Don exclaimed in surprise. "Kira, it’s you!"

Indeed, the woman standing in front of him was Kira, the girl with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a boyish air about her despite her undeniable beauty.

"I just came out of KFC after a late-night snack and saw you guys being surrounded by those thugs. So I came over to help."

"You even had pepper spray on hand?"

"Of course. We may not be supermodels, but we’re not exactly ugly either. You always run into trouble going out at this hour."

That was absolutely true. Kira didn’t wear makeup, but her looks and figure were both easily over ninety points. Tall, slender, and naturally striking, a standard beauty by any measure.

Lily was still fired up. "We shouldn’t have run just now. Sister Kira looked pretty skilled. We should have really fought them."

Don tapped the pretty girl’s forehead with a hint of annoyance. "You troublemaker. Though I will admit, that kick you landed was actually pretty good."

Lily chuckled. "Of course. I’m a Taekwondo red-black belt. Dealing with thugs like those is more than enough for me."

Don teased, "Alright. Once things calm down, I’ll take you to the hotel."

Kira looked around the dark street and said, "I don’t think we should stay out here. Those guys will definitely come looking. This won’t work, we need a place to rest. Are there any short-term rentals around here?"

Don shook his head. "Nobody’s going to rent a room at this hour. If you two trust me, you can stay at my place for the night."

Both women were taken aback.

They followed him upstairs. His apartment wasn’t on a high floor, second story, a two-bedroom unit of about seventy square meters facing south, warm in winter and cool in summer.

Lily, who was probably from a wealthy family, didn’t seem particularly bothered after walking in. She casually flopped onto the sofa bed and stretched out lazily. "Ah! Finally home! I’m so sleepy!"

Kira glanced around. "Your place is pretty spacious. You live alone?"

"Yeah. Alone."

"Where are your parents?"

"He passed away," Don said simply.

"Sorry."

"It’s fine. It was several years ago. There are drinks and milk in the fridge, help yourselves before bed. The microwave’s in the kitchen. You two can take the big room. Just lock the door before you sleep." He set his backpack on the sofa and headed to the bathroom.

It wasn’t the first time a girl had stayed at his place. When he’d been working at his previous company, a young woman from out of town had rented his spare room for several months. Nothing had ever happened between them, Don wasn’t that kind of person, and she’d been a proper girl who paid rent every month like any other tenant. They’d gotten along like siblings, and she’d been genuinely sad when he’d left the company.

But he didn’t want to dwell on those things. Although the two beautiful women in his apartment were somewhat dazzling, he kept his gaze carefully in check. He’d invited them to stay the night, and letting his eyes wander would have been disrespectful.

After washing up, he walked into the living room. Both girls were looking at him and smiling. Their smiles were so eerily synchronized that it gave him the creeps.

Lily winked slyly. "Brother Don..."

A chill ran down his spine. "Just say what you want. Don’t be weird about it."

"We looked in your refrigerator, and it’s full of delicious things."

"So?"

Lily was too embarrassed to say more. Kira, however, was more direct. "I don’t think you’re a bad person. Lily and I are both essentially homeless right now. Could we stay at your place for a few days, through the rest of the trial period?"

Don didn’t hesitate. "Sure. Rent’s waived. But I have one condition."

Lily’s smile deepened. "Do you want me to repay you with my body?"

Don nearly spat blood. "Stop. I’m not in good health and probably can’t handle it. I want Kira to join our leveling team. It’s fate that we all ended up here, and I don’t really know the other people at the studio. I’d like the three of us to stick together."

A smile appeared on Kira’s face. "Aren’t you afraid I’ll drag you down? I’m a pretty useless knight in the early game."

"Even the worst knight can serve as a main tank. I’m currently one of the top-ranked rogues on the leaderboard, and my gear is solid. I can help you level, and all the metal drops are yours."

Kira was slightly surprised. "You’re Extraordinary?"

"Yeah. It’s me."

"Then I’m relieved. I’ll have to trouble you from now on. I really like this job, and I don’t want to lose it."

"Neither do I. It’s my only income right now," Don said.

"Same here," Lily added. "I need this job to support myself. And I want to accomplish something in Liverpool, to show my family."

