Amid the quiet chatter from nearby tables, the drinks were handed to a tall, slender, dark-skinned man dressed as a waiter. His hair was white and his eyes were silver. Of all the other waiters walking around taking orders, this one seemed to be the most handsome.
"Here you are. Ladies, gentleman," said the handsome man with a soft, friendly smile. "Enjoy your drinks and your time in the Lux Valley."
With a respectful bow, the man walked away with a strangely friendly air.
Nova stopped to look at him. He knew him, in fact.
'Nathan... That he left his job as an Empath to become a waiter still seems like a senseless decision to me.'
Everyone has their reasons for being, and although Nova understood that, he found it difficult to accept.
Leaving that aside, Nova's Dark Flame looked like a very dark purple liquid that literally had a flame burning in the glass. It is a very strong and bitter drink that is capable of knocking out any normal person.
The detail here is that Nova is not normal. He even blew out the flame with a gentle puff.
'Well, at least the drinks you serve now are still the best.'
Miyu's Scarlet Flower, on the other hand, was a red drink with dark tones that formed a flower inside the glass. It was a drink highly acclaimed by those who love sweet drinks, as it not only has a pretty appearance, but also a pleasant sweet and floral taste.
Elara ordered a Light Feather. A clear, pale drink—light on alcohol but surprisingly bitter. It was the equivalent of drinking coffee, but with alcohol. Moreover, the name itself was very sarcastic, as the taste was anything but light.
"I have a lot of money this month," said Miyu.
Her tail swished happily back and forth as she drank from the glass.
"I can pay rent and get myself some cute clothes."
The feline girl chirped over and over as the drink slowly disappeared from the glass. Her joy would soon be compromised by harsh reality.
Nova looked at her with pity.
"I hope you don't forget to save some of that money for your food for the month."
Miyu's tail bristled at Nova's recommendation. Elara smiled as she took a sip of her drink and added:
"You're not going to starve like last month, I guess. I'm sure this time you won't waste your money on nonsense."
"Yeah, because you always have an empty wallet. Then you show up at my house with the excuse that you're coming to visit my mother, but you're really coming to beg for some food."
Nova's last statement made Miyu's ears twitch nervously. Her fur stood up a little, ruffling her red hair.
'That's right. I saw you, you scoundrel. You take advantage of my mother's kindness.'
Nova wasn't going to let anyone take advantage of his mother. Scoundrels burn in hell and rude people lose their tongues.
"I didn't think you'd noticed."
Miyu gave up immediately. There was no way to argue with Nova when he got like this. It was even worse when Elara took his side. The two of them together were like the final boss of a raid.
"You're so obvious all the time. Don't think I don't notice."
Elara raised her eyebrows, curious and amused by that statement. She cleared her throat and said:
"That's where I disagree, Nova. If you noticed everything she does and feels, you would have noticed many other things a long time ago."
"What? Really?"
The boy was surprised. Elara nodded proudly and concluded:
"Of course."
The feline girl trembled and shrugged. She was afraid of what Elara had said. In fact, she was very nervous about it.
Without saying a word, interrupting the agreement between Elara and Nova, Miyu grabbed her drink and swallowed it whole in a second. Then she slammed the glass on the table and looked at the two of them with defiant eyes.
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here and let's drink. Let's drink a lot!"
Nova smiled slightly, amused. He took the glass between his fingers and nodded.
'Finally, something we agree on. Tonight is going to be fun.'
There was nothing better than having a good time with friends.
"If we're going to drink a lot, I think I'll pay for the first few rounds."
Nova was sure he could quench these girls' thirst with the money in his wallet.
'I'm sure Elara will pay for the rest.'
How cheeky. In the end, it was just a strategy to avoid spending so much. Besides, it's not like Elara really needs the money.
'She's a wealthy young lady, after all.'
A guy who looks a little above average but is very weird; a feline girl with money problems; a girl in armor from a wealthy family; and finally, a canine boy with anger issues and a run-down house in the suburbs. What a colorful group.
The drinks began to come and go as the minutes ticked by on the bright, colorful, mechanical clock behind Nova. The voices of the people around them continued like a soothing color, and the old jazz music in the background that suddenly played created the perfect atmosphere.
Elara and Miyu talked happily, laughing from time to time.
The feline girl kept resting her head on the table, as everything began to spin before her eyes. Meanwhile, Nova became a silent observer; a relaxed observer who enjoyed being a brick in a chair.
