Chương 101: Association Building

Sleepily opening my eyes, I blinked a few times until everything came into focus. I really felt like closing my eyes and sleeping for longer, but, I had already done that three times already. Any longer and I might as well just sleep for the whole day.

"Haah…" Yawning, I sat up and stretched my arms wide. Though I was tired, I was happy. Extremely so. And that happiness comes from her—the sleeping girl next to me. I smiled, looking at Luna who was quietly snoozing. We had both slept in. Ah, it wasn't because of anything naughty! Don't get it wrong! We had simply arrived home far too late. Remembering last night, I chuckled. Bending over, I gave Luna a peck on the cheek before getting up. Alright! Let's be productive today! … You know what they say?

It's never too late for breakfast! And so, I decided to make chocolate chip pancakes with bacon, eggs, and toast as a side.

"Mm~" I hummed, swaying my hips as I flipped the pancake over. The underside had developed a nice dark color and a slight crisp. Let's see… Today's plans… Well, I should probably prioritize the most pressing issue, no? My identity. I have no doubt in my mind that it's gonna be leaked if not already. I directly gave the park my mana signature and photo after all. However, even if they search whatever databases they have, they won't know who I am. I don't have an identity as Stella after all.

That can't stall them forever though, so, should I be expecting a knock at the door sometime soon? Mm… Let's just deal with that when the time comes. Next, my parents… I told them within a month and there's less than two weeks left until then. If I stall until the very last day, then, Mama will really be angry—so, I should probably invite them sometime this week… Even now she's constantly hinting at it by sending me messages.

Just yesterday she was sending stuff like 'Its getting cold this time of year, should I bring you a sweater?' If she had known I was in Orlando yesterday—which is relatively close to Tampa, she'd have directly come and acted like it was a coincidence.

"Haah…" I sighed.

"What's wrong?" A voice came from behind me, causing me to flinch. Turning, I could see that beautiful silver-haired girl standing in front of me. My heart skipped a beat as I smiled.

"Good morning," I said.

"Good morning." Luna wrapped her arms around me. I hugged her back, "You were sighing just now, is something wrong?" She asked.

"Ah, well, I was thinking about inviting my parents over."

"A-Ah! M-Meeting t-the parents already…?!" Luna flinched. It was just yesterday I learned that she had apparently read a bunch of romance novels, filling her mind with a bunch of tropes and stereotypes.

"Cute," I chuckled, "I figured it was about time to let them know."

"A-Ah! Right, awakening." Luna hurriedly nodded, she took a deep breath before she continued, "I-It's okay. I'm here for you no matter what." She said resolutely.

"Pfft," I laughed, "Thanks," I said, "But, it's probably not gonna go as you'd expect, don't worry too much." Luna seemed confused that I was comforting her instead of the other way around.

"Mwah." I kissed her cheek.

"!" Even though we had already properly kissed, she still blushed from cheek kisses. But, she didn't back away, instead, she just continued to hug me with a slightly bowed head.

"Hehe," I giggled, "Clingy aren't you?"

"W-well…I can be clingy to my g-girlfriend, can't I…?" She softly asked, looking at me with puppy eyes.

"I'm not complaining." I replied, turning around. Before the pancakes could burn, I lowered the heat and prepared to plate them. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"When are you inviting them?" Luna asked.

"Mm…" I pondered for a moment, "Probably in three days?"

"Three days…? Got it." Luna nodded, "What about your friends?" She asked.

"Those guys…" I paused, "They can wait a little longer," I shrugged, "Maybe sometime this month or the next."

"Pfft! What's with the stark difference of treatment!?" I only chuckled and shook my head. I could accept what was to come from Mama, but, accepting what those guys would say? Yeah, I'll stall that for a little longer. What else did I have to do…? Ah, right, I have to deal with those promotion offers. Mm…I wonder how that'll go. Am I missing anything…? Probably not? If I can't remember, it must've not been important! Right?

