Chapter 46: Constellation
Edited By: Arthur300000, Deathbricks and ArchmageNaoki
[Mistress, we are going to miss the school bus.] Skynet warned. Though I should be worried by that, I'm still doing the most important thing in my life, buying pants. Currently, I’m shopping separately from my siblings at the usual shopping mall because time is limited.
"One moment." The problem now is the shopkeeper's kiosk malfunctioned. I was asked to wait until it’s fixed but I don't have time. I asked her if it was alright to pay in gold coins instead. She was a bit reluctant, but after I desperately told her that I'm going to miss the bus, she relented.
[Mistress, the bus!]
"I KNOW!" I accidentally scream out, drawing everyone in the shops attention. "Ahem, I mean keep the change." I put three gold coins in the shopkeeper's hand, grab the bags, and run like the wind. Damn, the stuff cost only 262 credits!
The department store is not as packed like my last visit, but it's not empty either. Most of the time I have to zigzag between shoppers.
"Hey! Miss, it's dangerous to run!" A security guard at the door yells at me.
"I'm sorry!" I yelled back without slowing down. I can't slow down, Skynet counting the bus's arrival time only making me go faster.
The air outside felt distinctly colder compared to inside. There are also some small ice patches on the parking lot, but they're easily avoided. Even though it's already dark, there is still some dim light from the magic lamps around the area. I use a shortcut running through the soft ankle deep snowfield where there are no lamps around. It's a bit harder to navigate, but the sky clear to the point that I could see the stars and the faint glow of the aurora lights. Oops, I almost slipped.
At the last 400 meters, the school bus began to pull over at the bus stop. I think I made it in time. About twenty students are waiting at the bus stop. Some of them look familiar, but I have no idea who they are. My sister saw me as I got closer and she looks relieved.
"What took you so long?" She asked as we queued to get on the bus.
"It's a secret." I smile. She isn't going to like it though. Heh, goodbye breezy bottom, hello comfortable pants! Right, now I can wear the comfy bear panties all day long now without fear of looking childish. The pants cannot flip!
"Oh~ That just makes me want to interrogate you later." My sister smiled and wiggled her finger like a villain.
With fake horror on my face, I hid the bags behind my back and began to store them in my hair clip. I also bought a cool looking hooded cloak from a 40% discount table. I saw quite a few people here wear this kind of cloak, so this cloak shouldn't make me stand out as a human in the Beastman town. Even though I would look a bit suspicious using a cloak, at least it will hide the fact that I have no beast ears and tail like them.
The storing process is slow as usual. It finished just before my turn to get on the bus. The driver this time is an old man, and he seems to have bad eyesight because he looks back and forth between my ID card and my face several times before letting me walk onto the bus.
The bus is, well, it looks the same as last time, sets of four-seaters arranged with a small table in the middle. I look for an empty table, move there and sit down.
Ha~, today was really busy. I sold the monster corpse, exchanged more ex-cubes, transferred Skynet to the new tactical computing device, and tried her out at the testing range. I look at my ID card to check my progress.
Name: Kuro Velvori Age: 15 years
Race: Human Gender: Female
Institution: Royal Adventure High School
Rank: 3B Score: 1740/4000 Points
Credits: 118,976 Energy: 11.648/11.648 KJuiz
I didn't exchange gold coins or other foreign currencies back to credits though. They might be useful in the future. My energy is also continuing to increase with no signs of slowing down. Would there be a side effect of having too much Magicka?
"Kuro, did you stock up on rations like I told you to?" My brother asked me as he sits down. Rations? Oh, he means food.
"Uhm, yeah... but I want to try the local food first." Actually, I didn't go to the supermarket like he told me to, I went to buy pants instead. However, my snacks and random assortments of other things I've hoarded over time should be more than enough.
"Heh, you will see. Their sense of taste is quite different from ours." ... I think our taste here is already weird enough. Maybe if there is still time at the airport, I might buy some more.
