6 year old (November-SY101)
Today is the day me and Mom move to Earth.
With Dad accompanying us toward the colony port, we enter the port lobby area.
"Honey, take care, okay. You can contact Jan when you arrive at the elevator port. He owed me an expensive drink last time."
It seems that Dad has elevator staff as acquaintance, and he will be the one helping us to prepare entering Earth.
What elevator you say? Oh didn't I mention space elevator? Yes this world has one... err actually more.
Truly technologically advanced world right?
By the way, the space elevators also double as Earth spaceports.
"Yes Dear, you take care too. Don't stay up too late. And don't forget to eat breakfast."
"Okay okay."
"Dad probably will forget it tomorrow."
"O-of course not. Haha..."
Dad usually stays late up at night just watch his favorite show or reading. He also often skips breakfast because waking up too late to eat one. I'm a bit worried with mom being away from him, I hope he doesn't wreck his health.
After some more parting words we split up in the lobby area, with me and mom going towards the dock area to enter our ship.
...
In the ship we are guided by a ship attendant into our cabin.
Since it will need about 3 days to reach Earth, a proper room with bed for sleep is needed.
Though when not sleeping, people usually will avoid the small cabin and go to lounge area.
...
"This will be your room, Madam. If you need something, please call an attendant through the room intercom."
"Yes, thank you."
"Then, please excuse me."
The attendant left after excusing himself.
"Sena, do you want to go to the lounge? It should be still around an hour before the ship departs. We can take a walk until then."
During the journey, we are allowed to roam about the ship. However when the ship is in its accelerating and decelerating phases, we are supposed to stay inside our room and be seaded on our designated safety seat.
"No. I want to stay here reading."
*Sigh* "As usual, Sena is so diligent. While Mom is not unhappy with that, you can be a little bit naughty you know." Mom gently pats me.
...
... ...
... ... ...
"Ladies and gentlemen, the ship will be departing in 15 minutes. If you haven't already done so, please return to your designated room. Stow your carry-on luggage into luggage bins and take your seat on safety seat and fasten your seat belt. You may unfasten your seat belt and leave the safety seat after the ship finished its accelerating phase.
We remind you that this is a non-smoking voyage. Smoking is prohibited on the entire spacecraft. Tampering with, disabling, or destroying any of the smoke detectors is prohibited by law.
If you have questions regarding our voyage, please don't hesitate to ask one of our voyage attendants, in person or through intercom. Thank you."
...
... ...
... ... ...
It seems the ship has stopped accelerating now.
"Ladies and gentlemen..."
...
After the announcement, I unfasten my own seat belt and thinking of continuing to read but...
*Growl*
"Sena, don't you feel hungry? It's time for lunch now. Let's go down to the lounge."
"Un."
...
Together, me and Mom go towards the lounge area. The lounge is also a place where you can order and eat food.
"What do you want to eat, Sena?"
"Everything delicious."
"Ahaha... that's almost everything then. Your tummy won't fit you know."
"Umn... then potato chips."
"Rejected. That's not food."
Ignoring mom's strange definition of food. I keep pondering on what to eat while we continue walking towards the lounge.
...
*crash*
Suddenly someone crash on me making me fall on my but.
"Ugh"
"Ouchie... it hurts" it seems to be a short haired girl around my age.
"Are you alright, Sena?"
Mom helps me back up.
"Un"
Then I walk towards the girl and offer her my hand.
"Be careful, this place is a bit narrow."
"Eh? Oh..um... sorry."
The girl accepts my hand and I help her stand up.
"It's fine now. Just be careful next time. Are you alright? Does it hurt somewhere?"
"Un. I'm fine. How about you?"
"I'm fine too. Are you in hurry?"
*Shakes head* "Nnnn~ No. Sorry, I was just playing with my sister. Reaalllyy sorry for hitting you." She claps both her hands and slightly lowering her head apologizing.
"You should be careful, it's narrow here."
"Aha..ahaha... Sorry."
*pata pata*
"Big Sis~! Caught~"
A small girl suddenly appeared and hugs the girl apologizing in front of me.
"Ahahaha. Rii, I lost. I lost. The sweets are in my pocket, of course it's secret from Mama and Papa okay?"
"Yeesh~"
"Ah, sorry. My name is Reo and this is my little sister, Asteri. We are going to the lounge now. Are you and Big Sis going there too?"1(1) Reo's design by crypko AI with my bad PS skill
Ignore the gory details. That’s how it is with this kind of thing.
Original credit to the owner to this crypko.
actually when making her character, I'm thinking of someone like this character
well that's part of the reason for her name too.
The sisters are similar.
A new encounter.
"Big Sis? Ah this is..."
"Hello, Reo. I'm Sena's mother. This boy's mom." Smiling happily mom puts her hands over my shoulders.
