[Log Subroutine Activation: Complete]

[File Installation: Complete]

[Initializing daily routine...]

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[Log 8: Recording started]

[Log 8: Passive mode]

[Time to homeworld: 14:00:00]

[Time to current world: 07:00:00]

My eye lids flew open without any conscious effort. As my eyes focused, there was a figure standing right in front of my bed. I tried looking around, but my neck muscles refused to obey, leaving my gaze stuck on the shadowy figure who finally noticed my gaze. A cold breeze swept by -enough to chill my bones till they ached even though a thick sheet was wrapped tightly around me- when the figure's gaze found mine. Within the interval when our eyes met, I could feel blood draining from my face while cold dread wrapping itself, tightly, around me, just like the makeshift blanket.

It opened its mouth and spoke, "Citrix..." Its voice sounded familiar, even though I was sure the figure in front of me couldn't be anyone I've known. While I thought more of it, it spoke again. "Citrix... Victor... Lisandra..."

Suddenly, the voice's familiarity clicked within me, which to my horror, was my voice. It had the same pronounciation as I do whenever I said 'Lisandra', which I thought was rare enough to distinguish mine from other's. My already pale white skin paled even more, to the point where a kid who saw me would think I bathe using bleach al the time.

Sensing my recognition, the figure bent forward a little, which revealed its smile and ey- eye sockets, still fresh with blood. I tried to move my head again, but the effort proved futile. I tried looking away, but my stare landed on the two eyeballs in the figure's hands which were disgusting enough to nauseate. In the end, I was forced to stare, with fright, at the eyeless figure's face, which was familiar, too familiar, for a first time meeting.

"Who are you?", was what I wanted to say, but my voice croaked instead, sending out two words which formed a lingering question of "Who... you?" only. At the mention of those keywords, the figure's smile grew abnormally wide. It, or he, seemed delighted I finally asked him a question, since he answered with a delighted, but creepy, tone.

"Me... Am... Fei... Lur... U..." It struggled in creating a grammatically understandable sentence, which I did not enjoy trying to decipher. I must've frowned because the figure dropped its smile and leaned forward with what-looked-like-a frown, to which every hair and muscle, cell and fibre, brain and gut in my body tightened while I screamed, internally, in a never-before fashion.

[Log 8: Paused]

[Log Mode Switch: Active Mode]

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[Log 8:Resumed]

[Time to homeworld: 14:09:11]

[Time to current world: 07:27:17]

My arms jolted while my legs spasmed, throwing me onto the floor with my head full of cold sweat. In fact, every inch of my body was covered in sweat. Even so, I felt cold in the warm -almost hot- room. My body was shaking uncontrollably and I found I could not exert even the slightest amount of strength on my limbs. I felt weak and frightened lying on the wooden floor, just like how a cornered animal does.

"Woken up?" Lisandra came out from the bath with her clothes still on, though her wet hair suggested she had taken a bath just before I was startled awake.

"Y-ye-yea..." I responded while staring at my still-shaking hands. They were calming down already, with only slight shivers left before any traces of going through a nightmare was gone.

After tightening her own clothing, she went over to her bed and laid down, face up with two hands acting as a barrier between her wet hair and dry pillow. She stared up while day dreaming, before giving me a slight glance and asking. "Nightmares, I assume?" She said dryly, as if she wasn't fond of it, which was true for most people.

"Nightmare, just one, I think..." I willed my subsiding shivers to stop. The rate of calming down had slowed at some point after the shiver's intensity decreased by a whole lot.

"For you to remember, yea, probably just one," She chuckled after that, "If you were to remember all of them, wouldn't you choose suicide over facing them over and over again?" She sat up -with her right arm resting on her bent right knee- and gave me a quick checkup with just a sweep of her gaze. "You're fine, just get a bath and you'll calm down."

"Right..." My body and limbs no longer shook. Willing strength into my legs and hands, they obeyed without their previous defiance. The feeling of regaining control over my own body felt more of an achievement than a task. Without further ado, I went into the bath and closed the door. Lisandra yelled through the door, "Use warm water to calm down instead of the cool one!"

"Yea yea, I ain't no dumbass..." I muttered to myself while undressing. Since I've been wearing the same clothes for what felt like centureis, they became something like my own skin, and taking them off left me feeling nude and exposed, which was technically the case.

"Alright... A warm bath should calm me down..." I started letting out hot water into a wooden, water bucket before filling the other half with cold water. "That should make it warm."

Once full, I gripped the dipper's handle and started scooping up water to wash away dirt from my body. The water felt refreshing the moment it hit my face, and I had to remind myself the water was probably contaminated with all kinds of diseases to stop myself from drinking a scoop full of it. It felt like both hell and heaven existed in the same place, which in this case was the bathroom.

While scrubbing myself clean, I started thinking about the dream. Surprisingly, I remember little of the dream's contents. There was the shadowy figure that haunted me, but what happened in the end didn't come out clear. It's as if the dream was trying to both bait and elude me, always inches out of grasp whenever I was about to forget it or almost recalling the entirety of it.

A few more scoops, and I could feel the warmth of the water bloom into something more comfortable, yet at the same time, the cold, blizzard-like chill from the dream kept haunting me, trying its best to prevent the warmth from blooming into something better. Its as if the chill has taken a life on its own, sentient enough to feel jealousy towards its counterpart's constant demand.

