Chapter 6: Rustic Road (Pak)

I woke up to the sweet and savory smell of fresh beef and fried onions. I opened my eyes and realized that Yim was in my dorm room. She was standing by the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of congee below my nose. Her trademark smile began to spread across her face.

"Good morning, Pak!" She greeted, "A bright new day is starting-kah."

"Oh, hi… Is that for me?"

"Yup. I made two for the both of us-kah. This is jok with minced pork, spring onions, and pathongko. It's a classic back in Thailand."

I groggily got out of bed. As my vision adjusted to the light, I noticed that Yim was not wearing her normal SSS uniform. Instead, she was dressed in a maid's uniform. Or, at least, that was what it looked like. It was a simple black dress with white trim. The pleated skirt that stopped at her thighs, revealing her thigh-high stockings and tan thighs. A frilly white half-apron was tied around her waist. The outfit was tight in the stomach area, but the cut of the fabric around the chest accented her generous bust. All this, of course, made the satin choker more pronounced.

Yim did not seem to care much about how I was staring at her. In fact, she actually giggled a bit when she noticed.

"You like it?" Yim asked in a softer voice, "This is my French maid costume. I wore a similar one to an anime convention in Kofu back in 2008-kah. I was cosplaying as Misaki Ayuzawa from Maid Sama! She is my favorite character from… Oh wait. You've probably never heard of anime-kah. Never mind then."

I just nodded. It had been almost a week since my arrival in the afterlife. I managed to read a lot about developments in technology during the short amount of time. Electronic technology developed at a breakneck pace in the late 20th century, and I found it very hard to keep track of them all. Entirely new forms of entertainment, including 3D films and computer games, came about as a result of these new technologies. You didn't even need to go to the library to borrow the books and stories you liked. You could just turn on your laptop and read them online, like all ye privileged readers are doing right now.

Now fully aroused, (bad word choice, hehe), I stretched my arms and buttoned up my pajamas. Yim was hauling in a cart full of food from the hallway. I went to my dorm bathroom to brush my teeth and then met with Yim at my desk. She had cleared away all the books and blueprints that covered the table and floor.

"You're a very hard sleeper, you know?" Yim chaffed, "I managed to organize all those files and sweep this room without you noticing. Then I tried to play some K-Pop songs on my mp3 player to wake you up, but you slept through all of them. But at least you still have a sensitive nose."

"Hehe. I'm practically deaf when I'm asleep. One time, a pair of Soviet Pe-3 night fighters strafed an airfield I was visiting. Air raid alarms were going off, and the all the anti-aircraft guns were firing at them. One shell exploded near the barracks and shattered the window right next to me. I slept through all of it. I didn't know about the raid until I saw the shards of glass on the ground the next day.

"But how come you're so sensitive to smell-kah?"

"Germany military rations. It's too painful… And plus, I hadn't had any good Asian food in years. You get tired of sauerbraten and potato dumplings really quickly. Towards the end, we had nothing but potatoes. Those were completely tasteless. This, on the other hand…"

Breakfast was supposed to be a small meal, but that did not mean that it had to be dull. On the table were giant bowls of congee, youtiao, fried bananas, meat skewers dripping with sauce, and cornbread drizzled with condensed milk. The smell alone was enough to make my mouth water.

"These are my favorites-kah," Yim replied, using chopsticks to pick up a youtiao, "They're called pathongo. It's like a donut, but it's fully on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Those skewers there are moo ping. I made them from pork shoulder cuts and used TK's special North Carolina barbeque sauce-kah. They go really well with that bowl of jok and sticky rice. You can also dip the pathongko and bread in the jok and give it a really—hey are you even listening?

I wasn't. Although I was salivating uncontrollably at the irresistible aromas of my food, I couldn't help but continue to stare. "I've never had Thai food before. Where do I even start?"

"Start with the meat. If you start with the pathongko or cornbread, you're going to be eating a lot of carbs. They fill you up more quickly," Yim suggested, picking up a slice of fried banana with a fork, "You should also try to save the congee and coffee for last-kah. Oh yeah, speaking of coffee…"

Yim got up and took out a silver coffee pot. She set a porcelain coffee cup set on the table. "Okaerinasaimase, goshujin-sama. (Welcome home, Master)." She poured the espresso and kneeled by the table to stir cream into the coffee. She then scooped up some coffee in a spoon and put it by my mouth. "Open up, Pak. This is your favorite. Vienna coffee with fresh milk and a sprinkle of chocolate powder."

