Will You Travel With Me?

The next time Lex woke up, he found himself lying on the bed. Though it was soft, it couldn't be compared to lying on a lap pillow.

 "I wonder where she went…" 

Lex sat up, wondering whether he should call out to Rio. That's when his gaze fell on a note and a black metal bracelet placed on the edge of the bed.

The bracelet was made from a sleek black material, giving it a slightly reflective edge. Lex picked up the note first to know what it was.

The note read as follows:

---

The black bracelet is a holographic version of a mobile phone. It can do almost everything your mobile can. However, I modified yours a bit more. I installed a map in it which you can use to move around the house.

To activate it, just tap on the bracelet thrice. It will auto-adjust to fit itself on your hand. 

I will explain its features later on. For the time being, use the map to make your way to the kitchen and prepare some food for us. Bring it back to my room.

I am doing something important. Will see you later.

Your Lovely Neighborhood Sugar Mommy~

Rio

---

Lex chuckled after reading the end of the note. Picking up the bracelet, he slid it on his right wrist.

Triple tapping on the black metal activated the bracelet. A blue hologram emerged out of the bracelet.

Red light hit Lex's wrist, measuring its size. The bracelet began to shrink and adjusted itself to perfectly fit Lex's wrist.

The blue hologram was replaced by the image of a map telling about the various locations inside the mansion. It contained various tiny images and symbols to provide more information to Lex.

Lex noticed three separate kitchens inside the mansion. The area marked as an arcade in the basement was empty.

Lex noticed that many areas were marked with green dots while several others were marked by yellow and red dots.

[ Green dots means that the area is in good condition. Yellow means it's in moderate condition or some things are missing from it. As for the red dots, they indicate the areas that can't be used or are completely empty. ]

'How did you know that?'

[ I scanned the map and found that from the source code. You don't need to use your bracelet to navigate. Simply ask me to guide you around the house. ] 

'Nice.'

Five minutes later, Lex was cooking food in one of the kitchens. It didn't take him long to prepare the food and plate it.

'Now the question is, which one of them is Rio's room.' Lex thought while eyeing the map. 'Guide me, Elfie'

[ She has specifically mentioned that on the map. Let me guide you to her room. ]

Five minutes later, Lex was once again standing in front of Rio's room. Using his powers, Lex opened the door without touching it.

The door swung open to reveal Rio standing on the other side. She looked at him with a surprised expression.

"You can use your ability this quickly?" Rio asked in a surprised tone.

"Um, yes?"

"Wow. When I overused my ability for the first time, I blacked out as well. When I woke up, I immediately used my ability and faced backlash. I am surprised to see that you can use it normally."

"My ability strains me mentally. Maybe that's the reason for this."

"Maybe."

Rio took her food from Lex and the both of them began to eat together.

"Do you like my gift?" Rio asked with her mouth half full from food.

"It looks nice on my wrist but I don't know much about its features," Lex admitted.

"It's like a smartphone but I customized it for you. It prevents GPS trackers from working and also repels certain abilities related to technology, radiowaves, electrical charges, etc." 

"You did this on your own?!" Lex's jaw opened slightly.

"Huhu, I used to be a genius during my school years. My ability allows me to manipulate the insides of technological devices up to a certain extent. Also, look at this."

Rio raised her right hand and a pink bracelet identical to Lex's bracelet was present on her wrist.

"We have matching couple bracelets," Lex said the first thing that entered his mind.

"That's true. We do match." Rio chuckled.

Rio's bracelet suddenly made a beeping noise.

"The last batch of the equipment I ordered has finally arrived," Rio informed after opening a small holographic notification.

"Rio, if you don't mind me asking, where are you getting all that money from?" Lex asked.

"I inherited my parent's business. I expanded the business and that gave me a lot of money. Once I got into the whole Allen drama, the business failed and I started trading for a while. I am filthy rich currently."

"I see." Lex nodded. "But if Allen wants people to think that you are dead, how can you freely go outside and order stuff you like?"

"Trust me when I say that he tried to prevent me from going outside. But thanks to my overpowered ability, he couldn't do that. Instead, he bought all the mansions surrounding this one so that no one ever sees me." Rio sighed.

"But the delivery guys do see you."

"How long have you been buried in a room for?" Rio chuckled. "The delivery guys are figures created using an ability. They just deliver the stuff on instructions but don't have any memories."

"Oh…"

The more Lex learned about Gaia, the more surprised he felt. He was very curious to explore the rest of the world but remembered his current condition.

"Rio, have you ever gone anywhere out of the city?" Lex asked absentmindedly.

"My parents used to take me to a beach house in the summers. I have visited a few other cities but I have never gone to the major area. That's about it. What about you?"

"Well, my mother died shortly after giving birth to me. My dad was always busy before he remarried and left me behind." 

"So you have never stepped foot out of the city?" 

"Nope, not as far as I remember."

An uneasy silence lasted between the duo. Both of them were remembering their childhoods and what they experienced back then.

"Lex, if I can ever go out of this city again, I will take you to the beach house I used to visit. Will you travel with me?" Rio suddenly asked.

Lex blinked in surprise before nodding his head.

"I would definitely like to explore all the other continents as well."

"So you want to meet different types of girls from different species huh." Rio smiled teasingly. "Looks like I am not enough for you." 

"I, uh, um…" Even though Lex knew he was being teased, there was nothing he was able to do against Rio's attacks.

The latter chuckled at his behavior before getting up from the bed. "Let's go get your training equipment and start your training now. You are not going to sleep after all that sleeping you did."

Lex stood up and spread out his arms. 

"What are you trying to do?" Rio asked in confusion.

"Isn't it obvious? Just pick me up already." Lex replied. 

Since he was about to be princess carried regardless of what he did, he might as well do it comfortably.

"Oh, so that's the position for it." Rio smiled. 

She went ahead and lifted Lex before shooting out from the door. Surprisingly, the smile didn't leave her face even after leaving the room.