"Oh!"
Ethan wasn't sure if Lyla was responding to the fact that he agreed he could have been her brother, or to his commentary about the game.
Either way, she lowered her head to continue eating, her eyes glinting briefly with a sly amusement.
After finishing breakfast, the two of them hopped into the car to head for school. Ethan, who had earned his driver's license long ago, had once worked part-time as a designated driver to cover his tuition and living expenses.
When they reached the garage and the metal door rolled up, Ethan froze in place, his jaw dropping in disbelief.
The colossal beast of a vehicle that greeted him left Ethan rubbing his eyes, convinced he was seeing things. His mind dug for an explanation before the name hit him: the "Predator Beast X."
This thing was billed as "the world's most unstoppable vehicle," capable of plowing through obstacles with ridiculous ease. Its armor was resilient enough to withstand an RPG blast, its undercarriage tough enough to endure the force of a 15-pound explosive, and its tires, even if punctured by 50-caliber rounds, could still manage another 30 miles without issue.
"This… this is your car?" Ethan stammered, his face plastered with disbelief. The image of Lyla driving this monster was impossible to reconcile in his head.
"Yep! Cool, huh?" Lyla beamed, practically glowing with pride. "I saw it on TV once and thought it looked badass, so I casually mentioned it to my dad. I didn't think he'd actually get me one as a gift for coming to Harmony City for college!"
"You're sure it's street-legal?" Ethan asked skeptically. As far as he knew, vehicles like this weren't sold stateside, they were the kind of thing you'd only see in war-torn regions. He doubted this was something you could just casually drive down the street.
"Why wouldn't it be? I've driven it plenty of times!" Lyla replied, her tone puzzled by his doubt.
"Well… fair enough. Forget I asked. Your dad's something else, huh!" Ethan muttered. If this thing was on the road, her dad must've pulled some serious strings.
He climbed into the driver's seat, only to find that the interior was… disturbingly girly. Pink seat covers, floral air fresheners, and a plush unicorn hanging from the rearview mirror.
As he prepared to start the engine, he noticed Lyla still standing outside, pouting with puffed cheeks and glaring at him.
Ethan instantly realized he'd said something wrong again. Leaning out of the window, he quickly corrected himself. "Our dad is amazing! Now get in the car, my dear sister!"
Her frown melted into a bright grin as she hopped into the passenger seat.
The engine roared to life with a thunderous growl, though the sound was impressively muted once the doors and windows were sealed. It wasn't completely silent, but it was quiet enough to feel comfortable.
Ethan glanced at the speedometer, 240 mph. That couldn't be right. The manufacturer specs for this thing capped out at 120 mph, didn't they?
It clicked. Not only had Lyla's dad pulled strings to legalize this tank of a vehicle, but he'd also had it modified.
The Predator Beast X rumbled onto the streets, attracting every set of eyes. At over 20 feet long, nearly 9 feet wide, and standing 8.7 feet tall, this beast didn't belong on city roads.
"What the hell is that?"
"Looks like a military vehicle… but it's got civilian plates?"
"Must be some rich kid showing off."
"Man, karma's gonna strike this dude fast."
"This thing's insane! I wish my old man buy me one too!"
Even the most aggressive SUVs on the road seemed to shrink back, hurriedly clearing a path for the rolling behemoth. Traffic cops stood dumbfounded, frantically checking their systems to confirm the vehicle's legality.
Soon, they arrived near the campus. Lyla suggested parking in the lot closest to the school, not wanting to attract too much attention.
Ethan couldn't help but smirk.
'You? Not wanting to attract attention? Sure. Your dad gave you a tank just because you thought it was cool.'
He shook his head, amused. It's just a ride to school, not an invasion.
It took several laps around the parking lot before Ethan finally found a spot. Well, not exactly a spot, more like three spots. The Predator Beast X ate up every inch of space, leaving the lot manager staring slack-jawed as Ethan and Lyla casually strolled away.
The two entered the university campus, laughing and chatting as they made their way to Lyla's lecture hall.
As they got closer to the building, Ethan noticed people staring and whispering as they passed.
"Hey, is that girl from our department?"
"Don't you know her? She transferred in about a month ago."
"She's gorgeous! Easily rivals Ivy in looks."
"Pfft, you must be out of the loop. Ivy's just a department queen. This freshman, Lyla Silverwood, is dominating the campus forums. She's giving even Miss Hawthorne a run for her money!"
"Wait, Celeste Hawthorne? The Ice Queen of the whole campus?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down. Do you want to attract trouble?"
"Uh… but who's the guy? Is he her boyfriend?"
Their whispered gossip reached Ethan's ears loud and clear, startling him. Since when had his hearing become so sharp? Now that he thought about it, his stamina had also been off the charts lately. It all seemed to trace back to moving into the villa and using the VR capsule.
Ethan turned toward the group of whisperers and shot a knowing smile at the one who'd asked if he was Lyla's boyfriend.
"D-Did he just smile at me? Did you guys see that? You think he heard us talking?"
"Get real. There's no way he could hear us from that far. Anyway, what level are you at now?" one of them asked, shifting the topic to Ethereal as Ethan and Lyla walked closer.
"I'm Level 5. You guys should be around the same, right? I heard the class rep hit Level 6 already, crazy, huh?" said a bespectacled student in a striped gray shirt, speaking louder this time.
Ethan and Lyla exchanged a glance, stifling their amusement. Lyla's thoughts danced with pride.
'They have no idea. The first player in the world to hit Level 14 just walked past them. And I'm already at Level 8, all thanks to him.'
Her dimples deepened as a small, smug smile lit up her face.
Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Ethan's and walked past the group, radiating confidence.
The students stared after them, frozen in stunned silence.
Ethan wasn't the type to keep a low profile. In his past life, his arrogance had drawn plenty of attention, eventually leading to his fall from grace.
This time around, he'd learned to be more cautious and protective of himself. But stirring up a little envy now and then? That was still fair game.
Besides, he wasn't exactly complaining about the way Lyla pressed herself against his arm. Whether she was doing it on purpose or not, Ethan couldn't tell, and honestly, he didn't care to find out.
"I'll walk you to your classroom," Ethan offered.
"Don't you have class?" Lyla asked, tilting her head.
"Do I look like the type to pick morning classes?" Ethan replied with a smirk.
"Good point. Someone like you would definitely load up on afternoon classes, game all night, and sleep until noon," Lyla teased, feigning a look of disgust.
"Oh yeah? What about you?" Ethan shot back, putting on an exaggeratedly menacing expression. "You're one to talk. Have you ever signed up for a first-period class? Aren't you the queen of sleeping in?"
With that, he wrapped an arm around her waist, his hand accidentally slipping towards her lower abdomen.
Lyla stiffened for a moment but didn't pull away. Instead, she playfully swatted his hand away with a mock glare. "Bro, that's called beauty sleep, thank you very much!"
Ethan shivered at her calling him Bro, goosebumps prickling his skin. He couldn't decide whether he loved it or hated it.
Lyla noticed his flustered expression and burst out laughing. "Come on, aren't you supposed to walk me to class? We're gonna be late if you keep stalling!"