12:21:02
Roselle’s Arcade, Entertainment District.
“Alright, listen to me,” Aether whispered near Cypher’s ears.
The smaller boy felt his body shudder with unknown excitement when he felt the other man’s hot breath grazing his ears. Suppressing the nervous feeling within his heart, he hoarsely asked, “...yes?”
“Stand right here and act like you’re doing something, alright? Move your arms around if possible.” Aether dragged Cypher by his shoulder and made him stand at a certain spot. “Remember, don’t move.”
Cypher nodded his head stiffly.
Stealthily scanning his surroundings, Aether noted the security cameras around him. After ensuring that everything was in place, he nodded at Cypher to begin acting while he got to work.
Exaggeratedly removing the button-like device from his pocket, Aether dropped it. “Oh. No!~” Aether exclaimed in shock. “My precious communicator. It’s fallen!~”
Aether belatedly began moving once he noted that the fallen device was rolling in its intended direction. After waiting for it to finish rolling under a certain arcade machine, he finally moved.
Putting on the act of a frustrated and hurried person, he continued, “Aww, snaps!~ The dang thing has rolled under this stupid machine! Now, I’m going to have to reach under it with my arm and search for it.”
He then hunched next to the machine in a truly strange posture. Rather than lying flat on the ground so as to maximise the length of his arm’s reach, Aether huddled next to it with his back and blocked the view of a security camera pointing right at the machine.
Recalling the image in his mind and ensuring that the view sights of all cameras had been blocked, Aether finally began employing his nefarious scheme.
Reaching into his jacket’s inner pocket, he retrieved the miniature tool kit he always carried. Taking out the required tools, he started working.
Sneakily opening up the metal plate guarding the control panel of the machine, Aether got to work tampering with it.
Meanwhile, Cypher, having regained his calmness, watched Aether pulling out the wires from the machine and tampering with them after having put on an exaggerated play-act. He continued staring at his older friend in confusion before asking with curiosity, “Aether, what are you doing to the crane game machine?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Aether rebutted. He then put on a righteous expression and replied, “Obviously, I’m righting a wrong.”
“Hmm, let’s see… this wire is for the crane… this circuit controls the refill mechanism… ah! There it is!” Aether exclaimed before cackling nefariously. “Connect this one to this one and… voila!~”
Ting! Ting! Ting! The machine sang a mechanical trill and flashed with lights. Noting that his tampering had been successful, Aether pocketed his tools with a smile and closed the control panel. He then felt for the communicator that he dropped and found it after some searching.
Standing up, Aether flashed a smile to the confused-looking Cypher before flashing him the ‘V’ sign.
“Success,” he said. Stepping up to the machine, he followed, “Oh, you can move now.”
Ending his awkward robot dance, Cypher stepped next to Aether and curiously asked, “What did you do?”
“Like I said,” Aether mysteriously replied and tapped the surface of the console with his communicator. “Righting a wrong.”
[Payment confirmed. Use the joystick to control the claw and grab your prize!] The crane machine announced.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Aether remarked and started playing. Controlling the joystick to move the claw above stuffed animal prizes nestled within the machine, he hit the flashing red button on the console.
“Ah! No! You have to move it–” Unfortunately, Cypher was too late in his intervention as the crane had already begun moving. “Oh, no, Aether. You have to move the claw to be a little away from the item you want to win before trying to grab it. As it is right now, you will…” Cypher suddenly paused.
His beautiful eyes widened in astonishment as he watched the claw mysteriously move and grab the stuffed animal perfectly. It then lifted the item in a stable grip before dropping it over the deposit area. The item tumbled down the deposit shaft before landing in the prize area.
Cypher stared at the machine with his mouth agape. He then turned to gaze at Aether, only to find the older man looking at him with barely suppressed laughter.
One-try pull! Aether had performed a one-try pull!
“H-how!?” Cypher asked, amazed.
Laughing a good-natured laugh, Aether replied, “That, my friend, is how you play this game.”
“Allow me to demonstrate.” He then swiped his communicator once again and bought another attempt.
Cypher watched in amazement and worship as Aether gamed the system once again.
And again.
And again
And once more for a final fifth time.
The instant he finished his fifth pull and secured the fifth prize, Aether caught sight of a staff member coming toward him. Realising that staying any longer would result in him being caught red-handed, he tapped Cypher’s shoulder and whispered to him, “Grab the prizes! Let’s run.”
Cypher grabbed two of the five prizes while Aether grabbed the rest.
Just as the staff member arrived before the crane game machine after navigating the dense crowd, he realised that the culprits marked by the system had vanished.
Stomping his feet in frustration, he uttered a few curse words before crouching down next to the machine to fix it.
Meanwhile, the two malefactors who had cheated the arcade of their wares collapsed on a bench some distance away from the casino.
