Chapter 6 Pod And Embarrassed Rabbit

~{GM_Hostess Of Fertility.}~

Hm... chocolate flavor girl, even more when I heard they have a tone muscle. My favorite type of girl.

I wonder if they want to step on me... cough I am getting sidetrack here.

Anyways the pasta is great surprisingly, hearty and full of flavor, but there's something… missing and I know what just to add. I look around cautiously, making sure no one's watching, then quietly pull out my tool gun under the table and spawn a fresh block of cheese right on top of my dish. With a satisfied grin, I mix it in, savoring the richer flavor that fills the missing piece and begin eating it.

Mia catches my eye as she returns, arms crossed as if she's silently judging my every move. "Need a drink?"

"Nah," I say with a small wave, "I brought my own."

Mia raises an eyebrow. "Brought your own drink?"

"Yep." I nod, glancing at the floating box beside me, which has stayed invisible the whole time. "Paddy, you're up."

"Affirmative," comes the robotic reply, and with a quick shimmer, Paddy materializes beside me, promptly spawning a cold can of Coke on the table.

Mia's eyebrows shoot up as the drink seems to appear out of thin air. She gives Paddy an surprise look, which I ignore, reaching for the can.

I pop the cola open with a satisfying hiss and take a long, refreshing gulp. "Ahhh! That's the stuff." But I grimace slightly. "Too bad it's not cold enough."

"Suggestion: storing cola in a chilled environment prior to inventory storage will help maintain the optimal temperature," Paddy chimes in

I tap my chin thoughtfully. "Hm…not a bad idea. I'll keep that in mind for next time."

After finishing the Coke, I turn to Paddy. "Paddy, bring up the information list I asked for earlier."

"...Affirmative," Paddy replies after a brief pause. Moments later, a translucent screen materializesa all over me, its faint glow casting a soft light over my plate. Rows of data and notes begin scrolling just above my food, and I swipe through them with one hand while munching on my meal.

Paddy's been busy these last 24 hours, collecting everything I need to know about this city like its layout, the guilds, levels, adventure ranks all the stuff that'll keep me out of trouble and maybe help me blend in a bit more in this city.

From the looks of it, there's a lot to digest. Almost as much as my meal, considering the amount of reading I'll need to do.

Still, it feels better to study the lore of this game than to bury myself in college textbooks.

I raise my plate, shoveling in another mouthful of pasta as I scroll down the screen, trying to take it all in.

Freya Familia, Ganesha Familia, Hephaestus Familia, the strongest adventurers, how the city functions… and a whole lot more.

The noticeable information from what pod have gather was the magic stone that I possessed from the dungeon, the magic stone was use as the source of energy it needed for the city to function from light, cooking, and so many more things.

If I sell it at the guild I can solve the money issues that I have been facing problem with.

Well I can copy paste with my tool gun but what's the fun if there is no challange for it?

As I skim through the notes, I can't help but feel a little blissful, To think, I've lived long enough for the taste update… I almost chuckle to myself. Who knew I'd be so grateful for something as simple as good food?

It makes me wonder what kind of updates might roll out in the future. Maybe one that lets in-game training affect the real world? Imagine hitting the gym here instead of sweating it out in reality.

Heh, maybe I should just go all out and try every bit of entertainment this world has to offer while I'm still stuck in this server.

Just as I'm about to dive back into reading, I feel a light tap on my shoulder. I glance over to see Bell sitting there, looking a bit hesitant.

I raise an eyebrow, not pausing as I slurp down another bite of pasta. "What?" I say, my voice is a little muffled by the food.

Under my gaze, she averts her eyes, a hint of embarrassment creeping into her cheeks, but she manages to speak up. "U-um… what are these?"

I blink, momentarily confused, until she gestures toward the screen hovering beside me.

"Huh? You mean this?" I point at the floating display, and she nods. "It's just… some information I'm reviewing."

"Information…?" Bell tilts her head in puzzlement, then shakes it. "No, no, I mean, how are they floating…?" She waves her hand around the screen, looking completely mystified before her gaze shifts to Paddy. "And… who are you?"

Ah, now it makes sense. I gesture to Paddy, who floats calmly by my side. "This guy here? That's Paddy."

The floating Paddy levitated closer to Bell and let out a surprised sound when it suddenly got close to her.

"Greetings, Bell Cranel. I am Tactical Support Unit 153, designated as Paddy," Paddy says in a calm, mechanical tone. "I was created by Daniel to assist Units in battles against hostile forces. I am capable of various tasks, including information gathering, tactical support, and information relay—"

"Woah!" Bell interrupts, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she leans in closer. "Now that I look at you up close… how are you even floating?" She reaches out and pokes Paddy

"Tactical Support Units possess magnetic levitation systems," Paddy explains in his usual calm, robotic tone. "These systems utilize high-voltage magnetic levitation powered by internal batteries, allowing for hovering near surfaces or in open air."

Bell blinks, tilting her head. "I… don't understand a single thing you just said, Paddy, but…" She reaches out, gripping his mechanical arm and giving it a small shake. "Nice to meet you, Paddy!"

Watching them shake hands, I can't help but smile.

"Paddy here is a robot, and he's been my friend since high school. He's pretty helpful and fun to have around," I say with a chuckle. "But he's also… well, a bit dumb sometimes, with the memory span of a fish. So if he does anything weird, just bear with him."

"Negative," Paddy interjects in his robotic monotone. "This pod contains the latest YoRHa technology."

"Yeah, yeah," I tease, rolling my eyes. "Say that again when you can remember things for longer than a few minutes."

"Robot?" Bell echoes, blinking in confusion.

