The first rays of sunlight filtered through Noa's bedroom curtains. The room was serene, with only the sound of Noa's gentle breathing as he slept. Suddenly, a loud voice from Cloud, the cleaning robot, jolted Noa awake.
"Noa, wake up! I made breakfast for you," Cloud said.
"Hm… Thank you," Noa hoarsely murmured as his mind gradually awakened.
Noa slowly opened his eyes, stretching his arms wide and rubbing them. His head throbbed, and flashes of scenes appeared in his mind, coming from nowhere. Maybe they were shadows of his past, popping up randomly.
He got out of his bed and started preparing himself for the day. He wore a chocolate field jacket, a soft blue chambray shirt, and khaki pants.
After finishing, Noa headed to the living room and took a seat at his sofa. Not far from his feet, Eden, his new roommate and assistant, was still fast asleep in his sleeping bag.
Cloud whirred over to Noa with a tray holding a steaming plate of sandwiches.
Noa gratefully took the tray, accidentally smelling the aroma of the freshly cooked meal.
"No offense, but what is this, Cloud?" Noa furrowed his brows, scrutinizing the sandwich.
"It's a sandwich."
"Doesn't look like it." Noa lifted the sandwich and looked at it from all angles. It seemed to be made with waffles and syrup instead of bread and mustard.
"I'm sure it tastes good," Cloud replied confidently.
Not convinced, Noa rhetorically asked, "How can you be sure?"
"Try it first."
He took a bite, not at all worried. As a soldier, the taste of the food is the least of his worries. Some food were downright horrendous back at the base camp. Aside from that, there were even synthetic foods that tasted bland.
Noa asked, "Are you making breakfast for Eden too?"
"No, it's not my duty," Cloud replied.
"Well, I was about to order you to make him breakfast too, but I changed my mind after seeing what you've made. At least, you're good at cleaning." Noa finished the sandwich.
Cloud's inability to cook must be his fault. Back when Noa was creating the robot, he panicked when he saw So-Rin placing the materials into the crafting machine. He rushed and didn't finish customizing Cloud's AI.
"Don't worry, I'll cook my own food." Eden's voice pulled Noa's attention. Noa hadn't noticed that Eden had woken up and saved his automatic sleeping bag in his inventory.
"Are you going on duty?" Eden asked.
"No, I'm on a break for a few weeks after Basic Combat Training followed by Advanced Individual Training. Still waiting for orders to serve," Noa responded.
"I see. So where are you going to dressed neatly like this?"
"Well, a friend is dropping by to rent an apartment."
"Is your friend a girl?" Eden asked.
Noa rolled his eyes at Eden's teasing and got up to clean up his breakfast dishes since Cloud was busy tidying up the apartment.
"Ah, I thought so." Eden said, pursing his lips meaningfully before going to the bathroom.
As he finished, Eden went out with a fresh appearance, wearing a tight black shirt and pants.
There was a ring on the door. Noa quickly made his way to the door and opened it, revealing So-Rin standing there with a smile. Her white ruffled wrap top made her look feminine, especially when it's combined with tight high-waisted black leather pants.
"Hey, Noa! I'm sorry I'm late," she said as she walked in.
"No problem," Noa replied. "Are you ready to move in?"
Before So-Rin could answer, her AI companion, which was standing behind her, jumped at Noa while barking. Noa reflexively embraced the puppy robot.
"Oh, hey, Blue. Did you take care of So-Rin well for me?" Noa asked.
The puppy robot replied with a bark.
So-Rin laughed at Blue's behavior and then asked, "Yes, I am ready to move in today. Is the apartment all set?"
"Yeah, it's all good to go," Noah confirmed, leading her to her apartment next door.
As they moved So-Rin's belongings into her new apartment, Noa couldn't help but feel satisfied with being able to help his friend settle in. He talked to the landlord, which made So-Rin's leasing process smooth.
So-Rin only brought two pieces of luggage with her, but they were enough to make the place cozy.
After they finished, Noa and So-Rin sat down to catch up in her living room.
"What do you think of the place?" Noa asked, looking around.
"I love it! It's small but cozy," So-Rin replied with a smile.
"I'm glad to hear that. Let me know if you need any help, okay?" Noa said, smiling reassuringly.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," So-Rin responded.
"Have you had breakfast yet?" Noa asked.
"Not yet. I'm just going to take some nutrients, I guess. We got a lot from yesterday's quest. Besides, I still don't have anything in this apartment," So-Rin replied.
"Oh, come to my place then. I just filled my fridge two days ago," Noa offered. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Her stomach was already rumbling, so So-Rin couldn't refuse Noa's invitation. They headed to his apartment.
At their entry, the aroma of spices hit their noses.
"Wow, real food! It's been so long since I've had anything like this," So-Rin almost squealed at the sight of pasta on the pantry table. "How is this possible?" she asked.
"I cooked it with my family's old recipe," Eden answered.
"But how? And who are you?" So-Rin inquired.
"He's got an illegal identity and was lucky to escape the android system's programming," Noa interjected. "He is my new roommate, Eden. It surprised me too that he could cook."
"I see," So-Rin nodded. "Real food like this is like a miracle from heaven. It's a treasure!"
Ever since the humans lived under the control of a strict android system, they were deprived of real food. They just ate synthetic foods with minimal flavor, but with enough nutrients.
It was easy to imagine why So-Rin and others found real foods as treasures. They were hard to find and were basically luxury.
Still, the androids grew crops for research purposes, and that's where Noa got his groceries. However, not just everyone could access the authorities' farms.
"You guys can try it. I can cook more," Eden offered.
"Oh, thank you," So-Rin couldn't wait to taste the pasta with cheese that was sprinkled on top of it. She sat down and started eating.
Eden made more pasta for them. Noa was about to eat, but he was interrupted by a notification.
[New Quest is available!]
"Have you receive a new quest notification just now, So-Rin?" Noa asked.
So-Rin, who was eating, stopped and checked her notification.
[Quest: Join a Guild and Defeat Monsters
Objective: Join a guild and collaborate to take down all the monsters in a dungeon.
Time Limit: 12 hours
Quest Rewards:
• 5000 Nummus
• 1 package Resources]
"Yes, I got it." So-Rin was excited. "It seems challenging! Where are we going to find a good guild in such a short notice?" So-Rin asked.
"If you guys are looking for a guild, I know where to find one," Eden interrupted.