"Are you going to the association today?" I asked. She was supposed to go yesterday, but the amusement park trip distracted her.

"Yeah," Luna nodded, "I need to make money for the house." We had done a basic search online for houses that fit our criteria, and, well, let's just say it won't be cheap. I have a lot of potions I need to sell and Luna has gates to clear.

"I'll come with you." I said.

"Huh? Is that okay?" Luna asked, concerned.

"Pfft, it's fine." I shrugged, "It's only a matter of time before the association find me; I might as well do a little bit of last minute trolling."

"Uh…. Haah…" Luna sighed heavily, "A gremlin til the very end, huh?"

"Hehe." I giggled.

"I'm gonna go after eating, that okay?"

"Mhm," I nodded, "I'm excited. I haven't had a proper look at what the association actually looks like before."

"I think you'll like it." Luna said. …

"Wow…" I let out as Luna parked the car. Just outside was a large, official-looking building with a giant sign that read 'Awakener's Association'. It had to have at least 100 floors. Nearby, there were other tall buildings. One of them had a sign on it that read Steel Gators Guild'. Wasn't that our state's awakener's league team? Luna watched their matches a lot and I sometimes joined in when I was free. I took a photo of the logo; It looked a little funny. It was a mechanical gator with red eyes.

There were also small businesses like a coffee shop or various other restaurants. What surprised me a lot was how many people there were. Almost every couple seconds someone could be seen exiting and entering the awakener's association.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Luna asked.

"Yeah," I nodded, "I've only briefly seen this place before when passing by. I didn't know it was this populated."

"This is one of the main association buildings in South Florida. There's a few smaller ones scattered around, but this one was the closest to us."

"I see." I nodded. Before exiting the car, I snapped a quick photo of the building.

"What's that for?" Luna asked.

"Gonna post it later~ Hehe."

"Haah…Not even trying to hide anymore, huh?"

"It's only a matter of time." I shrugged, "Might as well have a bit more fun." We got out of the car and naturally held hands.

"You'll probably be detected as an awakener when you enter the building, but you won't have to do anything like you did at the park." Luna said, "Thousands of awakeners enter and exit this place everyday."

"Got it~" I nodded. We headed inside the building and I was hit was a cold blast of air. This place was huge, there were tons of reception desks and the lobby was filled with people. There was even a bulletin board surrounded by people but I couldn't read what was on it. This place was lively, tons of banter was being thrown around.

"Then, I picked up that lizard and threw it straight into the horde! The whole thing went 'Boom!'!" Some guy loudly exclaimed, gesturing the explosion with his hands.

"Damn! You really used a lizard as a bomb!? Bahaha!"

"What're you? The Little Bomber?! Hahah!"""Bahahaha!"" What the heck!? Even I wouldn't use a lizard as a bomb! They think anything that explodes can be considered under the Little Bomber's domain!?

"Pfft," Luna chuckled, "People like to tell stories about their gate or floor clears. A lot of it is always exaggerated, but everyone's just having a good time."

"Hm…It's not entirely unrealistic though." I said, "There's this lizard called a 'Jewel Lizard' that dwells in caverns-""Stop! Stop!" Luna covered my mouth, "I don't want to know!" I licked her palm and she squealed.

"Eek!" She immediately retracted her hand, covering her mouth and stared at me with trembling eyes.

"Pfft!" I laughed, my eyes turned towards the large board with paper pinned to it, "What that?" I asked Luna took a deep breath, fanning her flushed face before speaking,"That's the request board," Luna explained, "People can post bounties for specific items, materials, and whatnot."

"Can't they just post it online? Why is there a physical board?" I asked curiously.

"They can." Luna shrugged, "It's just another option for people who don't feel like doing things digitally. There's also people who post bounties only on that board for higher pay. Don't know why though."

"And that one?" I pointed to another bulletin board.

"Advertisement board." Luna said, "You'll see a bunch of 'Join the so-and-so guild today!' or 'Looking for permanent party' posters. There's also production classes who advertise their wares and stuff."

