Chapter 26: My Wife Chose Her New Room

The first truck pulled up to the new house several hours later. Reinhard, Maki, Lily, and Yuna had gone ahead with the movers, while Emily stayed behind at the apartment with a few essentials.

One of the movers stopped when he saw Reinhard. "Wait. You’re the guy from the restaurant."

"Yeah."

The man’s face softened. "My sister was there with my two nieces." He looked down at the box in his arms. "I thought I’d lost all three of them."

Another mover turned around. "You were there too? My mother was inside." He looked at Reinhard. "If you hadn’t been there..." He didn’t finish.

Reinhard scratched the back of his head. "I’m glad they’re okay."

"So are we," the first mover said, hefting his box. "Don’t worry about the heavy stuff. We’ve got it."

Reinhard smiled. "Thanks."

Lily watched the movers carry a couch past them. "You’re getting famous."

"Hopefully not."

"Why not?"

"Being famous sounds exhausting." He thought about it. "Being admired, on the other hand, I can handle."

Maki glanced at him. "At least it’s useful."

"That too."

A few minutes later, Reinhard opened a Space Tear between the truck and the front door, and one of the movers stared at it. "What is that?"

"A shortcut," Reinhard said, pushing a box into the rift. It vanished and immediately slid out inside the house.

The mover blinked. "We could have used that three hours ago."

"I didn’t think of it."

Lily leaned out of the doorway. "Did the box come out, or did the bomb?"

Reinhard paused. "The box."

"You checked?"

He walked over, opened the box, and stared inside. "...Lamps. It’s lamps."

"Great. Keep checking."

Maki watched another box disappear through the rift. "We are never moving normally again."

"Probably not," Yuna said.

With the shortcut, the rest of the move went quickly, and by the time Emily arrived, most of the furniture was already inside.

Lily rushed out to meet her. "You’re here!"

Emily smiled. "I can see that."

"You have to see your room."

"My room?"

Lily grabbed the handles of her wheelchair. "Come on."

"Lily."

"I know, I know. Slowly."

She pushed Emily through the house at a pace that was technically slow, with Reinhard following behind, and threw open the door to the first-floor bedroom. Emily stopped. The room was spacious, with a wide window covering most of one wall and sunlight pouring across the empty floor.

"It’s bigger than our old room," Emily said.

Maki smiled. "That’s because this one is actually a proper room."

Emily rolled inside. There was no furniture yet and no decorations, only an empty room waiting to become something. She looked back at Reinhard. "I like it."

"Good."

Lily raised her hand. "Then we should decorate it."

Emily blinked. "Decorate?" She looked around. "I don’t think we need to."

"You do," Maki said.

Yuna nodded. "It’ll make it feel like yours."

"I’m fine with it like this."

"That’s because it’s empty," Reinhard said.

Emily looked at him. "What’s wrong with empty?"

"Nothing." He stepped farther into the room and looked at the bare walls. "But you should have things around you that you actually want." He turned to her. "We’ll decorate it together."

She hesitated. "You don’t have to."

"I know," he said with a smile. "I want to."

"Me too," Lily said immediately.

Maki sighed. "Fine. But we’re keeping it simple."

"I’ll help," Yuna said.

Emily looked at all four of them. "Do I get a choice?"

"No," Lily said.

"Of course she does," Maki corrected immediately.

"That was my way of encouraging her!"

Emily laughed softly. "Then... okay."

A notification appeared in front of Reinhard.

[Investment Opportunity Available.]

[Target: Emily Ashcroft.]

[Current Value: B.]

[Objective: Help Emily create a room she genuinely wants to call her own.]

[Difficulty Grade: D.]

[Success Probability: 72%.]

He accepted without hesitation. All right. Let’s make this place hers.

...

The decorating took most of the afternoon. Maki handled the practical arrangements, and Yuna helped move furniture, while Lily insisted on choosing decorations, though Reinhard quickly learned that her idea of decorating meant putting things wherever she thought they looked interesting.

"That goes over there," Maki said.

"Why?"

"Because that’s where it belongs."

"But I like it here."

"That’s exactly why you don’t get to decorate."

Lily crossed her arms. "We’re not arguing."

"You’re definitely arguing," Reinhard said.

"We’re discussing," Maki corrected.

"Very aggressively," Lily added.

At first, Emily mostly watched from her wheelchair. Then Yuna held up two wall hangings. "Which one do you like?"

Emily looked between them. "The second one."

Yuna smiled. "Then the second one."

It was a small thing, but after that, Emily started choosing more, where the bed should go, which curtains looked better, and what she wanted beside the window. Little by little, she stopped saying anything is fine.

