Your Neighbours Know My Name

Nico hesitantly walked with Elayne, her casual energy being overpowered by Nico's nervousness. She glanced at him and smiled, elbowing him gently again. "Why so nervous? Haven't you been on a nightly stroll with a beautiful girl before?"

"Of course not... Atleast, not with one who's a thug."

"Consider yourself lucky then, virgin."

Nico became embarrassed, his cheeks turning red while he furrowed his brows. "I have a name! It's Nico... Nico D'Angelo..."

"Elayne Windriver. Pleasure's all yours," she winked at him. "Hey, you were an otaku before you got teleported here, weren't you?" Elayne teased with a smirk on her face.

"I wasn't an otaku. I was a geek. I played a bunch of games and read comics. That's all my previous life consisted of."

"So, you've never had a girlfriend before?"

"A girlfriend would've been nice but I never even had any friends to begin with. People kinda suck."

Elayne chuckled. "Tell me about it. I was mostly into sports in the real world. My brother got me into gaming and soon afterwards, I found myself playing this game."

"What were you doing before... all this?"

"I was a high school teacher. You?"

"A low grade, poorly paid accountant. I hated my job."

"Same! The school principal was the worst! Always nagging me about late school reports and shit! ...But, whenever I came back home to play the game, I felt more than ecstatic. In a way, my job gave me something to look forward to when I went home. It's like a part of me was torn apart at work and then pieced back together when I gamed."

Nico looked at Elayne and just noticed how beautiful she was. Perhaps it was the profound words she just spoke, or the alcohol, but he realised that this was his fourth time talking to a woman and not feeling anxious.

Elayne's short, black hair and blue eyes made her whole appearance stand out in the rainy night. She glanced at Nico after noticing that he was scrutinizing her and gave him a big smile.

Nico looked away and said, "Why are you suddenly being nice to me?"

"... You stood your ground tonight and demanded what was rightfully yours. I respect that," she answered honestly. "Not many people in this damn world have the gall to do that."

"Does that mean you're going to pay me back?" Nico asked with a smirk on his face.

"Nah. Spent all of it tonight. Gotta make some more when the AM kicks in," she said as she skipped around Nico playfully.

Nico smiled and sighed. Then, he checked the time on his status screen and frowned. "This has been eventful, but I think I'll head back."

"Huh? I told you the night's still young!" Elayne said as she pouted.

"Yeah, but I have something I need to do as soon as possible. And, hanging around a pretty thief won't get me closer to finishing my task," he teased.

Elayne gently interlocked her fingers with Nico's, making him blush slightly. She looked at him, her eyes masking the lust lingering within her. Then, she led him into a 4 storey abandoned building, Nico's body responding positively to her actions.

They arrived at the third floor and entered a room filled with broken furniture, broken windows and creaky floors. What was even more concerning was the couch in the middle of the room.

"Over here," Elayne said as she walked towards a broken window.

Nico followed her and stood beside her, his eyes widening in disbelief. He was looking at a vast and endless field with green grass and trees in the distance. The rain brought the field to life, separating the wild from the city, much like the adventurer's guild.

The grass swayed in the direction of the soft blowing wind, and a soft hum followed. There was a sweet sound similar to chiming bells; a melodic and enchanting sound that brought peace in Nico's heart.

"How do you know about this place...?" Nico asked.

Elayne smiled. "... Everytime I feel like I can't handle the new world... I come here and listen to the song of the world."

Nico looked at Elayne and she did the same.

{ +3 Charisma has been added! }

Then, she leaned in close to him, gently brushing his hand, and softly held it. Her chest pushed up against Nico's, making his cheeks even more red.

They leaned in closer to each other, exchanging their breaths for a few seconds before slowly closing their eyes and allowing their lips to touch... And then, their tongues... At an even slower pace, they kissed, their tongues interlocking and intertwining.

Slowly, Elayne unzipped Nico's hoodie, who allowed her to do so while he unzipped her pink jacket. They ceased kissing for a while, taking the time to remove each other's tops. Nico's heart began beating faster the longer he looked at Elayne while she removed his shirt.