As I thought about the dream more, a few details came into my attention. The first was the lack of light. Even though there wasn't a window nor lighted candle, there was a slight illumination in the room, enough to create a shadow large enough to hide the shadowy figure from direct view. The second was the lack of sound other than the my voice and the figure's (which was technically my voice as well). Even in a dream, there should still be ambient noises such as Lisandra's snores, the tavern's rowdy noises and the occasional moaning from the room next door. Yet, there were none.

Even though I knew anything I remember about the dream could be explained with 'because its a dream', it still felt no less weird. The shadowy figure's presence was oddly realistic enough for me to feel him, yet other than that, other feelings such as the softness and comfiness of the bed and pillows did not enter my mind at all.

Shaking my head to shrug off theories about what the dream could mean, I saw the bucket didn't have enough water to supply another scoop anymore. Deciding to finish up quick, I picked it up and poured all the water over my head to freshen up a little bit more before getting dry and starting the day anew.

There was a knock on the bathroom door, followed by a warning from Lisandra, "If you don't finish up in the next minute, I'm burning everything you own to cinders!" Without choice, I was forced to leave my hair dripping wet in order to finish clothing myself.

"Wipe your hair after you've opened the door, dumbass!" a familiar voice blasted my calm mind into chaotic disorder.

"Ai! You're back! Where've you been?" I heeded its advice and saw a frustrated faced Lisandra standing just outside, arms crossed and left sole tapping the floor board rhythmically. I smiled and shrugged at her casually to ease her annoyance, but it seemed to do the opposite instead.

"You're supposed to go shopping with me from early morning till night falls, look at the time now!" She complained while dragging me out. In one swift motion, she opened the door and pushed me out of the room door, with the towel I was using still hanging around my neck, wet.

"I can't believe you took such a long time just to bathe!" Lisandra berated while leading the way.

"Eh, it's not like I can help it, can't I?'

"But you should've done it quicker!" We were walking down the stairs now. The few customers who were here for an early morning brew stared at us, as if we were crazy.

"But I wouldn't be clean that way!" I ignored the stares which were starting to bore into me.

"You're wearing dirty clothes, how're you supposed to stay clean!?" She stood in front of the door now, arms crossed.

I was speechless. I couldn't find any proper answer to her seemingly rational question, not unless I wanted to drag out the inevitable. As if sensing my distress, a voice which I thought previously annoying, but now more welcome than ever, crashed into our two-man argument, More like one-boy-one-girl debate, I thought to myself.

"Chill, Lis. It's not like there's not enough time to shop anymore," To that, LIsandra grunted in response since she didn't really agree with it, but the next line definitely drew her agreement, "until he's broke." At that, she grinned with a pair of glinting eyes that proved, no doubt, she could actually send me to the deepest layers of the slums.

 It was never supposed to be this way! My inner voice yelled out.

"Oh shut up Citrix. Everything was your fault anyway... Right, Lis?" Its question was left unanswered as the main door's hinges proceeded to creak as it was forcefully opened, with Lisandra's right leg now stepping on the door frame and her right arm extended to prevent the door from slamming shut and slapping her annoying -though epic- looking smirk away from her face. She looked like Captain Hook, ready to set sail and hunt for Neverland at all cost. Gotta admit, she's looking cool, I grudgingly told myself, even better than me...

"Where next, Lis?" Ai abandoned its previous questioni, asking Lisandra, who was starting to look stupid for standing in the pose. There were already a few passerbys mummering and whispering to each other, ripping our reputation to a near-zero value.

'To...!" Lisandra breathed in and held a breath for a moment for dramatic effect, "the noble's area!" Ai released a bunch of sound effects that made the statement sound crueler than it already was. To my wallet anyway! No! My legs turned jelly while trying to beg Lisandra to change her shopping area, but she just replied with, "It'll be alright, Citrix! The fun part is, I'm not even paying!" She gave an evil-sounding chuckle that Ai helped with.

My knees finally buckled, but Lisandra caught and supported me. "You alright?" She had a voice of concern, though I knew it's just a concern for my wallet. Or maybe space-pouch works better...

"I think I'm fine..." I tried walking with her support, but fear for my money just kept on holding me down, although I knew I sounded stupid.

"Hm, hold tight then... Huff!" Suddenly, I could feel a pair of hands touching my butt, and with that only, I was lifted onto Lisandra's back, piggybag ridding her. After just a slight warning of "Hold on," she started sprinting through the street, towards where my map showed was the local noble's shopping area. Ai was laughing all the way, and I swore I could hear a human in there.

"Warggh!" I screamed not out of fear of the speed Lisandra was going -which was probably 50km/h- but for fear she would drop me and I'd be forced to recuperate and pay an even greater price.

"Wee~!" Ai sounded like it was on an amusement ride.

[Warning: Rapid rise in blood pressure detected]

[Secrete noradrenaline factors? Y/N]

"Just hang on a little more!" At the sound of her words which whoosed by, I wrapped my arms around her neck for further safety.There was something poking around the screen, but I ignored it to focus on survival first. Yet, I must've held too hard since Lisandra started choking for breath not long after, even though she could run at the same speed just a few moments ago like it was nothing.

"Y' han' Cit!" She struggled to speak as she slowed for breath, her hands now pulling at my interlocked arms which were stranggling her - unconsciously- as my weight assisted as well.

