10:10 | Hoshi

6✦

[a month later]

"Heyo"

I said after a little 'tuck' was heard. Just like the sound of someone stepping on the floor. I didn't turn around, I knew it would be Hoshi. It was always him. Guess it's 10:10...

"You!" Surprisingly it was a girl's voice. A voice rather high-pitched. She sounded... young. I turned around. A little girl, maybe five or six years old, with black hair tied in two ponytails was standing before me. Her cheeks were naturally pinkish, matching the colour of the t-shirt she was wearing along with a blue skirt.

"Who are you?" I asked rather surprised.

"You're Hoshi oppa's human right?"

Was she from the genie world? She evidently knew about it...

"Yes. Why?" I glanced over at the clock on the wall. It was only 10:05.

"Hoshi oppa keeps talking about you. I had to come and tell you he was my boyfriend before you would steal him!" She turned her back to me in a diva way.

"Huh... May I ask who you are little girl?"

"My name is Aecha. Don't call me little! Anyway, did you understand my message? Don't steal my boyfriend," she repeated now facing me again.

"Your boyfriend? You must be joking."

It was obvious Hoshi wasn't her boyfriend. I mean she was six and he was seventeen. But it seemed she had taken a liking into him to be so protective...

"He isn't my boyfriend, YET. But he will be in the future, so step out," she answered emphasizing the 'yet'. I stood there, more confused than angry.

"I shall go now." She turned her back to me once more but didn't disappear. A few seconds later she was murmuring to herself. I stared at her in disbelief. Didn't she say she was leaving?

"Do you need help or what..?" I asked.

"I don't need YOUR help!" She insisted on the your.

"What's the problem though?" I asked anyway.

"I don't know how to leave..."

"You must be joking... right..?"

Hoshi would probably know what to do. I looked at the time and saw it turn from 10:09 to 10:10. Hoshi appeared, quickly taking notice of the little girl.

"Aecha? What are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?" He asked, lowering himself  to the girl's level. She hugged him and I could see tears trying to form in the corner of her eyes. He hugged her back as if to comfort her.

"Oppa! She made me come here!" she accused me. This little girl was getting annoying...

"What!? I didn't do anything!" I complained.

"She wanted to keep me here so I disappear," her lies continued. I couldn't believe how evil this little one could be. Hoshi looked at me confused. I was pretty sure he knew it was impossible for me to that though.

"Yah! It's not true!"

We basically started arguing until Hoshi stopped us and made us explain. Finally, I explained to him that she appeared here, telling me he was her boyfriend. She then couldn't figure out how to leave. He nodded, understanding the situation.

"How come she doesn't know?" I asked.

"She's still in school. She hasn't learned how to come back from the human world yet," he answered.

"Can't you just take her with you?" I asked.

"Two genies can't go back at the same time from the same place. Now that's quite a problem, if I cannot bring her and she can't go back, you're not her human so you can't give her a wish. She's stuck here until we find a solution."

"Let's think of something."

We stayed in silence during a while as we thought. Aecha however, became bored after a short while. We had to entertain her to keep her from whining.

In order to do so, we decided to play some board games. She kept being competitive to me over Hoshi and it seriously was starting to annoy me.

After winning some game, she hugged Hoshi, who congratulated her. Little did he know she was sticking out her tongue at me behind his back.

How come she was so protective to him? I wondered.

"Hey Hoshi, I think I found a way. Can't I wish for you to share a bit of your ability with her so she can go back?"

"If you wish for me to send her back, then I probably can," he said.

"Well let's do that then. I wish for you to send Aecha back to the genie world... and in school."

"Okay." He said goodbye to her and she then disappeared. We ended up staring at each other.

"She always say I'm her older brother that's why... I used to play with her before staring my work as a genie."

"Pfft more like you're her boyfriend or something," I said, annoyed.

"Someone's jealous," he teased.

"Do you want to die?" I asked, glaring at him. He laughed it off and smiled.

"Why would I even be jealous of a 6 years old?"
I whispered, more to myself.

"Because you like me."

"Okay I think you want to die." I hit him on the shoulder. My cheeks, for some reason, beggining to have a slight shade of pink.

"I'm just joking," he said. He smiled at me and left to his world.