~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 60 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Henry really couldn't tell what impression he'd left on Charlize Theron during their first meeting.
What he could sense was that this woman carried a heavy layer of caution—
likely a product of her upbringing.
As for the things he remembered from before he transmigrated…
He had no idea whether this world followed the same script.
But such topics were landmines.
Maybe, after she became a major star and had long laid her past to rest, she could talk about it freely.
Right now?
Anyone who stepped on that mine deserved the explosion.
And Henry wasn't about to rely on Kryptonian skin to go stomping on landmines.
He certainly wasn't going to ask about her father.
So he simply offered what advice he could, said his goodbyes, and left.
Maybe that first meeting would also be the last.
Walking through the streets of Los Angeles—this city with the highest celebrity density on Earth—
spotting a famous face was nothing special.
But actually interacting with them, or doing any sort of "in-depth" research?
Not so easy.
What, did people think celebrities were like… public playthings?
Available to anyone?
Henry had assumed he wouldn't see the future Oscar winner again until years later—
on the big screen, not face-to-face.
But only two days passed before his phone rang.
---
"Hello, may I speak to Mr. Henry Brown?"
"Speaking."
There was a slight hesitation on the other end.
A slow, uncertain voice asked:
"This is Charlize Theron. Do you remember me?"
"Ah, Miss Theron—of course I remember. What can I do for you?"
"Um… because you're the author—well, translator—of Love Across Cultures… and I'm… a fan…
I wanted to ask if you could sign my copy."
"Sure. When and where?"
"Could we meet at that same restaurant? Around noon? And… I have some things I'd like to ask you."
Not an invitation to eat together.
Not an offer to treat him.
Clearly, the girl was hungry.
Henry didn't call her out on it.
"Alright. Today?"
"Yes, today at noon."
"Perfect timing then. I'll treat you. Sorry—I'm someone who's been hungry before.
When it's time to eat, I must eat."
"…Okay. Thank you."
"See you then."
"See you."
---
Hanging up, Henry looked down at the little tiger circling his legs—
Okay, not so little anymore.
Animals grew fast.
After a year they were practically full-grown.
Katie wasn't even a year old yet and already weighed four hundred and eighty pounds.
If Henry hadn't replaced all the cat trees with custom steel structures, the old wooden ones would've been splinters.
The reason Katie was acting clingy was simple—
today was supposed to be "fresh meat day," a trip out into the wild for some natural exercise and hunting simulation.
For an animal—especially a tiger—running around outdoors was heaven compared to being trapped inside a small apartment.
But with an appointment at noon, Katie's outing would have to wait until tomorrow.
This absolutely was not a case of "beauty before pet."
Henry rubbed Katie's massive head.
"Alright little one. Eat some chilled meat today. I'll take you out tomorrow."
"ROWR!"
**→ Translation: No.
**
The tiger translator broadcast the word through its speaker.
Henry grabbed Katie's cheeks with both hands, forcing the big cat to look him in the eyes.
His eyes glowed red.
"We go out tomorrow.
Any problem with that?"
Katie stiffened.
"…rowr."
**→ Translation: Okay.
**
Henry's eyes faded back to normal.
"Good girl."
---
Katie didn't truly understand complex sentences.
The translator worked by pairing brainwave patterns with vocalizations to produce simple human-language equivalents.
It could also reverse the process—
taking Henry's human speech and producing tiger-language sounds.
With more and more data collected, the system became more reliable, and Katie started recognizing the artificial "tiger words" the machine produced.
But a tiger's mind differed from a human's.
She could only grasp a few basic words so far—
nothing like full sentences or extended commands.
Whether this was true tiger language
or simply conditioned responses like dogs learning "sit" and "shake"…
Henry honestly didn't know.
Maybe the translator had simply become part of Katie's environment—
and their interactions no longer resembled anything you'd see in the wild.
---
These days, Henry arranged for a butcher shop to deliver freshly slaughtered meat every morning—
cash on delivery.
To ensure balanced nutrition, the meat rotated regularly:
beef today, lamb tomorrow, pork the day after.
Occasionally horse meat appeared on the menu.
Feeding a tiger was expensive, no wonder so few people did it.
He even considered inventing tiger-food cans similar to cat food…
but the market would be nonexistent.
Zoos probably wouldn't buy them either.
So raw meat it was.
Though… tiger poop was foul.
Fishy, pungent, and overwhelming.
Henry had already redesigned Katie's "toilet" several times.
Since he couldn't take her out today, he had to prep the automatic feeder early.
Not just a food dispenser—
it needed to be durable.
Ever since Katie realized that pressing or whacking the machine made meat appear,
how many feeders had she torn apart?
The first version—plastic—was laughable.
Destroyed in a day.
Version 2: metal sheet.
Shredded.
Version 3, 4… and so on.
She even tore open the refrigerator once—
because Henry had taken meat out of it.
Even reinforced household appliances weren't safe.
That's why her food now came freshly delivered—
and why Henry sometimes fantasized about breaking into Wakanda to steal some vibranium to craft an indestructible feeder…
In the end, he settled on a formula for tank armor from thirty years ago to build Katie's feeding station.
Why not use modern armor designs?
Because modern composite armor was meant to resist bullets, heat, and explosions—
not tiger claws.
Old-school thick steel plates were much better for that.
After placing Katie's lunch into the secure compartment, the tiger instantly locked onto the feeder—
that indestructible object she hated yet could never defeat.
Henry scratched her chin.
The BB-series core robot didn't need upgrades as often anymore,
thanks in large part to Katie's feeder requiring fewer repairs.
With tiger fed and secure, Henry needed something to do before his lunch appointment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉
I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!"
Let me know what should I do
Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~