"Oh, sorry," I let go, then crashed into the uneven yet solid ground with my butt taking the most damage. Lisandra was panting hard while holding the part of her throat which was swollen to soothe the pain. No doubt she's having a much rougher time compared to my butt ache, I thought silently as my eyes drifted guitily from her throat.

Immediately, I felt my face grow hot as my gaze landed on her chest. Although they were restrained and strapped down, they still looked enormous. Fortunately, her chest was clothed with uninteresting fabric, enough to make someone be rid of their intentions if they were to linger too long, Unfortunately though, that was the only thing more interesting than our current surroundings. And as if she felt my stare, she looked at me with a long, hard stare, enough to make me feel even guiltier and before diverting my attention to somewhere else.

"Oi oi, I did you a favor. Remember to treat me later," Ai suddenly produced a picture of the scene I just saw.

"I-I didn't ask for your help on it!" I turned my face away from Lisandra, afraid she would see the flushed face of mine.

"What help, Citrix?" Lisandra seemed to have recovered, and she took quite an interest in what I just said while clutching my shoulders with grips not dissimilar to the Professor's..

"Yea, what help?" Ai mocked before giggling immaturely. Lisandra was quick to stare it down before it got cocky and too out of hand, and Ai in response silenced itself, albeit I could still hear its laughter at the back of my mind.

"Citrix? I'm waiting... For. Your. Explanation," Her patience was clearly running thin, shown by the signs of her taking on a hollow smile and veins bulging slightly on her forehead. With no alternatives, I steeled myself.

After all, honesty is the best policy, I mused my last words, knowing what I said would probably get me a one way ticket to hell. Meanwhile, Ai was laughing even harder.

"So?" Her sole was tapping now, and Ai appeared to be silently watching on her side of things, although a slight raise in its virtual avatar was observable.

"It's... uh... Ai, uh," I stuttered a little.

"Out with it, now. And you," she stared at Ai, "are going to go along with him, to wherever I'm sending him."

Ai's laughter suddenly died down. "Y-yes ma'am," its words was filled with -fake- determination, although fear was still pronounced in both cases.

"S-so, you know how I looked at your..." I pointed at her chest while turning my red face away, "things... Ai took a shot and..." The words 'saved it for me' didn't even make it out before Lisandra's nostrils flared, but calming all of sudden, just like the calm before the storm.

"Li-is?" Ai called, a sincerely worried about its future now.

"Uh, Sandra?" I backed away a little, fearing she would strike me. But the strike never came, as she just walked over with serenity and forgiveness in her eyes.

This must be a trap, a trap! The logical side of me yelled.

Calm down, she must've seen reason since she's not striking us, but even helping us up instead! Hopeful, I held on to it.

Sadly, the hope was crushed when a ram like strength hit the side of my face. Ai burst out laughing.

"You should've held your guard up, always!" It continued laughing, but Lisandra wasn't exactly, though she did look like she forgave me.

"I know. Just wanted to check whether or not you were honest, otherwise I would've done worse and sent you to Purgatory," Lisandra made an act of slapping my face playfully. Instinctively, I flinched.

"Ok, now we keep going forward. To shopping!" If she noticed, she pretended not to, but I wasn't one to mind an unexpected stroke of luck. She pointed ahead, to where there were many domestic-based shops gathered around. Suits were hung just before the windows of some boutiques, while while dresses decorated some shops as well. There were masses of crowds gathered at some shops, which made me guess the owners were having a sales since not everyone can afford everything sold in the area.

"Come on, we should get there before everything good's been taken away!" She frenzied herself with that self-motivation. Seeing her motivated self made it hard for either Ai or me to stay put -safe from the front lines- so I went and squeezed through the crowd Lisandra had just entered. Coincidentally, it was also the nearest one compared to the other masses.

As I squeezed through, there were complains like 'hey' and 'watch it' coming from all directions. Not wanting to leave a bad impression, I muttered 'sorry' to every person I knocked into, and they responded with a kind nod that signified forgiveness and all. Overall speaking, I had to squeeze around from the south side to the west corner and then tunnel to the north side just to get to the east side of the crowd, which I finally found a path that can take me deeper into the shop.

There were gasps near the fitting room when I entered the shop-house. Many who were queueing in line for a fit surrounded the rooms without a care, leaving not an inch of space for me to peek through. Unsure what to make of it, I continued searching for Lisandra around the general areas of the shop since they weren't as packed as I thought. While touring around, I spotted extravagant and plain clothings, albeit all looked as comfortable as the others in terms of quality.

"There's no sign of Lisandra anywhere," Ai stated the obvious. The only place we haven't tried was the fitting room which its crowd began dispersing. But it doesn't seem like that now, I muttered to Ai.

"Maybe she's in the fitting room? We haven't check there yet," Again, it stated the obvious. The thought of the ingenious AI actually picking out literal and obvious facts to tell me made me feel like an idiot. A satisfied grin was all that showed on its virtual avatar. 

Ignoring its annoying smugness, I went for the fitting room. On the outside, it didn't look elegant at all, with wooden boards as flooring and dividers. It was tall enough to fit most residents, but small enough to actually let a person change comfortably. But what actually attracted my attention was not the bizzarely accurate and purposeful design of the fitting room, it was what was inside of it.

