Just as promised, Aria took about fifteen minutes to get ready. She rushed into her wardrobe and picked out the simple attire that she’d prepared, a purple blouse with dark blue jeans. Although it might seem a little too plain for the occasion, Aria didn’t feel the need to overdress. She was going to be just metres away from her home, and the people who were moving next door weren’t sophisticated enough to care about her clothes. In particular, the weird man that kept clinging onto her no matter how much she pushed him away.

Still, as a woman, Aria’s pride didn’t allow her to look like a mongrel in front of others. Once out of the showers, she applied some light foundation to make her rosy cheeks shine even brighter and covered up any blemishes she may have on her face. Satisfied with the end result, Aria left her room in a jiffy.

Walking into the living room bare-footed, Aria was greeted by an array of familiar faces. Yvette was naturally one of them, standing at the side of the sofa while flashing a weary smile. She held a round tray with both hands like a maid in waiting. On the other side of the conversation, an elderly man with defined eyebrows continued to sing praises while holding onto one of Yvette’s treasured teacups. There was no need for Aria to guess who that man was, as she had seen his face way too many times in recent times.

“President, what are you doing here?” Aria held her forehead while approaching the duo.

“Aria, you’re up!” The Association President stopped his silver tongue and turned towards the newcomer in the room.

“I was already awake,” Aria sighed. “I just needed some time to get ready.”

“Haha, sorry to bother you in the morning. I know that you researcher-types aren’t early birds.”

“If you knew that, why bring him here this early? It would have been much better if you'd brought him in the evening! I wouldn’t have to lose sleep then!”

“Lose sleep? Were you up all night?” The President tilted his head in surprise. “Ah, looks like you’re really anticipating the arrival of your new neighbour. I get it, I get it.”

“Think whatever you want, asshole.” Aria wanted to rebut the annoying old man’s words, but she opted to ignore it altogether. Arguing with the man would just result in nothing. There was something more pressing after all.

“Where is he?”

Aria looked around the room and found no trace of the black-haired, golden-eyed man. There were many guards that she’d recognised from the isolated cell, but none of them had the signature brown complexion of the man she was looking for. The whole purpose of this morning visit was for Aria to officially become the custodian of Aurum. So why wasn’t the man in question present?

“Settling in,” the President replied while wetting his mouth with tea. “He should be done at any moment now.”

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzttttttttt!!!

“Ah, speak of the devil!”

Just as the President was about to stow his teacup, Aria’s apartment bell rang. Though there was no one moving to receive the door. They did, however, stand up in anticipation of the new arrivals. The moment the President entered the apartment, he’d left the door unlocked as people were slated to move in and out constantly. So, it wasn’t strange for the closed door to swing open without anyone there to receive them.

Yvette kept her eyes peeled, pushing her neck out like a turtle’s. She was the only one that hadn’t seen Aurum yet, and her eagerness to meet the man was at a sky-high. And well… Her expectations were exceeded.

Aurum entered the apartment with two bodyguards in tow. Both of them had superior height and build, making them as eye-catching as can be. However, Yvette was never bothered by the two guards’ existence. It was the contrary. Her eyes couldn’t be removed from Aurum’s handsome visage. And who could blame her?

In Aria’s recollections of the man, Aurum was akin to an unkempt man who hardly showered and looked like a vagrant who had lived under a bridge for years. Therefore, Yvette has set her standards for the man quite low. But now that they were face-to-face, the elf was spellbound.

Aurum wore a velvet white button shirt with his top two buttons set free, revealing the creamy brown broad chest that could only be described as sultry. Supplemented by tight denim jeans, Aurum hardly looked like a beggar on the streets. Instead, because of his vibrant complexion and gorgeous golden eyes, the man looked like an heir to a billion-dollar fortune from the Middle East.

The only accurate description of Aurum that Aria had given Yvette was his untidy hair. Still, even that seemed to add on to his affluent look. The luxurious black curls fell smoothly onto his shoulders, and none of them were too out of place. Instead of making him look bedraggled, it seemed like Aurum had gotten a sophisticated perm to enhance his image.

And last but not least… The eyes.

Golden eyes were rare in the modern world. The only times where one could see golden eyes were through coloured contacts, and even that was a rarity. It added to the mystique and attractiveness of the exotic-looking man. Adding to his balanced yet muscular physique, Yvette could safely say that Aurum was among the top five best looking men she’d ever seen.

“Aria, this...”

Yvette turned back, only to see her friend in a similar state as she was. Slackjawed and in awe, Aria didn’t know what to say in front of the man she’d thought she knew. Aria was dolled up in her own right, but she couldn’t even come close to Aurum’s attractiveness. And well… that was to be expected.

Aria had only seen Aurum tattered and jailed. He wasn’t allowed to shower, and neither was he allowed to clean himself up. From the moment Aurum left the S-Class Dungeon, he was kept captive by Yudonia and was constantly undergoing intensive tests from scientists. It wasn’t odd for Aurum to have a dirty look after weeks without self-maintenance.

Now that the man had his freedom, however… Aurum looked like a whole different person!

“Aria! You’re here!”

The moment Aurum saw Aria, his eyes shone with a puppy-like jubilance. If he had a tail and two pointed ears, they would unquestionably be twitching in bliss. The calm and collected look that he’d put on had been shattered, and he was reverted back into the same overly-attached man that Aria remembered.

“Aurum...”

“I’m glad! When they told me that they were moving me, I’d thought that you wouldn’t know where to find me…” Aurum breathed a sigh of relief. “Looks like they brought me to see you!”

“... You didn’t tell him anything?” Aria shot a reproachful look at the President.

“He wouldn’t listen to anything that we say anyway,” the old man shrugged his shoulders. “Also, I’d thought that the news would be better coming from your mouth.”

