Neptunia: Merc's Involvement

Chapter 24: Lastation - The Visit

To say there was an awkward silence between the two was an understatement as Alex wasn't really sure how to respond to what Uni had just said.

As for Uni, Alex's silence lead her to mentally beat herself up on the inside, regretting and questioning why she even asked to come along in the first place.

Thankfully Uni's regret would be eased up as Alex finally responded.

"Um. I mean, sure I guess but why? My place doesn't really have much to offer for a guest. You'd get bored." He said.

His response snapped Uni out her thoughts as the Candidate responded.

"W-Well, I don't really mind to be honest. I'm just curious to see your home. That's all." She said.

"Alright then suit yourself. Come on." He said, motioning Uni to follow him as the two walked past the Basilicom and down the main street.

After a few minutes of walking, the two were in a pretty populated suburban area near the Basilicom as Alex approached an Apartment Complex.

He went up a flight of stairs to the upper floor before eventually reaching his room as he unlocked the door.

"Remember, don't expect much okay?" Said the boy, turning to face Uni before he faced the door, opening it and walking inside with Uni in tow.

The first thing that greeted Uni was the living room to the left with a couch, Smart TV on the wall, and a coffee table.

To the right was the kitchen which has the usual dining, fridge, and sink.

Down the middle between was a hallway that lead to the bedrooms.

One thing Uni noticed was that Alex wasn't really one for decorations as there were little to no pictures or miscellaneous items.

"Go on and sit down. Make yourself at home. I'll get you a glass of water." Said Alex as he walked into the kitchen.

Uni nodded as she went to the living room and sat on the couch.

Though there was indeed nothing here to do or see, Uni couldn't deny that there was a calming and relaxing feel about the place.

It was much different to the Basilicom as while it was also quiet there, it was more of a tense, no nonsense feeling due to Noire's diligent work schedule for herself, Uni, and Kei.

Eventually, Alex arrived to the living room, handing Uni a glass of water as he had also given himself one.

Uni took her drink as the two now sat on the couch, drinking water as they kept quiet.

After a while, Uni decided to start up a conversation.

"So, how long have you had this place?" She asked.

"Since I was ten so, three years already." He said.

"You started living on your own at ten? Huh. Um, what about before then?"

"I lived in a Orphanage when I was seven up until I got this place. This mercenary job was a way for me to build up credits so I could get my own place."

As he said that, Uni began to wonder what he was doing the first six years of his life if he had gone into an Orphanage home at age seven.

She had a faint idea as to why but she wasn't entirely sure.

"Sorry if this is personal but, what caused you to be in an Orphanage?" She asked.

Uni had expected Alex to be hesitant on answering but surprisingly he answered rather quickly.

"Lost my parents. Both on the same day. I'd, rather not get into the details of what exactly happened." He said.

Uni immediately understood what he was getting at, and the fact that he didn't really get anymore into it essentially told Uni that it was some that he wasn't really comfortable with.

Silence followed after that as Uni didn't really wanna prolong that conversation after a touchy subject.

Eventually, Uni finished her glass of water as she leaned back on the couch and decided to just ease and relax as she leaned on Alex with the smile.

The boy just looked at her with a confused expression.

"Uh, what're you doing?" He asked.

Uni simply opened one eye to look at him as she had a slight smirk on her face.

"Relaxing. You did say to make myself at home after all. Besides, you should be lucky that I'm even doing this after that comment you made about climbing trees with a skirt." She said.

"Huh?" Said the boy as he quickly picked up on what Uni was talking about as he got flustered.

"I-I'm sorry okay? It was just a joke. I didn't think you'd take it seriously." He said.

Uni had a small chuckle seeing Alex immediately apologize for a snarky remark he had made even though Uni really had no problem with it.

"No need to apologize. I was just kidding." Said the Candidate as Alex just sighed, being rather relieved that he didn't offend her.

The two stayed like this on the couch and relaxed for a bit until the sun began to slowly sey as the two figured now was a good time to return to the Basilicom to avoid Noire blowing a bigger fuse than what she would right now with how late they've been out.

With that, the two exited the apartment room and after Alex locked his door, the two walked and returned to the Basilicom.

Upon returning, the two would receive a stern chat from Noire about how late the two were at returning.

Afterwards, dinner had come and gone as Alex and Uni walked together down the hallway.

Uni reached her room first as Alex bid her good night and proceeded to walk on to the guest room.

That was until Uni got his attention as he turned back around to face her as she gave him a smile.

"Thanks for today Alex. I hope we can do that again some time." She said.

Alex admittedly was a little flustered upon seeing this but immediately shrugged it off as best he could, smiling up and giving her a thumbs up as he walked on to his room, getting in bed and calling it a night.

--------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 24: Complete