Since I had a destination in mind, I packed up my nonexistent belongings, went back to that alley, made sure no one was around, and stripped.

I felt my bones cracking and shrinking. My brain shrunk as well. It’s not painful, but I can feel it all. I transformed into my eagle form and took off.

 

I don’t like to waste time when traveling, so I directly flew to Japan, which took 13.1 hours from Florida, which is where I took off.

Because I was a bird, I could sense Earth’s magnetic field and know where to go.

When I got to Japan, I landed on the roof of a gym and transformed back into human form.

I put the clothes back on and hooked the cat collar around the belt loop of my jeans. I wore simple Vans shoes and a T-shirt. It was mid-May, so it was the perfect time to come to Japan, as it was uncrowded.

I didn’t know a lick of Japanese, so I had to learn somewhere.

I excited the gym and went to the street. There were some people and students outside.

I walked along the sidewalk and kept walking until I found a library.

Libraries are so cool. They have a massive assortment of books. The type of books I need are those for practicing Japanese.

It’s not much, but it’ll help me get around easier.

The more I looked, the more complex it became. Finally, I found the English section. It was a small section, but it had some big books on learning Japanese.

 

After hours of reading, I decided to leave and go to a small hotel to live in for a while. It was called the Osaka Guest House. It was $6 a day. I paid $2,190, which was for a year.

It wasn’t all that close to the library, but it was affordable. The reason I paid for one year is so I could become fluent in Japanese without worrying about living expenses.

And so, day after day, I’d go to the library. I also bought a computer. It was small, so I could carry it when I was a bird. 

About two weeks passed by and I’d finished with the library. After all, I’d been staying there for hours. Approx. 14 hours out of the 24 hour day.

It came to a point where the librarians recognized me and greeted me when I came in. They spoke English, so it wasn’t a problem speaking with them.

I did practice my Japanese with them as well. They taught me some words and phrases.

I started bringing my computer to the library to learn online because there was free wifi.

A couple more months passed and I became fluent in the first and second levels of Japanese.

Three more months flew by and I became fluent in third level.

The fourth level took me three more months, and the fifth took me three months as well.

A year had passed in the blink of an eye. 

The librarians at the library could speak normally with me in Japanese.

“So, why did you come here to learn Japanese?” one of them asked.

“Because it’s easier to come to the country of origin than learning abroad.”

“Oh. But why did you come to this library?”

“It looked nice, and I thought a clean and comfy library such as this one would be best for me to expand my knowledge.”

“Oh, well you sure know how to flatter us.”

“Hah. Well, it’s the least I could do. Thank you so much for helping me over this past year.” And I bowed while saying this.

“No, thank you! You made our days of watching a silent library very fun!” the other librarian said and they both bowed in return.

With that, my yearly rent and practice sessions in Osaka were completed.

I packed my things and went to catch the bullet train to Tokyo.

The fee was about 13,620 yen ($136.20) and the ride was 2 hours and 30 minutes.

After a smooth and fast train ride, I got off and was greeted with so many lights. In Tokyo, the streets were always lit up. There was no such thing as night when it came to Tokyo. There were also TONS of people.

I walked around and ended up in Roppongi. It’s a great neighborhood to stay in, or so I’ve been told by the librarians.

The rent was about 144,000 yen, which is $1,440 a month.

From the stocks and shares I owned, I could afford it, but I wanted to get a job because I’d rather not have stocks as my primary source of income. It’s a risky business and you need to have a good hand to win in the long run.

Once I rented the apartment, I put my belongings down, which were a computer, a cat collar, and numerous passports for countries all over the world.

I should really get something to put them in.

When I exited the complex, I walked around the streets. There were lots of signs.

“Workers needed, pays 100,000 yen a month”

“Help wanted! Cashier. pays 120,000 a month.”

“Now hiring! Accountant with pay of 400,000 yen a month.”

That was tempting, but then I saw the job. Accounting. Math… No thanks.

I walked down a few more blocks and found a cell phone shop. I decided to buy one because I might need it.

