'Why would I ever want to go back to Earth?!'
Rey had this thought as he stared at Alicia's surprised expression.
'I'm rich here, I have a broken Skill, and I actually have things I want to achieve!'
He had tons of good prospects in H'Trae than he ever had on Earth, where he was a mere nobody.
Of course, Rey didn't expect Alicia to understand his perspective. After all, he was still a weak Extra to her.
However, this world had changed Rey more than anyone—including him—could have imagined.
For the first time in his life he had a goal, and he was motivated enough to chase after it.
He wanted to fight Dragons, save the Nation, and explore this new world he was in.
The mysteries and intrigue in this world far exceeded the mundane and stale stuff that waited for him back on Earth.
'I was average. I was broke. I was just the same as a regular student drifting through school…'
He rejected that past.
'It's understandable that she wants to return, though.'
Rey smiled at Alicia and shrugged slightly.
"Different strokes for different folks, I guess."
In response to his words, Alicia slowly lost her dazed reaction and returned his smile.
"I guess."
They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Rey quickly sprung a topic.
"Tell me more about your life back on Earth! I'm actually curious."
Rey didn't know if he was overstepping his bounds or not, but he somehow felt like he wasn't.
After Alicia shared her motivation and desire to return home, he sort of felt like a gap between them had been bridged.
He felt less awkward asking questions and things didn't feel as intimidating as before.
"You sure you want to know?"
"Of course!"
"Alright! What part?"
"W-what?"
"You have to be specific!" Alicia began to giggle. "What part do you want to know?"
Rey found yet another dosage of saliva slowly forming in his throat.
He was being offered a blank check here. Alicia was telling him to ask her anything, and from her expression, it didn't seem like she had any reservations answering his question.
"Y-your p-pussycat. Can you tell me more about it…?"
Rey felt like an idiot for going for such a question, but it felt like he was about to say something else when those exact words came out.
He could only hope Alicia didn't label him as weird for it.
Thankfully, she didn't.
"Ahh! That's a great start. But first, I have to ask, Rey… do you like cats?"
"Of course! I love cats!"
This was a lie.
Rey didn't particularly hate cats, but he didn't like them either. He was in the gray area when it came to them.
But, after looking Alicia in the eyes when she asked the question, he couldn't give such a lackluster answer.
'I have seen some kitten videos online, and since I pressed the love button on the posts, that technically means I love them.'
He wasn't lying at all! In fact, this was one of the truest things that had come out of his lips since he came out of his mother's womb.
Once Rey was able to brainwash himself with this delusion, all so he wouldn't feel guilty about lying to Alicia, he found his heart simmering down.
It was all cope, but Rey indulged in it.
"Really, Rey? That's great! Which kind of cats do you like best?"
"U-um…"
He should have known that this would be the next question that would come out of a cat-lover's mouth.
It wasn't even like Alicia was trying to figure out if he was lying or not.
She was just genuinely excited about the topic.
'Should I just fess up?'
The illusion of Rey's cope had now been shattered, and he was ready to give up.
Fortunately, he was rescued by Alicia herself.
"You can't decide, right? Well, it's the same for me. That's why I have a ton of them at home!"
Rey could already see the excitement in Alicia's eyes get more and more intense.
He started wondering if it was indeed the right choice to begin this journey with her.
Would he really be able to keep up?
'Her Class is Grand Tamer, right? I can see why…'
"H-how many cats do you have?" Rey was scared to ask this, but he gulped down all of his nervousness and took the bold step.
He had to keep this conversation going, no matter what!
"A-ahh… well, if I only count the ones in my parents' house, they're only ten."
"E-eh…?"
"But I have more than thirty-seven with my grandparents."
'What the hell…?'
Rey felt like he was entering waters that were too deep for him.
He had to pull out before it was too late!
Little did he know… he had passed the point of no return.
"Cats really reproduce a lot, you know?"
It would never end.
"And kittens are so cute too. Want me to tell you all their names?"
Never…
"I actually have all their pictures in my wallet. I carry it with me all the time, so I can just show you."
… Ever.
"I'm so happy I finally have someone to talk to about this!"
"Yup! Me too…"
And so, Rey had to sit and listen to Alicia White—the prettiest girl in his class—gush over cats for three hours straight.
At least he was able to learn a thing or two.
*******
It was already very late in the night, and Alicia was still heavily invested in her conversation with Rey.
They had long left the topic of cats and went on to talk about other interesting aspects of their life.
"Ohh? You only dated Adonis for a month? Howw? Why?!"
Rey's face displayed shock, which told Alicia that he probably respected Adonis a great deal.
Alicia also used to feel the same.
But…
"It always felt like he was hiding something. Some big dark secret he couldn't tell anyone…"
Even though they were dating, it didn't really feel like it.
At least, to her.
"He also has this savior complex. Always feels like he has to help everyone and shower everyone with attention…"
"Is that a bad thing, though?" Rey asked, cocking his head to the side.
"W-well, it's just that I felt weird that he was showering girls so much attention despite having me as his girlfriend."
However, it wasn't a mere case of jealousy.
"It felt like I was just one of the many girls he showered attention. Do you understand? Adonis makes you feel special, but the truth is… he does that to everyone."
Rey couldn't deny that since he had also experienced the same thing.
That was what made Adonis so likable.
He was literally perfect.
"I also heard you dated a lot more seniors after hi—"
"Urgh, please! Not that rumor again."
Rey's eyes widened in shock the moment he heard that.
Alicia was also surprised that Rey had such an impression of her all along.
"I barely had time for myself with school, socializing, and my cats…"
The cats came into the picture again.
Rey braced himself for impact. If he wasn't careful, Alicia would go on another three-hour tangent about cats.
Fortunately, she didn't.
*
*
*
