Chapter 48 - Junior

Ria looked at the silver necklace in Sheila's hands while pondering why did Sheila bring it out for. Sheila didn't say much but only ask her for the key. Ria didn't know what Sheila did as her figure disappeared entirely from her sight and five minutes later, she appears with a key necklace in hands. Did she entered and exiting the Trial Tower have something to do with the key now in a necklace? 

"Here."

Sheila said while giving the key necklace to her. She must have understood the confusion on Ria's face as she explains everything.

"Since you were worried about losing the key, I decide to make you a key necklace. You don't have to worry anymore about losing it, so long as you stop wearing it."

"It will definitely look good on you too, so why don't you try wearing it first?"

"..."

Ria didn't mutter any word in response but simply stares at the key necklace in her hands. To be honest, yes, it's pretty. But doesn't this make it stand out even more? Is this idiot even understand what she had done? Probably not from the oblivious expression on her face. But yes, it might work as no one will ever think that the key necklace that she wore is actually a key to a whole new world.

And even if someone ended up getting the key, they won't be able to enter the Trial Tower without knowing the procedure of how to enter it unless they experiment it a lot. While Ria is trying to equip the key necklace around her neck, she also asked Sheila about another one of her worries. But Sheila response back with a smug on her face.

"Don't worry. I had already patched it when I went inside the Trial Tower. No one else but you could use the key."

Sheila answerer Ria with ease, but inside her mind, I have to hunt so many goblins in order to get enough gold for the patch. Thankfully, it didn't take long for that with the time difference between inside and outside. It took her 3 hours of grinding until she had enough to add a new attribute to the key that only the key owner chosen by the Host could use it. Even with all the gold grinding, she hadn't leveled up by one. It seems that she had to go for a higher floor to level up rather than grinding on the lower floor since the experience she gets is too little. But grinding on the lower floor did help in taking her mind off from thinking about stuff that she didn't want to speak of.

"It does look good on you more than I expected."

Sheila muttered in amazement at the sight in front of her. Ria looks very beautiful now with the silver necklace around her neckline. The key pendant gives off a mysterious charm to those who gaze at her, that is if she was purposely showing it off. 

"Well, thank you."

"But then, do I have to remove the necklace off just so that I can enter the space?"

"I got you covered. Just say the magic word, Link Start! 1  "

"...are you serious?"

"Of course, I am! Go on."

Sheila tried to make a serious expression on her face after saying that to Ria. But she didn't know that Ria had gotten used to her tricks as one who has lived with her since young, which was why Ria just smiled at her with the eyes that don't seem to be smiling at all. Sheila serious face cramped under the invisible threat behind Ria smiling face.

"I'm just kidding, haha! All you need to do is only thought about in your head, and you will be teleported right away."

Such useful function didn't require any gold since it was already there and she could adjust it freely as she pleased. Wait, doesn't it feel like the key is becoming like the app in her phone but better? It must have been her imagination since she could put a restriction on the key anytime, so long as the key holder enter the Trial Tower. Even if it's true, it shouldn't be a problem since it was in the hand of Ria, someone who never make an idiotic mistake like her.

"Are you going to stay here for a while or going back home?"

"Hmm, I'm going to stay since I want to know more about this."

"Then, why don't you ask and I answer while playing games? Hold on, let me get the console from downstairs."

Sheila said as she immediately left to pick up the game console downstairs in the living room. She didn't even wait for Ria to give her response and went ahead. Ria could only shake her head at the addicted gamer. And just like that, they ended up playing the game until dusk while Ria was asking Sheila from time to time. 

The next day.

When Sheila arrived in front of the school gate, she was immediately locked onto by a particular person that was hiding behind the pole. She knew who it was and completely ignore it since she had gotten used to it by now. To be honest, Sheila really wanted to know why that junior of her was stalking her, did her secret got exposed somewhere? She couldn't help but have thought about it. But if that truly is, it would have caused a ruckus if she comes to school. Or is it because that girl didn't reveal her secret to no one, not even her friend? If so, that makes sense.

Sheila had this vague feeling that her secret was exposed to her junior, but she didn't when and where. The only possibility that comes across her mind is at that time she spent in midnight at the park. Oh, shoot! Did I get so focused on the magician acting that I completely forget to check my surrounding? It makes her sweat all over just thinking about it. Thanks to Photographic Memory skill, she remembers everything clearly that happened on that day. 

Ah~ I'm such a huge idiot! Who in the right mind actually conjure fireball spell into the dark sky right in the middle of the park?! No wonder I don't feel so good for the past few days. And here I thought by increasing the intelligence attribute; I might get smarter but guess I was wrong. Or did I shut my brain off that night? Her eyes narrowed while pondering on such deep thoughts. The girl herself didn't notice, but while she was deep in thought, the junior that was supposed to be hiding right behind her was now walking straight to her. 

It wasn't long until she came close to Sheila, but it took her a while before she starts to open her mouth. 

"Umm, senior?"

Sheila was rudely awakened from her deep thoughts as she looked at the girl in front of her. She was frozen shocked as she didn't expect the girl to come and talk to her when she didn't get her heart ready yet. Sheila is not prepared for the truth just yet! She had even thought of escaping right away, but the junior next word stopped her in place. 

"I saw you at the park, um, three days ago?"

"Can we talk somewhere private?"

Yuna muttered the last word softly, worried that the others might listen to her word. But her worry is for naught as the only person in the hallways were only both of them. She had wanted to talk to the senior in front of her for so long, but she didn't have enough courage to do so. She was not just curious about that night in the park; she also wants to know more about the senior. It was only now that she finally gathered enough courage for her to act up.

The senior didn't respond to her word for a while as she only stares at her with the stoic expression on her face. Yuna was about to give up and leave when Sheila opened her mouth and said.

"Wait for me at the school gate when the school ends; we will talk about it in detail later."

"Yes, then I'll be going ahead."

Sheila silently stares at the departing figure of her junior until it completely went out of her sight before walking forward to her class.  Sword Art Online reference