Chapter 4: Home

In the 9th District, Tsui stood before a towering building, carefully examining her map and the name engraved on the wall beside the vehicle entrance to the condominium’s parking space.

[The Summit]

The Brickhouse Apartment had a weathered appearance in stark contrast to the upscale condominium. The condominium seemed to require a salary well above the average to afford a place in such a luxurious setting. Tsui found the building completely unfamiliar.

“Did I stay at such a place before?”

“This place looks so much nicer…”

Standing in front of a small metal gate, a familiar yet unwelcomed sight. It was equipped with a fingerprint lock, which she had to use to gain entry into the condominium's premises.

“…”

Tsui hesitantly placed her fingerprint on the scanner, her expression filled with doubt.

"It had better work this time," she thought with a hint of frustration, "otherwise I'm going to punch that fingerprint lock."

[Beep] [Beep]

The gate unlocked and opened automatically. She let out a relieved exhale and entered the building, taking the elevator to reach her floor. Stepping out of the elevator, Tsui turned left and found herself in a long hallway illuminated by warm golden lights hanging from the ceiling. The corridor was flanked by doors on both sides, each displaying their unit number.

[02-07] on the left.

[02-08] on the right.

[02-09] on the left.

Without hesitation, Tsui placed her finger on the fingerprint lock for the door of [02-09], granting her quick access to her unit without any second thoughts.

[Beep] [Beep]

She hurriedly stepped into her unit, greeted by a pitch-black and silent interior. Tsui quickly fumbled for the light switches, eager to turn on the lights in her home. As the lights flickered on, the layout of her condominium became visible. Upon entering, a short hallway led to the kitchen, with the bathroom on the left side. Opposite the kitchen was a combined dining and living area. At the far end of the hallway stood her bedroom.

Tsui entered her bedroom and started to rummage through her closet, grabbing a set of pyjamas and a soft towel. Making her way into the bathroom, she began the process of taking off her costume. First, she focused on the cuirass, carefully loosening the cords that held it securely in place. The shoulder and arm guards came off one by one, followed by the shin guards, and finally, the armored sleeves.

“Why did I had to make it so complicated to take this off…?”

Tsui grumbled as she took off her remaining costume piece by piece. She placed the pieces of the costume on the floor carefully. As she continued to undress, she could feel the weight on her body lessened.

Finally, Tsui eased herself into the soothing embrace of the bath, allowing the warm water to envelop her fatigued body. As the water washed away the remnants of the day, she felt her stress and worries gradually fade away. The gentle caress of the water brought a sense of calmness.

Ten minutes passed in tranquility before she emerged from the bathroom, feeling a comforting a sensation of cleanliness and freshness. The time was nearly around [05:00:00] at dawn, Tsui carefully dried her hair and slipped into her comfortable queen-sized bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt the exhaustion taking over. It didn't take long for sleep to embrace her, wrapping her in a peaceful slumber.

Later in the evening, Tsui woke up feeling refreshed and revitalized. She let out a yawn and stretched her body on the bed. She hopped out of her bed, to explore her home and familiarize herself with its layout.

As she entered the living room, she noticed a flat-screen TV sitting on a stand. Next to the TV, in the top right corner, was a small, black rectangular box-like object. On the shelf below the TV, there was a gaming console connected to the TV. And on the floor, she spotted scattered small cartridges, each with different game logos on them.

Having hurriedly ran to the bathroom and jumped off to bed after bathing this early dawn, she took no notice of anything else inside the condominium.

“Mum would have scolded me if she had seen this mess…” Tsui thought.

She crouched down and began gathering the small game cartridges scattered across the floor. One by one, she tidied them up and neatly stored them on the vacant shelf beneath the TV. Out of curiosity, she picked up the small, black rectangular box-like object. On the side of the object, was an imprint of a logo and the words [Nintengo Twitch].

“Hmm…was I always an avid gamer?”

“Looks like I have really forgotten a lot of my memory. I should look at the printed documents the officers gave to me.”

“Maybe it will help me jog my memory back, so that I can remember something at least.”

Tsui walked over to the dining table where she had left the documents at. Gathering them all, she carried them to the sofa for a more comfortable reading experience, lying her back on the sofa in a relaxed posture.

“Let’s see…let’s see…”

“Graduated from Sunrise Elementary School, studied in Nexus Lake School, oh…I got a degree in culinary?”

“Wait, I can cook?”

Tsui kicked her legs up and changed into a sitting position so that she could read better.

“I worked in sales for a car company even though I have a Culinary Arts Degree? Worked there for almost 2 years too…”

“Oh, then I went into a hiatus and went…unemployment for…6 months?? Did I earned enough to not work for that long?”