These girls didn't mind that the leader of this team was silent. That's just the kind of person he was—the calm, grounded type of leader. No one has ever seen him get angry or sad.
In fact, no one has ever seen him show any strong emotion. No one has seen him cry or laugh loudly. He is always too calm.
'Hm? What's this?'
At some point, Nova's communicator rang. He looked at the screen and realized that someone was complaining in the group chat.
RubRub:
[Why did you leave me alone with the Doc?!]
[That guy is so weird!]
[Did you guys go drinking without me?]
[You sons of—!]
[*Sticker of Nova painted as a clown*]
'Seriously, where the hell do you guys get those stickers?!'
His inner voice was a thousand times louder than his outer voice. While he appeared calmer on the outside, on the inside he was louder for some reason he didn't even understand himself.
He smiled ironically because something was funny.
'Wait until you see yourself in the mirror.'
The revenge of a five-year-old. There was no other way to describe it.
"No. Wait until you try to wash your face."
The night was going to be quite an odyssey.
***
Hours later, Miyu was face down on the table, crying and complaining in a language no one knew. The only thing that could be distinguished in her fictional language was Nova's name repeated multiple times.
The people around her looked at Miyu with discomfort. The noisy feline girl was becoming a nuisance.
Elara looked at her sympathetically, and Nova didn't even know what to do.
He crossed his arms, thinking carefully as his friend spilled herself onto the table in a sea of tears.
'If only I could read her mind, everything would be easier.'
It's a shame he doesn't have that power.
It was no surprise that, at this point, all three of them were drunk, but Miyu was in a completely decadent state unlike Elara, who smiled calmly with a red face, sitting upright in her seat like an alcohol titan.
Nova, however, was swaying from side to side next to the table. Feeling this dizzy was kind of funny.
'But it's okay. Tomorrow we'll all suffer the same.'
It's a relief that he's not the only one who will pay the consequences of drinking.
The blonde girl stood up. She looked at Nova in confusion and asked:
"What should we do, Nova? Should I take her to my place?"
"No. Your place is farther away than mine. I'll take her with me."
"I see. This isn't the first time this has happened, so I trust you to take care of this crying girl. I'll go wait for my ride. See you later."
"Sure. Bye."
Elara walked away calmly. It seemed as if this woman was made of iron, as she didn't stagger or speak with difficulty. The alcohol didn't seem to affect her. There was no doubt that she was the team's tank.
'And now...'
Nova had a big problem here. This girl was still crying, so he shook his head, thinking about how to take her with him.
'It's always the same with you. I shouldn't be surprised anymore.'
Rather than continuing to lament, with surgical precision, he picked Miyu up in his arms and carried her toward the exit. She was quite light, to tell the truth. The problem was that she started laughing out of nowhere. Nova simply didn't understand why.
"Where are we going, Nova?" she asked.
Even the way the feline girl spoke was completely disastrous. Miyu had always been very weak to the effects of alcohol, so these kinds of situations always happened when she drank.
Passing through the door, Nova looked at the man with the horns to let him know that he was just taking his friend home. The man just nodded and let the boy and Miyu leave.
Then, in a bored voice, he replied to the girl:
"I'm taking you home."
Miyu clung to Nova's chest and spoke into his ear.
"Oh... Home? Are you taking me to your house?"
The boy sighed. He tilted his head forward so he wouldn't feel the feline girl's breath.
"If you want, I'll take you to yours. I don't have a problem with that."
Her claws dug into his shoulders. Nova winced in pain as Miyu said:
"No! I want to go with you! I want to be with you!"
"Okay, okay. Don't yell—and get your claws off me."
Miyu followed Nova's order, humming happily, and then gave him a comfortable hug from behind. It seemed that this cat girl was overly happy for some reason, even though she had been crying like a little girl earlier.
"I want to be with you forever!"
"I know. I know. I'll stay with you."
Nova made an uncomfortable and tired face. It was quite a challenge to carry this noisy girl, but Nova preferred to joke to himself.
'I should leave you lying in a ditch.'
Leaving Lux Valley, he jumped onto the roof of the building in front and ran to jump between the buildings.
Doing that wasn't a good idea. Nova feels dizzy and tired. He could fall at any moment. However, he is already skilled at moving quickly across the rooftops of buildings. This guy could well run through the city drunk without falling once.
