(Gimme Powerstones, this week's goal is 500 PS)
Akeru dug into the food with elegant moves.
The sounds of eating echoed throughout the room.
Even Gordon wasn't mumbling at the moment.
"So, how long have you had your grimoire?" Finral decided to break the silence.
"Hmm, around four months, I guess," Akeru said uncertainly.
"What were you doing in that time?" Vanessa, recognizing what Finral was trying to do, decided to help him.
All the members were currently sitting at the dining table.
"I was training with a friend in a grand magic zone," Akeru said between bites.
"Was that friend a girl?" Vanessa asked while pouring more wine into her glass.
Pause.
Akeru paused his motion of devouring food.
"I don't know how that's relevant to this conversation," Akeru decided to redirect the topic.
"So, yes—a man and a woman, barely considered adults, alone in a dangerous place like a grand magic zone," Vanessa easily saw through his attempts and teased with a smile.
Akeru rolled his eyes but didn't rise to the bait.
If he said something else to defend himself, he would likely dig himself deeper into a trap that would be hard to escape.
"Aren't we supposed to be doing introductions or something now?" Akeru said while resuming his feast.
"Was she cute?"
Pause.
Akeru looked at Finral with an incurious expression.
'Either he can't read the room, or he's hopeless,' Akeru thought.
"Senpai, unfortunately, she's out of your league. Let's not get hurt, shall we?" Akeru said with a deadpan expression.
Finral's excited face immediately fell.
"I-I can at least try, right?" he mumbled, though everyone at the table heard him.
"Hahaha, you deserved that," Vanessa said while patting Finral's back.
"Anyway, I go by Vanessa. If you want the help of a big sister or want to drink, you know who to look for," she said in a seductive tone, winking.
"I'll pass... After all, alcohol and women would only reduce the speed at which I cast my spells."
"..."
"..."
"It was a joke," Akeru quickly said after noticing that nobody laughed.
Finral and Vanessa only gave him a look saying 'Really?'
"Try this out. This is one of my special desserts," Charmy, seemingly ignorant of the table's conversation, offered Akeru a shining cupcake.
Akeru took it. However, looking at the cupcake, he felt an invisible pressure emanating from it.
'This—this...' Akeru was speechless at the sight of the cupcake.
It might not look like it, but Akeru was a top-tier food connoisseur. He had tried a lot of dishes in his life, most of which included mana-infused ingredients.
The amount of mana and the way it's integrated can heavily affect the taste of food.
The difference between a good chef and a master is how mana is used in the food.
Heck, the food served at the royal palace is all mana-infused.
Even ignoring the taste factor, eating mana-infused food has numerous benefits.
Thus, his taste standards were very high, and he could easily differentiate between good and great food.
So far, he would say the meal he had just eaten was on par with food from royal chefs.
So, when he saw the cupcake, he felt the same as when he had first seen the best food created by the royal chefs.
Akeru gulped and slowly brought the cupcake to his mouth.
Crunch.
He took a bite.
Akeru felt the world disappear as his focus zeroed in on experiencing the taste properly.
He had subconsciously activated Still Spectator!
Various flavours erupted in his mouth as he felt and analyzed the entire sensation.
'Is this Nirvana?' Akeru absentmindedly wondered.
Akeru took another bite, savouring the experience until the cupcake was gone.
Akeru looked at Charmy with his utmost serious gaze.
"Please marry me!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
For the older members of the Black Bulls, watching new recruits try Charmy's cooking was always interesting.
Though most couldn't differentiate between good and great food, those who could were always left shocked.
And Akeru was clearly in the latter category, so they were very curious to see his reaction when he ate the cupcake.
However, they hadn't expected this.
"I understand your sentiments, but you're not my type," Charmy nonchalantly turned him down while taking another bite of the cupcake.
Rejection.
Akeru faced his first rejection in both of his lives combined.
However, outwardly or inwardly, neither his expression nor his mental state changed.
"I see, then—"
"Please ADOPT ME!"
If the people in the room had been shocked before, now it felt like the ground beneath them had disappeared.
Especially for Finral and Vanessa, as that statement could be interpreted in many different ways.
They didn't even notice Luck, Magna, and their captain entering the hideout.
"Uhh, no?" Charmy said, not thinking too much about it.
Before the situation could become too awkward, Magna interjected.
"Wait, who are you? Where did you come from?" Magna asked.
"I came from the backdoor. Long time no see, Captain," Akeru said, noticing the naked trio.
All three of them were nearly naked.
Yami and Magna wore small white garments covering their pelvic areas, while Luck wore boxers.
"It's been a while, brat. I heard you got roughed up by a devil a while ago," Yami said nonchalantly.
They spoke as though they hadn't noticed Akeru's ridiculous statements or Yami being half-naked.
Akeru's eyes darkened. "Yeah, I barely survived. The nerves in my limbs were literally fried. It took nearly four months to get them back to how they used to be," Akeru chuckled, remembering a certain blue-haired old man's face.
"Is that so?" Yami said as Akeru felt a lot of red lines on him.
However, unlike before, this time, he could see a number of blue lines on Yami.
"Hehe, you're strong. Let's fight," Luck said, summoning a pair of gloves and boots onto his body.
'My instincts are screaming that he's dangerous,' Luck thought, exhilarated at seeing a strong opponent.
He had a crazed smile on his face.
"Yeah?" Akeru managed to say before Luck disappeared in a blue blitz heading directly toward him.
'Bystander's Magic: Still Spectator.'
The world slowed as Akeru began analyzing Luck.
Despite the slowed world, the red line on him visibly increased in intensity in Akeru's perception.
'Damn, he's faster than me—if I don't use Orion's Mischief,' Akeru analyzed quickly.
Due to the very short distance between them, even while viewing the world in slow motion, he had to act fast.
'My speed is around Vice-Captain level without using lightning components in my spells. However, that's when using Mana Zone. Without it, my speed barely reaches Advanced Class. Though speed isn't everything,' Akeru thought, deciding how to handle Luck.
'Luck should be around Fifth-Class Senior Knight in strength. Either canon is messed up, or I'm in an alternate version,' Akeru sighed.
He had expected Luck to be at most at the Intermediate level, not this.
Moonwalk.
Akeru's perception of the world returned to normal as he instantly leapt off the ground and crouched on the ceiling.
Luck reacted a second too late, kicking off the floor and launching himself toward the ceiling.
However, Akeru was one step ahead. He had already shifted to another wall.
Soon, two blurs could be seen bouncing between the six walls of the room.
BOOM.
SCREECH.
A lot of noise was created as they left the sound barrier in the dust.
It was a miracle the building hadn't broken down yet.
'He... he's slower than me, yet I can't catch him,' Luck instantly noticed.
'It almost seems like he knows exactly how I'll move.'
Excited blue eyes met calm black eyes.
As though triggered by a button, both of their speeds increased another notch.
Various objects in the room were sent flying in all directions due to the ripples of wind.
Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought a ghost was wreaking havoc if they didn't notice the two blurs.
"ENOUGH!"
***
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