03 | Golden Lily No.03

One week earlier, Cain was chased down by a group of rabid fans in a downtown street. Having no choice, he who was dressed from head to toe after a photoshoot, was forced to hide in a dark and cramped alley to avoid being harassed. 

The alley was two ways, and in order to make sure that he didn't step on anything weird or questionable, he turned on the flashlight of his phone. 

That's when he saw a poster on the wall. It was the size of a short bond paper, the upper half was torn off and the lower half was dirty with dried mud. 

[ Universal Cupid Service! The only love service you can trust! ] - was what it says. Under the text was a string of numbers.

Maybe it was because he was drunk but while waiting for his manager to come, Cain dialed the number. 

However, instead of the call going through, what he heard was an automatic response. 

"Hello! This is USC, the only love service in the many universes that you can trust! Please send your name in this number along with what kind of love problems you are having! We will make sure to have an answer to your problem in a week's time. Thank you, please continue believing in the Eros Dimension!"

Cain was definitely tipsy at that time. In the presence of alcohol, he lost his sanity and sent the number his real name and his unrequited love problem. He vented in that number so much that he spent the entire night typing in his phone.

When he woke up, he immediately deleted the number to erase the humiliation of being desperate enough to seek after such obvious scams. 

"So what the hell is this then?" 

If it was a scam, what the hell is this light panel in front of him then?! 

The panel has been hovering in his face for the entire day now. It was right on his face so he had a hard time trying to see things. Thankfully they had just released an album a month ago and the hectic days already passed. The members left for their own thing, Noah going back to his family while Silian and Rain went on a trip together abroad. 

Cain too, was about to leave for his relaxing trip abroad. Unfortunately, his schedule for an idol competition show was delayed and he had to stay for another day. 

For now, he was free until tomorrow.

He stared at the screen contemplatively, unable to decide what to do anymore.

"Maybe I'm losing my mind." 

Talking to himself was already a red flag and now he was hallucinating.. maybe it was the time for him to actually go to a psychiatrist and get treated. 

After sighing in his hands for the fifth time, Cain stared at the panel between his fingers. 

"Should I tell my manager first..?" 

If he was to impulsively run to the nearest psychiatric hospital, the very headline that'll greet him in the morning is probably about how a famous idol completely lost his screws. 

"Oh my god. Maybe I should tell the manager.. right? Is it the right thing to do?" 

"But maybe I'm not crazy?"

"I don't think I am but most crazy people don't think they're crazy too.." 

"And now I'm talking to myself."

Cain took a deep, deep breath. After doing so, he looked at the panel in the air and then realized.. the phone number! 

Cain took out his phone and hurriedly looked at the call history. Although the messages were deleted, he remembered dialing the number. He hurriedly scrolled down the history and came across the only number that didn't get through. 

It was the only red in the middle of green numbers and the date from which it was dialed was exactly a week before.

Cain dialed the number again. 

This time, someone finally answered. 

It was a voice that he didn't expect to hear from a shady poster number. 

It was a very nice voice. Soft, low yet had a slow and kind of lazy, dragging tone. 

"Yes, hello?" The voice spoke.

Cain shivered a little from the voice. "U-uhm, I'm Cain Reia.. I don't know if.. uhm.." 

Fuck! He doesn't know what to say!

On the other end, he heard the person humed in understanding. "Ah, the Mission 0422? Cain Reia from Worldline SGL939, am I correct?" 

Cain's head was blank. "Uh, I think?" 

The person laughed from his response. "Then is this call about the system? The light panel that suddenly appeared before you?" 

Hearing the words from the other person, Cain's head became dizzy and his heart started throbbing. "Yes!" 

If the panel was not a product of hallucination then.. 

Can he really be helped?

Cain was nervous from the thought. Just the thought of being able to let go without regretting like your life was about to end.. Can Cain really have that?

"Well, don't be confused. The system will be your helping hand. You just need to interact with it and it will automatically tell you everything you want to know."

Cain didn't know where his courage and confidence had gone as he stuttered when he answered once again. 

"O-oh.."

"Please contact this number again after you've sought the system. Goodbye and have a nice day~" 

The call quickly ended, much to Cain's dismay. It was obvious that he was a sucker for nice voices. 

Putting down his phone, he murmured to himself. 

"Interact?" He tilted his head and tentatively poked the screen. 

The screen burst like a bubble. 

"Uwah! What the hell–!" 

[ Hello! ] 

A screen materialized in front of him out of nowhere..

Holding his still erratically beating chest, he spoke hesitantly. "Hi?" 

[ Hello Host 0422! I'm Golden Lily No.3, at your service! ] 

Cain blinked.

"...I was told you can help explain what's going on..?" 

A screen popped up again. [ Sure thing, Host! Well you see..,] 

While Cain was trying to understand his situation, on the Eros Dimension where the other end of the call connected to, a slender black haired man with multi-colored eyes leaned back on his seat. 

"Finally, Clubs' back." He let out a loud sigh of relief. "Finally!!" 

The phone fell off from his hand and landed on the thick white carpet. He punched the air in excitement and started planning his retirement party. 

And then there was a knock. 

He stopped and looked at the two large doors that opened and to the woman that strolled in like she owned the place. 

A shoulder length, dark brown hair adorned with crystals and full lips painted in the color of blood red. She wore tight fitting black clothes that showed off every one of her curves. When she stood before the man, she completely towered him with her heels. 

"Kurami, what are you doing here?" The man frowned at the woman. 

The woman, Kurami, glared. Her eyes were sharp enough to kill a person. "One of the Golden Lily dominions disappeared from the Lotus Pond. What happened?" 

The man laughed after hearing her words. The look on his heterochromatic eyes deepened. He spoke in a serpentine tone. "What else? Have you forgotten? The lilies were waiting for someone. " 

Kurami's pupil shook. "Dior, you.."  

Dior, the man with heterochromatic irises, laughed softly. His fox-like eyes curled up in the corner in the most pleasant shape. 

"Yes, Kurami. It's exactly what you're thinking." He grinned at her direction, showing two sharp, tiger teeth paired with shallow dimples on his cheeks. "The one they've been waiting for is back!"