KON POV

Gathering in front of the observatory building, we took a moment to collect ourselves and rest for a bit. Venti is currently sitting on the stairs, taking a moment to steady his breathing.

It must have been taxing for him to navigate through the maze while being chased by those dogs. Meanwhile, all Zack and I had to do was just run straight and turn left at Venti’s intersection while maintaining a healthy distance from our chasers.

I got winded after all that running. It was a close call. People could say that I was crazy for even thinking about such a stunt, but Zack here is even crazier for agreeing with me.

Not to mention, what would have happened if the slightest miscalculation occurred and we crashed into each other, and the dogs piled on us. I shudder to think of that scenario.

I’m taking off my hood. It’s drenched in sweat. Zack, on the other hand, is still as fit as a fiddle. Only a bit of sweat marred his forehead. Damn him and his monstrous stamina. Is there nothing this stupid beanpole can’t do?

I’m not jealous or anything, but I seriously need to concentrate more on my cardio if I want to keep up with him. The team’s pace is entirely dictated by the frontmost member. If the pathfinder is slow, the team is slow. Simple as that.

After I regained control over my breath, I looked up to see that the telescope was currently operational. That means Gramps is still inside observing stars or whatever else. I never cared enough to ask. We often used the building as a hangout place after practicing or playing chase with the dogs.

Strangely, if it bothered him, Gramps didn’t comment much on it. Just an occasional warning not to poke around the machines or the telescope inside. Otherwise, beatings will ensue. Nobody wants to be beaten up by a springy old man who knows Kung Fu. Zack was triple-kicked in the air once.

BRIIING RIING!

......

We waited for ten minutes after ringing the bell, and there was no answer from the comm.

“You think the old man is inside?” Zack asked.

“He is using the telescope now, isn’t he?” I replied after confirming that the telescope was currently operational.

“Maybe he croaked and died of a nosebleed after using it to peep on some lady?”

“Zack, your imagination deserves respect.”

I did ask him once when we were alone. That night when I had to perform maintenance on my shoe wheel, Gramps was just sitting nearby using the telescope. His reply was noncommittal. “None yer business brat, come back in ten years, and maybe I’ll show you something good.”

It was a joking tone, but Gramps’ eyes tell a different story. I shrugged. Since then, I never pursued the topic again. I have an inkling feeling that he will tell me when the time is right regardless.

“The sky is getting darker. Should we just head home?” I suggested.

Time does fly by fast when you are in peril. I can still vividly remember the horrifying zombie dog scene as they got back up after crashing into each other.

The learning AI then decided it was a bright idea to continue chasing us by using its popped-out head still attached to the neck to compensate for the smashed limbs. I bit back a curse. Those animatronic abominations will haunt me in my dreams for days to come.

“Heck no. All that running. I want my latte.” Venti griped.

I agreed. There is a coffee machine inside that can make a nice latte. It’s one of the reasons why this place is our favorite meeting spot. Aside from the free air conditioning. Discounting the dogs, this place is my preferred summer retreat villa.

“Should we just kick the door open?” Zack picked his nose.

“Damn brats, do that and I will slap your heads off.” The comm chose this moment to crackle to life.

“Open the door old man, we are here for a visit!”

“You are not here to visit; you are here to bother me.”

Despite grumbling, Gramps opened the door for us, and we headed inside. Cold air rushed in, and I could already feel my heated-up body cooling off rapidly.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Venti went straight to the coffee machine, and Zack began raiding the pantry for stuff to eat. Geez, these two. No wonder people called them Marauders.

I was tempted to borrow the shower and wash off all the sweat and grime, but I held back. The old guy is annoyed enough as is. He glared at those two as if he was just about to blow up and unleash all of his martial arts teaching on them. Normally, that’s what he would have done.

Instead, he just sighed and returned to whatever he was doing. I, too, breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that I wouldn’t have to deal with the aftermath of the chaos caused by the three of them.

“Sorry for the intrusion, gramps. Is there anything I can help you with?” I offered, hoping to appease him or divert his attention enough from those two idiots, lest we get kicked out.

I still want to chill in an air-conditioned room for a couple more hours after that terrifying running session.

The old man stared at me for a moment before he grinned. “You outran those dogs, eh? Not bad.” To my astonishment, he didn’t appear as mad as I had anticipated. He gave me a head pat instead. Now I feel bad for breaking the old guy’s security system.

“Don’t worry your little head. They are capable of self-repairing. Well, almost. Now shoo, I will be in the study room, don’t bother me unless it’s important.” With that, he retreated into his room and locked the door. He is much calmer than usual. Nope, not weird at all.

