Sophia perched on the couch with her arms crossed and smirked. "Yeah, my brother's got skills."
August shrugged while leaning against the wall. "I work fast."
Remi narrowed her eyes at him. "Uh-huh. Fast, huh? You sure you didn't summon so magic butlers to do the heavy lifting?"
Sophia snorted. "Sothing like that."
Remi gave Sophia an affectionate squeeze around the shoulders. "Look at you, Soph. Growing up so fast! How's life treating you?"
Sophia smiled shyly due to Remi's attention. "It's better now that we're here. Thanks again for helping us find this place, Remi."
"Anything for my favorite people." Remi winked and then turned back to August. "Speaking of favorite people…" Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "You still owe a date, mister."
August laughed before shaking his head. "You never forget, do you?"
"Not when it cos to handso guys," she shot back playfully, nudging him. "But hey, seriously, I'm glad you guys are here. I live just next door, you know. If you need anything—sugar, coffee, life advice—you know where to find ."
Sophia's eyes widened. "Wait, you live in this building?"
Remi grinned. "Yup! Apartnt 3C, right down the hall. Didn't I tell you?"
August blinked in surprise. "No, you didn't."
"Well, surprise!" Remi giggled. "Now you've got as your neighbor. You're welco."
Sophia leaned in with a smirk. "Wow, August. Looks like soone's got a stalker."
"Hey, hey," Remi held up her hands in protest. "I prefer the term friendly, conveniently located acquaintance."
August chuckled. "Convenient is right."
Remi placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the apartnt again. "Seriously though, this place looks amazing. The high ceilings, the lighting—ugh, I might have to crash here when I get tired of my place. My cousin always did have a good eye."
Sophia nodded in agreent. "It does feel nice."
Remi smiled warmly. "You both deserve it." Then she clapped her hands together. "Okay, since I clearly have no job left here, how about you both co over for dinner tonight? I'll make sothing nice."
August raised a brow. "Are you cooking or ordering takeout?"
She pouted. "Rude! I can cook, you know."
Sophia giggled. "We'd love to co."
"Aweso." Remi glanced at her watch. "I better get going. Got a few errands to run before dinner." She ruffled Sophia's hair playfully. "You behave now, young lady."
Sophia rolled her eyes but smiled. "I'm not a kid anymore, Remi."
"You'll always be my little Soph," Remi teased.
As Remi made her way to the door, she pointed a finger at August. "You, mister, don't go disappearing into that ga of yours all day. Co over or I'll drag you out myself."
August grinned. "Alright, alright. We'll be there."
Remi gave him one last playful wink before slipping out the door, leaving a trail of her usual vibrant energy in her wake.
As soon as the door shut, Sophia folded her arms. "So… she's got a thing for you."
August sighed dramatically. "Thanks, Sherlock."
"She's nice," Sophia said thoughtfully. "You should give her a shot."
August smirked. "I've got enough on my plate, Soph. Running AM Coven, grinding in Enders Light, making sure you don't destroy our new apartnt... it's a lot."
Sophia rolled her eyes. "Excuses."
August chuckled, but as he glanced around the apartnt, a feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.
Sothing was missing. The place was set up, they were in a new, better environnt, but he felt like he was forgetting sothing.
"I'll be back," August said suddenly before grabbing his jacket.
Sophia blinked. "Where are you going?"
"There's sothing I need to get," he headed for the door upon responding.
Sophia raised a brow. "Is it furniture? More snacks?"
August grinned. "Sothing more important."
With that, he stepped outside, leaving Sophia curious as he disappeared down the hallway.
...
...
Over thirty minutes later, August stood in the middle of his now-empty old apartnt as the faint scent of dust and lingering mories filled the air.
The place felt smaller now, lonelier without Sophia's usual chatter in the background. With a sigh, he walked over to the small cracked desk by the window, where his Aleman helt rested.
"There you are," he muttered while picking it up.
The helt's futuristic design reflected the dim light filtering through the cracked blinds. He tapped a few buttons along the visor, watching as the interface briefly flickered to life before storing it safely into his inventory with a thought.