They didn’t go to bed immediately. Lily was at a crucial stage of growth, apparently, because she kept clutching her stomach and complaining about hunger. Don pulled some frozen dumplings from the freezer and cooked a full plate. They ate together, and he brought out the Laba vinegar he’d been soaking for years, a personal indulgence he never skipped when having dumplings.

Not only did Lily enjoy the meal, but Kira couldn’t resist sneaking into the kitchen for a pair of chopsticks and joining them. The two women had already changed out of their outer clothes, and Don found himself strategically focused on his dumplings.

Kira’s lips glistened with oil as she smiled at him. "You live pretty well for a professional gamer. You even have aged Laba vinegar in October."

"Can’t help it. Even pro gamers have to take care of themselves. Eat well, stay healthy, and you’ll have the energy to grind."

"By the way, you look familiar. I think I’ve seen you in Battle Online before..."

Don was taken aback. "You played Battle Online too?"

"Mm. You must be from the Beyond the heavens guild, right? Core tier."

"Let’s not stir up old vinegar." Don popped an entire dumpling into his mouth. "Let’s look forward."

A subtle hint of appreciation flickered in Kira’s eyes.

After the late-night snack, a hundred squats, and goodnights to both women, Don went back to his room and lay down. Falling asleep was harder than usual. He normally drifted off the instant his head hit the pillow, but tonight he lay there with his mind racing. Two beautiful women were sleeping in the room next door. How could a normal man not have all sorts of thoughts?

’Forget it,’ he told himself. ’It’s not mine anyway. Later, when I’ve made enough money from the game, I’ll marry someone who knows how to cherish me and have a family. That’s realistic.’

With that thought, he closed his eyes happily and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

His alarm woke him at eight sharp. Six hours of sleep was a luxury for a professional gamer.

When he opened his door, the aroma of breakfast drifted from the kitchen, wontons, tofu pudding, and jianbing guozi, all Liverpool specialties. From the main room, he could faintly hear Lily making a phone call. Although the words weren’t entirely clear, her tone radiated anger.

After the sound of running water from the bathroom, the door opened and Kira emerged wearing a black tank top. Her figure was genuinely impressive, toned and athletic, with naturally fair skin. She noticed Don’s two-second lapse in attention. Her face flushed slightly, but then she did something bold, she walked over and, in a totally brotherly fashion, pinched his abs. "Hey. Not bad. Your muscles are in great shape."

"Stop teasing me. Tell Lily breakfast is ready."

She went to the main room, and shortly afterward both women came out. Lily’s face was flushed with obvious anger. Kira pinched her cheek and said gently, "Don’t be mad. That’s just how parents are. They’re concerned about you."

"Hmph! I’m not angry at all! I’m doing perfectly fine on my own."

Don didn’t feel comfortable prying into family matters, so he just smiled. "Come on, let’s eat. No more unpleasant talk."

Lily nodded. "Okay. Oh, by the way, Don, I called Elias Finch this morning and told him how those bastards from the Gon Alliance ambushed us in real life. Those idiots are dead meat."

Looking at the fierce look in the pretty girl’s eyes, Don quietly began revising his guesses about her background. If he wasn’t mistaken, she had to be the daughter of someone powerful, some high-ranking figure in London, maybe. Otherwise, how could she be so casually connected to someone like Elias Finch?

Still, it was good that the matter was resolved. Don was thoroughly fed up with in-game hatred spilling into reality. The Gon Alliance was truly trash, embarrassing themselves in the game was one thing, but in real life they were just a pack of brainless rich kids who fought and caused trouble all day. Thoroughly hateful.

At least now they could focus on leveling in peace.

After breakfast, the three of them headed downstairs to Henshaw Tower. Kira and Lily mentioned that their luggage was stored at the studio and they would move it to Don’s apartment that evening. Don reminded Kira to come to Brno Village when she logged in and that he’d wait for her at the village teleporter.

They entered the game one after another.

When Don materialized in Brno Village, he headed straight for the teleportation point. He’d only been waiting a short while when a beam of light flashed beside him. A beautiful knight clad in light gray heavy armor appeared, tall, unmistakable, her height, features, skin color, and hair all unchanged from reality. It was Kira.

He sent her a friend request immediately. She hesitated for a brief moment before clicking accept.

The instant Don opened his friends list, he froze. His eyes went wide.

"Holy crap. It was you?"

Kira smiled helplessly. "Well. My identity’s been exposed."