CHAPTER 12

THE PERFECT GIFT

Reighley woke up in a panic, the look of fear enveloped his face. He let in a sharp and heavy gasp for air, the shock of fear shunting him upright. The noise woke up Morgana, which made the cat yowl and jump a meter into the air causing it to ricochet off the ceiling. Reighley took a moment to gather himself. Glancing towards the cat he noticed a look of astonishment and betrayal. It glared and hissed at him while its fur was bristling.

“I’m sorry Morgana!” Reighley said. He attempted to ease its distress by petting him, but he dodged Reighley’s hand and scurried off towards the end of the bed. Reighley let out a sigh from the response. He began thinking about his dream and how in retrospect it was fairly comical and far too absurd to be real. “‘Insight’… huh?” Reighley remembered the last thing the man in the center of the room in his dream told him before he woke up, “that's a pretty cool name for my ability to see auras.” Then he remembered why he got shanked by a butter knife and whacked by a frying pan. “Crap,” he muttered. It occurred to him that he would have to get something for Freya’s birthday since he agreed to go. “I have to get her something,” he said. Reighley placed his hand on the corner of his bed’s guardrail and hoisted himself over, landing two feet on the concrete floor. Once down he grabbed Morgana from off the top bunk and used Insight on it. He noticed its aura was going wild like a bird slamming into a cage it was locked in indicating it needed freedom, so he let the kitten loose into the house. Afterward, he went over to his desk.

“Let’s see, let’s see,” he said to himself while digging through several garbage bags full of gadgets and trinkets on the floor by his desk. The bags held a portion of his collection of treasures he found throughout his various expeditions through the city. He kept them all by his work desk as he would use some of them for spare parts to fix other treasures he found. The rest of his room was tidy, but his desk was an organized mess. Reighley searched through several bags attempting to find things he thought Freya would like. He pulled out an old silver stopwatch he fixed several years ago. The glass on the inside was cracked and the battery was dead, but it had a beautiful lavender flower engraved on it. It was only then that he realized that she probably had or could get a better version of anything he could pull out. Discouraged, Reighley put the stopwatch on his desk.

“What on earth do you give a girl who has everything?” He said after a grunt. Completely stumped on what to do next he decided to give Ulysses a call. He figured two heads were better than one, and it was a Sunday, so he had time to go shopping at the mall for a present. Reighley pulled his phone off his desk and unlocked it. To his surprise, Freya hadn’t messaged him yet. “That’s weird…” he muttered. “She normally texts me by now.” He took a moment to think it through and wondered if she had been upset with him from the night before. Deciding to check in on her, he sent her a text.

Reighley: Hey Freya, are you doing alright?

Freya was in the middle of streaming on SocialLight on an expensive computer she owned placed in the corner of her library. She was chatting with her followers. They would watch her do her online shopping for clothing and other miscellaneous things. She made sure to spend no less than 300,000 yen (2,138 USD) with each purchase as she knew her followers wanted to know what it was like to be rich. This was no problem for Freya as her wallet was bottomless. Most of her fans were around the age range of twelve to thirty, with the fanbase split roughly fifty-fifty with both males and females alike. She scrolled through various websites buying dresses from designer clothes companies as well as things she felt were good for entertainment.

Her most recent purchase was a mechanical bull she ordered. She planned on placing the bull in her enormous backyard. Her family’s estate is 1800 acres in size, so it was large enough to hold just about anything she put there within “reason”. Freya enjoyed including her best friend in the things she did live on stream. However, Destiny was the only guest that was allowed as Freya made it a point to never collaborate with any other famous people or streamers for fear that they would outshine her and steal the spotlight from her. To her that was unacceptable. Once the things she bought lost entertainment value, she would give them away to her fans through a random raffle for those who paid a subscription to her.

“Alright! Mechanical Bull purchased. What’s next?” Freya said. From the chat in her stream, she saw Destiny reply.

Moderator-DJ_Destiny: Yee-Haw! Ride-em Cowgirl!

Doctor_Respectful_007: Moo!

Social_Lightus204: You would look great in overalls.

“Destiny you're coming over and riding it first when this thing arrives,” Freya said as she heard a noise come from her phone. She received the text from Reighley. She knew it was him since she set a specific notification sound for when he contacted her. When she heard the tune, she stopped everything she was doing and looked over at her phone which was on the desk. Displayed on the center of its screen was a message from Reighley.

“Hey Freya, are you alright?” She read to herself. Her immediate reaction was filled with excitement. This was the first time she had ever received a message from Reighley, and it was even better that he was concerned about her. To her that could only mean one thing. “He’s thinking about me,” she thought while blushing with a smile on her face. She forgot that she was live streaming in front of over 80,000 people on the internet.