"Just… think of him as a fairy,"

Her eyes go wide, sparkling with excitement. "W-whoa! He's a fairy?" But then a look of realization crosses her face, and she tilts her head, clearly surprised. "Wait, high school? You went to school?" Bell's eyes widen even further, and she leans in closer. "Are you… some kind of noble or something?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Huh? Is it not normal to go to school from a young age? Wait… don't tell me you didn't go to school, Bell?"

She shakes her head, her expression turning thoughtful. "No, I never went to school. I stayed with my grandfather in our village for fourteen years. When he passed away… I left and came here to follow my dream."

I felt a twinge of sympathy but pushed it aside. "And what's your dream?"

She hesitates, looking away, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I-it's embarrassing, so I… I can't tell you."

"Come on, just tell me,"

She shifts uncomfortably, her eyes darting to the floor before looking back up at me. "…Fine, but don't tell anybody, alright?"

"Alright," I agree with her

She takes a deep breath, then mutters, "...my dream Is to become a hero."

I blink, taken aback. Instead of laughing, I can't help but scoff, crossing my arms. I thought it was some common, vague dream like becoming rich or famous or something. But a hero?

Maybe it's because she's the main character that she can say stuff like this without hesitation.

"A hero, in this day and age? You must be kidding. Your head must be full of sunshine if you think like that."

Bell's expression didn't falter for a second. "It's my dream, so leave me alone!"

"Oh yeah? Then—" I started, but a strange feeling crept over me as the noise in the pub suddenly quieted down.

My words trailed off, and I glanced around, realizing that all eyes in the room were now fixed on me.

Now that I notice even Loki's family and most of it's adventure were staring at me too. Maybe they are curious about something either way I don't really like having this much gaze.

It seems Bell relize it as well since she notice my gaze was not at her but around and suddently feelt meek with how much they are giving us.

Bell hesitated for a moment, her gaze flicking nervously to the crowd before she whispered back, "The reason is your friend Paddy. To be honest I have never seen a fairy before, to be honest."

I blinked, taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Bell nodded toward Paddy, who was floating nearby, seemingly unfazed by the attention. "Well, most of us here are used to seeing magic, but… a floating, talking creature like him? That's not something we see every day."

I let out a sigh the moment I hear the reason I glance at Paddy and give him an order "Paddy Invisible on."

"Understood."

With that, he vanishes from view, his presence entirely erased from sight. The immediate response from the pub is a series of gasps. The sudden silence is broken as people murmur, their curiosity piqued even more by his disappearance.

"...Should you explain it to them?" Bell asks, her voice a little hesitant.

I roll my eyes, leaning back in my chair, trying to ignore the lingering stares. "Just leave them be. I have no interest in talking or explaining how it works since it's not my obligation."

"I-I see..."

I pause for a moment before glancing at Bell. "Well… maybe if the kid names Bell wants to know, then I can explain it."

Bell pouts, crossing her arms and looking up at me with a bit of frustration. "I am not a kid!"

I smirk, reaching over and ruffling her hair lightly. "Then how old are you again, kid?"

She immediately swats my hand away, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm 14! Not a kid!" She huffs, trying to hide the fact that she's slightly annoyed.

I can feel the FBI breathing down my neck just by the sheer awkwardness of the conversation. I can already tell the longer I keep talking with her, the deeper I'll be digging my grave.

"You're not even of legal age yet!" I say, holding up a finger for emphasis. "Besides, I'm around 22 years old, so I have the right to call you a kid."

But still... When I was 14, I was still reading books in my hand, lost in my own world. But this kid names Bell is already out there earning money, handling herself in dangerous situations. It's praiseworthy in some sense, but the fact that it involves so much risk makes me uneasy. I don't like the idea of child labor, especially when it's tied to life-threatening adventures.

But I guess… maybe it's normal in this world so I can't really complain. 

"...that's strange, the legal age to marry is 14 everywhere."

I feel awkward on answering this "Well the age my country allows me to marry is 18."

We stand there awkward unsure what to speak what's next.

Before I can say anything else, Bell shifts topics, clearly eager to move past the awkward conversation. "Hm...Oh yeah, I want to ask about that sword you pulled out in the dungeon what was that thick long red stick?"

(Little joke from Author)

"I can tell you another time kid" I ruffled her hair even more and the rabbit girl pouted even harder.

I couldn't resist the temptation of wanting to pinch those adorable cheeks of hers the moment the rabbit girl puffed up her cheeks. They looked so soft and squishy. But I resist it since we are still in public, and the eyes of the people around are still glancing at us at the last spot where Pod vanishes.

"Stop ruffling my head!" Bell protested, swatting my hand away with an exaggerated glare.

I can't help but giggle at her reaction. She is amusing. At least I won't be bored with her around. Maybe I should try to stick around with her since she is the main character of this world.

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, prickling like ice. Instinctively, I glanced over my shoulder to see the source of the discomfort. Standing there was a gray-haired girl, her gaze fixed on me with an intensity that could pierce steel.

Her eyes burned with an unsettling fury, and her delicate hands clutched the edge of a wooden chair so tightly that the wood creaked under the pressure, nearly splintering in her grip.

What's her problem?

Before I could fully process the bizarre hostility, Bell followed my gaze and immediately lit up, waving enthusiastically. "Syr!" she called out with her usual bright smile.

At the sound of her name, the menacing aura around her dissipated as though it had never been there. She shifted instantly, her face breaking into a warm, radiant smile as she approached us, her eyes now soft and friendly, as if we were old friends.

As she drew closer, my HUD flashed information before me, cataloging her true identity. 

And what it displayed was not the name of Syr

Her true name was Freya.