With everything clicked, he immediately thought of words legal loli. Not that Ruby was that short to be called a loli, but she was a short stack for sure. A petite girl might be the right word to describe her.
'She's probably only around 150 cm, right? Or maybe 145 cm.'
At that moment, she suddenly spoke to him.
"Excuse me, mister. But I ordered first, so I will get my burger first. Thank you!"
A haughty and arrogant tone rang from her lips as she pointed her finger at him.
Peter was taken aback by her words.
'What a rude girl.'
The worst first impression ever. He didn't even say anything and was about to be a gentleman. But facing the sudden finger point, he wouldn't back away.
"No, no, no. I will have mine first."
"Hey, I was here first. So I will have mine first."
"Haven't you heard of gentlemen first? I also told the clerk my order first, so technically, I should be next."
"I don't care! I am a woman and an awakener. I need my burger fast in case there is a dungeon appearing nearby."
"You can't just use the awakener excuse for everything. You know what, let's play rock, paper, scissors to decide."
"What a stupid idea. Fine, you're on!"
Ruby rolled up her sleeve while glaring at him.
Peter stared at her seriously while extending his arm.
And their match began.
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
They yelled simultaneously. In Peter's eyes, her movement was slightly slow. He grinned as he changed his move midway.
Noticing that, a surprised look appeared on her face. She also changed her hand gesture from rock to scissors. This time, Peter couldn't react. His status was too low to change his paper to rock.
'Shit.'
"Yahoo! Hahaha, take that, you loser! Pathetic!"
Ruby laughed victoriously while waving her fist in the air. Peter couldn't help but shake his head at her attitude. She was truly a haughty brat who needed a correction.
'If I remember correctly, someone like her is called a precocious brat, right? Even though in her profile she's just two years younger than me, she's so irritating.'
"Whatever. You can have your burger first."
"Ha, I win, you lose. Hahahaha, you're such a weakling."
Ruby's smug look only infuriated him. But he tried his best to ignore it.
"Uncle, make my cheeseburger first. I will pay for this loser. I bet he doesn't have any money to afford this delicious burger." She smiled smugly at him while raising her chin, "See? You're not a gentleman at all. A real one would never allow a lady to pay for him."
Peter felt his face twitch in annoyance. She was trying to provoke him and show her dominance.
Still, he held back. He was a man of patience. If he ignored her, everything would return to normal soon. The clerk also gave him a look, signaling that he understood the situation. He immediately began making her burger.
In under a minute, the cheeseburger she ordered was ready. She took it and flashed a smug smile at Peter.
"Bye-bye, loser. See you never again."
And then, she left while giggling.
Peter sighed slightly as he waved his hand at the clerk.
"Make my two burgers, please."
"Alright. Wait a minute."
Somehow, that was tiring. He felt like he had just gone through a trial of fire.
'It's a shame. I wanted to buy a burger and enjoy my free day. But I had to face that little haughty girl.'
He sat on the bench while waiting for his food. The scent of delicious meat and fries entered his nose, making him drool.
As he waited, his eyes caught the sight of the electronic board.
On the screen, the two reporters continued their discussion about the tournament.
"I heard that the new Awakener Ruby will also join the competition. She has a mysterious ability that is so different from other Awakeners."
Awakener tournament. If he wasn't wrong, this was something that Tanya wanted to join. Fighting in the ring and gaining attention would give her fame and money.
'Hmm, it's not a bad idea. But she has a lot to do first. Just increasing her Magic and Focus wouldn't make her strong enough. She needs a lot more practice and growth before being a contestant.'
As he thought about that, a sudden vibration took him by surprise. He fished his phone and noticed a message from an unknown number.
"Hello, this is Ava. I have a proposal for you that you will love. Let's talk later."
That was the message.
'Proposal?'
Humming thoughtfully, he wondered what it could be.
He was excited to find out.
***
After eating a burger, walking around, and having a little bit of fun enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, Peter returned to the gym.
As soon as he stepped into the reception area, he was greeted by a grinning Ava.
"Welcome back, my golden boy. You're just in time for a talk."
She had a mischievous glint in her eyes while licking her lips with her tongue.
Upon seeing her, he had a feeling that something was up. She was planning something, and that somehow included him without a doubt.
"Let's go to my office. We need privacy for this."
"Okay, sounds good."
He shrugged his shoulders as they walked together.
When they entered her office, Peter noticed a file folder placed on the desk. There was a police symbol on the cover. He narrowed his eyes slightly.
'What's that?'
But before he could ask, Ava already explained.
"Don't worry. It's not something serious. Well, not that serious. Anyway, this is a proposal to bring our gym closer to success. So, want to hear it? I promise you will be excited."
"Alright, then I will listen."
Peter sat on the couch as she did the same. And then, Ava explained the situation.
"So, here's the thing. Recently, the police force has been wanting a gym that can train their members. And we have an opportunity for this. Rasha has proposed this idea, and we can help each other a lot."
Hearing that, Peter looked at Ava as if he was looking at a madman. This gym? Had an opportunity to train the police force?
While he only stayed here for a few days, he knew that this gym wouldn't be given that opportunity without any reason.
What was different and made Rasha propose such a deal?
'It's because of me.'
Peter realized this immediately.