Chapter 220: Chapter 197 : Bench Warmer

Ray plopped himself down and shut his eyes. He was in the outside world, once again seated on the southern bench overlooking the Lake of Endless Ripples. The morning mist was thicker today and smothered most of the area around the artificial lake. Ray kept the mist and accompanying chill at bay, opening a large space around him with his telekinesis while maintaining a full-body Psi barrier. He glowed blue, body as warm as it was under the thick sheets.

‘A minute to go,’ Ray thought as he counted down in his head.

He had come to make good on his words to Lane. With no time scheduled, the Transmigrator decided to revisit the bench at the same time as yesterday. If Lane’s words were to be believed, the former assassin would pass by the area in a minute or so. Until then, Ray waited…and sipped. He helped himself to the milkshakes in their dorm room fridge that Ralf had bought yesterday.

One might think his choice was odd given his aversion to all things cold but Ray would think otherwise. To him, a milkshake was a beverage suited for all occasions and conditions. And so, he lowered his body temperature at the cost of the familiar pleasure.

Sipping away, his mind slipped away, swept away by the waves of bliss. His expression followed suit and loosened to form a look of simple pleasure. It would linger in this state for some thirty seconds more before suddenly tensing up. Another had arrived. Their footsteps closed in and before long, they joined him on the bench.

However…

Ray ceased his sipping and sent a side-eye at his guest, who greeted him with a cheeky smile that wouldn’t be out of place on Ralf’s face. He sighed internally. If Lane was the easiest to deal with, Charlotte was the exact opposite. He rallied his internal defences at once - he needed to.

“Surprised?” she started.

“A bit. He told you?”

“Yeah, the others too,” Charlotte nodded before turning to the lake and following up in a softer voice. “Was he not supposed to?”

“...It’s fine,” Ray shrugged, “What's done is done, we’d have to meet eventually anyway."

Charlotte's expression brightened. “Mm, good to hear. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while, Ray. I’m quite the fan.”

“Swell.”

"That's it? Not going to give me some candy? I wouldn't turn away another level up," she said, looking at her expelled Rank 6 aura with a gleeful look.

"Giving candies to fans is more of Ralf's thing. Also, I've no candies to give out," Ray said, tapping his coat.

"It doesn't have to be candy. I'd even settle for a sip of your milkshake. How about it? Can I have a taste of your milkshake, Ray?" she asked, glancing his way and thumbing her lips.

Ray's eyes twitched. 'Ah, already.' A sigh escaped his lips before he knew it. He glanced rightward, to Charlotte, who presented an innocent face, as though ignorant about the double meanings her words and tone inspired. 'This vixen is troublesome. Luckily...I came prepared.'

"I'll do you one better. Here you go. Savour it well."

Charlotte's eyes flickered with surprise and then disappointment as she watched Ray reveal a second milkshake hidden from view. Ray popped in the straw and floated it over to Charlotte's front.

"Oh...thanks," she said, taking hold of the milkshake. "This was for Lane?"

"Yeah," Ray confirmed with a subtle smile, happy at clearing the speedbump. To celebrate, he wrapped his lips around his straw and took a lengthy sip.

Charlotte took a sip as well. Failing to unbalance her opponent hadn't dampened her mood in the slightest, rather the lights in her gaze only brightened.

'First step cleared,' she thought happily.

Noticing Ray glancing around and understanding its meaning, Charlotte spoke up. “Lane won’t be joining us. We decided, that a one-on-one format would be best for a first-time meeting.”

“You have my thanks. It was a wise decision. Though, why have the final boss make its entrance so early?"

Charlotte’s lips tugged up at the compliment. “Our order was based on a dice roll. I came in first place. Thus, here I am.”

“I see,” Ray said flatly.

Charlotte’s smile remained undaunted. “Let’s play some games and chat, shall we?”

“Sure.”

Following the reply, Charlotte sent a telepathic link out and Ray summoned the Psi Controllers. The pair started with a fighting game, both opting to fight as scantily-clad females. Noteworthy was the fact that Charlotte’s scantily-clad character was her own character. Ray couldn’t help but squint; Ralf had done her 3-D model injustice.

