The gentle morning sunlight slipped through the curtains of Al's room.
But the softness was abruptly interrupted by a loud, firm knock at the door.
Knock. Knock.
Al, still rubbing his eyes, stirred and stepped out of his dimensional room, deactivating the device and opening the door.
The person didn't wait for an answer—she walked straight in.
Aurielle.
"Huh? Sis? You've been knocking on my door quite a lot lately. Is there another party or something?" He smiled sleepily.
Aurielle didn't return the smile. She simply walked over and placed a sleek white box on the small table beside his bed.
"This... is your payment for last night."
Al looked at the box, opening it slowly.
Inside was the latest model YPhone—one of the world's top smartphones, a symbol of elite status and advanced communication tech.
Aurielle continued, her gaze shifting to the window.
"My contact, Dad's, Mom's, and all our siblings' numbers... they're all in there. Use it. I've never seen you with a phone before. Don't tell me you don't even have one?"
Al hesitated.
"I do... but…"
"That's enough," Aurielle cut in quickly.
She turned and left without another word.
"What's gotten into her? In such a rush." Al murmured.
He checked the phone, and found some notes from Aurielle.
IDs, usage instructions, everything—she had written them all down for him. He then turned on the phone and saw it was already set up and ready to use.
Huh? Already ready to use? Does she think I can't handle a phone myself? he thought.
Then a small smile crept onto the corner of his lips, still smeared with a trace of drool. He decided to do something.
Aurielle, who had walked quite a distance, came to a halt. Her personal phone—conveniently in her hand—rang. And the number… it was Al calling.
Instead of picking up, she turned around, glaring sharply at Al from afar, and shouted,
"Don't mess around!"
From a distance, Al could be seen laughing in satisfaction at his mischief.
Aurielle then ended Al's call and turned back, her face clearly annoyed.
She stomped one foot on the floor.
"I guess I regret doing this for him." she muttered, slightly irritated, and walked away.
Yet, a small warmth stirred in her heart, feeling like these were the first moments she was playing with her little brother.
Back to Al, he coughed from laughing, his hoarse throat struggling with the sound.
"At least it was really her contact. Don't want to end up with a psychiatrist's number instead." he murmured.
Thoughts of Lucinta resurfaced; he was wary of getting karma for his past antics toward the uncle with fake boobs.
Still overwhelmingly sleepy, he returned inside.
Click. The door closed.
Al kept staring at the new phone.
Then, he opened the small drawer beside his bed.
Inside was a sleek black smartphone with a small light-blue logo at the top left corner: Al-Tech.
A model not yet released to the public.
He held both phones in his hands.
One was a symbol of a sister's affection—or rather, a small reward. The other... was a hidden piece of tech no one in the world even knew existed.
Al took a deep breath, then let out a faint smile.
"One phone is already rare enough for me to touch. Now two." he muttered.
But he didn't want to think too deeply about it. Then flopped back onto bed and returned to sleep.
---
The sun hadn't risen high when an unfamiliar ringtone woke Al up. He blinked, confused, fumbling around his pillow.
"Huh? Which phone is ringing?"
He looked over at the small table—there were two phones.
The white YPhone from Aurielle… and the black Al-Tech he'd always used.
The one ringing… was the old one.
Al picked it up, curious who would call this early.
Suddenly, a loud voice shouted from the other side:
"AAAAAALLLL!!! YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS!! GET TO MY PLACE, RIGHT NOW!!"
Click. The call ended abruptly.
Al stared at the screen, stunned—
Then it rang again. Same number.
"And YES, this time there's CAKE AND SODA! HURRY UP!" Click.
He stared blankly for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"That's Indra, alright…"
Stretching a little, he got up and headed to the bathroom.
Today, his steps felt lighter than usual.
---
Al arrived at Indra's house, which was more bustling than usual.
Several of Indra's father's employees were moving documents and boxes around.
