On paper, there was nothing wrong with inviting Yuel over. Yet, Nia was reluctant to let Yuel into her house for some reason.
Was there anything embarrassing lying around? Nah, no way. There was barely anything in that barebones house in the first place.
But wait, what if Yuel commented on how empty and rundown the apartment was!? He'll be judging Nia for the rest of her life! Scary.
Wait, why am I even thinking about all this nonsense? The thoughts that circulated in Nia's head were beyond bizarre. Did they invade her tired brain from outer space? Because that's how otherworldly they felt.
Seriously, her thoughts were a mess. The only thing she understood was the fact that she felt awkward letting Yuel into her house.
But then, her body voiced an argument: GROOOOOWL.
"Ok, let's go in." Nia pivoted instantly, but her worries remained. Pls don't say anything weird, pls don't say anything…!
She turned on the lights and closed her eyes, prepared for the worst. The alien criticizer was about to pass judgment on Nia's entire lifestyle!
"Hm." Yuel looked around. One brief glance was all he needed to get a full picture of the place. Basically, there wasn't much to look at. The place was nearly barren, almost to the point it was hard to believe anybody lived there.
The fundamentals were there: a sofa, a refrigerator, a dining table, etc. However, it's like they existed in a vacuum. The entire place was sheer white with no decorations to speak of. It was like looking at a minimalist smartphone design.
Now that I think about it, whenever Nia mentioned her family, she only ever talked about her mother. Yuel recalled. And, said mother is supposedly working at a chocolate factory, which is why Nia always has an infinite supply. I assume it's not exactly the highest-paying job out there, so I think I get the picture here.
So, Yuel moved on without commenting on the topic. "I'll place the order now." He took out his phone and dialed a number that was already registered.
The apathetic attitude took Nia by surprise. No comments? Really? She squinted her eyes in suspicion. M-Maybe he thinks it's so empty here that it's not even worth commenting on!? Gah! She collapsed on the floor in shock.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just tried…" Nia played it off. Actually, why am I even flustered about this? Yuel is an alien robot, so of course, he wouldn't bother commenting on something like this. Hmph.
"I placed the orders," Yuel informed matter-of-factly. "The expected arrival time is 20 minutes."
"Wait, didn't you have to give them my address for this?"
"Yes, I did," Yuel answered. "I saw the street name and number outside when we entered."
"Oh, as expected from the alien detective." Nia nodded. "You don't miss anything."
"I just don't have a very good sense of direction, so I made it into a habit to keep track of the street names I pass by, especially when I know I'll have to use the same road on the way back."
"Hmm. A bad sense of direction…" Nia imagined Yuel wandering into the middle of nowhere, flustered as he looked left and right. Oddly, there were no street names anywhere in sight! Scary! The stoic robot began to panic, almost on the verge of tears! "Pft! Haha!"
Yuel made a face. "Somehow, I have the feeling you're imagining something really rude."
"Pft! N-Not at all! Haha!" Nia couldn't hold back her muffled laughs.
"Anyway, there's still time until the delivery," Yuel said. "You can take a shower meanwhile. That should refresh you."
"Hmm. That sounds nice." Nia nodded. "Maybe I really should- ah!" She paused once her eyes met Yuel's. "A-Actually, on second thought, maybe later."
"Is that so?" Yuel shrugged. "Well, just make sure to take a rest for now. The first few days of exercising are always rough. You need to get properly rested for tomorrow."
"Hm? What happens tomorrow?"
"The second day of exercising, duh."
"Whaaaat!?" Nia collapsed on the carpet from shock. "We're doing it tomorrow too???"
"Yes,," Yuel said matter-of-factly. "I was thinking of letting you rest for one day, but I concluded it's best to strike while the iron is hot. You started with walks instead of jogs, so this is already an easier workout routine than what I originally planned."
"What do you mean 'easier'? It was torture!" Nia was almost in tears. "There's no way I can survive another day of this in a row!"
"Oh, yes. This is a very familiar sentiment." Yuel nodded. "I was saying the same when I started. But, after sticking with it for a while, I realized it was easier than I thought. The body adapts surprisingly fast to these things."
