Arlo found himself sprawled on the steps of "Jay VR and AR World" after a spectacular tumble down the stairs.
"Not exactly the grand entrance I had in mind," Arlo muttered under his breath.
A sales clerk, Cyber, politely interjected, "Apologies, sir, but we require our customers to be appropriately attired before entering the store. Could you please?"
"Yeah, sure. I wasn't planning on sticking around in this dump anyway," Arlo shot back.
He exited the building, meandering through the streets of the Aurora District. He could feel the weight of their stares, pinpointing their locations as if he were bird-spotting from a high vantage point.
Their snide remarks about Arlo floated through the air, but he paid them no mind. The last time he was here, he had Remi by his side, but now he felt a pang of loneliness.
One of them sneered, "Look at his wild hair, scruffy beard, and ragged clothes. He's a permanent Residues."
"HA...HA..."
As he continued his walk, the ridicule seemed more intense than before, but Arlo was deep in thought.
'How did I meet my end? Was it the stone lion, or was there another cause?' Arlo mused aloud, reflecting on his demise in impossible mode.
Leaving the Aurora District behind, Arlo entered the Aegis District and made his way to his building.
"What's eating you?" A voice he recognized called out.
"Remi!!! What brings you here?" Arlo exclaimed, his face lighting up.
"My security firm alerted me. They reported a man in a red shirt and shorts entering the Jay VR and AR World building. I knew it had to be you," Remi explained.
Remi probed further, "Where have you disappeared to for two months? And what's with the transformation? The long hair, the beard, and the muscular physique?"
Arlo pondered, 'So, two months have passed here as well, huh? I assumed it would only be a week in the real world. Not that I had any pressing engagements anyway.'
As Arlo made to enter the building, Remi abruptly grabbed his hand, causing him to jump.
"Hey, what's your problem?"
Remi shot back, "I asked you a question. You've been missing for two months and you just brushed it off."
Arlo, nonchalantly, replied, "If you're here about the rent, just wait until the end of this month. I'll settle everything then."
Confused, Remi retorted, "That's not what I'm asking. We were worried about you, so we came to check on you."
Arlo looked puzzled, "We?!"
Bunny decided to give Arlo a fright from behind. She had been waiting for him on the stairs but was about to give up when she spotted him. Bunny jumped, trying to scare Arlo from behind.
In a reflex action, Arlo pinned Bunny against the wall, his hand closing around her throat. The past two months of battling monsters had left him with a severe case of PTSD.
"Arlo, let go of her now!!" Remi's voice snapped him back to reality. Arlo quickly released Bunny, who crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.
"COUGH!"
Bunny struggled to breathe while Remi, livid, grabbed Arlo's shirt.
"Why the hell did you do that?"
Arlo met Remi's gaze and replied, "It's not my fault. She's the one who startled me."
Remi raised his hand to strike Arlo, Bunny intervened, "Arlo is right. It was my fault. I'm sorry, Arlo."
Arlo responded, "If you acknowledge your mistake, I can let it go. Just don't pull a stunt like that again. You might get hurt."
Arlo started to ascend the stairs, Remi called out, "Arlo!"
Arlo turned around, Remi landed a punch on his face, causing him to stumble and sit on the stair steps. Although it didn't cause him any physical pain, Arlo was seething. Remi turned his attention to Bunny. Arlo clenched his fist and was about to retaliate when
'Both of you, stop this nonsense!' Aya's voice echoed in his mind, stopping him in his tracks.
Remi helped Bunny to her feet as they prepared to leave.
Without turning to face Arlo, Remi said, "Congratulations. You've become the person you always wanted to be, a self-absorbed jerk, just like your younger self."
Arlo was taken aback by Remi's words and retorted,
"You have no idea what you're talking about. I was a brave leader back then, always looking out for others. I was popular and had many friends. Don't spew nonsense."
"Then where are all your friends now?" Remi smirked, making sure Bunny was steady on her feet.
Remi continued, "I thought you had changed because you had realized the kind of person you were in the past, but I was mistaken. Let me guess, something good happened to you, it boosted your confidence, and you reverted to your old self."
Arlo stood there, speechless. He couldn't comprehend what Remi was implying. Arlo wondered, 'Narcissistic? When was I ever like that?'
Remi sighed, "Even now, you don't understand why I'm upset or why I punched you, do you?"
Remi paused for a moment and added in a frosty tone, "Arlo, don't ever contact us again."
Remi and Bunny left, leaving Arlo grappling with Remi's harsh words. Arlo made his way back to his room, a thought striking him,
'Why didn't he ask me to vacate the building after our confrontation?'
Questions swirled in Arlo's mind, 'Why did Bunny apologize? She didn't have to, right?'
'Why did Remi hit me? Why? Why?'
Arlo slowly pieced together the puzzle.
"You idiot, don't pass the ball to him, pass it to me." The voice of a younger Arlo echoed in his mind.
[End of Chapter]