As soon as he entered, Indra's mom greeted him from the living room.
"Oh, Al! You came. Indra's been yelling for you nonstop."
Al flashed his signature sweet smile.
"Of course I came, Auntie. How could I refuse an invitation from a woman as lovely as you? This house lights up just because you're in it."
She chuckled, shaking her head.
"Oh my, you're getting smoother with those compliments. Go on, he's waiting in his room."
Al waved politely and walked into Indra's room.
Inside, Indra was sitting on the floor, radiating joy like he'd just won a lottery.
"AL!! LISTEN TO THIS!! MY DAD'S COMPANY JUST GOT INVESTMENT!!"
Al raised an eyebrow.
"Investment?"
"Yeah! From a major company in Nipponia! Not only did they invest, they appointed my dad's firm as the official supplier of fresh fish for the whole region. The demand's insane!"
Indra laughed, standing up and spinning around like a child on sugar rush.
"And that means... the Norvalien family problem is OVER! They're probably burning with envy right now! HAHAHA!"
Al smiled.
"Congrats, Indra."
Indra suddenly stepped closer, eyeing him suspiciously.
"But wait… two days ago you told me, 'a miracle will happen.' You already knew this would happen, didn't you? Was this your doing? Did the Virellano family help us? If so, I'll tell Dad to prepare a gift basket right away."
Al just shrugged and smirked.
"Ah... no need. Just forget it. As long as everything's okay now, that's all that matters."
Indra squinted at him.
"Al, how could we not express our gratitude to the Virellano family?"
"Don't. Seriously, don't go there. Okay?"
"Al…"
Right as the air started to get a little tense—
Knock knock.
Indra's mom came in, holding a tray of fresh cake and warm tea.
"Chat over snacks, alright?"
"WAAHH! Auntie, you're a lifesaver!" Al shouted, immediately sitting and grabbing a slice.
"This is amazing. Easily the best cake I've had—second only to one baked by angels!"
Indra laughed at the corny line, though in his heart, he still wondered why Al refused any thanks for the Virellanos.
But as he watched Al laugh and joke around with his mom, Indra sighed quietly.
No matter what you've done, Al… you're still my brother. And I'll have your back—no matter what.
Al suddenly asked Indra a question.
"Oh right… do you happen to know anything about the Norvalien family these days?"
Indra shook his head.
"Not really. Why? Did something happen?"
"Well, I figured news about elite families wouldn't spread around so easily," Al replied with a faint smile.
"Hm?" Indra tilted his head, confused yet curious.
Al tapped his chin, pretending to think.
"Mmm… I only heard some vague rumors. Something about them running into trouble recently, though I don't know the details. If I didn't mishear, it supposedly had to do with a thief breaking into their estate." His tone was casual, deliberately playing with the truth.
"Ahhh, so that's all it was. Honestly, things like that aren't uncommon in noble residences. Still, that thief was bold, haha." Indra laughed freely, his words laced with bitter honesty.
"Serves them right, though. Those highborn who act too cruel toward smaller families like mine… sometimes it's only fair they get a taste of their own medicine."
Al didn't pursue the matter any further. That small reaction was enough; it confirmed that the incident hadn't spread widely as public gossip.
He chuckled along with Indra, leaving the subject to fade with their laughter.
Not long after, Indra's gaze fixed on Al seriously.
"Al." he said sharply.
"Hm?" Al murmured, enjoying his snack.
"When I think about the Norvalien family again… all of this started because you beat up their workers. And about that… you still haven't answered me until today. Where did you actually learn to fight? Why do you seem so skilled?" Indra asked, genuinely curious.
Al turned, a bit of cake cream lingering on the corner of his lips.
"You're not even good at fighting. How would you know who's skilled and who's not?" Al replied, starting with a hint of sarcasm.
He was trying to find an opening to decide whether he needed to tell the truth about his fighting skills.
