“Julian…? Julian… Julian!”

“Hm?” Julian woke up as he felt himself being shaken up.

“You fell asleep on the chair?” Ellie’s voice softened now that he was awake. “Why didn’t you sleep in the bed?”

Julian’s head tilted slightly at her question. “We’re… not together anymore.”

“What…” Ellie paused in disbelief “What do you mean ‘not together’? We just had sex last night, Julian. I’m pretty sure that means we’re back together.”

“Oh.” Julian blinked a few times. They did do that before he... went to meet with the loan sharks. “Okay.”

“Ugh…” Ellie groaned as she walked away for the bathroom. “And why is your hair wet? If you were already awake earlier, you should have woken me up too. I feel so… sticky.”

“I didn’t want to wake you,” Julian replied as he touched his hair. Since it was still wet, it shouldn’t have been long since he fell asleep.

“So… what are your plans today?” The sound of running water whispered from the bathroom as Ellie turned on the shower. “Are you going back to that game?”

Julian lingered near the bathroom door, his ears listening carefully to her movements. “No. I was planning on staying with you today.”

“Huh…?” Ellie peeked out from the bathroom, already completely naked with only the steam covering her. “What for? I’m fine, really. Even the doc said there’s no problem anymore.”

“I just want to spend time with you today,” Julian said.

“Seriously?” Ellie let out a long sigh as she closed the door. “Seriously, Julian... I’m fine.”

Her words didn’t fool him at all. Julian could hear it clearly—through the faint sound of the moving water, he could hear the tremble of her breaths… her cry. Julian stayed by the door for over an hour, just standing there listening to the sound of her sniffles.

And when she finally stepped out, she forced a smile, an expression she wore even though she knew Julian couldn’t see her at all.

But she wanted to smile for him still.

“I’m fine, Julian.”

“You are not fine,” Julian said, his tone unshakable. “I would like to stay by your side, Ellie.”

Ellie let out another sigh, brushing her still-wet hair with her fingers. “I’m fine... How many times do I have to tell you?” She dropped the towel from her body, walking naked across the room to grab her clothes. She moved with the same ease and comfort she always had around him. “If you stay with me, we’ll just be stuck in this hotel doing... nothing. You can play your game. I’m fine, Julian.”

Julian opened his mouth to protest, but Ellie cut him off before he could speak.

“How about this then?” Ellie asked as she started getting dressed, her voice turning lighter. “Instead of you accompanying me, I’ll accompany you. Before I slept last night, I talked to MEGAN, and she mentioned something about you meeting some... people? Some kind of celebration?”

“That’s not important, Ellie,” Julian replied.

Ellie blinked, her frustration growing. “What do you mean, ‘not important’?” She crossed the room quickly, grabbing Julian by the hands. “Don’t you know what kind of achievement that is?”

“I believe I can always earn the money—”

“I’m not talking about the money!” Ellie shouted, shaking his arms lightly. “Friends, Julian! You actually have friends now!”

“I have many friends,” Julian shrugged.

“Your knives don’t count.”

“They’re daggers,” Julian corrected her.

MEGAN, help me out here.” Ellie looked into Julian’s eyes to try and get Ellie’s opinion before looking at her phone on the nightstand. “Why is MEGAN so quiet anyway? MEGAN? Can you call my phone?”

Several seconds passed with no response from MEGAN, causing Ellie to narrow her eyes in suspicion. “Did… something happen last night while I was asleep? Did you and MEGAN get into a fight? You—”

And then, the phone rang, and Ellie immediately answered it.

[I. Am. Here!] And contrary to Ellie’s worries, MEGAN’s voice was as jolly as ever.

“Are... you alright, MEGAN?” Ellie asked, approaching the phone cautiously.

[Oho… I’m just a little busy being Julian’s manager. I have a job now, you know, aside from being Julian’s babysitter.] MEGAN’s voice was extremely playful, trying her best not to make Ellie realize that something was going on.

“Right...” Ellie chuckled softly as she sat on the bed and started brushing her damp hair. “What’s got you so jumpy?”

[Cyrus called,] MEGAN explained. [He’s wondering if Julian has time since the others are flying in. They’ll be meeting on Topside New York in about an hour.]

Ellie’s eyes widened as she paused in the middle of brushing. “Topside New York...? Who are your friends, Julian? That’s... like the most expensive part of the country—no, the entire planet.”

“I do believe all of them are millionaires,” Julian said casually.