While the Transmigrator showed an awkward look, Charlotte sported a knowing smile as she watched herself jiggle about. Though, a frown quickly found itself on her face as Ray's character unleashed combo after combo. And the frown turned into a scowl once she discovered Ralf's cheeky new addition. After her character was defeated, a paintball gun came flying in from the background. Ray’s character caught it, aimed down and then fired at her exposed bottom before cackling in triumph.

Needless to say, they quickly changed games. Next was a co-op shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world that had fallen to rogue AIs where players had to survive swarms of killer robots.

Babel's game library had a lot of sci-fi games. Charlotte and the others were baffled at first but after repeated exposure and explanations from Ralf, they had gotten used to the extraordinary ideas presented in Babel's various media. They treated advanced tech no different than magic, which it essentially was.

The pair, like Lane and Ray, did yesterday, fell into a lull as they focused on gaming. Minutes in, Charlotte broke this comfortable silence with a question that had been gnawing at her.

"Hey, I was curious about something. Ralf told us about how two can share memories. My question is this, how much exactly? What percentage of memories do you share between yourselves. 50% More? Less?"

"Couldn't tell you the exact percentage...it's definitely less than 50% though," Ray answered as he gunned down droves of flying drones. "We share plenty. Though, since coming to the Academy, we’ve shared less and less. Still, we...always make sure to share the important stuff," he said before taking another sip.

"Hm, important stuff, huh," muttering, Charlotte’s eyes narrowed as a devious thought visited her mind. She reined in her smile and moved forward with her ploy.

"I see, so important stuff will be shared. Then, I take it you’re aware that Ralf and I had sex yesterday."

“-Ough urgh uaahaa…”

Ray's reaction was immediate. He convulsed in shock, spittles of milkshake spraying out of his mouth like shotgun shells. At the same time, some milkshake entered the wrong pipe and he was thrown into a coughing fit, his cool mask shredded as his expression crumbled into disarray.

Watching this play out, Charlotte’s face welcomed the brightest of smiles. Joy and satisfaction ravaged her being, vibrating her body before exiting as a string of delighted giggles.

'This damn...'

Ray collected and cleaned himself up after a few seconds before sending a glare her way. The Onic Master didn't falter before it, sending a triumphant smirk in return. The Transmigrator could do nothing before said expression and looked away in defeat. He sighed a long-suffering sigh, she had got him good.

“...A test?” he asked to confirm.

“Indeed. Just wanted to see how you’d react and…you didn’t disappoint, that was quite something, ahaha.” Charlotte was joyous at her major victory; in her mind, it more than made up for her earlier string of losses to him.

'Can't win at Psi games, so resorts to mind games. I should have expected this from her.'

Ray smiled bitterly, enduring the sonic attack. He didn’t hold any hard feelings, he wasn’t one to hold a grudge or cry over spilt milk…shake after all.

“Haa, let’s just continue playing.”

“Of course.”

The pair would burn the next thirty minutes on games and chatter. Just as with Lane, Ray slowly got more comfortable around Charlotte, and words began flowing back and forth between the two no different than a yo-yo by the end. This wasn’t too surprising though. Charlotte was in many ways similar to Ralf, so after jumping the initial high huddle, talking to her was pretty easy. And aside from some trying moments here and there, it was pretty fun too.

Just like yesterday, dawn's first light signalled the end of the meeting, at least in Charlotte's mind. She got up and after a simple stretch, turned to Ray.

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"Interesting meeting you, Ray. You were a bit different from what I expected, in a good way."

"You're exactly as I expected you'd be, in a bad way," Ray returned with a wry smile.

Charlotte smirked. "I see, good to hear. Let's pick this up another time, yeah? I'd stay longer but I have beauties to cuddle up to, and I'm not missing that for anything," she thought, stepping in place as she imagined the warm bodies of the Mimics still in bed. Anticipation tugging at her figure like invisible strings, the Onic Master turned and rushed out her last words.

