The Next Day
"Eh-nah, na-eh-nah-na! (Help, somebody, help me!!!)." Slyboo can be seen being hugged tightly by Mem, who finds Slyboo to be extremely adorable.
"Caelus, you're mean. Why did it take you so long to introduce me to him? He's so precious!" Mem exclaims excitedly before shoving the little guy right into Caelus' face. "Look at him, he's your mini-me!"
"...am I that similar to a raccoon?" Caelus mutters dejectedly. He doesn't hate the little critter, but whenever he, or specifically, the character he's LARP-ing, is compared to a raccoon, mostly due to his tendency to dig up trash, it feels more of an insult.
And before anyone asks, LARP is Live-Action Role-Playing, not whatever people use nowadays to insult people for pretending to be a fan.
...oh, wait, those idiots are RP-ing as fans.
"Geez, you sure dislike it when anyone compares you to a raccoon," Mem points out before letting Slyboo go, who instantly runs towards Caelus for protection against the hug monster.
"To be fair, whenever someone compares anyone with a raccoon of all animals, usually they did it due to how disgustingly dirty they are." Caelus retorts.
"If I compare you to one due to how adorable you both are?" Mem says innocently.
"...no, seriously, do I look like one?" Caelus asks.
"I can imagine you having raccoon ears and tail," Mem says as she squints her eyes. "In fact, it fits you perfectly."
"....so, how are you?" Caelus decided to ignore Mem and ask Slyboo. "Sorry for not bringing you with me for a while."
"Ehn-na, na na nah! (Honestly, I'm glad I didn't join you on another adventure this time!)." Slyboo admits. "Eh-nah, eh ehn-na na ehn-na! (No offense, but I'd rather not get involved with something so dangerous!)."
"Still, sorry about that," Caelus apologizes, ignoring Mem pouting at him.
"Nah, Ehn-na na nah. (Nah, no need to apologize)." Slyboo waves it off. "Ehn-na nah eh nah, nah eh-ehn. (For your question, I'm good)."
"That's good to know," Caelus admits with a relieved sigh.
"Eh nah na, ehn eh na, (Things have been relaxing, although Meilian and I are always feeling panic when chaos is involved)." Slyboo adds. "Eh-nah. (And you're so not helping)."
"...sorry," Caelus winces, earning a giggle from Mem as Caelus side-eyes the humanoid memosprite.
"Speaking of Ms. Meilian," Caelus hears a footstep and turns to see the old goat Thiren walking away, holding a bag filled with food. "Good morning, Ms. Meilian."
"Good morning, Caelus," The old Thiren says with a smile. "I hope you didn't get involved with more incidents."
"...I tried," Caelus grimaces, earning giggles from Mem and Slyboo, causing Caelus to glare at them lightly.
"...it's the thought that counts," Meilian smiles helplessly.
"A-anyways, where are you going, miss? And with that much food?" Caelus asks curiously.
"I'm planning on visiting Lady Qingyi," Meilian says. "I don't know what has happened, but she hasn't been visiting here for these few days. I can't help but be concerned for her."
"She hasn't been visiting you?" Caelus asks in surprise, and he can't help but feel a bit guilty, remembering how he made her question her fellow officer's loyalty.
Bringer may be an antagonist who serves the Exaltist, but he should also consider the feelings of people who have worked with him for a long time.
Calling someone else who happens to be your friend's long-time co-worker a traitor sounds like something that a jealous person would say.
...would Qingyi consider Bringer to be a friend?
"Yes. At first, I had thought she was too busy with work. But yesterday, the young officer, Zhu Yuan, came to visit and asked me if Lady Qingyi had come to visit me these few days since she didn't show up to work as well." This made Caelus even more concerned. Qingyi doesn't seem like someone who would be slacking off.
Did his words affect her that much?
"Can I join in?" Caelus asks as Meilian glances at him. "I owe her a lot for helping me get a place to live and getting out of legal troubles..."
"Alright," Meilian nods in agreement. "The more the merrier."
"...I never got to ask this, but where does she live?" Caelus asks curiously.
"...what kind of imagination do you come up with in that brain of yours again?" Meilian asks strangely. She remembers all of those strange questions he asked about Intelligent Construct.
"I was just asking..." Caelus mutters.
"I remember how you almost asked how the oil tasted for Intelligent Construct," Meilian says mischievously.
"Miss, I am very much remembering that I don't even want to know how it tastes good for Intelligent Construct," Caelus says as Meilian chuckles.
"I doubt you remember it very well, after all, you keep forgetting what I told you," Meilian says.
"I do remember, I made sure to preserve my life like it's a priceless treasure," Caelus huffs.
"With the recent news, I doubt it," Meilian rolls her eyes playfully.
"...Phil spilled everything, didn't he?" Caelus asks blankly.
"Oh, he does," Meilian says before sighing. "To think his parents would do something so terrible. The poor boy can't sleep, and I had to talk with him, helping him lift those weights off his shoulder. Imagine my surprise when he started spilling everything. I suppose you being friends with him made him open up..."
"..." Caelus remains silent as Meilian glances at him once again.
"Thank you for being with that boy," Meilian says sincerely. "And for being his friend."
"I just did what I had to do..." Caelus says bashfully.
"Yes, but I still feel like I pushed it when you also had your own personal problem..." Meilian admits.
"To make you feel better, I feel easier to grief while befriending him. So, in a way, I owe you for helping me out," Caelus admits. He wasn't lying about it. When he first arrived in this world, he honestly felt lonely, being stranded in a Hollow and having to adjust to a new world.