She was wearing a white sleeveless dress, with the ends flowing out all around her. There was a stripe of cloth that worked like a belt, tying itself onto her waist to pin the dress onto her body. The dress's bust wrapped around her well-grown bosoms, eliciting envy from those who did not own such a pair. She was beautiful, if one were to descibe her, elegant but not extravagant, enough to make any woman jealous.

I stared wide eyed. Lisandra has the ability to stun anyone with her beauty if she wanted to, I mused to myself and Ai seemed to agree as well, but she doesn't do it intentionally at all. The sight of her red hair only served to amplify her beauty, if not to flaunt her rare origins, albeit it wasn't as smooth or silky as a noble's.

"Should I... Take a photo?" Ai was hesitant as it still remembered her previous aggression.

"Uh..." I let my gaze linger on her beauty like it was natural to. She spun herself occasionally, if not just to impress the ladies who were surrounding her. They weren't as eye baiting as she was, but one look told me they were just riding along the current. Not only were they showering her with praises, the occasional jokes were made to impress her as well, hinted from the artificial laugh Lisandra made whenever they told jokes that weren't even funny.

"Citrix?" Ai called out as I was mesmerised.

"Do it," the sudden permission startled Ai since its virtual character took a step back, "I'll take the responsibility if she's gonna get mad," Ai nodded and began. A few snaps were heard, mentally, as Ai took the photos and stiched them together to give them more 'feel', preserving much of the emotion and beauty of the original scene. The pictures were then sent to the backup database in the Organisation, and once I confirmed it, I decided to enter the scene.

Lisandra was speaking to the women and in turn, the women listened attentively, always looking for a chance to show off. She was pantomiming a little as I approached, and I found it extremely cute. Thus, I willed myself to be silent as I approached. Though that didn't last long because when I neared her group, the floorboard connected to the one Lisandra was standing on creaked as my foot landed on it, alerting her and the ladies of my presence even without their sight catching me precisely.

"And there your effort goes," Ai chuckled at my failure.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The women looked at me, some with disgust as they looked at my clothing, others with blank stares, seeming unsure what kind of expression they should be expressing. As I got closer to Lisandra, I noticed the clothing they wore were not only extravagant, but tailored made as well.

"Who is he?"

"What's a peasant doing here?"

"Commoner shops! Letting just about anyone enter their store!"

A few of them who thought I couldn't see them sneered at me, while the ones who stood in front listened and kept a blank face as their eye muscles betrayed the satisfaction they were feeling at having allies spewing out what they wanted to speak out loud but restrained for fear of ruining their reputation. These women are no ordinary ladies, I decided. "Agreed," said Ai who was looking annoyed at having me being looked down on. Normally, it would be the one looking down on me, but not today, it seems.

"No one touches my prey," Ai sneered.

Except for Lisandra though, I thought, amused..

"Hello Citrix," she walked over and gave a courtesy. The other ladies, including the ones who previously sneered at me, appalled as the familiarity between us was revealed.

"Play along!" I didn't need outside advise to know what to do, but it seemed that Ai thought I was socially retarded.

"Do you know this person, Miss Lisandra?" one of the ladies asked. She wore a velvet dress made from silk that I was finally able to take note of due to being in such close proximity. It doesn't suit her at all, I thought.

"Of course, this is the person I've been talking about just now. Ladies, meet Citrix," She gestured at me with one hand. I bowed partially, stating my defiance in plain sight.

"Look behind, they're all stunned by your defiance," I could tell that Ai just tuned to the frequency Lisandra's log was on, seeing as there was another noise input.

"Ignore them," I told Ai internally while staring them, one by one, in the eyes, daring them to reject me. But none came, and all gave in to my challenge, it seemed.

Women of talk, it seems, I mused. "It's more like they don't want to embarass themselves by humiliating you, Citrix," Ai just had to stick it in me.

Lisandra sensed the disharmony and was able to confirm it through the logs. She spoke, "Citrix, meet Dina from the Yorua family," they curtsied at the mention of their family, enough to mock me, challenging me to a game of political hierarchy. "Pleased," I bowed slightly, expressing the mix of rage and disgust I felt for them every second we were in contact.

"Be polite, Citrix," I could hear Lisandra's voice coming through the logs. I gave a silent nod and she seemed to accept it. She then went and continued her conversation with the repulsive women.

"How'd I look?" She spun, letting the excess of her dress fly around. The scene must've been similar to a flower blooming during spring from a bird's eye view.

Mesmerised again, for a moment, I forgot my negative impression to the women, and thanked them secretly for being able to make Lisandra dress like this. The only thing I could say without being rude was, "Amazing." With just that, I swore I could see Lisandra's fair face flush. She quickly hid it and resumed her dialogue with the women.

"She's an amazing guider, to be honest," Ai admitted reverently, "more than I ever was..."

"What?" I knew what I heard, but I wanted to confirm it again before confronting it. "Nothing," it replied. Seems like it's not ready to talk about that, or is it...? I knew it could read my mind, and I was sure I made it feel guilty for hiding something like that. It was sure to come clean soon in the future, or at least that's what I hope.

Now for the real questions, "Guider, huh? I could guess their work just by their name, but how'd she end up as one?"

Ai sighed, before starting. "She got handpicked and forced into the job, Citrix. It's hard for her, that's why you need to understand," Ai held a kind of neutral tone, lacking any emotions found normally in it. It must've been feeling something else that it didn't want to burden me with, but the weight of the word 'force' suddenly kicked in.