Gullible_Guillotine_X: Who’s got you smiling like that?

Moderator-DJ_Destiny: It’s Loverboy!

QueenyFishy12: She’s so cute when she’s embarrassed.

“‘Loverboy!?’ Destiny just what on earth are you saying?” She panicked in her head. Soon the entire chat was saying things like “Loverboy!” and “I wonder who Freya’s new boyfriend is,” which was all too much for Freya to handle. Fans began to argue in her chat, debating whether or not she had a boyfriend and if she did, they wondered if he was good enough to match her likeness and beauty. Freya could only sit there in a quiet panic as she didn’t know how to proceed. The view count began to rise from 80,000 to 85,000 and then 120,000 all within the span of a few minutes. The chat was a mob that could not be silenced.

Young_Fan_Boy_Jin: There is no way Freya has an actual boyfriend. There is no one in this world worthy of her. #DestroyLoverBoy

Taco_Panda: Guys he’s the real deal. All her exes never made her smile like that. #FindLoverboy.

“There is no ‘Loverboy’, now stop talking-” Freya was interrupted by reading a comment sent by her best friend.

Moderator-DJ_Destiny: Loverboy is real.

This was all that was needed for the rest of the internet to run wild with theories. Freya’s fans knew Destiny was a reliable source of information and Freya could only watch as the world found out that she was in a serious relationship regardless if it was fake or not.

Completely out of options, knowing that if she denied it things would get much worse, Freya scoffed, stuck up her nose, and decided she wasn’t going down without a fight. “That’s right! This mysterious ‘Loverboy’ is real and I’ll let you know he is the best boyfriend ever! All will be revealed to the public at my birthday party on May 6th, and the entire party will be streamed!” she said. “Oh, no... Why did I say that? Reighley hates the idea of being famous. I should have kept my mouth shut,” she mentally scolded herself. “I guess there is no way out of this now.”

She let the chat talk about it as trends like “#Loverboyisreal” began trending throughout social media. Her viewer count went up to 180,000. It was out of her hands now all she could do was wait for a moment to change topics. When that moment arrived she quickly switched the topic to be about things that were going to happen at her party. She had many things planned, like the arrival of famous chef Gordan Romsly; a world renowned chef who would be making the food for her guests, an ice sculpture modeled after herself, and a highly advanced laser tag system that her father had recently manufactured. It would use a laser that discerned its targets based on core body temperature, and she even hired over one hundred actors to play as undead zombies, all while wearing professional makeup. She did it for Reighley because she thought he would love it since she remembered he liked things in the horror genre, but she didn’t dare tell anyone that.

Freya kept looking at her phone and knew that situation would get worse if she replied to him as every so often people in chat would mention things about this mysterious “Loverboy”.

“Destiny why do you do this to me!? Sorry, Reighley… Looks like I can’t reply just yet,” she complained to herself in her head. She made a mental note to herself to crank the mechanical bull she purchased up to eleven when Destiny would ride it as a sort of payback.

Reighley sat down at his desk after sending his text to Freya. With each passing minute with no response, anxiety began to set in, and then sweat started to run down his brow. “Somethings wrong. Why isn’t she replying!? Is she mad?” He thought. Reighley knew this was very much unlike Freya as whenever the two would text each other, it was always him who would reply after periods passed. Freya on the other hand, always had her phone on her and always replied instantaneously. “Did I mess up? Did I say something wrong? What should I do?” Reighley tried to reason with himself, “Okay, okay, hold on Reighley. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this. Maybe she’s busy. Just because you’re used to being messaged first thing in the morning doesn’t mean she’s upset just because she didn’t text you back instantly. Wait, what am I thinking? Why does that matter?” He asked himself mentally. “If only she was here, then I could use Insight on her to find out.” Reighley groaned and then snapped himself out of the panic remembering the task at hand. He needed to call Ulysses, so with his cell phone still in hand, he dialed Ulysses’s number and waited for him to answer. After a few rings a click noise was heard indicating the phone was answered.

(“Hey Bestie!”) Ulysses was overjoyed with the fact Reighley, his best friend, called him out of nowhere.

(“Hey dude. How’s it going?”) Reighley was still unsure where Ulysses got the term “Bestie” but at this point, he didn’t mind.

(“Things are going well. What about you?”) He replied.

(“Well I got myself a bit of a problem. You see, I was wondering if you could help me out today. I need to go shopping for a birthday present for Freya,”) Reighley explained.

