037 - Deal made

After contemplating my life choices, I looked at the woman who had taken on a chubby appearance. I have no idea why I thought of her as a meatball and saw her as a meatball. I'm quite sure I was fine when I talked to her, so how did I make this mistake? Did I subconsciously decide to think of her as a meatball?

Subconsciously,

Wait!

Subconsciously? The only way to suggest to me, a fortified mind, is that thing!

Think of this as a possible hypothesis; I touched the right side of my blazer, which I changed into before going to class. I could feel a slight vibration, like someone was laughing. My face twisted as I confirmed my hypothesis. It was Grimm, that damn book was the one to pull this trick. I hit the side of my chest hard in anger.

"I apologize," I slightly bowed, "it seems my friend played some tricks. I will make sure to teach him."

"Whatever," she 'hmphed' before calming down.

The room became silent and awkward. We both didn't talk until the waiters brought in the food, which consisted of multiple trays, each large enough for a person to carry. The food quickly covered the whole table. I felt a sharp stare at me as I looked at the food. I looked up to see the woman staring at me with a sharp gaze. Her eyes were asking, "How much did you order?" I felt embarrassed but I am quite thick-skinned.

"I have a big appetite, and didn't you say order more?" I shifted the blame to her.

"How shameless!" she voiced with a bit of disgust.

"Don't worry, I will pay," I said. I may love to freeload, but that doesn't mean I won't pay for my food.

"No need, I brought you here, so I will pay."

"Okay," I quickly agreed. Why should I say no when she says she will pay?

"Ha," the woman scoffed in disbelief. She has never met someone as shameless as this guy in front of her. He first shifted the blame to her, then said he will pay, but when she said she will, he readily agreed.

How shameless.

Zeru was eating without a care, he quickly cleared the table of food. The waiters took the empty plates and brought the second batch. The woman's jaw dropped when she saw they were bringing more. At this rate, Zeru was going to clear the restaurant of food.

The second batch of food vanished in minutes, and the waiters moved the empty plates. The room became silent again.

"Ahem, ahem," Zeru coughed twice to ward off the silence and proceeded to speak, "Hm, meatball, I forgot to ask for your name."

"You!" the woman fumed, "Don't call me meatball, and my name is Luranta!"

"Got you, meatball," Zeru replied.

"You! Why are you doing it again?" Luranta was furious.

Zeru smiled at her angry face, which looked exactly like a tomato, "No, you are meatball from today on, Luranta."

Zeru was taunting her to her face. "It's nice, you know, calling you a meatball. The name makes so much sense; you are fat and round like a meatball, aren't you?" Zeru continued.

"Haaa," Luranta sighed. She understood that Zeru was doing it to anger her, so she stopped entertaining him. "Then should I call you Mr. Average?"

Zeru's smile froze. No matter what he did, this "Average" stuck to him for some reason.

"Okay, Miss. Meatball," but he won't lose this battle, so he acts nonchalant about it.

"Then, Mr. Average, what is your plan? How are you going to impress her?" Luranta had already noticed his frozen smile. She was stabbing where it would hurt.

"Not anything for now, my first impression was messed up by that bastard!"

"Hey!" Luranta shouted.

"Okay, by Adam. Because of his stubbornness, I had to make my move early and flopped the first impression."

"So, now you are going to slowly move into her heart by making her rely on you."

"I don't know," Zeru shrugged, "What about you?" he asked.

"For now, I need to cross the wall he built up, and Elain is one of the few who can even talk to him. I have to befriend her," she explained.

"That's the first step. How are you going to make him fall for you?" Zeru asked.

"What do you mean? Can't you see this body of gold? I have beauty, wealth, and power," Luranta said proudly.

"Pfttt," Zeru broke out in laughter, "You are a meatball! A meatball can be made with the world's best spices, but if it's not cooked inside, it's trash. It can't be eaten. Man, even I wouldn't fall for you! And let me tell you, men are simple creatures. You just need to show him that you are his one, and it's worth spending the rest of his life with you. Before that, all this money and power is nothing."

Zeru wanted to go in depth about the subject but didn't continue.

"So, what about you? What's so good about Elain?" Luranta questioned.

"She is an angel!" Zeru replied immediately.

"Ha! You have fallen deep, my friend!"

*Click* The waiters brought the third batch of food and covered the table. Luranta was in disbelief again, not because of the amount of food ordered, but how Zeru could eat all of it. The food he had eaten up to now was enough to feed 10 people.

"How the hell are you eating all this? Where is it going?" Luranta couldn't help but ask.

"Since we are partners in crime, I will tell you a secret of mine. I need to eat like this once a day at least to maintain my body," Zeru explained.

"What are you, an ogre?" she asked.

"No, I am 100% human," he replied.

