It was already noon at that time and Imee felt her hunger when her stomach silently growled.
"I know we have a lot to talk about but let's find a place to eat first."
Renir nodded and remembered he had yet to eat breakfast.
"I was planning for us to eat breakfast outside. But I didn't know that the check-up was moved today and it took so long.", Imee complained.
Afterward, they went to the receptionist to say their leave.
Imee took Renir to a nearby restaurant which they can eat heavy and pay a small price.
Renir was enjoying the sun over his head while Imee was enjoying the shade under her umbrella.
"You sure you don't want to share?".
"Nah, it's okay. It's felt so long since I've been under the sun."
"... You must have a really weird dream."
Just as they entered the restaurant, they smelled the sweet smell of barbeque which made their stomachs growled before they could even order.
Imee laughed it off. On the other hand, Renir felt embarrassed.
When they entered the restaurant, gazes fell upon them. There were gazes of admiration towards Imee and jealousy towards Renir. These gazes are naturally from men.
Renir let them be since he knew they were not really a couple. It's their fault for being jealous, he really didn't want to be bothered by it, he had too many thoughts in his head.
Meanwhile, Imee seemed inured to these gazes.
After ordering the big piece of barbeque chicken with unlimited rice Imee suggested, they searched for the table of two and sat down.
"It seemed that it will take longer than expected. With this kind of smell filling the place, it's torturous to wait~!", Imee complained to Renir. Both of them didn't eat breakfast so it was understandable to be hungry.
"But it would be more worth it the more you wait for it.", Renir replied while choosing how to start their conversation. What question should he ask first conflicted him.
"Is there something in your mind?", Imee noticed just from Renir's expression.
Renir nodded, "Yep, many things of course.", he then decided which to ask first, "Do your parents know any of this?"
The eyes that were stuck to Renir drifted off to his question.
"Eh?", Renir's mouth was left agape. He started with that question to start the conversation but never thought the answer would be otherwise.
"Then, do you have a job?"
Imee's eyes were already on the edge, unable to further drift away so she slowly moved her head away.
"No?", Renir felt light-headed of a sudden then asked an open-ended question instead, "Then where did you get the money from?"
Imee had no way to turn her eyes away so she just faced Renir and explained, "I... my dad gave me the money."
"Oh", Renir understood, "So he knew about this. Then why are you evading my first question?"
"No, he doesn't know."
"Oh", Renir misunderstood. He was paralyzed by Imee's answers that he just dazed.
"No, no, it's not his money, it's mine. It's a bit complicated but he gave me a lot of money.", Imee tried to explain.
When he heard this, Renie just accepted and said, "Either way, I will surely repay this debt.", even if she's lying, he wouldn't have a problem with that.
"I wish you wouldn't be able to repay it.", Imee murmured.
"Why?", Renir obviously heard it and it made him struck up a brow high.
"Ah", Imee didn't mean to say it out loud but luckily for her, their meal arrived, "The food's here.", she acted as if she was still excited. She was saved by the ring of the bell.
Renir noticed her strange reaction and dismissed it, 'If she didn't want to say it, I wouldn't force her. I'm still under her care.', he thought.
But soon, the two enjoyed their food and was unable to continue their conversation. The savory meal in front of them was too much for their empty stomachs to wait any longer.
Especially Renir, he wasn't strong against hunger even though he was greatly fortified. He was always eating in Gantlet, or in that dream.
The meal comes with unlimited rice. they just needed to raise their hand for the rice to come in their way and fill their plates.
Imee only had one raise of hand since she noticed her tummy getting bigger by just a centimeter or so if it really changed and since she was already full. She was a bit narcissistic, she reluctantly accepted the fact but this is the first she felt over conscious about herself.
Renir, a gentleman, raised his hand three times.
Imee just watched him eat his fill.
"Ahh, I'm full.", after slurping the last strand of meat from the last bone, Renir was filled with ecstasy and a bit of pain from his stomach.
Imee laughed at the sight of Renir being unable to move while one of his polo's button was taken off. Her sudden "insecurity" vanished and just covered her mouth to laugh.
'If I always eat like this for three days, three times each. I am sure that I will regain my weight.', Renir thought.
After a brief silence, Imee initiated back the conversation, "What are your plans now?"
Renir's eyes wandered to think and replied as he looked back to her, "I guess coming back to my uncle's apartment first. Maybe he left something for me which I highly doubted or I may find them there again."
Just thinking about reuniting with his useless uncle made Renir lose strength. If he had the choice, he wouldn't want to deal with that uncle anymore.
"So you want to go home first?"
Renir nodded.
"What if your uncle is still not there or locked you out?", Imee posed a really hard question.
"Uncle Josh would definitely do that.", Renir sighed, "Then I had no choice but to leave. It's not like I want to be there. I am just there to have something to eat and have a roof."
"You have another relative to get help?"
".....", Renir stayed silent, unable to think anyone as a relative to him.
"That's a problem...", Imee saw the gravity of the situation.
"But I'll think of a way. Don't need to concern yourself with this.", Renir wanted to take a burden off of her since she already helped him extensively.
However, it took the opposite effect. Imee's mood plummeted so she complained, "What would you think a doctor would feel if they gave it all to save a person but that person escaped to die?"
Renir didn't expect her to take it to heart that she made a metaphor for her feeling already!
But he gets what she was saying.
"Sorry...", he lowered his head, "Then I will still be under your care from now on."
As if she changed mask, Imee revealed a smile and praised, "Good!"
'Am I getting played here..?', Renir was influenced by her bright smile so his mood lightened up, 'Nah...'
"But if you can't do anything about my situation, nobody is going to blame you. Still, I'm going to repay this."
"Booo~", Imee stuck her lips out and formed a small circle before agreeing, "So strict, but okay."
Renir secretly clenched his fist, 'I want to make her my real girlfriend!'
"But let's rest here first. You still can't move, right?", by then, Imee's facial expression turned solemn, releasing Renir's grip.
Either her temperament is strange or it was just that week of the month, "Before you fell into a coma. Tell me about it."
Renir felt discomfort from the sudden change of atmosphere but he adapted well, "Why?"
"I wanted to know and I have something to tell you."
Renir sighed. He couldn't do anything but to tell her compliantly, "If I remember correctly, it was Marvic and his two friends."
That name was immediately etched in Imee's brain as she indifferently listened.
"As usual, they would act like my friend in front of the public while pulling me to that abandoned church.", just retelling the experience was enough to reveal how naive Renir is to himself.
'I'm really that of a push-over?', he thought.
Imee trembled slightly, "As usual...", she muttered as her face darkened.
"Yeah, I was really a push-over back then.", Renir emphasized the word "was" to save his from further embarrassment. But felt it was his turn to drift his eyes away.
Imee sipped in a deep breath as she rested her chin on her connected fingers before saying, "I always see you being amenable, accepting, and submissive. Then I learned that you've been through that you're whole life. The feeling of facing that every single day without a moment of rest, and never once did you skip school or let your grades lower because of it. I've never even seen you cry or broken down...", her head dropped from her fingers and partially hid her eyes as she blushed, "... for that, I think you're amazing..."
Renir stared baffled, unable to process what he heard yet.
"But I still think you are doing it wrong!", to dismissed her last sentence, she continued to scold Renir.