While they arranged the last few things, Reinhard opened another box full of old photographs. Some showed Emily and her sisters years ago, and others showed Emily as an Awakener. Then he pulled one out that made him stop. Emily stood at the center of an arena, holding a golden trophy above her head. It was the same photograph he had found on his very first morning in this world.

"Lily, you kept this?"

Lily turned around, and her eyes widened. "I thought I packed that in my room."

Maki looked over. "I thought Emily got rid of all of those."

"She got rid of most of them," Lily said quietly. "Not that one."

Emily’s eyes stayed on the photograph. "I thought I threw that one away."

Lily looked down. "I just wanted to remember."

Reinhard found an empty frame, slid the photograph inside, and set it on the shelf beside the window.

Maki watched him. "What are you doing?"

"Putting it here."

Emily rolled closer, and her fingers came to rest on the edge of the frame. Nobody said anything, and after a long moment, she spoke quietly. "I remember this day. I was so happy."

She traced the edge of the frame. "I used to think I’d have so many days like this." A faint smile appeared, with sadness underneath it. "Then everything happened, and I stopped looking at pictures like this."

She lowered her eyes. "I didn’t want to remember what I couldn’t have anymore."

Reinhard looked at the photograph with her. He didn’t tell her she would get it all back, and he didn’t promise everything would return to the way it had been.

He simply said, "You don’t have to decide what happens next today."

Emily looked at him. "Then why did you put it here?"

"Because I think you should be able to look at her without feeling like she’s someone you lost."

The room went quiet. Emily looked at the photograph again, and for a long time, she said nothing. Then she smiled. "Maybe..." She hesitated. "Maybe I don’t mind remembering her anymore." She folded her hands in her lap. "I’ll keep it."

Reinhard smiled. "Good."

Lily suddenly cleared her throat. "Oh! I picked one of the decorations."

"Really?" Emily asked.

"We rejected almost all of her suggestions," Maki added.

Lily looked offended. "Almost all. Not all."

She marched over to a box, dug through it, and pulled out a small potted cactus, which she set proudly on Emily’s windowsill beside the photograph. "His name is Reinhard."

Reinhard stared at the cactus. "Why is his name Reinhard?"

"Because he’s prickly," Lily said, "and he needs attention all the time."

"I don’t need attention all the time."

"You checked your reflection in the oven door twice today."

"The oven door has very good lighting."

Emily burst out laughing, really laughing, and the last of the heaviness in the room disappeared. When she finally caught her breath, she looked around at all of them. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome," Reinhard said.

Lily crossed her arms. "You know, there’s still a problem."

Emily looked at her. "What?"

"You need to start telling us what you like."

"She’s right," Maki said. "We aren’t mind readers."

Emily’s cheeks warmed. "I just don’t want to..."

Reinhard lightly flicked her forehead. "Don’t."

She blinked. "Huh?"

"If you call yourself a burden again, we’re going to tickle you."

Emily stared at him. "What?"

Lily tapped her chin. "That actually sounds like a good punishment."

"I hate that I agree," Maki muttered.

Yuna laughed quietly. "Even Maki agrees. You must really be in trouble."

Emily looked from one face to the next, and then she laughed again and raised her hands in surrender. "Fine. I’ll try."

"Good," Lily said.

Maki nodded. "That’s all we’re asking."

The System appeared.

[Investment Objective Completed.]

[D-Grade Investment Successful.]

[Calculating Returns...]

Reinhard’s smile widened. That was quick.

[Legendary Reward Granted: Four Barrier Rings.]

Four small rings appeared in his Inventory, and he checked their description.

[Effect: Automatically creates a defensive barrier when the wearer receives a fatal or severely damaging attack.]

[Charges: 1.]

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed. One attack each, and after what had happened at the restaurant, it was exactly the kind of protection he wanted.

[Legendary Additional Reward Granted: Special Item: Recipe, Morning Dawn Smoothie.]

[Effect: Highly nutritious.]

[Additional Benefit: Particularly useful for someone recovering physically.]

[Note: Please follow the recipe.]

Reinhard stared at the final line. "I always follow the recipe."

The System didn’t respond, and Reinhard decided that was rude.

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Infusion – 6 Months.]

Mana flowed into his Gnosis and he was gradually pulling away from the early stage of a C-rank awakener.

[Legendary Additional Reward Granted: Amulet of Pact.]

[Effect: Any damage done to the wearer would be transferred to the one who made the pact.]

A dark silver necklace appeared in his inventory, a small crystal hanging from its center.

His expression softened. This one’s for Emily.

...

Once the room was finished, Emily looked toward the hallway. "Can I see the rest of the house?"

"Of course," Reinhard said with a smile. "While you look around, I’ll make everyone something cold to drink."

Lily perked up immediately. "Something good?"

"Hopefully."

"Don’t encourage him," Maki said.