As I was wondering what he could be doing in his activity in the study room, a sudden crash startled me. I looked back to see the two monkeys hooting and fighting over pantry loot. So, I decided to mind my own business and sneaked away to the rooftop building.

I would rather not be in the immediate vicinity when Gramps decided to come back with a broomstick. The old man wields it like one of those Shaolin monks and swings it like a war glaive general.

Climbing up the stairs, I moved past the second floor and headed to the rooftop. After opening the exit door, I was greeted with a gentle breeze blowing on my face and the sight of the poverty-stricken outer ring sector 31 that I had grown accustomed to.

Ascending the nearby ladder, I continued heading upwards to an elevated platform. I stretched out a bit before lying down and gazed upon the night sky. It’s surprisingly clear today, and I can see the vast expanse of the heavens. I absorbed the beautiful sight as I continued gazing upward.

I heard the door opening and the sound of Zack and Venti climbing the ladder. Without words exchanged, they laid down on their back and joined me in star-gazing. Together we shared the beautiful view in silence as we surrendered ourselves to the cosmic spectacle overhead.

The stillness of the night was only punctuated by the occasional rustle of the wind until Venti decided to ask me something. “So, when will you be moving out?”

“In a couple of days,” I replied.

There is still some business I need to take care of before I can move into the inner ring sector. If it all goes well, I should be able to settle down in less than a week before Seika Academy’s opening ceremony.

“That’s cutting it close.”

“I don’t have much stuff to move, but the paperwork is annoying. At least I managed to find a decent apartment.”

“You could have just lived with me, you know?” Venti offered.

The allure of sharing a living space with my friends is undeniable, especially considering the impending expenses required for getting a SpeedGear license and assembling a team.

While leaning on my friends for financial support is viable, I still rather prefer not to impose on them if it can be helped. I decide to move out of this sector. I want to become self-reliant there as I am here.

“It’s fine, thanks. I will call you up if I need help.”

“Wise choice, Venti’s room is an amalgamation of virgin boy incarnate and testosterone-riddled wreck. I’d be surprised if you last more than two days living there.” Zack chuckled.

“And what about you! Your place is the true definition of a wreck with that much crap strewn around. A category 9 hurricane would have been proud of how sloppy you are!” Venti shot back.

“Unfortunately for you, Momo has been dropping by and helping me clean my place. Heh heh.”

“You shameless bastard….”

As the two continued to bicker and wrestle, my attention drifted to the horizon where a blimp leisurely traversing the skies. Adorned with a neon advertisement board, it lazily circled the inner sector of the city.

The realization that I will soon be moving into the city side made me feel a bit nervous. I felt like a country bumpkin about to enter an urban jungle pulsating with sophisticated metropolis energy. The question kept rearing its head: Will I do well there?

Amidst my internal crisis and formulation of plans, the racket generated by the two idiots gradually subsided. Exhausted from their antics, they decided to settle back down and watch the stars in silence once more. Turns out I’m not the only one with worries about the future.

“Do you think we will make it?” Venti sounded unsure of himself there.

Assuming we were to start a SpeedGear team right at this moment, I wouldn’t say that we are starting from scratch, considering all of our practice and training.

We know our capabilities when compared with the common team ranks. Rising to D-rank is within our power, so carving ourselves a slice of pie in the SpeedGear Global ranking should be doable when we put our hearts and minds into it.

But today, our expectations took a hit after watching THAT and realizing how high the mountain is. If monsters like that were to exist in C or B rank, where does that leave us?

I can only hope that people like Aika and the Magician are not the norm. Otherwise, I might as well pack up and start a cooking channel on OurTube. I like home cooking. It’s soothing.

Moments drifted by as we collectively gazed upward into the vast expanse of the sky and ruminated on the challenge. None of us are naive enough to instantly answer Venti’s question. After a while, it was Zack who broke the silence to pose his question instead of answering Venti’s.

“Right now, what do you guys see?”

......

“A sky?” I answered.

“A blimp with a sexy single lady advert,” Venti pointed out.

“Nice job spotting that.”

We all laughed at that. Venti sure pays attention to the weirdest things. I even briefly wondered if Zack’s claim of Venti being a virgin boy incarnate holds water, but what would I know? I’m one myself, and I had never once visited the red-light districts. There is nothing wrong with being a virgin in my opinion.

“A cage.”

Zack uttered seemingly out of nowhere, his expression aloof as usual.

I cast a brief, searching glance at him, only to realize that he is serious.

A cage, huh...