'Is this okay...?' he thought to himself. 'Is this alright? Am I allowed to do this before marriage? Am I allowed to do this with a girl I don't know? What should I do...?'

Once Elayne removed his shirt, she cast aside hers, leaving her chest revealed, her special parts covered in a blue bra. She smiled and kissed him, Nico's breathing increasing heavily with each passing second.

She then led him towards the couch and gently had him lie on it while she got on top of him. A cheeky smile tugged at her lips. "You really are a virgin, aren't you?"

Nico looked away in embarrassment.

"Don't worry... I'll make sure you feel good..." she reassured him with a gentle whisper before kissing him and undoing her bra.

'My body's so hot... I'm scared... But, at the same time... I'm excited...' Nico admitted as his hands gently shook.

Elayne gently grabbed Nico's hand and allowed it to fondle her breast. Nico looked at her, his red eyes staring into Elayne's blue peepers. At that moment, his nervousness dissipated and he allowed himself a brief moment to be calm.

***

Moments after, Nico was covered in sweat while Elayne rested in his arms, her own body covered in her own sweat, along with his. He blushed as he looked at her, thinking about how he got this lucky with a beautiful woman.

Elayne caught him staring and smiled. "That'll be æ20,000 coins please," she said as she chuckled.

"... I think you're worth way more than that..." Nico responded earnestly, Elayne sensing it.

Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, she got up from his arms and sat up straight, covering her body with a blanket using one arm, her bare back exposed. Nico lifted an eyebrow and sat up straight.

"Did I say something wrong...?"

Elayne shook her head. "No. It's just... It's nothing..."

Nico reached in and touched Elayne's shoulder. "... I know we don't know each other, but I promise you can tell me anything... For what it's worth... I'll hear you out."

Elayne smiled and stood up. "Thanks, Nico. I appreciate it." She then picked up her clothes and began dressing up, Nico doing the same. "By the way... have you heard about a player going around causing trouble for this guy named Genesis?"

"Player? There's a player causing trouble for Genesis?" Nico asked, knowing that Elayne was asking about him.

"Yeah. Who'd be dumb enough to do that, right? I heard he's been going around town causing trouble and stopping his operations. With the way things are headed, I'm most likely going to encounter him too. Hehe."

Nico chuckled nervously as he put on his AutoSiphers. "So... When can I see you again...?"

Elayne froze and smiled. "Let's see how lucky you get. See you around, Nico."

She then left the room, leaving Nico inside the abandoned building. He sighed and made his way back to the adventurer's guild, his heart filled with anticipation of meeting up with Elayne once again.

***

Nico arrived at the rented room and found Lindsey staring into an empty space, when she was, in fact, staring at her status screen and smiling softly. "You know, I never thought I'd be able to look at my stats and smile like this. Thanks, Nico," she said as she smiled at him. "Whoa, hold up! Why do you look so handsome?!" she immediately asked. "Your cheeks... they're so toned..." she added as she approached him.

"Cool your jets. I'm still the same old Nico," he said as he smiled.

"You're really easy going too. You would've pushed me away by now." She gasped. "You did something dirty!"

"Shut up!"

"I'll let you get away with it this time. You can't be going around buying coochie, Nico. We may not be able to get infections, but it's still pretty dangerous."

"Argh, you're the worst," said Nico as he walked to the couch and sat there inspecting his status screen.

"Mh mh, I can't wait to rub it in Elayne's face. She's always been cocky about how strong she was," Lindsey said with a cheeky smile on her face.

Nico raised his head and looked at Lindsey. "Did you just say 'Elayne?'"

"Yup. She's the absolute worst! But, now that I'm getting stronger, I'll be able to take her down!"

Nico then realised why she was curious about a certain player who had been causing trouble for Genesis. Elayne knew who Nico was and that he was the one responsible for Ace's death, amongst other things.

'Elayne works for Genesis...'