Sota Toyoda is a small boy who lost his parents at a young age and now lives with his aunt Ruka.  His only friend is Harumi, who often berates him. He is a shy guy who lacks self-confidence and his classmates take advantage of him. One day, a portal opens and a fairy enters his bathtub. Eventually, Sota became a love magnet for four fairies!

not my novel I uploaded it here so I can listen to it on the audiobook while I work

not my novel I uploaded it here so I can listen to it on the audiobook while I work.

You've probably heard it before. ATS's webnovel continues to be on hiatus, but as of some months ago, WN/RR postings were suspended. And here's why.
-First, let's talk about how ATS first operated, before the Brand became a thing. It technically made its debut on Webnovel, then a day or two later, Royalroad. Not much for an audience, hardly any comments or reactions. But the posts continued to come. I'd amp it up to 3-5 chapters a day. 
One day I decided on a whim to split these into volumes. Do light novel format.  I did my search on word count. Saw that they were typically 20-50k words. I set mine for 60k per book.
I only published it on a whim, just to give it a home and alternate place of publishing. Also helped proved the series was mine by doing it early. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made.
-flash forward, ATS continued to grow, but REALLY did when it the Amazon scene. It was becoming a small brand and cut out its very tiny corner on the vast LitRPG map.
--At first, I intended to keep the business model of free optional buy going (which by the way is completely stupid for the long term). I eventually turned this into a full-time career.
I began to see more posts (not too too many and not just me) about ATS's availability on RR/WN. Free reading. This was fine with me since I intentionally put it that way. Surely everything would continue going as normal. 
Then sales dramatically dropped by 60%.  Holy shit. The KU reads were always high and KU itself being a ticking time bomb or a rug ready to be pulled from beneath my feet, I found myself in a pickle.
---1 pickle:  Amazon's bot. Multiple flaggings every time I published. It's nothing short of a miracle that Amazon hadn't punched me in the dick just for existing. But when you're making them money, they treat you okay. Until you inconvenience them haha.
---2nd pickle: People taking my work and posting them on other websites without my permission. Illegally translating it and CHARGING MONEY for the translations. This is wrong for everybody, not just me. Media, other authors, etc. I didn't even care about this at first, it's fucking normal. I got over it. But for the love of god, don't charge people. It was free.
3rd pickle: The Brand, the LLC, and me as an independent creator has grown. Since I'm in charge of everything pertaining to ATS, forcing myself to continue the same business model I did a year ago as a naïve, unknown urban fantasy writer turned light novel author, wouldn't work.
I've been talking and debating with people for a long coming, before deciding to pull the web novel plug. The ******* is there to continue posting chapters, but as you can see with the low number of Patreons, it does not factor into the reason of pulling the plug. Every drop of *******'s funds goes back into ATS.
Ultimately, RR/WN are best for strictly web novel writers with giant active followings such as Wandering Inn, Mother of Learning, etc etc. 
At the time: ATS only recently achieve its 50th rating, its rankings weren't great and really, like 5 or 6 of the 1100 followers of RR were ever active. RR converted into basic 0% reviews in which could've helped it struggle better against Amazon's algorithm.
WN wasn't much better, with very few commenters, few reviews to keep it "free," nothing. A dead web novel basically. [Although today, we look at the 3 million views and wonder, wow.]
The lack of interaction made it absolutely pointless for me to keep risking my livelihood with Amazon's bot. 
 
This message isn't an excuse. It is simply explaining what led up to the removal. 
You could say By the Order of Amazon, ATS must be removed (to the allowed 10%) or face expulsion from the KDP and its Kindle Unlimited program.
 
I appreciate your understanding. I figured lack of engagement from the audience, lack of reviews on the platform that mattered (amazon), multiple KDP bot flaggings could eventually lead to this point.
But it's better to remove than to lose my career.
-
Adding more to this, 28th of July 2020, which is months (maybe almost a year later), I still get people every now and then entering the discord.
They hadn't a clue a discord existed or that the work was still going. They don't know about the manga in progress, the new manga artist replacement, the platforms, how far the series has gotten, and who's got the rings and babies.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/syr456/ 
Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/ATSteamstone/    
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Alvin_Atwater        
*******: https://www.*******.com/syr456 
ATS website:  https://animetropesystem.net/manga 
DISCORD SERVER (BEST WAY TO CONTACT ME): https://discord.gg/t2qVaAR  OR cQMPSJG
 
ATS novels (universal link): mybook.to/AnimeTropeSystem  
US link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JD761GH
Audiobooks: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Anime-Trope-System-Stone-vs-Viper-Book-1-Audiobook/B07M9Z9C4M
 
I will do my best to answer all of your questions!
I would like to thank everyone that stuck with the series before it was devoured by corporate nonsense.  I truly appreciate you for understanding. 

ATS is currently about to publish volume 18.  It has 1 spinoff, The Fallen Throne, Half-blood Rising volume 1.

--- Extra tags: Satire, Adult/Mature, Monster girl(Monster girl Encyclopedia kind), Fiction/Satire/comedy (I.E. Not to be taken seriously).

By the will of unknown deities, Clyde is swiped from Earth and tossed into an anime world. He’s the declared the Stone aka main character. One day, he must kill the Viper, the antagonist. Too bad things aren’t exactly as black and white as that. The Stone is something much more…
This world and its inhabitants are real. It’s another dimension with a lot to explore.

This is the story of a young man’s evolution from college boy of Earth to godhood and beyond. The challenges stand ahead of him:  demons, monster girls, crazy yanderes, even a girl with maxed charisma. He never thought he’d ever see a magical girl…

A story of comedy, action, and going from weak to completely unstoppable. He is the system disruptor…

In a world where tropes are present, anime girls falling in love so easily, and city-wide issues intertwining with the main mission, Clyde must level up power and his mentality, RPG-style. He can no longer be that earthling. He will learn… whether he likes it or not.

Someone who breaks systems…Feared by the gods…




~A lover of character development lover! 


Warning:
 Episode 7 and beyond contains and ramps a lot up on sexual content, including scenes. You have been warned.  This is not for the faintest of hearts! There are also monster girl quest references in here too. Once again, fair warning. Think about that before entering.
You now know what you're getting into...
[Recommended for those who know of the Monster Girl Encyclopedia] 
--Heads up: this develops into a Harem (and eventually they'll end up as his wives. If that's not your thing, this is your head's up.) 
 -----------------------------------------------
Written and edited by me with Persona as my inspiration!
*He goes from cautious to embracing! 
*Don't just stop somewhere in volume 1 (because we know the beginning doesn't count for a judgment). Binge it! Binge it! Binge it! 
***Author note: get in now before you're left behind. I'm planning to be around for a while xD.***
-------------------------------------------------
* Morning of Nov 25th 2018: 1 million views reached! 
-----------------------------------------------
NOTICE AS OF FEB 2019: Web novel hiatus indefinitely due to Amazon, people translating my shit and charging money for it, posting this on other sites without my permission. Please join discord and/or Facebook page for updates. Patreon will continue to get chapters as normal.

