Chapter 729: VIRTUALNET DATE (III)

ASTRID nearly choked on his lobster. Given his fear of choking, the aftermath wouldn’t be pretty if it actually happened. Right now, he was also relieved this happened in VirtualNet.

Wulfric seemed to realize what he’d just said a second too late. "Wait, no—that came out wrong!" he blurted. If this was not virtual reality, his face would probably be burning red by now. "I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just the sound you made was really... sex- I mean, suggestive. And since I like you so much, my brain went straight there. And—"

Astrid didn’t let him finish. He speared a shrimp with his fork and shoved it straight into Wulfric’s mouth. "Okay, let’s stop before this gets even more awkward."

Wulfric blinked, then obediently chewed the shrimp. "Agreed."

They ate in comfortable silence, enjoying the food without feeling the need to fill the quiet with unnecessary talk. Every now and then, one of them would comment on how good the food was or how fresh it tasted, keeping the conversation light. It was the kind of easy companionship where words weren’t needed at all times. And yet, it didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

When the last dishes were cleared away, Astrid turned his gaze toward the beach and the distant sea. He couldn’t help marveling again at how perfectly real everything looked in this virtual space—the way sunlight danced on the waves, the faint salt-tang in the air. No wonder people flocked to VirtualNet. He’d heard about the musicals staged here, the plays performed with impossible special effects, even idol groups that existed only in this digital world. Maybe when he had more time, he’d catch one of those shows himself.

But for now, he had a more pressing matter to do.

Astrid turned to Wulfric with a smile. "Wulf, do you know a private spot we could use? Somewhere nobody can record us?"

This spot would have been perfect for what he had in mind, if not for Wulfric’s avatar being an exact copy of his real appearance. While they were alone in the restaurant now, people still lingered on the beach nearby. Close enough to potentially notice whatever they did. Being caught eating together was harmless enough, but his plans required much more privacy than this.

If Wulfric’s avatar had a normal appearance, it wouldn’t be a problem at all. After all, who would care about what two regular-looking people were doing? But with Wulfric looking exactly like himself, there was no way people who saw them wouldn’t pay attention to what they’re doing.

When Wulfric heard Aster’s question, his mind immediately jumped in that direction again. He nearly banged his forehead against the table in frustration, desperate to knock out all the indecent images flooding his thoughts.

Get a grip, Wulfric!

He’d already embarrassed himself with that remark earlier. If he said something similar now, Aster might actually start believing he was some kind of pervert.

Wulfric cleared his throat, forcing his voice to stay steady as he answered, "I have my own private island. We can go there."

This would work perfectly. It met Aster’s need for privacy while also letting Wulfric show off his island.

Wulfric owned an island? Astrid chuckled in amusement. Of course he would. But it did solve their current problem. "Then let’s go there."

***

Astrid blinked as a wave of dizziness hit him after the teleportation. Once they’d agreed to visit Wulfric’s island, the prince had extended his hand, explaining teleporting would be the quickest way to go there. This being VirtualNet, such things were possible. The moment Astrid took Wulfric’s hand, the world dissolved around them before reforming into their new location.

He just hadn’t expected that when he opened his eyes, the first thing he’d see was the island below them. If the island was below, then that meant he was above it.

He then realized with a jolt that they were floating in mid-air. His eyes slammed shut on instinct as he tensed for the inevitable fall. But it never came. Instead, a strong arm circled his waist, holding him firm.

Astrid looked up to find Wulfric grinning down at him, golden eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Relax," Wulfric murmured, his arm tightening just slightly around Astrid’s waist. "Virtual gravity can’t hurt you. And I’d never let you fall." A slow, knowing smile. "Well. Unless it’s you falling for me. In that case, I’d happily watch you drop."

Astrid, who was almost annoyed, found himself laughing instead. He didn’t even care that they were floating for no apparent reason. See? This was why Wulfric’s accidental flirting always worked better. When he wasn’t trying, it hit Astrid harder. In a good way.

"So why exactly did we appear above the island instead of on it?" he asked, unable to hide his amusement.

"I wanted you to see the shape from above," Wulfric answered. "I redesigned the island recently, and this is the best way to show you."

The moment Wulfric said that, Astrid looked down properly. He hadn’t really paid attention earlier because he was too distracted by the thought of falling. But now that he actually looked, his eyes widened slightly. The island below was shaped exactly like his face!

Astrid turned toward Wulfric, eyes narrowing. "Exactly how recent was this redesign?"

Wulfric scratched his cheek with his free hand, looking slightly sheepish. "Right after you asked to meet in VirtualNet."

Astrid raised one eyebrow. He did all this in such a short time? Then again, this was virtual reality. It probably didn’t take long if one knew what they were doing. Still, shaping an entire island to look like someone’s face from above had to take effort. That’s when another thought struck him.

"Could anyone easily fly above your island?" he asked Wulfric.

Because if people could see this island, it wouldn’t take long before pictures of it spread all over [Cyberspace]. Once that happened, someone would inevitably start investigating who owned an island shaped like Astrid’s face. Tracing it back to Wulfric would be frighteningly simple. Then what?

The best possible outcome would be people thinking Wulfric was just an extremely dedicated fan of actor Astrid Townsend. The worst case scenario? Everyone would assume there was something much more personal between them.