Tsui stayed fully immersed in her reading, hours slipping away unnoticed as she lay on the sofa, meticulously examining every document, hoping to find some clue that could help her recover her lost memories.

Tsui placed the documents on her face and let out a muffled groaning noise.

“Ughhhhh, Why I can’t remember any other stuff other than the ones I already knew?”

Tsui felt annoyed because she knew that while she could recall the main events of her life up to her high school graduation, everything beyond that point was hazy and elusive. The most recent memory that she could remember was her attendance of a comic con event, but even that memory was incredibly fragmented. She couldn’t remember what happened at the comic con event or anything on her way back from it. Her stomach suddenly grumbled,

“Blah, thinking about all these just made me hungry!”

Tsui sprang up from the sofa and began rummaging through her closet, searching for suitable clothes to wear outside. After a moment of consideration, she settled on a black T-shirt and a pair of comfortable jogger pants.

"These look alright." she thought to herself.

With her chosen outfit in hand, Tsui headed to the bathroom for a quick bath. Wearing her chosen outfit, the shirt looked slightly tight for her body, but Tsui didn’t seemed to mind. As she readied herself to step out, she glanced at the time on the clock.

[20:50:33]

“Hmm, my sleep schedule is kind of messed up. I guess I’ll try to tire myself out more when I’m out so that I can come back and sleep better.”

“It should get my sle –”

Tsui’s stomach grumbled once again.

“For now, dinner first. I wonder if there’s any restaurant or food store nearby.”

Tsui packed the documents into a small bag, thinking that she could refer to them later if something sparked her memory. Before Tsui left, she had not noticed there was a jar sitting on the table, filled with money notes. A note was attached to the jar, written [Use this in case of emergency].

Tsui leisurely strolled along the street and came across a few pedestrians. Some were seen lugging suitcases, likely on their way home from work, while others, like Tsui, were dressed casually, possibly returning from a dinner outing. As Tsui walked, she noticed that the pedestrians’ gazes lingered on her longer than they would on others before they avert their gaze to their original position. However, she paid no mind to their stares.

After roughly 20 minutes of walking, Tsui came across on a small restaurant.

[Family Bistro Nook]

“I’ll give this place a try!”

Tsui opened the door to the restaurant and walked in.

“Good evening, miss. Welcome to FBN!”

Tsui was warmly welcomed by the passionate staff. After her warm welcoming, the staff stared at her just like the pedestrians did when she was on her way here. Realizing their prolonged stares, the staff quickly apologized and proceeded to serve Tsui.

“Sorry, miss. How can I help you this evening?”

“A table for one, thank you.”

“Right this way!”

The waitress courteously led Tsui to her table, pulling out a chair for her to sit. With a warm smile, she handed Tsui a menu, ready to assist her with any questions or orders.

“My name is Amelia, I’ll be taking care of you. Can I start you off with a glass of water?”

“Yes, a glass of cold water. Thank you.”

Amelia placed a glass on the table and poured Tsui a drink, while Tsui looked through the menu to see what she wanted to order for dinner.

“I think I’ll have a fish & chip, with a glass of iced tea.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes, that’s all.”

Tsui handed the menu back to Amelia. As Amelia turned to head to the kitchen with the menu, Tsui quickly called out her name, causing Amelia to halt in her tracks.

“Actually, I want to ask about something, Amelia.”

“Yes, miss?”

“I passed by some pedestrian when I was on my way here. They all stared at me like you did when I first entered the restaurant. Just out of curiosity, is there something on my face?”

Realizing that Tsui had noticed her staring before, Amelia immediately offered another apology to Tsui again.

“Sorry if my staring made you feel uncomfortable!”

“No, no, it’s fine. I didn’t mind about it, I was simply curious why people kept staring at me when I was walking.”

“I see, it may be because of your violet hair? At least that’s why I stared.”

“Oh…”

Tsui glanced to her hair and touched it, feeling somewhat surprised that her hair was the reason people were staring at her.

“Thanks for telling me, sorry for interrupting with your work.”

Amelia nodded politely and made her way to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Tsui gently caressed her hair, twirling it between her fingers as she thought over what Amelia had just told her.
As far as Tsui could remember, she was born with violet hair. Throughout her childhood, she never recalled anyone making a comment about the color of her hair. It had always felt perfectly natural to her.

While waiting for her order to arrive, she looked around the restaurant. The restaurant had a cozy interior with warm, dim lighting. Wooden tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and there were colorful decorations adorning the walls. The aroma of freshly cooked food from the kitchen filled the air, creating a welcoming atmosphere.

Her drink arrived after a few minutes of waiting. In addition to Tsui, there were a few other customers in the restaurant. The staff were not many, other than Amelia, there was another waiter serving the other customers. They should be able to manage it as long as it wasn’t too crowded. After all, the restaurant wasn’t a large establishment.