Thank you truly for understanding! This is my livelihood and I don't want to lose it. 
Please see discord's announcements for information on the Web novel's suspension.
------------------------------------------------
Volumes 1-14+ ongoing available on Amazon. Audible too!
ATS has found an editor as of Aug 26th. Be expecting the ebook versions to be fixed even more. See discord for more info. 
Volume 15 in session...
----------------------------------------------
*Advanced chapters and special bonuses:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/syr456 
--------------------------------------------------
My website is https://www.alvinJatwater.com
https://www.animetropesystem.net
--------------------------------------------------
**Discord channel:   [If you have questions or concerns, this is the best place to reach me]
https://discord.gg/t2qVaAR

Hello. 

It's been exactly a year since I posted my last update. You're probably wondering what happened to this series? 
 As everyone knows, the past year has been a difficult period for pretty much everyone. I came out on top better than most, I didn't get sick and could keep working normally. Still, it had an impact on my writing schedule, for example, some of the places I often go to write in peace are currently closed. Furthermore, I'm currently extremely busy with my day job, giving me little time to write. But that's only the minor reason why updates stopped for so long. 

To put it simply, I wasn't happy with my original draft of volume 3. I had stuffed planned that was borderline ridiculous, even for Joshua. So I went back to the drawing board and I'm much happier with the current version of the story. 

This means I also rewrote some parts I had already rewritten. To be more specific, I rewrote the last part of chapter 6 and the entirety of chapter 7.
 
I will post the new versions of those chapters today, along with chapter 8. As for my future schedule, currently, I'm only able to write during weekends. I will try to post at least one chapter a week, but I make no promises about that. At the very least, I can promise I'll post the next part before 22, lol. 

As for other stuff related to the novel, I'm happy to announce volume 1 has been translated into Spanish and will be released in the next few days. I'm also working on an audiobook version of volume 1 and hopefully, it will come out this year. 

Finally, I would like to thanks all of you still reading my series. Thank you for having been so patient with me. I hope you'll enjoy the next adventures of Catherine and Joshua.

After dying, our main character found himself summoned by a young woman. She comes from a long line of summoners and had expected to partner up with a powerful being, like the rest of her family. Instead, she summoned a computer programmer, who from now on will be living inside her head. Powerless, he's unable to help her with the upcoming war. Disappointed that neither of them had been blessed by fate with some divine abilities, he decides to build a computer system inside her head himself.



======================

If you want to discuss the story you can join the following discord : 

https://discord.gg/5Pu595W

======================

Volume 1 is now available on Amazon Kindle! 
If you like the series, check it out! :D 
us : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NSGR37P

 
fr : http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07NSGR37P
 
uk : http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NSGR37P

Even if Water Specialists summoned existing water from the storage houses to the dining tables of the whole kingdom, they will just get into trouble during their time in the academy or army.
Even if they summoned water far away from the oceans, this will just consume a lot of mana and will just be taxing.
To make up for their incompetence in those areas, many Water Specialists opted become healers of the injured Specialist Fighters which was why they became the so-called supports of the army.
Even though there were Water Specialists who wished to be Specialist Fighters, their place in the army would still be at sea and not with the rest of other Specialists.
Therefore, many thought that the use of their powers are too limited.
But not Alist.
'The author must have left the water magic element to its pathetic state while focusing on the hero and heroine who both have autogenic attributes.' She commented.
As someone who power-listed the magical abilities of fantasy characters in her previous life, Alist knew the perfect cheat for her Propriety lessons.
Blood Manipulation.
While Alist believed that she was the only one who knew this skill as there was no record of any character using it, she completely understood that this should not be made known to other Specialists.
Blood contains water so blood can be controlled.
This type of manipulation can branch out a new technique called Blood Puppetry, or the skill in which the victim is being controlled unwillingly due to blood present in his or her body.
Unlike the scary nature of the skill, Alist uses it on herself.
During the truck crash that happened to her in the previous world, she remembered the sensation of her blood freely gushing out of her broken body.
The trauma was so real that Alist dreamt about that accident every night when she was just a toddler.
Only when she tried out the skill on herself in secret did she find it very easy to learn and study.
She named it the Volitional Blood Beckon.
Whenever Alist felt like the goblet in her hand is slipping from her fingers tips, she beckoned her bloodstream to tighten her hand's muscles so it would maintain its balance.
Her mana condition was not even a problem as this was done at a minimal pace.
'But this was still TIRING!' Alist screamed internally.
Alist looked at her godmother who was holding her 5000ml goblet at an exceptional finger balance with her aura maintaining its luminescent glow.
Both of them were dressed in the uniforms of yellow and white colors.
Xenia still wore the attire she used during her mana initiation rites.
If one peeked into the author's reasons for giving her such faded but regal clothing, one would understand that the Medieval perspective of colors for yellow reflects on hope and light while white dwells on grief and innocence.
White clothing was a symbol of grief because it takes much time and effort to clean it (but it wasn't difficult for Alist as she could just perform Water Wash easily).
In contrast, Alist wore stunning shades of royal gold colors along with metallic whites.
Xenia dressed her in that way so it seemed she really exalted and cared a lot for her acknowledged goddaughter.
"You know" Xenia finally spoken after Alist finished drinking her last glass without minding about her finger hold. "When you came to me and said you wanted to get a noble's formal education, I knew you were a mature person with a mature decision. We talked about how noblewomen get education so that they won't embarrass the reputation of their betrothed. So, is the reason was so that you could marry someone of noble status or you're doing this so that could convince your parents to obtain a noble title?"
Alist fell silent.
She never thought about becoming a noble so it was none of the mentioned choices for her.
Not even the thought of marrying early since shotgun weddings are common in Kaiden.
Alist kept up with the act for several reasons.
First was because she believed that having this comprehension will increase her confidence as these (even the complicated finger holds) become a natural thing for her.
Second, she wanted to take care of Xenia in return for caring about her education.
In the absence of her husband, Alist must ensure that she won't die because of frail health or sickness.
She even made her godmother walk ten to twenty more laps around the white mangrove forest.
This was done so that Coru will be relieved to see her alive and well, and prevent him ever joining the Khaos movement as a recruit.
Third was so that Alist can get something out of Xenia.
After years of garnering her favorability, Alist is determined to find out the location of the light artifact.
There are several undiscovered light artifacts scattered throughout Deo's Continents.
These rare treasures can be used against Shade Specialists.
However, Bernael and his Shade army knew the existence of such treasures and they could easily track them given that their attributes react highly to light.
Alist may not know the location of all light artifacts but she remembered reading in the novel about one in Sidero.
'In the novel, the hero sent scouts towards the location but they soon found out that the treasure was destroyed.' Alist recalled. 'But unknown to anyone, that artifact was first discovered and used by Xenia for the growth of a rare flower species. She left it somewhere in Sidero where its rightful place was. Mentioned by the novel's audiobook, Coru knew the existence of the treasure as he and his wife  were both fond of chatting about each one's adventures. He had a clear memory of her description on its whereabouts but his sentimentality never wavered from taking his revenge. For his allegiance to Bernael and the annihilation of Deo, Coru chose to destroy the golden artifact.'
Therefore, she must acquire that existing item that can defend herself against the likes of the Shade users.
To do that, she must continuously increase Xenia's "NPC Favorability Meter" and coax her into revealing the artifact's hidden location.
Alist must have her answer before her first visit to the Sideron continent.
'Well, even if I failed to have her tell me where the light artifact was, I don't even mind. I wouldn't even have bad feelings if ever my question was ignored. Rather, I could only feel gratitude towards God-Ma.'
Alist sighed at the possibility of her inquiry being unanswered.
She could just investigate the towns and kingdoms where Xenia had once been and gather clues even though it would be difficult.
For a young girl who was touched from the sincerity and devotion shown by her godmother, it didn't feel right to ask more about something personal.
Her godmother even pampered Alist with gifts she never had in her past life.
First, Xenia gave her the golden laurel circlet.
Second, she became Alist's first competent tutor.
Third, Xenia was her official dressmaker from the shimmer gown she was wearing to her outdoor trousers.
'Well, it's not like I forced her but I am glad that it became a hobby that triggered her to have an active lifestyle at home. We spent days arguing on dresses and shirts that I've sourced out from my previous world until she finally agreed. GodMa has even made larger sizes of many other clothes that I will soon outgrow. At present, one side of my Sea Bear's Glass space became my very own designer wardrobe.' Alist reminisced.
The beginning of the prologue has yet to begin so preparation deadlines must be scheduled early to be completed at a faster rate which is why she will need all the help she can get if she wanted face the Darken Pawns.
Alist then decided on one thing. 'I will look for an opportunity to bring up the topic about her thought-to-be-dead husband and twist the topic into saying that he might still be alive and that the light artifact is the only thing that can help GodMa. Then, voilà! She spills the beans. I can't do it right now because the drama has to be perfectly packed with sentimentality, remorse, and hope. I will set the stage at some other time.'
Mannerly lunch with Xenia is almost over so Alist took the initiative of adjourning her classes.
Xenia smiled brightly as if she has never been better. "Very good! Excusing oneself from the table and followed by the humble request to leave early. Very well! As the host, I shall escort you out of the house."
The two left together and walked towards the white gate.
There, Alist uttered her thanks and strolled off away from her godmother's house.
'It would be nice if GodMa lived long enough to be with Coru so both happinesses will be resolved like hitting two birds with one stone.' Alist sighed and sighed again.
Just as she was about to sigh for the twentieth time, a realization dawned upon her sun-kissed face. "AHA!"
"If possible…"
"If possible…"
"If possible…"
From that time forward, the words "If possible" echoed in the quiet mangrove forest.

