VRMMORPG: Dragomancer Reborn

Stella had not expected Arthur\'s answer.

"A game strategy writer? Like the ones who write guides, and walkthroughs?" She asked.

"Yep, pretty much that." Arthur was relieved that she knew about it.

"I guess it is some fun work," Stella said. "Hmm… games are fun. I wonder if I\'ll get time to play again." She said with a hint of fatigue.

"University work too much for you?" Arthur asked feeling curious.

"Yeah… it\'s not often I get time off to go out. With all the papers and workload I\'ve taken on, I mostly end up spending my days in the university lab or the dorms." Stella replied.

"So today is a special day, huh?" Arthur guessed seeing that she had come here. \'While I don\'t know what her university is, there are no universities here or any nearby districts. The closest one is about two hours away.\' He thought.

"You could say today was my lucky day. I had a couple of errands to run nearby, and reckoned I may as well have my lunch here." Stella replied. "But even better than that, I got to meet you as well." She added with a smile.

"It was certainly a lucky day for me too." Arthur agreed with her assessment. 

He didn\'t know if it was luck or fate that they were meeting again like this. But whatever it might be, he was thankful for it. At the very least, he was pleased that he was making changes to his life already.

~hiss~

The two seemed to be woken from their thoughts as the sizzling of the meat could be heard.

"Oh! It\'s ready!" Stella said as she saw the perfectly browned meat with a thin crust on it.

"Let\'s get to eating." Arthur picked up some pieces and put them on his plate.

Stella did the same and the two ate while lightly chatting. An hour went by like this, without the two realizing it. The meat had also run out, while the bellies of the two were full.

"HAAA~ that was good!" Stella said feeling satisfied from the meal.

"It sure was…" Arthur could almost feel the drowsiness weighing down his eyes. 

Having eaten a lot of food, it was normal for him to get a bit sluggish. Still, he couldn\'t get sleepy now, as he had someone in his company.

~beep~

But a second later, Stella\'s smartphone rang, prompting her to check.

"Ugh! They\'re urging me to return already." Stella frowned.

"You should head back since you\'re busy." While Arthur didn\'t wish to depart this quickly, he knew it wasn\'t something he could force.

"Mmhmm. Though we\'ll meet again." Stella said before gesturing to her phone. "Gimme your contact!" 

"Ah yes!" Arthur was prompt this time and the two quickly exchanged contacts.

"Now we won\'t get lost," Stella spoke. "We got a decade of catching up to do after all, haha." She laughed and stood up.

"That\'s true." A gentle smile appeared on Arthur\'s face before he stood up.

Stella tapped her phone on the scanner and paid for the two of them before leaving together with Arthur.

"I\'ll see you later then. Hopefully, I get some time off next week." Stella stated.

"I\'ll look forward to it," Arthur replied before looking at a car that pulled up next to them. \'Who\'s that?\' he wondered.

The door of the car opened up, revealing a man dressed in a uniform.

"Miss Stella," The man slightly bowed before opening the door of the car.

"Ah, you\'re right on time." Stella got into the back of the car before peeking out. "Goodbye! I\'ll text you if something comes up!"

"Goodbye!" Arthur waved his hand, while a few thoughts popped up in his mind. 

And when the car moved a bit ahead, Arthur noticed the number plate at its back.

"Huh… isn\'t that… a government official\'s number plate?" Arthur observed. 

The number plate was something that Arthur could easily recognize due to its unique design. The symbol located on it showed that it belonged to someone who was working in the government.

It was not something that one would see usually. At least not in an area like this. 

\'For Stella to use a car with a number plate like this…\' The cogs in Arthur\'s brain started to turn as he put together a few things. \'The car certainly doesn\'t belong to Stella, thus it should be of her father.\'

He recalled the fact that Stella\'s Father was a researcher and was supposed to be rather smart.

"So her father is someone who works in the government as an official researcher. That\'s… big." Arthur was actually rather surprised.

Becoming a government researcher was not easy after all that too one that could get a government sanctioned car like that.

"Wait a minute… that uniform the driver was wearing," Arthur remembered a few more things he had noticed. "The uniform is also worn by the government chauffeurs." 

The image of Stella in his mind, rose greatly and so did her father\'s. 

\'Though now that I think of it, it makes sense. It isn\'t anyone that would be able to get that level of education.\' Arthur reckoned. "Perhaps the university that Stella goes to is also great." He wondered what it would be.

Feeling marveled at it, Arthur reckoned he should look more into it later rather than rushing into it.

\'I\'ll let her reveal it. Better than me probing too much and coming off as intrusive.\' Arthur thought to himself.

He didn\'t want to endanger the friendship he had just reignited and wished for it to be stable.

"Sigh~ Guess I got more things to take care of in the future…" Arthur muttered to himself before making his way towards the bus stop.

But while on the way, a sign caught his eye.

>Hypnophone 6: Be mesmerized!<

It was a sign that was advertising a smartphone.

Arthur looked at his beaten and cracked smartphone in his hand before making up his mind. 

"May as well get a new phone while I\'m here."