“Okay, first lesson: Television”, Aragami pointed at the thin rectangle-shaped object on the wall. Azula was wondering what that was when she walked into the room.

“Is this some kind of fortune-telling mirror?” She asked. Aragami chuckled as if she said something funny. “Why are you laughing?” She scowled.

“That is Television, but people call it TV for short”.

Azula stared at the TV in fascination. Then she cleared her throat and gave the ninja a serious expression. “What use is this? It just reveals people that you could just see in person”.

“That is the point. Some people don’t want to waste their time traveling to see the specific individuals when they could just watch from the safety and comfort of their own homes”.

The princess was uncharacteristically interested in this object. It seems the technology in this realm was created to make everyone’s lives convenient and simple. But it was also a bit lazy.

“How was this built? How does it work?”

Aragami felt a strange sense of excitement. Finally, he could teach a child. Something he loved doing since the radio was invented. “They run on electricity. They need wires and screws to work and this glass that reveals the people is called a screen. TV is useless without electricity and technological visuals but they have been the main source of entertainment and important news, well that was before the internet…”

Azula was trying to process this information. If the world relied on this object so much that means if they were wiped out of it, then there would be chaos. “What is this ‘internet’?”

“Well, the internet is more important than TV. Since the beginning of this century, people have been acting like a person with no internet was a person in a desert looking for water. The Internet made Earth an even smaller world than before. You can talk to people on the other side of the world or complete projects and entertain yourself without leaving your ro-,”

That unexpected pause was because Aragami realized he was teaching her the ways of modern adolescence. He searched around for anything he could use to change the subject. Then he noticed the refrigerator and walked to the appliance. He cleared his throat and opened the object door. “This is called a refrigerator or ‘fridge’ for short, this is one of the most useful everyday appliances. We use it to store food that must be kept cold so it doesn’t rot. That way when you want something like milk, it will last for at least five days”.

Azula was amazed by the inventions of this world. Though she hoped her world was starting to invent these appliances. Aragami went to the bathroom. “This is the bathroom, I am sure you are already aware of its use, but when using the toilet, you must press down this handle to flush”

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After explaining how to use the bathroom, the ninja back to the living room. “Now I will teach you how to use a cellphone”.

“I am guessing the ‘cellphone’ is the most useful modern device”.

“You guessed right! Girls your age start to rely on them more than anyone else”. Aragami pulled out his Nokia. “Before I teach you how to use a smartphone, you will start with a less complex version to help you understand better”. He explained as he handed Azula the Nokia. “Less than twenty years ago, this Nokia brand was popular, and the company that created Hello Kitty was shameless enough to take advantage of it”. The ninja grumbled.

“Pardon? I didn’t hear that last part”.

“Never you mind, anyway back to the Nokia!”. Aragami handed the girl the phone. “This is the button you press when you want to call someone who isn’t in the same location as you, and these numbers are called contacts but you can label the names of the people who own the contacts so you don’t get confused. I will give you my number”.

As he typed, Azula was thinking. ‘People need to possess long numbers to be able to communicate? It seems like the technology in this era is controlling people instead of the other way around. Must be embarrassing, but the tradition of the last century seems to have been forgotten. As important as technology is right now, I must be the one in control. And if people need it as much as air and water, then I could use its power to my advantage…this ninja is useful, I’ll stay close to him until I have learned everything about this world—

“Little girl? Earth to you, little girl!” Aragami clicked his fingers an inch from Azula’s eyes. The girl looked at the ninja. “Did you hear what I just said?”

“No, I was…thinking of my home”, she lied.

“Ah…so you are already homesick? Well I was going to say—”

There was the sound of the phone ringing. “Hold that thought little girl, I have to take this”.

Azula just stood awkwardly. Even a nineteenth-century person like herself knew it was rude to listen to another individual having a conversation with someone else. But then again, she was only polite to her father Ozai, but she saw no reason to be nice to anyone of lower status. So she pretended to look around while listening to Aragami’s conversation. She couldn’t hear the voice of the person talking to Aragami.

I see now, these ‘cell phones’ were invented to help people communicate without another eavesdropping. Genius! But maybe I can figure out what they are talking about on Aragami’s side.

The ninja was speaking in Japanese.

それは何ですか？これはnecontractである方が良いです。The ninja paused. “All right, The payment sounds promising. I’ll be there tomorrow”.

As he moved the phone away, he pressed a button and the device made a strange sound. The ninja stared at Azula as if he didn’t notice her standing there. “Little girl, I will be heading to a…certain place. It’s too dangerous so stay here until I come back”. He ordered.

“Excuse me?! Are you ordering me around—”

“Just stay here little girl, I only going to kill someone in my new contract, do not set foot outside of the hideout okay?”

Then he made ninjutsu signs with his hand and left. Azula was furious. Back in her world she would send anyone who upset her to the dungeon or better yet…banish them. But Aragami had no idea that she was a princess. She had an idea. She looked at a back full of money by the oven. She had an idea.

Bonus

Earlier when Azula zoned out, Aragami said this:

Maybe when I train you, I can teach you how to use a gun

And during his phone call, he said:

What is it? This better be about a new contract.