Chapter 181: Lunar Landscape

The flight from Earth to the Moon took only a few minutes. I could have made the trip instantly with a single thought, but I wasn’t in any rush. Traveling through open space at a casual glide was an experience I didn’t want to hurry.

As I drifted between the stars, I passed various satellites, research probes, and orbital structures.

At one point, I even floated past a sleek, high-altitude research station hovering in low Earth orbit. Inside the main observation deck, three scientists in uniforms were staring out the thick glass windows with their morning coffee cups in hand.

’Can one even drink coffee in space? I thought they used to even recycle their poop.’

[Necessary sacrifice.]

I glided past their window, barely twenty feet away, completely suitless and casually floating through the vacuum of space.

Through the glass, I watched two of the scientists freeze mid-sip, their eyes going wide as golf balls while one of them dropped his mug onto the metal floor. I gave them a polite wave and a friendly smile before accelerating away into the dark expanse.

[AHAHA!] Paige laughed in my head. [Those poor guys are going to spend the next ten years in psychological evaluation trying to explain how a guy in a school uniform floated past their orbital station.]

I chuckled, shaking my head. "It’s like a scene straight out of a Superman movie. I probably gave them a heart attack."

Leaving the orbital station behind, I crossed the rest of the distance to the Moon.

The lunar surface expanded beneath me, a vast, quiet world of ancient grey dust, massive craters, and towering rock ridges. The Earth hung in the dark sky above like a brilliant blue marble, casting a soft glow over the desolate landscape.

I landed softly on the edge of a deep crater near the lunar equator. The moment my boots touched the fine grey regolith, a quiet stillness settled over me. There was no wind, no sound, and no sign of life, just miles of empty, undisturbed dust.

"This place is pretty cool," I muttered, taking a step forward.

Because of the weak lunar gravity, my light step launched me thirty feet into the air. I floated lazily through the vacuum, turning a full backflip in midair before landing cleanly on a rocky ridge fifty feet away.

"Not bad," I said with a grin, jumping again. This time, I launched myself over a fifty-foot crater, soaring through the sky with total freedom.

I spent the next twenty minutes leaping across the Moon’s surface, doing ridiculous flips, kicking up sprays of grey dust, and taking in the surreal view of the Earth floating in the background.

"I definitely need to bring the girls here later," I said, leaning back against a smooth lunar boulder. "Imagine setting up a floating picnic table right here on the edge of a crater under the Earthlight. Yerin would go crazy taking pictures, and Yoona would probably enjoy the quiet."

[That sounds like a top-tier date idea, Host,] Paige noted. [A private lunar picnic is about a ten out of ten on the romantic scale.]

"Yeah," I said with a smile, looking out at the endless horizon. "We’ll definitely do that soon."

After relaxing on the Moon for a bit longer, a new idea popped into my mind. Looking out into the darkness of space, I could see the faint, distant glows of other planets scattered across the solar system.

"Hey, Paige," I called out mentally. "Give me a car."

Paige paused for a second inside my mind. [A car? Host, you’re currently standing on the Moon in open space.]

"I know," I said with a grin, crossing my arms. "I want to drive across the solar system today. I feel like taking a road trip through space."

[PFTTTTHAHAHA!] Paige erupted into unhinged laughter. [A space road trip in an automobile?! That is the most ridiculously funny thing I’ve heard all week! Coming right up!]

SNAP.

A blinding flash of light appeared in front of me on the dusty grey surface. When the light faded, a sleek, wide-body racing convertible was sitting on the Moon’s surface. It was painted matte black with glowing blue runic channels running along the chassis, featuring an open top, leather interior, and massive custom wheels.

I walked around the vehicle, admiring the build. "Now this is a ride."

I opened the driver’s-side door and slid into the comfortable leather seat, resting my hands on the custom steering wheel. But before I put the car in drive, I paused, looking over at the empty passenger seat.

"I can’t go on a road trip alone," I said, leaning back against the headrest with a smile. "Paige, why don’t you manifest a physical body and come along? You’ve been with me from the start, and you know me better than anyone. Take whatever form you want, and let’s go."

[Oho?!] Paige squealed with excitement. [A physical avatar?! You’re letting me pick a body?! Say no more, Host!]

FLASH!

A burst of light enveloped the passenger seat. I looked over, curious to see what kind of appearance my system would choose for her first physical form. As the light faded, my jaw nearly hit the dashboard.

Sitting in the passenger seat was a tiny girl barely four feet tall, wearing a bright pink frilly dress. She had giant, cartoonish anime eyes, twin pigtails, and a wicked, mischievous grin.

She looked over at me, striking a cute pose and winking dramatically. "Oni-chan~! Do you like your new little sister?! Am I super cute now?"

I stared at her in dead silence for three seconds.

BONK!

"Ow!" Paige yelped, clutching her forehead as I casually flicked her on the brow.

"Change back right now," I said with a flat, unamused expression. "If you don’t pick a proper form in three seconds, I’m permanently turning you into a hamster for the rest of the year."

I really wanted to strangle this dumbass system. I knew she was trolling but still...I wasn’t a lolicon for fucks sake.