“Why–did we suddenly run?” asked Cypher, panting to reclaim his breath.
Breathing rhythmically to stabilise his breath, Aether replied, “I think that the staff were onto us.”
Cypher flinched at that answer. He then nervously scanned his surroundings for any pursuant.
“Relax,” Aether replied, noticing his nervousness. “Nobody will come after us.”
Hearing his gentle reply, Cypher felt some relief. He then curiously gazed at the five stuffed animal prizes that they had won before picking them up in his hands and evaluating them. “Wow! The quality of these things is really good.”
“I know right,” Aether agreed. “They entered my eyes when we were going through the arcade. After seeing their make and quality, I realised it would be worth it to snag a few of them.”
Picking up one of the stuffed animals –one that was shaped like a cat– Aether poked its soft body and remarked, “How cute.” This particular one reminded him of his little sister. Especially its dark, annoyed-looking eyes.
“Uhm? Was it fine that we cheated to gain these prizes? Isn’t it… wrong?” asked Cypher. Though he found the entire experience to be quite novel and fun, now that he thought about it, they had committed a small felony.
Sensing Cypher’s hesitance, Aether gently explained with a smile, “You don’t have to feel bad for cheating on the crane game machine. It’s totally fine. Besides, they did it first?”
“They cheated first?”
“Yep, yep,” Aether nodded his head. He then adopted a severe moniker and explained in a deep voice. “Everyone knows that crane games are a scam! They are pure evil contraptions devised by ruthless arcade owners to prey upon unsuspecting wallets! Vile monsters, I tell you.”
He then faced Cypher and finished, “Besides, I told you right? I’m only righting a wrong.”
Cypher stared at Aether’s expression which was filled with righteousness. He then exploded into laughter.
“Hahahaha! Only you can be so shameless as to claim righteousness while stealing!”
“Hey! I paid for these things! It isn’t stealing if I paid for them!”
“Hahaha!”
The two friends shared an excellent moment immersed in simple laughter.
---
An hour later.
“Come on, this is the place,” Cypher announced and led the way into the building before them.
Aether, who was following his guide from behind, paused for a few seconds at the entrance and nervously scanned its exterior. The chic-looking neon sign read ‘Alfredo’s Amazing Restaurant’, while the rest of the storefront had a sophisticated and elegant feel. Just from its looks alone, any normal person would automatically form a positive opinion of the establishment.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Aether, however, felt the opposite.
“Looks expensive.” Being the miser he was, the first thought that formed within his head upon seeing the restaurant was how expensive it looked. “Looks way, way expensive.”
“What are you waiting for? Come on in!” Seeing his friend dazedly stand at the entrance outside, Cypher hurriedly urged him.
“You sure this is the place? I’m fine with going somewhere else,” Aether tactfully recommended to Cypher. The latter, however, took no notice of his recommendation and repeated his urgings.
“This is it! The best restaurant in the whole of the Entertainment District! Trust me,” Cypher excitedly replied. He then reached out with his hands and pulled Aether through the wide revolving doors.
One willing and excited, the other unwilling and nervous, the duo entered the restaurant. They went through the decontamination process with great familiarity and finally entered the store for real.
Stepping onto the carpeted floor, Aether realised the terrible blunder that he had committed. He, a poor beggar, had stepped into the den of dragons.
“Oh Lord,” Aether uttered a name he hadn’t uttered in years. His throat gulped in nervousness as he warily scanned the opulent interiors. Wood panelling, dim focus lighting, artefacts and ornaments arranged in symphonic harmony… It was in that moment that he realised that this was no mere den of dragons. This was a den of the Elder Dragons!
“Uwah!~” Cypher inhaled deeply and let out a faint moan. His face, now unmasked, turned to face Aether with a rosy expression and asked, “Can you smell that scent? I’ve heard it's called sandalwood.”
“O-Oh. Is that so,” Aether numbly nodded his head. Sandalwood? He had never heard of such a thing before.
That being said, he had to admit. The rich scent was indeed very pleasant and rich to smell. Aether had taken more than a few sneaky sniffs since entering.
Just as Aether found himself losing to the richness of his environment, he heard a pleasant voice intervene.
“Welcome, honoured guests, to Alfredo’s Amazing Restaurant. Please allow me to guide you to your table.” Aether found an elegant-looking beauty with matted silver hair bowing before him.
Seeing the sudden display of respect, Aether found his body automatically replying with a similar bow only for his mind to catch him at the last second.
‘What am I doing here?’ He asked himself for the N-th time today.
Fortunately, his guide Cypher seemed to have more experience visiting such high-end establishments as he replied to the host’s greeting.
“Please,” he replied with a smile and a nod. Witnessing Cypher's beautiful smile, the silver-haired beauty seemed to grow dazed for a second. A lost expression appeared within her eyes.
