Ji Ao watched curiously the girl lying unconscious in his bed. She was incredibly beautiful, even wearing a strange mask and extravagant clothes. He wanted to do something — maybe clean something — but he hesitated.
"How am I supposed to clean a girl? I've never been this close to a woman… let alone one like her!"
Too shy to touch her, he limited himself to observing: the long legs, the gleaming fabrics, the mysterious insignias embroidered on her clothes. Who was she?
Suddenly, the door swung open with a crash. Ji Ao jumped.
"Hey, Ji Ao! What are you doing?" exclaimed Nia, his younger sister, coming in with wide eyes.
"Mom! Ji Ao's messing around with a girl in here!"
"Nia, shut your mouth!" whispered Ji Ao desperately. He rushed over, gave her a light tap on the shoulder and covered her mouth with his hand.
But it was too late.
Mrs. Tarta appeared at the door, fury already rising in her eyes.
"What's going on here? Why are you two fighting?"
Before Ji Ao could say anything, his mother looked into the room… and saw the unconscious girl on the bed, still wearing those unusual clothes and the mask on her face.
"What have you done?!" she shouted, smacking her son on the head.
"Are you crazy?! You'll end up in jail! How could you… you… oh my God, what a disgrace!"
In the middle of the yelling, the girl moved.
Her eyes opened slowly. With a weak voice, she murmured:
"He… saved me…"
And she fainted again.
Nia's eyes widened, her mouth falling open. In a leap, she hugged Ji Ao as if he were a fairy tale hero.
"What?! My brother's a hero?! Wow! Mom, he's a hero for real!"
"SHUT UP, GIRL!" shouted the mother.
She turned to Ji Ao, still looking at him with suspicion.
"And you, tell me where you got this girl. And look at me: do you think a woman like that is for you?"
Ji Ao turned red like a tomato. He scratched his neck, embarrassed, but sat on the edge of the bed.
"Mom… I swear I didn't do anything. I was at the square, sitting, when I heard a boom. I thought it was thunder, but then I saw four guys surrounding her… she was on the ground. I couldn't just stand there."
He hesitated. He thought about telling her about the stone, the glow, the other world — but decided to hide it.
"She fainted… and I brought her here. She was hurt, Mom. I just… just wanted to help."
Mrs. Tarta crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. There was suspicion, but also a slight softening in her face.
"You're a hero now, are you? Then tell this story properly. All of it! No excuses."
And so Ji Ao began to explain… stumbling over his words, choosing carefully what to say — while Nia watched him as if seeing a new brother, and their mother stood by, ready to ask more questions at any moment.
Bathing a Princess
Ji Ao looked at his mother with timid eyes and said, almost in a whisper:
"Mrs. Tarta…"
The woman blinked, surprised. No one had called her that in years. When Ji Ao used that title, it was a sign he needed a big favor — a very big one.
"What is it, Ji Ao?" she asked, crossing her arms with a suspicious look. "Go on."
He took a deep breath, embarrassed:
"Mom, I… I need you to take care of her. Give her a bath, clean her wounds… anything. I don't know what to do. She… she's so different, and… she's a girl."
Mrs. Tarta let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes.
"Of course you don't! You can't even take care of your annoying little sister properly!"
Beside them, Nia huffed and, never missing a chance, gave Ji Ao a light tap on the head.
"I'm not annoying!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms with a pout.
Ji Ao frowned, making a face, but before things could get tense, the mother spoke, already decided:
"Alright, that's enough, you two. I'll take care of her."
"Mom!" said Nia, excited, jumping up. "Did you forget I'm a girl? Let me help too!"
"You can help, but carefully," answered the mother. "Start by taking off those weird clothes. Ji Ao, out. Now!"
"Okay, okay…" he muttered, leaving the room quickly and closing the door carefully.
In the hallway, he stopped for a moment, staring at the wood of the door as if he could see through it. He thought aloud, confused:
"If only I were a girl… I could help too." And then he lightly slapped his own face, laughing at himself. "What nonsense am I thinking?"
