Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Playing at a Hotel During the Holidays is the Best (3)
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Perhaps it was because the time was a bit awkward for a meal.
The restaurant floor we arrived at via the elevator was remarkably quiet.
Then again, it was about time for the high-end restaurants to finish their lunch service and start preparing for dinner.
It was only natural that there was no one around. Who eats at this hour?
Thus, after a brief look around, we decided on a buffet restaurant.
It was the kind of place where, for a set entrance fee, you could eat as much as you wanted until your time was up.
Of course, it wasn't so luxurious that you couldn't get in without a reservation.
Still, maybe because it was a restaurant for hotel guests, the quality of the food was quite decent.
‘Ooh… there’s delicious-looking food everywhere, isn’t there? Chicken, shrimp, beef… *slurp*, my mouth is watering.’
Meat, seafood, noodles, bread, Western, Chinese, Japanese…
The buffet seemed to have no set theme, filled with all sorts of dishes.
Of course, when you aim for such variety, the quality of each dish is bound to suffer.
But for someone with my rather inexpensive palate, quantity trumped quality. Eating a lot and filling my stomach was more important.
I had come in today resolved to eat until my stomach cried uncle.
Thankfully, it seemed I could keep that promise. Hmm, is that a good thing?
“I’ll guide you to your table.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Following the staff’s guidance, we entered and took a large table.
We split up by who came in which vehicle, three and three.
Alice was next to me, and Sabrina was in front of me. The problem was that they both liked me too much.
So, does this mean I can eat whatever I want now?
Sitting across from Sabrina, I shifted in my seat, preparing for launch.
I wanted to quickly pile my plate with meat, more meat, and then some more meat, and stuff it all into my mouth.
Did he see how I was about to spring into action at any moment?
Raven stood up from his seat and spoke with the face of a wicked villain.
“Alright, let’s get started. Hahaha! We’re going to drive this buffet into a financial crisis!”
“Jin… could you please refrain from saying such strange things outside… Hah, I’ll look after Yuria and Sabrina. Girls, shall we go?”
“Yes, yes!”
“...!”
But Alice chided the hyped-up Raven, asking why he had to be so embarrassing in public.
Then, as if to say we shouldn't learn from his example, she led Sabrina and me quickly away from the table.
Well… Alice and Raven usually ate several times more than a normal person anyway.
Even if they just ate as they normally did without thinking about it, they could probably inflict fatal financial damage on the establishment.
I tried my best not to think about that and followed Alice, who was holding my hand.
I was too hungry to worry about the buffet’s future… I just wanted to put something in my mouth.
“Have you two ever been to a buffet?”
“No. There was nothing like a buffet where I used to live…”
“Oh, I see. Then why don’t you both copy me? You take one of these white plates from down here, and you pick up what you want to eat like this and put it on your plate. Easy, right?”
“…”
Hmm, not too different from what I already knew.
I nodded my head vigorously to show I understood and, with a plate in hand, began my serious shopping.
Pork, chicken, beef… definitely more meat than vegetables.
I piled the food on my plate until it was so heavy my hand trembled.
A sort of tower, composed of fried foods and roasts, was erected on my plate.
‘Ah, maybe I got a little too greedy…?’
However, the so-called great tower of meat I had just completed was incredibly precarious.
It was fine if I stood still, but if I moved, it felt like it would come crashing down from the mere shock of walking.
So, I glanced around to make sure no one was looking this way.
Then I subtly used my psychokinesis to keep the tower of meat from collapsing.
I released it as soon as I reached the table. It should be fine, probably.
“Hehe, Yuria. Your plate is full of meat.”
“...!”
Reine, who was already seated at the table before me, covered her mouth and giggled as if she found it cute.
Did she think I was a picky eater? No, isn't a buffet all about picking out just the meat?
I shot Reine a disgruntled look, as if asking why she was laughing.
In response, she just smiled without a word, as if it were nothing, and casually speared some salad on her plate with her fork. Ugh, I lose…
Sitting down and looking around, I saw that only Reine, with her lightly filled plate, was at the table.
It seemed the others were taking some time deciding what to eat.
‘Was I faster because I just piled up whatever I saw? When are the others coming?’
Speak of the devil, as they say.
No sooner had I thought that than Raven and David arrived at the table.
Raven skillfully carried three plates piled high with food of all kinds.
On David’s plate was a rather well-balanced selection of dishes.
I wondered if a buffet plate revealed a person’s usual tendencies.
Suddenly, I became curious about what was on Alice’s and Sabrina’s plates, who had yet to arrive.
“…Ahem, what’s this tower made of meat and fried food? How audacious.”
“…!!”
Raven, who had safely taken his seat, looked at my plate with an expression of disbelief.
Then he abruptly stood up and snatched a piece of meat from the top with his chopsticks.
If you’re going to eat, eat your own food! Why steal mine!
