Chapter 180. Theresa: I Like Mr. Homu!
A pure white room.
Xander Masato's consciousness once again took control of the "body."
He hadn't touched virtual devices for over a year.
As soon as he awoke, he curiously lowered his head to look at his body.
A simple white T-shirt and gray shorts.
The body model was practically a one-to-one copy of himself.
He moved a little, and it felt just as unobstructed as in reality.
When he moved, he could even feel a faint breeze brush across his face.
It seemed Schicksal's virtual tech had advanced quite a bit over the past year.
Then he reached both hands toward his shorts, tugged twice, and clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
Still can't take off the pants.
Negative review!
He slid his finger down to bring up the menu.
Seeing the empty character screen and inventory, he thought for a moment, then opened Engineer Mode and entered a string of code.
Since Anti-Entropy and Schicksal were already interconnected, then…
Watching various strange outfits auto-generate into the inventory, Xander Masato's lips curved up.
He picked a fairly stylish casual set—gray-white hoodie with loose black pants—then raked his hair twice.
Only then did he look toward the pop-up window that had appeared at the very beginning.
"Invitation to Homu Park received. Go now?"
He raised a finger and tapped "Yes."
His body turned into white light and vanished.
A burst of clamor instantly filled his ears, and the dazzling sunlight made Xander Masato, still adjusting to the space shift, squint.
After a brief acclimation, he saw the familiar gate of Homu Park.
This was where he and Theresa had first played together.
He hadn't expected it to be preserved perfectly.
Didn't Dr. Tesla say they'd wipe and reset the data after the co-op test?
Did they end up not wiping it?
A small castle over ten meters tall formed the gate.
Cheerful songs played nonstop over the speakers.
Children tugged their parents' hands and cheered, a picture of warmth and joy.
Taking in this seemingly lifelike scene, Xander Masato sighed inwardly.
Schicksal's AI tech felt a step ahead of Anti-Entropy's.
Not seeing Theresa around, he wasn't anxious.
He moved his feet and walked toward the gate.
No ticket check was needed.
Amid the Homus' words of welcome, Xander Masato looked toward the garden not far away.
From a distance, he noticed a small figure sitting on a bench by the flagstone path.
He strode over without hesitation and soon drew close to that silver-white hair gleaming in the sun.
A yellow Homu hairband tied it into two symmetric twin tails that fell over a black-and-red long dress.
Her ears twitched slightly.
Hearing approaching footsteps, heart filled with tension and expectation, Theresa hurriedly turned her gaze.
"Ho… mu—Mr. Homu…"
Her delighted voice suddenly grew much softer.
Seeing the adorable little face that had turned hesitant and at a loss, Xander Masato sighed and brought up the menu.
Soon, a dopey yellow Homu suit appeared on his body.
At once, Theresa cheered excitedly, dashed forward, and threw her arms around him.
"Mr. Homu! Finally—finally we meet again!!"
"Mhm."
Words couldn't express Theresa's feelings now.
She only wanted to hug tightly, so Mr. Homu could feel how much she had missed him.
Watching the girl in his arms so brimming with joy, Xander Masato's small vexation was swept clean.
It made sense.
Except for those last few minutes when they parted, he had always interacted with Theresa while wearing the Homu suit.
A sudden change like this would naturally be hard for the girl to adapt to.
They hugged for a while.
When Xander Masato felt Theresa's strength loosen a bit, he finally spoke.
"Since it's a reunion after so long, how about we go re-experience the places we played the first time?"
"Mm."
She answered softly.
Xander Masato tried to take Theresa's hand and lead her forward, but suddenly felt her resistance.
Puzzled, he turned and asked gently, "What's wrong, Theresa?"
"I…"
She opened her mouth and fell silent again.
Theresa squeezed his hand tight, bit her lip, then raised her head as if steeling herself.
"I want Mr. Homu to take off the headpiece."
"Huh? You don't want me to wear the Homu outfit? But just now…"
At that, Theresa's face visibly flushed.
Her reddened eyes were shy yet stubborn.
"J-just now was an accident.
I don't want Mr. Homu to misunderstand!"
"Misunderstand?
About what?"