"What do you mean, 'force'?" I asked vehemently, another gust of anger welling up. My mind was nagging at me about something, but I just couldn't remember what it was.

"It's-" Unable to finish, a 'beep' took over Ai's systems, followed by a mechanical sentence being said. "Error encountered. System rebooting. Reboot complete." It wasn't exactly something I heard before, so I was surprised when it occured.

"What was that?"

"My restriction system," Ai sighed for the second time, "kicks in whenever something confidential is about to get exposed by the AI. Makes sure we don't blurt out unnecessary stuff to those who are not supposed to hear it. Yet."

"But hacking into the database is allowed, weird shit," I couldn't help but think that. The flame of anger was still there, but it was no longer directed at Ai.

"Yup, totally agree with you," It then laughed.

"How come I've never read about it before?" I questioned Ai. Lisandra was trying another dress on now, entering the dressing room and shutting the door behind her.

"'Cos it usually doesn't happen, and look out, here comes trouble," Ai spat the word 'trouble' with a bitter tone.

Sure enough, the women were staring daggers at me, sharp enough to cut me, almost, anyway. The few at the back were gossiping, with voices too low for me to hear, but the chill I felt down my spine made me sure of one thing: they're talking bad about me.

No longer bothered with courtesy, I walked over and struck up a conversation casually. They shied away, but I pursued.

"Hello. I know you're gossiping 'bout me, but please, don't do it behind my back, I dare you to do it in my face," I smiled hollowly while saying that. The ones in front glared at the ones who were gossiping, likely acting to distinguish themselves from their subordinates.

"Whoever you are, whatever you are, please refrain from nearing Miss Sandra. A rose like her should never be tainted by the presence of donkey filth," a woman in the front, who had a blue dress on, said. Those who were glaring immediately stopped their act and looked at me with a face of pity that said 'serves you right'.

"I am sorry, but whoever you are, what right do you have to say what I can do, and what I can not do?" I countered. Not only was she rude for calling me 'donkey filth', the dignified aura she had while calling me that was uncivilized at all. I felt the previous gust of anger that was beginning to fade swell up again, and the next woman's opinion only served to increase the intensity of the flame.

"How dare you speak such to the next matriach of the Yorua family? Do you even know-" She was cut off by another older lady. The older lady had a yellow dress on, and she looked to be twice the age of the women who spoke. Her raised hand was enough to make the previous woman bow, meaning her power was absolute.

"Do not test my patience, child, for I will rid you and your bloodline if you were to lay a hand on Miss- no, Lady Lisandra, whether it be a big or small crime," With her stone cold gaze paired up with her magma hot words, the spear it made pierced through my mental fortitude with such ease that it made me doubt whether I had any resistance to words at all. Best describe my current situation is the word, fearful.

[Fear factor:I {Status: Active}]

One thing happened, and it was the activation of an algorithm (skill?) that invigorated my mind. It rebuilt the smashed fortitude of mine, even going as far as to strengthening it. I felt like I could brave the matriach's ice cold gaze and magma hot words, and the matriach knew it too, seeing as her cold gaze turned to one of shock for just an instance, enough for Ai to identify and tell me about it.

"She's surprised, you know," Ai laughed maniacally, clearly feeling an amplified amount of revenge being exacted. I knew its words were true, even without looking at her.

"Dear matriach, if I have insulted you in anyway possible, please tell me right away, for I will respect your criticism and analytical resutls," the reply was solid and held no loopholes for debate, and it seemed enough to petrify most of the ladies who thought I was dead for standing against the matriach.

They must've thought I'd be unable to overcome her words, I thought to myself, amusement more than fear in mind now. The sweet, hot flames of revenge was burning vigorously, now, in me.

The matriach gave me a second look of appraisal, this time, meticulously. I felt naked under her stare, bared to the bone, thinking the flames could probably be seen by her, but I kept still so not to destroy the impression I just made as a man of iron guts. Finally, after a few more scans, she began.

"Better than most, it seems... You, are welcome," her face almost twisted into one of scorn," to the house of Yorua if, and only if, Lady Lisandra allows you. If not," she swung her head side to side gently, "you know what's going to happen, are we clear?"

"Yes," my reflexes kicked in. Even if I were able to withstand the mental pressure she exerted over me, I couldn't deal with a stare specilised for long periods of negotiations, even if considering the extra fortitude provided by the skill-like algorithm.

As if she was waiting for this moment of truce between me and her new 'buddies', Lisandra walked out with a velvet dress. The busts were more revealing this time, but the end of the dress was shorter than the one before, only reaching her ankles.

"How'd I look?" She spun a single round before giving a polite bow, elicitting postive responses from Yorua's party.

I responded with "Looks great!" as soon as the matriach said, "Could use some tailoring, dear."

Hearing that, I looked at her, who's eyeing me with disrespect. She looked displeased that I went against her orders, so I quickly took my comment back.

"I'd think it'd be better-"

"Should I choose the white dress then, miss Yorua?" Lisandra asked the matriach, completely ignoring my opinion.

"I'd advice against it. Although this dress could have been better," the matriach said with slight displeasure, "this dress suits you better compared to the last one."

"True, but the white dress makes you look cute," I lowered my head, afraid she'd see my flushed face. Meanwhile, the matriach stared at me, incredulous.

