— Hahahahaha! You guys, Aiden and Saya, are hilarious! You have to have balls to bother Mary when she's going through menopause. Thanks for giving us such a show!
Along with the troublesome guys, Aiden and Saya, two more of their classmates joined them in the cafeteria after the morning block was over.
Some students were rushing to be the first in the cafeteria to go play sports somewhere afterward, others were going to their clubs, or looking for a quiet space to study. The rest of the students stayed in the cafeteria, like Aiden and company.
—Speak for yourself! For me, it was horrible. All my notes ended up like if I was hit by a car driven by a man in his thirties who was arguing with his wife for missing his son's first game!
—… Eh? Why the details? Every so often you're a bit weird, Antonio, seriously, 'tu es idiot ou quoi?'
—Louis, don't start speaking French, I think we've had enough of the English and Mandarin linguistics II classes.
—Je sais! (I know!) Why don't you ask the Asian guy next to you to teach us Mandarin? Oh, Louis, you always surprise yourself with your wit!
—I'm half Japanese, you French bastard! Don't you understand that!? —replied the "Asian guy" next to him—. By that logic, how do I know you're French when you don't have that characteristic pointed mustache, and not carrying a baguette? Huh!?!?
The colorful group continued discussing a multitude of unimportant topics the whole way. Aiden could only think of how much he wished they would just shut up.
Louis Rousseau, the French guy accompanying them, didn't stand out much by his appearance alone. He had black hair, the same height as the average 16-year-old boy, a little thinner than average perhaps, since he had a build similar to Saya's; slim but well-defined. However, his personality made him definitely stand out from the rest.
On the other hand, there was Antonio Guerrero Montgal, a brown-haired Mexican boy a little shorter than Louis, but certainly more robust. His skin tone was between light brown and brown, and there were his obvious Latin features in contrast to Louis, who could go unnoticed anywhere in Western Europe as he did not have many noteworthy features besides his accent.
Of course, Antonio couldn't stand that bunch not having something special of his own. There was his strange way of communicating using metaphors and proverbs that nobody else understood.
The peculiar group ordered different things and went searching for an empty table. Normally, it would have been close to impossible of a task. Considering how many students there were, the most likely outcome should have been to share someone else's table. Then, as a stroke of luck, Saya saw his sister, Jin, sitting all alone at a table large enough for all of them to sit comfortably.
— Oi, Jin. Do you mind if we use this table too? The seats are probably empty anyway.
Not wasting time waiting for an answer, Saya sat down without even finishing talking, but Jin was ready to welcome him with the tip of her foot, which caught the back of her irritating brother's calf.
— IAAAAAAH!!
Aiden ignored his friend's agonizing cry of pain and turned with a slight smile and an approving nod towards Jin.
—Hahaha… Uh, what's up? Don't stand there, come quickly. —said Aiden, hurrying his companions.
At first, Antonio and Louis showed hesitation about the beautiful girl sitting there, who they couldn't ever believe was Saya's twin, but seeing Aiden approaching as if nothing were bothering him, gave them more confidence; otherwise they would not have done it.
It had nothing to do with her appearance. In fact, she was the type of girl that Louis would have jumped at the chance to get closer to.
How to say it? Jin, Saya's sister, exuded an aura of superiority that repelled everyone equally.
As Saya continued to wriggle from the pain in his seat, Aiden decided to take on the role of mediator.
—Uh… I think you already know each other, but they're from our class, and your brother's classmates since last year. The tallest one is Louis and the friendly looking one is Antonio. By the way, Antonio is the one you can trust the most of this pair, please don't take everything Louis says seriously.
—Hey! Don't start ruining my image on the first contact. She's been on my list of beauties I must conquer before graduation!
—There you go. That's why Aiden said you can't be taken seriously, you, idiot. What will we do if the situation becomes uncomfortable? If you're at fault, will you take responsibility?
—And accept your punishment gracefully? —Interluded Saya, still grabbing his leg—. I propose a beating. Meet me behind the gymnasium after lunch.
—What did you say!? I know, now I understand! You both want to go behind the school to sweep the floor with you, right?
—You know, sometimes I don't know if they get along too well or if they hate each other —said the unruly-hair boy.
—Haha. —Suddenly, the school comedy was interrupted by a subtle and colorful laugh from Jin—. Haha, haha… —Without giving space for the hypnotized students to resume their act, she added—. I don't mind the nonsense. My brother mentions you lot sporadically, but I think it is the first time I've dealt with, I mean, have got the chance to talk to them. Nice to meet you both.
Her words were simple for the most part, some harsh even, yet her enunciation made them sound classy. Jin, regardless of what is uttered by her, somehow, made anyone feel like a frog and her as the princess.
Both boys didn't understand it completely, but with just those simple words and the laugh before, something had changed. The suffocating aura was still there; however, now something else had entered the space where they were gathered. None of them understood it; yet, both thought that it was certainly mysterious, it was as if they felt allowed to be in that space. As if a princess accepted a few peasants in to share the table, that was what crossed Antonio's mind at least, who used all his strength to repress the impulse to say it.
«Ugh… somehow I did it, with this a better atmosphere was created», said the young protagonist to himself, brimming with pride of his achievement.
Jin and Saya gave Aiden a brief look, who understood it instantly and let out a slight sigh.
«You don't have to thank me. Besides, I just set the stage, the actors deserve the credit».
That was the normal days of a boy named Aiden. He strived not to fall behind in his classes, to laugh, and to endure his friends' jokes.
Every day, he ordered the same super-economical combo, but essentially nutritious, as it was crucial that the young people have good nutrition. That was one of the mandatory rules given by the board of directors of the city. For that reason, even the cheapest dish made a rich source of nutrients for daily life thanks to the formula and supplements applied to the mix.