Xander Masato was a little confused.
Right then, Theresa leaned closer, lifted her head to meet his eyes—full of shyness—yet her steadfast voice made his eyes slowly widen.
"I—I want Mr. Homu to understand that what I like is Mr. Homu, not the clothes on Mr. Homu!"
"I don't want any barrier between me and Mr. Homu!"
Having poured her heart out with all her might, Theresa panted lightly.
Even though her whole body felt hot, she still looked earnestly into Xander's eyes, as if to prove her words were no joke.
Those crimson gemstones imprinted themselves in Xander Masato's eyes, sending ripples through his heart.
He nodded slightly and answered in a soft voice, "I understand."
With that, he tapped his hand.
The costume vanished again, and Xander Masato returned to how he'd been when he arrived.
Feeling Theresa still staring at him, he averted his gaze a bit, a little unnatural.
"There's nothing much to look at, is there?"
But Theresa shook her head hard, her rosy face full of seriousness.
"I want to remember all of Mr. Homu's features by heart."
All right, all right—say no more.
That straight ball hit Xander Masato so hard he couldn't counter.
When they'd parted before, they'd only been close friends with budding feelings.
How had a year's separation turned things into this?
The version had updated too fast—he could hardly keep up!
Unlike Seele, Bronya, and Sis Elysia, whom he'd known since childhood—by the time he got together with them it already felt half family, half romance—Theresa was completely different.
Those sincere words even gave him the feeling of a first love.
He, who prided himself on being an old scoundrel, actually felt a little bashful.
"Ahem.
We've got plenty of time.
You can look slowly; no rush.
Let's play first.
Theresa, is there anything you want to try first?"
Seeing Theresa still wanting to keep looking, Xander Masato quickly took her little hand and pulled her to his side, asking.
"Mm, Mr. Homu makes sense."
She nodded, then quietly leaned a bit closer to Xander.
Blinking her cute eyes, she looked up at him.
"Mr. Homu won't leave soon, right?"
She didn't yet know about Xander helping with her treatment, and asked a little nervously.
"I'll be here for a week.
Don't worry."
"A week?!
And you can be with me the whole time?"
"Mm.
And I'll come every month."
"Really?!!"
"I've never lied to you."
The delightful news plunged Theresa into a sea of joy.
She held one of Xander's hands, and with the other she simply hugged him, holding tight, humming some unknown tune in excitement.
Happiness felt contagious.
Seeing Theresa like this, Xander Masato couldn't help but laugh too.
If it was for Theresa, then all his monthly rushing around didn't seem to matter anymore.
Walking down the path of the amusement park, the AIs naturally gave Xander Masato and Theresa wide berth.
It was clearly bustling and noisy around them, yet they didn't feel the slightest crowding.
On the roadside stood stall after stall run by Homus.
Cotton candy, fried noodles, takoyaki, grilled sausages, oden…
Before they even reached their destination, the tempting aromas slowed their steps.
They looked at each other and both saw the same idea in the other's eyes.
"Boss, two cotton candies~"
They approached a stall.
The vendor was a Homu about as tall as he was.
Xander Masato gently squeezed Theresa's small hand and asked softly, "Theresa, what flavor do you want?"
"Um… What about you, Mr. Homu?"
"I'll have orange."
"Then I want orange too!
I want to eat the same as Mr. Homu!"
Hearing that, Xander Masato smiled.
"Really?
But if we choose different flavors, each of us can taste two flavors."
"Eh? D-different flavors…
T-then I'll have apple!"
Catching on, Theresa hurriedly said so.
"Great.
Boss, one apple, one orange."
The Homu nodded, took out a jar of multicolored sugar glowing with a fantastical sheen, and poured it straight into the machine.
Soon, without any further operation, the whirring machine spat out two differently colored "cottons."
The Homu took two bamboo sticks and deftly scooped them—one on each—then handed them over to Xander Masato.
"Your cotton candy."
"Mm, thanks."
Taking them, Xander Masato gave the red one to Theresa and kept the orange one.
He had just lowered his head to take a bite when something felt… off.
That voice just now…
His steps faltered as he turned his head in a hurry, looking back at the Homu.
