Axel sat on the softened rubber-like chair of the restaurant, his mind wandering even as his body rested. The place was bustling, as usual. People crowded the tables, paired off into groups of two or three, laughing and enjoying their als. To everyone else, it was just another day, another al. But for Axel, today was different. He wasn't here for coffee like he usually was.
Today, he had co to eat.
His eyes scanned the nu out of habit, but his mind wasn't really on the food. Every inch of the restaurant triggered a mory. **Mom** laughing at sothing **Dad** said, the warmth of family dinners, a ti when life was simpler. His heart sank, his gaze slipping to the empty chairs around them. His parents were gone now, just like in his first life.
The crushing realization settled heavily in his chest.
'I'm fighting the world head-on again,' he thought. 'I can't afford to stop getting stronger. I need to level up and reach S-rank as quickly as possible…'
"Axel! Are you even listening to ?"
His sister's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Annie sat across from him, her expression a mix of annoyance and concern. How long had she been calling his na?
"Sorry," Axel forced a smile, trying to ease her worry. "What's up?"
Annie rolled her eyes, but the tension on her face softened. "While you were off in la-la land, I ordered your favorite. It's getting cold, big bro."
Axel glanced down at the plate before him—a steaming bowl of noodles, packed with eggs and peppers, just the way he liked it. It was the sa dish he always ordered when they used to co here as a family.
"Uhm?" His eyes shifted to Annie's al, noticing her plate was filled with an oversized olette, far more than her usual order. "Since when did you start liking eggs? And that much of it? Shouldn't that be too much for you?"
Annie shrugged, her tone defensive. "Since when do you control what I eat? I could say the sa to you, Mr. Half-Plate."
Axel shook his head at her sarcastic jab and focused on his food. He managed a few bites before pushing the bowl away, his stomach already feeling too full.
"Man, I'm stuffed," he sighed, leaning back and patting his stomach. "That was good."
Annie shot him a disbelieving look. "You can barely finish half a bowl of your favorite al anymore. No wonder you look so frail, even with all those muscles."
Axel reddened at her teasing but before he could retort, a familiar presence materialized behind him. **Velerium**, the ancient voice that haunted his existence, whispered into his ear.
"She's right, Master. You eat like a slave. I suggest buying all the noodles in this tiny establishnt and proving your dominance by consuming every last drop." Velerium's voice bood, his advice carrying the weight of centuries of arrogance.
'This idiot,' Axel groaned inwardly. 'I swear sotis I forget bones don't have brains.'
Axel picked up his chopsticks again, trying to force himself to take another bite when a sudden notification flashed before his eyes.
**[You have received a new mission]**
**[Ti until expiration: 4 hours 30 minutes]**
**[Penalty: Severe]**
Axel's brow furrowed, his appetite completely vanishing. 'What is this, Velerium?'
"It's... another one of those," Velerium grumbled. "I suggest you take care of it imdiately, Master. Find sowhere private. You don't want to end up like last ti."
Axel felt a surge of frustration. He had just started to enjoy a mont away from the chaos, and now he was being dragged back into it. He couldn't afford to ignore the mission, not with the looming penalty. But leaving now ant worrying Annie.
He glanced across the table at his sister. Annie had been quietly eating her al, but her eyes flickered with the unease of soone who sensed sothing was wrong. Axel hated to worry her, but he had no choice.
He stood abruptly, startling Annie. "What's wrong, big bro?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Axel smiled, trying to seem nonchalant as he patted her head. "Sothing ca up. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. In the anti, feel free to use my account for whatever you want—just don't throw a party and wreck the house, okay?"
Before she could protest, Axel turned and walked out, ignoring the uneasy knot forming in his chest. It was easier this way.
---
As Axel's figure disappeared through the restaurant door, Annie's expression shifted. Her face paled, and she hunched over her plate, clutching her stomach. A wave of nausea hit her, and without warning, she vomited a portion of the olette onto the table.
"Dammit," she muttered under her breath, wiping her mouth with trembling hands. 'I can't even keep food down anymore… I have to hide this from Axel.'
Her hands were shaking as she fumbled for her phone, her heart pounding in her chest. She opened the ssaging app and scrolled through her recent texts. The tears that had been threatening to fall since Axel left finally spilled over.
---
**Body Money Chat**
Annie: *I'm sorry... you were my last custor. Can I talk to you for a second?*
**BigThings**: *What the hell do you want, b*tch? We already had our fun. What's up? Want round two?*
Annie's hands trembled as she typed her next ssage. She could barely see the screen through her tears.
Annie: *Please... I told you to use protection, but you didn't. It was a dangerous day for , and I think...*
**BigThings**: *You think what? Spit it out.*
Annie: *I think I'm pregnant. And I can't terminate it... it's against my family's honor.*
**BigThings**: *You must be out of your mind! F*ck you and your 'family honor.' Just because I paid your idiot mother's hospital bills, you think you can trap ? If you contact again, you're dead.*
Annie's heart sank as she read the final ssage:
**You have been blocked.**
Her world collapsed around her as she dropped her phone onto the table. Tears flowed freely now, her entire body shaking. She buried her head in her arms, sobbing quietly so no one in the restaurant would notice.
"Mum... Axel... Dad... I'm sorry," she whispered between choked breaths. "What the hell do I do now?"
Her entire body trembled with the weight of her secret, a burden she had carried alone for too long. The truth was, she didn't know how much longer she could keep it hidden.
***Author's note***
I'm almost done with exam... I'm still begging for magic castle. The contest remains one more week and I am still far from being top twenty. I need your help. Though I'll be on rising fiction next week it might not be enough of a boost to catch up, please assist .
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