I was a little puzzled by her bizarre behavior, but who was I to judge? And how could I say no to being pampered like that? My superiors at Messerschmitt treated me like a dog for half a decade. It was about time that I got some time to relax and enjoy myself. Of course, Yim's uniform and cooking made that a lot more pleasant than I anticipated. I no longer knew if I was drooling because of the food or because of Yim.

I took a sip of coffee, and my taste buds exploded. Viennese coffee.

Viennese coffee.

I sipped and sipped again as Yim continued to feed me. "This is even better than the coffee served in the cafeteria. How did you make it so much better?"

"I purchased a chocolate bar and shaved some of it into the coffee-kah. I also added some caramel and fresh whole milk."

I was too busy delighting in the coffee to think of a good compliment. "I love coffee and chocolate."

"I know."

"How did you find out?"

"Everyone in school knows."

How did she know that chocolate was my weakness? I took another sip. Had she been following me? Had she seen me hoarding all the chocolate bars from the cafeteria? Or maybe the chocolate bar wrappers inside the room were a giveaway. Yeah. That was probably it. "And uh… do you feed me the food as well?"

"No, silly. You're going to have to do that yourself-kah. You get to customize the flavor I used to work at a maid café in Japan. On slow days, we spoon-feed the customers to improve their dining experience-kah. We used to spoon-feed them food as well, but it proved to be a major choking hazard…"

I eventually decide to pick up a piece of barbequed pork, biting into it. Immediately, the sweet juices of the pork skin seeped into my tongue. As soon as my taste buds registered the savory taste, I couldn't help but reach for another piece.

"Hey, see? Told you this is good stuff," Yim mods, helping herself to the same dish, "TK made the sauce especially for us-kah. I had to let it marinate for ten hours to give it that extra kick."

I swallowed another mouthful of pork. "You seem to really enjoy this. Why did you want to become a pilot instead of a chef?" I asked before quickly picking up a piece of youtiao. She had told me about her desires to fly when we were touring the Guild, but I never got around to asking about her dreams.

"This right here is one of the reasons why I spent two years at the Japan Aviation High School-kah. I want to connect the world. So that everyone has a chance to taste and enjoy good food like this by travelling. Eat the jok, and you'll see what I mean-kah."

I began to scope up the congee. "I suppose if this is what you're trying to work for, I guess I can understand". I was never a big fan of congee. Plain congee was a prolific famine food, since it could stretch the rice ration. I eventually began to associate congee with starvation and learned to hate it. But the congee Yim made was different. It was served with a raw egg, minced pork, and chopped spring onions. The flavor was wonderful. "That's not a bad reason, actually. You should really thank me for making it possible, you know. I hope that you enjoyed flying jets. I developed turbojet engines. You're welcome."

Yim smiled and shrugged at the same time, "I was trained to fly turboprops-kah. The Dash 8 series, to be more exact. Fuel is really expensive nowadays, and turboprops are very efficient. Very fast too-kah. The Dash 8 was introduced in 1984 by de Havilland..." I frowned when I heard that name. Yim gasped a bit when she realized her mistake, spilling some of her jok onto her apron. "I'm so sorry…"

That name. Out of all the companies, why did it have to be de Havilland? Yim knew that I had a grudge against de Havilland. I fall into an abyss of hatred whenever I hear that name. Sure, I was killed by one of their planes. But that wasn't all. I hated de Havilland because it was so successful. Their Mosquito bombers were virtually unopposed at night for the entire war. None of my designs came close. At a lecture in 1943, Goring personally told me that the Mosquito turns him "green and yellow with envy." I felt the same way.

Yim tried to assuage my anger by feeding me spoonfuls of jok. That helped a little bit. Another fifteen minutes pass, and both of our plates sit empty with sticks stripped of all traces of meat and a few stray chunks of bread and sauce.

"Did you enjoy your meal, Pak?"

"Yes. It was a really pleasant surprise. Way better than cafeteria food. I suppose that we have to head back down to the Guild now?"

"No. We typically get the weekends off. Some of the members were thinking about testing some of the new equipment in the mountains-kah. It's a good chance for us to do a bit of hiking and fishing as well. The weather outside is really good right now."

"Good idea," I praised. "I hate being underground. It's so damp and hot down there. I could really use some fresh mountain air to clear my mind. We can also do test out some of our new gear."