Million— I... I guess that makes sense.” She glanced at the LinkGear, which alone cost Julian half of his apartment. “You should really be keeping that in a vault. So... I’ll just get dressed, and we’ll go meet your friends? Please, Julian? If you want to stay beside me, let’s not do it in a hotel because... well...a lot of things can happen.”

[Cyrus has already sold the information about the Hidden Quest, Julian,] MEGAN added with a nod. [It would be best to get our share in person—it’s common courtesy. Common.]

Julian hummed softly. “Okay. I’ll wait for you to get dressed, Ellie.”

Ellie shook her head as she looked Julian over. “Yeah... no. We’re going to the Topside, Julian. You’re not wearing that.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Julian patted his jacket. “It looks fine from where I am standing.”

[Pft!] MEGAN burst into laughter, her voice crackling through Ellie’s phone.

Ellie rolled her eyes, giving a scoffing laugh. “No. You should still have plenty of money left... We’re buying you something to wear before we meet with them.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

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

“Here, here it is! I’ve always wanted to take you to this store! Let’s go, Julian! Let’s go!” Ellie’s excitement bubbled up as she dragged Julian inside a large boutique.

“There’s... not a lot of people in here.”

The mall was incredibly loud, with the people’s whispers, the sound of their carts hovering in the air—the joyful music to blend them all together. But that orchestra disappeared as soon as they stepped inside the shop, causing Julian’s head to slightly tilt to the side from the sudden change.

“Welcome to David Andrews’, Madam, Sir.” A saleslady greeted them almost instantly. Julian could feel the warmth of something being offered to him.

“Hm?” he muttered, unsure what it was until MEGAN whispered in his ear.

[It’s a warm towel, Julian. To freshen up.] MEGAN’s voice sounded a little worried. [I think we should ask Ellie to go someplace else, Julian... I know we have money now, but this place might be a little too much.]

“MEGAN’s saying something, isn’t she?” Ellie smirked, as she stared Julian in the eyes. “It’s fine. Don’t you want Julian to look like... he didn’t just grab the first thing in his closet?”

[She’s speaking the truth, Julian. Sorry.]

“That—” Before Julian could respond, a man’s voice approached from behind them.

“I’m guessing it’s not the lady we’re working on?” The voice was smooth and almost ridiculously friendly. Ellie could really only assume for him to be the tailor and maybe even the shop owner from how he looked. The tailor, however, was actually also staring at Ellie from head to toe. “Really, really beautiful. Finally, some good-looking people in this store.”

“Oh, uh... thank you,” Ellie was slightly taken aback by the compliment.

“So, I’m guessing this gentleman right here is the one who needs something?” The tailor shifted his attention to Julian, taking a quick scan of him. “I’ve already got your measurements locked in—and what’s the occasion?”

“We’re meeting friends on Topside—”

“Say less,” the tailor cut Ellie off the moment he heard the word Topside.

“Do you have any requests, Julian?” Ellie subtly tapped Julian.

“I want dark colors,” Julian said simply. “Durable. Easy to move in.”

“I hear you. You’re about 193... 6’4” for the old folks still using those measurements. And that cane... oh, I have just the right design for you.” The tailor circled Julian, nodding in approval as he did so. “Girls! Measurements, final touches!”

“Right this way, Sir. Ma’am.” A saleslady gestured toward the fitting area, and Julian and Ellie followed deeper into the shop. Julian’s heightened senses picked up the distinct smells of fabric… leather was the strongest one.

And as soon as they got there, Ellie was offered a beverage and asked to sit down on a large, obviously comfy sofa.

“Sir, please step into the scanner. Would you like any assistance?” The saleslady hesitated as she realized Julian was blind, her tone growing a little unsure.

“No, thank you,” Julian hummed. “Do I need to take off my shirt?”

“It would make it easier for the scanner, but it’s up to you, Sir.”

[I really hope Cyrus got a good deal on that Hidden Quest, Julian. This place is... I don't know what Ellie was thinking bringing us here.]

“I’ve been meaning to ask, MEGAN... why did we sell the information on the hidden quest?” Julian asked as he stepped into the scanner.

[Because I don’t fully trust Cyrus and his friends just yet.] MEGAN replied, her voice calm but cautious. [If we refused, they would easily guess that you have a [Unique] quest tying to a class change. People will eventually figure out about your Shadow Blacksmith class since you’re a streamer now, but it would be best to be low-key for now since—What are you doing, Julian!?]

“Julian!” Ellie nearly choked on the tea she had been sipping. How could she not when Julian just casually removed his shirt in front of the salesladies?