Trying to push away the thoughts, he went to the living room and turned on the television, looking for distraction. Some random show passed, then the news began. Ji Ao almost turned it off, but a headline froze him on the sofa:
"Residents in several areas reported a loud sound, similar to thunder, that shook parts of the city today. This is not the first time, and some rumors suggest the city may even change its name if this continues. Authorities are investigating the origin of the phenomenon, which occurred without warning and frightened many citizens."
He froze.
"It was the same boom from the square…" he murmured to himself, feeling a shiver climb his spine.
He remembered the scene: the four men, the fallen girl, the flash in the sky.
And now… she was here, in his room. With his mother and sister taking care of her. A stranger, like a princess fallen from the sky.
Ji Ao looked at the closed door. Inside, he heard the muffled voices of Nia and Mrs. Tarta as they bathed the stranger. He curled up on the sofa, hugging his knees, trying to understand it all.
But deep down, he already knew.
Nothing would ever be the same.
Unexpected Surprise
Mrs. Tarta began unbuttoning the girl's strange clothes, which looked more like a long cloak. Underneath, there was something like a tight skirt, almost like a futuristic dress, and finally, those tall, heavy boots, completely out of the ordinary.
The young woman's body was surprisingly harmonious: long legs, well-shaped thighs, a medium bust, but perfectly proportioned. Everything about her seemed sculpted, as if she didn't entirely belong to this world.
Beside her mother, Nia couldn't hide her enchantment.
"Mom! I want to be like her when I grow up! She's so beautiful… so pretty!"
Mrs. Tarta smiled slightly, but her eyes narrowed as she noticed a disturbing detail. The girl's mask — the one that had earlier revealed a sweet and calm face — now seemed… different. The texture was rubbery, smooth, without any visible clasp or seam. No zipper. No strap.
She tried to pull gently on one edge. Tried to twist it, press it… nothing. She sighed, frustrated.
"But how strange… how did she show her face earlier if this mask doesn't even come off?"
Leaving the mystery aside for the moment, Mrs. Tarta and Nia carried the girl — now completely undressed — to Ji Ao's bedroom bathtub.
She was surprisingly light, almost as if the air itself held her up. Using a soft towel, they carefully washed her unconscious body. Then they dried her tenderly and dressed her in simple but clean and comfortable clothes they had at home.
Mrs. Tarta, ever practical, left the room for a moment to get more towels and perhaps some ointment. Nia stayed alone, sitting next to the girl lying there.
But the girl's curiosity was too strong.
Carefully, she moved closer to the young woman's face. That mask… now that she looked closely, it seemed alive, almost breathing.
Nia stretched out her small hands and, with childlike delicacy, began to touch, sliding her fingers, searching for a seam.
Suddenly, click — the mask came loose.
And what lay beneath was not a human face.
Nia recoiled, breathless.
Before her was a large head with soft, rabbit-like features. Long white ears, fluffy, with an almost magical glow. The eyes — closed — seemed at peace.
Nia felt a shiver, torn between fear and wonder. The scream rising in her throat did not come out. It was a silent, frozen scream.
But then…
The girl's eyes opened.
It was quick. In an instant, she saw the mask on the floor, reached out, and put it back over her face. With a light touch on a side point, a soft hum echoed, and the human face reappeared as if by magic: beautiful, calm, familiar. Just like before.
Nia remained still, wide-eyed, her heart racing.
The girl looked at her with a pleading expression. Her lips moved, with a weak voice, almost a whisper:
"Please… keep my secret. Don't tell anyone. Please…"
Nia, still with trembling hands, felt something shift inside her. A kind of connection, a tiny seed of trust forming there. This could be the chance to have a different friend. Maybe even a magical one. Maybe even from another world.
With a shy smile, she answered:
"I'm Nia. And… and you can be my friend?"
The young woman hesitated, as if listening to something inside herself… but then she smiled lightly and said:
"Yes. I can be your friend."
And there, in that room filled with secrets and touches of another world, a delicate alliance was forming.
Meanwhile, Ji Ao, in the living room, was still trying to make sense of what had happened at the square.
And he had no idea of the unexpected surprise destiny had just left inside his own home.