"It depends on the cause of death." Alice sat on the opposite couch and faced Abbie. "For example Alex was shot by a gun and died because of it. If that happens he would disappear and you would not be able to summon him for a week. He would need to recuperate within the temple of Edea."
Abbie felt relieved when she heard Alice's explanation. "One week is good. As long as they don't permanently die then it's fine."
"You're being too optimistic. I just gave you one example." Alice snorted. "Then let's go to another 'What If' scenario. What if Alex's body was turned into mincemeat? For example he was hit by a missile, caught in an explosion, burned in a fire, or any event that would destroy his body. What do you think would happen then?"
"Uh, wouldn't he be able to recover after a week?"
"Of course not. If his body is destroyed you need to buy an item in the game to fully restore his body. That item is very expensive! Although you can get it during a quest mission, the chances of it dropping from a Raid Boss are extremely small."
"What is the name of that item?"
"Yggdrasil leaf. It is an item that is needed to resurrect a hero. You won't be able to summon Alex until his body is fully restored. So make sure that he doesn't get involved in an accident where his body turns into minced meat!"
"I will keep that in mind." Abbie vowed that she would not allow Alex to suffer such a fate.
Alice nodded her head. "There are still a few things that I need to tell you, but we can resume our talk after you finish school. Why don't you go back to your dormitory and leave Alex here in the meantime? You can pick him up after school tomorrow."
"Can't I just carry him around in my I-Foam just like what you do to Aiden?" Abbie asked.
"You can, but it would be best to let him stay in the real world instead."
"Oh? For what reason?"
"He's the perfect hug pillow! Let me borrow him for a night!"
"Rejected!"
The two argued for a while. In the end, Abbie decided to bring Alex to her dormitory. Although it was a dormitory exclusive for girls, she thought that having a little boy with her wouldn't be too much of a big deal. After all, Alex was only eight-years-old—according to the character information in the game.
Also, she would not take the chance of leaving Alex in Alice's custody. The look on the shotacon's face couldn't be trusted! She would rather bring Alex with her and risk offending their Dorm Head than let Alice have her way with him! Nope! Not happening on my watch!
In the end, Alice compromised and offered to drive both of them to Abbie's dormitory. Since it was a little late, Abbie happily accepted the offer.
Inside the car, Abbie watched in amusement as Alex stuck his head out the car's window. The little shota was looking at everything with unrestrained curiosity. He paid close attention to the cars that passed by, the people walking on the streets, and the lights that shone down from the buildings. He was like a country bumpkin who was visiting the city for the first time. Well, technically, he was a country bumpkin, so it was fine!
Alice was watching Alex from the car's rear view mirror and saw everything. Since she was an expert in reading the body language of people, she decided to score some brownie points in order to raise the affection level of the cutie she had set her eyes on.
"Abbie, we're almost back to the park where I met you. If your dormitory is not far from this area, should we park the car and just walk towards our destination?" Alice asked. "It would also help Alex get familiar with the surroundings."
Abbie thought that Alice's suggestion was good. At most it would only take them ten to fifteen minutes to walk to her dormitory from the nearby park.
"Sounds good. Let's do that," Abbie replied while brushing Alex's head with her hand. The shota's hair was smooth to the touch and Abbie felt comfortable brushing it with her hand.
'Is this what it feels like to have a pet?' Abbie thought with a smile. She had never found the time to raise a pet when she was young. She grew up taking care of her little sister while her mother worked in her company. The chubby girl gazed at the young boy beside her with gentle eyes.
Abbie had already forgotten her initial disappointment from her hero summoning. Although she didn't get the SSR Champion that she desired, she believed that it was fate that brought Alex and her together.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the park.
After parking the car, Alice personally opened the car door on Alex's side. She helped the shota disembark and firmly held his hand. Alex glanced anxiously at Abbie which made him look like a child that was about to be sold off to a human trafficker.
Abbie chuckled because of how cute he looked. In order to calm the little boy, she firmly gripped his hand. Alex calmed down after being held and smiled sweetly at his master.
"Kuh!"
"S-So cute!"
The two ladies had no resistance against Alex's passive attacks and took damage!
