Somnium Online

New Beginnings

Eric was back in the coffee shop standing behind the counter like he always did.

True to his word Lucius had brought his coworkers and the shop was running with clockwork efficiency.

"So boss, tomorrow's the day huh?" Lucius said as he poured another order.

Eric was distracted with thoughts of his upcoming transfer. "Hmm? Oh, yeah."

"you seem distracted, did something happen?" Lucius asked.

"I'm fine," Eric answered, a little too quickly.

"If you say so, boss." Lucius smiled.

"Hey, Eric, three more over here!" Anne called.

"Coming right up!" He shouted cheerfully.

The days passed almost too quickly, both in-game and in real life. Eric had a basic grasp of Japanese by the end of the first week. As the first day of school drew closer, both in his dreams and in real life Eric felt the pressure.

Then, the day arrived. It was time to ship out. His parents escorted him to the airport and waved as he boarded his flight.

He sat down in his seat and put in his earpiece. The flight would be nonstop and overnight.

As the server reopened he closed his eyes and logged back in.

Eric opened his eyes back in Somnium. He was in his room in the coffee shop and thankfully felt that his ability to breathe was unhindered.

He clearly remembered locking the door before going to bed. There was no way she had-

"Good morning Eric!" Anne whispered.

Eric opened his eyes. "How did you get in here?" He demanded. "Also, where are...you..." his voice trailed off.

He looked down. Of course. That's why he couldn't move his arm.

Anne was in bed with him, her body nestled next to his, and her head firmly pinning down his arm.

"Why me?" Eric groaned. "Why can't I just wake up normally like everyone else in this coffee shop?"

Anne rolled onto her side and frowned at him. "Well, this is an unexpected reaction. Normally when guys wake up in bed with a beautiful woman next to them they're all excited, but you're just embarrassed and annoyed." She batted her eyelashes playfully.

Eric closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't have the energy to fight this time. He had worn himself out both in real life and in his dreams.

Just great. Maybe he could get some rest during the ride to the academy.

"What's wrong?" Anne asked, suddenly concerned.

Oh, so now even Anne had noticed. Was it really that obvious?

"I'm fine," Eric said, though even he didn't sound convinced.

Eric tried to sit up but Anne was faster. She rolled on top of him pinning his arms and legs.

Eric went limp. There was no point in struggling, Anne was way stronger, and if he used N she would notice.

Anne glared at him. "I can't have my vice commander falsely reporting his status. I'll ask again, what's going on?"

Eric sighed and gave in. She would smell a lie a mile away. "I'm under a bit more pressure than usual. Bottom line is, I need to get perfect scores on an entrance exam or something really bad happens.

Anne released his arms. "Someone has leverage on you?" She asked.

"Something like that."

"I know how it feels," Anne said. "You can't do anything about it, and you just have to go along with what people tell you to do." Anne rested her head on Eric's shoulder, her head nestling comfortably between his neck and the bottom of his jaw.