In total, it took one hour for both Seth and Rhys to find the children in the small store. Although the store wasn't exactly huge, the children were almost impossible to find.
The little girl in the corner's mom was an employee who brought her in, for a little bit, and he found the boy's dad talking to her, a little bit frantic just realising he lost his children.
Rhys and Seth soon spent the next hour looking with him for the other two children, one who managed to get into the ceiling, and another who was following another man who liked like the father.
Sighing in relief to himself that it was over, Rhys never wanted to go through that ever again. As they wished the father a farewell, and went back to getting the cups, Seth's affection rose by five, putting him at thirty-three.
"That much? I guess wasting my time isn't that bad." Rhys thought as the voice rang a "MISSION SUCCESS".
"Rewards upon completing where's dad? mission, one attribute point." The screen read as it took Rhys to the attribute page.
"That little? I did not just spent an hour trying to find a child crawling through a ceiling for a single attribute point!" He cried.
"You're not going to get two or three attribute points each time, you know? Sometimes you may not get any in general. Besides, Seth's affection raising so much could be considered a reward." Seth pointed out, as Rhys picked physical strength.
He hummed in acknowledgement, as he felt himself a little stronger. "How much could I lift right now?" He asked.
"The first attribute to anything is always better, so you're probably about to lift fifty pounds I guess? If you want to be really strong, you need to focus more on strength." Kane responded.
"By now I have around 12 attribute points spent in handsomeness right? Just how much before it's maxed?" Rhys asked, just waiting for the safe space to end.
"I can't tell you." Kane replied. He fully could tell Rhys, but it was funnier this way to see his obviously annoyed reaction.
As the safe space ended, Rhys decided to link his arms with Seth's, so that when they returned to walking it would have seemed like they had been doing it for awhile, Seth just didn't notice.
"You really meant it when you said you'd play offensive, host." Kane commented, watching the two boys.
It didn't take Seth long to notice as Rhys snuggled a little closer, causing him to blush. He didn't remember ever holding Rhys' hands, but it was plausible they had been holding hands, he thought.
His affection rose by one point, putting him at thirty-four. Great, Rhys thought as they made their way back over to their original aisle, releasing Seth to help pick the cups.
"I can really care them all, it's fine, they're just two boxes of twenty." Seth insisted, but Rhys still knew it'd be difficult.
"I'll take one of the boxes. It's really fine!" The two went back and forth and Seth finally gave in, despite their original agreement to let Seth carry them.
Rhys smiled but laughed on the inside. He was now strong, the most it would weight was ten pounds, it should be a walk in the park.
Taking one of the boxes, Rhys felt nothing in his arms at all, just that he was carrying something light. "It really does work!" He said, sounding so surprised.
"Well obviously, that's what strength means." Kane sarcastically replied to Rhys' amazement.
As the two paid and put them in the car, they headed on to the baker's, and picked up the cake with no problem, for once, much to Rhys' happiness.
When they arrived home, Cecelia asked the two what happened, seeing as they took nearly two hours to go for a quick half hour trip.
"Some kids got lost and we helped them find their parents." Rhys explained, with Seth giving a soft apology for coming late.
She smiled and laughed, thanking them and calling them to the garden, helping her finish up decorating.
The garden was genuinely beautiful, with hundreds of flowers all over the place, and the tables set out were beautifully decorated, thanks to Erin and Xavier.
The five of them finished setting things up for the next day by dinner time. Apologising for making them work and missing dinner, she paid the three targets, while Gabriel made an extravagant dinner.
"Are you sure this is fine? I think this is way too much for just a few hours of work." Erin asked, trying to be polite and not call her crazy for trying to give a few thousand a way to some kids she just met.
"I see where Reece's gets it from." Xavier whispered to Erin. He would understand if it were something like a hundred, but a thousand each?
"I'm starting to see why they freak out at me." Rhys commented to Kane, as she insisted and Gabriel brought out their dinner.
"I see where Rhys gets his cooking skills from." Seth joined the bandwagon, looking at the large variety of food.