"That's what those Guild members were thinking too. Staying underground is not good for your health-kah. You start to look like a vampire after a while. That's why the Guild organizes a hiking trip every week."

"Very wise of them. The two of us also need to burn off the calories that we just consumed. What's the itinerary?"

Yim looked at her wristwatch. "We're leaving in an hour and will be coming back late at night. We'll be meeting at the school parking lot. You don't need to wear the uniform, but bring your equipment. I'll call the Guild and tell them that you're going as well."

After the conversation, Yim took away the dirty plates on her cart and left the room. I did some light morning stretches, took a shower, and dressed myself. Most of my clothing were dirty and badly in need of a wash, but it was nothing that the new automatic washing machines could not handle.

Buried underneath a pile of dirty clothing was two of my newest creations—my personal weapons for my fight against Angel. I took them out and carefully examined them. The larger weapon was a Panzerbüsche 39 (PzB 39) anti-tank rifle. The damn thing took a full day to build, but I loved it. The gun was long and heavy, weighing 13 kilograms, and it kicked like a mule. The 7.92x94mm Patronen tungsten rounds they wired were as large as my thumb. The gun was originally made by German engineers to penetrate the armor of enemy tanks. It was adequate at the beginning of the war, but it had become hopelessly outclassed by 1944. They were slowly phased out of service, and some of the guns found their way to the storage facilities at my airbase. I studied the gun and tried to make an automatic version of it to use as defensive armament on bombers, but I eventually gave up. The gun was still very effective against aircraft armor, although it was useless against tanks. Angel, fortunately, was not a tank; she was some sort of mechanical contraption, but she was not quite a tank. She sometimes fought like one though, advancing towards our lines while deflecting her bullets. Only Matsushita's AT-4 anti-tank recoilless rifle could stop her, but the weapon was inaccurate and slow to reload. I hoped to fix that.

The original PzB 39 used by the Wehrmacht was a bolt-action weapon. Each round had to be manually inserted into the chamber using a vertical breech block mechanism. The sights was a mere hooded front post with a rear "V" notch. Semi-automatic firing and accuracy were not priorities when fighting tanks, but they were important for an anti-Angel weapon. I added a semi-automatic loading mechanism to the gun, increasing the practical firing rate to 30 rounds per minute. I also gave it a 30-round magazine and a laser sight. I hoped that these modifications, along with the original stopping power of the anti-tank round, would be enough to stop Angel from advancing.

My modernized PzB 39 was a fearsome weapon, but it was still heavy and cumbersome. It was not good for when fighting in close quarters. I made a second weapon especially for those situations. It was a grey MP 40 submachine gun, virtually identical to the ones used by Germany during World War II. Many of the guards at my airbase used it, and it was an everyday sight for me. The gun was reliable and had a fantastic rate of fire. Most importantly, it was light and reliable. I could easily strap the submachine gun around my neck, freeing my hands for the PzB 39. Doing things the other way around would have probably resulted in a broken neck.

I slung the MP 40 submachine gun around my shoulder and put the PzB 39 in a modified baritone saxophone case. The PzB 39 was collapsible, and I usually carried in a case to avoid unwanted suspicion. I played the tenor saxophone back in Germany, and the baritone was not much different. The gun weighed about the same as the saxophone.

I made my way from my dorm room to the school parking lot, basking in the morning sunshine and fresh air. I was glad that I could still stay in a dorm room. Some of the Guild members were assigned NPC roommates and had to stay underground in the Guild overnight. I felt bad for them. They did not get to hear the chirping of birds or see the natural light. It was always damp and depressing down there, and the air always smelled like sulfur.

A convoy of school minivans were lined in a neat row in the school parking lot. SSS members were busy loading weapons, camping gear, and crates of ammunition onto the vehicles. Three Guild members were busy trying to hitch our newest weapon—a Pak 36 37mm anti-tank gun—to one of the vans. I had just built that weapon the day before, and we were all very eager to test it out. It was the SSS's first canon, and it could give us a crucial edge in the fight against Angel. Chaa did not want to test the gun underground, and the mountains were the perfect place to test the high-explosive and incendiary shells.