Ulysses let out a signature prideful laugh. (“Aha! What a good boyfriend. I expect nothing less from my Bestie.”)

(“Uh… Are you okay dude?”) Reighley remembered the first time he met Ulysses he acted the same way but changed shortly afterward.

(“Umm yeah… Sorry, I don’t know how to talk over the phone. I’m trying to get better at talking to people,”) Ulysses awkwardly replied. There was a silence that stretched into the ether. Reighley understood him now. He knew Ulysses had trouble talking to people. He was socially awkward, but self-aware that he was socially awkward. It was something he was trying to improve on.

(“Don’t worry about it, man. No judgment here. We all have things we need to improve on.”) Reighley encouraged. In reality, Reighley meant that about himself. He hadn’t even begun to improve on the things he needed to work on, (“Anyway, can you make it?”)

(“Thanks, man. However, I don’t know if I can help you out. I’m working at the shop today. I’m sorry.”) Ulysses apologized.

(“Well… That sucks. You’re like my only friend, that's a guy. I could use the help.”) Reighley explained. The words “Friend” reverberated in Ulysses's head like an echo in a hallowed chamber. How could he let his best friend down in his time of need? Not to mention he was Ulysses only male friend.

“He’s relying on me.” Ulysses thought. He was currently busy cooking with his brother Sunny at the Back Alley Ramen shop. The restaurant had its fair share of regular customers, but today was a particularly slow day. Not enough to say that the shop was “dead,” but enough that they would only have a customer every so often. Sunny took notice of his younger brother’s expression. He appeared torn. Like someone who was stuck between choices, placed in a moral dilemma of sorts.

“Hey Ulysses, what’s wrong?” Sunny asked. Ulysses was startled by his brother’s question. The surprise caused his cell phone to slip out from his hand from underneath his neck, and almost fall into a bowl of Ramen Ulysses was preparing if not for Sunny’s lightning-fast reflexes. Sunny quickly stretched out with a pair of chopsticks and snatched the phone out of the air. Once caught Sunny returned the phone to his brother.

“That was a close call… Thanks, bro, and it’s nothing, a friend just asked if I wanted to hang out today. That’s all.” Ulysses explained.

“Dude. Why don’t you just go?” Sunny asked. From what he understood, this was the first time Ulysses had mentioned having any sort of friend since he entered high school.

“You know… We have the shop to take care of while Dad is out.” He explained.

“It’s fine big man, go. I can take care of it. Think of it as a way for me to pay you back for helping me the other week. That date was a success because of you, so if you want to go and hang out with a friend, do it,” Sunny encouraged, “and besides, I get a feeling we are going to be slow here for the time being, it’s a job for one man, not two.”

Ulysses looked towards his brother and hugged him. “Thanks, Sunny! You’re the best,” he praised. The size comparison between the two was night and day. Ulysses squeezed Sunny, almost to the point of suffocation. He didn’t know his own strength but knew not to squeeze for very long as in the past he knocked his brother unconscious when the two were younger.

“Yeah, yeah. Now, go and get out of here and have some fun.” Sunny said with an embarrassed expression. He was a sucker for praise, especially from those he cared about. This made him a bit of a pushover.

After, Ulysses let his brother go and placed his phone back up to his ear. “(Bestie, it looks like I can go after all.)”

(“Really!? That’s great. How about you meet me at the Midori Mall in an hour,”) Reighley suggested. “Well… That was wholesome,” he thought. He had heard the entire conversation over the phone, it made him wish he had an older brother who looked out for him.

(“Alright.”) Ulysses replied.

(“Cool! See you soon.”) Reighley said. The two ended their phone call with each other.

Reighley began getting ready for his trip to the mall when he heard a knock on his door.

“Hey, are you awake? What was all that noise earlier?” Isabelle asked.

“That was like ten minutes ago. I could have fallen off my bed and you’re just now checking on me?” Reighley shouted.

“Eh, you’re fine. Now come eat breakfast,” Isabelle claimed.

“Fine…” Reighley groaned. Once presentable, he stepped out into the dining room and began to quickly scarf down the breakfast that was prepared for him. Isabelle fixed him eggs, sausage, and buttered toast, with a side of orange juice to wash it down.

“So what are you in a hurry for?” Isabelle interrogated. Reighley took a second to swallow his food and then replied.

“I’m going out to the mall with a friend to try and find a birthday present for Freya.

“What!? You have a different friend besides Freya?” Isabelle asked, completely surprised.