He still has issues and tries to cope with humor and other goofy shits, but having friends like Phil, the Cunning Hares, Phaethon, NEPS, and even some of the Obol Squad makes it easier for him to adjust.
Also, one thing that he was glad about in his situation is that the system isn't forcing him to be Caelus to even his personality. He already lost his identity when he became Caelus and even forgot his name; he would rather not lose it more.
It's one of the reasons he was slightly upset when Billy called him 'Manager's Twin'. He was already forced to be someone else; he didn't need to be reminded every day that his face isn't his.
"Then, I am glad," Meilian says while smiling gently. "Speaking of which, do you know where Phil is?"
"He's back at campus," Caelus says, causing Meilian to blink.
"...I thought he was kicked out..." Meilian mutters.
"He did, but he was told to return since he is no longer expelled," Caelus says. "He told me it was mostly filling out forms for legal reasons, but I honestly believe it's more of the dean wanting to silence him with bribery to prevent any legal trouble."
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With Phil
"...what kind of weird situation is this...?" Phil mutters as he sits right in front of the dean, who is sweating bullets as a greatsword and a pair of energy blasters are aimed at his head.
Seed is understandable since Phil knows she is regretful for not being able to help him. She had insisted on joining him as the 'DF representative' so the dean wouldn't do anything suspicious to him.
What he didn't understand was why in the world would Zhao be here? She doesn't seem like interested in him anymore since his family is now in prison, and he was sure they were on bad terms. The only explanation he could come up with is that Caelus somehow managed to gain her contact and demands that she be his bodyguard.
Just what did Caelus do to get that pink bunny bitch to agree with his demand?
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Back with Caelus
"...I doubt they would go that far," Meilian says unconvincingly.
"Given how he kicked Phil out for 'protecting' a girl from sexual assault because the culprits are from rich families, I am very much sure they would pull that shit," Caelus scowls before muttering. "But, I'm making sure it won't happen with some extra measures..."
"...I pretend I didn't hear that..." Meilian mutters before looking at him. "Do you make more friends since arriving here?"
"Yeah, I also help my friends with their financial issues." Caelus admits proudly before pulling out a copy of 'As I've Written'. "I wrote a story, and I asked my friends to help sell copies, with them taking most of the profits due to the insane amount of debt they had."
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With the Cunning Hares
"...." Nicole froze in shock as she was face-to-face with Hoshimi Miyabi, the current generation of Void Hunter, and one of her first victims.
If looks could kill, Nicole and her friends would be frozen and shattered in a solid block of ice.
"...you're still here," Miyabi says blankly.
"H-hey...l-like I said yesterday, an honest job," Nicole stutters as she glances at the rest of her crew, desperately begging to help.
Unfortunately, Nekomata, Billy, and Anby hug each other too tightly, and they all refuse to move.
'Traitor!' Nicole thought.
"...how much for the book?" Miyabi asks, causing the quartet to freeze in shock. The question alone short-circuited their brains.
"...20,000 dennies," Nicole mutters as Miyabi nods. She pulls out 40,000 dennies instead and takes one copy.
"Yanagi had found one dropped on the street and picked it up," Miyabi notices Nicole's questioning look and explains.
"Oh..." Nicole mutters in shock.
"...I hope you didn't scam your friend because he vouched for you," Miyabi says, surprising Nicole.
"...we owe him too much to do that," Nicole says honestly.
"..." Without a word, Miyabi walks away with the book in her hand. As she left, the Cunning Hares slumped down and sighed in relief.
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"That's nice of you," Meilian says with a smile. "'As I've Written', that's an interesting title. May I buy one for you?"
"No need to pay, I'll give it to you," Caelus says, but Meilian had already given the dennies to him.
"Just take the money, young man," Meilian insists before looking at the clock. "Oh dear, we have been talking too long. We should take our leave now. Do Slyboo and your new friend want to come along?"
"Sure,"/"Ehn-na! (Yes!)" They say in unison before the quartet leaves the cafeteria.
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With Zhu Yuan and Seth
"It's been a few days now, and she was nowhere to be seen," Zhu Yuan mutters before looking at the apartment door. "That leaves her home."
"I didn't know Senior Qingyi lives here," Seth says honestly.
"It's a place rented by one of the scientists in White Star Institute so they could install a charging station for her," Zhu Yuan says. "And among other equipment. Going back and forth from NEPS and the White Star Institute is a hassle for them."
"Oh..." Seth mutters as Zhu Yuan knocks on the door.
"Senior, this is Zhu Yuan," Zhu Yuan says. "Are you there?"
"...there's no response," Seth mutters. "But, I can hear the machine whirling inside."
"That means the charging station is on..." Zhu Yuan mutters. "But if that's true, then it would wake Senior up, or the system would tell us about her situation."
"How?" Seth questions.
"There's a camera installed in the door," Zhu Yuan explains before glancing at the door in concern. "...damn it, if we can just contact the White Star Institute."
"Senior, you're not thinking of breaking in, do you?" Seth asks in concern.
"Our senior might be in trouble," Zhu Yuan explains. "And also, I have a permit."
"Do you...?" Seth mutters in skepticism as Zhu Yuan grabs the door before recoiling back and hisses. "S-senior!"
"The door is freezing cold..." Zhu Yuan mutters in confusion before looking back at the door. Without another word, she kicks the door with all of her might, breaking in. When they looked inside, they were shocked at the sight.
The entire room is covered in ice, and Qingyi can be seen trapped in the middle.
To be Continued