The bus moved a minute later. We were tired from traveling and the activity during the day so we just sat quietly and rested. Skynet is also contemplating on the test results. Even though she’s already learned more than 30 spells her spells consume more of my Magicka than when I cast them myself. If I let Skynet go all out my Magicka pool would be drained in a matter of seconds. She said it's because of the energy pattern synchronization overhead cost.
I watched the scenery outside passing by slowly while my sister leans on me. She seems to be content, so I tried not to disturb her while I count the snowmen. The view outside is filled with fluffy white snow everywhere. It made me feel like the season was reversed. Well, it was spring down there at Arasen.
The bus reaches the airport about half an hour later. But it doesn't stop at the same place as where my dad parked. Instead, it drove further inside to the far end building. This must be the place because I saw another bus in front of me drop off a lot of familiar faces. I spotted Sophia in the crowd, so I took her souvenir out and ran to her.
"Uhm...What is it, Kuro?" Sophia looked confused at me as I pushed the obscene wooden banana idol first at her.
"Souvenir from Arasen." Maybe I'm doing it wrong and should talk with her a little bit first. But what's done is done. I already took it out, it would be awkward to store it back. So I push the idol at her a few times to gain her attention as we walk into the building.
"Oh, ok... thanks." She quickly took the doll from my hand and stored it away. "Then, here you are." She gives me a book in plastic wrap. I look at the cover and saw two unnaturally hot guys and a lot of stuffed animals on the cover. I don't need to be reminded that its content is dangerous... I look back at her, and she just mouths "Souvenir" and smirks.
"...Thanks" This must be her getting revenge. Anyways, I still thanked her and stored it away as manners dictate. On the contrary to what just happened, my sister gifts exchange is a lot smoother than mine. I try to remember what she does so I can copy her method later. My brother doesn't give away any gifts and just told us to wait while he went to register our team at the counter.
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It took quite a while because the queue is really long. While waiting, I met Eva, Maria, Vicky, and Marcus's team and some people from the expert close combat class. Most of them also went back to their hometown during the holidays, and we exchanged the gifts. However, some of them are native to this floating island. Ren for example, when he got the sword keychain, he just asked to have another spar with me. He said that he underwent a secret training this weekend. I think he was a bit too forceful with it because he suddenly pulled out a weapon in public and challenged me loudly. Luckily his team leader, a pink haired girl, came back from the registration counter and dragged him away.
Skynet also introduced herself to everyone. I thought it was going to be a problem, but none of them panicked or tried to pull her plug. Moreover, Eva said if she has more money she would’ve also bought one. A guy from close combat class told me that he also has an AI device, but he only runs it during combat.
Anyways, the gifts I got from the girls are mostly cosmetic products. Eva gave me lipstick, and Maria gave me a makeup kit. Even Vicky and Iris, the 'Princess' girl from the close combat class gave me some kind of cream. On the contrary, most of the boy's gifts seem to come out of the magic device store. They were just accessories like flashlights and memory card though.
"Alright, we have 26 minutes before boarding time. You should change to combat gear because we're headed to a location where we'll airdrop." My brother ran back from the registration counter and told me.
"An air drop?"
"It's mean dropping at high altitude from an airship, Mistress." Skynet answered. Hmm, maybe it's like parachuting. I've never done something like this before, so I can't help but be worried. I hope it's safe.
"You will see, it'll be fun." My sister said and pulled me to the changing room. Unexpectedly, when we came into the room, I was brought into heaven.
The changing room is a spacious room with a lot of shelves. And, yes! Girls are changing everywhere! I don't know where to look first. That flat chest girl is cute, and that mature girl is so dreamy. Oh, that camisole looks nice.
"Kuro, we're gonna be late if you don't get changed, or do you need my help?" My sister pokes me.
"No, thank you." I replied absent-mindedly and began to undress. Then I put on comfy bear panties, a new bra, shirt, and my shiny new pants.
"Hmm, so that's what took you so long, huh?" Geh, my sister looked pointedly at my new pants. Despite her look, this is something I have to stand my ground on. I can't have breezy bottom forever.