There must have been around three dozen SSS members running around the parking lot, but one stood out in particular. The girl carried a guitar case on her back and an AK-47 assault rifle on her shoulder. She was the only Caucasian girl in the school; her blond hair and bright blue eyes really set her apart. She grew up in Poland but spoke Japanese better than I did. Her name was Aleksandra Winograd, but she went by Sandra. She was as passionate about music as she was about weapons. Like me, she died during WWII—one of the twelve million victims of the Holocaust. She always wore a sad and angry expression on her face, except when she was on her guitar. Her music helped lift the mood of everyone in the Guild; we would all gather to hear her sing and play during our lunch breaks. She was a hard worker too, and she could replicate my weapons with astonishing speed and accuracy.

Sandra was arguing with Yui, one of the SSS members. Apparently, Yui had bought along her drum set and wanted to practice in the mountains, but Sandra said that there was not enough space: "Why can't you just go practice early tomorrow?" Sandra suggested, "The GirlDeMo girls rarely get up before ten."

"But what if they hear me, they'll never accept me into their band" Yui moaned, "They've already rejected me for guitar." Tears seemed to be filling her eyes, although her voice did not change to reflect that.

"Look Yui, there's nothing we can do," Chaa replied, "Your drums just won't fit inside any of our vans. Most of those vans are overloaded as is. And we're still trying to figure out how to load Pak's artillery piece."

"Why can't you take the food delivery truck?" Yui asked, "That truck is big enough to fit all our equipment."

"Well…" Chaa rubbed his temples, "No one here knows how to drive a manual. In fact, only six of us here know how to drive."

Six was not a bad number. One of my NPC friends had told me that the minimum driving age in Japan was 18. Most of the members of the SSS were still a few years short. The minimum age in Germany was also 18, but that did not apply to military vehicles in times of war. I had seen Hitler Youth members as young as 14 driving Opel Blitz trucks.

"I can drive a manual," I volunteered, catching Chaa and Sandra off-guard, "I'm pretty familiar with trucks as well."

"You can?! You're awesome, Mr. Cyclops!" Yui replied exuberantly, giving be a tight, rib-crushing hug. I felt like that my other eye was going to pop out.

Chaa and Sandra looked at each other and then at me. "I'm happy to help," I affirmed.

Chaa led me to the cafeteria entrance, where two NPC cafeteria ladies were loading crates of milk off of the back of a white Mitsubishi Fuso Canter FE160 box truck. Chaa walked up to the cafeteria ladies and took out his ID: "Hello, ladies. This is Chaa from School Maintenance. One of the water pipes in the dorms just burst. We need to commandeer this vehicle to bring in the emergency replacement."

"Sure thing, sweetie" the old NPC lady replied with a smile, "Just bring it back when you're done." Chaa really was on the school maintenance staff; it allowed him to access parts and supplies that were usually off-limits to regular students. But it was still the middle of spring. NPCs were always gullible; they never really seemed to suspect anything.

I got inside the cab of the truck. It was a lot more roomy and fancy than the Opel Blitz trucks I drove in Germany, but the controls were very similar. I started the truck, shifted it into first gear, and drove to the parking lot. Chaa and the Guild staff scrambled to load it up with ammunition, music instruments, and camping gear. They also welded a towing hitch to the rear bumper of the truck, in order to carry the artillery piece. All this work was done within ten minutes. Yim arrived at the parking lot, dressed in a Thai schoolgirl uniform and holding a Rung Paisarn RPS-001 assault rifle. I had to pull her into the tall cab of the truck. Sandra was decided to ride on my truck, which had space for two passengers. All the SSS combat team members except Shiina also came along for the trip, traveling in the vans. We departed only two minutes behind schedule.

The trip into the mountains took us along a windy, rustic road. The road out from the academy itself stretched for more than five kilometers, and it was completely empty. But as the roads began to merge, we began to see more vehicles. There were not too many of them, but I saw at least half a dozen. Yim told me that they were all driven by NPCs. That made sense, as none of them seemed to care about the box truck hauling an artillery piece next to them.

"You're a smooth operator, Pak," Sandra complimented as I maneuvered through a pack of NPC sedans. She seemed very relaxed, with her feet on the dashboard. "I'm guessing that you learned that on the Autobahn?" I forced a smile and nodded. Driving a truck was way easier than flying, even when you were towing an artillery piece. But I was always hesitant to talk about Germany when Sandra was around. She had every reason to hate me, but she was nothing but kind and polite toward me. But that did not make me feel any better about my past.

Yim was also a bit uneasy about the conversation. She offered Sandra a piece of dried mango as a distraction. Like me, she was cautious when dealing with others' pasts. "Heh, Pak? How about we turn on the radio? You might be able to catch some K-Pop tunes being broadcasted from Korea."