“Yeah. His name is Ulysses and he is over 200cm tall and super strong, but he’s basically like a big teddy bear,” he explained. Isabelle could only picture Ulysses as a Viking who had just come off the coast. Ready to storm a nearby village and pillage it for supplies. She then glanced at Reighley who one could argue was average in build and athleticism, and couldn’t help but idolize whoever this Ulysses was, at least in her head compared to her brother.

“I want to see how tall he is! Warriors are super cool!”

“He’s not a warrior, silly. He’s a goofball if anything, but he’s a really nice guy.” Reighley said.

“Don’t ruin it for me. I watched one of those movies on your desk on your old VHS TV in your room last night,” she explained. Her eyes were sparkling as if she was fantasizing about something. Reighley used his Insight on her to see if he could figure out what was going on inside her head. To his surprise, her light blue aura was blown up out of proportion. It was twice her size. It was shaped like a Viking with heavy snow raining down on it. It had a long braided neckbeard that dropped past its gut, a horned helmet that had a face guard covering the eyes, and it was holding a great axe. It appeared to have a bear pelt mantle over its shoulder as well. He guessed that was because of the teddy bear comment from before. Reighley knew she must have watched one of the old Viking movies he found. He didn’t even want to question whether or not the film was appropriate for a fourteen-year-old girl to watch. Disregarding it for now, without hesitation Reighley squashed her active imagination.

“Don’t use my stuff without asking,” Reighley said while flicking Isabelle in the forehead.

“Ouch!” Isabelle complained, “Fine… Sorry, I’ll ask next time.”

“It’s fine. You can repay me by taking care of Morgana while I’m gone.” Reighley gestured towards the cat who was currently on the kitchen countertop cleaning its fur.

“I do that anyway,” she said.

“I’d hope so. Anyway, I have to go now.”

At last, Reighley finished eating. He quickly cleaned off his plate and made his way back into his room. He pulled out some spare cash from his refurbished dresser, which he salvaged shortly after moving into town and then he double-checked Morgana's bowls for food and water before leaving his room. Afterward, he dashed out towards the city after shouting goodbye on his way out the door to make it to Midori Mall on time.

Ulysses was halfway towards the subway system when he reached into his left pocket. This was where he usually kept his pack of cigarettes. When he realized they were not in that pocket he stopped moving. He started to scramble around frantically looking through the rest of his pockets on his person in the hope of finding it. To his horror, every pocket was empty. He realized he had forgotten his pack of cigarettes he would keep on him and began to shutter in a cold sweat. He had a tough decision to make. Either go to Midori Mall and risk Reighley finding out about his smoking habits, or turn back and be late, letting his friend down.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“He’s counting on me this time. How could I let him down?” He asked himself. “Alright! I’ll press onward and endure for my bestie’s sake.”

San Fran Kyoto is a peninsula divided into five major districts. Each district has its major drop-off and pick-up points and all are connected to the central district transportation hub. These interconnecting bullet trains allow for an easy commute to any district. In the northeast section of the city was Higashi Pier 78. The Young Family owns the majority of the properties that reside within the area which includes several supermarkets, malls, and the amusement park; Distracto Land, turning the port into a tourist trap. San Fran Kyoto Peak is a district located in the center of the city acting as the central hub point between the other four. It was here where businesses came to flourish. The competition in the area was cut-throat and many companies aspired to rise to the top of their echelons, but those who failed were soon forgotten as they were bought out or had to file for bankruptcy.

The other remaining districts are Clothstone Town, Koko Rich Coast, and Wazuka Bayview. Clothstone Town is located in the southwest part of the city and is primarily a rural, countryside town. Koko Rich Coast is the northwest district that is known for the ever-present fog that layered itself above the city, and the fact that it was connected to Kanpan Beach located just west of the Crimson Gate Bridge. Wazuka Bayview is a historical district that is known for the quaint use of traditional architecture for its residential houses.

Ulysses's family shop was located in San Fran Kyoto Peak. His family was wealthy and had several properties around the city. He lived there because it was a direct request from his mother Kokeisha (Co-Key-Shah), and it was a close walk to Gilford High.

Kokeisha was the one who indirectly supplied Ulysses with cigarettes. She stored an abundance of them in an antique cabinet in her room and would always restock them at the end of the month. Both of Ulysses's parents smoked, so he was sure his mother was unaware of his addiction because she most likely assumed it was his father Todoh who was using her supply.

When Ulysses arrived at the station, he scanned his subway pass at the entrance to receive a ticket. He then proceeded towards the gate that led to Higashi Pier 78’s train. The gate was a turnstile that blocked the path. Which had a one-way revolving wheel that would spin forward if someone scanned their ticket and passed through it. Ulysses was almost too big to fit so he had to turn his body sideways to squeeze through.