---
System Notification:
[ Helt stored in Inventory. ]
---
As the helt vanished into the void of his inventory space, a thought creeped into his mind.
He had only ever stored ga-related items—loot, weapons, potions. But what if...?
His eyes scanned the room until they landed on a discarded empty soda can resting on the floor near the kitchen counter.
He walked over, picked it up and turned it over in his hands.
It was just an ordinary can, dented slightly, with a faded logo from so energy drink he'd consud during late-night grinding sessions.
"Alright," August muttered to himself. "Let's see if you make the cut."
With a focused look, he willed the can into his inventory the sa way he did with his ga items.
In an instant, the can vanished, dissolving into thin air like a digital artifact being uploaded.
August quickly accessed his inventory interface, scrolling through the neatly categorized tabs—Weapons, Consumables, Miscellaneous—and there it was, sitting under a newly created "Real-World Items" tab.
---
System Notification:
[ New Category Unlocked: Real-World Items ]
[ Empty Soda Can stored successfully. ]
---
His heart skipped a beat. "No way…" he whispered while rubbing his chin in deep thought. If it worked one way, did that an…?
A crazy idea ford in his head. If he logged back into Enders Light, would he still be able to access this real-world item? And if he could… could he bring it out? Could he potentially carry things between both worlds?
"This is a crazy discovery," August murmured while pacing the small apartnt.
The possibilities were mind-boggling. He could transport anything—money, technology, even weapons—between the ga and reality. What if he took a bazooka into the ga and fired it at enemies? What if he could take jewelry into the ga? What if he could store a vehicle in his inventory and use it in the ga world? Maybe that was too far but the possibilities were endless.
If he could confirm this worked, he could so much with it.
A slow, excited grin spread across his face. "Looks like I'm about to beco more than just a businessman," he voiced as he headed towards the door.
As he walked out, his mind raced with ideas. Since he could also store ga items in his inventory, he could bring food from the ga world into this world and probably never need to spend a di again.
...
...
Four days passed in a blur of unpacking, adjusting, and adapting to their new surroundings.
August and Sophia had made a conscious effort to blend into the new neighborhood, eting their neighbors and familiarizing themselves with the area. The two-bedroom apartnt felt more like ho now, with pictures hung on the walls, the sll of Sophia's cooking in the air, and the sound of city traffic outside their window.
---
In the apartnt hallway, August was leaning against the wall, chatting with Mrs. Langston, an elderly woman who lived next door. She was short and plump, with a penchant for floral dresses and endless stories about her grandchildren.
"You know, young man," she voiced while wagging a wrinkled finger at him. "It's nice to see polite boys like you still exist. My grandson, bless his heart, barely looks up from his phone when I talk to him."
August chuckled before adjusting the bag of groceries he held. "Well, Mrs. Langston, I guess I'm just old-fashioned like that."
She smiled approvingly. "And handso too! If I were fifty years younger—"
Sophia popped her head out from their apartnt door. "Don't encourage him, Mrs. Langston. His ego's already too big."
Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire
Mrs. Langston laughed before patting Sophia's head before shuffling back into her apartnt. "You two behave yourselves now."
As August turned to head back inside, a voice called from the opposite end of the hall.
"Yo, new guy!"
August looked up to see Kane, their neighbor from across the hall. Kane was in his early thirties, muscular, with a sleeve of tattoos running down one arm and an easygoing smirk always present on his face. He was shirtless, leaning against his doorfra with a protein shake in hand.
"You're the one in apartnt 2A, right?" Kane took a sip of his shake in between speeches.
August grinned. "Guilty as charged."
Kane whistled. "If you ever wanna hit the gym, let know. I also offer boxing training."
Sophia rolled her eyes. "He doesn't need any more muscle. He's already unbearable."
August smirked. "I'll think about it, Kane."
"Anyti, man." Kane grinned before heading back inside, leaving August shaking his head with amusent.
Reviews
All reviews (0)