Moving In

After leaving the party, Lena supported her friend, concern etched on her face.

"Here, I'll take you both home." Akashic offered. They agreed and followed him to the parking area.

Upon seeing the sleek black car, Sya connected it to the picture that had been circulating a few days ago.

With only one other seat available, the two women had to squeeze together. Fortunately, with their small frames, it wasn't difficult.

The drive remained quiet as everyone processed what had just happened. Yet throughout the trip, Sya sneaked glances at Akashic through the rearview mirror.

It only took around 15 minutes before they arrived at the dorms.

After exchanging brief goodbyes and agreeing to meet up later, Lena took Sya to her room while Akashic headed home, ready to put his plan for dealing with Keven into action.

~

"So, that's what's been going on?" Lena was unsurprised as she looked at the tearful Sya in front of her.

Shocked by her friend's casual reaction, Sya stammered, "You—is that all you have to say? I did horrible things to you…"

In response, Lena gave her a confused look. "Did you? I mean, the things you told him weren't exactly private. And when it came time to actually hurt me, you made a hard choice."

She paused before continuing, "Even better, I got to see Keven's scared face when he looked at Akashic. Honestly, I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out."

A smile appeared on her face, and Sya wiped her tears.

Suddenly, Lena's smile grew as she shifted the conversation. "Now! Tell me what happened! How handsome was he when he saved you?"

Sya blushed, remembering the brief yet captivating moment when Akashic kicked down the door to rescue her. "W-well…"

~

/Akashic's POV

-Next morning-

I woke up a little later than usual, mostly because I stayed up all night researching more about the Wytes.

When I got up, Alexia was gone. She'd mentioned her father had called her back for something.

I got up, took a shower, and started getting ready for the day.

…

*Knock Knock Knock*

As soon as I finished getting dressed, I heard knocks on the front door.

With little suspense, I opened it to find Alexia standing there with a small smile on her face. Behind her, I noticed a black SUV with an older man standing beside it.

Seeing my questioning look, she held up a stack of papers and walked inside.

It only took reading the first few lines for me to understand:

|Transferral of Ownership|

[7th Block, Winefront Villa #2]

[New Owner: Akashic Torre]

"Your father?" I asked.

"Of course. He called me early this morning about it. Since I planned to stop by home to pick something up, he handed this over to me." she said, leaning over the couch.

"This place is next door." I commented, eliciting a soft chuckle.

"Read the other paper."

As she instructed, I separated the pile and found another set of pages, which explained everything:

[Union of Akashic Torre & Alexia Sparrow]

I expected more resistance from him after I ruined his plans. But I suppose my connection with Silas and my healing physique changed his mind.

"Now you see. According to him, the house is apart of a 'dowry'." she said, resting her head on her arms as she looked at me.

"Well, I have no interest in getting involved with him, but I'll accept the gift from my future father-in-law. After all, this means you'll live next door, right?" I smiled as I walked toward her.

Unexpectedly, she frowned. "Are you kicking me out?" Her voice was calm, though I don't sense any anger.  Rather, something different?

"Of course not. Whether you're next door or here, it doesn't matter. After all, you're mine now, right?" I said, playfully yet commanding as I welcomed her to stay. 

"Always~" she whispered, her eyes fixed on me.

[+15 Satisfaction Points]

'Ah, I forgot to check how many points I had.' Navigating to my stat tab, I saw that it had indeed gone up.

{SP: 375}

'I must've been too busy when it popped up.' A quick look through the backlog revealed I'd earned points at the party, mostly from scaring Keven, and a few from my first kill…

I'll increase my strength when it hits 1,000.

Refocusing on the conversation, I asked, "So, when do you plan on moving in?"

Without a word, she stood up, walked to the front door, and waved to the old man by the car.

With surprising speed and strength for his age, the man pulled several bags from the SUV and placed them inside.

After finishing, he bowed to both of us before exiting the house and driving off, leaving just Alexia and me.

"So that's why you went back?" I asked and she nodded in return.

"I never want to return there, so I brought everything I might need. I even found some cool things in my father's storage that you might like…"

Stealing from her own parent for me?

[+10 Satisfaction Points]

I could feel my desires shifting. These strange feelings kept earning me points… and I liked it.

"So, what about the other house? What are you going to do with it?" I asked, but she just looked at me curiously.

"Hmm? You can do whatever you want with it. I have my home now."

[+15 Satisfaction Points]

With that settled, I decided to keep the deed for now. I didn't need the money, and having an extra property could be useful.

*Ting*

A notification on my phone caught my attention. It was a message from Aunt Karin.

[Aunt Karin: Good morning! Just sending you Naomi's flight details. She's scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Have a great day!]

Her trip is that soon?

*Ting*

Another message popped up.

[Aunt Karin: Oh, and that silly girl has something she wants to ask you. She's been nervous about it ever since you left.]

With that noted, I continued with my day, preparing for her arrival. It would be a few days before I could begin my plan against Keven anyway.

~~~~

~~~~

-MoonCity Airport-

{"You just landed? Great! Come by our dorms later, and I can show you around!"} A girl in a green shirt stood alone, phone in one hand, luggage in the other.

"Sounds great. Thank you, Luna. Though, I'm a little nervous… what if he says no?" Naomi's voice trembled.

{"Why would he? I'm sure he'd be happy that his cousin wants to attend the same school! You already got accepted, right? You've been planning this for so long!"} Luna's encouragement helped Naomi calm down.

"You're right—oh god, he's here! Bye!" Naomi hurriedly ended the call, her nerves returning in full force as she spotted the familiar car pulling up—the same one he'd visited her in. Akashic stepped out, wearing his usual warm smile.

"I told you I'd pick you up." Naomi ran to him, throwing herself into his arms with a silly smile.

"Knew you wouldn't lie to me." After a few seconds, they separated, and Akashic took her bag, placing it in the trunk.

"Are you hungry, or do you want to go straight to my house?" he asked.

Faced with the question, Naomi froze before nervously asking, "Umm… I have a question first." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Seeing him waiting, she finally spoke, "Can I, you know, uh… g-go to your college?" She struggled to get the words out, feeling like she was awaiting judgment.

Seeing his surprised expression, she quickly explained, "I wanted a change of scenery, and I like it here. So, I applied, and they accepted me. So I thought why not, and we can see each other more. Also—" Her rambling was cut off by Akashic's laugh.

"That's all? You and Aunt made it sound so serious. Of course you can come. I'm sure Lena and Luna would love that too." His words breathed life back into her, and Naomi shouted in joy.

"Yes! Thank you!!" She hugged him tightly, mimicking her younger self as she showered his cheek with kisses.

Afterward, she realized what she had done and froze, waiting for his reaction.

But Akashic's smile remained unchanged, though his notifications were going wild.

[+10 Satisfaction Points]

[+10 Satisfaction Points]

[+10 Satisfaction Points]

[+10 Satisfaction Points]

[+10 Satisfaction Points]

Each kiss earned 10 points, bringing the total to 100.

Seeing he wasn't upset, Naomi blushed deeply, trying to shake off her embarrassment by changing the subject. "I'll need to get a room in the dorms, but I don't know what's available."

It was more of a throwaway comment, but Akashic thought about it seriously.

'I hate to admit it, but the dorms aren't the safest place. Daniel and his group aren't the only ones to be wary of.' He tapped the steering wheel.

'I don't feel comfortable with Naomi being there, especially if she doesn't get a room close to the twins.' Just then, the memory of the deed flashed through his mind, sparking an idea.