"Ah, I always knew you had a crush on me, Cit," Lisandra gave a light hearted laugh before turning to Yorua, "Miss Yorua, it has been a great pleasure meeting you," she looks at Yorua's companions for a second before continuing, "and everyone else."

"But I'm afraid I'll have to cut short our time together," Lisandra gave a humble apology before messaging me.

Message: FYI, I know you're poor AF! That's why I'm going to try to get her to pay.

Realisation dawned, and my face almost showed it. Suppressing Lisandra's cunning demeanor, I stood by, watching as Lisandra carried out her perfect scheme.

"And why is that?" Yorua asked with a curious tone.

"Citrix and myself will have to work later, and it is better if we could spare more time to prepare for work rather than rushing there," Lisandra persuaded.

"Oh, you should come work for me then. I promise, I'll treat you extra special," Yorua gave a wink that was almost unnoticeable if it weren't for Ai's sensors.

"She's evil, that's for sure," Ai commented for both of us to hear.

"I thank you for your generous offer, but I'll have to pass," Lisandra said apologetically. I could feel her deception working behind the curtains, and the end result is certainly going to be as she wanted. She continued, "the reason I work is because I like travelling everywhere. Being hired by you may anchor my freedom and end up crushing my ambitions," she smiled sadly.

"Does that mean I won't be seeing you after this?" Yorua looked a little perturbed. Several of her companions were already murmuring among each other, occasionally sneaking a peek at Lisandra and most importantly, me.

"Unfortunately, yes," Lisandra kept her act on. Ai was screaming and cheering loudly, likely similar to a maniac on drugs screaming.

"I guess this is goodbye?" Yorua showed a sad smile. In return, Lisandra returned the same smile.

"Well then. I'll be off," Yorua turned around and spoke, "Ladies, let's go."

The women shuffled away, leaving both Lisandra and me in the changing room. The crowd who were originally taking a peek at Lisandra was momentarily scattered as well, and the time of the day told us most of them went for lunch. Both of us let our gaze linger on the women's figures and before long, came to the same conclusion.

"That's not the last time we're going to be seeing them, right?" Lisandra asked without looking.

"Probably," I replied. After hearing my reply Lisandra went and change while I stood outside waiting. I passed the time by talking to Ai.

"Hey Ai."

"What?"

"Remember the book Lisandra told you to prepare?" I muttered silently under my breath.

"Oh shoot! I totally forg-" Ai trailed off laughing, "Just kidding, I've done it, The Compendium of the Current World."

"Is that really the name of the book?" I couldn't help but chuckle. Luckily, no one was currently around to notice it, or else they would've thought me crazy.

"Yeah, got a problem with that? I authored this thing," Ai spoke threateningly, although jokingly.

"No no, it's no problem," I held on to my laugh, deciding it was better not to make Ai hate me since it had a lot of ways in terms of dealing with me.

"You know, I can always read your thoughts-"

Lisandra walked out from the changing room with her original dirty clothes on. "Come on," she walked towards the counter with the former red dress in hand.

As we walked over, she started complaining how "she's paying for her own stuff, even though I was made to promise to buy her the stuff." Ai just laughed at her complaints, especially when she hits me, lightly, on the shoulder. A few more complaints from her and we were right before the cashier.

The cashier took a quick glance at the red dress, touching it for a moment to feel the fabric, before stating the price. "That'll be four hundred gold coins."

I was momentarily stunned by the pricing, and decided to argue with the cashier, "Isn't that a bit too much ma'am?"

"Not at all. I doubt you could get fabric this good from any store out in these woods," she gestured at the hills and trees in the scenery behind me just to make her point.

"That doesn't mean you can just charge us with such an insane price!" I exclaimed loudly, intending for everyone else to hear it.

"Sir, if you want to argue, go to the bazaar, but this is a legal and verified noble goods retail store. Anything here is priced fittingly," she retorted.

"You can't just give us a silly old dress then take our four hundred gold coins and call it even! That's just highway robbery!" I shouted, intent on making my point. I could feel pressure building up in my head.

"I'm sorry, but this is the set price and it's not bargainable. If you do not wish to pay but want to take the dress away, I will be forced to call the authorities on you," the cashier stated calmly, arms crossed. She looked like she was daring me to take the dress away without paying. Lisandra was looking embarassed, not sure whether it's due to the cashier's retorts or my outbursts.

"You know what? I'm-!" Unable to finish, a familiar figure stepped in. "How much is it again?" her voice was filled with distaste.

"F-four hundred gold coins, ma'am," the cashier stuttered.

"Bah, take it! And keep the change!" Yorua tossed a mithril coin into the cashier hand and turned to us, "and that's how you settle things, alright?"

Baffled, I stared at her dumbly, though it seemed that everything was according to Lisandra's plan. She pretended to be dumbfounded, but Ai outright told me she was 'acting'. It didn't sound amused as well.

As Yorua's figure got covered up by the crowd outside until finally she was no longer visible or in range to hear us, Lisandra gave me a grin, instantly removing the previous dumbfoundedness she had on her face. "Let's go eat," she said while exiting through the shop's main entrance. I followed suite and wondered why Ai seemed displeased. Without warning, it just said "Leave it" before sighing, leaving myself immersed in my own thoughts and the crowd at the entrance.

When I finally got through, Lisandra was impatiently waiting outside with her (Yorua's) purchase in hand. I jogged over in response to her look.

