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"Do you already have everything with you? Have you double-checked everything?"
"Yes, Grandma Aline," TJ replied, "I have everything. I also triple-checked just to be sure."
"Very well..." The old lady then looked at the young lad whom this whole street practically raised. The corners of her eyes turned misty before saying, "...Be careful on the road, don't skip your meals, and take good care of yourself. We will miss you, child."
"I'll miss you, too, Grandma. Don't worry about me; I'm a big boy now. I can take care of myself. I'll visit whenever I can."
"Oh, don't bother. Just focus on what you have to do. We old folks will be fine here. Besides, you'll be very busy in your work. A letter once in a while will be fine."
"I'll remember that." TJ nodded, his eyes reflected a mixture of sadness and gratitude for this parting. "Thank you for taking care of me all these years. I'll never forget any of this."
"Mn, you're a good child, TJ. I wish you good luck in your career, and I hope that one day, you're able to relearn how to smile."
TJ nodded again. Then, before his resolution evaporated again, he resolutely began walking away from the house that had been his home for the past decade or so. But not before waving goodbye to Aline—the kind old woman who practically adopted him when everybody else disappeared.
It's because of her that he's able to live here, which should've been against the rules. It was she who healed him back then. She gave him space, fed him, and cared for him until he was able to pick himself up.
Though she mostly let him grow up on his own, her presence was a constant in TJ's life during this past decade. She even allowed him to stay in one of the houses she owned.
The government's assistance for orphans like him isn't really sufficient, just enough to pay the bills and allow him to eat at least twice a day on a budget. This kind of lifestyle was certainly insufficient for an orphan who dreams to go far in their professional career.
It's again thanks to Aline's generosity, restocking his fridge whenever he's out for free, that TJ had a healthy and sufficient diet growing up.
She and the old folks of the Senior Citizen Lane looked after him. He's essentially their foster son/grandson.
And as much as TJ hated to move out and leave the comfort and peace of this place, he has to go. He had to see what's out there and pursue greater heights in his career.
Moreover, the Senior Citizen Lane is too far from the U-Belt. Commuting from here to his future university will take time; therefore, he has to move.
This decision was both practical and symbolic. Though he did wish that U-Belt was closer to this place so that he wouldn't have to do this, there's nothing he could do to change this reality.
Saying goodbye to Aline was already this difficult; saying goodbye to the rest would be even worse. That's why TJ didn't do it. He just couldn't...
As he got on the bus and sat down on his chosen seat, TJ felt his energy leaving him. Inwardly, he wanted to return and just stay there. He didn't want to leave the comfort he'd known for so long.
But he has to do this. He had to keep moving forward.
Besides, he already paid six months of advanced rent to his new place, which was very expensive, by the way. As a still frugal individual, who's yet to accept that he could essentially afford anything he wanted to, this was very much a bold financial decision for him.
**
The 'University Belt' (U-Belt) is a location within District 13 where the congregations of universities and colleges were built.
Just as everybody who's born and raised in District 13 goes to the Gale Phantom Preparatory School to receive their preparatory education, everybody who graduated from the prep school naturally goes to the U-Belt to try their luck in one of the universities.
The U-Belt is located near the heart of the district. It's even close to the District Hall. The entirety of the U-Belt was close to the size of a subdivision.
However, don't be fooled by its seemingly small size. Each university in the U-Belt is inside a pocket dimension, meaning that the actual size of the U-Belt itself is even greater than the size of the entire district. They used space tech to fit everything into a small area to conserve space.
Near the U-Belt, there's a place called the 'Alma Mater Heights.' It's a rather famous place within district 13 because everybody who lived here was a college student.
Well, almost...some of the staff members of colleges and universities lived here too, but it's mostly composed of students.
Because of its nature, this area was filled with apartment complexes, dorms, stores, and basically anything that professional college students needed.
Those who grew up in a place far from the U-Belt tend to move here for ease of access to the colleges and universities. After all, the area's basically a walking distance away from the U-Belt.
This is where TJ is headed right now. If he's fortunate, this is also where he'd be living for the next few years.
"We're here, sir," said the cab driver to him.
TJ blinked and began unbuckling his seatbelt. Of course, he paid his fare and gave the driver five stars for his service before leaving.
The driver, elated with his review, bid him farewell before driving off into the distance, leaving TJ standing before the huge building that's about to be his future residence from now on.
TJ was slightly stunned for a bit upon seeing this place in person. He knew that it was big, but he only realized how tiny he truly was compared to this skyscraper.
Clearing his throat and feeling embarrassed for a bit, he shook his head and began walking into the building.
"Good afternoon, Sir." The guards greeted him as soon as he entered, and he returned the greeting with a nod of his head.
Inside the reception area, TJ was dazzled by how neat and fancy the interior was. The floor were so shiny that they could almost serve as mirrors. The walls were smooth and made from expensive marble tiles. The lobby was well lit, had a really pleasant smell, and was also very welcoming.
[Garland Suites] is its name.
"Good afternoon, Sir. How can I help you today?" The female receptionist greeted him enthusiastically once he approached.
"Hi, um...my name is Tristan James Whitlock. I'm moving in to Unit 29-101."
"Oh, a new resident! Thank you for choosing Garland Suites. Will you allow me to check on my system to confirm this first?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Great! Just a sec."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Ah, here it is! Awesome! And exactly on time too. Welcome to your new home, Mr. Whitlock! Here are your keys and your documents. Please be careful to not lose any of them, as they are incredibly important for the remainder of your stay here with us."
TJ took the keys and stashed the documents in his inventory, not even bothering to look at them. For now, at least.
"Please, follow me. I'll lead you to your new home and give you a short tour to get you more familiar with it."
TJ nodded and followed the receptionist to the elevator.
Actually, TJ knew where to go and what to expect. He did spend all of yesterday looking for a new place to stay.
His new residence in this building is in the first room—room 101 on the 29th floor.
On the outside, it looks like he's entering a luxury hotel suite, but in reality, what's behind the doors is a space large enough to function as a penthouse.
The unit came with all the amenities, furniture, smart appliances, and more, all ready to use as soon as he moved in. He even had the option to change things around according to his personal tastes before coming here so that he wouldn't need to do it himself.
This unit was, actually, too big for him. It's expensive too. His rent was 2.5 million geos per month. But this already includes his electricity, water, and system access bills. It even comes with a free room cleaning service each month.
Obviously, it doesn't include his meal services, groceries, toiletries, and any other personal requirements he had for the room. He had to purchase or pay for those separately.
Overall, TJ was extremely satisfied with this room. In fact, he feels that it's even too much for him. He's not really used to this kind of luxury, but with the black credit card in hand, nobody could truly blame him for wanting to splurge for a bit.
Hell, he even bought a VR pod, one that's the most recently released version, and had it installed in his unit, ready for use.
Suffice to say, TJ did feel really good and comfortable at his new home, with a little bit of strangeness because everything around him was so new.
But before he went to sleep tonight, he opened up his system interface and began reading through the invitations sent to him by college scouts.