Emily giggled. "We’ll be back."

Maki pushed Emily through the house while Lily appointed herself the official tour guide, and they visited the living room, the kitchen, the backyard, and the garden. Emily took everything in quietly, and when they reached the garden, she stopped and closed her eyes.

"Do you feel something?" Maki asked.

Emily nodded. "The mana."

Yuna looked around at the trees. "There’s a lot of forest around here, and the lake isn’t far. The mana probably feels different."

Emily smiled. "Really?"

"Then walks in the forest might not be so bad," Lily said.

Emily hesitated. "But the wheelchair..."

"I already checked," Maki said. "There are paved paths nearby that are accessible."

Emily relaxed.

Yuna crouched beside her. "We could practice a little now, if you want. Just like at the apartment." She gathered mana around her hand. "Try to feel where it’s moving."

Emily closed her eyes. For a while, there was nothing, and then something faint brushed against her senses, and her eyes opened. "I feel it."

"Good. Don’t try to hold it," Yuna said with a smile. "Just follow it."

Emily closed her eyes again and followed the faint thread of mana as it drifted around her. For several seconds, she could feel it, and then it was gone. "It’s gone."

"That’s okay," Yuna said. "You felt it longer this time."

Emily nodded. "A little."

"A little is still progress," Maki said, and Emily smiled.

...

In the kitchen, Reinhard pulled up the new recipe, gathered the ingredients, and followed every step carefully. The System was watching. He started the blender, tasted the mixture, added a little more of one ingredient, and blended it again, and this time he nodded. "That’s better."

He poured the smoothie into five glasses, topped each with fresh fruit, and carried the tray outside.

Lily spotted it immediately. "What’s that?"

"Something I made."

She reached for a glass, and Maki caught her wrist. "Wait. We haven’t even sat down."

Lily sighed dramatically. "Fine."

Once everyone had settled, they took their first sips, and Lily’s eyes widened. "Wait."

Maki looked at her. "What?"

Lily took another sip. "This is really good."

Yuna smiled into her glass, and Emily was quiet as she tried hers.

Reinhard watched her closely. "Well?"

A small smile appeared. "It’s really good."

"Really?"

She nodded, then laughed. "You look way too happy about this."

Reinhard put a hand over his heart. "I put a lot of effort into it."

"It’s a smoothie."

"A very important smoothie."

She laughed again.

Lily turned to him immediately. "Can you make this again?"

"I just made it."

"And?"

"She’s already planning the next one," Maki said.

Emily looked down at her glass. "Thank you."

Reinhard glanced at her. "For the smoothie?"

She shook her head. "For everything."

His expression softened. "You’re welcome."

...

When the glasses were empty, Reinhard reached into his Inventory and took out the four small rings.

Lily leaned forward. "What are those?"

"Something for everyone."

He handed one to Maki, then Yuna, then Lily, and finally held the last one out to Emily.

She looked at it. "What does it do?"

"Protection."

"From what?"

"One serious attack."

Her expression changed. "Where did you even get these?"

"A shop," he said.

She looked at him for a long moment, clearly not believing a word of it, but she took the ring anyway. "Thank you."

Lily slid hers onto her finger immediately. "Does it really block an attack?"

"Apparently."

"Can I test it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I like my house intact."

Lily turned to Yuna hopefully. "Yuna, punch me."

"No," Maki, Yuna, and Reinhard said at the same time.

Lily slumped.

Maki smiled. "Probably for the best."

Reinhard reached into his Inventory again, and this time he took out the dark silver necklace.

Emily looked at it. "And that one?"

"This one’s only for you."

"What does it do?"

"It lets me take a hit for you."

Emily went completely still.

Reinhard stepped behind her chair. "Lift your hair."

She hesitated, then slowly gathered her silver hair in one hand, and he fastened the necklace around her neck. The small crystal settled against her chest, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

Emily touched it lightly. "You really don’t have to protect me from everything."

Reinhard came back around to face her. "I know," he said with a smile. "But I’m going to anyway."

Her eyes softened. She looked down at the necklace, then back at him. "Thank you."

He gave her a small smile. "It’s long overdue."

She didn’t fully understand what he meant, but she smiled anyway.

Then his phone vibrated with a message from Cassian.

I finished going through Emily’s latest examination results.

A second message followed.

There are a few things we need for the next stage of her treatment.

Reinhard opened the attached list, and his eyes moved down the materials until they stopped at the bottom, where a location was written. Aurileus City.

He looked across the garden. Emily was sitting beside the flower beds, talking quietly with Maki and Yuna, one hand resting on the crystal at her neck.

Reinhard’s expression turned serious. The next step in her recovery was waiting in that city.

Then he smiled. "Looks like we’re going to Aurileus."