Chapter 42: Tiara Feels Lifesick

"AHHH!" Percy yelled and tried to swipe away the big rock on his chest. He opened his eyes and stared at the huge rock pinning him down to the ground. His face distorted into a grimace. "Who put this on top of me?" Realisation dawned. "TIARA YOU BI$H where are you?"

"Did you call me?" A sweet voice sounded from above him.

Percy tried to focus his eyes as the rock on him suddenly took the form of a frail girl with long black hair running down her shoulders, covering her chest.

Percy's face drowned in the color of roses on a royal field. "What the…"

"Do you like me on top of you? Or under…?" She smiled sweetly and then stroked his cheek.

"Get off me!" He yelled louder and tried to move her but she was as heavy as the rock she had been a few seconds ago.

"Don't you want to kiss me? Don't you want to see my past?"

"I-"

Tiara leaned forward so their noses were touching. "Kiss me then."

Percy went silent and his eyes fell on her lush pink lips moving forward for his own. "Was Tiara's lips this pink… ah…" He found himself lifting his face.

"YO!" Something slammed into his butt and Percy rolled down from the bed, hitting the tiles of the studio flat. He opened his eyes for real this time and saw Tiara on the bed.

"Did you just hit my butt?!"

"It was the only way to wake you up! What lewd dreams were you having, you were screaming in your sleep!"

Percy's face darkened again. 'Oh that was a dream…' He patted his hair down and stood up. "That's none of your business."

He turned to her with a bored face. At the same time, his eyes studied the situation. Yet another day waking up with Tiara on the bed. The rest of the house was silent. Percy walked out of the room and didn't see V on the sofa, or the others.

"Hey, did they already leave?" He asked quietly.

She nodded. "Mitchell tried to wake us both up before they left, but you were sleeping too heavily. I even screamed into your ear."

"When did they leave?"

She tried to remember. "Somewhere around 2 AM today morning, to get above the radar of people searching for them, if any. Researcher uncle will come here in the afternoon… oh and Hazel has put some more money in the pineapple on the table."

Percy smirked, glancing at Tiara knowingly. "Pineapple…."

She laughed, "I know, right? His face when you said that was priceless!"

"He actually thinks it's a fashion statement," Percy shook his head and opened the bathroom door. "Only in anime, though."

"Anime…" Tiara sighed, picking out the lint on the bed.

Percy halted. "You like anime?"

Tiara nodded. "I used to watch some with Mitchell when it came on TV. We even made a whole list of anime to watch. I just missed 8 years worth of anime…and the System watches anime too!"

Percy pursed his lips. "Damn, now I really feel your pain." His eyes then widened at the last sentence she said. "The System likes anime? What?"

Tiara nodded innocently, "It said so while I was in the monster."

"You talked to the System?" Percy asked seriously. What was its motive? What did they talk about?

"Yeah, it was trying to help me out." She laughed obliviously. "Like an actual person, you know?"

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Yeah… weird. You know, I talked to the…" He shook his head. "Nevermind."

She shrugged with one shoulder, "Go bath, you stink, like rotten pineapples."

Percy sighed and got inside. "I'll carry you in after I'm done."

"Yeah sure, take your time. I'll just stare at the streets and the cars."

As Percy went on with his morning chores, Tiara breathed against the glass windows as she looked out of the window. A wave of dejavu overcame her. This was exactly what she was doing on the day of her mother's wedding. Staring out of the window… she had been so short-sighted back then. Well, she still is.

It's not her mom that she missed.

An innocent life, playing in parks and goofing off in the arcade or with teachers. She wanted to do all that right now, but now a wave of responsibility overtook her-- holding her back. She clenched her fist. "I'm not letting anyone be in harm because of me ever again."

...…

"You ran out of your strawberry milk?" the girl whined. She tucked a stray piece of her brown hair back in her beanie and pouted. "Are you sure you don't have any extras stocked in your store room?" She smiled smugly at the shopkeeper sitting at the counter.

"I can pay extra."

The shopkeeper smiled thinly. "You can go check the store room for yourself, miss. There's no more strawberry milk. Shall I bill in chocolate instead?"

"No way," she sighed and grabbed a croissant and some lemon water before paying for it.

"Miss," the shopkeeper called.

She turned around and raised her eyebrows.

"If you come tomorrow, I'll give you the first three strawberry milk bottles for free. It's the least I could do."

The girl blushed in embarrassment. "Ah it's fine!"

"You're a regular customer, and I miss seeing some lively faces around this area. So take it, as a token of my gratitude." The shopkeeper nodded and the other one lifted her cap in respect before bounding out of the shop, her heart slightly lifted despite not getting her strawberry milk.

She got inside the car that was waiting for her while she shopped and nodded at her driver.

"You got the strawberry?" the driver asked knowingly as he started the car.

"No luck today. Drop me back home."

"Yes, Mr Cheng is waiting there."

The girl froze and she set down her bottle. "Goren is at my house right now?"

The driver nodded. "The security just called a few minutes ago to inform that one of the guests at Senior Mr Cheng's party dropped Mr Cheng there. He seems to be in a very bad state."

She flicked her tongue in annoyance. "He leaves me on read for two months and when he wants help, he comes to me."

"He knows you have the means to shelter him."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "You're not just talking about shelter from the rain and heat are you? Is Goren on the run from something? What does he expect me to shelter him from?"

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