Dinner

"Isn't it a bit too hot?"

Mark asked Kaiden, to which Zack stepped in and vouched for him.

"Kaiden isn't feeling well; touch him, and you'll feel how cold he is."

Mark responded with a feigned laugh,

"Why so aggressive right away?"

Ren then exclaimed with enthusiasm,

"Anyway, let's stop the arguments and start enjoying the feast."

Aromas, more intense than ever before. Vapors of vegetables, meat—everything the heart desires.

It was a vast room filled with laden tables. Nearly 200 people sat around them. It smelled like a festival where every culture participated.

On the side were live chefs preparing dishes on the spot. In front of them, an array of dishes from pizza to steak.

Everything was warm, and it looked delicious. It felt delightful to walk past, heartwarming amidst the smells and vapors, with the sizzle of grilled meat in the background.

"There's a seat for us,"

Elly said as she spotted one out of the corner of her eye. As they walked towards it, they attracted some glances.

They walked, and another person carrying a tray full of food remnants walked towards them. It was so crowded, and the pile of trays was so high that he couldn't look properly ahead and had to hope for the best.

He continued past them, and Mary looked at him with a gaze that Kaiden hadn't seen from her before. They sat down, and the young man carrying the food remnants fell to the ground, covering the floor, himself, and everyone around with thick sauces, steak remnants, cake, and ice cream.

While he was on the ground cleaning up the mess, another group passed by, seemingly laughing at him.

"Hey, Normie!"

Shouted someone from a nearby table.

With everyone's attention on the guy on the floor, no one did anything. Simply put, nobody wanted to interfere in others' affairs, especially when there was nothing to gain, as the motto often was survival of the fittest.

Making enemies, especially strong ones, meant one wouldn't survive for long.

The looks from the six weren't pleasant either; they didn't like that others were exploiting their strength against a normal person. Zack, in particular, was aggressive again, ready to intervene, but his sister, keeping a cooler head, stopped him.

"Let's just eat."

Looking somewhat pitying, they glanced at the guy again, cleaning up the mess, before making their way to the food.

"That looks delicious,"

Ren said as he saw the buffet in front of him.

The mood changed entirely again, as it wasn't their concern after all.

Her expression remained icy as usual. Silver hair in dark gray uniform.

Mary's medium-length hair in a ponytail, she looked around as she walked with the others.

Her red eyes seemed distant, as if she wasn't present, until she blinked and briefly opened her mouth. A slight drool formed, as if she had seen something extremely tasty.

She turned to her right and left the group for a brief moment. When she came back, and Kaiden saw her, all he could see was an apparent lover of sweets.

A whole pallet of strawberry and raspberry cakes and a few cookies—no, a few dozen.

Was she just a normal girl? Kaiden wondered.

No, he couldn't decide that yet; he should still be cautious. Before Kaiden headed towards Mary, the others were already loaded with food.

Elly had pasta and, fittingly with her reddish-orange hair, orange juice.

Mark had sushi and pizza, while Ren, being Asian, naturally went for Asian dishes.

Zack, who initially wanted Pasta Carbonara, changed his mind for a simple medium-rare steak, along with asparagus and plenty of salad.

Only Kaiden was left; should he nibble on something small?

But he didn't feel like it; he just wanted his hot cocoa to drink.

"There's also a machine for cocoa,"

Ren said, with a full mouth since he couldn't hold back.

"You guys can go ahead and eat,"

Kaiden said.

"As you wish," Ren replied.

With their footsteps and chatter becoming more distant, Kaiden went to the machine, where he only had to press a few buttons until the machine started.

A few moments passed, and it made a hissing sound. The cup, already prepared, was filled with hot cocoa. Kaiden turned around and, with his slightly colder hands, grasped the warming liquid to warm himself.

'This is it,' he thought.

He seemed to be in a trance, looking back into the past.

But this time, he wasn't crying; he was smiling. With a glance at the other five waiting for him, he mumbled to himself,

"You wouldn't believe what has happened."

"What is it?"

Mark asked shortly after.

In response, Kaiden said it was nothing.

Joining them, he sat next to Mark, Ren next to him as usual.

In front of Kaiden were Zack and his sister, followed by Mary on his left.

"Enjoy your meal!"

Ren said with a half-loud yet powerful voice, resulting in a tap on the head.

Mark ironically laughed and said,

"You comedian,"

as he was already halfway through his meal.

But Zack also quickly devoured his food, prompting Elly to pinch his cheek.

"Don't wolf it down, you fatty."

"Ouch!"

He exclaimed.

Mark ate his sushi with soy sauce and a bit of wasabi, a bit more gracefully, as well as his pizza with mushrooms and pepperoni.

Mary, whom Kaiden kept the closest eye on, ate quickly despite her elegance, not spilling even once.

At that moment, Kaiden simply sat, holding his now very warm chocolate in the cup between his two hands.

With slight elevations, he brought the now differently feeling rim of the cup against his somewhat numb lip.

A warming feeling from within flowed through him, heartwarming and comforting.

Meanwhile, he kept his eyes closed to internalize and savor the moment even more. Then there was a shoulder glance to his right, as he looked into the distance.

It was a boy with brown hair and hazel eyes. A smile spread across Kaiden's face, and he once again fell into a trance with closed eyes.