

 "Is it really that good?" Maureen asked curiously, her amber eyes shining as she stared at the glass like a puppy, clearly interested.

 "Very, but if you don’t like it, I’ll drink it all, no problem!" Adonis replied, holding the glass, eager for more.

 "Bring two more sodas." Itzel told the waiter, signaling “two” with his fingers.

 "Sure thing, sir!" the waiter noted the order in a notepad and went to the drink fridge.

The night went on, and they ate and drank while talking and laughing.

By the end of the outing, Maureen’s stomach was full from eating so much. Itzel knew life in Finalia wasn’t easy and felt relieved to have given his companions a chance to enjoy themselves. Adonis also seemed relieved and happy to reunite with the two, his expression light and smiling.

"Ugh, I’m so full!" Maureen said, satisfied, putting her hand on her belly.

"Let’s get going then." Itzel said after paying the bill.

 "Thanks a lot, Itzel! Invite me next time!" Adonis greeted them and ran off toward his house.

Itzel and Maureen walked back together toward the building where he lived.

 "You’ll stay at my place tonight." he told her.

 "Ahh! I’ll be your rental friend?" she asked, placing her hand on her face, showing her joy.

 "Haha, no. Just for today, tomorrow we’ll find a place for you."

He paused briefly, looked at the sky, then back at Maureen, and said:

"The forecast for tomorrow is rain and thunder."

Maureen’s expression quickly changed and became more serious. She smiled as if to say she understood the message:

 "Great! I’ll start moving things right away."