NOVEL SIMPLE New assisant (1)
After the first day of moving in, Charlotte has other stuff to do after she wakes up.
She held up the phone given to her by Issac and fiddled with it. She wonders how such a thing operates, how can the screen move with just a finger swipe. Issac told her not to download anything without Silla's permission. What even is a download? She wants to find out more.
But the footsteps approaching the door changed her focus. Charlotte put down her phone and sat cross-legged on the wood floor waiting for the door to be open. Eyes stuck to the door.
The door opened, and stepping in was a woman in business clothes. The first thing Charlotte noticed was her figure, very feminine with curves at all the right places, especially her breasts. The girl could almost hear the desperate cries of the buttons containing those mountains. Then her ashen gray hair, as if it was a waterfall which end and rested at her butts.
Her eyes are similar to Charlotte's, carrying an azure glow to them.
"So.", she spoke in an annoyed voice, "I'm Athen Argentum, just call me Athen. From today onward I'll be your assistant, bodyguard, or whatever. I'll be stuck with you."
Charlotte nodded, simply accepting it.
"Tch, say something will you? I don't like the quiet type at all.", she sighed, "Alright, we have a lot of things to do today."
Athen took out her phone, scrolling through the list of activities.
"First, after we have breakfast we'll head to the library to pick up some books. Then pick some clothes. After that... damn, combat training? Are they raising you as some sort of assassin?"
"Ass... sassin?", Charlotte tilted her head.
"People who kill for money. Though I am a mercenary, I specialized in other things other than killing.", Athen explained then look at her phone again, "Fuc— I mean, dammit, I'll be your trainer."
"Is there... anything wrong with that?"
"No... it's... It's just a personal matter. Ugh, I thought I would just watch over some kid, but noooo~ I have to babysit her.", she rolled her eyes.
She's fun
Charlotte stood up from her spot, going to the closet to take her hat out.
"Why do you need that?", Athen raised an eyebrow.
"I feel better with this, it feel safer when I wear this."
"Hmph.", Athen shrugged, "Everyone got their special something."
Charlotte took her words as it is without thinking further. She went past Athen, and the woman's eyes followed her movement, keeping track of the girl.
=0=0=0=
The breakfast served to her was simple, egg fried rice with a side of pork. Charlotte finished it in silence, not that the meal was bad, it was delicious in fact, she just enjoyed her meal in silence.
Though her emotionless mask made Athen annoyed. The woman did not like it.
"At least show some emotion! Smile!", she slammed on the table.
Charlotte did not flinch at all. Rather, seeing someone's annoyed face made her chuckle inside, not that she would show it. But she still smiled, tried to anyway.
"... Nevermind. You look creepy, your deadpan expression is better than it."
Athen took out her phone again, reading something Charlotte did not catch. So Charlotte leaned over to the other side.
Though, Athen pushed her face away, shouting angrily, "Geez! There is something called personal space!"
Charlotte obediently sits back down, while taking the water cup to cleanse her mouth.
"Ha... a troublesome girl.", she sighed, "Alright, let's head to the library, we have a year to get ready"
"Ready for what?"
"School, you'll enter Ataraxia Academy, the school for Gem Holder or something. Your assignment is to awaken your Gem."
"But mine was already awakened.", Charlotte simply spoke before finishing her water.
Athen stares dumbfoundedly at the girl. She just admitted that her Gem was awakened, yet it still has the black color of an unawakened one.
"Just to confirm, do you hear a voice in your head? Or a growl at all?", Athen quickly dialed her phone, calling someone but still keeping eye contact with Charlotte.
"Sometimes"
This made Athen facepalmed, gritting her teeth in frustration. The girl, on the other hand, was oblivious to the mercenary's reaction. Why is it that important?
Because~it is! The cat is out of the box now, so let me introduce myself to you!
"The voice started to speak again.", Charlotte said to Athen.
I am Akashic Reverie, the embodiment of human imagination!
"It said it was Akashic."
"Akashic?", Athen once again stares at Charlotte with a dumbfounded look.
Her phone beeped, and the person she called finally picked up the phone.
"Director, Charlotte's Gem is an awakened one. Its color is just black, you made a mistake thinking it was unawaken."
Charlotte can hear the other side too.
[What's the Gem's name? Did she say it?]
"Yeah, Akashic was it's name. THE Akashic in Akashic Records"
[Got it]
The Director hung up. Athen just sighed.
"Hell, let's get going to the library right now.", Athen sighed before standing up, leaving first.
Charlotte did not waste any time, following the woman. Her quick steps caught onto Athen quickly, slowing down when she was next to her.
"What is Akashic?"