After meeting her death in the face of 'truck-kun', the 18-year-old orphan reincarnated as Alist Glassheart—  an insignificant character in her favorite novel called Heroes of the United Continent. The novel centers on two ‘fire-and-ice lovebirds’ going on a quest to save all four continents from the threats of the 5th continent Khaos by uniting them as puzzle pieces of the once largest existing supercontinent Deo. 
 
Born in a peaceful family with natural water abilities, Alist faces discrimination as water specialities are deemed the weakest in Deo's Continents. But to her: 

“Through my past-life knowledge on fantasy genres from web novels to webcomics to movies as well as animation series, I can improve the way water can be manipulated."
 
She then embarks on the journey with a mental check list of plans against the approaching apocalypse their continent will face; including the safety of her oblivious family, the evasion of troublesome protagonists, the death flags, and the potential meeting of a love interest.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.S. The cover's photo isn't mine and I thought of changing it. Well, I don't know yet.

Waking up to an urgent phone call from his homicide unit captain at 3:00 a.m, Raymond Boyett, otherwise known as Ray-B, scrambled for his phone before the damn thing rang again.

He could visualize his wife rolling her eyes at him, even in the dark. marriages in his line of work, usually had a short shelf-life. Begrudgingly grabbing his badge and gun, then quietly laughing to himself as the forgotten screen door banged loudly against its splintered frame, eliciting a roar of curse words from his soon-to-be ex. 

Ray-B shook his head vigorously as if by doing so, he could dislodge the full moon from the sky and all the crazy shit that came along with it. The full moon seemed to have some kind of magical pull. Luring all of the can-collecting crazies out of hiding, like cock-roaches scurrying from the light, back into the darkness. 

A cloud of smog heralded Ray-B's Arrival to the crime scene, as his car sputtered to a stop.   

Opening the dented door of his Geo-Metro, and hurriedly slamming it shut, thereby trapping empty cigarette packs and greasy sandwich wrappers from spilling out and onto the street. 

The crime scene looked like a chapter out of a Stephen King novel.   Puddles of blood wandered outside the crudely drawn chalk lines, like a preschool coloring book with only a half- broken red crayon to color with. The crime scene tape fluttered in the wind, barely containing the area, brushing over the hastily covered bodies, smacking Ray-B in the face.

The saying that death comes in threes was given credence as Ray-B surveyed his surroundings. He wondered to himself what could cause the unnatural state of the three bodies now so void of life. "One's just a baby for God sakes!" Ray-B whispered to himself.

People who just an hour earlier were so full of personality. So alive.
Turning to leave, Ray-B noticed a glint of what looked like a small crucifix sticking out of one of the bloody puddles. The cross lured him in. Like the"precious" on "The Lord of the Rings."  

He carefully reached for an evidence bag and realized that in his haste he had forgotten them. "Oh what the hell." He murmured. 
Scooping it up, he shook the stubborn blood from it. As soon as his fingers had encircled it, he heard a crackling sound and felt a lightning bolt course through his body. 

Ray-B fought to regain consciousness. No longer feeling in control. So many questions flooded his mind, It was as though his thoughts of movement didn't line up with how his body responded.

"Who turned the damn lights out!" Ray-B yelled. He realized he couldn't even get a full lungful of air. Grappling for some semblance of understanding. It felt like a coffin. panic began to overcome him.  

Sharp shafts of light never seeming to penetrate the darkness, almost palpable in this confining space. "a coffin!" "It has to be!" Ray-B softly whimpered.

A minute felt like a day before he was grabbed out of the coffin, and like a child would throw his toy, he was tossed and tumbled into what seemed to be a ravine.

It was weird, nothing made sense to his bewildered mind.  He could hear his own voice, hell weirder than that, was hearing his wife answer and laugh. As though there was a movie of his memories playing. Playing on a loop. 

