OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 152: First kiss and Old friends.

Ring! Ring!

Emir gestured for Lyra to wait a moment and fished out his terminal.

He glanced at the screen and saw that it was Emma calling him, someone that he had barely contacted even before leaving Earth for Silent's trial.

Swiping up, he answered the call.

"Hey Em, it's been a while."

Returning his attention to Lyra, he stepped closer to her while Emma's reply echoed in his

ear:

"Emir! It's been so long since we last heard from you... Where the hell were you in the past year?!"

He let out a chuckle and said:

"Give me a moment, Em, I'll get to you in a second."

Pressing the mute button, he lowered his head to Lyra's level, drawing closer as her ruby eyes locked onto his deep, inky blacks.

They shared a moment of silent connection, a bittersweet understanding passing between them.

Emir's hand gently held her chin, pausing for a brief moment, letting the weight of their weird relationship and the impending separation hang in the air.

He could feel the mix of emotions radiating from her, and he wanted to make this parting as gentle as possible.

Emir didn't need a second to know that Lyra was ready.

Her entire demeanor and stance told him that she was waiting.

He leaned in, and their lips met for a few lingering seconds, the kiss filled with warmth, affection, and an unspoken promise.

But then, to his surprise, he felt her stiffen, and a muffled sound escaped her lips.

Her eyes widened, and he saw a mixture of shock and something else he couldn't quite place.

Stepping back, he looked at her in concern, his brow furrowing as he searched for an explanation.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently, his voice filled with genuine worry.

"...Did I do something wrong?"

Her face slowly began to blush, the deepest red spreading across her cheeks, almost turning them a delicate shade of pink.

"Are you alright?" Emir asked, his concern evident as he gently cupped her face in his hand.

But the touch only seemed to fuel her woes, causing her to quickly step away, clearly flustered and still processing what had just happened.

Despite her advanced processing power, a simple kiss had the ability to melt all of her composure.

Realization dawned on him as he tilted his head slightly, a bemused smile forming on his lips.

"You meant a kiss on the cheek, didn't you?"

Her beautiful face moved up and down repeatedly, causing him to let out a hearty laugh.

'I never imagined her to be so innocent, what the hell happened to who I once thought of as an all-knowing jailer?'

Amusement filled him as he observed her reaction, and without hesitation, he stepped up to her again, wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace.

Then he embarked on a playful spree of pecks, placing kisses all over her face, ensuring not a single inch was left unkissed.

She didn't even struggle, letting herself melt in his embrace, her earlier tension and confusion seemingly dissolving, only to be replaced by contentment evident in the softening of her features.

And when he finally decided that he had thoroughly covered every part of her face, he released her slowly, watching as she seemed to deflate like a balloon, her body sliding down a nearby wall in a rather comical manner.

With a press of his fingers, the terminal signaled that he was no longer muted, allowing them to resume their conversation.

"My bad, Em. I've been extra busy these days, so what's up?"

After hearing a "Tsk" echo in his ear, he heard Emma say:

"You didn't contact me or Jake for all this time, and you ask me, what's UP?! And you said it would be a second, you took two minutes for god sake!"

"Ughhhh... Don't tell me you're one of those. You know what? Alright, I'll say exactly how long I'll take next time. Happy now?"

"Good. And yes, I'm happy. Now answer my question, you aren't running away from this. Why did you not reply to any of my calls in the last ELEVEN months?" She asked, sounding frustrated.

||

Emir remained silent, not knowing what to say while at the same time experiencing a subtle feeling of Deja Vu.

He had nearly forgotten about them, never expecting that they would care enough to call.

In his mind, he had entertained the possibility that they might have even forgotten about him

altogether.

"Em. Give me your terminal." He heard a man's voice sounding from a small distance away.

"Hey, Emir... It's me, Jake. Look, I'm sorry for how Em is acting right now-"

"I didn't say anything wrong!!"

"Are you going to cut me off even now?! Give me some face, goddammit!"

Shaking his head, Emir let out a sigh, and it slowly transformed into a chuckle as he said:

"I missed you guys. Seriously."

"If that is actually true, then tell me why you haven't been replying to any of my calls!!" Emma's suppressed scream crackled through the terminal.

And before Emir could reply, Jake rebuked her:

"Don't mind her, Emir, she's just been really worried about you..."

"You know how hunters are, one day they're alive and dead the next, so we thought that we'd lost you there. We didn't believe the rumors about you going ruin diving for so long... That is, until we've finally heard that you showed up in the hunter's office."

"Ah. So that's how you've found me... Okay, look. I'm surprised that you guys actually worried about me so much, and I'm sorry for not replying, but if you want to know, I've got to ask a

few questions first."

"Ask away!" Emma screamed from the back.

"Heh, alright. First things first, what rank are you guys right now?"

"Guys?"

"I'm sorry." They replied in unison, their voices taking on a solemn tone.

Emir waited on them to sort out their emotions, thinking that they might've already gone to

the front lines and actually survived, now understanding why they'd been so worried about

him as they themselves faced death itself...

The Order.

"We, can't say much, but we... We've survived the front lines and are now high-ranking

hunters."

A wide smile spread across his face at the news, and he immediately began planning what he could do with them going forward.

"Congrats guys. You deserve it after all you've been through, but tell me, how? It hasn't been long since you were around rank 26, not even close to fifty, so how did you rank up so fast?"

"Actually, cross that. Let's talk in person, where do you guys want to meet?" He stated while thinking of how to ask them to join his group.

"Come to our place, we live near the gate across the academy, it's a new house we bought, I'll send the exact location now." Jake answered with a happy tone evident in his words. "Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes, expect a plus one." Emir confirmed and ended the call.

"Was that enough of a reward?" He asked as he turned his attention to Lyra, who was now standing straight, her face back to normal.

"More than enough... Though I get that you didn't mean anything by it, I asked for a reward, and you gave it to me." She sulked.

'AI or not. Women are mysterious creatures, aren't they? I gave her what she wanted, but she still complains... Though I guess the way I did it might make me seem insensitive.' He

thought with a raised brow.

"It's still my first kiss, you know? I wouldn't give it away willy-nilly."

Just as his words registered in her mind, she immediately brightened up, and her face showed

a beautiful smile. "That's what I like to see, now why don't we go meet up with some old friends?" He asked

while gesturing for her to hold his hand.