"Ah sorry, Big Sis is so young. To think Big Sis is a mom."
"Ohoho. I'm not that young anymore." Said Mom, playing modest, even though she is honestly happy and proud being called young.
"But yes, we are also going to the lounge. Shall we go together, Sena?"
"Un"
Along with the girl and her little sister, we go together towards the lounge.
...
... ...
"Rii! Reo! Here."
"Ah, Mama. Sorry, Mama is calling. If you don't mind, please take a seat together with us over there."
"N--" "Sure, but let's order food first." I was about to reject the girl's offer since I prefer being alone but Mom interjected me.
The girl then carries her little sister and walk towards their parents while me and Mom walk towards the food counter to order food.
...
"Sorry, it seems our daughters have troubled you."
The girl's mother apologizing with slightly bowing followed by the father.
"No. no. It's fine. It's great to have healthy and cheerful daughters. I wish my son would be a little bit more active too."
The adults then proceed to talk with themselves, leaving us kids by ourselves.
I'm fine with that though, I prefer to eat while reading quietly. Though a certain someone is too active and can't stay still it seems.
"Ne ne, Sena is how old?"
"Six."
"Hmm~ your birthday is?"
"October 6th."
"Oh it's October. I'm May 29th. So I'm older. Sena can call me Big Sis too okay?"
"No."
"Ehh~ why not~?"
"don't want to"
"Aww~ come on~, call me Big Sis. Say it, B-I-G S-I-S" getting on top of the table on all four to reach me, the girl then pinch both my cheeks, impossibly trying to make me say something by forcefully moving my mouth.
"Mgugh..muguh."
"Come on~ say it with a smile. You look so grumpy even tho only six. Smile~"
Midway the girl gave up trying to make me say big sis, but move on to force my mouth into crescent moon shape.
"Ahahaha...ha..haa..." it seems the girl got tired from trying and laughing.
"By the way, Sena is not eating the food?"
"Who was the one disturbing someone's meal...?"
"Aha..haha.. sorry~" the girl apologizes without looking sorry at all.
I got tired so I put down my ebook and start focusing on my F-mecha special meal set instead.
"Nnn? What are you reading here?" the girl picks up ebook I was reading on the table.
...
"Uwah.... what is this? Se-kwen-chi-al ee-on du-raif?"
"It's sequential ion drive."
"What is this? So difficult. Sena is reading something so difficult even though he is so small."
"You are also small."
"tehe~" the girl sticking her tongue out playfully.
Like this, I spend three days for the first time in my reincarnated life full of chaos. Sometime, the girl would even drag me out from my nice comfy nesting hole.
If it's only that I can just pretend to be asleep and keep the door locked. But Mom the traitor happily opens the door for the Chaos Goddess. Right until the last day on the ship.
...
... ...
... ... ...
Me and the girl were sitting side by side having dinner. Somehow mom and the girl's parents along with the girl's little sister sit little bit away leaving us two together.
"U-um..." *fidget fidget*
Somehow this girl is quiet tonight.
"Ne, Sena is..."
"What?"
"Does Sena hate me?"
"Huh?"
"I mean I have been noisy in this past 3 days. Sena always look grumpy. So I thought to cheer him up. But thinking back, I must have only been bothering right?"
"uh...?"
"S-so, I-I'm really sorry for everything. We will probably still meet each other at adaptation center, but I promise this time not bothering. So, I'm s-sorry...hik.." the girl pleads with watery eyes.
Crap. She is gonna cry. She definitely gonna cry.
"W-wait. D-don't cry."
"Uguh.. I-I'm not crying...ugu..."
In panic I put my hands over her shoulders.
"nn...?"
"S-sorry. Maybe I'm just bad at expressing myself, but I don't hate you. If I really hate you, I would have ignore you these past three days you know." Looking down I peek at her eyes momentarily.
"hik...Really...?"
I nod to try assuring her.
"Then call my name."
"Huh?" confused I briefly look at her face before looking back down again.
"If Sena really don't hate me. Then prove it. It's always 'you' all the time. Please call 'Reo' properly this time."
...
"R-Reo."
"Face this way."
"Reo." I turn my face towards her.
"One more time."
"Reo!"
"Hehe..." though with still watery eyes, Reo starts smiling the brightest smile I ever seen.
...
After calming Reo down, and maybe myself as well, we sit back down enjoying our dinner.
Though being the active girl she is, Reo can't stop herself to talk more.
"Sena, Sena. Is it the first time Sena go to Earth?"
"Huh? Yup. How do you know?"
"Unn. Somehow? I get the feeling it's something like that from looking at Sena's face."
"Is there something on my face...?"
*Shake shake* "Uhn.. Nope~"
"Hmm.. maybe is it something with my outfit? It's a fashion in my home colony after all."
*Shake shake* "Wrong~ It's something here." Said Reo while pointing at my chest.