"A-Although Alice is a bit weird, she's not a bad person," Abbie stuttered as she forcefully averted her gaze from the shota's angelic smile. "Do your best to get along with her, but don't let her lock you up in a room. If she does anything funny, feel free to hit her with your short sword!"
"Oi! Don't teach kids about using violence!" Alice reprimanded. Although she wanted to shower Alex with hugs and kisses, she didn't plan on doing something overboard. She didn't want the cute shota to hate her.
Alex looked at Alice with innocent eyes. "Big Sister Alice, can I trust you?"
"Of course! You can trust me!" Alice answered without batting an eye. "I will do my best to assist you and Abbie when you take on missions. You can count on me!"
Alice patted her voluptuous chest. Her endowment was enough to make grown men go crazy. Unfortunately for her, it had no effect on Alex. He only had eyes for his Master Abbie. Her summoning pulled him out of the dark world where he had been held captive for thousands of years.
Alice lightly pinched Alex's cheeks while biting her lip. Her desire to swap with Abbie was rekindled so she decided to try her luck one last time.
"Abbie, the offer still stands. If you want to swap just call me any--"
"Nope. Not happening!"
"Tsk!"
Alex ignored the two of them as his head turned from left to right looking at his surroundings. Everything felt new to him. He had many questions that he would like to ask, but he was afraid that his Master might find him annoying.
As the group of three made their way towards Abbie's dormitory, they found themselves face to face with two girls who were carrying what seemed to be snacks from a convenience store after making a left turn.
"Hm? Is that you, Abbie?" A girl with long dark-brown hair, tied with a brown ribbon asked. The light from the outdoor post light was not bright enough to see her face clearly, but Abbie was able to recognize her hair color.
"Rachel? What are you doing out here this late in the night?"
"You're one to talk." The girl named Rachel wrinkled her nose. "It's still a few minutes before curfew. We were planning to watch a movie so we decided to buy a few snacks before the 'Old Hag' closed the gates of the dormitory."
"Rachel, let's go. I don't want to get punished!" the other girl, who was standing beside Rachel, urged.
"Right, we don't have time for this! Abbie, let's go!" Rachel walked past Abbie in a hurry while carrying the bags of snacks in her hands. "We bought enough snacks so you can join us if you are interested. You only have a few minutes so you'd better hurry up as well."
"Yikes! I almost forgot about the old hag!" Abbie immediately looked at the watch on her wrist. It was five minutes before nine in the evening. No one was allowed to be outside past nine o'clock, and those who broke the curfew would be heavily reprimanded by their short tempered Dorm Head.
"Alice, let's talk again tomorrow," Abbie said anxiously. "Tomorrow is Saturday and we don't have school. We can continue our discussion when morning comes."
"Good. I still have to bring you to the company tomorrow to sign the NDA. Make sure to be ready by ten in the morning. Understood?"
"Ten? That's fine with me. I'll be expecting you tomorrow. Goodbye!" Abbie ran without looking back. She was holding Alex's hand as she made her way to her dormitory. The two barely passed through the gates when they saw a lady wearing large old-fashioned glasses.
Her long black hair was tied up in a bun like the Chinese actresses that Abbie saw on T.V. She was carrying a padlock in her hand and her expression was cold and aloof. She was the Dorm Head of the girl's dormitory, Yue Ying.
(A/N: Yue Ying meaning smart and kind. )
The residents of the dormitory gave her the nickname "Old Hag" because she was like a grandma who was a stickler for the rules and nagged everyone who broke them.
But in reality, Yue, was a very beautiful lady. There were even a few brave individuals who had tried to confess to her in the past, but all of them were firmly shot down. This cold Empress of the female dormitories was aloof and none were able to conquer her cold heart.
"Good evening, Dorm Head."
"Good evening, Miss Matthews."
An awkward silence fell after their greeting ended. Abbie didn't want to stay so she decided to go back to her room with Alex and sleep. They still had to meet Alice in the morning and finalize the signing of her contract.
"I know that Dorm Head is busy, so please don't mind me!" Abbie said as she moved aside to let her Dorm Head close the gates. "I'll be off to my room. Goodnight and sweet dreams!"
Abbie was about to make a run for it when a cold and sharp tone stopped her in her tracks.
"Miss Matthews."
"Y-Yes, Dorm Head?"
"Who is that child?"