OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 158: Attachment

Walking up at the usual time, Emir began to freshen up, and like routine, he said:

[Good morning, Lyra...]

But no reply came, causing the droopiness from his interrupted sleep to dissipate and making him remember that his connection to Lyra was no longer present.

He didn't mind it much before, his mind consumed by training, but now, with the new challenges he faced, her absence was easily noticeable.

Lyra was always there to provide support, a guiding light in the midst of his struggles, but now he was all alone...

Once again.

'Never mind...'

'I've already forgotten, eh?' He inwardly scoffed.

"I guess I'll really miss her..." He mumbled out loud with surprise evident in his tone, not expecting that he would feel that way.

"Nah... It's better that she's gone for a while, otherwise, I might've grown too dependent on her abilities."

After a quick bath, he joined his mother for breakfast.

"Good morning, mom. Any news?"

Looking away from the stove, she answered after a few moments of thinking:

"Yes... Our usual weekly deliveries didn't call in today, I checked, it's Monday, and they usually call in around this time, but it looks like they'll cut off our connections with them soon..."

He nodded, recognizing that there was no need to console her; she was no child, so he continued with his questioning:

"What about Mariane? Has the deal gone through?"

Laura's face lit up with joy as she eagerly shared the news:

"Yes! It's gone smoothly, I'm not sure what you did for that to happen, and I don't want to know either, but I appreciate it!"

Chuckling, he said, "Good job, Mom, never doubted you."

"Of course you didn't..." She replied sarcastically, knowing her son wouldn't throw away their chance of gaining another ally.

'She's got me there~.' He snickered inwardly.

Turning back to the stove, she skillfully flipped some pancakes.

"I won't bore you with the details, but just know that the merger was successful, and Mariane's shop will act as a subsidiary of ours, we've agreed that we'll own 80 percent of her company, which in turn will give us 80 percent of the profits as well."

'So we get to control her company, earn her profits, expand into different markets, while also gaining an already established customer base... Nice!' He thought in glee.

"Great job, seriously. I'm so proud of you, Mom... And this isn't only coming from me as your son, but also from the Asher me, I'm the luckiest man-teen in this universe to have you as a mother."

Laura flinched and quietly turned off the stove, carefully placing the pancakes onto plates with hands that trembled slightly.

Emir didn't comment on her reaction and kept to himself, not wanting to embarrass his mother.

He silently watched as she subtly wiped away tears from her eyes and then turned around, presenting him with fluffy food ready for the taking.

Offering a smile, he received a plate, and they joined each other on the table.

Finishing up his food after a few minutes, he stood up and said:

"I'll be going off training for a while, and I'll do some questionable things, I obviously can't tell you what, but know that it would help with our current predicament. Oh and remind me to pass by the shop tomorrow to get that weapon you've saved up for me."

She simply nodded, not bothering to question him any longer, as they both knew that what was coming wasn't going to be easy and if they didn't do their best, all of what they worked for would be gone.

Bidding her goodbye, he left for the academy after donning his augmented suit and rucksack.

Fishing out his terminal, he dialed Lily's ID.

Ring~ Ring~

Rin- "Bro? What happened? Did something happen? Is mom okay?"

"Chill! Sis, ain't nothing happened! Calm down. I was just going to ask you for something, but is that weird for me to call?"

"Yes, it is! You never call me unless something happens, it's usually Mom or Lyra... But that doesn't matter, what do you want?"

'Yikes... Almost stepped on a land mine there.'

"My bad, I'll be sure to call you more from now on... But let's put that aside for now. I need you to tell me where that brat, Aria, will be hanging out today. Make sure to find out who will be going with her, and don't make it obvious, please. I need you to stay safe."

"You old man! I'm not a kid, okay? Stop treating me like one!"

"What?! Can't a brother worry about his sister? Or is that an issue nowadays? I really don't know how you kids operate..."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing you. Now let's get serious... Can you do it?"

"I got this! I'll definitely show you how it's done!"

"Good. I like your excitement. But are you not going to ask me why? Isn't that your whole shtick?"

"I've learned a lot while you weren't around, I'll have you know. I am curious about what you'll do with that information, but I can already guess it without asking."

"Your growing sis, I feel like a happy dad watching his kid go on his first hunter mission."

"Bleh. I'll gloss over your weird analogy and say thank you."

Letting out a chuckle, he said:

"Just don't snitch to Mom, alright?"

"Yeah-. It's for the court hearing, right? I know, don't worry, and if that's all goodbye, I've

got to go, classes will start now!"

"Bring me good news."

Ending the call, he stepped into the familiar training facility and headed over to the

receptionist.

"Hey there, good morning. Is there an SS+ rank room available? I forgot to book in advance."

Emir observed as the receptionist lifted his head away from the terminal, a flicker of

recognition appearing in his eyes.

"Ah-I know of you... Good morning, Sir Emir, and welcome back to the academy!"

Chuckling, Emir replied, "Thanks for the warm welcome, Sir...?"

"Johnson, My name is Johnson, and yes, there are many rooms available for you, sir. Is there

anything that you would prefer?"

""

"Sir Emir?"

Shaking himself out of his blank state, he answered:

"Sorry about that, Sir Johnson, I don't mind any room, but if you wish to treat me, just show

me to the most popular one."

Johnson let out a laugh while tapping away on his terminal, and a few moments later, Emir's terminal rang, indicating his access to the room.

"It is nice to see you, Sir Emir, you've become pretty popular around here... Anyways, good

luck with your training!"

Tick-Tock~

Emir nodded in silence, the only sound around them was the subtle ticking of a watch.

"Thanks," he uttered, leaving those words behind as he made his way to the fifth floor.

Soon, his demeanor underwent a 180-degree shift, with the weight of a single question echoing in his mind.

'There is no damn way, right?!'