This chapter was great! Hiroki was really funny, and that stunt Ulrich pulled at the end made me laugh! Nice work!

Your Yumi/Aelita friendship moments are so sweet to read, and this one was even sweeter because of Yumi's good news! Hiroki is also totally going to flip in the next chapter!

I'd just about guarantee that there's going to be some friction at work for the two of them with other employees, but I'm really curious to see how you make Emily react!

I really hope that in the changes and struggles to come you make Yumi and Ulrich stay strong and tackle their challenges together. I think they've come too far and been through too much for them to be threatened with falling apart!

About dang time! (Directed at the characters, not the author), nuff' said!

I will say more though! Ulrich was right in saying that there will be difficulties moving forward. Not least of which will be work. Any rumors of Yumi getting the job because of her history with Ulrich are definitely going to compound when they're found out (and they will definitely be found out!). The smart thing to do would probably be to not try to hide it, but still keep things professional at work. Also, Ulrich's father might be a problem too...

Still, this chapter was so sweet and really brought a smile to my face!

I guess I'm kinda anxious to see where you take it... though I must admit that if the dream is more than 'just as dream,' I really hope that Ulrich is misinterpreting it. (I'm not a fan of Oddlita or JxAxO triangles at all).

That being said, if you're taking going in the triangle direction, Aelita's comment about keeping 'it' secret for years, means that any possible secret relationship between her and Odd wouldn't have been considered cheating on Jeremy because their relationship is only just into their second year. Also, it seems to me that full-on cheating would be rather incongruous with the tone of the story. That being said, not telling Jeremy about said relationship would also be a serious breach in the trust that he professed to her (as relayed to Yumi, and this the audience as well by Aelita when speaking about their first anniversary).

I guess after all the rambling, I'm going to guess that Ulrich was misinterpreting the dream, but Aelita and Odd were keeping a secret of less severity than a secret relationship. Though, the secret could possibly severe enough to cause some drama between the two geniuses. However, they had their drama a few chapters ago with the test run of the game, and Aelita didn't seem guilty at all when she was addressing Jeremy when he arrived in the game, so it seems to me like it's something that she had no reason to feel guilty about it!

AHHHH! Head running in too many circles over a dream!

... I'm going to stop now...

Actually one more thing: it's not like Odd and Aelita haven't fought over stupid stuff before *cough* Replika *cough* so it's not like it couldn't just be something dumb...

Honestly... I think for the first time I'm not sure what to make of your chapter. I mean I understood what was going on, but I'm not sure where you were going with any of it. It kinda makes me both intrigued and confused. That being said, Emily seems to be quite logical, which seems like a good way to portray her, but I can't quite decide if you were implying that she still wished that Ulrich would notice her or not.

Still, confused or not I enjoyed the chapter and I'm very curious to see what you do with Emily in further chapters.

I loved the way you described Odd, Aelita, and Jeremy banding together for Ulrich's sake. That being said, it's pretty ironic that Odd, of all people, is the one who is leading the most normal life!

That being said, Kelly seems to have a good idea that there is something behind the bond of the 'famous five,' and I can't help wondering if that's going to cause friction... and how that's going to work out...

I’m a little late to review, but nevertheless this was pretty good. Loved the episode reference at the end :)

First of all, this story is really good! I love your writing style! But I have noticed that only Ulrich helps Yumi and she doesn't care as much as he. I know about your "Yumi-centric story idea" but we can see their relation in casual situations and I got the impression that we can't see some Ulrich's problems or even his bad mood. I remember about Ulrich's "allergic" reactions to William but it's something obvious and more complicated I meant something from another area much simpler. He cheers she up constantly and that's great but for me it seems unreal if he doesn't has any worry. After all they are friends so she would be worried about him. Maybe it's just mine stupid thought but I want to share idea. Anyway, this is giving me so many feels so keep it up.

Ok, First things first: ULRICH, YOU'RE GETTING A SECOND CHANCE AT THIS SCENARIO, DON'T BLOW IT AGAIN!

Now that that's out of the way, onto the rest of the review!

Ulrich coming early and seeing Yumi in her 'grey pyjamas with pandas on them' was really funny and added some much appreciated levity to what is often a pretty heavy, angsty story. The necklace scene seemed to illustrate that they are allowing themselves to be honest with themselves and each other, and can finally have hope to be with each other.

The shopping and lunch scene was cute, though I think I agree with the other reviewer in saying that the lunch being eaten in silence did seem a little odd. It's not really that big a deal though. I can't help wondering what on earth Yumi could have gotten for Ulrich at a furniture store! XD

The car scene got pretty intense there for a little bit, but the intermixed awkward intimacy was adorably funny! That being said, Yumi's first experience driving a stick shift was pretty harrowing! The massage scene at the end was sweet though.

All of which brings us to the elevator scene! Given her reaction to the last time he almost kissed her (referring to the time Yumi told Aelita about, not the one during 'Routine'), I think he needs to go for it and deal with the ramifications afterwards!

I would've liked to see more interaction during the meal—I feel like they wouldn't be the type to spend an entire meal in silence, even if there are quiet moments. The drive back sounded dangerous.

I liked the moment. Can't wait to see them start to acknowledge it in words, and where they go from here.

This was a great chapter. I know that I’ve heaped on praise for Ulrich’s maturity, but him losing his temper, albeit briefly, really makes him a realistic character who has buttons that can be pushed. As such, I think the encounter with William was a great idea from a writing standpoint!

Building on that: while Ulrich did lose his temper somewhat, him being able to reign it in and talk to Yumi after a few minutes (and vice versa) was very nice to see, and I can’t help wondering how far it would have gone if the police officer hadn’t interrupted them (I’m referring to him stroking her cheek). It’s also really cute when Ulrich unbalances Yumi like when he invaded the video chat. That being said, your bit at the end where Yumi is musing about Ulrich being able to erase her worries is heartwarming.

I want to play that game! XD

Something I just thought about is whether or not Kelly should be told the truth about Lyoko, after all, her and Odd are far enough along in their relationship to be moving in together (IIRC)! That being said, she really isn’t a focal point of this story, so I guess if it’s just left off the table that would be fine.

Good stuff like usual. Happy to see that you’re more consistent than me!

This chapter definitely had a lot going on! The encounter with the other employees is a little worrisome if that’s how she’s perceived. That portends the possibilities of more issues in the future... Ulrich’s reassurance to her was pretty heartwarming though.

Their little impromptu sparring session was really cute but I really hope that no one else from the office noticed it happened!

It's always a pleasure to read your work. Can't wait for the next chapter! Keep it up!

The development with Emily is certainly interesting. I’m curious to see how it ends up working out.

While it was one of his more harmless pranks, Odd can definitely be annoying! That being said, it looks like Emily may have been telling the truth when she said that Ulrich was unreachable by phone...

And I’m really looking forward to the ‘date...’