When I woke up back in Fenrir's cottage, he didn't take long to prepare some snacks and tea for both of us. Claw is still out training and I'm guessing Lawrence is busy offline finalizing my move on his end.
[Ah... I see Lawrence's excuse holds true,] Fenrir said. [I guess it would take you a while until both of you come back for a small retreat. But make sure not to forget to hunt or you might be rusty during another trip.]
I sheepishly chuckled as took a sip of my cup of tea. Looks like he went ahead and made a justified excuse for our upcoming day of absence from the game. "I lot has happened since my conversion and I want to know more about being a [Lycan] from him. Don't worry, I'll keep up with my hunting skills when we're done."
[That's good to hear. But before you leave, have you considered my offer the other day?]
The offer? He must have meant the option to live in the village. I'm considering it, but I need more details about the living quarters. "That depends. Isn't your village almost at the full capacity at the moment?"
[Not exactly. But some old huts and houses are too dangerous to live in right now. We plan to refurbish it with the lumber and materials we gathered and offer one of them to you. Again, I don't need to hear your answer right now. Once you come back and the houses are finished, you can see them for yourself. Now that you're a [Lycan], it's best if you have some kind of safe house to retreat and live in case the humdrum life in the city or town wears you out.]
Huh... That's not a bad idea. Having a house to stay than borrowing Fenrir's home should be useful. However, getting there from
[I've already taken care of that.] Fenrir takes out some kind of item from his pocket and shows it to me. Looking closely, it looks similar to the wooden charm that I found during our first encounter, except this one has a wolf's head carved onto the moon. [This is [Moonlight Guide Charm]. If you inject your mana into it, you will be transported back into the village via a mana circle in your home. But keep in mind of its cooldown if you use its powers.]
Interesting... I quickly open up its item description to see if it holds true to Fenrir's words.
No way... I can't believe this item exists! Let alone a [Key Item] of all things! At least there's a cooldown to balance it out. Just as I can answer, Fenrir put the charm into my hands and said, [It's too early, but since you're a member of our proud pack, it's all yours.]
Wow... This is a great honor! I don't know if I can deserve it... No, I do deserve it. I risk my well-being to get away from my cowardly self. The least I can do is accept it without hesitation.
"Thanks for the gift, Fenrir. I will cherish it no matter where I go," I declared. "Just know I will keep the forest safe with Lawrence and Lyco with me."
[I'm glad to hear.] Fenrir then stood up and took the tray with empty plates and cups. [I should leave you be. Good luck on your hunt, young Lunar.]
I smiled in return. "Yeah. I need all of it for tomorrow."
And tomorrow comes. After I woke up, I called the boys for an update and packed the rest of my [VeilCon] accessories in the box. Once they and the moving company arrived, we spent a few hours packing all of the boxes and my small furniture into the truck with Brycen helping out with carefully placing my gaming equipment and Harley with my clothes. Thankfully, it's not too much of a hassle because my thrifty mindset left me with fewer items to pack from my old apartment. So all that's left is to take Bryce's car and head off to the Queens. It was a 5-hour ride and since it was a week off from college due to finished exams, we spent the rest of the week chatting and playing music on the radio. Bryce even offered to play a horror-themed quiz game and Harley offered fashion-themed. But I vetoed it since it would take us hours to decide which one rather than keeping ourselves in one piece.
Eventually, we arrived at a neighborhood in the Queens, and to our shock, the apartment building Mr. Spencer showed me was all too impressive with a 4-story building, clean exterior, and several amenities such as a laundromat and convenience store (that wasn't named Goodie's) was placed on the lower floors. We didn't take long to move most of my stuff inside as we went up to the 3rd floor and went inside to my new apartment.
To our surprise, it was vastly different from my old one. It was more spacious for a 1-person apartment and there were two rooms available for me to use. One is for a potential bedroom and the other is for a study room/library. The living room was already furnished with two blue sofas for guests, an oak wooden coffee table, and a dining table complete with a kitchen full of stove, kitchen utensils, and more. As for the bathroom, it has a clean shower room surrounded by glass along with a toilet and sink that's almost reminiscent of a hotel bathroom. I was only getting it through Mr. Spencer's connections and even after the first look, I'm still overwhelmed by the amenities it has to offer. Which makes its early rent surprisingly cheap for me to afford in the long term.
"Dude... I get that you found this apartment thanks to your new boss, but I never knew how decked out your new crib is looking," Brycen complimented.
"Y...Yeah..." Harley muttered nervously. "Are you sure this is the right place, Lucas? I don't know if you can afford it..."
