Chapter 31: The preparation 1
Amelia finally spoke up from the bed, her voice calm but curious. "So... what did he want?"
Minato cracked his fingers as he walked up to Amelia and sat beside her on the bed. "He was just checking up on me," he said, scrolling through his phone before setting it down beside him. "And... he invited me to a party at my university."
Amelia turned her head slightly, her red eyes glimmering with mild curiosity, but she stayed quiet.
"Umm... a party," Minato said with a small nod. "It’s an occasion where people just hang out together... play music, talk, drink, laugh... You know, just enjoy each other’s company."
She blinked once, then tilted her head. "I know what a party is... Seriously, how do you see my realm? Uncivilized?"
"What?" Minato blinked, caught off guard.
"Whatever you humans have, we have it better," she continued, her tone half-proud, half-teasing. "You people just use a different set of words for things."
"In fact, I don’t need your explanation again, Mr. Know-it-all," she added... "Hmph."
Minato chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "Alright, my bad... I didn’t mean it like that."
She gave him a look, puffing out her cheeks slightly, her expression caught somewhere between annoyance and playfulness.
He then looked her in the eyes. "If you don’t mind, Amelia, would you like to come with me?"
"Yes... I don’t mind at all," she responded, excitement completely overshadowing her earlier irritation. A small smile formed on her face as she looked back at him.
"I’ve also been wanting to explore your realm a little bit." She paused, her tone turning curious as she looked away, her fingers brushing through her hair. "But... what exactly is a university?"
Minato blinked. "Wait, seriously? You just said you didn’t need my explanation?"
Amelia tilted her head slightly, her red eyes narrowing. "I never said that."
"You just did," he replied, squinting his eyelids at her.
"Fine, if you don’t want to tell me, just say it," she huffed, turning toward the balcony. But before she could take another step, Minato reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her gently and firmly into his arms, tightly hugging her.
"What are you..."
"Shhh..." he whispered, his breath brushing against her ear. "Listen... I’ll explain."
Their faces were only inches apart now. Amelia froze, her heart skipping a beat, but she didn’t pull away.
"It’s like..." Minato started slowly, his voice was low and calm, "a big place where humans go to learn about all sorts of things... history, science, technology. Things that help us understand the world better. It’s... kind of like your realm’s magic... except ours doesn’t appear from thin air."
"Hmm..." Amelia leaned back slightly, thoughtful. "So, it’s an academy."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that."
She nodded, satisfied. "Then I’ll go. It sounds... interesting."
"Really?" Minato raised a brow.
"Yes. Now let go of my waist," she said, swatting his hands away.
"Don’t make me repeat myself," she added, her voice carrying a hint of pride... though the small sparkle in her eyes gave her away. Deep down, she was clearly excited.
Minato smiled, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek before gently lifting her off his lap. "Alright then, give me a sec," he said, standing up with a little grin.
Then he walked over to his wardrobe, pulled out a measuring tape he often used for class projects, and gestured for her to come closer.
Amelia tilted her head. "What are you doing now?"
"Measuring you," he said casually. "If we’re going to that party, you’ll need proper clothes."
She gave a small shrug and stepped forward. Minato began taking quick, careful measurements... height, shoulder width, waist, and so on. Amelia stood still, though her tail (if she had one) would’ve been shaking impatiently by the way she occasionally sighed.
When he finished, she sat back on the bed, crossing her legs. "Are you done?"
"Yep," Minato replied, unlocking his phone. He scrolled through a few clothing websites, comparing the measurements before finally placing an order.
"What’s that?" she asked, leaning closer with curiosity, her eyes following his every move.
"This?... I’m ordering clothes for you," he said without looking up. "Something you can actually wear outside without people thinking you’re a cosplayer."
Amelia frowned. "Cosplayer?"
"Forget it, it’s a long topic," he said with a small grin, waving his hand dismissively.
Then, after waiting for a couple of hours, the outside was finally getting dark. The sun slowly dipped behind the buildings, and the evening atmosphere carried a calm and chill breeze.
Minato stood on his apartment balcony, his arms resting against the aluminum rail as he quietly watched the city below him; car lights were glowing from below, forming a breathtaking view.
Inside, Amelia was lying comfortably on the couch, completely focused on a mobile game, her expressions shifting between curiosity and irritation as she tapped away.
Then... ding dong.
Minato’s doorbell rang repeatedly. Once. Twice. Then again, in quick succession.
Minato sighed, muttering under his nose, "Hold on a minute, I’m coming," and walked over to the door. He peeked through the small peephole and saw a delivery guy standing there, holding a medium-sized box.
Opening the door, he greeted him politely. "Good evening."
"Good evening, sir. Is this Minato Kanata’s apartment?" the man asked, checking the label.
"Yes, that’s me," Minato replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Perfect. Your delivery’s here... please sign here."
Minato took the electronic pad, scribbled his signature, and thanked him before taking the package. As the deliveryman left, Minato shut the door and turned toward Amelia, who was still glued to his phone.
"Hey, your outfit’s here," he said, lifting the box slightly.
Without looking up, Amelia replied lazily, "Outfit? Oh, right... that thing for your party."
She continued tapping on the screen, clearly more invested in the game than the conversation.
Minato let out a small sigh, stepped closer, and swiftly snatched the phone out of her hands.
"Hey!" she protested, finally looking up at him, a little pout forming on her lips. "I was about to win that round!"