"For the request board, can anyone put in a request?" I asked.

"Anyone? As in both awakeners and regular people? If so, then yes. Either way, you have to put it through a receptionist. Or, you can give it to your agent who would put in the request for you."

"Agent?"

"Agents are basically just handlers for awakeners. Both government and guilds usually offer agents to awakeners who join them."

"Do you have an agent?" I asked.

"Directly? No. I didn't need one. The party did though, anything I wanted handled I'd just send to them."

"Interesting." The world of awakeners was fascinating. Being in my own bubble is fun, but, learning about how other circles work is also fun.

"Do they also handle non-awakener related matter?" I asked.

"Unless you get a personal agent, probably not. Most agents are extremely busy because they have so many awakeners to take care of."

"I see," I nodded, "So, it's like free vs premium. Everyone gets given the cheap stuff for free and if you want something good, you gotta pay for it."

"Pfft, I guess." Luna chuckled, "Though, if you were to affiliate anywhere, I'm sure they'd give you a personal agent without a second thought." We approached an empty reception desk. The clerk perked up, giving Luna and I a friendly smile.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?"

"Hello," Luna said, bringing out her awakener card, "I'm looking for temporary parties for gate clears. D to C- grade gates." The clerk took Luna's card and scanned it before typing things into the computer in front of her.

"Okay, should I update anything about your party criteria, preferences, or avoidances?"

"No, it should be fine."

"Alright, perfect. I've updated your profile. Is that all today?" She handed Luna her card back.

"That should be all," Luna turned to me, "Bin, need anything?"

"Mm…No." I shook my head after a moment's thought.

"Alright, may you two have a good day." The clerk smiled.

"You too." Luna replied and we started walking away.

"Is that it?" I asked.

"Yeah," Luna nodded, "Quick, isn't it?"

"Very, I feel like this could've just been done online."

"We all do." Luna sighed, "This is why we have agents." Luna chuckled.

"Then, let's go home?" I asked, "I want to start making your potions."

"Eh? Didn't you just make a whole bunch of D+ grade buff potions? Those are fine for any gate I'll enter."

"No," I said, "I'm making you C- grade potions at minimum."

"Such a worrywart." Luna chuckled.

"I want to do the most I can to keep my girlfriend safe after all." I smiled. Luna's cheeks flushed.

"Hehe," I giggled, "Mwah." I gave her cheek a kiss.

"W-W-We're in public…" She said meekly.

"Pfft." I chuckled as we left the building and headed to the car. … Nero and his team had kicked into overdrive. After an employee found a trace of the Little Bomber, they had narrowed down her location immensely. They now knew the general area she lived in and were relentlessly searching and scouring whatever they could. Finally. For Nero and his team, this wasn't just a few weeks or a month of effort—no, this was six months of overtime, sleepless nights, and nagging from the higher-ups.

And it's all because the Little Bomber barely did anything except for sell potions. If she had left just a bit more traces, they'd have had an easier time finding her. In the first place, it was a stroke of luck that she happened to visit that arcade six months ago. Without that, they still wouldn't even know what state she lived in. But now, they finally had the general area. All without hints, help, and with only a sliver of information.

Honestly, if he ignored all the overtime and stress, the fact that they were able to narrow it down this far with just a sliver of information was exciting. He could even negotiate a higher salary for himself and his team due to this. After all, it really was difficult to find her. He had already told his team the news and everyone was excited. Just then, as Nero was walking back to his desk, a notification popped up. [An Awakener you follow has made a new Tawer post!] Nero stopped in his tracks and pulled up the post. There was only one account he had notifications like this on for. [Raccoon: visited the association lol (picture of association building) it was quite nice. Also saw the Steel Gators building (picture of Steel Gators logo).] Nero froze as he stared at the images.

"B-B-Boss…" An employee said with a quivering voice. Just then, every phone in the office started to ring.

"God…Do you hate me?" Nero mumbled, looking up towards the ceiling.