I nodded in agreement. I needed some music to keep me awake. Trucks were not the most engaging vehicles to drive, and K-Pop tunes were always very uplifting. Tsushima Island was only 80 km from the Korean port of Busan—well within the range of AM radio. (I was not so sure about FM radio, which was mostly developed after WWII).

Yim switched on the radio, which was still on 738 kHz AM. The digital display identified the broadcaster as HLKG-AM. Booming sounds spewed forth from the stereo. I almost lost control of the truck. My mind went blank. The message being broadcasted shook me to the core.

The radio station was indeed Korean. But instead of catchy K-Pop songs, the station was broadcasting the desperate pleas of a teenage girl. Her voice was trembling with fear. Gunfire and screams could be heard in the distant background: "Hello? Is anyone out there? This is the Ulsan broadcasting center… There are still seven of us here, from the whole city. We have been holding out here for three days. I have just shot my pistol's last bullet. In a few minutes, thousands of Communists will overrun us. We are destroying our radio equipment. We will fight till the end. Long live Korea! Long live President Syngmann Rhee…" Her voice was cut off by a burst of gunfire and the sound of shattering glass. The radio fell silent. An eerie static took over the airwaves.

Jargon Dictionary

Pathongko

Pathonko, also known as youtiao or fried breadstick, is a popular breakfast dish in East and Southeast Asia. It's made by deep-frying and salting a strip of dough, and it's commonly eaten as an accompaniment for rice congee or soy milk.

Petlyakov Pe-3

The Petlyakov Pe-3 was a night figher version of the Soviet Petlyaklov Pe-2 high-speed bomber. The airplane's designers followed the same design philosophy used by the British de Havilland Mosquito, creating an airplane with light armor but high speed. However, the Pe-3 did not enjoy the overwhelming success of the Mosquito, due to a combination of design flaws and poor tactics. Nevertheless, the airplane was remained in service throughout World War II, mostly with reconnaissance units towards the end of the war.

Sauerbraten

Commonly regarded as one of the national dishes of Germany, sauerbraten is a pot roast that can be prepared with a variety of meats. The meat is usually marinated for several days before cooking, giving it a tender and juicy texture. It is often served with traditional German side dishes, such as boiled potatoes and red cabbage.

Japan Aviation High School

Located in the city of Kai in Yamanashi Prefecture, the private high school is an academy operated by Japan Aviation and Japan Airlines. The school trains both airline pilots and aircraft technicians.

De Havilland Dash 8

The de Havilland Canada Dash 8, more commonly known today as the Bombardier Dash 8, is a serine of twin-engined turboprop airliners introduced in 1984. The aircraft is popular with regional airlines due to its short take-off and landing performance, speed, and low operational costs. More than one thousand Dash 8s have been produced, and it's still in production as of the publication of this chapter.

Panzerbüsche 39

The Panzerbüsche 39, often abbreviated as the PzB 39, was a German anti-tank rifle used during World War II. The gun was an improvement of the Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr, which enjoyed considerable success during World War I. The weapon weighted 13 kilograms (28 lb) and had a range of approximately 300m. It fired 7.92x94mm rounds with a muzzle velocity of 1210 m/s. Nearly 40,000 units were produced between 1940 and 1941, but the gun was withdrawal from service in 1944, when it had become virtually useless against new Allied armor. Pak modifies his PzB 39 with a laser sight and a semi-automatic firing mechanism, which gives him greater accuracy and a higher rate of fire.

MP 40

Often dubbed the "Schmeisser" by Allied troops, the maschinenpistole 40, more commonly known as the MP 40, was a submachine gun widely used by the Wehrmacht on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. An estimated 1.1 million were produced. It incorporated some very advanced features, including a folding stock and forward grip magazine. The gun was well-received for its compact size, high rate of fire, and reliability. However, the gun had a relative small magazine (32 rounds) and a short range (200m). Pak's choice of weapons gives him excellent firepower within 300m, but he cannot effectively engage targets beyond that distance.