"Come on, little dragon! Go faster!" said Miyu, jumping on Nova's back.
Being dizzy, coupled with Miyu's sudden movements, a vein bulged on Nova's forehead.
"Relax a little or we'll both fall."
"I don't want to!"
'Huh. Someone help me. Please...'
***
With luck, skill, and a lot more luck, they both made it home in one piece.
This is Nova's house: a two-story house made of red bricks and wrapped in green vines that made it look like a house in the jungle. The grounds were enclosed by a black wire fence with a red brick and concrete base, and there was a path of round cobblestones leading to the front door from the outside gate.
'She finally fell asleep.'
This chaotic girl had finally gotten tired on the way home. Now she was asleep on Nova's back.
'I guess the end of the road is the most satisfying part of the journey.'
He opened the metal gate outside and closed it with his heel.
A sharp growl suddenly rang out. It was Poki, who came out of its little tree house in the backyard just to greet its human friend, but tilted its head in confusion when it saw Miyu with Nova.
It immediately understood that this crazy girl was here, and ran back to its little house again.
"Relax, buddy. She's not going to kill you."
They finally entered the house.
The interior was cozy and warm, very different from the cold of the street at midnight. There was assorted furniture scattered around the area, and a very nostalgic floral scent. But there were no paintings or photos hanging anywhere.
In fact, the house itself was a little lonely and gloomy despite feeling strangely cozy. Just by looking at this place once, the same conclusion would come to anyone's mind: It's a house that lacks memories.
The boy carried Miyu to his room.
The room only had a small bed, a wardrobe full of clothes, a desk with some books, and a lamp. There was also a tabletop communicator, which was the futuristic version of a desktop computer.
He easily got the feline girl to lie down on the bed. He covered her with some warm blankets and left the room.
'I guess leaving her a glass of water would be a nice gesture,' he thought, walking toward the kitchen.
Everything was quite dark, but Nova could already find his way around this house, having lived here for the last twenty-one years of his life.
'Huh. You should be grateful for how much I care about you, Miyu. You owe me next time.'
He reached the small kitchen and approached the refrigerator. As he was about to open it, he sensed a presence behind him. He didn't startle or act scared.
He knew who it was, so he said:
"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry. I didn't think I'd be home so late."
He closed the refrigerator and looked at a woman standing next to him, who was looking at him with a somewhat complicated expression. She was tired, sleepy, but also curious.
She was a thin woman in her forties or older. Her hair was black, straight, and loose. Her skin was pale and white, quite similar to Nova's skin. The tiredness in her black eyes was due to the late hour, but her complicatedly calm expression contrasted with that tiredness.
"I was waiting for you. Did you have fun?"
The woman smiled at Nova with beautiful kindness. Nova smiled slightly in response.
"Yes, Mom. I had a lot of fun."
That's his mother, after all.
She sighed with relief.
"I see. I'm glad. I see you brought Miyu with you."
"Oh. Yes. She's staying over tonight. She's very drunk and will surely wake up making a fuss tomorrow."
"Well. We already have an alarm set."
"Sure... You're right."
The woman gave Nova a gentle pat on the back.
"I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, okay?"
"Okay. I'll sleep on the sofa tonight."
The woman faded away into the darkness of the hallways, and Nova watched her with a faint smile. Then, all at once, his face went blank.. His eyes became dull, and the atmosphere around him became dense and insipid.
The silence itself seemed to want to scream as the darkness of the scene embraced him tightly.
However, Nova closed his eyes. When he opened them, his expression became serene again.
Having left the glass of water on the desk in the room, he returned to the first room of the house. He grabbed a blanket and lay down on the sofa.
'Here ends the day.'
Sometimes routine has to change. This day was somewhat hectic and exhausting, but it was undoubtedly one of those days when you have so much fun that you get tired. It was worth saving as an important day.
He closed his eyes, ready to sleep, but his communicator rang with a sudden message. He lifted the rectangular object in his hand and looked at the message.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
[
Dimension Faction
Emergency:
All available Empaths are requested to assemble at the address assigned on the map. A Category 5 Aberration has escaped from the Dimensional Portal area in the Tear district and is heading for the Nox district.
All possible support is needed.
]
'That's close to here... Well, how inconvenient of you, Aberration.'
Now he had to put his trench coat back on and go out and kick some aberrant ass. Apparently, the night was far from over. And what's more surprising: Category 5! That's too dangerous to ignore.