Ch.26: Flirting and Ice-Cream

"Ethan!" Dia spun around and saw Ethan's handsome face. A small smile broke out when he saw the wide smile plastered on her face. Recalling his question, Dia felt embarrassed and tried to hide her game.

"And if I am, do you have a problem with it?" Warmth filled Ethan's icy blue eyes at how Dia's big brown eyes peered up at him shyly.

"No, I was just curious. Besides, I already got what I wanted." He held up two games in his hand. Dia ran her eyes over the covers and saw one that looked to be a fantasy RPG game. The other was a popular fighting game she was familiar with.

"Hey, I know this game! My favorite character is Haruko!" she excitedly revealed, increasing Ethan's mood.

"Really? How about we play against each other?" Ethan was secretly happy to have a normal conversation with Dia and that the two shared a common interest. Ethan and Dia were lost in their own little world. On the other hand, their friends stood in the background, not understanding a single word they said.

"So, is anyone else starving?" a boy wearing a baseball cap, paired with a fashionable outfit, asked.

"Umm, who are you?" Lisa asked the stranger, standing on her right.

"Wow, I'm hurt! You don't even remember the handsome guy that saved you?" Lisa didn't understand why the boy reacted so dramatically to her question.

"Hi, Jasper!" Alice politely greeted him, knowing who he was even with the disguise.

"Hey, Alice!" Jasper returned Alice's greeting with a friendly smile.

"Alice, you know this guy?" Lisa shot a look at Alice, curious about how she knew him.

"All three of them are best friends." Alice pointed to the princely, long-haired boy with whom she shared history and the other two boys. Finished with their conversation, Dia and Ethan went to the counter to pay for their stuff before joining the group.

"So where are we heading next?" asked Dia just in time for her stomach growl. The poor girl flushed red with embarrassment, not believing that had just happened.

"Dia, I think your stomach just answered, so let's head to the food court!" jokingly said Lisa as the group left the store and headed to get something to eat.

The walk to the food court was short. Dia noticed along the way how various eyes were drawn to their group. Most of whom were girls and older women. They were blushing and pointing fingers at Ethan and his friends and she couldn't blame them.

The air they gave off, not to mention their looks, set them apart like a trio of star-stunning teen idols that belonged on the screen of her television.

The group got in line and ordered their food, with Malik ordering for Alice because he already knew what she wanted and even paid for it despite her refusal.

Finding a table and sitting down, both Jasper and Lisa went for the classic cheeseburger, fries, and a drink. Dia and Ethan seemed to have ordered from some Eastern food chain restaurant that sold ramen and boba tea.

Alice went for something a bit spicier by ordering enchiladas, to which she was glaring at Malik, who was trying to feed her.

"I don't know the full details, but they're kinda cute together." Lisa leaned over and whispered into Dia's ear, unaware all three boys heard this statement, putting her in Malik's good grace, pleased by her comment.

"Will you quit trying to feed me?! I can feed myself!" Annoyed but secretly pleased, Alice reluctantly opened her mouth, telling herself it was only because she was hungry.

"You're still recovering. And it's my duty as a good boyfriend to take care of you," patiently said Malik, not at all bothered by the glare Alice was sending his way. If anything, her glare was like a chipmunk with cheeks poked out, which had his cold heart pounding.

"We're not together. Remember, we broke up." Alice refuted his words, opening her mouth and allowing Malik to feed her again, which he did.

"I never accepted that, and since you refused to talk to me, technically we're still together."

Ignoring the one-sided bickering couple across the table, Lisa turned her attention to the boy sitting on her right.

"So, hero, I believe your name is Jasper, right? Sorry for being so late, but thanks for rescuing my ass!"

The emotion enforced in Lisa's words was genuine. She flashed the boy a smile that made his dead heart stutter. 'Why am I acting so weird over a cute smile?! Is she a sorceress or something?!' mentally exclaimed Jasper; a stain of red filled his cheeks.

"But I do gotta ask, why the baseball hat and sunglasses? You look kinda suspicious with it on," teased Lisa, pointing at his baseball cap.

"Other than being a drop-dead sexy vampire, due to my occupation, we might have a riot on our hands if people recognize me, and I really don't want that," Jasper explained, but this only increased Lisa's curiosity.

After filling their stomachs, the group exited the mall and walked across the street, where a colorful van painted with bright neon colors was selling ice cream. Dia got a triple scoop vanilla ice cream sundae, which Ethan stole a few mouthfuls of, playfully riling the girl up on purpose.

'She looks like a fuming bunny,' Ethan mentally noted as Dia fussed at him for stealing another scoop of her dessert. Lisa wasn't in the mood for ice cream, and Alice was satisfied with a small ice cream cone. She was displeased when Malik leaned his head down and ate half of her ice cream.

"Get your own!" she screeched at him, not that Malik took her words seriously. The sun started to set when the group sat at the table stationed around the ice cream van.

"Anyone willing to share their thoughts about the Headmistress's new night class extracurricular project, which kicks into action on Monday?"

He received no reaction from his two best friends, which didn't surprise him, but the girls were a different story. Dia was nervous, scared, and confused. She did not understand the main objective of this class.

She knew they were supposed to go out on missions, but what kind of mission would the Headmistress assign them, and what would count as succeeding or failing? What kind of danger awaited them? Dia had a lot of questions and wasn't looking forward to participating in the Headmistress's new project.

"I see it as a training course to prepare me to become a full-fledged huntress," Alice said seriously.

"Wait! Aren't you already that?" asked a confused Lisa.

"No, I'm only a huntress-in-training. To become a full-fledged huntress, I'll have to take the Hunter Exam when I turn eighteen, but there is an exception to this rule for those who show unique potential and are under the age limit. Only they can take the exam earlier. Those who fit this rule are very few and make up the Arcane Disciplinary Committee," explained Alice.

"We have a Disciplinary Committee?!" shouted both Lisa and Dia.

"Yeah! They were the ones who interfered and helped assist us to the infirmary. The Disciplinary Committee is made up of exceptional young hunters and huntresses who far outrank me in title and skills," said Alice when a light bulb went off inside Jasper's head, snapping his fingers.

"Oh, I just remembered! My big-sis is supposed to be returning Monday!"