Alex had decided to buy a few snacks, thanks to Bob, he was able to fill up his noisy stomach. In addition to what he already had, Bob had bought a cup of ice cream for all of them, including Tyler, claiming to be a courtesy from him.
While they were busy paying for their stuffs, another customer had came by to purchase a few snacks. He picked a couple of sausage rolls and upon getting to the cashier, he was surprised to see them asking for payment.
"Hold on, isn't this for free?" The man asked. Since he knew snacks here were sold for free he had already placed one of the sausage rolls in his mouth.
"What do you mean for free, you must pay up for the snacks you bought." The cashier attendant said, almost annoyed by the man's question.
"What? But it was free last year. Everyone was allowed to take anything they want for free in this shop. What happened this year, why is everything just strange, including your dressings."
"Ah, you must be familiar with the old company's policy." Another cashier attendant stated with a smile. "This is a new company, Park foods. All purchases here, including snacks and drinks are for sale. So please pay up for the items you bought."
The man had no other choice, everyone around him were looking at him strangely like he was ment or something. And since he didn't want to embarrass himself further, he had to pay up for the stuffs he bought. But before he left, he had a few words to say.
"Did everything change because of Alex's death or what? I bet we're going to be seeing a lot of strange things from now on. Come on, this is so annoying." Having said his bit, the man started to walk off while the other customers were left discussing the matter amongst each other. Some of those who knew or have heard about the free policy that existed for a long time started to share the details to others. Proving what the man said to be right.
Once Bob and the others were done paying for their stuffs, they immediately left for the hall.
"You know, at first, I thought you were bluffing when you said stuffs here are for free. But after listening to that man complaint, I realised you were right. And from the faces of everyone around, it seems to be true." Bob said as he watched the others took a sip of their own juices. "Which makes me wonder, how did you know this? Have you attended this contest before? Or is it something everyone except me and Tyler, is aware of? And you also mentioned something about one of the judges, Dora. You talked as if you've known her before now."
Before Alex could even reply, a couple of strangers had appeared in front of them, the individuals turned out to be the VIP participants; the twins to be specific.
"Oh, who do we have here. If it isn't for our brother. Who would have thought he would go against father's wish and decide to participate in the upcoming idol contest ."
People were passing by and they were quick to identify the two boys to be the famous dancing twins on XTok.
At that moment, one of them had walked forward as he leaned in to whisper into Bob's ears. "I'm sure you remembered what father said. You have no chance of winning this contest without his support and connection. I'll advice you to withdraw now or you'll be dragged down the stage without pity. Either way, you'll lose anyway."
After saying this, the twin went back to his position while the other twin just winked playfully at Bob.
People were already gathering around upon recognising who they were, but before any commotion could start, the twins had stared heading back inside.
As soon as they were gone, Bob had started heading back inside even without waiting for the others. There was a big change in his mood after interacting with the twins and it didn't go unnoticed by Alex and Tyler. His cheerful self was no longer present, and it seems like he might break at one point or the other.
"Hey, are you okay?" Alex asked, seeing that Bob was just staring blankly into space without finishing up his snacks or the juice he had in his hands. He wondered what the twin said to him to have caused him to be like this. Bob only nodded when Alex asked if he was okay, which further confirmed how taken he was by the fellow's words.
At that moment, a quest had popped up in front of Alex.
[ A new side quest has been received ]
[ Help Bob regain his confidence back in whatever way possible ]
[ Reward: New System Feature ]
'He must really be taken back by those guys' words. But I thought they were brothers.' Alex heard one of the twin calling Bob his brother, and there was also a frequent mention of 'father' which further confirms that they are related. He just couldn't understand what could have caused the fight between them.
'Well, I shouldn't be more surprised. I also have someone I called a brother, only to realise that I've been fooled by him all this time.' Alex glared at Thomas as he walked in with the other judges.
The thirty minutes break was over and soon it will get to Alex's and Bob's turn to go up stage.
On the role of seats next to Bob's, a young man could be seen whispering into Tyler's ears, and almost instantly, Tyler's eyes lit up as she tilted her head backwards to look at the man.
She then whispered the word 'Where is it?' and the man placed his hands on the bag he had around his neck. In response to this, Tyler smiled and gave the man a thumbs up.
'This is the greatest scoop of my life, all I need is to just touch him then we could find some other things we need. But first, I have to make a path by using my voice.' Tyler claimed while smiling widely within herself.