“Skinny thoughts. Skinny thoughts,” he mentally encouraged himself.

When he finally arrived at the Higashi Pier 78’s platform, many of the people hurried out of his way, in fear of being trampled on. To board the train, he needed to slouch downward and squeeze his arms to his chest to make it inside. When he stepped in, the crowd around him parted, making room between them and himself.

“Great. Everyone is scared of me again… This is why I hate trains,” he thought. It wasn’t until then that he noticed a single girl who stood her ground. “It’s her! The girl who came to the shop a while ago.”

Standing in front of him, only a few feet away, was the girl who came into the shop during Reighley and Freya’s date. He couldn’t forget her that easily, in fact, he often thought about her as she was the only one who understood him when he could barely speak.

Lily was on her way to visit Ulysses at his ramen shop since it was one of her rare days off. She even picked one of her cutest casual outfits. A simple zebra striped short-sleeved shirt, and jeans as well as sneakers. She was excited to see her future husband and try more of his delicious food. When she saw a large teenager squeeze through the train door beyond the crowd, her eyes lit up.

“It’s Ulysses! I can’t believe it. What are the odds I would run into him halfway there?” She thought. “I must speak with him. That’s why I came all this way here in the first place.” Her heart wasn’t fully prepared for this encounter.

Ulysses was staring at her in a way that one could only describe as ominous. However, this was the stare he would give anyone when he was frozen in fear unable to decide on what to do next. “What should I do? She’s right in front of me and I can’t move a muscle.” Completely lost in thought, he felt a tug on the end of his sleeve.

“Excuse me, sir? You do remember me, right?” Lily asked.

It was another miracle. As if the weight of the world had lifted off his shoulders. His heart fluttered with anticipation as she spoke, and when she stopped, words finally came out of his mouth.

“Yes, I do,” he answered. Internally, Ulysses shouted to the heavens with joy as this was the first time he could say more than a single word to the girl. When Lily heard that he remembered who she was, she was elated. She let out a big smile in response.

“I’m glad,” she said. “I never introduced myself last time. My name is Lily.”

“L-Lily,” Ulysses stuttered. “Nice…”

“That’s right,” she replied. “So, where are you headed to?” Lily asked. She thought it was cute seeing him struggling to talk. She found it easy to understand him due to her time spent with her grandmother, who also spoke similarly due to her old age.

“Present. Mall. Friend,” he said with a deep cough afterward. “Holy crap! I’m doing it! I’m talking to a girl,” he reflected. Meanwhile, the train doors closed behind Ulysses and the crowd around them looked at the two with utter confusion. The crowd looked at Lily in awe and considered her a heroine for standing up to the large ogre of a man.

“Oh, you’re going shopping with a friend at the mall to buy a present?” She asked him. Ulysses nodded in complete astonishment, as even he would have interpreted it as him going to the mall to buy a friend a gift. “That’s great! Would you like some company!?” She enthusiastically asked. Ulysses nodded again, without giving it a second thought.

Soon the train began moving and Lily was shunted forward by the sudden momentum. Lily lost her balance and fell over, only to be caught by Ulysses. Lily, who was always good at hiding her emotions, couldn't help but turn red from looking at Ulysses. She regained her footing and stood up straight. “I’m sorry! Thank you,” she said with gratitude.

“Yeah, be careful,” he commanded. Ulysses took Lily by the hand and placed it on a support handle that was hanging from the ceiling. After, he immediately realized he touched her hand and freaked out inside his head. “Ah! I did something stupid. She is going to think I’m creepy now,” he thought.

When he did this Lily’s heart skipped a beat. At first, she was going to marry Ulysses since he could cook, but he was also a gentleman who prevented her from falling in front of a crowd. This combination swept her off her feet in one fell swoop. She didn’t expect him to be so considerate. Lily held onto the support handle on the train and couldn’t help but stare at the hand he had just touched. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she didn’t know what else to say.

Finally, the train arrived at Higashi Pier 78. The crowd, who were still wary of Ulysses, decided to wait for him to leave before they carried on with their business. Once off the train, the passengers nodded to Lily in deference as they walked by, giving her their thanks. Lily was slightly confused by the passengers' peculiar behavior but ultimately decided to ignore it.

“Let’s go,” Ulysses commanded. Lily gave a nod and the two made their way outside of the station entrance. From there Ulysses looked around and saw Reighley who was standing by a clock, posted into the ground. The two made their way towards him and Lily had a sudden realization.

