41 Hi, my name is Alex

After Asteria gave out the Bonus Gifts, she immediately proceeded to buy the items requested by Alina.

Alex watched with incredulity as he saw Alina purchasing a box. According to Asteria, everything that Alina bought was inside this box.

"What." Alex could not help but feel jealous as he saw the difference between him and Alina. Obviously, Alex did not voice this out, as it will just make both Alina and Asteria angry at him.

So instead of complaining, Alex decided to just continue their conversation earlier.

"Oi Asteria." Alex slurred as he looked at the mischievous fairy. "Is it possible to use the symbols on our forehead as storage for out items? After all, it seems like these items can be used to store things…"

"Oh, so you just noticed it now? Good grief." Asteria replied as she shook her head in disappointment. "I thought that I will still have to tell it to you later… good thing you caught up with it now."

"Well, thank you for telling it to us." Alex replied sarcastically as he pointed at his ball and at the box of objects that Alina bought. "So, we will just lift these things and placed it in contact with the symbols in our forehead?"

"That's the gist of it." Asteria replied as she saw the computer virus ball that Alex held slowly sinking on his forehead. "Okay, it seems like you already get it. Just continue with what you are doing."

As for Alina, she had a little difficulty fitting the box and her sword on the symbol on her forehead, but in the end she succeeded with the guide of Asteria.

"If you want to take the objects that you just stored, you can just will for it to come out." Asteria said as she laid her body down on Alex's shoulder. "Its just like peeing, but in this case what you want to come out is the object that you want."

"..."

"I am very grateful for your impeccable analogy, Asteria." Alex replied with a sigh as he relaxed his body.

His relaxed state however only lasted for a second as his whole demeanor turned serious.

With just one look at his face, Alina already realized what Alex was planning to do.

"Its time to say hello to them, I guess." Alex muttered with a malcontented expression on his face, as he clearly remembered the fact that he still had to pass through two powerful enemies if he wanted to use his ball filled with computer virus.

He then stood up and was about to approach the door of the comfort room, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Alex looked back and he saw a sulky Alina glowering at him.

Well, that was what Alex imagined Alina was looking right now, as he could not see her face through the mask.

"After all your complaints earlier, you still decided to stay here?" Alina sounded like she was not playing around anymore. Her voice had a certain steel in it that managed to shut Alex up.

"Well, with this ball with me, I have the chance to finish the mission right now." Alex said as he sheepishly played with his ball. "If I leave right now, I will be letting go of a really good opportunity!"

"Ugh, I do not know if I should be commending you or not for your behavior." Alina replied as she let out a sigh.

Alex braced himself for more scolding, but instead what he got from Alina was,

"Fine, since I am your Companion now, then I supposed I will just help you out now. After you are right in saying that this is our chance to succeed."

"Hehehe, now we're talking." Alex replied as he looked at Asteria. "See this little fairy? We can win!"

"Yay…" Surprisingly, Asteria was looking extremely tired, as if she was forced to do something extraneous.

Her wings were drooping down and her face was pale, while her blonde hair seems to have been bleached white.

Asteria's overall appearance seems to be indicating that something was wrong with her.

Seeing Asteria's current form, both Alex and Alina became worried for her.

"Oi Asteria, what's the matter with you?" Alex said as he saw Asteria's condition. "Did you eat too much honey perhaps?"

"No!" Asteiria angrily replied as she flopped above Alex's palm. "I just got hit by the backlash of losing too much Fairy Dust right now."

"Backlash? Wait, this is the first time that I heard about it." Alex exclaimed as he picked up the floppy Asteria. "You did not tell me anything about that!"

"Well, you did not ask me…" Asteria replied as she let out a yawn. "Since I used too much Fairy Dust earlier, I experienced a gradual backlash, and it just reached its peak right now… Ugh… sorry guys, but I have to sleep now… I will only wake up later…" Asteria's next words were then replaced by her snores as she went to her dreamland.

Alex tried poking Asteria to wake her up, but no matter what he did, Asteria won't just wake up. He tried hanging her just above the sink, but not even that woke her up.

"...."

"...…"

This just meant that Asteria will only wake up if she wants to. Other than that is no good.

"… We two are on our own now." Alex muttered as he gave a grave look at Alina. "Are you ready now?"

"I am and I will always be." Alina said as she and Alex strode towards the door at the same time.

Both of their hands gripped the handle tightly, making sure that it will open for them.

Both of them tried to ignore the feeling of their hands with each other as they opened the door fully.

The creaking sounds that came from the door somehow increased Alex and Alina's tension, which made them slightly unhappy.

*******************

"Can you tell me what kind of person your master was?" Alex asked Alina before they left the comfort room. " You can just do it with one sentence only."

"..."

"..."

"He is... a very possessive person." Alina replied after a momentary pause. "He loves taking care of his properties, and he makes sure that they are safe…"

"I see…" Alex might have looked enlightened, but he suddenly casted a hesitant look at Alina as he said,

"Aren't you technically his/her property too?"

"I prefer that you do not point out something like that." Alina replied while she gritted her teeth. "I just put up with him/her because of my sister… I never enjoyed being with him/her at any single moment."

