It was seven in the evening, the whole JLNC base is filled with festivities as they celebrated their victory in the National Championship.
Their sponsors sent over food, and the company of drinks they endorsed also sent drinks, the whole base is filled with joyful music.
"Are we late?" IBJ's coach asked Bright who opened the door for them
"You're just in time, come on in," Bright said with a smile
The match earlier was intense, but in their field, they are opponents only in the game and not outside.
Entering the National Championship Finals can already be considered a great feat, that's why, even though IBJ lost, they didn't seem that bitter about it.
"You guys are here," Alexei smiled when he saw them
"Well, we can't decline your invitation, can we?" Monk said and fixed his eyeglasses
"Are you looking for Key?" Dewy asked Fox who was looking around
"Hmm, where is she? She's not one to miss out on these festivities." Fox replied with a smile
"She went upstairs to answer a call," Dewy replied
"Someone named Kit," Quant added and Fox nodded
"Oh, her," he said and sat next to his teammates on the table
Fox is a Desmond, it's a basic necessity in their clan to know Khaalida Boadicea, the very woman who brought Key to their doorstep and connected them to the esteemed family that legally fathered Keychantel Desmond.
If Keychantel is already someone not to trifle with, Kitten is an even greater force to reckon with, she had the ability to change the course of the world and make people play into the palm of her hands.
"That match earlier was exhausting, let's drink!" Opal said while giving everyone a can of soda drink with a 3% alcohol content
"You guys did great earlier," Vita said and El chuckled
"You guys were so much far from our training match," Quant said before munching on his prawn chips
"Of course, we have to be a bit low-key in our training match," Wings jested
"What did I miss?" they looked at the young lady who had just arrived
"You look pretty as always, Kashmiri." Vita complimented
"That's flattering, thanks," Key replied with a smile
"Oh, right," Key said and threw a keychain to Fox, which he immediately caught
"Is this one of those handmade crafts Cash created?" Fox asked with delight after recognizing the penmanship on the keychain
"Yeah, she congratulates you for reaching the finals," Key replied and sat next to Quant before reaching for a can of alcohol
"This one has lower alcohol content," Fox pushed another can and Key looked at him with a questioning expression, as if she was nonverbally telling him to let her be
"You have your own guard up, but still better than having a hangover the next day," Fox insisted after noticing her gaze and Key gave in to the probing to let it go
"You can be protective of her, huh?" Rio said in amusement
"Chantel's not lightweight, but she shouldn't drink a lot," Fox replied
"Oh, right, tomorrow…" Key replied when she realized that she has a flight the next day, softening her gaze from earlier
"What's with tomorrow?" Opal asked and looked at Fox and Key
"I think I forgot to mention that we're flying to Doitsu tomorrow," Key replied
"Oh, you mentioned that earlier," Bright said
"You're visiting your family?" Deck asked and Key shook her head
"Nah, she's fixing her papers. She's still considered a consultant even though she didn't appear for her first day in the law firm." Fox chuckled and Key shot him a disapproving look
"Chela already fixed that, I just need to finalize some of Coin's stuff," Key replied
"Fox is also heading to Doitsu tomorrow," IBJ's coach said in realization and looked at Fox
"Are you two on the same flight?" Dewy asked them
"Yeah," they replied almost at the same time
"Aren't you guys going to eat?" Quant asked and they all chuckled
They started eating, everyone is given a pair of plastic gloves for the prawns and the seafood.
Wings and Quant even started a live stream to show that they were having a great dinner with the neighboring team, the fans enjoyed it and sent messages congratulating both teams for a great and memorable match.
"It definitely is a memorable match, even for us," Wings said after reading the comment
"That's true, man, my arms' all sore after those intense matches." Opal agreed
"And those were our longest official matches yet," Vita added
"Oh, Fox?" Quant asked when he noticed the bullet comment on his screen
"Fox, they're asking you about your meal," Vita said, taking Fox's attention
Wings and Quant directed their cameras at Fox's plate and the fans began commenting on how professional Fox seemed in taking the lobster's meat.
It was like he was used to doing it, making some of the E-Sports Farm followers formulate theories of him coming from a rich family.
"This is how you eat a lobster," Fox kidded while cutting a lobster part open with his fork and spoon
"It has been a necessity to learn how to eat seafood with cutlery back in our place," he added but what took the viewer's attention is the fact that he placed the meat on Key's plate
"Fox, they're asking why you placed the food on Kashmiri's plate," Wings, who is reading the comments on the camera he's holding, asked
"Oh, that," he chuckled and shook his head
"Kashmiri was taking her time in opening the lobster so Fox decided to help her," Monk said and Wings diverted the camera to another person; Alexei
"You don't like prawns?" Quant asked after noticing the small number of prawns on Alexei's plate
"Well, I like prawns, but not the smell they leave in your mouth," Alexei said
"I don't think anyone likes that," Deck agreed
"That's true," Monk nodded
They continued eating, and some moments later, Wings and Quant ended their live streams and decided to focus on eating.
They were throwing jokes and having casual conversations, the intense match from earlier that day is traceless in their expressions.
"Bro," Alexei tapped El and pointed at Fox and Key who are seated across each other
"I think we found a solution to your habit, Key,"
El decided to tease her after noticing that Key is eating everything that Fox is putting on her plate.
"Habit?" the members of IBJ asked curiously
"You're not eating breakfast again, Keychantel?" Fox asked after catching up on what El's words meant
"As if you're any different, Fox," their coach remarked and Key chuckled at Fox's expression
"So, Fox goes on live streams without eating breakfast as well?" Rio asked in amusement
"Kashmiri does that?" Monk asked, amused at the fact as well
"I got used to it," the two subjects defended
"And Chela would scold you for that, James," Key said and chuckled
"As if you don't get scolded for that, Chantel," Fox shook his head
"You two seem so familiar with each other," the IBJ coach commented
"You didn't know they're cousins?" Opal asked and the members of IBJ who weren't there when Fox hugged Key on her first day in JLNC looked at the two in confusion
"I'm a Desmond on my mom's side," Fox said with a smile
"And this lady," he pointed at Key who merely stared at him
"Is my second cousin who graduated law," he added and that made them look at Key in disbelief
"Do you always have to include that?" Key asked him while trying not to frown
"Even we had a hard time digesting that fact," Bright chuckled before sipping from his can of drink
"And mind you, she took law school because she was bored," Fox said and Key tried not to roll her eyes
"How bored were you, Kashmiri?" Vita asked in amusement
"I wasn't bored, I just needed an excuse to leave the house," Key defended
"Huh, didn't you live in a dorm before?" Opal asked curiously
"No, James wasn't an E-sports player back then so the house wasn't all silent like it was after they left, also, living with them in one house kept Papa at ease while I'm studying." Key replied
"You shouldn't call it 'house', Key, you're confusing them." Fox chuckled before shaking his head
"What Chantel meant was she needed an excuse to leave the manor all the while having a reason to stay longer somewhere else," Fox elaborated
"Oh, you did come from a well-off family," Quant said while nodding
Fox didn't say anything but his expression, one that the rest didn't notice, can tell that calling Key's family 'well-off' is an understatement.
After all, Key didn't need her current legal family's assets, she is rich in her own right and abilities, she's even paying the Troublemakers with her money, not taking a single dime from the asset of the legal family she's registered under currently.
Even the money she spent on her phone and the ones used to pay her credit card bill are her own money, money that Kitten has deposited to the family to raise Key.