"I understand your skepticism, Harley. But my boss already paid the rent in full for the next 1-2 months," I reminded them. "Besides, I double-checked the prices and the rent surprisingly fits my current paycheck. Plus, I can walk to college rather than take the subway every day. So that's one less expense to worry about."
"Besides, we met his new boss beforehand. He's not much of a scam artist and without him, Luke wouldn't go homeless after the incident."
Harley then chuckles dryly. "Wow... How reliable of him..."
I raise my eyebrow as I stare at him. Huh... What made him nervous all of a sudden? I only mentioned to him about a new job at a coffee shop nearby during our trip and he suddenly looked like a paranoid scaredy-cat.
"By the way, Lucas... When will you start working?" Brycen asked.
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"Starting tomorrow. I need to unpack everything and rest for tonight afterward," I answered. "If you like, we can check out the convenience store and grab something to eat for a housewarming party."
"Sounds like a plan! How about burgers and sodas all night? That's enough to bring the true New York-style party you're missing out on!"
"Get real, Bryce. We'll be fat if we eat burgers every day. How about we'll mix in with some snacks and sweets on the menu?" Harley suggested.
"How do you consider that as "non-fat", Harley?! You're worse than Bryce," I said.
"Hey! Don't diss my ideas, Lowell!"
We laugh it off while Brycen is staring at us in annoyance. I have to admit, this is a great change of pace compared to our usual gaming sessions. I do miss chatting with Brycen and Harley without being pressured by David's threats and family issues. Now that I think about it, I have never been so relaxed ever since I started university and [Isekai]. The worries and burdens fade away as I wonder what I can do next with my friends and without thinking too much about the past and future, I know I have a lot in store for the future.
This means I have nothing to fear if I don't think too much about David and his cronies...
"BASTARD! IDIOT! HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE AFTER YOU HUMILIATED YOURSELF ON THAT VIDEO?!"
Eric shivered as his body was now covered in bruises while he lay on the ground in David's room. "I-I'm sorry, Eric! I didn't know what happened! The plan worked so well since most of the employees there agreed to fire Lowell over a cheating scandal! I didn't know he quit on that day and brought evidence against it!"
David growled in frustration before kicking his yes-man in the gut. "DAMMIT!!! That bastard is supposed to be weak and a pushover! How the hell did he figure out he was framed?!"
"A-Actually, he didn't know about it. But he started showing a recorder and a resignation letter like a lawyer a-"
"I DIDN'T ASK YOU!!!" David kicks Eric again. "Lucas Lowell... He's nothing but a mob character who does nothing but be a pathetic weakling against my OP skills in [Isekai]! I can't believe he has the gall to rebel and foil my plans like he's the OP protagonist! Well, he's got another thing coming once I see him again in college!"
"G-Good luck with that. Thanks to that video, my parents won't let me leave my apartment until they cover up the damages from Goodie's," Eric explained. "I heard that the manager along with the employees were fired and was sent an official apology. I doubt I can check my social media without being bombarded by canceled tweets..."
David groaned again. "If your parents say "don't leave", then don't! I'll see if my family lawyer might do something to get your butt out of there. In the meantime, I think it's time we get back to our usual business. Starting with that damn Lowry!"
"But how can we find him in [Isekai]? We can't find him in the shopping district nor the usual hunting fields."
"Well, we know he's still playing the game. He can't hide that fact from his invisible status." Then, David flashes a grin. "Oh, I think I have an idea to weed him out..."
Later, we're at the convenience store below the apartment building. As expected, it's nothing compared to Goodie's as it has several goods and snacks that we can choose from. We already got the burgers along with the snacks for the party, so all that's left is the drinks and we're back at my apartment.
"Damn! That store is much better than your usual workplace. I can't believe they offered more variety and I think that cashier just winked at me," Brycen giggled.
"Save your potential love life, Casanova. Knowing your werewolf nerd status, I don't know if she shares your interest without weirding her out," I warned.
"But at least they're nice. It's not like those snobby girls who treated you like a meal ticket of sorts. I might show you around the neighborhood if you lik-"
Harley suddenly stops walking and gasps as his eyes widen at the front door. We also stop shopping when we notice a sudden mood change. He looks like he saw a ghost haunting him like in the movies.
"Yo, Harls! What's the matter?" Bryce calls out. "The patties are going to get..."
"Ooh~! Is that Haley I see~?"
Bryce and I flinch the moment we hear that name. Don't tell me that he saw...
"And his buff boyfriends, too! Didn't expect the whole harem to come in our neighborhood!"