"This can't really be happening?" he thought to himself. A voice that only he could hear interrupted his Godless mind...

It was a deep baritone voice that interrupted his sanity, and the stillness of his straining ears... "Don't worry your simple self, Ray-B, I'm only borrowing your body for a timeless minute!" "It looks like your pretty little wife has been lacking attention, and it's been so long since I've been with a human!" taunted the demon.

"Hell, have at her!" yelled Ray-B as he struggled futilely against the invisible bonds that now held his spirit. Even as he did so a realization began pulling at the most innermost memories only he and his wife had shared. He could hear his marriage vows as they echoed through his mind. Silently tugging at his heart, and echoing into his subconscious.

Ray-B realized that if this evil existed so then did God. With each minute that fell he begged God for forgiveness, and just one more chance. One more chance to go back and do things right. The demon inside him fought his spirit over the power of his body. The demon told him that It, and it alone killed the people who lay strewn about.

Ray-B was powerless as he watched a playback of what had taken place as the small family was tortured and killed. Beginning with the child, and ending with the parents. 

The Demon told him that in no uncertain terms, by the time he was done with him Ray-B would be blamed for these murders and the ones yet to come. 
Ray-B quickly sobered to his newfound reality as the demon released his mind. 

Gathering his senses, and haunted by the memory of the oath swore by the demon. The oath to assassinate Ray-B's character, and direct the blame of all future crimes straight to him.

Ray-B looked around for any evidence that would place him at the scene. Scanning the room he noticed that his flip phone had fallen from his pocket and lodged itself in the crook of one of the bloody victims' lifeless bodies. 

"How crazy, I investigate murders, and this demon, unseen by anyone else commits them." Ray-B thought to himself. He felt his soul being crudely jammed back into the deep chasm.
Every time Ray-B had the chance to pray, he prayed.

He reached deep from within himself for the right words.
Suddenly a booming voice broke the invisible bonds holding him, falling away from him like half-popped balloons. 
     
"Demon be gone!" In the holy name of Jesus Christ, I command you!"
Ray-B awoke, finding himself vomiting the darkness of unbelief onto the thirsty pavement. 
     
All the pieces of his spiritual puzzle suddenly began to fit together, to finally make sense. The highs and lows Ray-B had experienced throughout his existence, hell, even the feelings of intuition, "it's all spiritual! It has to be," he thought.
     
Ray-B scanned the gruesome scene that the demon had left in its wake. The carnage and the unrealistic poses of death the bodies ended up in, painted a macabre memory for him. This whole day, a day of spiritual awakening, and a day which Detective Ray-B could not easily file in a dusty drawer like the long-forgotten job applicants of the year before.
   
Stopping at a nearby convenient store, Ray-B walked through the sticky doors of the 7/11. Making it past a skulking teen in a ragged hoodie, Ray-B tried not to breathe as the stench of body odor assaulted his nostrils.

Little Ricky, as everyone who was anyone knew, stood behind the 7/11 counter with a starched collar and smartly creased pants. 
     
"How are you doing Mr. Ray-B sir?" said Little Ricky as he smartly saluted him.
Disregarding little Ricky's greeting completely, detective Ray-B grumpily countered with a retort, "how old is the coffee?"
     
Little Ricky nervously murmured an answer as the self-help audiobook he had been playing in the background belied the slowness of the supermarket during the never-ending graveyard hours.
     
"Just made it!" And spurred on by his coffee readiness, little Ricky asked Ray-B, "So, any idea if you guys are hiring?"
   
Ray-B smiled as he remembered throwing his application on top of the rest of the non-hireable. "I know that there was the question of whether or not I was the required 100 yards from the schoolyard, but I swear it, I really, really was!"

"See you tomorrow." Answered Ray-B, as he threw a wrinkled five-dollar bill towards little Ricky. "Same bat-station, same bat-channel!" Yelled Little Ricky as he pretended to catch it like a winning Superbowl pass.

A journey from sinner to saint as a prominent homicide detective begins to piece together clues that lead to the arrests of unusual suspects. Searching for anything that could tie the murders together, and finding out that it's a demon he's after

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«Trash of the Count's Family (Web Novel) - Chapter 58 - Currently Thinking (6)

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Chapter 58: Currently Thinking (6)

This chapter is updated by Novels.pl
Translator: miraclerifle
Editor: Borderline Masochist
# Currently Thinking (6) #
"We have had many battles, both large and small, with the mermaids over the years. We control the north and the mermaids control the south."
Paseton looked toward Cale. Cale, who was leaning on the couch, motioned to Paseton with his chin to continue with his story. On and Hong peeked at Cale's face before slowly moving away from Cale's knee and heading toward the corner of the room next to the Black Dragon.

"We are fighting to prevent the mermaids from creating a kingdom throughout the entire ocean. However, something changed six months ago."
Paseton's eyes started to fall.
"The mermaids started acting weird."
'Weird?'
Cale started to think about the novel's information regarding the mermaids.
"They crossed over the implicit border between our two tribes and started to provoke us."
This was something Cale knew about. The mermaids start to provoke the Whales so that they could take control of the ocean. Cale started to feel relieved after hearing information he already knew about. Paseton continued to speak.
"I was able to figure out the reason behind it."
'I'm sure it is because they want to create their kingdom.'
The Whale tribe in volumes 4 and 5 knew about the mermaid's plan, and that was why Choi Han was helping them fight against the mermaids.
"They are trying to take control of the sea route that connects the Eastern and Western continents."
"What?"
Cale sat up straight and looked toward Paseton before asking.
"Isn't the sea route something for the humans?"
There were a couple different sea routes that connect the Western and Eastern continents. The humans had found these routes, but they were far and dangerous, preventing an official route from becoming created.
According to the novel, there was an implicit agreement between the lifeforms living in the water and the lifeforms living above water. The sea lifeforms would not touch these sea routes and the land lifeforms would not meddle in the issues of the sea in exchange. That was why Choi Han was troubled on whether to involve himself in the battles between the Whales and the mermaids.

But the mermaids were going to break this agreement?
Witira started to speak.
"At first, we thought that the new king of the mermaids was leading the charge to create their kingdom, but the information Paseton brought back was different."
Sigh.
Cale let out a sigh and took a sip of his now lukewarm tea.
'I learned something I shouldn't have learned again.'
The problem was that it was an even bigger issue than all of the other information he had learned up until now. It was even bigger than the issue with the crown prince Alberu.
"And there was one more weird thing."
"Hold on."
Cale prevented Witira from continuing by interrupting her.
"Just tell me why the Forest of Darkness is involved."
Cale felt like he would become involved in something big if he heard anything else. He was starting to feel uncomfortable. Cale could see Witira slightly smiling.
Why did the smile of this beautiful Whale look so scary to Cale?
"Yes. This is regarding that!"
Witira brightly answered while Cale's expression turned darker.
"As we mentioned, the mermaids became stronger about one or two months ago. We were able to figure out the, 'ingredient,' that caused this to happen."