Seeing the silly fellow continue serving the next group of customers, Xander Masato forced down his suspicion and turned back around.
"What's wrong, Mr. Homu?"
They'd only walked a couple of steps when Xander Masato stopped, and Theresa asked in confusion.
"It's nothing.
I probably misheard."
Theresa's curious gaze made him brush aside the thought.
Right now, the most important thing was to have fun with Theresa.
As for that Homu sounding like Otto?
Impossible.
Would Schicksal's Overseer be here making cotton candy for him?
How could he have such a ridiculous idea.
Kids, that wasn't funny.
"By the way, when you woke up before, did you also come into the virtual world?"
They swapped cotton candies after a few bites.
Xander Masato took a bite where Theresa had bitten.
The double sweetness of taste and mood made him ask in high spirits.
"Mm.
The doctor brothers and sisters said this would be better."
"Then who came with you before?
You couldn't have come alone, right?"
"Of course not.
Being alone is very lonely.
Grandpa, Grandma Kallen, and Sister Theresa all make time to be with me.
And…"
At that, Theresa lifted her face from the cotton candy, looked at him, her whole face brimming with joy.
"Now Mr. Homu will always be with me too, right~"
"Of course."
After Xander Masato and Theresa walked away, that Homu suddenly stopped serving customers.
The AI patrons, as if they had instantly lost interest in cotton candy, all turned and left.
Soon, he put his hands to his head and lifted off the heavy headpiece.
Golden hair glinted in the sunlight.
At the oden stall beside him, the same thing happened—Homu's head off, revealing long silver hair.
Kallen strolled over to Otto with a grin, elbowed his arm, and teased, "Didn't expect that kid to be so sharp.
Just one line through a headpiece and he almost spotted you~"
"Mm."
Otto nodded and looked in the direction the two had gone.
"All right, stop watching.
Theresa's that happy and you're still not at ease?
Don't go interrupting the kids' time together!"
If it were anyone else constantly urging him to push his granddaughter out the door, Otto would absolutely make her understand why the Overseer of Schicksal disliked eating beef.
But if that person was Kallen…
Faced with her, Otto could only let out a gentle sigh.
"Come on, come on.
We haven't been to an amusement park in ages.
I want to ride the roller coaster!"
"Okay, okay~"
Their helpless voices melted into the noisy surroundings and quickly disappeared without a trace.
…
"Kiana, how can you still be sleeping at your age!!"
Early in the morning, Sirin scolded in exasperation and yanked Kiana's quilt away in one go.
Seeing the bare body, Sirin's face went red, and she hurriedly covered her back up.
The commotion naturally woke Kiana.
She blinked open groggy eyes.
Her temporarily nonfunctional brain stared at the ceiling for a moment, then she looked blankly at Sirin by the bed.
"Sirin?"
She sat up, the sheet sliding from her body, revealing the softness that made Sirin grit her teeth with envy.
Kiana even stretched, as if to flaunt the fullness of her chest.
The scene made Sirin blush—and made her teeth ache.
They were twins.
Why was Kiana so big and she so small?!
Because of this, she often felt she'd inherited Aunt Maria's genes.
"Haa~ What is it?
So early."
Yawning, Kiana asked lazily in a syrupy voice.
"You don't know that Xander went to Schicksal HQ yesterday and will be there for a week?"
"I know.
He's helping treat a friend.
Isn't that great~"
She yawned again as she spoke.
Great, my foot!
"He's going to be alone with that girl for seven days.
Seven days!
Even Bronya hasn't gone that far!"
"So what?"
Kiana looked at Sirin blankly.
Xander going on a date—what did that have to do with Kiana?
"What do you mean 'so what'?
Don't you like Xander?"
"Don't talk nonsense.
I've said I'm not into Xander."
Who knew how many times she'd refuted this already.
Kiana said it smoothly, her expression casual, as if she truly had no interest in Xander.
But Sirin sneered, then held out her hand.
"Not interested?
Fine.
Then give that 'Free Command Coupon' from Xander to your twin sister. How about it?"
Kiana fell silent.
She turned her gaze slightly aside and muttered under her breath, "No."
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