BXBX NOVEL Chapter 105: Girl Talk
Chapter 105: Girl Talk
On the beach, lying on a colorful towel, Alice enjoyed the sun on her fair skin while wearing a blue bikini with white polka dots.
She had sunglasses on, looking straight at the blue sky with clouds scattered across it. In her ears, the calm sound of waves could be heard in the background.
"Mom." Alice turned her head sideways and saw her mother, Serah, lying on a beach chair with a book in her hand.
"Yes, Alice?" Serah said absentmindedly while flipping through another page of her book. Alice sat back up and hugged her legs.
"I have an odd feeling. Was it really wise to leave Adam alone?"
"He is an adult now." Serah said, licked her finger, and turned another page, not giving Alice's concern much thought.
"But weren't there some shady figures lurking around the neighborhood earlier this week?" Alice asked in concern.
"What if they try to rob our house? Adam is alone there, and what if he is currently playing..." She shuddered at that thought.
The virtual pod was worth quite a bit, and if they just pulled Adam off the game without a second thought, it could destroy his brain. She couldn't bear the idea of losing him in such a horrific way.
Her beautiful face paled at such thoughts.
"You're overthinking it." Serah said with a chuckle.
"I'll call for him, just in case." Alice brought out her phone and quickly dialed his number.
Serah rolled her eyes and shook her head. She didn't think there was much to worry about, but when she thought about it further, she agreed that there was some validity in Alice's concern. 'Ah, he is fine; just a foolish thought.' Serah thought with a chuckle, but she couldn't focus on the book anymore as it was quite a worrying thought.
The phone rang for a moment, but no one answered.
"He isn't answering!" Alice cried out.
"Calm down." Serah said, took her phone and closed it. "When has Adam ever answered any phone calls? He's probably just playing, like you expected."
Alice still looked troubled.
"What's going on?" John arrived in his swimming trunks, with his hair drenched and water droplets dripping down his body.
He just finished a quick morning swim.
"Alice is worried something might happen to Adam." Serah said with a chuckle.
"I am sure everything is fine. We are living in one of the most safe towns in the country." John said with a reassuring smile.
Alice nodded thoughtfully.
There hadn't been any big crimes in Navy Town-there hadn't been a single murder in the past three years.
There had been occasional robberies, but nothing major.
Alice's shoulders slightly relaxed on hearing this.
At that moment, a couple of young men walked by them on the beach. They were both well- toned, with tanned skin, and quite charming.
They saw the beautiful Alice and smiled at her before continuing on their way. Any ordinary young woman would have felt flattered by the attention.
Alice simply rolled her eyes and covered herself with her towel.
"Alice, take your mind off him and go make friends." Serah said. "You're here to relax and enjoy yourself, not to pine over some guy who clearly isn't worth your time."
"Hmph." Alice pouted. "Mom, you're always too harsh on him."
"Rightfuly so!" Serah shouted. "He is good for nothing and he'll just end up doing nothing for the rest of his life."
"He is doing well, though; didn't he become mercenary?" Alice said. "I heard that the test to become one is incredibly difficult."
"So what?" Serah shook her head. "He'll just waste a few years there, die, and lose everything. Then he'll return to my shop to work for another few years before he just moves off town to do some other odd jobs."
"You have no faith in him." Alice said with a sigh. "Also, he paid for this trip, so you could at least pretend to say nice things about him."
"I am doing this for you." Serah said and slammed the book shut. "I know you two are close, but remember that you two cannot become any closer. I forbid it."
"We aren't even blood-related siblings." Alice mumbled. "I have heard of some couples that met through the Goverment-Appointed Caretaker system and are living happily..."
"I pretend I didn't hear any of that." Serah said sternly. "Drop the thought immediately."
"If we had met naturally through school, it would have been a completely different story." Alice said. "You would've happily accepted the relationship. But now you don't because you are treating Adam as a son, aren't you?"
"Haaah?" Serah's cheeks turned red for a moment. "He, my son? Blah, what nonsense! He is a leech; that's what he is!"
"Dad, say something!" Alice turned to John with her round eyes sparkling with innocence.
"That's girl talk; I am taking a nap." John laid down on his own beach chair and started snoring almost instantly.
Alice pouted in frustration and laid back down on the towel. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but her mind was still buzzing with questions about Adam and relationships.
...
"Here's the entrance." Adam opened the door to his wardrobe. "I want it to act as an elevator going to the secret hideout."
Kang wrote something on his clipboard and looked around the room.
The house of Kindforths was bustling with activity as several dozen workers began their assigned tasks. The house on the outside was covered by a large green tent that made it so that no outsider could see inside.
The neighbors peeked from their windows, wondering what in the world was happening in the Kindforth residence.
"Mm, I got it all." Kang wrote it down with a nod. "We'll be done in three to four days."
"Mm, I'll be in the New World for that duration." Adam said and looked at his virtual pod.
"Don't move it, or you'll fry my brain."
"I'll be extra careful." Kang replied. "See you in three days, then."
Adam climbed inside his virtual reality pod and pressed a button. The lid of the pod swiftly closed, sealing him inside, and his consciousness slowly drifted away.
Kang and the rest started working tirelessly on the house.
--
"Ah..." Adam opened his eyes and saw that he was back in his living quarters in the Crimson Hound's residence.
A chilly wind wafted through the slightly open window, carrying the scent of pine and grass. "Mmh..." Adam sat on the edge of the bed, rubbed his eyes, and then tried to flow his mana
through his body.
It worked flawlessly.
'I guess it is time to start learning my new skills. I'll start with Pull and Push as they should be easy enough to learn in a couple of days.
'Shield Charge shouldn't be too hard, but Ground King might be impossible for me at this point. I simply lack the physical prowess. I need either a higher level or just to increase my muscle mass, both take lots of time to do.'
Adam went to his desk, took a round object from the drawer, and placed it on top of the desk.
It was shaped like a ball and had a smooth, shiny surface.
He left the ball there, and took a seat on his bed.
Then, as he moved his legs to a cross-legging position, he extended his hand forward towards
the ball that was around five meters away from him.
"Whoo..."
Adam took a deep breath and tried to imagine the ball rolling towards him without him
having to move.
He was trying to learn Pull!
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