I picked out a Sharp Aquos R5G, 256 GB. Go big or go home.

The case I chose for it was red and black. The outline of the case was black and the back of it was a ruby red.

After I finished paying an insane amount of yen for it, I ventured to a clothing shop right across the street.

Next, I looked for a bag to hold my belongings and a blanket. The apartment was clean. There was nothing inside it, and I didn’t want to buy a bed or something because I’d need to trash it eventually.

Instead, I was looking for a blanket.

The store was filled with students, both boys and girls. I looked like I was 18 years old because I didn’t bother to modify my appearance beforehand.

When I went into the store, a group of girls looked at me and whispered to each other.

Since I could read and speak Japanese, I knew where to head.

As I walked to the back of the store where the mens section was, I noticed three mannequins. They had a casual, business, and sports fit. Interestingly enough, this store had everything.

I looked around for the bag that the mannequin was wearing.

Since I didn’t adjust my height either, I was super tall. The average height for Japanese males is 5’6.

I was 6’3, so I was a giant. Must be why everyone’s whispering to each other.

Since I was practically a mountain, I immediately saw over the store racks.

Once I found them, I grabbed one and went to the checkout.

The girl in the checkout looked to be in high school. People in this country look so young because they take such good care of themselves.

Unlike Americans, who eat fast food on a daily basis…. Don’t hate on me, I’m just telling the truth. There’s fast food on almost every block.

She looked up at me and her mouth dropped.

I gave her a confused look. She then started speaking in English.

“Hello. How may I help you?”

Her English was pretty good. She did have an accent, but it was enough for me to be able to understand.

“Hello. I’d like to check out this item.” I replied in English. I put the bag on the counter and she rang it up.

“Arigatōgozaimashita” (Thank you.) I said as I paid for it and bowed as I left the store.

“Dōitashimashite” (You’re welcome) she replied with a smile and bowed.

When I got back to the street, I took out my phone and went on a job finding site.

The “Need Immediately” came up first.

I thought there was a school close because there were students in uniforms, but to think they needed a teacher.

The job was listed as an English teacher.

The requirements are as follows:

 

Citizenship from a recognized English-speaking country 

Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university 

Clean criminal background check 

Pass a health exam & drug test 

Meet the age requirement 

Pay basic start-up costs 

TEFL certification

 

Since I graduated from college long long ago, I have met the requirements. I could take the TEFL online.

It’s a 4 week course, full time, so it was simple. The age requirement is under 60, but preferred between 20s and 30s.

Since I am supposed to graduate at 18, I need a bachelor’s degree and that’s 4 years. So I’d be 22.

After checking the job opportunities, I walked around for another hour and found a black blanket and bought it as well.

Walking around, people would stare at me. I didn’t like it, but it was a natural occurrence.

I got back to the apartment and registered to take the TEFL.

It would start the next day and end in 4 weeks. I hope the job is still up. The higher you score, the higher your pay for the job.

I had put my belongings, including in my phone in the shoulder sling bag.

Finally, I had done what I needed to do and it was already night.

I’m comfortable sleeping anywhere, so it wasn’t a problem. I just got the blanket for convenience.

The next morning, when I woke up, I got online and started my first class of the TEFL course.

It was hellishly boring. I get it and all, but ugh. Who could sit through this? Obviously I needed to, but still.

If it wasn’t for the maximum pay that the job offered, I would not have stayed for the course.

4 extremely long weeks later, I finished the course and got full marks on the exam. I was finally ready to apply for the job.

I went back on the site and the job was still open. I clicked apply and put in my information. A few minutes later, I got a call from the principal of the school.

“Hello?” I spoke in English because ‘moshi moshi’ was not appropriate in a business call/conversation.

“Hello, I am the principal of Burūsutorīmu High School.”

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise. You applied for the English teacher job? When can you come in?”

“Any time.”

“How does tomorrow sound? I’ll also need to hear your fluency in Japanese as well as English in person. Please come in at 07:00.”

