Rudy spent his time talking with Zia via the orb until the clock hit 10:00.
[There is also the legend that says the stars would—]
"Zia."
[Yes?]
"I have something to do, so I will take my leave now."
[Is that Lord calling you?]
"No. It's not anything related to the Lord."
[Wait, does the Lord know you are talking with me every once in a while?]
"I assume he does."
[Is that okay? Will I not be punished if he finds out that I was wasting his assistant's time?]
"But you didn't waste my time. I learn many things from you which can also be considered as teaching."
[Will I be rewarded for teaching you, then?]
"Heh." Rudy couldn't help but chuckle after hearing that.
[Don't laugh! I am curious.]
"You may be rewarded. Who knows? Is there anything you want from the Lord? I would request him to grant your wishes."
[Hmm…] Zia took a moment to ponder and responded, [Currently, there is Nothing I want. The Lord already granted my wish by taking care of the warlock. I am happy.]
"You could ask for unlimited fortune, unimaginable strength, and an infinite power source," Rudy suggested a few wishes to Zia, which was also something every living being would ask for.
[What would I do with all that? I am a princess, but we are not rich. We have knowledge that we share with everyone. I don't need strength. I am a fairy, and fairies don't require strength. As for the power source, we get that from the Lord anyway.]
"...you can be selfish and ask for something no one can ever imagine. Maybe I can make the boy you love fall for you."
[Is something like that possible?]
"It is."
[But… will it be real love?]
"I can't guarantee that."
[Will that person be happy with me?]
"No comment."
[Then I don't want something that is fake.]
"I will wait for your wish. Till then, bye."
[Bye…]
Rudy placed the orb in his desk drawer and got up from the bed. He grabbed his phone and noticed it had turned off because it was out of charge.
'Seriously? I might need to change my phone. I charge it three times a day, and I don't even use my phone that much. Did I damage the battery by charging it using my powers?'
Rudy charged the phone to full capacity and turned it on.
'Hmm? Missed calls from Rize?'
Rudy called Rize as soon as the phone detected the network.
[Umm… Rudy?] Rize answered the call.
"Yes, it's me. Did my name not come up in the caller ID? Or is it that you haven't saved my contact on your phone?"
[The latter one.]
'No wonder her sister asked for my name.'
"So… should I come to pick you up?"
[Err… Janet actually contacted me before you called me earlier, and I turned her down.]
"Uhh… What happened? You were up for it the other day."
[Yes, I was. Actually, my little sister, Grace, sometimes crashes at my place… more than once a week. She came yesterday too, but with a fever. Currently, she is fast asleep, but she is still sick.
I obviously, couldn't leave her alone in such a condition, so I turned down Janet's invitation. But then you called, and Grace got to know about my plans. Then, she insisted that I should go.]
"So… you are coming or… no?"
[I am. But I will come to the pool house directly and leave as soon as possible.]
"That's okay. If you are worried about your little sister, you can sit this down. You can meet them some other day."
[It's fine. She just took her meds before sleeping, so she isn't waking up for an hour or two.] Rize reassured Rudy.
"Alrighty. You can leave for the pool house now. And call me once you reach there. They might not let you enter since you don't have tickets."
[No need to worry. I know the owner.]
"You… do…?"
'Reina knows Rize?!'
Just like that, Rudy discovered something surprising.
[See you later.]
"Hmm."
Rudy placed his phone in his pocket and wondered, "I don't think I have ever mentioned Reina's name in front of Rize. Nor has she told me anything about Reina. So if they know each other… Does that mean… they are friends?
Man, Rize is going to be surprised when she learns that Reina is also a part of my harem.'
At that time, Rudy knew that the harem meetup was going to be more interesting than he had first thought.
Rudy took out his phone again and messaged Alice instead of calling her.
[Are you ready?]
The message was delivered immediately but wasn't seen for the next three minutes. Once Rudy saw Alice was typing, he teleported near her house and stood by the pole.
[Give me two minutes. I am preparing my bag.]
"Why bag?"
[It's a long story. I will tell you on the way.]
While Rudy was chatting with Alice, he received a phone call from Janet.
"Yeah?" Rudy answered the call.
[Nothing. Just calling you to remind you that it's about time.]
"I am faster than you. I am already at Alice's. We will be there in five to ten minutes."
[Good.]
A while ago…
Alice was in her room, standing in front of the mirror of the dressing table, applying lipstick. She had also worn a little makeup.
'Why am I dolling myself up like this?' She wondered. 'It's not my first time meeting the harem. But… I feel anxious about losing to Janet. I know she is all about appearances, so I can't let her beat me on that.'
Alice released a quiet sigh and muttered, "I still haven't told dad."
She hurried downstairs and went to the living room, hoping to find George there, but he was in his room.
'The coffee should be ready.'
She grabbed the mug from the kitchen and filled it with freshly brewed coffee.
KNOCK! KNOCK~!
She knocked on the door and calmly said, "Dad! I have brought your coffee."
A/N- Hiatus Announcement:- I am dealing with a few… actually, many personal life issues, and after thinking about it for a few weeks, I have decided to take a short break from writing.
The Novel will resume its daily update starting in May, with a mass release of 10 chapters. Until then, it would be the best time to re-read Esper Harem in the Apocalypse. You might find more hints and new clues that I have perfectly hidden throughout the story.
