I should probably stop tempting fate with my boasts.
I mean, every time I express admiration for something, the next moment, misfortune strikes!
In front of us, the annoying playboy duo from the inn reappeared at the restaurant, seemingly determined to pester us further.
"Now that I realize it, I hadn't had the honor of knowing the names of such beautiful ladies."
'Cringe,' I thought sincerely.
Despite being irritated by Michael and Theo's untimely presence, the girls chose to respond politely to avoid causing a scene in the restaurant.
"Hello. I'm Jessica. To my right are Angelica and Eva, while to my left are Nat and Franz," Jess introduced as the rest nodded.
"Jessica, Angelica, Eva, and Nat... These are fitting names for such pretty ladies!" Theo commented.
Of course, they conveniently ignored my name.
"I want to apologize for disappearing without saying anything at the inn beforehand. An urgent matter related to our families had come up, and we had to leave quickly."
Family?
Well, they do wear expensive clothes and frequent fancy restaurants, so it wouldn't be surprising if they come from wealthy families in the city. Strangely, we found them in an inn, and they didn't disclose their last names. If they're affluent, they should reside in luxurious mansions, making it odd that they stayed overnight in a traveler's inn. Also, with their arrogant demeanor, they should have proudly mentioned their last names from the start. A slight curiosity was ignited within me.
So, I observed the duo more closely.
From their behavior, it seemed that Michael held a higher status than Theo. Unfortunately, I couldn't spot any emblem representing a noble family on their clothes. While lost in thought...
"Why don't we all have lunch together? I'll pay for everyone's lunch today!" Michael declared, fixing his hair with his hand.
"Huh, sorry, but I don't think that's possible since our table is already full," Angie tried to indirectly reject him.
"Hahaha, I don't think that's a problem; we already have a table that seats six people. So, I don't think there's an issue if you ladies just come with us."
'These guys reserved a table for six just for the two of them? Okay, that's very weird.'
Angie, caught off guard, couldn't respond to that unexpected proposal and Jess improvised a response.
"I-I don't think that's a good idea; after all, there are five of us. If we joined you two, we would lack space for one person."
Michael raised an eyebrow and said, "Wouldn't it be enough if the boy named Franz ate alone at this table?"
Everyone was speechless at Michael's unreasonable suggestion.
I couldn't tolerate their stupidity anymore and said, "Why don't you go back to your own table to eat? Surely Theo will get jealous if you keep insisting."
"Pfff-"
"Hahaha."
Laughter escaped from Eva and Nat, watching the situation unfold with amusement.
Michael and Theo turned red, whether from shame or anger was hard to discern.
"How dare you!" Theo exclaimed, hitting the table with his fist.
'This is why I hate those rich kids.' The thought of them inheriting their family business was quite worrisome. 'My deepest condolences to their families.'
Ignoring Theo's tantrum, I signaled to the waiter that he could bring the juices and beers to the table. The poor man had been waiting for us to finish talking.
The waiter, receiving the signal, promptly placed our drinks on the table.
Without waiting for another second, I drank from my peach juice.
- Slurp, Slurp, Glup.
'Hmm... Pretty delicious, I'd say it's a 7 out of 10.'
I provided my candid assessment.
On the other hand, Theo was frowning, feeling deeply offended.
'Never before has someone ignored me like that!!!' Clearly, that was his internal sentiment.
Blinded by rage, Theo was about to threaten Franz, intending to use his family as leverage. Although they hadn't initially planned on revealing their origins, Theo now just wanted to see Franz intimidated after realizing who he had messed with.
However, right before Theo could say anything else, "Relax, Theo. Don't lower yourself to his level."
"But, Michael, this guy keeps getting in the way..."
"He acts like that because he doesn't know his place. The girls must be fooled too; after all, they don't know what truly competent men are."
I was genuinely impressed. Just Michael speaking did more mental damage than the mysterious men in black robes.
'Maybe I underestimated these guys. They are even more annoying than interesting.' That's how the slight curiosity Michael and Theo had stirred up faded from my mind.
"So, you're saying that I'm an incompetent man who doesn't even deserve to be around girls?"
I pointed to myself, looking surprised.
"Yeah," Michael replied.
"And you guys are more suitable to be with them than me?"
I now pointed at Michael and Theo with the same expression.
"At least you can understand things quickly," Michael said with a clearly arrogant tone.
Nat and Eva continued to watch the unfolding drama as if it were a television show. On the other hand, Angie and Jess had a strange feeling because they saw a dark smile forming on my lips.
"Do you have any way to prove that?" I asked in a provocative tone, my eyes taking on crescent shapes as I narrowed them.
'At least serve as entertainment while we wait for the food to arrive.'
"Of course, I have several ways to prove it, but since we are in a restaurant right now, we have to choose a more suitable competition."
Michael began scanning the restaurant as if looking for something.
'If you're aware that we're in a restaurant, don't do all this in the first place.' I thought at her words.
"We will have a music contest."
"???"
To be honest, I didn't expect this development at all.
"A music competition?"
"Yeah. A competent man must be well-versed in different arts, such as music. Conveniently, there are several stringed instruments here and even a piano." Michael pointed his head toward where the marching band was playing.
I found it absurd to assume ownership of musical instruments that didn't belong to them, but even before I could say anything...
At least four people who looked like knights headed toward the band. After a brief conversation and the exchange of a bag full of what seemed to be money, they went to talk to a member of the restaurant.
They were obviously seeking authorization from the restaurant staff.
Initially, the restaurant member flatly refused, but after one of the gentlemen showed him something, he immediately changed his attitude.
"Looks like the preparations are done. You're not going to take a step back now, are you?"
"..."
I smiled.
"Of course, I won't. But just to clarify, what are the conditions of the competition, and what is the reward for the winner and punishment for the loser."
Michael smiled as well and said, "We'll both play a piece of music, and whoever gets the most applause wins. The loser leaves, while the winner gets to eat with the girls."
No matter how you saw it, it was a ridiculous reward that didn't even consider the girls' opinions.
I saw a clear opportunity in all this, though.
"It's fine, but my reward doesn't seem right to me. After all, I
was already going to eat with them, so I wouldn't be gaining anything new."
"Tch. So, what do you propose?"
"It was hard not to notice that you two are part of some important family here in Winterland, so you must have access to all kinds of important events. Tell me, Michael, will there be any important parties in the next few days?"
Michael hesitated for a moment on whether to answer my question.
"...Yes, there will be a party for the major important figures in the city held at the Duke's mansion."
"Hmm, in that case, I will ask you as a reward to give us invitations to attend."
"Why would you want to go to a place like that?"
"Didn't we tell you before? We're merchants, so making connections with important people would help us a lot."
Theo tried to persuade Michael to reconsider.
"Michael... I don't think that's a good idea-"
"Very well, it's a deal then."
But Michael had already accepted the deal.