As they ate, they talked about their time in classes, what their home life is like, hobbies, more and more, stuff even Rhys didn't know about.
He felt a slight pang in his chest, for reason he couldn't explain. He was learning more and more about the targets, which could be good, but at the same time it made him feel horrible.
Is it because he was starting to enjoy their company? There's no way, he insisted. All he was in this world to do was to claim their hearts, and move on so he could return to his own world, is all.
Or rather, did he feel pain because they were abandoned? He too, thought of them as people from a novel, and nothing more at first, but now, he can hear all the small details about their life that even the author didn't clearly think of, to them, this was reality.
Brushing his feelings away, Rhys finished dinner and occasionally joined the conversation before washing up the plates, asking to use the music room to be in best shape for tomorrow's performance.
As he entered, he took a deep breath and side to himself, running a hand through his hair as he took his seat, staring at the piano.
"The piano seems so familiar, yet I can't remember why." He muttered, the piano looked extremely beautiful, but at the same time it was old. It was a little odd, as he thought he would remember a square grand piano like this one.
It was now Kane's turn to feel a pant of sadness, reading Rhys' mind. The room was quiet, but Rhys' thoughts were like an explosion screaming out.
Sadness, pity, and a little bit of anger were all in his mind, even if he brushed away his early thoughts, they lingered at the back of his head. Kane wanted so badly to tell him sorry for the things only the system knew, but couldn't.
It was up to Rhys to understand on his own, and find out the truth. Only he can figure it out, before or after all his memories are stripped from him.
Kane was about to say something, anything to break the silence, but Rhys got to work and started to play the piano.
The room was soon filled with a fast pace and aggressive melody, even though Rhys had a gentle look on his face, his fingers were the exact opposite.
It was nearly like it was getting louder, louder, and louder. His hands moved up and down, left and right at such a fast pace it nearly looked like he hand four hands playing.
Kane knew Rhys was skilled, but never did he imagine to this extent, it nearly made him proud to have a host like him. Rhys' playing seemed to get even more aggressive, and continued for three whole minutes, and not once did he make a mistake in they keys he had touched.
Kane could hear it all in Rhys head, which key to press, where to move next, the speed he should continue at, along with the emotion behind it. It was merely a warm up to Rhys, to let out any pent up energy he had, but it could be a prize winning performance just like that.
"Even know he can't remember the significance of this piano to him while he plays it, it looks like he still knows he loves it." Kane thought to himself as the playing soon stopped, and Rhys wiped a bead off of his head.
"That's enough time to get back to warming up, I suppose." Rhys said as he stretched a little, focusing on the piano again, not quite proud of what he just played. Unbeknownst to him, the three targets were outside the door, listening.
Thanks to Xavier, they sneaked to the door, one minute before Rhys' warm up finished. Deciding staying outside wasn't enough, Xavier dragged them in quietly, and they watched him from the entrance. Kane who noticed them, decided to say nothing.
This time, the melody in the room completely contrasted what Rhys had just played. It was slow and graceful, light and elegant. The previous song was filled with strong fierce emotion, but this was like a lullaby, a calming feeling would sweep over any who listens to it.
He played on for four minutes, a gently smile on his face, while his movements were delicate, as if the piano would break if he played it too harshly once more.
As Xavier tried to clap, Seth had to hold his hands and shake his head no, remembering they were there in secret, rather than as an audience.
Rhys soon got up and went to the corner of the room, where a mini fridge was and got a bottle of water. He had never been in this house, but the longer he was in this room, the more familiar it felt, yet distant at the same time.
Brushing it off as the system giving him information slowly, Rhys took a swig of his water, before going back to playing, still unsatisfied.
Compared to the man who called himself his dad, Rhys felt as though he couldn't compare, something he hadn't felt in awhile. It was something that rivalled his own playing, it was worthy enough to make everyone drop what they were doing and solely pay attention to him.
The system mission was to perform something great, but Rhys wanted to go beyond that. He wanted to be the one people called perfect when he played, someone who will never be surpassed.
