I took in a deep breath as we were on an extensive grassy field that seemed to be endless to the eye.
"*sigh*... This is nice," I muttered as we walked through it, feeling the sunlight beat against our skin.
A breeze fluttered our hair as we soon made our way to Egypt.
The trek across the grassy field wasn't long though, as a helicopter came and picked us up, and we traveled towards the teleport hub.
Upon landing at the teleport hub, we showed them our credentials but then had to wait at our terminal where the teleport would actually work.
It took time to fuel it each time, unlike the world hubs, which actual magicians with variant stones power.
"*sigh*... How long is the wait?" Clio asks.
"About four hours… It got delayed because there is such a low amount of staff to refill the teleporter," Nuala replies.
Amanda and I were playing a video game together, so we weren't paying attention as everybody left to get some food.
So, this also meant we were unaware of what was about to go down at a small restaurant.
…
(Ethel POV)
"So hungry," Mia mutters as she hangs onto my shoulders while I drag her along.
"We're almost there," I say as I rip her hands off my shoulders, causing her to fall flat on her face.
"Ah, shit," She mutters as we all enter the Japanese restaurant because Electra was craving sushi… and since she was craving it, the hivemind made us all crave it as well.
"A table for twelve. The other two will be arriving shortly," I said to the waitress, who was kind of cute.
She was Asian, much shorter than me, and had a petite face that just made me want to big spoon her and give her kisses on the neck.
"*cough* *cough*,"
Suddenly, Mia began to cough, but I didn't even notice it as this waitress entranced me.
So cute…
Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain in my side and notice Mia had elbowed me to wake me up from my daydreaming.
"She's so cute," I whispered to Mia as she led us to our table.
"Oh… That's right… I forgot you're lesbian," Mia muttered.
We soon arrived at our table, but as the waitress was just a receptionist right now, I had to get her number before she left.
"C-... C-... C-..."
The words didn't come out as I just stood awkwardly in front of her… my face turning red from embarrassment.
"Is there anything you would like me to help with?" She asks.
"C-can I get your number…?" I mutter, handing my phone to her while I turn my head away in embarrassment.
'What a pushover….' I hear Mia whisper through the hivemind.
This is my first time doing this! I've been closeted for a while, so just give me some leniency!
"Oh… Sorry… I'm not interested in women," She says before scampering off back to her ȧssigned position.
A small tear rolled down my eye as I returned back to the table.
"I'm the only one without a significant other now… right?" I ask the other girls, who just nod their heads in agreement.
Charna has a fiance while the other girls besides Astra and Mia have boyfriends, which they still keep in touch with.
"Mia, please tell me… Am I unnatracti-"
"Yes," She replies without hesitation, so I set my head down on the table as a waiter comes to take our order.
"He could spit into my mouth, and I wouldn't even mind!"
What the fuċk…
I turn around to see a man with long blond hair, pale white skin, and a very handsome face.
Nuala's jaw practically dropped to the ground upon seeing him… she even began to drool.
But what really pissed me off was how he was hitting on the Asian girl I laid my eyes on first.
"Oh, you're about to get your girl stolen," Mia smirks, but her face suddenly freezes as if she had just noticed the most important detail of a detective case.
"What?" I ask as she squints at the man.
"Everyone, keep your guard up," She says before using the hivemind.
'That's the man we beat in terms of being the youngest S-rank dungeon runner. Multiple articles were saying how much he hates that, but I don't know if he hates us specifically, so just stay weary,'
We all nod our heads as he even approaches us after getting rejected by the Asian girl… thankfully.
"Oh, what a surprise it is seeing you here," He says with a mocking smirk.
He definitely came here just for us.
"It is an honor seeing you in person… uhhhhh…."
The man's face flinches with a bit of anger due to my mocking statement.
How's that… everybody around you is laughing…
"Steven Lock. My name is Steven Lock," He says before putting out his hand for a handshake, and so I shake it… my guard fully up.
The pressure he emitted was worthy of being called one of the greatest S-ranks dungeon runners to ever exist…
He squeezed my hand even harder, so I, of course, squeezed back.
The floor under us cracked as everybody besides the Tolf girls ran away.
"STOP! NO POWERS IN THE TELPORTING HUB!" A voice suddenly calls out to us, and we both stare at the man.
He was shivering in fear, and I could already hear his thoughts,
'I don't get paid enough for this,'
Before running away.
"Well, I'll be taking a seat now because I was in the mood for some Japanese cuisine anyway… also, are you sure refugees such as yourselves can afford the food here? This place is quite expensive," He taunts us.
I almost fell for it, but Mia quickly stopped me by grabbing my shoulder.
"Heh," He throws out one last taunt before walking over to a table across the room, but as we had broken our table, we were also relocated… across the room.
"Uhhhhh… Why the hell is the air so heavy?" Lucy asks as she and Amanda have just arrived.
"Nothing," I say before they both take a seat.
We quickly ordered our food and enjoyed the nice Japanese cuisine… I mean, it was alright.
I've had better Japanese food, and that might be because this place is in a teleporter hub, and even the nicest food is dogshit…
"Uh, I'm stuffed," Electra says as she pats her belly, which had expanded to three times its size.
"Electra… Your order takes up half the bill… You know what, how about you pay," I say, throwing the tablet over to her, and she just bȧrėly manages to catch it.
"Ehhhh… I thought Lucy was treating us,"
Lucy looks up from her phone and scowls at her, forcing her to scan her bank code and thus pay for our meal.
"Alright, let's go to Egypt," I say as we had finished just time as our terminal had opened up and the teleporter was ready to be used.