“What news?” Aurum switched his gaze from Aria and the President, trying to figure out what the pair was talking about.

“That… From now on, you’re no longer a prisoner to Yudonia. And… you said that you wanted to spend more time with me, right? You’re going to get your wish.”

“What?! Really?!”

“Yeah...” At Aurum’s outburst of happiness, Aria felt her skin crawl. “I’m going to be your custodian, your caretaker for the next year. You’ll be living in the apartment next to mine, and...”

“Wait, I’m now going to be living with you?! I won’t have to stay in that stupid place anymore?!”

“Well, technically you’re living NEXT to me, but...”

“Hahaha! I’m really going to be living with you now?! Today’s the best day of my life!”

“Ermmm, not with me, but next to...”

“Hehehe, what a beautiful place! Aria, our house is really something else!”

The moment Aria broke the news to Aurum, they had been conversing on two different wavelengths. While Aria was trying to get the schematics right, Aurum was already admiring the new apartment that he was brought into. As a being that was recently reintroduced into the modern world, many things fascinated him. From simple luxuries like the air conditioner to more sophisticated aspects of the smart home, Aurum was simply in awe with Aria’s ‘humble’ abode.

“This… Yvette, help me out here.” Aria looked to the only person she could trust in the room, only to realise that she was wearing the same sinful smile as before.

“Wow, you really weren’t lying about his obsessiveness for you. He never once looked at me or anyone else in the room.”

“What? Are you jealous?”

“A little bit,” Yvette folded her arms and pouted. “Why would such a hot guy be attracted to a slob like you? Not to mention, you are treating him like a disease? I’m actually a little offended.”

“Continue treating him like a regular human and see where that gets you...” Aria snorted and turned her attention away. There was no winning against Yvette when her switch was turned on.

Unfortunately, there was no one else that Aria could turn to. Once Aurum had been introduced, the President got onto his feet and lightly stretched his ageing muscles.

“Alright, the handover is complete, and my job here is done. Miss Yvette, thank you for the scrumptious cup of tea, I’ve really enjoyed learning about your brewing methods. My wife would be delighted to hear about them.”

“Wait, you're leaving already?”

“Yes,” the President nodded while reaching for his overcoat. “Believe it or not, I’m a really busy man. There are many affairs that I have to attend to, not just yours.” The guards opened the door, making way for the elderly man. Brushing his sleeves, the President left Aria with an ominous message of things to come.

“Now he’s your responsibility, Aria.”

“...”

Aria watched the man leave, helpless to do anything to stop it. Not that she had the capability to do anything else anyway. With the President leaving with most of the guards, the only people left in the small apartment were Aria, Yvette and the newcomer to their building. Aurum delighted that those pesky men who breathed over his neck every few seconds hopped around the house like an excited bunny.

“Is it okay for them to leave him alone?” Yvette asked worriedly as she watched Aurum bounce.

“Not to worry. They may have left him alone with us, but the guards are literally next door. If we need anything, they’ll come rushing over.”

“Is that so...” Yvette tilted her head and watched the man-child fawn over the apartment’s facilities. And just like a child, it wasn’t long until Aurum found the thing that he’d wanted to play with the most.

“Hey… Is that the ocean?” Aurum whispered softly.

“Yes?” Yvette blinked. “Ah, right. Our apartment is facing Yudonia Bay which leads to the North Sea. It’s one of the few places in Yudonia where you’ll get an ocean view. Beautiful, isn’t it?” Quickly adapting to the situation, the blonde elf educated Aurum with a helpful smile.

Unfortunately, the feeling was wasted on Aurum. “... Who are you? I was asking Aria.”

“...”

Yvette was rendered speechless but Aurum’s boorish attitude. Almost every encounter that she had, particularly with men, Yvette always had the upper hand. A beautiful elf with a smile that could charm any man… That was Yvette’s reputation. Alas, for Aurum, Yvette was the same as any other faceless person that had interacted with him.

“Aurum, be nice. Yvette is my roommate and one of my best friends. She’s going to be helping us in the future.” Aria stifled a laugh as she reproached the man.

“I see… Okay, Yvette was it? Nice to meet you! I’m Aurum!”

“Y-yeah, nice to meet you.” Yvette haphazardly answered, and her signature smile was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she opted to retreat far away and give Aria the reins to this untamable horse.

“Hah… So what were you saying about the ocean, Aurum?”

“Ah, right!” Aurum delightedly ignored Yvette and held Aria’s hand. “Bring me down there!”

“Why?”

“It just looks… so beautiful.” Aurum looked down from the highest floor, anticipation bubbling within his golden eyes. “For the longest time, all I’ve seen was darkness and walls. The ocean is the opposite of all of that. I’ve only seen it from the glimpses that I had through your memories. I’d never thought that I would be able to see it in person!”

“Is that so...” Aria replied absent-mindedly.

It was true, Aurum hasn’t been given any sort of freedom until now. No, even his freedom was constantly being stifled with Yudonia keeping an eye on him. A tracking device was on his person at all times, while an elite team of guards were monitoring his position twenty-four hours a day. In a certain sense, his life was like a prison. And it made sense that he would be mesmerised by the ocean, a place of vast openness.

Aria felt the same way. There were many times where she felt confined and stifled by her work and her association with Yudonia. That’s why she bought an apartment overseeing the ocean in the first place. To give some semblance of freedom to her enclosed life.

Perhaps, through his connection with Aria, Aurum was able to inherit some of those feelings.

“Am I not able to?” Aurum asked once again, this time with the puppy eyes that would make countless women fall. And well… Aria was no exception.

“Hah… Yvette, tell the guards that we’re going down.”