Cale closed his eyes. He slowly opened them back and asked the two Whales.
"That ingredient is in the Forest of Darkness?"
"Correct! You realized it right away!"
'What the hell was going on? How could something from land in the Forest of Darkness make a sea lifeform stronger?'
Cale was shocked.
More importantly, how did the mermaids reach the Forest of Darkness? Cale had an iffy feeling about this.
Paseton's eyes were sparkling as he decisively continued.
"I heard them talking about a swamp in the Forest of Darkness. That was why I was chased by them. We need to go to the swamp and figure out what the ingredient is."
Cale did not need to hear anything else.
The Forest of Darkness.
Choi Han's Harris Village.
Cale thought about the ten Wolf children, who were probably outside the door right now, before turning to look at the corner of the room. On and Hong were there with an odd gap between the two of them. The invisible Black Dragon was probably between them.
- Human, what are you looking at?
'I was thinking about building him a villa.'
- Is it because you think I am the coolest? Fine, I will give you permission to keep looking at me.
"It's complicated."
"Excuse me?"
The Whale siblings' pupils grew larger. However, Cale did not look at them as he started to think.
'What would be the benefit?'
In order to figure out what the benefits would be, there was something he needed to understand first.
"Humans cannot interfere in the events of the sea."
Witira immediately responded.
"We know that is the case. However, we plan on making sure you are not at a disadvantage in any way from this. Everything will be done by us in secret."
She then added on to respond to Cale's statement.
"Furthermore, the mermaids broke the agreement first. They would have needed help from the land in order to reach the Forest of Darkness."
"But there is still a huge chance of danger. You know that, right?"
"Yes."
Next came the second thing he needed to know.
"So what is in it for me?"
Cale informed them about the danger first before asking about this. A thick smile formed on Witira's face as she slowly started to speak.
Cale knew what was going to come out of her mouth.
It would be the same condition the Whale King had offered Choi Han in the novel.
"A sea route."
Cale started to smile.
"There is a sea route that the mermaids have prioritized in their takeover. It is one that the humans have not found yet. It is the safest sea route available."
Cale asked, even though he already knew.
"Where is it?"
Witira, who did not know Cale knew about it, confidently answered.
"Our ocean."
The Western continent's Northern Sea.
"It is in the Whale tribe's territory."
Cale started to laugh as he asked.
"Isn't the Whale territory the most dangerous? It is the location of the ocean's strongest lifeforms."
"But it is a safe place for you now, young master Cale. You will be given the rights to use that route."
Cale casually asked the confident Witira.
"But I don't need it?"
"...Excuse me?"
Cale had absolutely no need for a sea route like that. It wasn't like they were giving him the sea route. They were just giving him the rights to use it. Cale did not need that sea route in order to live peacefully.
However.
"Let me add one more condition."
The sea route will make his family wealthier and stronger. Of course, Basen will have to work even harder as the head of the territory, but that didn't matter to Cale. Cale could see the confusion in Witira's face, and answered the future Whale Queen.
"Lend me your strength when I need it."
"Our strength?"
"Yes, strength. Two times."
Nothing else mattered to Cale other than keeping this Northeastern territory safe when the Northern knights headed down toward this warm and plentiful part of the continent. The whirlpools in the Ubarr sea and the naval base, why else would Cale have involved himself in all of this?
It was because Cale was preparing for the future based on his knowledge of the novel.
"We can't interfere with the issues of the land."
Cale looked at Witira's pale expression before casually adding on.
"So you want me to put myself in danger, but you won't do the same?"
"...We are a peace-seeking tribe."
"I don't think you can say that when you have been fighting with the mermaids for so long."
The Whale tribe was feeling danger from the stronger mermaids. They had never felt such danger before. They probably wanted to completely get rid of that source of danger in order to maintain their peace.
Cale continued to speak to the silent Witira.
"The Forest of Darkness is one of the most dangerous and mysterious areas in the world. It is not somewhere you will have safe travels just because you are strong. Especially for someone like you, who does not know much about the land."
Cale was planning on heading to Harris Village anyways.
"I will help you."
The Forest of Darkness that Choi Han had lived in for tens of years. Choi Han did not know everything about the Forest of Darkness, even after spending that long in there. He just knew bits and pieces of it.
And the human who knew the most about the Forest of Darkness after Choi Han was, of course, Cale.
"I think I know which swamp it is."
Witira could see Cale smile as he gently answered.
"Doesn't the Whale tribe want a peaceful life as the strongest lifeform in the ocean?"
Cale could see Witira's point of view starting to change. She was slowly changing from a position of request to a position of making a deal.
"You are right, young master Cale."
The Whales that wanted peace. That was only possible because they were strong. The Whale tribe in the novel did anything and everything to fight the mermaids.
"I, Witira, as the successor of the Whale chief, accept your conditions."

WItira could see that Cale was still calm after she revealed her identity.

"You were the successor? Great. We can finalize our deal without delay."
He just seemed happy that they could complete the deal right then and there. He reached his hand out as he asked.
"Am I supposed to speak formally to you now?"
"There is no need to do that, young master Cale. I need to hide my identity."
"Only I should know about it?"
"Correct."
Cale shook hands with Witira. That was enough. Cale plopped down on the couch once the Whale siblings left. He then looked up at the ceiling and started to speak.
"Hey you."
The Black Dragon appeared and grudgingly responded.
"Do not call me, 'you.'"
"Then what should I call you?"
Cale could see the Black Dragon land on the other side of the couch and scrunch his nose.
"You figure it out, human."
"Shouldn't you first start calling me Cale instead of, 'human'?"
Cale watched the Black Dragon with curiosity in his eyes as it snorted and avoided answering Cale's question. However, he still said what he was planning on telling the dragon.
"Don't you want a house of your own?"
Cale had been thinking about this for a while. If he was going to live with this Black Dragon, wouldn't it be great to give this, 'greatest lifeform in the world,' a fitting house?
"A house?"
The dragon's wings started to flutter. Normally, dragons had a strong desire for independence. Although this one seemed a bit different, that desire should still be there. Cale casually nodded his head at the dragon's question.
However, the Black Dragon's response was weird.
"Are you kicking me out?"
The Black Dragon's wings were shaking and the mana in the area was starting to go wild. He seemed to be very angry. Cale immediately started to speak.
"Mm, it's more of a villa."
"...A villa?"
"Yes. Somewhere that you, me, On, Hong, and the Wolves will go visit and have fun."
Of course, some of that, 'fun,' would involve clearing the monsters in the Forest of Darkness. The Black Dragon stopped shaking his wings and comfortably laid down on the couch as he responded.
"...I will pick the location of villa."
The Black Dragon's eyes, that were slowly blinking like he was sleepy, suddenly became sharp as he looked toward Cale.
"In return, you will pick my name for me. You have one month to figure it out."

