They finished eating, and Kenji slumped back into his seat, satisfied. "I'm about to go into a food coma," he sighed contentedly.
Zoe stretched lazily, agreeing, "Yeah, I can't move an inch."
Max, feeling equally sluggish, responded, "I know we don't want to move, but we have to." His voice carried a hint of tiredness and sloppiness as he reluctantly acknowledged their next steps.
They got up, thanked the waiter for the meal, and headed outside. Looking around, Kenji asked, "So, where's the house you were talking about max pointed to a house in the distance, perched on top of a hill. "It's there," he said.
"What? You're telling me we gotta walk?" Kenji groaned.
"It's not much of a trek, it's only 20 minutes or so," Max replied.
Kenji sighed, "We better get a move on," and he started walking sluggishly.
"Old man, we've been walking for a while and we're still not there," Kenji complained. "What's with this path? It's full of leaves and rocks and looks like it hasn't been paved into a footpath yet."
Zoe chimed in, "Yeah, they haven't made it into a footpath."
Max chuckled, "Relax, kiddos. It's gonna be fine."
Kenji heard a sudden noise and stopped abruptly. A rock came hurtling toward his face. Instinctively, he raised his hand to block it, feeling the impact jolt through his arm. Looking up, he saw a teenage boy with fiery red hair and piercing black eyes. The boy, standing about 5'7", had a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. His stance was casual, but there was a palpable intensity in his gaze that made Kenji wary.
Kenji glanced back to find Zoe and Max already looking at him, Max grinning as he said, "Kenji, it seems you've met my nice student Kenny." Zoe nodded remarking, "I was wondering when he would reveal himself."
Zoe scrutinized Kenny from head to toe, her expression critical. "He's not really making a good impression on me so far," she remarked, her tone tinged with disapproval.
Wait you knew he was following us kenji asks.
"Well, that's enough talking. Come along, Kenny. Follow us back to the house," Max instructed, his voice carrying a hint of authority mixed with friendliness.
Kenny followed closely, casually placing his hand on Kenji's shoulder. "Calm down, old man," he quipped with a playful smirk as they began to walk. Kenji didn't appear amused by Kenny placing his shoulder on him.
Max turned to Kenny as they walked, making conversation. "So, how have you been, Kenny?" he asked casually.
Kenny replied with a bored expression, "Yeah, I've been fine."
Max continued, "Has Jackson been welcoming?"
Kenny responded sarcastically, "Oh yeah, Jackson's been real welcoming. That ape has been hounding me constantly—do the dishes, read the book, do the chores. Like am I here to train or be a housewife?"
Max chuckled slightly at Kenny's remark before responding, "Well, I've been away, so at least he kept you busy. By the way, sorry for not training you yet; I've had other matters to attend to."
Kenny remarked sarcastically, "Other matters? You mean this dude," poking Kenji in the ear. Kenji inwardly thought, *This guy is the most unreliable douchebag I've met.*
"Hey guys, we're here," Zoe's voice carried through the crisp air, a mix of relief and anticipation evident as they reached their destination.
Kenny let out a sigh, his earlier restlessness giving way to a sense of weariness. "Finally," he muttered, his words tinged with fatigue, "I was beginning to feel drained."
Kenji's voice cut through the air, pointed and rude, as he gestured towards the figure standing nearby with glasses and brown hair. "Hey, who's that dude over there?"
Zoe let out a soft sigh, her demeanor weary yet patient. "That," she replied quietly, "is Jackson."
"Why does that dude look so mad?" Kenji asked bluntly, his curiosity tinged with a hint of mischief.
Kenny glanced around nonchalantly, whistling as if trying to avoid the question altogether. Kenji and Zoe exchanged raised eyebrows before turning their gaze towards Kenny.
"What did you do to him?" they asked in unison, their tone a mix of amusement and concern.
"First, let's just get cleaned up and change clothes. Then we can meet in the common room to discuss our own personal adventures," Max suggested, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"I'm fine with that," Kenji replied nonchalantly.
"Sure," Zoe agreed with a small nod.
"Thank you, you're a savior," Kenny chimed in gratefully.
Meanwhile, Jackson disappeared back into the house with a irritated look.
Kenji sat alone in the common room, his thoughts swirling as he wondered where Zoe, Max, Kenny, and the jackson guy were taking so long to get here.
As the door creaked open, Kenji's gaze darted toward the entrance. Zoe swept into the room, exuding confidence with every step, while Max followed with a relaxed air of authority. Kenny strolled in casually, and the brown-haired boy, still wearing a trace of annoyance, trailed behind.
Max took charge of the moment with a blend of command and humor. "Let's find our seats," he suggested, nodding towards the gathering area. With a collective sigh of relief, everyone settled onto the floor.
"I'm going to make a formal introduction," Max announced with a hint of formality in his tone. "I'm Max, as you all know." He gestured towards the brown-haired boy. "This is Jackson," he continued, then turned to Zoe with a nod. "This is Zoe," he said, before finally indicating Kenny and Kenji. "And they are Kenny and Kenji."
"Me, Zoe, and Jackson already know each other," Max clarified, his tone casual yet informative.
"I trained Kenny for a bit before I brought him here to stay with Jackson until my return," Max explained, his voice carrying a sense of mentorship. He glanced at Jackson, adding, "Jackson is also my current student." Then he turned to Zoe, clarifying, "But Zoe isn't my student, so don't get confused."
"Now Kenji here, I found him and he has a lot of potential, so I'm going to be training him here," Max declared, his tone indicating confidence in Kenji's abilities.
"Is everyone clear? By the way, Zoe and I will take turns training you three. Is that understood?" Max clarified, ensuring everyone grasped the training arrangement.
"Yea, yea," Kenny replied nonchalantly, nodding in agreement.
Kenji smirked slightly. "Sure thing, old man," he retorted, his tone carrying a touch of playful sarcasm.
Max's tone shifted, becoming serious as he addressed Kenji and Kenny. His gaze was steady, conveying both authority and concern as he prepared to impart crucial knowledge.
"Anyway," Max began, his voice carrying weight, "I'm going to explain to Kenji and Kenny the intricacies of our world." He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to settle in the room zoe and Jackson nodded understanding what he was going to say.