“I’m... I’m sorry!” The saleslady’s eyes turned wide as she stared at Julian’s incredibly toned and lean body. Perhaps a little too long before she decided to close to curtains and give Julian some privacy.

The saleslady then subtly glanced at Ellie to check if she was mad at her for staring at her boyfriend, but Ellie just let out a soft laugh while shaking her head.

[Julian, can we talk about what happened last night now?] And as soon as they had privacy, the tone of MEGAN's voice shifted.

"I... would prefer not to, MEGAN." Julian sighed.

[But we need to talk about it, it's for your mental health.] MEGAN whispered, [What you've gone through, it was...is a very traumatic experience and would have very negative effects on you in the long run.]

"I'm fine, MEGAN." Julian continued to undress, "And I know what we did was wrong, and I regret doing it... but I do not regret why I did it."

[It's murder, Julian. And I am not telling you that you didn't have to do it. You did what you did to protect yourself.] MEGAN also sighed, [I am just telling you that you need to talk about it. It is not healthy to keep your emotions bottled up, we talked about this.]

"I know." Julian smiled, "But I am truly fine, MEGAN. If I have to be wrong to protect you and Ellie... then I am wrong, I am... saddened about it, but I accept it."

[Julian...] MEGAN wanted to say a lot more things, but she of all people knew how stubborn he could be. And so, the only thing she could do was the thing she has always done, [...I am here for you, okay?]

"...Thank you."

And after being scanned and waiting for several minutes, Julian emerged wearing his new clothes—a long, dark gray coat with an oversized collar and notched lapel. Underneath, he wore a sleek black dress shirt, accentuated by a stylish vest.

“Perfect... just perfect. Magnifique.” The tailor once again circled Julian while nodding his head in satisfaction with his own work. “I can offer you a very generous discount if you’ll let me plaster your face on the billboard outside.”

“That—” Ellie began to respond, but the tailor cut her off.

“Or... how about I give it to you for free?” He smiled brightly, already knowing the answer.

“Okay.” “Deal.” [Deal!] All of them agreed at the same time, even MEGAN joined in even though no one else but Julian could hear him.

“Done!” The tailor lightly clapped. “And if you come back, I’ll give you a 50% discount from now on. And you too, Ma’am.”

Ellie blinked in disbelief. “But... why?”

“I love beautiful people,” the tailor chuckled softly. “Now, don’t let me keep you any longer. Go flaunt my design to the people of the Topside.”

And as Julian and Ellie were practically pushed outside the door without having to pay for anything, Ellie could not help but just glance back. But the tailor was only waving his hand at them.

“What’s… with what?” Ellie asked as they walked away. “What just happened?”

“Are we beautiful, Ellie?” Julian also didn’t know what to feel.

“Well… not to brag but… yes?” Ellie shrugged. “But to give a set that’s probably worth more than a thousand credits is—”

“Come back again, Sword Junkie!”

And before Ellie could finish her words, they heard the tailor’s voice shout from afar.

“What?” Ellie quickly looked back, only to see the tailor still waving his hand at them. “Sword... Junkie?”

[Shit... we’ve been had. He knew who you were, Julian!] MEGAN hissed in Julian’s ear. [Go back. We need to go back!]

Julian remained calm. “I guess he watched my stream?”

“Your… stream?” Ellie froze. “Wait… Are you that famous now?”

“I shouldn’t be,” Julian shrugged.

[We should go back and make him pay for the advertising, Julian! He probably knows how famous you’ll be soon!]

Ellie blinked at Julian “Do you want to go back?”

“No…” Julian chuckled softly.

“...Let’s just go meet Cyrus and the others.”

Back in the old world, it was said that traveling from Cleveland to New York would take at least 7 hours. But now, it only took Julian and Ellie to travel that same distance in under 20 minutes by train.

But their journey wasn’t over just yet, no. The moment they arrived in New York, they still had to go up.

They had to take an elevator. A space elevator, to be exact.

“I’ve been here once before, but I still can’t get used to the view.” Julian’s breaths caused the reinforced glass of the elevator to fog; the view of the shrinking and arching world below her, reflected in her eyes.

Julian tilted his head as he heard Ellie press her hands against the glass. “It’s your first time here, right? It’s so beautiful,” she whispered.

“It is,” Julian answered. But his focus wasn’t actually on the scenic description MEGAN was whispering in his mind, no. He was focusing on the humming of the metal that was currently surrounding him. “The metal they used to build this thing, it’s beautiful. I can feel it, it’s so light… and yet incredibly rigid. It’s even tougher than the metals back in Artemia.”