The Black Dragon did not care about the flabbergasted look on Cale's face, and closed his eyes to take a nap. The Black Dragon had a satisfied smile on his face. Cale turned his head after hearing some snickers to see On and Hong immediately stop snickering, acting like nothing was going on, and ask Cale a question.
"When are we going home?"
"I like fish, but I don't like the sea."
Cale answered the kittens.
"Soon."
Two days later, Cale got on the carriage with Amiru and the others seeing him out. The carriage started to speed up, and Cale closed the carriage curtains as he started to speak.
"You can turn it off now."
The Whale siblings appeared after they turned the invisibility magic device off. The Black Dragon also revealed himself.
Seeing the Black Dragon made Paseton flinch and Witira's pupils dilate. The Black Dragon put his head on Cale's leg and blankly looked toward the Whale siblings.
"What are you looking at?"
"...That fluctuation of mana back then. That was you."
The Black Dragon and Witira stared at each other. The two of them was recognizing each other's strength. They also wanted to see how strong the other really was.
At that moment.
Pat.
Cale's hand landed on the Black Dragon's head.
"Let's go home quietly."
Cale calmly stated and the Black Dragon quietly closed his eyes and went to sleep. The carriage immediately turned quiet.
A few days later, Cale arrived back at Rain City in the Henituse territory, and immediately started to frown.
"Young master Cale-nim!"
"Oh!"
'How did the information from the capital reach here?'
Cale was looking at the people cheering at him and his group with a complicated expression.
'Did they forget about how he was trash?'
Of course, there were still people who immediately froze or ran away as soon as they saw his carriage.
However, a new title was now associated with Cale.
"Young master Silver Light!"
"Young master Shield-nim! Shield!"
Cale started to frown again. He wanted to know if there was a way for him to avoid those cheesy nicknames.
The Vice Captain then appeared within his line of sight. The Vice Captain, who was on a horse protecting the carriage, was proudly puffing up his chest with pride and started to speak as soon as he made eye contact with Cale.
"Young master, your heroic deeds have spread! Haha."
He slowly guided the horse close to the carriage and continued to speak.
"I think the name of Young master Silver Light is very cool. I am jealous, young master."
Slam.
Cale slammed the carriage window closed in the Vice Captain's face.
Cale did not care that the Whale siblings were looking at him with curiosity as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms.
At that moment, The Black Dragon lightly tapped on Cale's knee with his paw. Cale slightly opened his eyes and looked down. The Black Dragon saw the expression on Cale's face and cautiously asked.
"Are we home?"
Cale answered with disinterest.
"Yes. We are home."
On and Hong started to stretch and the Black Dragon fluttered his wings. At that moment, Cale could hear the Vice Captain's voice through the closed window.
"Young master. No need to be embarrassed!"
"Oo, Young master Silver Light!"
Cale could hear the Vice Captain as well as someone cheering for him.
'That damn punk.'
Cale did not open his eyes again until they arrived at the Henituse estate. The trash who had left for the capital had returned home for a moment.
1. Western City seems to have become Rain City.
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  By 7:19 p.m., the five of them are having dinner at Campillo's vacation house later that night, the five of them are in good spirits and in happiness, celebrating Rico's meeting with Detective Trevor and other events that happened in that day. Their food are: the popular Yellow Curry, freshly steamed rice, loaded veggie wraps, vegetable-filled onigiri, calamansi juice and lemon juice-sprinkled sliced cucumbers, and homemade fried potato chips. The dining table in the house is filled with fun, happiness, and conversations. The food are hot and the drinks, which is water and lemonade, are cold and filled with ice, except that Emerson doesn't like a glass with ice. Their Pokémon are around them eating their special food with harmony. The atmosphere around was good and harmonious, with the lights illuminating through the room in consistent wattage and brightness. And as they eat and drink, Campillo settled the noise with an announcement, "Alright, everyone, stop the noise. I had a plan for tomorrow: We will go to the Komati River Valleys, where we will join their harvest festival." This causes the rest to be delighted and excited.
     "Wow, a harvest festival?"
     "Sounds like fruits and vegetables being harvested and sold."
     "Very nice festival."
     "I would like to try their products!" Rico's Riolu, Juan's Oshawott, and Campillo's Emolga then responded with happiness and enthusiasm.
     Later on, Campillo came back from the kitchen with a medium-sized macha tea and chocolate cake complete with choco cookie toppings and chocolate and vanilla icing in his hands. And upon placing the tray at the center of the table, everyone got amazed and excited for it, as if it was time for dessert.
     "This is my homemade cake," Campillo showed his work towards them. "Macha Tea and Chocolate Cake with Vanilla and Chocolate Icing and Choco Cookie Toppings; or should I call it, Campillo's Cake." They got amazed at its new name. And after that, Campillo began slicing the cake in small, equal slices and gave them to his friends' plates. Looking at it in attracting amazement, they took a bit of it using their spoons and forks and shoved it to their mouths, tasting its flavor in their taste buds. Then, moments later, they got amazed and allured by it. 
    "Wow, it's so good and sweet!"
    "Man, it's spreading in my tongue!"
    "It's so delicious!" 
    They then all say thank you to Campillo for the wonderful dessert they ever had. Later on, when he's about to pour milk into his glass, Campillo found out that he had ran out of milk. But, upon hearing that, Rico stand up and volunteered to buy some milk for him. So, agreeing with him, Campillo gave him some money before Rico would go to the nearest convenience store, which is a few blocks away from Campillo's vacation house.
     Over half an hour later, while going back to Campillo's vacation house, Rico and his team decided to go through the neighborhood's plaza as a shortcut for their way back. The plaza was quiet and lit up with lamp posts; trees and shrubs rattled against the mild winds as the winds blew against the plaza, producing a nightly, eerie atmosphere around the plaza. Some of the houses and businesses nearby are still lit up and open for this time of night, but others are closed and had their windows covered by curtains and blinds so they could have privacy and comfort for the night.  
        "Wow, quite peaceful here," Rico commented in a little cautious and calming state. Riolu and Starly then responded with agreement. They then stopped walking a meter away from the center of the plaza, which contains the plaza's gazebo, which was producing some sounds of the wood moving due to the winds. The lights are moving back and forth in a pendulum motion. Then, suddenly, the same masked man, this time with a hood on, appeared from the left and stood on front of the kid and his team with a serious look, especially the mask he was wearing. Rico and his team got terrified and felt that they were being intimidated for no particular reason. Rico then shivered from bottom to top in one direction.
       "What in the world?" Rico responded in terrifying shock. 
        "Hello again, kid," the masked man greeted him in a serious, deep tone. 
        "W-What are you doing here?" Rico asked for a reason what and why. "And w-why are you here?" But the masked man didn't respond or answer his questions, and just stood there with a scary look. The mask and appearance makes Rico and his team turned back and fled the scene in an opposite direction, hiding behind a wall. After a few seconds, they peeked at the gazebo again, but the masked man was nowhere to be seen, as if he disappeared into thin air, again. They were surprised and shocked by this encounter, just like at Galen City.
     "What's up with that guy?"
      They then got reminded that Professor Campillo was worried about them being too long to get back with a few cartons of milk, so they hurried up to go back.
    Later, 3 minutes before 8 o'clock, they arrived back, apologizing for being too long on their task.    
    By 9:26 p.m., after preparing for bed, at Juan's bedroom, while Juan was busy listening to an audiobook about his favorite novel, Rico was in the upper bunk talking to his parents about his day, in every detail and event. 
     "What? That same masked man just appeared in front of you tonight?" Lucas commented. "What did he say to you?" 
      "He just said hello to me, and... nothing else," Rico witnessed to his parents.
      "And he disappeared like last time?" Rosario raised a question to her son. Nodding to say yes, Rico answered back, "Yes." This follows with a short silence. 
      "Ah, I see," Lucas responded breaking the silence. "I think you should watch out for those kind of people. And also, stay away from their radiuses. Okay?" 
      "Thanks, dad," Rico positively replied in response. 
      "Well, I have work to do tomorrow," Lucas said his last message to Rico. "Good luck on your adventure there."
      "Thanks for that, dad," Rico said his last message to his father. "Good night." He and his father then ended their conversation for the night. 