"Why were you so slow?" she asked, obviously, while leading us to the end of the district and the beginning of the foodstalls.

"Oh, was I too slow? I'm sorry, but apparently there's. A. Crowd. Over there," my tone turned sarcastic.

"Woah, chill with the sarcasm Cit. Lis would burn you alive, just look at her," Ai pointed out.

Lisandra was slightly red, whether from the heat of the sun that was beginning to annoy us or the anger of my sarcastic tone, I couldn't really tell. One thing for sure, Ai was right.

We walked on in silence, me unwilling to break the delicate silence in case it started war, while Lisandra in case it made her seem petty. Ai laughed in the channel for both of us to hear, which further embarassed me considering it could hear my thoughts.

"Shut up Ai, you're starting to get annoying," I finally retorted when the last of my patience was tested. Lisandra stopped walking all of a sudden and seemed to be shaking.

"Lis?" I went over, step by step, breath by breath. Even though it was noon and the surroundings were hot, I couldn't feel it at all as I watched Lisandra shiver. "Lis?" I called out again.

Once she was in arms reach, I stretched my arm towards her, intending to snap her out of it. As my hand reached her left shoulder, I could feel something was wrong. Very wrong. Immediately after the realisation hit me, I closed more distance and turned her around with both hands. And I finally saw what happened.

She was sobbing silently. Her past trauma of being tortured by Ai's constant laughter had resurfaced when Ai started laughing just now. It seemed like her anger was long forgotten as well as she tossed herself at me and threaten to turn her sob into a flood.

"There there... It's gone now,"

"R-really...?"

"Yes," I patted her head until her shiverings exacerbated. Not long after her shakings stopped, she stood back up and continued leading us. Ai whispered, "She's hilarious."

"Stop teasing her like that," I whispered back, angrily. It just shrugged, and that's when I noticed we were already at a restaurant.

"You paying?" I raised an eyebrow at Lisandra.

"I know the place looks fancy, but this is probably the cheapest stall that has the best food around this world," Lisandra walked in, before gesturing to me, "come on."

I just shrugged like Ai and went for it. No lost in free new experiences...

[Log 8: Paused]

[Time to homeworld: 00:00:00]

[Time to current world: 12:29:08]

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[Log 8: Resumed]

[Time to homeworld: 05:00:00]

[Time to current world: 13:24:34]

"That was amazing!" A satisfying burp followed. Lisandra was following behind, looking satisfied as well.

"How'd you come to know this place anyway?" I turned around to look at her. We were standing beside the entrance for the restaurant.

"Ah, 'bout that. I came here for my internship before, and managed to find this place after eating in every single establishment in this village," she pondered for a bit before muttering to herself "though you could barely call this a 'village', considering its size."

"City is definitely the more suitable term for this place," I walked a several metres more, away from prying ears and beckoned her to come. She followed just fine.

"Looks like you're taking charge," Ai gave a smooth whistle.

"Shut up," I urged it, "we need to talk 'bout business."

"So what's up? Though from your face, you probably mean business, yeah?" Lisandra crossed her arms while directing her question at me.

"Yes. First question's how're we gonna find our target?"

"It's more like 'your' target. I'm just guiding you,"

"Fine, how're we going to find 'my' target?"

"Well, that's a story when we're back in our room," she then gave me a coquettish sign with her eyebrows, "if you know what I mean."

Instantly after, Ai started laughing, not with his previous mocking tones, but one with genuine emotions. It was vastly different from the previous ones he always played. Every time we heard them, even though they sounded very real, not fake at all, there was always some part of us that knew it was fake, that it was a recording. But this... This was different. It held the genuine emotions it never had, one that expressed the joy, the feeling of happiness in it. It made 'it' feel like a 'him'. Both Lisandra and I stood there, taken aback by Ai's sudden emotions being shown. The laughter stopped when it finally noticed the strange atmosphere.

"What?"

"You're..."

"Different,"

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean, your laughter, it was different," I spoke the words with surprise.

"Never knew an artificial intelligence could suddenly express emotions this good. It's like, you're alive," Lisandra commented.

"Ah shucks, you're making me blush,"

"So back to business?" I looked at Lisandra.

"What else. I figured out some things while talking with Yorua and her sidekicks,"

"Rumours? Hints? Anything that helps with finding our target?" I asked nerviously.

"Yeah. Basically, this alchemist works as the royal alchemist of the kingdom," she looked around before continuing, "you know where I'm going..."

I thought about it more. How is our target a royal alchemist? And why would he commit such crimes if he has so much power already? But the question that made me groan was how were we going to assasinate him. I suppressed the groan that slipped from my mouth so only Lisandra and Ai heard it.

"Yep, it's going to be annoying," Lisandra spoke with hints of displeasure.

"I'll go get your weapons registered..." the sentence was followed by a door slamming shut by Ai, which signaled it was busy.

"Do we travel now?" I looked up. The sun was still in the middle of the sky and it wasn't going to be setting soon.

"Yes. We'll travel by foot since we've got permission to use physiology boosters in order to hunt. We should be there by evening," she checked her boots and clothing, before throwing the dress in her hand into a bush nearby.

"What'd you do that for!?" I couldn't understand why she did it. Why would anyone throw away a perfectly fine dress? Let alone one that was just bought.