"Hmph… I guess you've forgotten who was your bodyguard back when we were at the orphanage." Indra responded.
"But let's not dwell on that. Just explain why you're so good at fighting—back then you were weak." He added, pressing slightly.
Al shook his head, unable to believe anyone would consider him weak.
"I've been strong since we were kids. I never even cried when the other children bothered me, right?" he said.
Indra stayed silent, just nodding and staring sharply at him, unwilling to interrupt, almost as if he were pressing Al to explain.
Seeing that, Al sighed and decided to give a little explanation.
"You know I went missing for a few years, right?" he began.
Indra nodded, but upon hearing Al mention that incident, his face softened slightly.
Al continued,
"I won't talk about that unfortunate event. Don't worry. What I want to say is, my life became much harsher after that. So it's actually only natural that my fighting skills improved, right?"
Indra nodded again.
"I understand that, Al. I just wanted to know for sure." he said. "Did someone teach you, or were you self-taught? You still won't talk about what happened while you were missing."
Al just gave a light smile.
"Anyway, I've said it before. The Child Protection Ministry asked us to keep it secret. What else could I do but hide it?"
"Even when it's just the two of us like this? Besides, I won't tell anyone, right? You know you can trust me." Indra responded.
Al nodded in agreement, wiping his lips.
"Of course I trust you. If you insist, I'll tell you. But that would mean I'd be breaking my promise and agreement with the Ministry."
Indra took a small step back upon hearing that argument.
"Haah… you're right. I shouldn't force you to break a promise or an agreement. Sorry for pressing you. You don't have to tell me."
Al hesitated a little at the soft words, but in the end, he just nodded.
"Besides, why bring it up all of a sudden? What does it matter how I became good at fighting? The important thing is, now I can repay your kindness and switch roles to be your protector, right? Haha."
"Hmph… that role will always be mine. You're still just a kid in my eyes, so don't think too far ahead." Indra replied, unwilling to let his pride as the older brother be bypassed.
He then continued,
"Still… I want to at least become better at fighting. After everything that has happened, seeing my parents being harassed by those thugs, and the best I could do was just be a shield without being able to fight back… I feel like I can't truly protect anyone right now." he said softly.
Al sensed that inner turmoil.
"I understand, Indra. But don't worry, if you're serious about wanting to learn to fight, I'll help you." he said.
"Hm? Don't tell me… you want to teach me?" Indra asked.
Al shook his head.
"You wouldn't want it if I did. Your pride is too big. Besides, if I were the one teaching, it would just turn into joking around instead of serious training." Al replied.
Indra chuckled a little at that.
"Haha, that's true. So, what then?" he asked enthusiastically.
"I don't know. But for now, let me finish my school first. I'll accompany you to find a training place after my exams, okay?" Al responded.
"Yeah, that's will do. Your exams are coming up soon. Hmm… in that case, I'll try to find it myself first, then ask for your opinion, while waiting for your exams to finish. We'll see which comes first: the training place or your exams." Indra said resolutely.
Al nodded in agreement.
The rest of the morning passed with lighthearted laughs and quiet warmth.
As if the world outside, filled with secrets, danger, and conspiracies… didn't exist at all.
---
That morning, Al got ready earlier than usual.
Today, the school was holding an intensive preparation session for the National Exams, and as a scholarship student, his attendance was mandatory.
Before leaving, Al stopped by the dining room.
"I'm heading out now, Auntie, Uncle, Indra!"
The three came to see him off at the front door.
Al looked at them for a moment, then calmly said:
"Make sure to keep wearing those bracelets."
The three of them nodded, showing off their wrists—each adorned with a sleek black band.
They thought it was just a fashionable accessory… but it wasn't that simple.
"We'll wear it for sure. It's been a real lucky charm for us. Thank you, Al," said Indra's father.
"If anything happens, that bracelet will save you before the police can," Al murmured, then turned and walked away, light-footed as ever.
---