“Wait. Isn’t that-?” Lily immediately recognized Reighley from her Back Alley Ramen escapade.

“Hey man! Glad to see you made it here okay,” Reighley called and then stopped and looked at the young lady next to him. “You never told me you had a girlfriend!” He shouted.

The two stopped in their tracks almost crashing from the statement. “No, no, you got it all wrong! I’ve only just met her recently,” Ulysses said. Lily was surprised he was able to speak so clearly to Reighley. She figured it just meant he was comfortable with him. She was slightly envious because of this.

“Ah, I see,” Reighley said, discreetly giving the exact thumbs up that Ulysses had given him in the past. He immediately used his Insight on Lily to try and see what she was like. To his surprise, it was a new color that he hadn’t seen before on a person. It was beige and he had no idea what it meant. While the two were approaching him something strange happened to Reighley, he went into an almost trance-like state of mind, and the color he was looking at began to bisect until it was a tripartite of its three original colors.

“What the-,” he thought, as the colors split off into three, being gray, bright yellow, and brown. “This has never happened before. Is this her aura? I’ve never met someone with such complex traits like this before. It must mean she has something from all three colors, but I can’t tell which specifics she has.” When the two arrived at the clock post Reighley snapped out of his trance.

“Hello. My name is Lily. It’s a pleasure to officially meet you,” she said with a bow.

“Officially?” Reighley asked.

“Oh, ah, I mean yes! Ulysses told me he was going shopping with a friend.” Lily said sporadically. “Oops, that was close. I almost let it slip that I knew who he was already,” she thought.

“Right… Well, I’m Reighley. Nice to meet you as well. Did Ulysses tell you what we are doing?” He introduced himself with a quaint wave.

“Umm… sort of. He said he was going to the mall with a friend to get a present. Midori Mall I presume?” Lily answered.

“Wow, she's amazing,” Ulysses thought while looking back and forth, switching whenever the other talked. He was completely infatuated at this point, but yet at the same time terrified. “Thank goodness Reighley is here or I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”

“Yeah. That’s the plan. However, I am the one in need of some assistance. You see, I am getting a present for Frey- I mean, my girlfriend and I needed help on what to pick for her,” Reighley said. “I probably shouldn’t tell a random stranger that the girl I’m dating is Freya Young. I don’t think that would end up going very well if they knew who she was,” he considered.

“Just my luck,” Lily said out loud.

“What?” the two replied.

“Uh… I mean, I am a girl, so I should be able to help you get the right gift for her,” she answered. “Great. I have to go shopping with my future husband and my boss’s boyfriend for the person I dislike the most,” suddenly Lily had a thought. “Wait… I could try and make them get her a lame gift that she won’t like.”

“Really! Thanks a bunch! With your help, I’m sure that we can get a gift that she will like. I really want her to like it.” Reighley said with joy and slight relief as he relived the nightmare in his head from the night before.

“Dang it. He’s so sincere,” she thought.

“Lily, I’m counting on you,” Ulysses said. Like an arrow straight through the heart, Lily’s feelings changed.

“Fine. I suppose if it’s for Ulysses's sake, I’ll take it seriously,” she reconsidered. “Right,” she nodded.

“Alright. Let’s head out,” Reighley said. The three left the station entrance and made their way to Midori Mall which was several blocks away. The group passed through what seemed to be a strip mall with an assortment of different shops and Ulysses pointed out a restaurant that was popular in the area. Reighley took note of the expensive restaurant and the fact that Ulysses praised it, meant it must be a good place to eat. He knew he couldn’t afford it, but thought it would be a nice place to go on a date. The restaurant was named the Garden Shores and the majority of its seating was outside. Above the tables were white interwoven pieces of wood that blocked the majority of the sun from the customers.

While on their way the three crossed over a brick bridge that was near the sea. Seagulls could be heard off into the distance. The sound of the birds caused Reighley to glance over towards the beach to his right. It was hard to see at first due to how bright the sun was. It took a second for his eyes to adjust from the light, but Reighley blocked it out with his hand and what lay past was a beautiful beach. The heat from the sun’s rays gently graced their skin. Reighley looked out towards the ocean as they walked. The beach was as clean as could be. He hadn’t swam in the ocean before, but not from lack of trying. He never had an opportunity as the previous home he lived in was landlocked. Reighley couldn't help but think how great it would be to cool off in the bay. He wanted to try it during this summer break.

