Chapter 96: Ripples of Affection *
Amelia felt a wave of warmth at their thoughtfulness and smiled. "Thanks, guys. Tomorrow would be perfect!"
As she spoke, a small, nearly imperceptible trace of disappointment flickered across the girls' faces. Hearing about the 'fantastical' nature of the Akashic Records made them eager to explore it, but they had to wait.
Noticing the subtle disappointment, Mikael added, "Actually, I'll need to enter the Records once before taking you with me. There's a special system upgrade I need to buy if I want to bring you along, and I can only get it inside the Records. If you want, I could go in now, and you can watch how it works. Consider it a little preview before the real thing tomorrow. What do you think?"
Lyra's expression immediately brightened with interest. Her gaze locked onto him, and she focused intently, as though determined not to miss a single detail of what would happen next.
Amelia, on the other hand, looked hesitant. "You said that you'd need to buy a 'system upgrade' to allow us to visit the Records. How much is it? Because if it's too expensive, you really don't need to buy it..."
Her words caught Lyra's attention, momentarily breaking her intense focus on Mikael. She nodded in agreement. "True, even if it would be sad not to see the marvel and wonder of the Records..." she said dreamily before coughing and adding, "But it's not a big deal!" she exclaimed, seemingly trying to convince herself.
A small smile appeared on Mikael's face at their reactions. "You misunderstood my words. The system upgrade I'm going to buy isn't just something that will allow you to visit the Records. No, it'll allow you to leave Dirarnia and come with me to explore other worlds in the future, so the price is totally worth it."
"Explore other worlds?" Amelia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Yeah. You remember the 'story' I just told you, about how I jumped from world to world? While I've been staying in Dirarnia for a while and plan to stay here for some time, one day, it's inevitable that I'll leave."
At his words, the girls' expressions turned uneasy. Noticing this, Mikael quickly reassured them, "Don't worry about it. When the time comes, you can come with me. If you prefer to stay here, I won't be upset. It's just that visiting you will be more complicated, and we'll see each other less often."
The women exchanged thoughtful looks as they considered what he'd just said, but Mikael cut their deliberation short. "There's no need to think too much about it right now. I plan to stay in this world for quite some time, so we don't need to delve into it yet. For now, I have a system upgrade to buy, and I should hurry since Amelia has her exam soon."