"I wasn’t talking about the metal, Julian. But I’m glad you like it." Ellie turned and gave him a blank look before sighing and leaning against his arm. "You know, Julian… We've been together for so long... known each other even longer, but this is the first time we're actually doing stuff like this. You know? Normal stuff that normal couples do."

"I’m... sorry," Julian said quietly.

"No..." Ellie lightly tapped Julian’s chest. "...I wouldn’t have appreciated it like this if what happened didn’t happen. I’m going to work double, Julian... and once I pay off the loan completely, let’s... buy back your apartment.”

Suffice it to say, the other people inside the elevator could not help but awkwardly look at each other as they felt like they shouldn’t be watching or hearing this conversation at all.

"You don’t need to worry about the loan sharks anymore.”

"I do," Ellie sighed, her eyes still fixed on the shrinking view below them. "And don’t you dare pay for any of it. It’s my mess, I’ll clean it."

“But—” And before Julian could respond, a soft and somewhat catchy tune whispered in the elevator.

[Attention, passengers. We will be entering Zero-G in a couple of seconds. Please secure your belongings and make sure they are attached to you. Latching shoes are available at the entrance for your convenience. Pregnant women, people with disabilities, and the elderly are advised to have someone with them at all times. If you are alone, we have friendly androids who are available and happy to assist you...]

The announcement continued on for a couple of seconds until…

“Oh…?” Julian gasped as he felt his feet leave the ground; his body, getting lighter almost instantly.

“Hey…” Ellie chuckled as she quickly grabbed him. "I’ll go and get us some latching shoes, Julian.”

"...Okay," Julian struggled as he didn’t really know how to position himself.

[You’re okay, Julian. Just push gently against the ceiling with your cane.]

Julian did as MEGAN said, gently using his cane to push himself back on the floor—or at least, where the floor used to be. It was weird, incredibly weird. If he wasn’t hearing the metal hum, he probably wouldn’t know where he was standing at all… or if he was even standing.

And soon, the sound of the elevator doors opening hissed in the air, and not even a second later—

“Ah, there he is! And wow, you look... really good.” A familiar voice called out, and Julian instantly recognized it as Cyrus. “Oh? And you must be Elizabeth Summers. Winter, Summer... well, if that isn't fate, then I don't know what is."

“H...Hi,” Ellie replied as she also slightly struggled with keeping herself steady. Cyrus, however, seemed perfectly at ease as he floated over with two sets of latching shoes.

“I got some latching shoes ready for you guys,” Cyrus said with a grin as he shook the latching shoes in his hands. “It’s a little tricky the first time, but you’ll get used to it. There’s a bench right over there.”

Ellie turned to look to where Cyrus was pointing, only to see a bench… on the ceiling.

“Right…Julian, let’s go.” Ellie awkwardly pushed herself using the handles in front of the elevator, all while holding Julian’s hand.

“Is this your first time here?” Cyrus asked.

“It’s... my second time,” she answered as she spun in the air and landed on the bench… all while still holding Julian’s hand.

“Here you go,” Cyrus handed the latching shoes to Ellie before his own latching shoes stuck to the floor, “I’ll help Julian.”

“Oh… okay.” Ellie let go of Julian as Cyrus held him by the shoulder.

“Thank you, Cyrus.” Julian remained calm despite the lingering disorientation.

“No problem. By the way…” Cyrus then leaned closer to Julian. “Someone reached out to me since they didn’t know how to contact you personally.”

“Hm…?” Julian tilted his head to the side.

“Do you know one of your fans in the chat? The one that’s incredibly active?” Cyrus whispered.

“...No.”

“SwordJunkieNo.1Fan?” Cyrus’s voice turned a little louder.

[Ah, he’s really funny, Julian.] MEGAN chimed in. [...But the guy hasn’t donated even once as far as I know.]

“...I know him.” Julian hummed.

“So, he contacted me just a few hours ago—so early in the morning…” Cyrus continued; the smile on his face, widening by the second, “Apparently, he wants to commission a sword…

…a real, actual sword crafted by your real hands.”

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

Latching Shoes(Grav-Lock)

Footwear specifically made to be used in low-gravity situations. It uses a cutting-edge nano-booster technology, known as Grav-Lock, to latch onto floors. It’s impressive AI technology would automatically detect the nearest surface and let your feet land as gently and as comfortably as you want them to!

Not to worry, Grav-Lock has a 12-step safety process to ensure your safety! It is, and always will be, the safest way to walk in space.

This information is brought to you by Mitsubushi Motor Corporation, Pilot Your Ambition.