"Really?" Nia pressed X to doubt. "I don't think I'll survive..."
"Just do it tomorrow again, then you'll see," Yuel insisted. "And, don't you dare run away. Just trust me on this one."
"Trust you, huh." Nia squinted her eyes in suspicion. Trusting an alien robot with high standards was a surefire way to get into trouble. Hell no,
Though one way or another, I guess I ended up trusting him on a lot of things. He even kinda replaced Tipmancer for me. Nia smiled wryly. I guess, for me, Yuel is like... Hmm. I dunno, actually.
Their relationship was kinda weird. Like, they were clubmates, but in many ways, they were also like teacher and students.
And now, he also become a demon coach! Scary! Nia shuddered. He's going to work me to the bone with some superhuman training routine! I'm done for! Scary!
Maybe all these descriptions were just wrong. Perhaps, in truth, the relationship between Nia and Yuel was that of a victim and a bully. Scary!
Heh. Jokes aside, I do want to trust him. Nia thought. He's strict and pedantic but he does know a lot of good practices.
Yuel had been helping Nia improve ever since she joined the club. Despite the countless complaints and problems she caused along the way, not once did Yuel give up on her. And, Nia undeniably improved a lot throughout the year.
Actually, now that I think about it, he's also the one who made me join the club in the first place. Nia smiled awkwardly as she recalled how things started. She was contemplating whether to approach the club's recruiters, but then Yuel somehow noticed her and made the first move. Nia panicked and made a break for it!
That was embarrassing. Nia admitted that only to herself. Then again, how could I not be surprised by it? I mean, nobody notices me, especially in the middle of a crowd. So, how did I fail to erase my presence!? Unbelievable.
And the wildest part was that the story didn't end there. For some reason, Yuel desperately chased her! That only made her panic more.
I remember that made me even more curious about the club. Nia recalled. That's why I grabbed that flier he left and casually signed up, and now I'm here. What a wild ride.
It all happened this year, yet it felt like a decade had already passed. Nia started off as a reluctant applicant who had no intention of working hard, but here she was, working herself to the bone to get stronger.
Why am I even doing this to myself? She couldn't help but ask this question whenever things got rough. I mean, of course, I want revenge on that scary Korean pro, that's a given. I've got to prove my stealth works against anybody! But, is that really all there is to it?
Losing so thoroughly against Apprentece was a great motivator, but that was a recent event. Nia had been working hard in the club even before that.
But why did she push herself so hard? Who was she doing this for? Just herself? Nah, no way. If it were only about her, she would've quit a long time ago. It's not like she had any grand aspirations to win the regionals or anything; that's the kind of motivation characters had in soap operas.
In the end, I guess I kept going because everybody believed in me. Nia smiled shyly at that embarrassing thought. They recognized my stealth skill as something "cool", even dubbed me the "Vanishing Phantom".
It was an apt name. Until she joined the club, Nia was just that, a phantom. She spent most of her days in this barren house that felt detached from the rest of the world.
Likewise, in school, Nia tried to not stand out. From the shadows, she has seen many examples of students being bullied whenever they tried to interact with their environment. So, that taught her a valuable lesson. If nobody ever sees her, nobody will ever be able to bully her. It was a bulletproof plan!
And so, she always kept a low profile in class. And, for the most part, she was content with this lifestyle. At least, that's what she told herself.
It was a risk-free life. Nia didn't have any close friends, but neither did she have any enemies. She simply existed out there. A translucent being, a phantom.
But then, on that fateful day, somebody pulled her out of that solitary dimension. The alien robot reached his hand to her, inviting her to step once again into the world of the living.
Reluctantly, Nia reached toward that hand. She didn't expect much, but she was curious. What would happen if she answered the call? Would she become something more than just a spirit who floated about?
So, she grabbed that hand, and Yuel showed no mercy. He yanked her and tossed her into a completely different world. The guy was like Alice's rabbit, leading her into a cruel wonderland.
Oh, I see now. Nia realized. For me, Yuel is like...