"Travel light, remember?" she held my jaws with her left hand and turned it towards the path on our left. It led into a forest which was unpaved and raw.

"Now, activate your boosters," she whispered into my ear before running down the path at an inhuman speed and shouting, "try not to lag behind too much!"

Within seconds, I was left standing alone in front the restaurant jaw dropped, which made me look stupider than usual. A few more seconds and I was finally out of my trance and swiping the logs system, heading for the 'Utility' menu where 'Booster' was located at. Once in the 'Booster' menu, there were dozens of unavailable boosters which, when pressed for reason, stated I simply 'didn't have the required potential'. I kept scrolling down until I managed to find the 'Total Physiology Boost' option which I finally turned on. A few moments after that, a sudden surge of power swam through my body, threatening to tear every fibre I had apart. Then, as quickly as it came, it subsided, leaving me with a new comprehension of 'refreshed'.

I could hear Ai's surprised voice as it mocked me. "You haven't turned on your boosters before coming here!? That's hilarious!" It then continued laughing until its work took it away from me again. Without further ado, I ran in the direction Lisandra had gone to, wanting to catch up with her even though I knew I had fallen back quite a lot already.

[Log 8: Pause]

[Time to homeworld: 06:15:57]

[Time to current world: 14:12:35]

----------------------------------------

[Log 8: Resumed]

[Time to homeworld: 14:00:00]

[Time to current world: 18:45:00]

As I ran on, the forest began to open up. The blockade of trees gradually lessened until light from the setting sun was no longer blocked from view. I could see the end of the path now, leading through a gate that led to the other side of the amazingly tall and grand wall. Just outside the walls, beside the gate, was a figure standing impatiently. By straining my eyes as I made myself run faster, I could see the figure was a woman, and no doubt Lisandra herself.

As I approached her, two guards who secured the gate came over. Concerned, they readied themselves to draw their blades.

"Visitor or merchant?" the taller guard asked. What looked like his face at first was actually his helmet painted to look like one.

"Or... bandit?" the shorter one drew his long sword, getting into a stance that allowed him to kill instantaneously.

Before I could answer, Lisandra inserted herself between us. "Woah woah, calm down boys. He's a friend,"

The two eyed me suspiciously, before asking, "Is that so?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me, just continue your good work,"

"Aye. If you need anything, just call for us," the tall one went back to a purposefully dented portion of the wall where everything they needed were located at. The short one looked at me for a moment, then at Lisandra, before eyeing me again and threatened, "if you dare touch her, you're as good as stuck in the royal dungeons." He then walked back to his partner, still watching my every move.

"What's that about?" I looked at Lisandra suspiciously.

"Ah, I might've seduced the guardsmen a little before you came," she looked away guitily.

I sighed, fed up with her shenanigans. She responded with a "What? I was bored" when a familiar voice joyfully sounded in our systems, "It's done!"

"What's done?" Lisandra was the fastest to respond.

"The registration! It just got approved by the higher ups,"

"Great! Looks like we can get you used to your weapons sooner than I thought," Lisandra led us to a spot near the walls but farther from the gate, making it extremely difficult for the guards to spy on us.

"Okay, draw your weapons," she put some distance between us before pulling a spiked whip out of thin air.

"Woah," I was stunned by her performance. I tried a few times to draw my daggers, but failed miserably.

"What. The. Hell," Ai burst out laughing, limiting its voice to inside my systems only. Even Lisandra giggled none stop, hugging her stomach as the contractions of her guts began to cause pain.

I stared at them, deciding it wasn't worth it to stop them. They'll stop soon anyway.

As the sun and moon approached the horizon, fighting to either illuminate or sink the land in darkness, their laughter kept going on and on. Eventually, when the night won, when darkness sunk the land into a deep slumber, only did they stop laughing. Lisandra broke out of it first, more due to fatigue than anything else.

"Ok, ok. Hey Ai, teach him," Lisandra spoke through the channel.

"Alrighty then," it slowed and stopped its laughter before proceeding, "I'll be installing the algorithms to connect you to your weapon subspace. Hold on a sec," a minute later, an exclamation mark popped up at the side of my screen, signifying the completion of the download, "done."

"Your statement was unnecessary, you know?" Tapping into the file, I followed the steps to pull my weapons out. Apparently, it was customisable to suit how I want to draw my weapons.

"Stretch my hands out... Reach out... Grip... Flick my wrist... And... Pull!"

There was a touch of coolness and a bit of resistance as my arms were pulled downwards. Two handles slipped into both hands and when I was done, there were two daggers in my hands already. One was glowing white, while the other glinted with a kind of darkness.

Lisandra grinned while saying, "Nice weapons."

"Thanks," a natural response that flowed out my mouth. Again, a behaviour I didn't know where I got it from.

"Ai, is it possible for you to assist in my motor memories?"

"I can try," a few beeps later and there was a response from Ai, "turns out, yes, I can. But it'll be ingrained as a kind of reflex for your brain though. You sure you still want to do it?"

"Reflex's a good thing. Then I don't need to train as hard to turn a conscious movement into a reflexive movement," I looked back at Lisandra, who was taking up a posed and preparing to strike with her whip that had its spikes retracted.

"Here we go!" She grinned widely and for the first time, I saw a kind of emotion I thought I've already seen before:

Hope.

[Log 8: Paused]

[Time to homeworld: 23:59:05]

[Time to current world: 19:08:19]