With that, the room became silent again, and Zeru continued eating. He finished the third batch, and it was the last one. The waiters took the plates away and brought desserts, which were also gobbled by him, but he didn't ask for seconds.

They got up together as the meal was done.

"Okay, I will give you the information on Elain tomorrow," Luranta turned to Zeru, putting forth her hand for a handshake.

"And add Adam's info too," Zeru said before shaking her hand.

"Okay," Luranta agreed, but her eyes were on Zeru's stomach. She expected to see a bulging stomach, but it was flat as if he hadn't eaten enough for one person. She subconsciously rubbed her stomach.

Zeru, noticing her gaze, answered, "I have a high metabolism, and if you want to lose weight, I can help you."

Luranta thought for a bit but shook her head, "No need."

"Okay," Zeru shrugged and turned away from her, but he suddenly remembered something, "Meatball, do you have enough money? I know the students only get a bit of allowance. If you don't have money, I can pay."

"No need, my family owns this restaurant," she stated nonchalantly.

Zeru nodded his head, "So, you are rich. I hope you don't mind my future bills." Zeru had a sly smile as he decided to make her pay for his foods.

"Ha," Luranta scoffed at Zeru.

The middle-aged butler walked in and bowed to them, "I hope you enjoyed your meal."

I now understand why he gives the butler vibes because he is one, he is the butler who runs the shop for Luranta's family. He must be a trusted one.

The butler guided them to the door. "The sky is already turning red," Zeru stated.

"See you tomorrow," Luranta gave a nod.

Zeru nodded back and turned to leave but he stopped and turned back. "Meatball, do you know where this house is? I came straight to the academy, so I don't know where my residence is?" Zeru pulled out a folded paper.

Luranta gave Zeru a piercing stare. She took the piece of paper from Zeru while still drilling holes with her stare; she was feeling she might have made the wrong choice. She looked at the paper to notice beautiful handwriting, it was clean and smooth. She read the words written on it, and her eyes widened a bit but she quickly hid her shock. She checked it again to make sure the address was correct, and also noticed that the paper's quality was high. She looked at Zeru, who was still waiting for her reply. She scanned him from head to toe, but nothing suggested that he was of high status. Anyone would think that he was just an ordinary guy. She calmed her mind and showed Zeru the direction.

"Straight this way, third right and fourth left. It will be the 2nd house to my right," Zeru repeated.

"Yes," Luranta replied.

"Thanks," Zeru waved and left without turning back. Luranta watched Zeru's departing figure, then turned to the middle-aged butler.

"Hans, did you collect the correct information about him?" she questioned the butler.

Hans was one of the family's trusted aids. Her father and mother treated him like family. He was like a grandfather to her; he was serving her family since her grandfather's time. That's why he was sent to take care of her while in the academy.

"It is, young miss. The information was collected from the information guild," the butler replied.

"The information says he is from a middle-class family, he was admitted in hope of a better future. But the address he showed is for the mansion reserved by nobles. Do you think that makes sense?" She asked.

The butler didn't know how to reply, "I will ask about it from the information guild. Maybe he is going there to meet someone or share the house with his friend," the butler suggested.

"It may be like that; ask the information guild to check again and ask someone to follow him," she ordered before going back in. The restaurant also had a hotel connected to it.

Zeru roamed around, window-shopping. He observed the city as he moved toward his residence. As he moved closer, he noticed that the amount of activities reduced. Fewer people were present on the street, and the houses became bigger and better.

He soon arrived at his residence, which was a manor with a small garden in the front, about twice the size of a basketball field. The whole mansion was white, reflecting the light. The gate was huge, with many designs on it, and two guards were stationed outside. They must be the ones hired by Fran.

He moved to the gate, and the guards stopped him. They noticed his academy uniform and his average appearance, but they didn't let their guard down.

"Why are you here, kid?" one of them questioned.

Zeru silently put his hands inside his inner pocket. The guards were alarmed and raised their spears. Zeru pulled out a badge with the crest of Griffin's on it. The guards recognized the crest and lowered their spears.

"I am Zeru," he introduced himself.

"We greet the young sun of the elves," the guards bowed respectfully.

Zeru was taken aback when they called him "the young sun."

Isn't it only for the prince of the elven kingdom? For some reason, he felt like this was the work of his mother and Fran. He still remembers how much his mother cried when he returned to the Elven kingdom.

She was worried about me because I was not there when she regained her memory.

'Did you think this poor mother of yours won't be able to recognize you? How much you should have suffered without being able to call your mother "mother."'

'It's okay, Mom.'

'Oh, my, how much you have grown! I didn't even get to see you grow!'

The memories of his mother crying while holding him tightly flooded his mind. Unknowingly, his eyes started to tear up. He closed his eyes and wiped the tears that had formed.

"It's okay, you don't need to greet me like this," Zeru just waved his hands before going in.

The guards were confused as to why Zeru teared up when they called him "the young son."