"Huh? So it's my shirt after all?"
"No~ wrong. The answer is... " Reo got her face close to mine.
"It's Sena's heart."
Looking closer she looks quite cute, especially her canine that especially accentuates her mischievousness... h-huh? W-what am I thinking? I'm not a lolicon!
"M-My heart...?"
"See, actually it's secret, but actually Reo can read someone else's heart. It's secret only between us two, so don't tell the adults okay~?"
With my heart slightly racing. I just nod compliantly.
Like that, the last day of the voyage ends. We return to our respective room to prepare for the decelerating phase.
...
... ...
... ... ...
Finally arrived in the spaceport. Splitting up with Reo's family, me and Mom go towards the promised meeting place with our chaperone.
"Oi, Hinata!"
"Oh, Hey, Jan."
It seems our chaperone in the elevator arrived.
"Welcome to Earth. How was the journey?"
"It's not bad. Actually it's much more pleasant than the last time when I left Earth."
"Right? Actually they raised the ship's living standard since they decided to replace all the old ships 2 years ago."
"Hmm~ is that so."
"By the way is this Sena? Wow you already grow so big."
"Sena, this is Uncle Jan. He's a friend of our family."
"You might not remember it, but I changed your diaper once. Hahaha" *pat pat*
"Hello Uncle Jan." I slightly bow to greet the uncle.
"So polite. Even though you were so small before. You already grow big huh. Up toh"
"...!!"
Suddenly my scenery becomes higher.
"Let's go to the adaptation center. You should stay here for at least a few days. I already reserve a room for you two."
Uncle put me over his shoulders and we start walking towards some kind of lobby area.
...
“......!!” *deep breath*
With me being carried into the lobby area, I saw, over the windows that's basically a wall, a gorgeous scenery that makes me hold my breath.2(2) something like this: Here
source in reddit
Something like this.
"Hmm? Oh ah this is the first time Sena see this huh? How is it, beautiful isn't it? That is Earth, your new home."
So it's Earth. I know I saw it in pictures and videos before, including in my past live. But seeing it from up here is definitely pretty amazing.
Uncle Jan and mom stopped walking for a while, maybe allowing me to enjoy this scenery for a bit more.
"Shall we continue going to the center now? You can still enjoy this scenery while you stay here." Said uncle.
"Un" *Nod*
...
After taking care of the administration, we go towards the adaptation center area.
Adaptation center is a place where we undergo Standardized Adaptation Training (SAT) procedure. The goal of SAT procedure is to prepare our body for Earth atmosphere.
We will have to stay for at least a week in the center, mainly because I have never gone to Earth even once before. So my body will need more training than my mom who already went to Earth several times.
Entering Earth after you have been longer than months long in space needs special preparation. Especially for someone like me who basically born and grow up in a colony.
It has something to do with how the atmosphere differs between space colonies and Earth. Natural earth atmosphere can be quite deadly for someone whose body is used to sterile colonial atmosphere.
For example there are various supposedly deadly bacteria, germs, and viruses that are just not reproduced in typical colonial air.
On one hand sterile air is perfect for someone recuperating from illness, on the other hand it also weakens the body by not giving it enough training to withstand 'dirty' earth atmosphere.
...
During a day in the adaptation center, I was reading when there was someone calling me.
"Ah, Big Brother."
*pata pata*
"Huh? Oh it's Rii. Are you alone? Where is Reo?
"Unn. Rii looking for Big Sis. Big Sis, if Rii can find Big Sis. Big Sis will give Rii sweets."
"Oh is it hide-and-seek? Can I play too? I will help Rii looking."
"Un~ if Big Brother helps, then half sweets"
"Oh, you will give me half of the sweets. Good kid." *pat pat*
I don't know what's wrong with me, but somehow after the encounter with Reo's family, I started to play like normal children. Maybe it's something with my body that makes me think like normal children and Reo was just the trigger. After all, even before then, sometime I act like child, though a deeply introverted one.
Maybe I'm really just a kid with knowledge of an adult.
...
Like this, for another 3 days I play with Reo and Rii like normal children. Though after that, Reo and Rii with their family already finished with their adaptation training procedure. So they bid me and mom a farewell.
"This is my contact okay. Please call when free. Though I don't mind even if Sena is not free at all~"
Like that, our short time together quickly passed. Me and Mom continues with our adaptation procedure. And before I know it, we also finished our adaptation procedure.
It's time to go to our new home, Earth.
(1) Reo's design by crypko AI with my bad PS skill: Here
original here credit to the owner: crypko.ai
ignore the gory details, that's how it is with this kind of AI.
actually when making her character, I'm thinking of someone like this character: Here
well that's part of the reason for her name too.
The sisters are similar.
(2) something like this: Here
source in reddit
i thought at first it said adoption not adaptation ?