Amelia swept her beautiful blonde hair behind her ears and smiled teasingly.

"You’re late."

"Blame Alfred, he’s the one that kept me up."

"I’m blaming you, and I’m also subtracting points."

"Hmm, What? What if I say you look beautiful?"

She took a step closer.

"Then you may gain points."

"Really, how much?"

She placed her index finger on her lips teasingly.

"It’s a secret. So where to first for our date?"

Without warning, I boldly reached out and took a hold of her hand. Her hand was surprisingly small, soft, and warm. It was hard to believe she was even a real person like me.

’Dammit, heart! If you continue beating against my chest like that, my ribs will break!’

’What is wrong with me? I fought a giant worm for God’s sake. I killed people too! I’m a murderer.’

"Ahem, we should go," I spoke in a deep voice for some reason.

’Man, I hope I didn’t sound stupid.’

’Why are my limbs so stiff? I’m walking like a damn robot!’

"Oops, I’m sorry."

I bumped into someone.

I looked over at Amelia, but her head was held down with her face turned in the other direction.

’Man, she must be pissed. What was I thinking grabbing her hand like that?’

Should I let go? No, it would look too weird now.

Maybe I should make conversation.

"So, how was your day?"

Her lips parted to speak but quickly closed back in the same instant. She was breathing heavily too, as if she had just run a marathon.

I was right, she is mad.

Steam is even coming out of her head!

I should say something. Maybe there is still a way to salvage this.

"Did I ever tell you about the kids I saved back in Vesperia? They were living inside a dungeon with their parents, feeding off some giant rats. But something happened to their parents, so when I met them, I had to take them to somewhere safe. Hehehe."

Still nothing. She was as silent as a lamb. And at this point, I could no longer release her hand since her hand was now tightly wrapped around mine like a vice grip.

Through the busy streets of the city we continued to walk until we came upon a white building.

"Wait, is this..." She finally spoke.

"They say this is the best doctor in the city."

I took a step forward, ready to step through the door, but just then I felt a tug on my sleeve.

"Wait, isn’t this too expensive? They can charge up to a hundred thousand just for one treatment. There is a doctor office not far from our apartment that could help with just a fraction of the cost." She protested.

"It doesn’t matter. This is the best health care in the city. The cost is the last thing I’m worried about."

"Are you sure?"

"I’m positive."

Amelia sighed and finally relented before we entered the building. Luckily, the reception room was mostly empty. After speaking with the receptionist, we were told to wait until our names were called.

After a few minutes, Amelia’s name finally rang through the intercom.

We quickly stood up and approached the door to the doctor’s office.

As we approached the door to the doctor’s office, I could feel her tighten her grip on my hand, and she was standing noticeably closer to me.

"Don’t worry. I’m coming with you," I assured her.

"B-But what if something is wrong?"

"Everything will be fine."

"How do you know that?"

"I just do."

She momentarily closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Fine, but there is something that I’ll need your help with."

Hmm?

"Sure, what is it?" I asked.

She averted her eyes awkwardly and began speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I know you don’t know this, but some doctors are germophobes. He might straight up refuse to treat us for that reason alone. Since we’ve been holding hands for so long, my hands are a bit sweaty, and this might tick him off. To counter this, it’s best we continue holding hands so he doesn’t notice."

Huh, that seems a bit far-fetched, and if that was the case, we could simply wash our hands.

I was about to say this but the longer I took to answer, the more unpleasant her expression became, so I quickly agreed.

"This seems like a plausible assumption. I agree."

Amelia smiled triumphantly and boldly pushed the door to the office open.

Inside was a doctor, dressed in a lab coat, seated behind his desk. His wrinkled face and gray hair were proof of his aging.

"Come on in," he instructed with a smile. "I’m Dr. Burke."

We both sat side by side, still holding hands, while the old doctor seemed a bit amused by our strangeness.

Surprisingly, he didn’t run any tests. He only asked a few questions about our family’s health history and a few other important pieces of information.

Afterward, he prescribed a few vitamins, which we bought at the pharmacy outside. We also paid the designated fee at the cashier before we continue our date.

"That went surprisingly well," she sighed as we exited the building. "So, where to next?"

"I saw a cafe on our way here. We could go there."

Amelia nodded in agreement. As we opened the door to the cafe, the sweet smell of coffee wafted into our nostrils.

We took an empty spot by the window and ordered two cups of coffee.

Amelia took a sip of her hot coffee, and her face softened into a relaxed smile.

"Umm... before, you were saying something about rescuing a group of kids."

"Yes, but they were actually demons..."

While we sat in the cafe, we spoke at length. Just like when we were kids, I would speak, and she would sit and listen while laughing at every dumb thing I said.

We then spent the next couple of hours walking along the street, visiting various shops and locations.

We went to an aquarium, and it was actually my first time seeing fish outside of movies and video games.

We even went to a zoo whose job was to take care of a few of the animals that managed to survive the collapse. These animals were mainly predators that weren’t turned into livestock to be eaten.

If I had finished college and gotten my biology degree, I would most likely have gotten a job similar to this. A job that would help restore some of the animals that were lost.

These efforts were all sponsored by the Player Association.

Eventually, we ended up in a clothes shop.

"I promised you I would get you some better clothes, didn’t I? Feel free to get whatever you like."

"... if you insist, I’ll only take a few."

Those few turned into five shopping bags! I spent two dreadful hours inside the store, watching her choose between different sets of clothes and jewelry, just so she could eventually choose all of them.

And somehow, it ended up that I was also in the changing room, trying on clothes for myself against my will.

By the time we left the store, the sun was setting, and I was mentally drained, but our date wasn’t over yet.

We quickly rushed through the streets until we finally got to the movie theater.

There, we quickly flashed our tickets and entered the room to see our movie.

It was some sappy rom-com, so I ended up falling asleep halfway through it.

When the movie was over, we left the theater and made our way to the train station.

"That movie was fun. Some of the girls at the restaurant talked about it a lot, so I’m really glad I got the chance to see it. Hmm... do you want some help with those?" she asked, as I carried all five shopping bags.

Honestly, I hardly even noticed the weight. It was something else that was bothering me.

It was this sneaky suspicion that we were being followed.

Soon, we arrived at the train station, and even then, I couldn’t shake the feeling.

"Is everything okay?" Amelia asked with a worried expression.

If someone was following me, then it wouldn’t be smart to lead them back to our home.

"I have to use the bathroom. Be right back."

The train station was crowded, so I didn’t have to worry about leaving Amelia. Plus, the moment I got up, I could sense them coming after me so I knew she wasn’t the target.

I quickly entered the bathroom and stood behind the door as I activated my stealth skill. Luckily, no one was inside.

My core was a lot smaller here than in Vesperia, yet still, I was able to channel mana into my hand.

Immediately, a dark black exoskeleton with an oily texture covered my fist, all the way up to my elbow. The knuckles of the exoskeleton was sharp and pointed and so were the tips of my finger.

I could also feel my antennae dangling from my head as I used it to track my stalker’s movements.

They were fast approaching and soon, the door to the bathroom cracked open.