"Yup." I said defiantly and began to put on a carbon fiber strap. Then I attach two pistols on the strap and clip two daggers on my boots.
"Hah~ Kuro, look. You don't have to be so defensive about it. I'm not that dead set against you wearing pants... alright, maybe a little bit." She confessed after I look at her doubtfully. "But recently you've gotten cheekier, huh? Is it alright to treat your big sister like this?" She playfully pinches both my cheeks and began to pull.
"Bweeh, I'm sowy, Prishea." It's not painful or anything, but I never knew my cheeks could stretch that much. And Sophia, I can hear you giggling behind my back.
I rubbed my cheeks and put on my cloak, Skynet's unit, and take a staff auxiliary device out. This getup is what Skynet and I consider the best option at the moment. I can cast Skyrim's magic freely through the staff. Moreover, if the monster gets too close, I can use it as a blunt weapon. As for the interference field, Skynet can put that up for me.
The daggers are just a backup. They're small enough to not hinder my movement, and I could use it for cutting when needed. The guns are, well, because those "bullet" spells are still way over my head. I have to use these guns as pre-programmed spell casting devices. Seeing Skynet master 30 spells in just a day made me look like I've fallen behind.
"No, there is a lot of people slower than you." Sophia encourages me when I complain about it.
"Right, Kuro. I also use these axes because I'm only able to learn a few spells. And do you remember what Vicky said? A lot of people can't even cast anything noteworthy." My sister added while patting my head. Hmm, it seems I can't use AI's, elves, or my brother as a standard.
After we finished changing I follow Sophia through another exit. It leads to a wooden bridge connecting the building to the large futuristic flying ship. I could immediately feel the difference between my new getup and the old one. The cloak is warm and comfortable. Even with a lot of draft at the bridge I still felt a lot warmer. Damn, I should have bought this sooner.
"Your ID card, please." The staff at the boarding gate entrance checked my ID card then she gave me a fist size ball device with a number on it. I think this is a lucky draw, so I turn it around and look for the way to open it.
"No, Kuro! It's the airdrop device, and the number is your designated seat." My sister whispered to me. Whoops, I almost broke it.
The ship interior looks like the inside of an airplane seen in the movies. Each row consists of twelve seats and two aisles dividing those seats into sets of four. I found my row quickly, and 13A is the window seat. Yay, lucky me.
The seat is comfortable. It felt like my massage chair, without the massaging function of course. My sister helps me put the seatbelt on as she sits beside me. Sophia came a bit later because she met her friend along the way. My brother hasn't come yet. I wonder what's taking him so long.
"Here you are." My brother arrived just a bit before the appointed time. He handed me a big package. I look at him curiously and open it. Oh, it's filled with a lot of canned food, juices, and instant meals.
"Thanks, Aunos." I thanked him. I got distracted and forgot to buy it myself. It's good to have a reliable brother. Damn, this is a lot better than those gifts I got from the souvenir exchange with everyone.
"Heh, you’re welcome." He smiles. "But you should store it quickly before the ships interference field activates." Right, I send the whole package and my staff into my hair clip. I don't want to be holding them when we drop.
The ship engine starts a moment later, and we move. It’s dark out there. I don’t know where the ship is heading or how fast it could fly, but I felt the ship turn a bit. Then my body was pushed back into the seat as the ship accelerate rapidly. This ship is surely flying a lot faster than the one I rode this morning.
My siblings fell asleep almost immediately after they turned off the light in the cabin. Well, today is quite a busy day for us. On the contrary, Sophia was still awake using her personal reading lamp, and not so quietly reading her book.
I chatted with Skynet for a little while longer while watching the twinkling shiny stars in the sky. I never did a proper stargazing in my past life, but I couldn’t find the Big Dipper no matter where I looked. Maybe I'm in a different universe after all. Hmm, perhaps I should name those stars as panties constellation. And that one looks like a bra. Oh, that looks like hamburger... Exhausted, I surrender myself to the warmth of the blanket and fell asleep. Tonight I dreamt about cat girls.