Anomaly of Fate
Chapter 69: An Awkward Lunch Break (2)

Chapter 69: An Awkward Lunch Break (2)

Velren tapped his fingers lightly against the edge of his tray, his appetite was dimming under the weight of the lingering awkwardness. It wasn’t unbearable, but it was noticeable—like a heavy silence pressing against his shoulders.

Or maybe it was just him.

Maybe it was the way Raine seemed too focused on scooping another spoonful of ice cream, or how Eterna ate without saying a single word, with her usual unreadable expression.

Either way, he figured he should say something. Whether it was to kill the awkwardness or just for the sake of it... he didn’t know.

So, he spoke the first thing that came to mind.

"Say, where’s your pet phoenix?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Raine’s spoon halted mid-air. She slowly turned to him, her crimson eyes narrowing.

"First of all," she said, placing the spoon back into her bowl, "don’t call Igris a ’pet.’ He’s more than that."

Velren blinked.

"...Then what should I call him?"

"A companion." Her voice sounded firm, as if that was the only acceptable term.

He wasn’t about to argue, so he simply nodded.

"Alright. Where’s your ’companion’ then?"

Raine leaned back slightly, her irritation easing just a bit.

"Sleeping in my dorm room. He’s been exhausted ever since the exam."

She scoffed lightly, then turned back to him with a raised brow.

"What? Don’t tell me you’ve grown fond of him?"

Velren shook his head.

"Not exactly. It’s just... not often that I come across another legendary creature."

At that, Raine smirked, looking all too pleased with herself.

"He does have that effect on people."

Velren didn’t deny it. A legendary creature like a phoenix? It was only natural for people to be intrigued.

But just as the conversation seemed to settle, Raine suddenly muttered, almost absentmindedly—

"...I still don’t like you, though."

Velren blinked.

"...What?"

His confusion only deepened when Raine crossed her arms, looking at him with thinly veiled suspicion.

"You still haven’t told me how you got Igris to not notice you back then!"

’Oh. So that’s what this was about...’

Before he could respond, another voice cut in.

"I was actually curious about that too."

Velren turned his head, only to find Eterna watching him, her expression as unreadable as ever.

He froze for a brief second.

"You too?"

Eterna gave a small nod, as if she had simply been waiting for the right moment to bring it up.

Velren exhaled through his nose, leaning back slightly. He had expected Raine to bring this up again at some point, but Eterna too? That was unexpected.

But even so...

"Sorry, but I can’t answer that."

Raine clicked her tongue, annoyed.

"Hah? Why?"

Velren glanced away, casually stabbing a piece of meat with his fork.

"I have my reasons."

It wasn’t a lie.

Sure, he could try to come up with some half-baked excuse, but something told him Raine wouldn’t accept anything less than the truth. And the truth... was something he wasn’t willing to share.

Raine scowled, her frustration was evident.

"Tch. Fine. But remember—our match still isn’t over yet."

Velren arched a brow.

"...Match?"

"Don’t act dumb." She jabbed her spoon in his direction.

"Don’t think that just because you managed to pull one over me once, that means you’ve won."

Velren stared at her for a moment.

’Won?’

He never even considered himself to have won in the first place...

Velren exhaled, shaking his head as he turned back to his meal. There was no point arguing with Raine when she had already made up her mind. She was probably the type to hold onto grudges like a vice, even if the person she was against didn’t even consider it a competition in the first place.

But just as he was about to move on, Raine suddenly paused.

A quiet hum left her lips, as if a stray thought had crossed her mind. Then, before Velren could make sense of it, she chuckled softly—low and amused.

"Maybe... I actually did get one over you after all."

Velren blinked at her sudden shift in tone.

’What the hell is she on about now?’

Before he could ask, Raine reached into her pocket and pulled out a small object. Without warning, she shoved it into Velren’s hand.

Velren barely had time to process the action before he found himself staring at the item in his grasp. A crest—similar to his. The wording etched onto it was clear:

Challenger.

His eyes flickered back to Raine, who wore a smug grin.

"For the record," she said, resting her chin on her palm, "Eterna’s the same as me."

Velren’s gaze instinctively shifted toward Eterna, who merely sipped her drink, offering a slight nod in confirmation.

Challengers.

It wasn’t exactly surprising. If anything, it would have been more shocking if they weren’t. But the fact that Raine had so boldly thrown it in his face, as if flaunting some sort of superiority, made Velren exhale through his nose in amusement.

’So, that was how she wanted to play it?’

Fine.

With an almost lazy motion, he reached into his own pocket and pulled out his own crest. Then, mimicking her earlier movement, he shoved it right in front of her face.

Raine blinked, her eyes narrowing as she read the words.

And then, the moment recognition set in—

"—Hah!?"

Her chair nearly scraped against the floor as she sat up straighter, eyes twitching.

Velren chuckled quietly.

It was nice putting brats like her in their place.

Velren leaned back slightly, watching as Raine fumed, her face shifting through several emotions—irritation, disbelief, and something that almost looked like reluctant acceptance.

Her lips parted, and then—

"How the hell is that possible?!"

Velren merely grinned, tapping his crest lightly against the table.

"Hmm... maybe I’m just talented?"

Raine’s brow twitched.

"Bullshit."

Velren chuckled.

"Oh? Did that hurt your pride?"

She scoffed, crossing her arms.

"As if. I just don’t see how someone like you could be the same rank as me."

"Someone like me?" He raised a brow.

"And what exactly does that mean?"

"You’re just—" She gestured vaguely at him, as if struggling to find the right words.

"—you!"

"...Wow. Very insightful."

The two fell into a familiar rhythm of back-and-forth banter, Raine growing increasingly frustrated while Velren simply enjoyed watching her reactions.

But then—

"Would you like to join us on a commission?"

The unexpected voice cut through their exchange, effectively silencing them both.

Velren turned to Eterna, who had spoken so smoothly, as if her offer had been the most natural thing in the world.

Raine, however, was much less composed.

"Wait, what?!" She nearly dropped her spoon. "Why would you invite him?!"

’Hey, what’s wrong with me?’

Eterna, unaffected by Raine’s outburst, took a small sip of her drink before answering.

"We saw his rank," she stated simply, before glancing at Raine.

"And more importantly, you already saw his skill firsthand, didn’t you?"

Raine stiffened.

"Having him on board would definitely simplify our task," Eterna continued in her matter-of-fact tone.

Raine opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to argue—but no words came out. Instead, she shut it again, her expression shifting into something unreadable before she looked away with an annoyed huff.

Velren watched the exchange, mulling over the offer.

’Teaming up with them...’

It wasn’t necessarily a bad idea.

For one, he’d already been considering taking on a commission. Having teammates—especially ones as competent as these two—would make things much smoother. And truth be told, despite how aggravating Raine could be, he didn’t actually mind their dynamic.

But at the same time...

He exhaled, leaning back against his chair.

"Appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to decline."