Chapter 8: Mingled Flavors, Part 4

"I'm stuffed," Connor burped, rubbing his bulging stomach.

The only thing left on the dish was the steak sauce (which he'd lick off if I pointed it out). He ate the entire thing in a matter of minutes.

"And here I thought you'd eat only a bite..."

When confronted with my remark, he simply stretched his body all over the place as if to prove just how satisfied he was. From where I was, I couldn't even see his head.

Then his expression contorted. Connor placed an arm on the table before rising, glaring at Reyna. "What did you do that for?

"Do what, exactly?" Reyna only feigned ignorance on the matter. Even I didn't know what made him act that way.

"Kick me," he grumbled. "Why did you kick me?"

I ducked my head beneath the table. Even if I wanted to kick him, I couldn't reach him from this distance, let alone Reyna, who was shorter than me. However, because Connor was sprawled out like a sloth, the distance should have been reduced enough for her to simply hit him.

Not that I blamed her. She simply took advantage of the opportunity that lay before her. If I had known that, I would've done the same.

"Why would I kick you?"

By that, Reyna tried to insinuate that she wouldn't have hit her brother without a reason. It could be interpreted as an admission of guilt to a certain extent.

"Just because you felt like hitting me," he murmured as he scratched his chin, unsure whether that was the right response. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders. "It's pointless to even consider what's going on through that head of yours, sis."

Reyna lowered her glasses and simply stared at him for a moment.

"Even if you're doing that, I won't get it," he yelped. "Just tell me what I messed up this time."

So this wasn't the first time Connor has dealt with such brutal treatment from his sister.

"Forget it," she snarled as she turned to face me. "What about you, Gray? Did you enjoy your meal?"

There was no reason to deny this was the best thing I had eaten in months. "I did," I told her flatly.

"But you only had half of your steak..."

Yes, I did order steak based on Connor's recommendation. Just looking at its image made it clear why he'd chosen it over the other options on the menu. As for me, I was content as long as I had something to eat...

"It's because we still have a competition to take care of," I answered. "Don't tell me you completely forgot about it the moment you shoved that steak down your throat, Connor."

"Well, that was, um... I was hungry! You know I burn a lot of calories, right? I certainly didn't forget about our contest because, ahem, indulged in my meal."

I sighed. "We'll do it some other time, or I'll just tell you my score, and then—"

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But, just as I was going to offer that instead of having a contest, we should compare the results we've got during the exams, Connor smacked his palms against the table, almost startling me. "We'll do it today, Grey."

"But it's obvious that you're not going to perform as well as you did during the exams."

That wasn't meant to be an insult or anything; he simply ate far too much.

"I'll do even better," Connor replied, a yawn covered behind the back of his palm as he gripped the chair's rail to hoist himself up with the other hand. "You should be grateful I'm even willing to give you that kind of advantage."

Is this punk looking down on me? Fine, even though I know it's a ruse, I'll bite. "Then let's get moving already," I grumbled, leaning forward on both arms. "Don't make any excuses if you lose."

Of course, if Connor were to use mana, he'd be the undisputed winner. That went without saying. I knew I also wouldn't be able to compete with him in the future, even if it was only in terms of physical strength. Only a single percentile of the world's population can wield mana. Hunters are special, and I was fully aware of it. But, for the time being, I had a good chance of winning.

"That's what I'm talking about," he growled as he rose to his feet, his trademark grin on his face.

Then the sound of someone knocking on the door dissipated the tension in the air. Both of us turned towards the sound, annoyed with the interruption.

"What?" Connor yelled, irritated that someone had interfered.

"Umm, it's your father—I mean Chairman Derrick," stammered the host, Dylan, as he met both of our glares. "He wants to see you."

"Sorry, Gray. We'll have to put that on hold for a bit," he reached toward Reyna's cup.

"Hey, that's mine—"

"What's yours is mine, sister. Deal with it," Connor declared and swallowed down what was left. "It's so bitter... How can you two drink something like this on regular basis?"

Reyna cracked her fingers, ready to shed some blood. Her own brother's, that is.

"I have to get going. Father wants to see me. Bye!"

"Coward," I whispered as I saw my upcoming opponent scramble away with his tail between his legs.

"Just buy her another one! She'll get over it."

"It's a matter of pride!" Reyna shot back.

I sank back into the chair, my vitality gone. I masked the curled corner of my lips with my palm, which I couldn't bring down no matter how hard I tried.

Everything about that competition was an excuse at most. Whether it took place was irrelevant to me. It was all a way to explain why I was in this extravagant underwater restaurant A place I knew I didn't belong.

I just wanted to spend a bit more time with those two.

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