Pak 36 Anti-tank gun

The Panzerabwehrkanone 36 (abbreviated as Pak 36; this has nothing to do with Ralf Pak) was an anti-tank gun widely used during World War II. The gun fired a 37 × 249 mm round with a muzzle velocity of 720 m/s. The gun has an effective range of 5000m. While the gun was adequate against light tanks used in the beginning of the war, it proved useless against Soviet T-34 medium tanks, which it was unable to defeat at any distance or angle. The gun was mockingly referred to the "army door-knocking device". Nevertheless, the gun still possessed good accuracy, superb mobility, weighing only 400 kg, and an excellent rate of fire (13 rpm).

AK-47

Yuri Orlov (Lord of War): "Of all the weapons in the vast soviet arsenal, nothing was more profitable than Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947. More commonly known as the AK-47, or Kalashnikov. It's the world's most popular assault rifle. A weapon all fighters love. An elegantly simple 9 pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood. It doesn't break, jam, or overheat. It'll shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand. It's so easy, even a child can use it; and they do. The Soviets put the gun on a coin. Mozambique put it on their flag. Since the end of the Cold War, the Kalashnikov has become the Russian people's greatest export. After that comes vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists. One thing is for sure, no one was lining up to buy their cars."

Opel Blitz

The Opel Blitz was a series of German light and middle-weight trucks produced bween 1930 and 1975. The Opel Blitz mentioned in this story is the Blitz 3.6, a three-ton version used extensively by the German military. Many versions were produced to deal with climate conditions on the front lines; some featured all-wheel drive and treads. Over 70,000 were produced during the war, and they proved to be the backbone of German logistical units.

Mitsubishi Fuso Canter FE60

The Mitsubishi Fuso Canter FE160 is a medium-duty truck popular for its versatility. The truck is often used for refrigerated transport, although it's also commonly used by construction and landscaping crews. The truck can carry more than 4.5 metric tons. In real life, the truck is equipped with a dual-clutch automated manual transmission, which can be easily used by drivers without experience driving manuals.

Rung Paisarn RPS-001 assault rifle

The brainchild of Yim's father, the Rung Parisarn is an assault rifle manufactured by Rung Parisarn Heavy Industries of Thailand. Designed in 1986, it featured components with both the Czechoslovak Vz. 58 and the M16A2. The weapon weighs 3.2 kg is equipped with an iron sight. It fires the 5.56x45mm NATO round at 650 rpm and has an effective range of 400m. The light weight, reliability, and performance of the weapon makes it ideal for Yim.

Busan, Republic of Korea

Busan, previously Romanized as Pusan, is the second-largest city in South Korea. Situated on the southeastern tip of the Korea Peninsula, the city is home to approximately 3.6 million. The city is constructed in a number of valleys around the Nakdong River, and its residents are treated to stunning views of mountains and the ocean. The city is one of the major cultural and economic centers of East Asia, and its port is the fifth busiest seaport by cargo tonnage.

Ulsan, Republic of Korea

Located 50 kilometers north of Busan, the city of Ulsan, is the seventh largest city in South Korea. The city is home to 1.1 million people, and it is often considered to be the industrial heart of South Korea. It is home to the world's largest automobile assembly plat and the world's largest shipyard, both operated by Hyundai. The city also boasts a GDP per capita of almost $80,000, the highest in South Korea.

Closing:

Pak: Hope you guys enjoyed that cliffhanger ending. I couldn't actually care less about that radio transmission. But this truck though…

Yim: What about it?

Pak: (Guns engine.) Feel the torque!

Sandra: (Sticks head out window.) Feel the power!

Yim: Meh, those Dash 8s were better-kah.

Dima: (Pulls up alongside the truck in a Mazda CX-5.) Hey guys. Glad you're enjoying the ride.

Pak: Totally, man. These new trucks are way better than what I had in Germany.

Dima: Good. Speaking of new, introduce yourself, Sandra.

Sandra: Hello, 21-guns readers. I'm Aleksandra Winograd. Daughter of StardustNyako. As Pak mentioned earlier, I'm a huge fan of music. I tend to be more into the folk and classical stuff, but I like rock as well. I play the guitar and the piano, and I do a bit of composing as well. I used to perform for the members of the Warsaw Ghetto to lift their spirits.

Dima: Why don't you play a few verses for us, Sandra? Help me write a song to impress a girl.

Sandra: Maybe in the next episode. But you're going to have to write it anyway.

Dima: I suppose that's true. Time to fire up some of the creativity neurons. In the meantime, readers, please leave a review and/or subscribe. I won't bite, unless provoked.

Yim: And you can check out my maid uniform on Dima02's DeviantArt account-kah. It's super Kawaii! I promise! (=w=)