...
"Here's a free spot."
After we prepared our plates, we searched for a table and eventually found an empty one a few ters from the entrance, facing a window that offered a view of part of the Cube complex.
Once seated, we began eating, and in between bites, Suho and I chatted about trivial matters. The girl next to only spoke when asked a question.
"Wow! I didn't expect you to be a Rank 10 cadet, Theo."
Being one of the Top Rankers was truly sothing to be impressed by.
"Yeah, I just didn't secure a higher position because of my Gift. I've had so trouble controlling it, it's incredibly powerful."
This was also part of my backstory in this world. My other self apparently had so remnants of Anos' power, but unlike , who inherited not only the experience but also the full knowledge and power of Anos, he, without any guidance, always thought it was a Gift that granted him abnormally superhuman physical strength.
Well, that was the other ...
"Your specialty must be incredible for sothing like that to happen."
A Gift that couldn't be controlled was sothing you didn't hear about often. Usually, Gifts were innate specialties of an individual, and those who possessed one would grow alongside their Gift, becoming proficient in using it after much practice.
Take Suho, for example. He has two types of Gifts: one passive and one active. One of them allows him to cut through anything, even reaching a conceptual level in the future. The other Gift grants him proficiency in wielding any sword.
"The narcissist and his lackeys are coming."
"Huh?!"
Nayun, who was sitting next to , perked up curiously at what I had muttered.
She glanced around at the cadets nearby.
"Pfft!!..."
A genuine laugh escaped her lips as soon as she saw who I was referring to as "the narcissist and his lackeys."
"Nayun! You ca to eat in the cafeteria today?"
Aside from being narcissistic and elitist, he was also rude.
Ignoring and Suho, the young man with white hair, who seed to be the leader of the group, focused his attention on the girl who was struggling to suppress her laughter.
"Ahem! Well, we got a little hungry after so light training, so we ca to the cafeteria to eat."
Look at her. If I had known she'd recover so quickly, I would've used sothing like this earlier.
"Eh! Mm... You usually eat sowhere else. If I had known you'd be here, I could've co earlier to keep you company."
"Huh?! Don't worry about sothing so trivial. Besides, I already have Theo's company and... well, just his, actually."
She glared at Suho, who was eating peacefully, and then turned her face away.
"Eh!? Are you still mad?"
Suho, who had been eating quietly, choked slightly after noticing the girl's fierce gaze. Had he been mistaken in thinking everything was already resolved?
On the other side, hearing Nayun's words, the white-haired boy's expression twisted slightly.
His expression changed not because of the girl he liked training with Suho, they had trained together occasionally during their ti at the Military Academy. Instead, his gaze shifted to the person sitting next to the girl he liked.
His eyebrows instinctively rose even higher.
Like Chae Nayun, Shin Jonghak was also a fourth-generation chaebol. And as a young chaebol, he was well-inford about many things in the spotlight.
'How is this possible?!'
Unlike during the Weapon Selection Room incident, where he hadn't paid much attention to this guy, things were different now.
'I thought only Suho could co close to matching my looks.'
But the most unbelievable part was that he had never heard or seen anything about this guy nad Theo. You know, even if you weren't a hero, rcenary, or any kind of famous figure, with looks like that, he was sure the film industry would be rushing to have him on their side.
Unlike him, who had white hair with a slight silver tint, Theo's hair was completely silver.
"Are you leaving already, Theo?"
Jonghak was snapped out of his reverie by Suho.
"Yup! You know, tomorrow morning there's the anti-monster combat training, so I'm heading to the dorm to prepare."
This was a lie. There was no reason for him to prepare for sothing so minor—his real reason was clearly sothing else.
"What?! Where? How?!"
Nayun seed desperate, and for good reason. She hated theoretical classes. For her, the practical classes were what truly mattered at the Cube, and knowing that the afternoon would have those blessed classes made her almost dance with joy.
"Just check the notice board on the Cube's website!"
I raised my wrist and showed my smartwatch.
A small "Oh!" escaped Nayun's lips as she quickly tapped on her watch. There, on the Cube's page, she saw the ssage I was referring to.
"Tsk! Damn, there are still boring classes first."
The class she was referring to was likely the one on "Post-Outcall History", which essentially recounted how everything began... and, of course, how humans went from being re prey to heroic beings who saved the world from destruction.
"Hey! That's part of becoming strong."
"Hmph! Says the guy who's worse than an elentary school student when it cos to theory."
With a sarcastic tone, Nayun hit Suho right in the solar plexus.
Already standing with my tray in hand, this was the scene Theo imagined as he watched the two bicker.
"Well, I'm off! See you later."
"See you, Theo! I hope you do well tomorrow."
"Thanks! Good luck to you too."
"W-wait, Theo!"
Feeling a hand grab my shirt from behind, I stopped and turned around.
"Do you need sothing?"
The girl with sharp molars seed excited, as I noticed her avoiding eye contact and lightly gripping the shirt she was holding.
"Eh! W-well... Could you give your ID? I think I already have an answer to your question."
These words genuinely surprised . I hadn't expected her to have made a decision so quickly.
"But I can also understand!"
My words from earlier seed to have reignited a spark of hope in her eyes.
Talking about her brother, which was an extrely delicate topic for her, was like pouring alcohol on a small matchstick about to go out.
She didn't care if what I was saying was true or not—she just wanted to believe in sothing that could bring her brother back.
"Of course!"
I brought my smartwatch close to hers.
"Beep!"
The Cube's smartwatches weren't just intelligent tipieces capable of producing holographic screens. In fact, they had multiple functionalities, including a technology called NFC—Near Field Communication—which allowed us to make paynts, share ssages, transfer videos, files, and more, simply by bringing the watches close together.
This technology also existed in my world, so using it wasn't surprising to .
"When you have ti, call or ssage ."
Waving once more, I left the cafeteria after placing my tray on the counter.
"I'm heading out too!"
Suho also said his goodbyes and left.
"Bye!"
As soon as Suho left, Nayun also bid farewell to those who remained.
Jonghak had a small vein popping on his forehead. He had been completely ignored by that guy nad Theo—not only that, but even Suho, who was usually friendly with everyone, had ignored him.
"Kim Horak. Gather all the information on that Theo Sagan, and make it clear to him to never approach Nayun again, understood?"
Kim Horak was one of the lackeys who had arrived with Jonghak earlier.
He was a muscular guy with an intimidating expression and a large build. Even at a glance, it was easy to see that he was an expert in close combat.
"Got it. That son of a bitch thinks just because he can put on a few little shows, he can go around chatting so casually with another man's woman."
As a good villain and cannon fodder, Horak quickly agreed.
"Don't make too big of a ss. If that happens, your score will drop drastically."
Jonghak wore a small smile on his lips.
...
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