That's what he told himself, it was his huge ego, but rather, was it perhaps because the person he couldn't seem to recall praised him when he played his best for them? Would his dad feel the same joy?
But rather, who was this mysterious person? It's not like it mattered, he had met hundreds of musicians who loved to hear his playing, this was simply no different. He wanted his hard work to be admired, he convinced himself.
His playing soon got aggressive once more, as a whole new explosion of thoughts took over his head, it was nearly painful. He wanted to remember, but couldn't, and he soon realised, the system had stolen those memories from him as he failed his first mission. This room must have been important to him, at one point, yet it was taken too.
This annoyance that filled his entire body was because of the system, and his failures. Unable to accept it, he slowly got faster and faster. He said nothing, but it nearly sounded like he was screaming from the way he played.
Compared to the lullaby he just played, this piece mimicked a person's anger at their boiling point, and finally letting it all out. It was terrifying, yet impressive.
When he finished, he no longer felt like he was grasping for air. He was never one to get physically aggressive, he would always play it out, no matter how annoyed he was the piano helped him.
He was finally calmed, and took another drink of his water, continuing now with a clear head. His dad's skill likely mimicked his own, which is why it sounded so great, because the system used Rhys' knowledge and hard work, and poured it into that man as well.
His actual parents and him weren't so similar, but the more he thought of it, his mom here's garden was like his own at home, and his dad's cooking was like his, they seemed to have his level of skill at the moment, at least.
"It's impressive you understand that much, host. We only built your parent's in this world, and never explained how yet you understood a day after meeting them." Kane commented quietly, letting Rhys get back to playing.
The three targets in the back were shocked, he could play with such duality, and now he looked so calm, a slight smile on his face, as he switched to a beautiful piece.
He looked gentle yet again, and dignified. This time, he looked confident with what he played, he even dared to close his eyes as he played, listening along, while playing.
He never missed a key despite how long he had been playing for, despite how quickly he switched back and forth, with a music sheet even in front of him. He had memorised all of it, and he now knew he could be proud of it.
"A nineteen year old playing this much must seem a little impressive right?" Rhys commented, the first time he said something out loud since entering the room. In actuality, he was well in his mid-twenties, but now he was a little younger, not that he minded too much. All the knowledge and skill he has worked for, he has retained.
Happy about what he just played, he continued playing similar pieces for the next hour straight, only taking small one minute breaks in between, and finally settled out all the conflict in his head.
He decided it was okay to enjoy their company, but not to get too attached. This world was real to them, but wasn't his own. He knew he should act more carefully now, but he can't accept himself as part of the world. He didn't want to pity them, either, just because their author abandoned them. This wasn't the author's world anymore, but this was their world, and their lives. He was merely helping them get on the right track.
When he was finally done, he heard the three targets clapping, and their affection had all risen, after listening to his playing without him noticing, and even seeing a side to him he hadn't expressed to them before.
"How long have you three been there?" He asked, hoping not from the start, not wanting to lose affection points for showing that side of him, but upon hearing Erin's response, he apologised for his warm up songs.
"It's really fine! It was amazing, really. You're a really good pianist, your passion is admirable." Seth said, remembering his conversation earlier with Rhys.
"I agree! Reece's never shows us what he's feeling other than happiness though, so I'm happy I got to hear it." Xavier chimed in.
"You can be unhappy too, huh? Your face looked so funny when it was scrunched up. I have no clue what you were thinking about, but it's nice now that you're not anymore." Erin said, trying to find a good way to indirectly tell Rhys he cared for him.
Rhys laughed and brushed it off with a genuine smile, "I'm doing a lot better now. I think I've just been frustrated with this week." He said as he made his way over to them.
"Let's get to sleep, okay? My performance tomorrow will be ever better." He said as they agreed, heading off to their own rooms.
Xavier was now at thirty-seven, Seth at thirty-six, and Erin at twenty-seven. A massive win to Rhys at least, the cost of exposing his vulnerability to them. Satisfied with that amount, he called it a night not bothering to change, and soon fell asleep.