PHASE 16 - NOTHING CAN STOP RIKKUN FROM BEING A JERK

So the next day, we ventured to Mirose Grande and visited Naomi’s house.

And everything was not expected.

Kristoff’s ex’s house is a fortress. A real mechanical fortress. It’s like a secret facility of some sort with high tension wire metal gates, and CCTV cameras equipped with gatling turrets as if they have been preparing for the incoming doomsday of zombie apocalypse!

Kristoff said that Naomi’s parents work with the military as computer and robot scientists. That explains why there’s a lot of mechanical prototypes in her house that has never made out in the public. Kristoff also said that he was banned from entering the house and that the robots and the security systems are programmed to shoot and kill him on sight.

Now I suddenly regret my decision on coming here!

We just stayed fifty meters away from the gate, hiding behind a bush, away from the sensor of the deadly cameras.

“So… Why am I needed here?” Rikkun scratched his head.

“I need you to talk to Naomi. I’m sure you’ll be granted permission to go inside. Here, take this bouquet of flowers and cake.” Kristoff lent out all those delicacies to Rikkun’s hands.

“Huh?” Rikkun had this doubtful look.

“You can do it, Rikkun! I’ll come with you!”

Rikkun just made a troubled sigh.

The two of us finally revealed ourselves from the cameras. There was some beep beep sound as they looked at us with their sensors. Then, the CCTV started to scan our faces with some laser lines! This is scary!

“Good morning Naomi. I’m Alaric from junior high, remember?”

A microphoned voice emerged with the tone of a lady. “Oh, it’s you, Alaric! It’s been years! Come in!”

Frrrrrm! It was a loud mechanical roar of the gears as the impenetrable walls moved, opening a gateway towards their two-story house.

The moment the steel gates opened, I made a hand sign to the hiding Kristoff. It says “Go!”

“!!!” Kristoff shouted as his body was covered with lightning streaks. He bolted forward, completely passing the CCTV cameras, and hid in the garbage dump.

“What was that?” Naomi, through the microphone, said. “What was that lightning streak?”

“...What? I didn’t see anything. Maybe that’s just a glitch on your camera.” Rikkun answered.

<>

Naomi finally revealed herself when she led us to their living room. She’s cute and slightly tanned, with an average girl’s height. She’s wearing a white sleeping gown which makes me think that we visited way too early. This girl is beautiful and sexy. No wonder Kristoff fell for her.

Judging from the high-tech transforming furniture, Naomi sure is wealthy. Her sofa just turned into a table in just a snap of her fingers. The living room might be big, but it’s well-maintained thanks to the robot cleaners that have been vacuuming all around us.

“This is Tiara, a close acquaintance of mine.” Rikkun introduced me.

“Oh hi there~” Naomi made an innocent smile. “Are you Alaric’s girlfriend?”

“I-I-I’m not!” I abruptly denied in an instinct. Then I bowed to the beautiful young mother. “N-Nice to meet you!”

After the introduction, Naomi gave us a free taste of her experimental recipe.

“Here. I’m just experimenting a cheese salad. Try it.” Naomi put a plate for the two of us. Food! Yay!

I was about to taste it when suddenly, I felt my long hair being pulled from behind. When I turned, I saw a really cute baby on jumpers, trying to climb my hair like Tarzan.

This must be Kristoff’s daughter.

“Oh, Riza!” Naomi shrieked. “Don’t pull big sister’s hair like that!”

“No, it’s okay.” I shook my head with a smile. Then I carried the baby to my lap and we had an eye to eye contact. “How are you, cutie pie~”

“Bobo-bobo!” The baby laughed. Seeing her happy makes me blush and smile too!

“I see that Miss Tiara is fond of babies.” Naomi smiled.

“Yeah! They’re so cute~” I gently caressed the baby.

But Rikkun is here to ruin the moment. “Bobo in Filipino means idiot. Seems like she already knew Tiara.”

I just returned a killing glare at Rikkun. At that moment, he stopped teasing me.

The baby jumped out of my lap and then walked like a penguin to reach her mother.

Meanwhile, Rikkun proceeded to have a taste of the cheese salad... and he made a harsh food criticism.

“This salad sucks, Naomi. Don’t make food ever again.”

“Ahaha… I thought so too.” Naomi forced a laugh. “I’ll just prepare you some tea.”

“No, don’t trouble yourself. We have a cake here.” Rikkun said as he presented the box of the black forest cake together with the flower bouquet.

“Wha-What’s this? What’s the occasion? You guys are getting married?”

“M-M-Married!? W-We’re not!” I denied outrightly.

“No… You are.” Rikkun immediately blurted! “Kristoff said that he wants to marry you.”

There was a looooong awkward silence.

“Ahahahaha!" Naomi laughed hard. “Hahaha! Impossible! That womanizer will never marry me! I’m sure he’ll just find another girl to fling… You’re such a good joker, Alaric!”

“Yeah, right!” Rikkun immediately threw the cake and the bouquet of flowers down to the floor. The icing of the cake splattered on the carpet! What a waste of food! What is Rikkun thinking!?

“You surprised me there!” Naomi laughed. “There’s no way that you will act friendly of him because he stole Jeannette’s heart from you! He cheated me and decided to go with that blonde bitch!”

“That’s right! That guy deserves to die! Actually, he wants to make up with you. Screw that! Whatever happens, don’t let him see his daughter!”

Rikkun just busted our plans!

“ALARIC!!!”

That was a grown filled with anger.

Kristoff finally revealed himself. And he’s not very presentable. He has this strand of noodle on his hair, and various wastes and plastic cups sticking to his shirt. Matching his menacing form is a set of eyes glowing with wrath. From the look of it, you would mistake him as a hobo that got infected by rabies.

“You jerk!!! I knew you’re going to screw this up!!!” Kristoff shouted, pointing his index finger at Rikkun.

“...Kristoff!?” Naomi muttered. Her eyes widened when she saw her ex-lover inside his house.

“H-Hi, Naomi…” Kristoff blushed as he waved his hand and scratched his head with another. Then he shifted his gaze to the rude king.

“Darn you, Alaric!” Kristoff buffed himself with the electricity of , and then charged to Rikkun!

“Come here, fuckboy!” Rikkun proclaimed with a grin as he pulled his watch and materialized his katana.

I think they’re just about to ruin the house with their duel, so I stepped in.

“Y-You shameless idiots… Don’t fight inside the house!” I screamed.

I grabbed both of them in the collar and tossed them to the windows, out of Naomi’s residence.

“U-Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!!!” The two cried as they flew like a rocket.

“Phew.” I wiped my sweat.

Wait, did the two just displayed their Gate Guardian powers in front of Naomi?

Suddenly, I heard chuckles. It was from the young mother, Naomi.

Even the baby is jumping happily seeing her father flying to the skies. “Wee! Wee!” She exclaimed.

“Ahaha… I apologize in Rikkun and Kristoff’s behalf...” I bowed.

Naomi happily replied. “No, it’s nothing. That’s what guys normally do, right?”

Um… No, it’s not...

I just realized that Naomi’s eyes have a golden sigil when she stared at mine. She’s a Gate Guardian like us. For some reason, it makes me feel that my job will be a lot easier.

“So about that marriage… Is it true?” Naomi glared at me and sent a chill down in my spine.

I inhaled a lot of air and then answered the whole truth.

“...Yes… Mister Kristoff wants to marry you.”