"That… was a rather harsh statement." Alex commented, as he tried to imagine what kind of person Lord Ergo could be that even Alina seriously hated him/her.

"But how about your sister?" Alex inquired as he stood behind Alina. Alina's fragrant perfume wafted towards Alex, filling him with a wonderful scent that he always liked. "No matter what we do, she will still be in danger."

"Remember those things that I bought earlier? Those are for assisting you and for rescuing my sister." Alina replied as she tapped her forehead. "I just need the right time and place to use them…"

"So I take it that you have a plan right now?" Alex queried as he began to look at Alina with interest. "If you have one, please say it now, because I do not have anything in my mind right now."

"… So you really are aiming to just improvise." At this point, Alina was not shocked anymore with Alex's attitude. She knew that this is the kind of person Alex was, and she had no choice but to accept it.

"Fine, I have a plan. Here it is." Alina discreetly passed a piece of paper towards Alex, with Alex received stealthily in a way that nobody spying nearby will notice it.

"…" Alex glanced at what was written at the paper with the corner of his eyes, and what he saw made him nod his head in appreciation.

"A well thought-out plan." Alex commended as he used his Esper Ability to burn the paper into ashes. "It seems like you used your previous proximity with Lord Ergo to make this plan."

"I am your Companion right now, so I have no choice but to help you out. Planning to take down an enemy is included in this help." Alina replied as she left the comfort room.

Alex followed just behind her, with their footsteps echoing all along the corridor.

"Are you ready?" Alina asked Alex as she flexed her fingers. "Its now or never for us."

"I am ready whenever I need to be ready." Alex replied confidently as he intertwined his right hands with Alina's left hand. "With you beside me, I think I am confident on anything I do."

"… That is so cheesy and cringy." Alina replied as she let out a sigh. "If Asteria heard that, she could be rolling on the floor laughing right now."

Alina might sound disapproving as she said these words, but she tightened her hold on Alex's hand as she continued on walking.

"Well, at least I tried." Alex replied instantly, as if he had already prepared that answer. "After all, this might be my last day, so I want to spout out all the nonsense that I want before my end arrives."

"...…"

*******************

Lord Gallius was not happy today.

From the realization that Alina was already smitten with someone else, to the fact that this someone else just defeated him earlier, Lord Gallius knew that today was not just his day.

What was worse was the fact that this someone who defeated him could be a possible ally.

"If not for that effing program, then I should have been enjoying the Real World already…" Lord Gallius thought sourly as he stared at the two persons in front of him.

The one on the left was the afro guy earlier, and he was talking to the person on the right.

When Lord Gallius looked at the person on the right, his blood could he help but run cold as he saw who it was.

Robes as white as the clouds, and a mask as confusing as a puzzle. These objects were worn by the person considered to be the strongest Esper in the world.

With that kind of distinction, it was obvious that this person was no other than Lord Ergo.

"…." Lord Gallius was not only nervous around Lord Ergo because of his creepy attitude. There was also the fact that Lord Ergo was subconsciously letting out the ripples of his power, and these ripples were enough to make Lord Gallius wary.

"This guy… if not for his strength, then he will not be given a half of the World Diagram." Lord Gallius thought angrily as he bit his tongue. "After all, if the choice was based on mental soundness, Lord Ergo will most likely take the bottom spot."

Lord Ergo and the afro guy seemed to be merrily chatting with each other, ignoring Lord Gallius standing nearby them.

Lord Gallius did not look offended by this, as he knew this is just typical attitude from the very rich and powerful.

What got Lord Gallius' attention however, was the woman beside Lord Ergo.

"What a beauty…."

Long, silky black hair that reached her hips, perfect hourglass body that any female will kill for, and a face that is so enchanting and beautiful, anyone nearby, whether males or female will immediately be affected by it.

This woman had all these descriptions with her, creating a goddess-like person inside the room.

But instead of acting awed or reverent, Lord Gallius could only look at this woman with pity as he knew that this woman was suffering under Lord Ergo's cruel hands.

"This is the first time that I saw Alina's sister. She still looks fine, but that could be just pretending." Lord Gallius thought idly as he watched the woman just staying quiet.

Including Lord Gallius, there are only four people in the room, and from the looks of it, there were still waiting for two more people.

"Please don't come here…" Lord Gallius thought to himself as he wished that Alina and that Alex made the best decision to escape and run away from the place.

As long as those two are safe, Lord Gallius knew that he and his allies will still have the chance to seize control of the World Diagram on another time.

But just like the cruel hands of fate, Lord Gallius' wish was ignored once more.

The door to their current room opened, and in came Alex and Alina.

Both of them were holding each other's hand, making their closeness look quite mesmerizing. They were both wearing grins on their faces, as if they do not know that situation that they are in.

"Oh, so this is your current master huh." Lord Gallius heard Alex saying these words as he and Alina approached Lord Ergo, with their hands still intertwined. "I'm Alex, nice to meet you!"

Lord Gallius could not help but close his eyes as he did not want to see Alex's death.

"Alex, out of all the things that you could do, you chose to offend the most volatile person here? Are you really out of it already?"