This is the fiction story of an ordinary kid, who had humble beginnings, and aspire to become a strong Pokemon trainer. And along the way, he will meet new people, Pokémon, places, and even travel to other strange places where his true identity will slowly unfold, and new skills to acquire.

     Waking up to This is a story of a homicide detective who is called to a crime scene and upon examination of a victim recognizes the signature as that of a serial killer that has just popped up on his radar. As he inspects the gruesome scene he finds a clue that sends him spiraling into a world of insanity. 
     Possessed by a demon, his unbelief in the spiritual world calls into question his reality. urgent phone call from his homicide unit captain at 3:00 a.m Raymond Boyett, otherwise known as Ray-B, scrambled for his phone before the damn thing rang again. He could visualize his wife rolling her eyes at him even in the dark. 
     Grabbing his badge and gun, he laughed to himself as the forgotten screen door banged loudly against the frame eliciting a roar of curse words from his soon-to-be ex.
The scene looked like something out of a Stephen King novel, with puddles of blood wandering outside the crudely drawn chalk lines, like a preschool coloring book with only a red crayon to color with. 
     Ray-B shook his head vigorously as if by doing this he could dislodge the full moon from the sky and all the crazy shit that came along with it. They say death comes in threes.  
      Looking down he wondered to himself what could cause the unnatural contortioned state of three bodies now so void of life that just an hour earlier was so full of personality. 
Turning to leave, Ray-B noticed a glint of what looked like a small crucifix sticking out of one of the bloody puddles. 
     He carefully reached for an evidence bag and realized that in his haste he had forgotten them. "Oh what the hell." He murmured, scooping it up and shaking the stubborn blood from it. As soon as his fingers encircled it he heard a crackling sound and felt a lightning bolt course through his body. 
     As he regained consciousness he no longer felt in control. It was as though his thoughts of movement didn't line up with how his body responded.
"Who turned the damn lights out!" Ray-B yelled. He realized he couldn't even get a lungful of air because of the constriction in what seemed to be a coffin.
      It was weird, he could hear his voice, hell weirder than that was his hearing his wife answer and laugh.
A voice that only he could hear interrupted his Godless mind...
"Don't worry your simple self, Ray-B, I'm only borrowing your body for a timeless minute!" "It looks like your pretty little wife has been lacking attention, and it's been so long since I've been with a human!"
     Ray-B struggled futilely against the invisible bonds that now held his spirit. Even as he did so a realization began pulling at his most innermost memories he and his wife shared. He could hear his marriage vows as they echoed. Echoing throughout his mind and silently tugging at his heart. 
     Ray-B realized that if this evil existed so then did God. With each minute that fell he begged God for forgiveness, and just one more chance. The demon inside him fought his spirit over the power of his body. The demon told him that It, and it alone killed the people who lay strewn about. Ray-B was powerless as he watched a playback of what had taken place. 
     The Demon told him that in no uncertain terms by the time he was done with him he would be the one blamed for these murders and the ones to come. 
     Ray-B quickly sobered to his newfound reality as the demon released his mind. Gathering his senses and haunted by the memory of the oath swore by the demon, Ray-B looked around for any evidence that would place him at the scene. Scanning the room he noticed that his flip phone had fallen from his pocket and lodged itself in the crook of one of the bloody victims' lifeless bodies. 
     "How crazy, I investigate murders, and this demon, unseen by anyone else commits them." Ray-B thought to himself. He felt his soul being crudely jammed back into the coffin-like container. 
Every time Ray-B had the chance to pray, he prayed. He reached deep from within himself for the right words.
Suddenly a booming voice broke the invisible bonds holding him, falling away from him like half-popped balloons. 
     "Demon be gone!" In the holy name of Jesus Christ, I command you!"
And just like that, Ray-B awoke, finding himself vomiting the darkness of unbelief onto the thirsty pavement. 
All the pieces of his spiritual puzzle suddenly began to fit together, to finally make sense. 
     The highs and lows Ray-B had experienced throughout his existence, hell, even the feelings of intuition, it's all spiritual! It has to be, he thought. 
     Picking up the crucifix, Ray-B scanned the gruesome scene that the demon had left in its wake. The carnage and the unrealistic poses of death the bodies ended up in painted a macabre memory for him. This whole day, a day of spiritual awakening, and a day which Detective Ray-B could not easily file in a dusty drawer, sitting them right on top of the long-forgotten job applicants of the year before.
     Ray-B stepped out of his squad car with a pile of half-empty to-go cups and greasy sandwich wrappers trailing on behind him. With a curse word tickling his self-conscious tongue, Ray-B hurriedly closed the car door trapping the garbage from emptying onto the street. Little Ricky, as everyone who was anyone knew, stood behind the 7/11 counter with a starched collar and smartly creased pants. 
     "How are you doing Mr. Ray-B sir?" said Little Ricky as he smartly saluted him. Disregarding little Ricky's greeting completely, detective Ray-B grumpily countered with a retort, "how old is the coffee?"
     Little Ricky nervously answered as the self-help audiobook he had playing in the background belied the slowness of the supermarket during the never-ending graveyard hours.
"Just made it!" And spurred on by his coffee readiness, little Ricky asked Ray-B, "So, any idea if you guys are hiring?"
     Ray-B smiled as he remembered throwing his application on top of the rest of the non-hireable.
"I know that there was the question of whether or not I was the required 100 yards from the schoolyard, but I swear it, I really, really was!" 
     "See you tomorrow." Answered Ray-B, as he threw a wrinkled five-dollar bill towards little Ricky. 
"Same bat-station, same bat-channel!" Yelled Little Ricky as he pretended to catch it like a winning Superbowl pass.

