LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 158: Registration, Examination, Results (3)
Upon exiting the elevator, Garret navigated the hallways of the fifth floor with practiced ease, as if he'd traversed them an untold number of times. If he weren't internally freaking out, Aoni could have probably learned his way around, but after arriving outside a large steel door with the number 18 on it, a long, awkward wait began.
As it turns out, not only had his items not arrived yet, but neither had the so-called Blue-Card Experts.
Eventually, a young lady sporting a messy hair bun sprinted onto the scene carrying a familiar backpack before skidding to a stop right in front of Garret and trying to catch her breath.
"I…hah, brought it…hah, Mr.Garret, hah…" she said, doubled over and clutching the bag to her chest as if it were a lifeline.
'Damn girl, breathe…' Although his head was still down, and he was trying to act as invisible as possible, going so far as to stand some steps away from Garret, Aoni found the time to peek up at the girl, who was probably only a year or two older than himself.
"17 minutes and 22 seconds, Madison; I believe I told you I wanted it here before I arrived; what took so long?" Looking up from his tablet with a sneer, Garret took in the girl's disheveled state, gave a snort, and went back to tapping on his tablet.
"Ah…you see, it's like this, hah; the military wanted to confiscate the backpack and everything inside since everything seemed to contain traces of Variant Elementalized Energia."
'What now? Uhhh…this is going to be bad, isn't it?'
| Not entirely, although the User hasn't realized it yet, their Territory contains extremely high contents of Elementalized Ice Energia; as such, nothing you find there will be without a hint of it |
| For example, generalized Low-Grade Energia Crystals, which contain Zero traces of Elementalized Energia; coincidentally, all the ones you brought back have Ice stored within |
Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire
'So basically, one man's trash is another's treasure…' blinking several times and wishing he could beat the shit out of the floating transparent window for not warning him ahead of time, Aoni observed the strange relationship between the girl named Madison and Garret.
| Just be glad it wasn't 2-Star or higher resources; either way, this was all a calculated risk |
"I have received the items. You may leave now, and Madison, don't let this happen again, or else you will be written up." Snatching the backpack out of the girl's hand, Garret rudely shooed her away in such a manner that it almost appeared to Aoni that she'd been smacked across the face.
"Yes, Sir…" Struggling to get the air her lungs desperately demanded, Madison spun around and stopped just before running face-first into Aoni, who'd not only been standing silently but blending into the background since his clothing was practically the same off-white color as the walls.
Her messy golden hair was held in place with both a hair tie and pen, and if it weren't for the dark circles under her eyes and the fact she was panting after having run the length of the Bureau multiple times over in the last 20 minutes, she could be considered cute.
Cute, at least in the way that gives you that "Girl Next Door" feeling, and while she may seem plain, Aoni knew that this was exactly the type of girl who, if picked up by one of the many Idol Companies, would have at least made it to be a background singer.
"Eepp, sorry, OM…"
Blink Blink Blink
"Slow down, chew that, take a breath, and relax a little," Staring at Madison through his bangs, Aoni hid the smirk on his lips because before the girl could react, he'd shoved a small piece of food into her mouth.
Really, it wasn't anything big, just a chunk of a nutrition bar, but considering this girl had done him a solid by securing his backpack and returning it, Aoni figured it was the least he could do.
Given the fact that she had an Orange-Card, just like himself, and didn't seem much older, it wasn't that big a stretch to assume she must be an intern or something for Garret and, as such, was being bullied.
Partnering this assumption with the fact that her clothing was well worn and her slightly messy appearance, it was fairly easy for Aoni to conclude she, like himself, was financially unstable.
She was also extremely thin and lacked any of the curves a young Traveler her age would generally have, meaning she either didn't have enough money to feed herself or was being run ragged by Garret, whom he already didn't like.
Teary, Wide, purple eyes stared into Aoni's Emerald ones as Madison seemed utterly confused at what just happened. Even so, she still obediently chewed the object and found it to be a little gritty but otherwise sweet before sensing her body wake UP as if she'd just drank a pot of coffee.
"Thanks for getting my backpack, Hamster-girl. Now run along before Garret gets all pissy again," he said, resisting the urge to tease Madison and even pat her head since she resembled Glacia quite a bit right now.
"Ham…ster, huh, DING DING DING, AHHH oh nono late!" utterly confused at why she'd been called hamster-girl, Madison wasn't given even a minute of reprieve before her tablet began vibrating and screaming at her, making the girl take off running down the hall without looking back.
"She does resemble a hamster when she eats; what was that, by the way?" Stepping away from the wall and facing Aoni, Garret lowered his tablet and gave him another look over.
"Uh…nutrition bar…"
"Mm, and you just so conveniently happened to have one in your poc…" before Garret could finish the interrogation, Aoni held up less than a quarter of a snack-sized fruit bar.
"Oh…a basic Survival bar, I see; it should be part of the Academy Curriculum; let me guess, you mashed up high-calorie fruits and minerals and added some meat." Narrowing his eyes slightly as he'd read the report on the items Aoni brought back, Garret was just about to request the bar to be handed over when the Lad suddenly shoved it in his mouth and ate it.