8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Cody
Are you kidding me? Cody had finally met everyone on his list and even earned a level with William the baker—but now he had two more people to worry about.
Open your Menu, check them out, Knife suggested.
Cody opened his Resident List and scrolled to the bottom of the list where the two new people were: a brown-eyed brunette woman named Nyrah Rose and another young woman who looked Asian, possibly Japanese, but she had white-blonde hair and her name was listed as Yana Rose.
Cody thought it was strange that they had the same last name but looked nothing alike.
They did look vaguely familiar, but Cody couldn’t place how he might know them.
They could be Cornerstone folk, and maybe he had met them back in the day when they were kids.
At least they’re both hot, Knife said.
Cody sighed. I don’t think talking to a bunch of pretty girls every day is going to be winning me any favors in the getting-back-together-with-Morgan department.
Both of the new Residents had ‘Goddess Gifts Retail Associate’ listed as their occupation.
Cody had noticed the new gift shop right across the street from the Food Mart.
It was insanely pink and he had actually been relieved he wouldn’t have to go in there.
So much for that. He sighed, realizing he better get it over with, and made his way to the girly-looking shop.
When he entered the store, he wasn’t surprised it was just as pink on the inside as it was on the outside.
But his blood ran cold when he saw the pink-haired woman standing behind the counter: Systemica the witch.
She was the one who had sent him on an epic fetch quest before eventually casting the spell to send him home.
Her creepy white parrot was perched on her shoulder, staring at Cody in a way that always freaked him out.
Besides Systemica and her parrot, the store was empty.
She’s here? Knife asked.
Apparently.
“Cody Hampshire.” Systemica smiled at him without a hint of warmth in her eyes. “We meet again.”
“Pretty sure this isn’t a coincidence.” Cody slowly walked up to the counter. “Let’s cut to the chase: why are you here?”
“Because of you, of course. Do you have any idea how many people I make promises to and send on fetch quests? And how many of them actually come back, having gathered everything I asked of them?”
“Well, since you’re asking this very specific question while standing right in front of me, I’m going to guess not that many?”
“Exactly. How did you do it?”
“I had at least half of the stuff you asked for before the fetch quest even began,” Cody explained. “I’m a bit of an inventory whore.”
“Hmmm. That makes it slightly less impressive.”
The parrot squawked, as if agreeing.
“Velasarin didn’t have unlimited inventory like Cornerstone does,” Cody countered.
“Do you have any idea how many inventory chests I had stashed around Velasarin? Half of the time I was simply travelling around gathering shit I already had in chests. I also did some trading, a couple of extra dangerous dungeon crawls that promised the specific loot I needed, that sort of thing. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t impossible. ”
“Ah, I see. But what impressed me most was your drive to get home. You had someone here. Someone to return to. Most of the isekai’d ones do not.”
“Yeah, I had someone I wanted to get back to.” Cody shrugged. “I guess that made me a bit more determined than the lonely fuckers who have no one.”
“It’s…a very attractive quality.” Systemica looked at him through her lashes and licked her lips, like she either wanted to cut him up and cook him in a stew or fuck him.
He had his fuck-game one hundred percent focused on Morgan and wasn’t going to mess up his second chance with the love of his life, so he ignored the horny and/or hungry witch’s advances.
“Yeah, okay, who are you exactly?” Cody asked. “And why are you here?”
“You already know my name is Systemica, but since we are on friendly terms now, you may call me Temica. I am many things. One of my titles is Keeper and Creator of Games.”
“Okay, sure, why not? But why Cornerstone? Why me? It can’t just be the fact that I’m incredible at fetch quests and really wanted to get home.”
“I find you intriguing.” Temica gave him a little shrug. “I also find you very handsome.”
She reached out to run a finger down the side of his jaw, but he took a step back.
She’s hot. Go for it, Knife said.
“I’m taken. Sort of,” Cody said hurriedly, ignoring Knife. “Either way, I’m not interested.”
“Yes, I know. Your heart knows exactly what it wants. Which makes the story unfolding all the more interesting for me to sit back and watch. Plus, I’ve always dreamt of setting up a little summertime gift shop in an adorable Earth town, so here I am.
It was a ‘two birds, one stone’ kind of thing.
” She paused to scratch her parrot’s head.
“No offence, Henry.” Then she turned her attention back to Cody: “You understand now, yes?”
“No. I don’t understand.” Cody looked over at the parrot: “And you named your bird Henry?”
“What’s wrong with the name Henry?”
“It’s a weirdly normal name for a freaky albino parrot, that’s all,” Cody said and Knife agreed with him.
“And what would you name him?”
“Uh…I don’t know. Just…not Henry.”
Al or Albert, because he’s an albino, Knife suggested. Or Snowy, cause he’s all white? Ivory? Marshmallow? Frost or Frosty? You know, white shit. Or Edouardo. I’ve always loved the name Edouardo. If I ever have a son—
Stop, Cody told Knife.
“So, what are you actually doing here?” Cody asked Temica. “Because I feel like what you just said explained nothing.”
Temica sighed and rolled her eyes. “You know that meme, where someone is sitting back eating popcorn with a shit eating grin? The one people post when stuff gets spicy on a message board?”
“Yeah…” Cody wondered how the fuck she knew what memes and message boards were. But then again, just because he had originally met her in Velasarin, that didn’t mean it was her homeworld.
“That’s me,” Temica continued. “I am the popcorn-eating-shit-eating-grin meme. And you are my message board drama.”
“So, you’re here to watch me?”
“Yes. You are my entertainment for the foreseeable future.”
He did not like the sound of this witch-lady watching him. It felt like it implied some epic shit was about to go down. It also felt like a major invasion of his privacy.
“Look, all I want is a quiet life, fishing and hanging out with my dream girl at my cottage. The past ten years of my life have been hell. I did what you asked so I could return to Earth. And now I am begging you, please, just leave me the fuck alone and go watch some other mortal’s miserable life. ”
“Well, yes, when I'm done here, I will move on. But I am here. Now.”
“And are you the reason I’m in another game situation?”
Temica nodded and pet her bird again. “Yes, I do love games. Henry takes care of most of the UI stuff and he’s developed a new interest in music, which he plans to explore while we’re here.”
“So, you're here because some crazy shit is going to happen to me? And I’m in a game again, because you like games?”
Temica pretended to zip her lips shut and gave him a wink.
“Seriously?” Cody asked. “This is fucking cottage country! What could possibly happen here that has grabbed the interest of a witch-goddess?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“And the two girls that got added to my Resident List? Did you add them?”
“Yes, that’s all part of my lovely, exciting plan! But they aren’t quite ready to be out and about in Cornerstone.”
“If I finish the game, if I do all this Friendship Level bullshit, will you leave me alone?”
Temica shrugged, just as some shoppers entered the store. “If you’ll excuse me, I have customers to attend to.”
She stepped out from behind the counter, but Cody blocked her path. “Answer the question. I level everyone up and finish the game and then you leave me alone: yes or no?”
She looked him up and down. “We’ll see.”
Temica shoved him aside with a surprising amount of strength. Cody stumbled, but was able to right himself. He let her go. It was obvious he wasn’t going to be getting any useful answers from her.
Cody Hampshire Player Stats
Residents Met: 7/10
Friendship Moments: Doris: 1/5, William 1/5
Romance Moments: 0
Relationship Status: Still Single