She still wasn't looking at him. He picked up his wineglass, put it down.
"What are you not telling me?"
She shifted on the couch, pulled her knees up, and put her arms around them so her body was one tight ball.
"Oh, Drew, I was so mean to her." Her voice caught. She stopped, closed her eyes, and swallowed before continuing. "I was mean and snotty and insulting. I made her feel so bad for what happened. I did it on purpose! I became a tattletale to our parents for everything I thought she was doing wrong. We barely spoke for the better part of a year, and even after that, our relationship was fractious and difficult for years. We didn't really start becoming friends again until I was in college, and even then, it took years for us to be close." She paused, clearly lost in thought, and shook her head. "I feel like . . . if I manage to make this happen, it would be my way of making up for everything."
He moved across the couch and put his arm around her. She was so tense he wasn't sure how she'd react to his touch. But she relaxed against him and released her knees.
"And if you don't manage to make this happen? What then?"
She shook her head as it rested against his shoulder. He turned toward her and kissed her hair. He felt her sigh.
"Then it's me failing her again. If I can't do this one thing for my sister, for my family, for all of those other kids who need something like this like she did . . ."
He pulled her closer to him, so happy to be with her. It felt wrong to be happy when she was on the point of tears, but he was honoured that she was sharing this with him. This conversation felt like a gift.
"You know that's not true, right? That if it doesn't pass this time it's not your fault? That all you can do is give everything you have to this, and you know you have been? You do know all that?"
She shrugged and turned away from him. Okay. Did that mean she didn't want to talk about this anymore? He wasn't sure if he should keep talking, but he had one more question for her.
"Have you talked to Olivia about this? Have you told her what you're trying to do, and why?"
She hesitated and shook her head.
"We haven't . . . We don't really talk about that at all. At first, I was too ashamed to say anything, and now it seems like it's been too long."
He didn't respond at first, not quite sure what to say. She reached for the slice of pizza he'd put on her plate and had eaten half of it before he spoke again.
"So, if TARP did pass, how were you going to tell her? You were going to tell her, right?"
She swallowed, took a sip of her wine, and swallowed again.
"Yeah. I've thought about that. I was going to email her a link to a news article about it. With something like, 'Look what your little sister has been up to?' or, 'Terrible name, great program, right?'" She sighed. "Okay, maybe both of those ideas are stupid, but you know what I mean."
He laughed and squeezed her hand. The tense look on her face relaxed and she squeezed back.
"Maybe you should talk to her. Before the hearing, I mean. About TARP, yeah—this is a great thing you're trying to do, and I know she'd be proud. But also about the other stuff you told me. I'm sure she would want to know."
She shook her head again but didn't let go of his hand.
"It was so hard for me to tell you, Drew. I don't even know how I would tell her how I felt, or what I would say."
He turned her so that her legs were draped over his and took her face in both his hands.
"Say to her what you said to me. Just think about it, okay? I think it would make you feel better."
She leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her, and they sat there for a while, breathing each other in.
"I'll think about it," she said. He moved an inch closer to her, and their lips clung together slowly, gently. He wanted to deepen the kiss but pulled away.
"Now, finish that slice of pizza so you don't have a hangover in the morning. Your doctor insists on it."
She laughed, as he'd been hoping she would.
"How many children do you have to advise about hangovers, Dr Nichols?"
He stood up to take the pizza box and the empty wine bottle to the kitchen.
"You'd be surprised. Though most of my patients have hangovers of the Halloween-candy variety."
Her laughter echoed through the house as he walked to the kitchen. He was so glad he'd come.
When he came back from the kitchen, Alexa had dutifully eaten all of her pizza but the crust. He made fun of her for that, as he'd done when she was in L.A.
"Yet another similarity you have with my patients." He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. "You eat your pizza like a toddler."
She kept her hands in his and looked up at him. She felt wrung out emotionally, but she couldn't stop smiling at him. It was so nice to have him here, in her living room, just being here with her, on a Tuesday night. She could get used to this.
She shook that thought away.
"Did you have any plans in mind for the rest of the night?" she asked him.
He pulled her close to him.
"Mmm, I don't know. What were you thinking?"
"Hmmm." His lips trailed down her neck as she considered. "We could check out a show on Netflix? Or, ooh, I'm listening to this great audiobook about segregation in American cities. We could listen together." He unzipped her hoodie and bit her shoulder. She gasped and giggled all at the same time. "Unless you had another plan?"
He straightened up, his eyes focused on her face as he ran his hands down her body. She closed her eyes against the sensation and moaned.
She opened her eyes to see him looking down at her. His shirt was half unbuttoned, his hair was on end, his eyes focused on her and only her. He looked like he'd been sculpted from her wildest fantasies.
"You drive me crazy, Alexa. Did you know that?"
She shook her head and licked her suddenly dry lips.
Holy shit, how did this man still do this to her? Shouldn't this hunger for him and his body and his touch have worn off already? But no, it only seemed stronger now. He squeezed her nipple and she moaned again.
"My plan, you tease, was to spend the next few hours hearing you make that noise over and over again. What do you think about that plan, hmmm?" He pulled her closer to him and kissed that spot on her neck that she loved. She sighed.
"It's no Netflix or audiobook, but it'll do."
He laughed, and before she could blink, he'd picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder. She pounded her hands on his back as he strode down the hall to her bedroom.
"What do you think you're doing?"
He turned on the light in her bedroom and kicked a pair of shoes out of his way.
"Less talk, Monroe." He dropped her on the bed. "More action."
How did the sex just keep getting better with her? Drew turned over onto his back, rolling her on top of him.
"Was there an earthquake, or a bomb, or a building collapse or something?" he asked.
"Mmm, I don't think so. Why?" She turned her head to look out the window.
"Because my ears are ringing."
He felt rather than heard her laugh. She laid her head on his chest and ran her hands up and down his still-tingling body. His hands went to her hair, and he held them there, just enjoying the sensation of being with her again.
"When do you have to go back?" she said against his chest.
Oh right. He had to go back.
"My flight's at seven in the morning." He pushed her hair over to the side so he could see her face. "I'm so glad I came."
She looked back at him and smiled, that wide smile that shone from every part of her face. He loved that smile.
"Me, too."
Alexa got to work the next morning groggy but blissful. In the middle of the night, she'd woken up to him kissing the back of her neck and turned to give him access to the rest of her body. This time it was slower, gentler, quieter, but the fireworks had gone off just the same.

A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in a fun and flirty debut novel. Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn't normally do. But there's something about Drew Nichols that's too hard to resist. On the eve of his ex's wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend... After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she's the mayor's chief of staff. Too bad they can't stop thinking about the other... They're just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century--or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want...

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