I turn around to see the source of that high-pitched raspy voice and as we feared, we see a lady our age walking into the store with blonde curly hair and light pink highlights. She was walking like any normal woman, but her outfit screamed "old-fashioned with a hint of cute" as she wore a blue and gold top hat attached to a black headband, a puffy blouse with a small black ribbon tied around the collar, a black skirt attached to suspenders, black and blue half-cut coat with gold trims and buttons, and black platform boots.
"Figures... It had to be his prissy sister," Bryce groaned.
"That's not very nice to say, Brycen! To think I went all this way to greet you and little Lowell, too!" The woman pouted briefly. Then she turns to Harley next. "As for you, Harley, you oughta text me more often. I may have friends at Fashion Institute, but it's lonely without your cute face."
Harley groans in response. I can tell from his face that he's not enjoying his own reunion with his sister one bit.
"And nice to meet you, too, Nelly," he greeted while averting his eyes away from her. "Can you go back at a later date? This is so not a good time and place to greet me. And how did you get here? I haven't heard any news from Dad that you're coming."
"Duh! That's what a "surprise visit" is. It wouldn't be right if I ignored my little sister?" She reaches her hand to Harley's cheek, only for him to swat it away in annoyance. "Plus, I heard a certain Warrior of Love is coming to the Blazing Waves Anime Convention this weekend. Of course, I wouldn't miss her along with the cool cosplay and Artist's Alley they have in store!"
Right... That's the convention Danica is going for a meet and greet as her Vtuber persona. Besides me, Harley, and Brycen, Nelly is the only one who knows Qizuna's true identity. At least she's being careful with her words so her identity won't get leaked out in the open. However, the real issue lies within her and Harley considering what she just called him...
"I get it, you're here for the convention. You don't need to show your face here so blatantly, Nelly," Harley groaned. "And for the last time, I told you that I'm your "brother", not "sister"."
"Why not? You'll always be my little sister, just like Mom said you would." Danica then pouts and crosses her arms. "Besides, don't you think wearing that unruly man's outfit is too much on your fashion research? I get that you're going for the unisex line, but it's uncouth of you to flatten your breasts and wear sneakers instead of heels."
Suddenly, we hear laughter not far from the shelves. I look at what's behind Nelly and see several men approaching us while grinning at Harley.
"Your sister's got a point, sissy. You're not exactly a real man with your baby face," one of them sneers at Harley. "How about you go home and play with your dollies instead?"
I glared at the familiar men as they laughed at one of my friends. While they're not a part of David's goons since they're in a different college than us, I recall that they're the same group who is harassing Harley on his way to school. I get they're much more horrible than David, but the sexism is too much for our taste. It doesn't help since Harley is a special case.
"Now, now... It's rude to put Haley into those stereotypes of being a lady," Nelly scolded the men. "Besides, she looks much better in those Lolita dresses than those hip-hop clothes those guys are wearing."
I silently facepalm at her poor attempt. All her "defense" does is enact more laughs that might be too much for Harley to bear.
"Lolita?! Man, that's even better! We might as well dress her up as a doll instead of playing with them!" The leader of the heckling group cackled. "No wonder you kept wearing those boy clothes! I don't think they might not fit enough to hide your boobs!"
Dammit... I can tell from Harley's face that their insults hurt his feelings even more. Enough is enough. He can't bear to listen to those jerks any longer. I turn to Brycen while I gently grab his arm. "Let's go back."
"Yeah, let's."
Brycen also grabs Harley by the other arm and we slowly walk towards the counter. As much as I want to abandon the food and run away from his humiliation, we can't go back up without dinner regardless. But I can't let him stay here and watch his oblivious sister humiliate him by deadnaming him.
"Man, he's the same as ever. Back then, she was a cutie when she was wearing dresses. Now he's wearing hoodies, pants, and sneakers just to escape her sister from becoming a mannequin." I heard one of the men muttered behind our backs.
"I wonder if she might do the same in [Isekai]. I heard she and her boyfriends played together on launch day. You can play the game as either gender without any restrictions."
"Oh, don't worry about that!" Nelly answered happily. "We promised that she will play as herself in [Isekai] no matter what. Besides, it would be rude if he kept wearing those heavy armor instead of those cute witch's dresses."
"Hahaha! I can't believe you had to blackmail her just so she plays as one."
And that's the point we have to hurry. But to my shock, I noticed that I wasn't holding onto his arm anymore. I put down the food on the counter and turned around, only to see Harley about to raise his fist to the leader of the hecklers!