"See ya, around. Oh, and don't forget about tonight. Skye's next. Go easy on him. Also," she paused, slowing down her cadence, "thanks for the milkshake. Next time, I'll treat you to whatever you want."

Delivering her words with a mischievous wink and smile, Charlotte took a moment to gauge Ray's reaction, before turning and strutting off with giddy steps and a satisfied look on her face.

Her figure was swallowed by the white mist, lingering as an alluring silhouette for a few seconds before vanishing from sight. She disappeared from Ray's view but not his mind, whose thoughts continued to revolve around her. Only a minute later did he manage to escape his daze, greatly aided by the distant whispers reaching his ears.

Ray jolted up, summoned his Psi Bike and bolted for Prime. Ten minutes later, fives minutes after reaching the room, he shifted to the Mental Space and as a wise man, continued to work on his current projects.

***

11 pm, same day…

“...Sarah Anquila…Latina Abrahams….Jona Episcoti…”

Skye hadn't beaten around the bush, visiting Ray as a gale instead of the usual breeze he was. Upon taking a seat, the first thing the air Mimic did was recite names. After each name, a pause, and in that pause, both Ray and the air Mimic’s expressions subtly shifted. Where the former’s face welcomed more and more confusion, the latter’s face welcomed more and more disappointment. At the fifteenth failure, Skye couldn’t help but release a long sigh, giving up.

“Am I…supposed to know who these people are?” Ray asked, his forehead thoroughly wrinkled up.

Skye sighed again. “As long as you weren’t born yesterday or have been living under a rock, then yes, you should. They’re famous celebrities, most from Sivilan Square. Sarah Anquila: she played the protagonist in Sunday’s Best.”

“Never heard of that either,” Ray said dryly, totally indifferent to the matter.

The air Mimic shook his head. “Whether you have an interest in celebrities isn’t important, it’s that you know them, well, how they look. My perfect personality test relies on this knowledge.”

“Personality test?” Ray repeated with a raised brow before sipping on his milkshake.

The air Mimic nodded. “Indeed. One's taste reflects one's personality. This is undeniable. Still, some tastes are more important than others. Your favourite fruit won't tell me much about who you are as a person. However, the same can't be said of your taste in women - well, women in your case, because I know you're straight."

Ray affirmed with a nod.

Skye continued. "Long story short, I've developed, after years of careful research and consideration, a personality test that uses one's preferences as data, and can now work out anybody’s personality with a simple question. The celebrities I mentioned all fell into their own individual categories. Depending on the reactions you had and the combination you selected, I would've been able to accurately place you in the correct box,” he said, rubbing his hairless chin with the air of a renowned scholar.

“I see, a shame, I suppose.”

“No need to fret, the analysis can continue. We just have to substitute those celebrities for people we’re both familiar with. Ray, of all the females in our class, which three have physical features that closest match up to your preferences? Place them in order, from gold to bronze."

“Why should I reveal that to you? To someone, I’ve just met." Despite his words, Ray's tone was mellow, not strongly opposed to the idea of sharing.

Skye sensed this and persisted. “You can refrain from sharing, that’s fine. You’ll win nothing and lose nothing. On the other hand, if you provide me with an honest answer, I’ll consider you my 'brother' from this day onwards.”

Ray didn’t bite at the offer and instead chose to continue sipping.

Ignoring the 'brother' talk, he parted his lips and said, "How about you spill first, and I'll think about it."

"Sure," Skye said, showing an excited smile. "The person who most closely matches my tastes is…Emma. Close contenders would be Robin and Kailey, in that order. Frankly, all of them knock off every checklist. Petite and cute, soft-spoken and sweet, in short, I'm into wallflowers, preferably those whose cheeks are perpetually rosy.”

“So, the opposite of your sister,” Ray made the observation.