"Akashic as we understand is all of human knowledge in data form, stored in a place named Akashic Records. Some people say it contained what we humans built and will build, if we get access to it then basically a utopia can be created."
Sounds big, can you do that?
The voice of Akashic did not answer. Charlotte did not pursue too.
"Charlotte.", Athen drew her attention, "No matter what people say or tell you to do, remember, you have the final say in everything you do."
Charlotte nodded. She did not know why but those words made her feel safe, just like her hat.
"If words got out that your Gem is humanity's records, you would need to defend yourself.", a smile blooms on the woman's face, "Suddenly, I got motivated again, I will train you into a fucking beast of a girl!"
Athen raised her arms, giving out a strong breath from her nose. Charlotte, infected by the mood of the mercenary also raised her arms high.
With high spirits, they both go to the library not far from Project Belial's area. People gave them weird looks, but the pair did not care.
=0=0=0=
The library was big, simply just big. Bookshelves stretching beyond the horizon. Well, not quite, Charlotte can see the end but it is still very far away.
They met up with a librarian, wearing the pin of a quill on her chest.
"I have already prepared your subject books, you can freely choose what you want to get.", the librarian said with a kind smile.
"Alright, you can get whatever you want. But don't bother other people, understand?"
Charlotte nodded before entering the library, with Athen following behind. This place feels like a labyrinth, filled with knowledge the girl cannot even imagine.
She passed by the Science section, going for a book about animals.
"'Wonders about our nature'.", she read the title.
She opened the first page, it was about an animal called 'mouse', the plural form is 'mice'. It mainly talks about how mice, with bias, are the perfect coward created by nature, from how they hide in the dark and only go out at night, to their sense of hearing to stay out of people's way. The most intriguing fact about it is how its front teeth can grow infinitely so it needs to nibble on objects to wear them down, sometimes breaking them, not stopping there, those teeth somehow stay sharp and can puncture through human skin if they are long enough.
Certainly, quite weird when compared to the human body. Charlotte turned to the next page.
The second page was about 'shark', the plural form is 'sharks'. These predators of the sea existed well before the dawn of man, the fact that they only went through very minor changes on the path of evolution proved that the species perfected its form of hunting, the best of the best. It can catch the smell of blood from miles away, and nowhere is safe from the predator. Because of its blue color, the shark is practically invisible to the few enemies it has in the vast ocean, the white underbelly of the beast too possesses this kind of action.
"A predator that rules the sea...", Charlotte looked to Athen, demanding her attention, "What is the sea?"
"A large body of water that covers the entire world. It is also the origin of all life.", Athen's eyes dart around, making sure no one was watching, "Don't your Akashic say anything? It is supposed to be the records of everything related to humans."
Charlotte shook her head, she had no recollection or knowledge of that subject. Akashic would not tell her either, given the silence.
"Ha... give that book to me, I'll carry it. You can go back to your room and read it after we are done."
Charlotte wanted to read the book more, but she gave it to Athen in the end. Losing her book, Charlotte went away to find another one to replace it.
She dashed through the bookshelves, trying to find a replacement. She went out of the Biology Section, making a right turn and back into the shelves, entering the History section.
She looked at the books, one title caught her attention.
"'Dawn of man'...", Charlotte read the title, remembering the exact words in the previous book.
Athen from behind grabbed the book out of the shelf, her eyes following it.
"Another one to the mix. Go on, pick the next one.", the woman urged.
Seeing the thickness of the two books, Charlotte thinks she took enough for the first day. She calculated the number of pages, finding them to be over 200 pages, combined with the books she received but she saw it would be difficult for her to read all if she continued to get more.
"That will be all", Charlotte stated.
"Hm, thought you would become a nerd.", Athen chuckled.
Charlotte tilted her head, "What is a nerd?"
"A person that reads too much, is always quiet, and usually ignored by everyone."
"Sounds comfortable" doing things without anyone to disturb must be nice.
"It is not... Ah, I see your point.", Athen sighed again, "Let's decide your fashion next, luckily, we will just have to browse online."
"Fashion?"
"What you wear, a girl needs to look good."
Charlotte pointed at her hat, "Does this count as fashion?"
"Eh, it could but very few things fit with it, usually going to a club or something, or a gang boss."
"Sounds troublesome"
"It is!", the woman shouted, prompting a librarian to pop out of nowhere to show her before leaving, "Sorry... anyway, I will probably choose for you, since you seem to not care about what you look like."
"Thank you?"
"What's with the question mark?!", Athen shouted again.
Another librarian popped out to smack her in the head before disappearing between the bookshelves.
"Gah! I swear these librarians are ninjas. Is this what they call territory buff?", Athen sighed, "Anyway, let's go give these books to Laura then it's training time."