“Yes sir. I’ll be there.”

“Then, goodbye.”

“Goodbye, sir.”

And the call ended.

So I guess I’m hired..? I guess they really need a teacher.

Since it was around 14:00, or 2 PM, I could go out and buy clothes to wear for work.

I needed a briefcase to put papers in and some suits.

I went to the shop I went to 4 weeks ago and bought 3 suits: One 3-piece, which was grey and Two black suits.

While I was shopping, I spotted some dress shirts, so I bought a short sleeved white one and two long sleeved ones.

Right next to the rack were ties. Gosh, this store has everything.

I bought 5 ties. None of which were black.

The shoes were to the left side, so I picked out some professional shoes to work in.

After I finished my shopping spree, I went back to the apartment. It took me 3 hours to shop for everything.

When I got back, I put my clothes in the drawers and wardrobe neatly.

Shopping takes out 80% of my energy for the day, so I was insanely tired. I didn’t even bother to eat after I took a shower. I just went to bed.

 

The next morning, I woke up at 06:00 and started to get ready.

I guess I should dress to impress, so I chose the grey 3-piece suit. I changed out of my joggers and hoodie, then went to a mirror.

After thinking about what I was going to do, I decided to move away from the mirror and then start.

My once super tall height turned into 5’11 and my appearance changed to that of a 22 year old. I had bought black framed glasses as well for the hell of it. Yesterday, I spent around 300,000 yen ($3,000).

Suits are expensive, and they cost more than my monthly rent.. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as I looked at my purchases.

I put on the suit and wore it with a light red tie.

I put my shoes and glasses on and walked out the door.

The school was a short walk from my apartment. In fact, it was so close, I didn’t need a car. It was only 15 minutes away.

I left the apartment at 6:40, and arrived at the school at 6:55.

When I arrived, the principal was outside to greet me and tell me the customs of the job.

He had told me the etiquette for teachers and the expectations we have to meet.

It was a lot. As a student, I never thought that teachers worked so hard.

He told me I needed to change into indoor shoes to step foot inside the school. It’s mandatory.

I agreed and we walked around the school.

No one was there because it opens at 8:00 and the school day starts at 8:30.

We spoke in both Japanese and English. After he confirmed I was right for the job, he bowed to me and outstretched his hand. I grasped it and bowed back.

“You’re hired. Welcome to Burūsutorīmu.”

“Thank you, sir. It’s an honor to be here.”

“I’ve sent an email to you so you can check your schedule and salary plan for the year.”

“Thank you, sir.” I bowed again.

“Your first class room is here, then you’ll go to the second room after 50 minutes is done. At 12:30, lunch starts, and you can go into the teacher’s office. It’s on the first floor, close to the entrance.”

With that, he left and I decided to visit the teacher’s office.

 

Inside the teacher’s office, there were some teachers inside. Most of them were organizing papers or grading them, but when I entered, they looked up.

I bowed to everyone and greeted them in Japanese.

“Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Prince Helix. Please take care of me this year.”

“Welcome to Burūsutorīmu, Prince-sensei.” one of the female teachers welcomed me and bowed.

I walked to an empty desk. “Is this my desk?”

“Yes. You’ll do your grading here and other work related things once you’re out of class.” the female teacher, who greeted me previously, answered.

“Thank you.. I’m sorry, I didn't ask your name.”

“I’m Sato Mikasa.” 

“Nice to meet you, Sato-sensei. Thank you for helping me.” I bowed to her.

“Of course! New teachers will need help adjusting here, especially if they’re a foreigner. We were all new at some point.”

It was 8:30 right now, so all the teachers were gathered in the teachers office for a brief meeting while the students were heading for their homeroom.

At 8:35, the homeroom period was over and regular classes began. I walked to my classroom and arrived 5 minutes before the bell.

‘I’m a bit nervous. I hope I don’t completely fail as a teacher. How ironic.. I was in high school not too long ago and here I am teaching.’

I stopped at the door and opened it slowly.

I walked inside the classroom and everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me.