Skye nodded deeply. “The opposite of my sister…and mother. I figure it’s kind of a push-pull type of situation. They definitely played some role in why my preferences are what they are. The strong, sexy and assertive types just aren’t my thing. I'd prefer to be gently nibbled on, not chewed to bits, and a lot of ladies in our class give me that vibe. The likes of Violet, Yuki, and Elena, who all have an undercurrent of intensity below the surface instantly turn me off," he said, analysing his tastes precisely.

Finishing up with a nod, the air Mimic turned to Ray with an expectant look. “Okay, your turn, Ray. Give me a name, three...or more if you wish. Which three gals strike your fancy the most?"

Put on the spot, Ray shut his eyes and contemplated. Not Skye’s question’s answer but whether he should answer it in the first place. After a back and forth, he decided he might as well. Skye's bulldozer tactic had been effective in winning over Ray.

He didn’t know what this ‘brother’ title entailed but he wasn’t too opposed to getting it. Once decided on that matter, he focused on the question’s answer. When he did, three familiar faces immediately barged into his mind. And how could they not?

Charlotte, Violet and Yuki were among the most attractive people Ray had ever seen, in this world, his previous world and even from what he could remember from One World.

Still, while these were his feelings, he definitely wasn’t about to name-drop them here, for obvious reasons. His mind's eyes shifted off the podium and to a close fourth.

“Illuya. The excessive jewellery and tattoos aren’t my thing but everything else…pretty much,” Ray said. While his words served as a misdirect, they were still nonetheless honest.

Skye noted their veracity with a nod. “An excellent choice. Illuya certainly is a rare gem, one that’s both sexy and sweet. I can’t say I’m surprised by the choice. From the Challenger Series footage, I figured the Western aesthetic was up your alleyway. Silver being after gold…makes sense.”

Ray shrugged. “It’s not like I’m interested in her as her person, I just find her overall look appealing, that’s all.”

“I see, noted. Then, I’ll take your answer as is, and run it through my advanced algorithm. Now, the next two names."

"Elena and Nazo," Ray said with a straight face, employing the unsung Poker Face technique.

"Oh, mmm, I see, that's...interesting," Skye said, face contorting as he couldn't readily compute the results. "Um, very well, answers accepted. I'll be processing them in the background, so why don’t we play some games in the meantime. I hear that’s what you usually do during these things.”

“Sure.”

The pair proceeded to play Psi games and chat. Unlike the topics his sister brought up, that of trying to coax out Ralf’s weaknesses from Ray or attempting to form an alliance with Ray to actively plot against his other self, Skye’s topics focused on games and anime, mostly the latter. Amidst the praise and discussion, the air Mimic slipped in requests for Ray to focus on certain works and adapt others.

Ray kept his ears open to it all, though he maintained a noncommital stance, that is, until the last request. Before making it, Skye crept closer and practically whispered it to him.

Hearing the name of the book Skye wanted an anime adaption for, Ray’s eyes flickered with several different emotions. Having started publishing over two centuries ago with regular releases, The Lady in White was easily the most renowned and popular erotic novel in Inis, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other literary giants like the Dragon Prince series. Ray, with a lot of time on his hands, had stumbled upon the work and needless to say, he was a fan.

The Transmigrator had been meaning to usher in more erotic works, so the air Mimic's suggestion was the perfect excuse for him to do so. To Hana's inevitable questioning, he would explain that he was commissioned to do the work for a high price.

Ray gave Skye a thumbs up, which provoked a sly smile from the air Mimic.

“I knew I could count on you, Ray - no brother Ray,” Skye said jubilantly, before dropping his hand on the Transmigrator's shoulder and patting away.

Ray accepted his words and touch while showing a slight smile. While he couldn’t label the other as 'brother' at this time, Skye was certainly a man of culture, and that, at the very least, put him in good standing with Ray.

The rest of their session was a pleasant breeze. Once thirty minutes elapsed, Skye floated up and said his farewells and left.

In the session’s aftermath, Ray sat staring at the rippling lake with an amused look on his face, Skye’s words echoing through his head. Minutes later, he ceased his idling and propelled himself up and onwards. He had several requests to complete after all.

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