Contrary to what others might expect, I've always hated hanging out with Connor and Reyna around their home, which also served as the Blake Guild's headquarters. Being aware of how I felt, we'd usually avoid visiting it altogether. But things are different now.

My mind was racing as the number on the elevator's panel kept getting higher. "Just where are we going?"

"To the restaurant," said Connor. "I'm starving."

"What about our competition?" I had to ask. That was the main reason I let myself be dragged inside this building in the first place. "You said this won't take too long, Connor."

I wasn't in a rush to get things over with, but I'd rather not have other employees associate those two with someone like me.

"Just a bite, please. I haven't had the chance to eat anything yet! It's not as if the competition in itself will take too long," Connor said so as he pushed the empty cup toward me with a stern grimace on his face. Given that Reyna and I still had nearly half of our drinks left, seeing how much he drank already astonished me. "And this tea only made me hungrier."

"Fine..." I spat out.

What a strange coincidence. I didn't eat anything either. I did this in order to be as light as possible for the exams. I had spent a lot of time preparing, and I couldn't stomach the thought of overeating to the point where my performance deteriorated.

Having said that, jumping over breakfast hardly affected me. I was doing so on regular basis.

"Gray," murmured Reyna, jolting me out of my daze. "There are private rooms we can use. If you're worried about the price, then—"

They would never impose something on me that I didn't want. All I had to do was simply tell them I wasn't comfortable enough hanging around this place, and that would be the end of it. Still, them missing out on so many things they enjoyed because of my insecurities was far worse. I could bear some discomfort.

"It's alright" I cut her off before she could finish. "Thank you, but I wasn't even thinking about something like that."

Her placid stare compelled me to respond. I had no choice but to oblige, yet telling her I hadn't eaten anything might do the exact opposite of putting her at ease.

I was trying to think of an appropriate answer when the elevator's doors finally opened.

Reality and fantasy collided within that split second. I blinked, unable to comprehend in front of me. Only because of my quick reflexes I managed to keep a hold of the cup, which was slipping away from my hand.

The enormous aquarium covered the entire foyer and gave out a dreary, bluish tint. Various fishes that I couldn't identify were freely moving around, flapping their fins. It made me wonder how they could coexist considering the vast difference in their sizes.

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Unconcerned about my nervous breakdown, Connor tapped his knuckles against the glass, then approached the man dressed in a black waistcoat at the reception desk, whom I assumed to be the host. I doubted there'd be any problems if we just strolled in without having a reservation beforehand, which meant that Connor was talking with him for some other reason.

As for Reyna, she didn't seem to care about anything happening around us, her gaze still lingering on me. Right, I had to give her an answer...

"I'm just hungry," I told her, which was the truth.

She didn't seem to buy it, though.

"What are you waiting for?" Connor motioned for us to follow. The host was just a few steps ahead, leading the way through the corridor.

I couldn't help but admire his laid-back demeanor at times, or so I thought as my gaze remained fixed on the tank. They even threw in artificial rocks and algae to make it look as realistic as possible.

"Have you been feeding them properly?" asked Connor, staring at the fish as we passed through.

"My greetings, Miss Reyna," he said. "And as for your question: Of course we had, Master—"

"It's Connor," he interrupted him, then turned around to look at me. "You don't have to speak formally with me now, Dylan. Our guest wouldn't buy any of it."

I glanced at her, wondering what was happening, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Would you like me to tell you more about this underwater restaurant?" Dylan was kind enough to offer, but all I could do was shake my head.

"Understood," the host murmured, a little dismayed.

Dylan appeared to genuinely adore this place. Something uncomfortable washed over me as I realized that, which is why I added, "If you don't mind, I'd like to see more of this place the next time I visit."

"It would be my pleasure! Oh, here we are," Dylan muttered with newfound vigor as he opened the door for us. There were many suites like this one meant for distinguished guests. Reyna mentioned something about private rooms, but I couldn't figure out what she meant until I saw it myself.

Once we had settled, the host brought out the menu he carried beneath his armpit. After a few taps, he directed it toward us. "When you're ready to take your orders, feel free to do so by tapping the appropriate icon. There are menus just like this one on your table. I'll personally bring your meals as soon as they're ready."

"We'll do just that," replied Connor with a smile, already used to seeing such things.

I just stood there staring at the whole thing, unable to talk or do anything, like some kind of simpleton.

When the door closed and only the three of us were left, I grabbed the menu. I frowned as I slid through pictures of the most extravagant meals I'd ever seen. That's coming from someone who has previously worked in a restaurant (which couldn't even compare to this place).

"What in the world is this?" I asked as I raised the menu. "This is a tablet, not a menu. No pun intended."

What surprised me, even more, was the fact that there were probably four menus like this in each suite, not including the ones from a regular table.

Connor kept his eyes fixed on the menu, contemplating what to eat. "That's why you should come here more often, Gray. The more you see it, the more you become accustomed to it."

Yes, that much was clear to me. The more you see and do something, the number you become to that experience.

"Just take your order and don't think too much about it, okay?"

I took yet another sip of coffee. "If you say so..."

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Reyna, who was currently tapping away on her tablet like there was no tomorrow.

"Aren't you going to buy something?"

She took a brief pause. "I'm not that hungry, Gray. I'll eat something later."

I sighed and returned my gaze to the menu. I slowly put the cup a little further, careful not to drop any coffee on it by accident The fish in the container kept swimming, unconcerned by how I felt being surrounded by them.

There weren't any words to convey just how uncomfortable I was.