Growing impatient while waiting for her food, Tsui began to play with the table condiments, spinning them absentmindedly. 30 minutes after she had ordered, Amelia came back with her food.

“Sorry for the long wait, there was an issue with the kitchen, so it took longer to prepare your order. Here it is!”

“It’s okay. Thanks for bringing my food, Amelia.”

“Enjoy your dinner! I’ll be at the counter if you need anything.”

Tsui savoured her Fish & Chips with delight. The crispy batter on the fish and the crunchy chips provided a satisfying texture, while the mild and tender taste of the fish paired perfectly with the light seasoning on the chips. With a touch of tartar sauce, the meal brought her comfort, making her smile with each bite.

“Ahh…that was nice. I should come back here next time.”

Tsui got up from her seat and made her way to the counter, where Amelia greeted her with a smile.

“Hi, did you enjoy your meal?”

“Yes, I did!”

Tsui said happily with a satisfied look on her face.

“That’s great to hear! The total for your order would be $38.70.”

Tsui froze and started to cold sweat, she patted her pocket and searched through her bag in a panic. She had not brought any money with her when she left the condominium. She gulped and said in anxious stuttering voice,

“I…had not brought any money with me…”

“Ohh…that’s okay! You can pay using your phone too.”

Amelia pointed towards the QR code on the counter as she spoke.

“I don’t have it with me.”

“Umm…I will get my manager and see what we can do! Please stay here, Miss. I’ll be right back with you.”

Amelia wasn’t sure what she should do as this was the first time she had encountered this. Tsui stood there, watching Amelia walked away. To an observer, Tsui appeared calm and composed, but inside her mind, she was beating herself up.

“Why are you so stupid, Tsui?!”

“Why do you keep forgetting stuff? Is there something with your brain?”

“Just dig a hole and bury yourself in it.”

Amelia returned with the manager. A man in his fifties, he calmly and reassuringly spoke to Tsui, ensuring she remained composed and at ease.

“Hi, miss. I have heard from my employee that you are unable to pay for your meal because you had forgotten to bring any cash or your phone with you?”

“Yes, I’m terribly sorry about this.”

“I understand that things happen, and sometimes we forget things. Don’t worry, we can find a solution that works for both of us. Perhaps if you have any items like a driver’s license or ID, we can hold onto them for you, and you can come back at a later time to settle the payment.”

“I don’t have any identification with me, but –”

Tsui pulled out the documents from her bag and provided an explanation to the restaurant staff as to why she had these printed documents with her.

“This should work, right?”

“Yes, this will be enough. We are happy that you enjoyed our food but please do remember to bring payment with you next time. We are open from 11am until 10pm tomorrow, so please come back tomorrow if you are free to settle the payment. Thank you.”

“I will, I’m so sorry for my forgetful behaviour.”

As Tsui prepared to leave the restaurant, she repeatedly bowed in apology. The staff remained courteous, showing empathy, and understanding, and bid Tsui goodbye with a friendly wave. Now that Tsui had left, Amelia talked to her manager in a casual manner whereas her manager were still looking at the direction Tsui went.

“Dad, stop staring. You are starting to look like a creep.”

“Huh, what? No…I was just looking at her hair color.”

“Yea…yea whatever. So where should we put her documents at?”

“Just put it in the break room. So that we can return it to her when she comes back.”

“I’ll store it properly with a folder just in case we need it for the police.”

“Doesn’t she live nearby? I’m sure she’ll return, there’s no need to involve the pol –”

Amelia asked her in a sarcastic tone.

“Really, dad, really? That girl didn’t even have a phone with her. Who wouldn’t have a phone with them at all times in this age? For all we know, she is probably a beggar that wanted to have a free meal.”

“I’m sure that young lady wouldn’t do that. She looked sincere and genuine. Didn’t you saw her? She kept apologizing even as she left.”

“Yea…but it’s still better to be cautious. Some assholes would always try to take advantage of a family-run restaurant.”

Amelia walked away, carrying Tsui's documents with her into the break room. Meanwhile, Amelia's dad looked at his watch.

“Oh, it’s almost 10pm! Almost time to close the restaurant.”

The restaurant was nearly empty as most customers had already left before Tsui finished her meal.

Tsui arrived her home earlier, after jogging her way back to her condominium,. Inside her home, she finally took notice of the jar filled with money notes on the table.

“There is money in this jar, I’ll return to the restaurant and pay them back tomorrow.”

Tsui made the decision to use the money from the jar to settle her payment at the restaurant. After that, she took a bath and changed into her comfortable pyjamas. The food had left her feeling drowsy, and she quickly went to bed.