Project: Alternative

Chapter 8: A good Coder is a fair Coder (Jun)

I knocked on the door of Suisei's room. My heart was actually beating fast right now as it dawned on me what I did last night.

First and foremost, I ripped off an anime character's line when I saved her from the wolves. After that, I messed up my greeting by saying "Hillo." What the hell was "Hillo" supposed to be? Why did I switch to saying "Hello" when I was in the middle of saying "Hi?"

There was also the fact that I carried her for almost 30 minutes as we soared through the sky. She was holding me so tightly that I could barely focus. If I wasn't explaining how Reality worked with Coders, I would've been flustered as hell.

And how come I explained my life as a Coder to her? Should I also explain it to the other people who got transported? It would be unfair if only Suisei got an explanation while the others would be left in the dark.

It's not like there was a rule that the existence of Coders should be kept a secret. I mean... Even if someone would find out about my abilities and the truth of the world, would you even believe that someone? Eru had a hard time believing that Reality could be broken down into codes even if he saw me use my Coder abilities. What were the chances that a person would believe such a tale if they didn't see me?

But a good Coder was a fair one. Those were one of the lessons back in the Academy when I was still Fledgling. A Coder should view everything and anything in a fair manner. For example, a Coder shouldn't make a creature's life easier just because he likes them. He shouldn't play favorites.

I knocked on Suisei's door once again. Was she still asleep? Poor girl, she must be really tired from yesterday. I still shuddered at the thought of what would've happened if I was a minute late. What about the other people who got transported? Would they survive?

"Come in", Suisei's voice said and I opened the door.

"G-Good morning. How was your rest?" I asked.

"It was fine. I had a weird dream."

"That's normal. You got sent into another world and just found out about Coders. Your dreams are bound to become weird."

I gave her a bag.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Some clothes I bought for you while you were sleeping. We're going to stock up on supplies before we leave this town. I'll give you money for you to buy.... your necessary clothing and stuff", I answered.

I left her room to give her privacy as she changed. When she said she was done, I entered it once more.

Suisei was cute today too. I bought her a blue long-sleeved shirt with a black coat while her brown pants and boots made her look sort of cool. She would definitely rock in any outfit even if my fashion sense were wacky.

"It fits perfectly. How did you know my sizes?" she asked.

"O-Oh? That? I-I just have good eyes. That's all", I answered.

The truth was: when I edited her codes, I accidentally found out about her sizes. It was not like I did it on purpose. It was an honest accident. Also, I just happen to have photographic memory. It's one of the perks of being a Coder.

"Do I look weird?" she asked as she twirled around,

No. You look too perfect! Allow me to preserve this image in my mind! Can you do the twirl again? Let me get my camera and record you!

"You're fine. Quite cute too", I said.

"Thank you", she smiled at me.

If you would tell me that one day, I made my idol smile because of a compliment, I would just laugh and then upgrade your codes since you tried to cheer me up. I never thought that the day when I would interact with Suisei would come.