Naturally, I was furious and started punching the side of the now-standing Raven.
Of course, perhaps because his skin was as hard as a rock…
It only hurt my own furiously swinging fist. This is so annoying.
“Raven, why are you stealing from Yuria? That’s mean.”
“Hmm, honestly, that was a bit much. It makes one question your humanity, so to speak…”
Fortunately, Reine and David, sitting across from me, came to my defense.
Honestly, I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when I got robbed blind. It was completely unfair.
But Raven, as if he still had more to say…
He just snorted and replied nonchalantly, as if he’d done nothing wrong.
“Quiet. It’s this careless kid’s fault, okay? Tsk, whatever. My bad. Want some of mine?”
“…”
The steak and the duck roast, then.
I forgave Raven for his apology and moved the precious meats onto my plate.
Yes. The great tower of meat is still open for business.
Sitting back down, I speared a piece of meat with my fork and brought it to my mouth.
As expected of a luxury hotel. The food is delicious enough to match.
I smiled brightly and leisurely began to dismantle the tower of meat from the top down.
As I was enjoying all sorts of meats to my heart’s content…
Suddenly, a familiar male voice came from the table behind us.
“Hmm? Raven? Did someone just say Raven?”
*Clatter!*
Someone noisily pushed their chair back and shot up from their seat.
Naturally, our group’s attention turned to the loud man.
Standing there was a blond man with spiky hair, wearing sunglasses.
He was so tall that he cast a shadow over our table.
Judging by the sauce smeared around his mouth, he must have been inhaling food just a moment ago.
If you looked closely, in front of the chair he seemed to have stood up from, there was a mountain of plates. A big eater, I see.
“Huh? I’m Raven… Wait. Are you Victor?”
“Aah, that’s right. It’s been a while, Raven.”
The spiky-haired blond man, Victor, whipped off his sunglasses and grinned.
I knew him. Not because I’d actually seen him, but because he was a character from the original story.
A friend who had been in the same unit as Raven in the past, and a man who was something of a rival as a Fixer.
But something was strange. This should have been their first meeting…
Yet his face was strangely, excessively familiar.
Who was he? Who could it be?
As I kept retracing my past, I finally managed to pull a memory from his features.
‘Ah! Could it be that pervert in a gown who followed me a long time ago?’
Thinking back, it was strange.
The power of a psychokinetic flick was enough to knock out even a beastman, whose basic specs were different from a human’s, in a single blow.
A human tough enough to take that straight to the head and be perfectly fine.
No matter how I thought about it, he had to be an enhanced human.
So, he was an enhanced human stronger than most metahumans.
And skilled enough to chase someone flying with just a grappling gun.
And he was a muscular blond?
How many people could fit all those descriptions?
It was stranger that I hadn't realized it at the time.
‘…No, but to think that pervert in a gown was the Fixer, Victor. No wonder he kept chasing me no matter how much I ran. All that trouble wasn’t for nothing, huh? I should just pretend I don’t know.’
Having sorted my thoughts, I felt flustered and averted my gaze, continuing to eat.
It would be very troublesome if Victor noticed me and connected me to the ghost. I intended to draw absolutely no attention to myself.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem very interested in me, as he could only see the back of my head.
He was just talking to his old friend, Raven.
“To think I’d see you in a place like this. This must be what you call fate!”
“What fate? It’s just a coincidence. Anyway, what a surprise. Are you here on vacation too?”
“Hmph, a shame, Raven. Unfortunately, I’m not here to play. I’m here to work.”
Victor said, flashing a grin so wide his teeth sparkled.
He was smiling so brightly it was almost overwhelming just to glance at him.
But Raven, already used to such displays…
He simply cleaned his ear with his pinky, showing no reaction, and asked with a puzzled expression.
“What’s going on? Is something so big happening here that they need to hire a Fixer?”
“Hmm? Raven, are you perhaps unaware that the largest auction in history, hosted by Saint-Maria, starts tomorrow and runs for several days?”
“An auction? Then you’re…”
“That’s right. I’ve been hired to guard the items and key personnel in case of theft. There are probably several other Fixers in the hotel right now. That’s why I’m eating so late.”
Hahaha! Though I alone would be more than enough for security!
Victor raised his voice with a cheerful laugh that was almost enough to trigger my PTSD.
Well, his skills were certainly rated as top-tier among the best.
It wasn't arrogance or overconfidence; it was likely a statement not far from the truth.
‘An auction. So there’s an event like that. Saint-Maria Hotel… end-of-year vacation… an auction… Hmm. None of this was in the original story.’
An event that’s not even in the original story? Does that mean some strange incident is going to happen?
Then again, with a lineup like this, it would probably be fine even if something did happen.
I naturally felt a sense of unease and prayed that this vacation, for once, would be perfectly peaceful.
Of course, whether that prayer would actually be effective, I had no idea.