The man hesitated. "Mistress... you ca here to rest. You said all the candidates you screened were disappointing. Do you really want to bring work into this trip?"
She didn’t answer imdiately.
Instead, she watched West disappear into the crowd.
"I have a feeling," she said quietly, "that if I let him slip through my fingers... I’ll regret it."
---
anwhile, West was completely oblivious.
He returned to his room far later than planned, collapsing onto the bed with a satisfied groan.
The resort, it turned out, did not shut down at night.
Arcades, combat simulators, VR arenas, glow-lit pools, sky lounges...
West sampled far too many... By the ti he finally slept, it felt like his body powered down instead of drifting off.
When he woke again, sunlight was already flooding the room.
"...Why do I feel like I fought a dungeon boss in my dreams," he muttered.
Today was Sunday... which ant, they still had one more day of fun left.
After a ridiculously good complintary breakfast—actual portions this ti, thank the heavens—West leaned back in his chair, content.
"I’m heading deeper into the resort today," he announced. "Gas. Attractions. Possibly poor life choices."
Mark folded his napkin calmly. "I’ll co with you."
West nearly choked on his drink. "You’ll what?"
"I’ll co with you."
West stared. "...Dad."
"Yes?"
"You realize ’gas’ here include simulated combat, aerial courses, and things that may legally classify as ’near-death experiences’, right?"
Mark smiled faintly. "I raised you, didn’t I?"
West squinted. "Are you sure you’ll be able to handle it, old man?"
Mark scoffed. "Watch your tone."
West grinned, standing up and stretching. "Alright then. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."
It just so happened that the very mont West and his father stepped out of their room, the universe decided to be funny.
Because right there... standing in the passageway like she had been waiting... was Elina.
She froze for half a second when she saw them, then imdiately brightened up.
"Oh! What a coincidence!" she said cheerfully. "I didn’t know you guys were staying on this floor."
West stopped walking.
Internally, his brain tilted its head. ’Huh? I’m pretty sure I ntioned the 159th floor yesterday...’
Outwardly, he kept his expression neutral. "Yeah... wild coincidence."
Mark, completely unaware of the internal alarms going off in West’s head, smiled politely. "Good morning."
Elina returned the smile warmly before her attention snapped right back to West.
"So where are you guys headed?"
West shrugged. "We’re going deeper into the resort. Gas. Attractions. Probably embarrassing my dad in public."
Mark scoffed. "You’re assuming you won’t embarrass yourself first."
Elina’s eyes lit up. "That sounds fun! Can I tag along?"
West blinked. "Didn’t you co up here to get sothing done?"
She waved a hand dismissively. "Already did."
"...That was fast."
She smiled sweetly. "Efficiency is a virtue."
West stared at her for a second longer than necessary, then sighed. "Alright. You can co."
As they walked, West couldn’t help but notice that Elina looked... different.
Yesterday, she’d been cute in a quiet, nerdy way. Glasses, minimal effort, more brain than flair.
Today?
She was dressed very cutely.
She didn’t wear anything outrageous... just a light, well-fitted outfit, subtle colors that complented her figure, and a soft shade of makeup that made her eyes pop without screaming for attention. She still wore glasses, but now they felt like an accessory instead of a shield.
West noticed the increase in attractiveness.
Unfortunately for Elina, West also imdiately shut that line of thought down.
He ntally reminded himself of Aria, Nina, Mira, and the general landmine his romantic life had beco.
’Let’s not add another...’
Elina who was blissfully unaware of the internal battle she was losing, happily tagged along as they explored.
The resort didn’t disappoint.
They passed through neon-lit ga halls, interactive holographic zones, zero-gravity lounges, and even an area where people sparred using padded exo-fras. Mark tried a few things, to West’s surprise, although he complained loudly, he didn’t back out.
"Why does everything here try to kill you?" Mark muttered after stepping out of a balance simulator.
"That’s the fun part," West replied.
Eventually, they arrived at one of the resort’s advanced team gas.
A staff mber explained the rules while strapping them into floating gliders and equipping them with protective gear.
These gliders were disk-shaped platforms that hovered above an artificial ice-like terrain suspended in midair.
The objective was simple.
A glowing golden ball floated freely above the field.
Two teams with five players each.
First team to transport the ball to the opposing side won.
Each player had their own glider, but teamwork was mandatory. Obstacles drifted through the air and the ball itself moved unpredictably—sotis accelerating, sotis darting away like it had a mind of its own.
West, Elina, and Mark were placed on the sa team.
Mark looked around skeptically. "I feel like I’m about to break sothing important."
"Just don’t fall," West said. "That’s usually step one."
Before the ga began, West pulled them close.
"Alright," he said quietly. "Dad, you defend. Stay back, block anyone who gets through."
Mark nodded. "Got it."
"Elina, center support. Keep eyes on the ball and the opponents. Call out movents."
She nodded enthusiastically. "Okay!"
"I’ll strike," one of the other teammates with a bald head stated.
The other teammate who was a teenage boy with green hair, claid he’d support.
West decided to stay around the West side as one of the strikers.
The countdown began.
Three...
Two...
One...
The ga exploded into motion.
At first, it was smooth.
Their team coordinated well. Mark held the defensive line surprisingly solid, Elina kept calling out positions, and West moved strategically rather than aggressively.
The score climbed evenly.
1–1.
2–2.
Then 3–3.
That’s when things got... rough.
The opposing team started getting aggressive.
Too aggressive.
One of their players slamd into West’s teammate even after the ball had been passed, sending him spinning out of control.
The referee hesitated but didn’t call it.
Then it happened again.
A sharp elbow disguised as montum, sent their main striker crashing off his glider.
His body spiralled downwards until the safety system kicked in and removed him from the match.
West frowned.
"Seriously?"
That left them short-handed.
West exhaled slowly. "Alright. I’ll switch to main striker."
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