Being admitted to Stanford had been a very happy occurrence to Alex Zverev. Back then, in his father's estate in Russia, their whole family had celebrated this event. So how much did it hurt when he had learned that the university's dorms had a strict "no pets policy"?

Since he was small, Alex had always loved animals. Too bad that, for some reason, they didn't like him that much. Street cats tended to run away from him on sight. Stray dogs barked at him with caution. Was his fierce face to blame? 

Even when he had been but a kindergartener, other kids were wary of him. It didn't change even in high school. He looked like a gangster, and strange rumors about him started to circulate after he had scared away some delinquents. Still, the boy never gave up on making friends... even if they weren't humans.

Throughout his whole life, a total of three cats and two dogs had run away from him. It had been really incomprehensible to the boy and his parents - Alex was always caring and gentle to his pets. It was as if they sensed something fierce in him that got them scared away easily. 

Still, as there were always brave people who could see behind someone's exterior, it was equally true for animals. As he got older and learned how to look more approachable (mostly by watching anime), he got a total of three good companions. 

The first brave soul was the dog Alex had named after a certain extremely loyal girl - Mikasa. 

At one point, his parents decided to try their luck with birds - the parrot, with its tiny brain, couldn't comprehend the concept of someone looking threatening. As a being that could even replicate human speech, he got a suitable name - Sasuke. 

The last but not least was a cat. The boy loved cats ever since he first saw one, after all. With a name that perfectly fitted her fearlessness, Taiga became the third of his pets. 

Currently, Alex was in the house he had been renting not far from Stanford. Prices here were exaggerated, but as his parents were rich enough, it wasn't a money problem. Living on his own made it even harder for the youth to socialize with others, and it was the real issue.

Even if Alex was bilingual with near-perfect English, he still had spent most of his life in a foreign country. It wasn't easy for him to get along with his peers, even if he mostly learned how to make his expression not as intimidating. 

In the center of his apartment was a table with an open laptop on it. While lying on his bed together, surrounded by the three pets, Alex talked to his parents through a video call. 

"How are you doing, son?" his father, Andrey Zverev, asked in Russian. The man looked like someone in his late twenties with his cleanly shaved face and delicate features. It was hard to believe that this person was already in his forties and that the person on the other side of the screen was his real son. Still, they both shared their emerald green eyes and silky chestnut hair. 

"Everything is cool," the boy answered while petting the Bengal cat sleeping on the bed near him. He tried to make his smile look genuine, but he failed if the anxious look on his mother's face was a sign. 

"I'll make sure to visit you before Christmas," the woman said in English, her tone gentle and reassuring. Jessica Miller, who changed her second name to Zvereva after marrying Andrey, still loved her mother country dearly. Unfortunately, her husband really needed her support as a chief scientist to complete their latest project back in Russia. Otherwise, she would be more than glad to live with her only son for a couple of years more. 

Jessica appeared as young as her husband - no one would believe that she was a mother of a teen as old as Alex. Blonde hair and blue eyes made her already near-perfect looks even more appealing. 

Neither of the parents asked the boy what kind of problems bothered him. With his almost flawless grades, it was unlikely for him to be stressed by lessons even in the top university. They both knew the answer to why their son didn't look well. It was 17th December, the year 2017.

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On the screen, Andrey and Jessica looked at each other awkwardly. Then, the mom gave the affirmative nod, and the dad exclaimed, "We are really sorry that we can't congratulate you in person, but Happy Birthday, son!" 

"Happy Birthday," his mother echoed, "I'm really sorry. I really want to be there for you right now. You are our most beloved treasure, our only child. I hope you know how much we love you and how grateful we are to call you our son."

Hearing her words, Alex almost teared up. It was late in the evening, and yet the only person who had congratulated him until now was the kind auntie who lived nearby. She was a so-called cat lady, but Alex never looked down on her or joked about her living alone with a dozen of cats. In fact, he felt some sort of comradeship towards her. 

"T-thank you, mom," he said, holding back his tears. "Thank you, dad. I'm proud to be your son, too. It's alright, really." 

"Happy Birthday, son!" A voice interrupted the touching moment between parents and a child. The Yellow-Crowned Amazon parrot named Sasuke landed on his owner's head and congratulated him cheerfully, bringing a smile on everyone's face. 

Seeing the commotion, the dog that peacefully rested near the boy's thighs raised her head. The Siberian Husky started to affectionately lick his hand as if to tell Alex that she was here for him, too. 

Taiga the Cat still had her eyes closed, but melodic purring made it obvious that she wasn't completely asleep. 

With his parents and pets cheering him up, Alex felt warm at his heart. 

Throughout the whole day, he patiently waited for the call from his mom and dad. At the same time, he also hoped that two other people would contact him, but they still didn't. Even if, since arriving in the USA, he still hadn't made any close friends, he at least thought that he had gotten along well enough with one girl and one boy for them to at least with him Happy Birthday, even if not in person. 

Being forgotten by someone with whom you got along felt way worse than just being alone from the start. At least that's what Alex thought, as he had already got used to not having friends. 

Trying to ignore those depressing thoughts and instead concentrating on the pleasant things right before his eyes, the boy who just turned 18 years old sincerely talked to his parents. It was almost a whole week since the last time they had a conversation, so he didn't have many new things to discuss with them. And yet, he was way more talkative than usual. 

A little more than an hour later, Andrey and Jessica said their goodbye after apologizing for not having enough time to talk to him some more. With understanding, Alex bid farewell to them and turned off the laptop. It was 23:58 already, just a couple of minutes from the start of a new day. 

Ding!

Just when he stood up from the bed and wanted to go to the bathroom, he felt a weak vibration in the pocket of his trousers accompanied by a quiet sound. Instantly, he felt his heart rate accelerated. 

Could it be... he thought with doubt, afraid to be disappointed. 

With anticipation mixed with anxiety, Alex got his phone out and unlocked the screen. There, a new message greeted him.

Sender: Amy

Message: Happy Birthday, Alex! The clock on my phone tells me that it's only 12:00 a.m., so I bet I'm the first one to congratulate you! Hehe. ^^

After reading the message, Alex felt both reassured and confused. 

Did she get the date of my birthday wrong? he wondered. Also, it seems that her clock is a few minutes fast...

He sent a reply with his sincere thanks and then put the cell phone back into his pocket. 

Ding!

As Alex heard another soft sound, he thought that Amy already replied to him. Or maybe it was his other acquaintance congratulating him? No, something was strange. The sound was a little bit different, and... holographic words floated right before him?!

Thinking that something was seriously wrong with his head, Alex read the blue half-transparent text. And as soon as he did, a feminine voice resounded in his head, repeating the same words. 

Hello, homo sapiens sapiens of Earth! My name is Intergalactic Providence System, but people usually call me IPS, or Ipsy, or Ms. System. 

His apartment started to shake as if during an earthquake. 

In any case, I chose your species for my "absolutely not forced and completely voluntary" conscription in Milky Way Defense Forces! Of course, you'll die if you decline my offer, but the choice is yours in the end... 

Alex wanted it all to be just his hallucination, but everything felt too real. His pets gathered at his side, warily looking around. The voice continued to narrate in its happy-go-lucky tone. 

Doooon't worry, though! Even if you are young, or disabled, or have an incurable illness - it's alright. I'm fair, and everyone will be given an almost equal chance! 

Just a day after Alex became a legal adult, his peaceful everyday life was taken from him. This sudden change would make countless people despair, but maybe, for someone like him, it was a blessing in disguise, instead?