Chapter 35
8 AM, Saturday
Yesterday, a knot of worry had tightened in my stomach when class ended and I couldn’t find Macaron outside. He was nowhere in his usual spots, and a cold dread began to creep in. I hurried back to my room, my heart pounding with a frantic rhythm. Luckily, he was there, sprawled on my bed. He must have sensed something was seriously wrong with himself and returned home.
I found him lying still, unnervingly so. It was almost as if he were dead. Panic flared as I quickly checked his pulse, pressing my fingers against his neck. Thankfully, I could still feel the faint, steady beat of his heart. ’It’s probably because of the update,’ I reasoned, trying to quell the rising fear.
I sat in front of him, carefully checking if he’s still breathing while looking at the hologram infront of me.
I sat in front of him, my gaze fixed on his unmoving form, carefully checking for the shallow rise and fall of his chest to confirm he was still breathing.
At the same time, I was staring at the holographic screen hovering in front of me, displaying the maddeningly slow progress of his system update.
[Updating...77%]
I couldn’t help but feel a mix of curiosity and anxiousness. Curious because of what the new features this supposedly "amazing" update would bring and anxious because up until now, after hours of waiting, it was still stuck on the 77% mark and Macaron was still not awake.
My mind was in a whirlwind of possibilities and concerns when my smartwatch suddenly buzzed to life which jolted me from my thoughts. I checked the screen, a notification having just appeared.
[An investment account for Remillia Lockhart has been approved.]
A part of me felt a flicker of satisfaction but that feeling was quickly overshadowed by the persistent, gnawing worry about Macaron.