It was typical... for even his birthday party to go astray.

His secretary slash assistant, discussing something along the line of business with a momager.

Someplace else, another momager was also talking business with his grandfather.

Even Alexander himself. Talking and playing around with the video game and video game system of a competitor.

Aside from being an insightful research into what they're offering, the business aspect of this activity is, of course, pondering about Sega's propensity to just devolve into a third-party developer.

In turn, leading him to think about what to do about other notable third-party developers as well.

He'll have to open those floodgates eventually.

Besides, these folks happen to have really been trying hard to get a hold of him and perhaps it's time to entertain what they have to say.

Not going astray from Creed Entertainment's creed of entertainment... and maybe he'll even entertain himself in the process.

Anyways, for someone who just turned twelve in 1987... he sure has a warped mentality of a businessman.

Which was not-so-kiddie for a supposed Alex the Kid at all.

------

Well, that is quite the contradiction, isn't it?

Yet really not anything new when it came to Alexander since he already knew how messed up most things are when it came to this re-life.

For this was his second 12th birthday... with plenty of implications.

When it's your second time around, there's always some nuance that is bound to be different.

Typically and according to experts... most 12-year-olds have moments of both acting like the child they've always been... then suddenly turning into a little adult right out of nowhere.

For other parents and guardians, this really takes some getting used to...

Discovering how to be prepared for the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development that happens at this time.

Alexander couldn't really be too sure... but most adults in his life should have been made clear of this for a while now. Especially his grandfather.

For the old man, these 12 years of Alexander must have been quite the spectacle.

At around 12, most children have a strong command of language and communication skills.

Communicating wasn't exactly Alexander's strong suit but his communication skills are superior nonetheless.

Thinking beyond literal interpretations, even going as far as probably being able to produce proverbs and idioms that fly over most adults' minds.

He's just built differently compared to most standards... and knowing Old Sullivan, that's probably on his old bag of brags already.

Stolen story; please report.

So... moving on to a more technical factoid... the brain of 12-year-olds may have stalled when it came to growing in size but it’s nowhere near done developing.

Abstract thinking, problem-solving, and logic are all becoming easier. Such improvement in reasoning and information processing isn't really anything new.

They're just signs of being more mature.

Obviously, things that Alexander already excels at. Excelling to the point of being able to develop something like Microsoft Excel was the level that he's at.

The basics of 12-year-olds are basically the basics of programming when he thought about it.

It's just those quirks of young adolescence...

Demonstrating the capacity for long-range planning... the ability to consider other points of view and feelings... and these would only continue to develop as one grows older.

With his already high statistics on those, barring the consideration of "feelings" part, he's pretty much set to only improve from there.

And even with long-range planning, he wasn't really too sure of the limits of where he could go.

Perhaps that's a realization for later.

For if his memory serves right, 12-year-old brains may have supposedly stunted in growth, however, the prefrontal cortex should still be maturing.

The very part responsible for impulse control and organizational skills, so one shouldn't be too surprised if a 12-year-old engages in some potentially impulsive behavior.

Also, meaning that maybe he shouldn't be too surprised at all the truly impulsive behaviors he's exhibited as of late.

And even though Alexander can say that he's got quite the commendable organizational skills already, he still had hired help.

Just in case and she happens to be a very sexy one at that.

Which happens to just circle back to impulse control again.

Not that the decision to pick some "law-aspirant turned model turned actress" was impulsive. It just sort of is.

As for the cherries on top of that... well... there's the two girlfriends he hangs around with.

Age 12 is just at that typical age. Where he as a boy can mingle with the girls as they altogether go through that process called puberty.

Time and time again, it's something that Alexander didn't fail to remind himself. A trusty excuse for his very sus proclivities.

Genetics, sex, and a range of environmental factors were somewhat to blame for this early onset... but maybe there's that other transcendental factor at play as well.

Regardless, puberty and early adolescence is a phase... with many physical changes...

He's a 12-year-old again and he should really start looking out for the usual puberty signs like new smells, hair growth in new places, acne, and growth spurts.

And that's not all... since there's the inevitability of the penis and testicles getting bigger, then hair growth in the pubic area and underarms, and then facial hair growth, muscle growth, and then voice deepening.

It's just irrefutable science.

Fortunately, his genes were quite generous in all these regards... and while these changes are physical, they sure have that psychological aspect to them.

It's not that Alexander was stressed or uncomfortable with these coming changes... it's just that his Mind Mansion got him thinking...

Thinking of the Chaos embedded in him and the potential effects it could have.

Nothing's too concrete as of yet... but it might as well be set in stone that there's something very suspicious about that.

He probably wouldn't mutate to grow big ears and huge hands like Alex Kidd... but he also can't claim otherwise.

---------

Despite all that has been covered... he really did just fall back on it again, didn't he?

The Alex the Kid thing.

Maybe he should have avoided the kid terminology in the first place.

Since he's twelve and not thirteen, there's no -een, so he's also no teen. How about pre-teen? Or the awkward tween?

Nevertheless, why was he contesting this anyways?

It's still the night of January 30 and given that it's the unofficial theme of this day, he might as well just come to terms with it.

He's technically a kid, so he should just be a kid.

It's neither that deep nor that inspired of a thought but he actually just wrote up a plan.

It's a simple plan... that he straight away handed to Milla, who was tidying up the bed.

To which, she straightforwardly read. "I woke up... it was seven, I waited 'til 11. Just to figure out that no one would call."

"I think I've got a lot of friends but I don't hear from them. What's another night all alone. When you're spending everyday on your own."

"And here it goes... I'm just a kid?" She asked.... and asked again. "What's this?"

"Just another song for either you or us to work on." Alexander simply said. For something he plundered from a band called Simple Plan.

It's not much but it's titled 'I'm Just a Kid'.

Nostalgic and affirming but it's probably the most acquiescence he's going to give for this kid identity that he's long been stuck in.