I don't know when it happened, but a weird group chat suddenly appeared on my phone. I think it popped up right after I moved into my new apartment complex a few weeks ago. The people in this group love role-playing as animals. They chat enthusiastically every single day. Watching them talk was entertaining, but I felt like an outsider, so I just lurked. Until one day, I found a rat in my apartment. Desperate, I asked the group, "Does anyone in the complex offer pest control services?" Someone replied instantly: [Two cans of tuna. Honest work, no haggling.] 1 Ever since I moved, this group chat has been sitting on my phone. The group name is "Oakwood Apartments Community Chat." It sounded normal enough, so I assumed the property management added me and ignored it. Until one day, I accidentally glanced at the chat history. EvilFleece: [Damn it! Mom caught me stealing snacks and spanked my butt. I'm gonna chew up her slippers tonight.] BritishGent: [Pathetic! Letting the poop-scooper walk all over you.] [Image: I am the Emperor] GoldenChonk: [Question: Does anyone else feel like the water is spicy today?] BritishGent: [Idiot! The water dispenser is probably leaking electricity. Kick it over already.] SweetCheese: [Mom wants to clip my nails. Police! Someone call the paw-lice!] I read through the chat with relish, figuring it was just some imaginative kids in the building role-playing as animals. Honestly, their cute conversations were kind of healing. Suddenly, a new message popped up. LittleHusky: [I think a stranger came into my house.] [Sticker: Peeking from the shadows] His avatar was a small Husky puppy. Based on his previous messages, he seemed like a four or five-year-old kid. My heart tightened. Just as I was about to ask if he was home alone, the other group members started roasting his intelligence. Group: [Are you sure it's a stranger?] Group: [Last time you said that, it was just your dad in a new jacket.] SweetCheese: [Paw-lice! I'll call the paw-lice for you!] I hesitated, finger hovering over the property manager's contact. The next second, LittleHusky replied: [Hehe, false alarm. It was just Dad wearing a mask. As a reward, I'm gonna pee in his room tonight.] Crisis averted. I chuckled, but a strange feeling lingered in the back of my mind. Something felt… off. 2 One evening, I came back late from a job interview. I flipped the light switch, and a dark shadow darted across the living room floor. My heart skipped a beat. I crouched down to check under the coffee table. Suddenly, a huge rat charged straight for my feet. I screamed and jumped onto the coffee table. Terrified, I typed a plea into the group chat: [There's a rat in my apartment! Is there any reliable pest control nearby that can come immediately? Urgent!] Group: [Meow? A rat? What's a rat?] Group: [A rat is a fast little toy that squeaks when you squeeze it. Dad won't let me play with them.] Group: [Are you new? Never seen you before. Why is your avatar a human? What species is your household?] Wait, avatars can't be humans? And what did they mean by "species"? I didn't have time to think. The squeaking of the rat made my skin crawl. I opened an app to find a professional service, but suddenly, someone tagged me in the group. AAA Pest Control Orange Bro: [Two cans of tuna. No bargaining. Immediate service.] [I'm at your door. Open up, meow.] That fast? I opened the door. The hallway was empty. Just as I was about to close it, a meow caught my attention. An orange tabby cat was sitting politely at my doorstep, paws neatly together. Our eyes met, and an impossible thought crossed my mind. "Are you... AAA Pest Control Orange Bro?" The tabby meowed twice. My phone buzzed. Orange Bro: [It is cat.] Orange Bro: [Two cans. Start work immediately.] I laughed, reaching out to pet his head. He dodged. Orange Bro: [Meow meow meow. That's extra. Pets cost half a sausage.] 3 I didn't have pets, so naturally, I didn't have cat food. I negotiated with Orange Bro to pay him with four sausages instead. He licked his paw and agreed. But he demanded installment payments. Deal. Master Orange was agile, tracking the rat from the living room to the kitchen. Aside from accidentally knocking over my water glass, the operation was a success. Orange Bro, considerate of my fear, left the dead rat outside the door. Orange Bro: [Human, cat accidentally broke your cup. Cat can take one less sausage.] I shook my head and typed: [A deal is a deal. Four sausages. But can I get a free pet?] Orange Bro let out a soft meow. He lowered his head and rubbed it against my palm. Before leaving, he told me I could summon him in the group anytime. Once the apartment was quiet, reality set in. It felt like a dream. The animals in the Oakwood Apartments Community Chat... were real. Those avatars were literally them. 4 No matter how magical last night was, when the sun rose, I still had to face reality: job hunting in a strange city. I lived on the 12th floor. When the elevator stopped at the 10th, a guy walked in with a Husky. The dog looked familiar. I stared at it. It sensed my gaze and stared back. The guy noticed our staring contest. "You two... know each other?" I waved my hands frantically. How could I explain that I suspected this was the Husky from the group chat? I couldn't exactly ask, "Did he pee in your room yesterday?" Suddenly, my phone pinged. MyDadCallsMeSmarty: [Saw a sister in the elevator. Looks familiar. She smells nice. Want pets.] EvilFleece: [Stupid dog!] BritishGent: [Idiot!] I tentatively reached out a hand. The Husky immediately leaned in for a rub. The guy looked at me like, See? You definitely know each other. While petting the dog, I asked gently, "What's your name?" "Ethan," the guy replied. I squatted down and squeezed the dog's paw. "Hi there, Ethan." The guy: "..." "I'm Ethan!" I looked up, mortified. "Sorry, sorry! My brain isn't working." Ethan blushed slightly. "It's okay. His name is... Ball." Smarty: [Smarty! Sister, my name is Smarty! Stupid Dad got my name wrong again! Fight me!] Smarty immediately stood on his hind legs and started boxing Ethan in the elevator. Ethan cursed, "Stupid dog!" while trying to block the paws. I stood there laughing and trying to mediate.
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