024 * Bonus Chapter *

Alex smiled and said, "Well, let's go to the coffee shop a few blocks from here."

"That's fine."

Alex and Mia began to head toward the coffee shop a couple of blocks down. Of course, not without the gossip and stares of the students at the school.

"Hey, who's that with the freak?"

"I don't know, maybe a brother?"

"No, I don't believe she has a brother."

"Maybe a boyfriend?"

"…"

"Hahaha!"

"Good one, a boyfriend as if."

"Maybe he's a cousin or something."

"Yeah, that sounds more realistic."

"Haha! To be a cousin with that freak must suck."

The students were gossiping, and the things Alex had heard were starting to annoy him. The further they walked down the halls, the deeper his frown got. He was starting to get really annoyed at their comments. While some he could see as kids being assholes, however, some of them were just pure malice. Alex was about to confront one of the students when Mia grabbed one of his sleeves and said softly, "I-it's fine. Let's just go."

Alex just nodded, and they arrived at the coffee shop 5 minutes later. The coffee shop was empty except for a few people. Alex and Mia sat down and ordered. Alex got a vanilla latte with three tablespoons of sugar and creamer, while Mia ordered an iced vanilla latte with caramel. Mia was the first one to talk, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Have you heard of New Beginning, the VR game that just came out?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about getting it; however, I don't have the time."

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to join the guild I was going to create inside the game."

"A guild? I don't even have the game, or the time to play it. What use would I be?"

"Well, first off, the game offers a 1:2 time dilation, meaning you could play the game for 10 hours, and only 5 hours would have passed. Also, you can play while sleeping, so you don't have to interrupt your daily life."

"Really? You are able to play while sleeping? I wonder why they didn't publicize that? Well, I guess if you're fine with having me in your guild."

"Well, of course, and considering you are my first official recruit, you could say you have the highest seniority just behind me."

"Hehe, so I'm your only member?"

"That's correct. Well, let's exchange numbers to keep in touch."

"Alright, here, I'll put in your phone."

Alex then handed his phone to Mia and watched her put her phone number in his phone. They just caught up with each other and their lives while they finished their coffee. Once done, Alex said his goodbyes and left, heading back home.

Alex arrived home an hour later and went to the official New Beginning forum. He expected a few cases; however, he was surprised about the sheer amount of them.

"Why can't I delete my account? I want to start over."

"Yeah, the same thing is happening. I had my fun with PKing, and now I can't delete my account."

Similar messages were all over the forum. Alex already knew about this hidden part of the game. As their game avatars would eventually merge with their real-world selves partially, their game avatars were, in essence, an extension of themselves, and this makes deleting them impossible. So whatever penalties, bad reputation, etc., you have on your account, you have to keep. This little hidden detail had ruined a large number of people's lives. Alex just ignored the messages and looked for who had gotten to tier 1 first. In the first timeline, the person who had gotten it had posted on the forum a couple of hours after. Alex was looking for half an hour and couldn't find any post. So this either meant the person hadn't posted it, or the person who reached tier 1 first was different. Either way, the timeline was starting to diverge, and Alex's knowledge of the future was becoming obsolete. He just sighed and waited for someone to contact him. He knew someone would contact him, however, he didn't know who would do it first. He was expecting Claire to call today, however, he wasn't sure about the other 2. That's when his phone started to ring. The caller ID was Claire; Alex answered the phone and said, "Hello?"

"Hey Alex, it's me Claire. I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat tonight?"

"Sure! Where and when do you want to meet up?"

"How about 6 pm at the Gentle Noodle?"

"Sure, I'll see you there, Claire."

"Mhm, you too, Alex."

Alex hung up the phone and looked at the time. It was 4:50 at the moment, so he had around an hour. He quickly took a shower and put on some clothes. He wore black pants and a white shirt—a pure white, long-sleeved shirt with a turtleneck. Alex looked at himself in the mirror and couldn't help but admit to himself that he was handsome; this was an undeniable fact, and he knew it. Alex left the house at 5:20 and began to head toward the Gentle Noodle restaurant. The restaurant was 30 minutes from his home. Alex got to the restaurant first and got them a seat. He waited for her to arrive and just ordered a soft drink. He needed to get Claire inside his guild. A few minutes later, Claire arrived at the restaurant and headed to Alex. Claire was wearing a black one-piece dress and a white flower eyepatch on her left eye. She walked to Alex's table, sat down, and said, "Hey Alex!"

"Hey Claire, I see we've been seeing each other more than we thought in one day."

"Hehe, I guess that's true."

"Well, before we start this little date, I wanted to ask something."

"Wait!? D-d-date!?"

"Of course! What else could this be?"

"A hangout, yeah, a hangout."

"Do you really believe that yourself?"

"…no"

"So it's a date, however, before we start, I need to ask something."

"What?"

"Are you ashamed of your eye colors? You don't have to hide them, you know."

"People don't like them."

"So? Who cares what they think? I don't, and you shouldn't either."

"…"

Claire then sat there in silence for a moment, and then she took off her eyepatch. Alex smiled at her, and then they started small talk. The rest of the night was just them getting to know each other over pasta. Alex found out more about Claire and her interests. She loved to cook and also loved all animals. She had a sweet tooth and an obsession with fruits. Alex also found out that she was surprisingly clumsy. Eventually, the evening had ended, and it was time for them to part ways. Alex walked her to her house 15 minutes away, and on the way, they kept talking with each other, and Alex brought up the subject of New Beginning.

"Hey Claire, have you played the new VR game New Beginning?"

"Huh? Oh no, I haven't."

"Well, I guess never mind."

"No, no, tell me."

"Alright, I had wanted to know if you wanted to join the guild I'm starting. However, since you don't have the game, then never mind."

"No, no, no, I'll join! I can just buy the game."

"You do know how much it costs, right?"

"…100?"

"50,000."

"…50…50,000!"

"Yeah, it's expensive, so it's best to just wait."

"No, it's no problem at all! Mhm, no problem."

Alex just shook his head; while this was the effect he wanted, it was surprisingly easy to achieve it. Of course, Alex had to be careful, or he might fall in love. Today his heart did skip a beat a few times.

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Hey everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Also I've finally posted all the Jonas chapter I owe!

Have a good rest of your day or night!

If you like this book so far you should check out my other work, A Last Wish!