The trio arrived at Midori Mall. It was a massive structure that was four stories tall. It had a multitude of fake vines all around its exterior. The face of the building had a sign on it stating “(WEST ENTRANCE)”. Wasting no time, they headed through the revolving doors at the entrance. Once in, the three approached the large map that was made available to all patrons of the mall. The map showed a multitude of shops and stores that were listed and displayed in bright colors. Once in front of the display they began reading some of the store names aloud that sounded promising.

Reighley turned to Ulysses and asked. “So, what do you think she would like?

“I don’t think I am qualified to answer that,” Ulysses replied. The three laughed at his quip.

After a brief moment of trepidation, Lily replied.“Well, I am single so I wouldn’t know for sure, but if I was in a relationship, I wouldn’t mind some jewelry.” With concern, she thought, “I know Freya very well, but the problem is that I don’t recall her valuing anything that she has been given in the past.”

“Well. That’s the thing. Since she is pretty wealthy, I’m not sure if the thing I buy won't be just another shiny thing that she could have bought herself…” Reighley replied.

“I’m sure she will love whatever you get her,” Ulysses encouraged.

“Yes, but this is the first one, so it has to be special,” Reighley replied while thinking, “Especially since it’s also the last.” Unable to decide, the three looked at the map and pondered on where to go first. Taking a shot in the dark, the group decided on a store called Goalds. Lily recognized it as a place Freya frequented before. She mentioned to the group that it had golden trinkets you could purchase for your significant other.

The three arrived at the shop and were greeted at the entrance. The trio began browsing through the items when Ulysses spotted something.

“Hey, what about this?” He asked.

“Let me see,” Reighley peaked over and noticed a giant gold chain necklace with a large dollar sign pendant on it. “Uh, I know she likes money, but I don’t see her wearing this,” Reighley explained, thinking “It’s not like she’s a rapper.”

“How about this?” Lily asked. It was a golden necklace with a brown recluse spider on it.

“Um… I think that’s a bit offensive,” Reighley said nicely. “What is up with this place? Don’t they have anything romantic?” He thought. The three spent a few more minutes browsing the items on display before deciding that there was nothing there worth buying. They left and continued to explore the mall in search of the perfect gift. They tried many different stores. They started with a clothing place but most of the clothes were probably too cheap for Freya’s tastes. Next, they went to a store that sold stuffed pillows and cushions. The only issue was they only sold plain fruits without any characteristics that could be deemed as cute.

Reighley thought to himself “Who would buy these? They don’t even have cute little faces on them. They’re just plain fruit.” Immediately after the thought a group of couples entered the store.

“Look, it's so adorable! You have to buy me one.” a female customer said. Her boyfriend had a look of bewilderment on his face but soon acquiesced to her request. Soon there was a long line at the cash register as more couples flooded in buying fruits. All the while the men of the groups looked at their significant others with doubt and confusion on their faces. Reighley didn’t understand what was so great either and decided to move on. They then visited Richards Sporting Goods, an extreme sports store, in search of adventure gear for her. Even this didn't feel quite right because he figured she most likely had everything in the entire mall let alone the store itself.

After their search, the three stopped at the cafeteria for a break and got some food.

“Man, this is tough!” Reighley sighed while seating himself at a table with the other two. “It makes me wonder if I even know her at this point,” he thought glumly. Once seated he heard hysterical laughter coming from a few tables away to his left. Reighley looked over to see the commotion and realized it was just the person he needed. It was Destiny, and she was one person who most likely knew what Freya liked most.

“Hold on a second guys, I see someone I know,” he said and immediately got up from his chair and made his way toward the laughing girl. Lily looked over at who he was talking about and began to panic as she knew Destiny would tell just about everyone in the mall that she was Freya’s maid. She turned her head to the right, shielding her face with her hair, in hopes she wouldn’t be found out. She felt sick to her stomach from the thought of being discovered in her daily life.

“You okay?” Ulysses asked.

“Yep, just some neck pain that’s all,” Lily said nonchalantly.

Reighley made his way to her table when she noticed him.

“Oh, hey look, it's Loverboy!” Destiny said with a laugh.

“Loverboy? What are you talking about?” He asked. He could hear Freya talk through her phone’s speaker. “Phew… Looks like I was right and she was just busy,” he thought.

Meanwhile, back at Freya’s place, she was reading the messages when Destiny sent another in her chat.

Moderator-DJ_Destiny: Attention All, Attention All. I am with Loverboy as we speak!

It was one message but it made Freya explode with emotions. “What!?” she said. “Destiny, You’re with Re-” she quickly covered her mouth in fear of exposing him, but it was too late.

Gullible_Guillotine_X: Loverboy ‘R’

Lucky_Luffy_x: Ladies and Gentlemen, we got 'em.

Marine_Fan: R, R, R, R, R, R!

Freya instinctively froze on the spot. “That girl. Ugh! What am I going to do with you, Destiny?” Freya thought in frustration.

Reighley looked at Destiny with extreme confusion and asked, “What just happened?”

“Oh I’ve been teasing Freya since this morning,” she answered. Reighley used Insight on her and saw the same aura as before. A pure white aura without waver. He knew she was the honest type with no reason to lie, but he could have sworn there was gray in there.

“That’s great and all but why was she about to say my name?” He asked.

“Oh, because I told the internet that Freya had a boyfriend with a special codename, Loverboy!” She said with a laugh.

“I’m sorry, you what?” Reighley angrily said. When Destiny saw his expression she felt a bit of fear, as shivers went down her spine.

“Was I not supposed to?” She asked.

“No,” he said, irritated. “You’re her best friend, right? Then you are supposed to know these things. I don’t want the world to find out we're dating.” He said.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t know, I swear,” she apologized. Reighley looked at her and she was about to cry. He thought it through and felt as though it was an honest mistake taken too far. He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh with eyes closed and comforted her.

“It’s fine, it’s not like it was going to stay hidden forever,” he said. “Destiny, why don’t you join Ulysses, Lily, and I for lunch?”

“Lily and Uly are here!?” She said excitedly.

“You know Lily?” He asked.

“Yep! She’s-“ Destiny suddenly received a call from Freya and ignored it. “I better let it sink in a bit before talking back with her.” The two returned to the table with Lily and Ulysses and both were feeling sick to their stomach. Ulysses was ill from withdrawals, having not smoked this entire time. He had a cold sweat running down his brow and looked irate, while Lily on the other hand was still hiding her appearance.

“Are you two alright? You don’t look well.” Reighley asked. When he arrived back at the table, both Ulysses and Lily quickly scurried toward the female and male restrooms respectively. “Must have been bad food…” Reighley muttered as he turned towards Destiny.

“Anyway, I am trying to buy Freya a present for her birthday but I haven’t had much luck,” Reighley explained the events of what had happened thus far to Destiny and she could only cross her arms with disappointment.

“You were the chosen one, Reighley,” She said with disappointment. “How can you guys suck so bad at getting her a gift?”

“Look. It’s not like it’s that easy to buy a girl who has everything, anything,” he explained.

“Heh. I’ve done just fine each year and I don’t even need to buy her anything,” she boasted.

“What? You know a good gift I could give her?” Reighley asked with desperation. Destiny nodded in silence and slowly lifted her wrist. “The friendship bracelet?” He asked.

“Yep. She never takes it off. Not even when she does fashion shoots or movie scenes. She’s all like, ‘I pay you enough money, just edit it out in post,’ or something like that,” she explained. “That is just one of the many things I’ve made for her over the years.”

“I see…” he said and began to ponder, “So if I make her something unique, then maybe she would value it more than some store-bought item.”

Destiny was looking critically at Reighley when she saw his face subtly relaxed and a smile spread across his face. “Think of something, young padawan?” She asked. Reighley let out a laugh and answered confidently.

“Yeah, I got this,” he said.

Inside the single-stall men's restroom, Ulysses was gagging. “This is bad… I didn’t think it would become this awful so fast. This is the longest that I have held off smoking before, but I can’t let them find out. I don’t want to risk losing them as friends…” He thought desperately. While completely blue in the face from his exertion, he attempted to rouse himself by saying “Especially Lily, I’m sure she would skip town if she saw me like this. C’mon Ulysses, toughen up!” He slapped himself in the face with both hands in an attempt to stem the next wave of nausea using sheer willpower, but it made little difference.

Meanwhile in the single-stall women's restroom, Lily was busy preparing herself. She figured something like this would happen, so she brought her disguise kit that she used during her ramen escapade, just in case. She pulled her disguise out of her bag and stopped to look at herself in the mirror. Sighing dejectedly, she wondered what her life would have been like if she wasn’t a maid. If she was in the same world as Freya, would they have been friends? She envisioned having friends around her in the mirror, picturing Freya, Ulysses, Destiny, and Reighley standing beside her smiling. For a moment she thought that this was a future she could have seen herself in if things were different. Her heart aching, she quickly squashed the idea, as she was simply a maid, first and above all else.

“I’m sorry Ulysses, but I have to go…” she whispered as she put on the disguise. She peaked out of the restroom to see if anyone was watching, and once she was sure the coast was clear she snuck away.