Catching sight of this, Aether snorted with short laughter. This wasn’t the first time he had seen such a thing occur today. This was, in fact, the fourth or fifth time such an exchange had occurred. Nevertheless, he found it hilarious on each repetition.
Aether's laughter caused Cypher to puff up his cheeks with a light blush and for the silver-haired beauty to break out of her enthrallment. Realising her faux pas, the woman hurriedly apologised, “I offer my sincerest apologies, honoured customers. Madam’s smile had left me enchanted and lost.”
“I’m not a–” Cypher, who in the middle of correcting the host’s misunderstanding, found his mouth blocked by Aether’s hand. The latter’s handsome face had the signature teasing expression of a cat plastered on it as he magnanimously replied, “Not at all, Miss. Even I find myself enchanted by that smile regularly.”
“Sir is very blessed. To have such a beautiful partner is the envy of countless men,” the host flawlessly complimented.
“Haha, I count my blessings every day,” Aether smoothly replied.
Meanwhile, the main subject of their conversation was furiously blushing to a worrisome degree. Every compliment that was exchanged made Cypher dearly wish to disappear from the world that very instant. However, a small corner of his heart strangely rejoiced from the compliments.
‘Argh, what is this feeling of happiness!?’ He keenly understood that Aether was simply teasing him. Even still, Cypher found himself rejoicing. It was bizarre.
Done with the teasing, the duo were finally led towards their table. It was a small circular table situated at the corner of the restaurant and seated two. Walking up to it, Aether realised that the ambience of this corner was the best amongst the various tables in the restaurant. It went without saying that this was probably one of the best tables in this restaurant.
“Please, have a seat.” The host pulled the fur-covered chair to accommodate Cypher first before moving to guide Aether. After confirming that the couple had been seated comfortably, she handed them the menu.
“Paper…” Aether quietly remarked, receiving the material with his hand. It was paper. Not plastic, not metal, not glass, but actual paper. “Must cost a fortune.”
“I’ll leave you two to decide,” announcing as such, the silver-haired beauty flashed a calm smile and left.
Aether, who was busy analysing the material on his hand, felt a hard knock on his leg. “Ouch,” he hissed.
Looking in front of him, he found Cypher looking at him with a displeased gaze and a pout. He even had his arms crossed to complete the picture.
“That was uncalled for,” said Aether.
Cypher simply snorted in reply before kicking at Aether’s legs once again. The older man, however, was experienced in such exchanges –courtesy of his sister– and aptly reacted by dodging his legs. “Haha.” Of course, he did not forget to laugh sarcastically to complete the exchange.
Growing incensed, Cypher intensified his attacks only to fall short in front of Aether’s ability.
“Why are you so good at this!?” he yelled with a suppressed voice.
“You must train for another THOUSAND YEARS before you can match me, kid,” replied Aether tilting his chin to point towards the sky.
Only he was aware of the countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears that he has spent grinding this technique to match his little sister. Aether’s skill was one he earned after countless years of brutal combat. He was a veteran through and through.
Unknowing the background of his skills, Cypher fell speechless at Aether’s taunts. He then gritted his teeth before hiding behind the menu given to him.
Having claimed victory in this exchange, Aether arrogantly laughed an infuriating laughter before picking up the menu to read its contents. His eyes landed on the first line of written words on the menu following which…
…Aether had a heart attack.
[Special Basil Soup - 7200 credits.]
Grabbing Cypher by his shoulder, Aether promptly escaped the Fourth Circle of Hell disguised as a restaurant.
---
Twenty minutes later.
In a place far, far, far away from that den of evil.
“Yosh! Order up! Two bowls of Special Ramen.” A greasy-looking fat chef placed two large bowls on the table before him. He then clapped his chubby hands, showed a smile that was as creepy as it was ugly, and said, “Eat up while it’s hot.”
“We sure will, Jin!” Aether replied with a handsome smile and picked up his metal chopsticks to dig into the food. Stuffing his face with the delicious noodle dish, he felt a gaze upon his face.
Turning to his side, he said, “What are you looking at? Eat up while it’s hot.” He pointed at the other bowl with his chopstick.
Cypher continued to stare at Aether with an expression of speechlessness. He then shook his head, sighed, and picked up his chopsticks before digging into the bowl.
Slurping on his first serving of noodles, Cypher’s eyes widened. “It’s good!”
“I know right?” Aether cheerfully replied seemingly having expected Cypher’s reaction. He then pointed at the obese chef cheerily working behind the counter with his chopstick and said, “Jin over there makes the best ramen bowls in the entire city. He even won a competition for it a few years back.” Aether pointed to a framed certificate hung on the dingy adjacent wall.
Pausing to eat another mouthful of the delicious food, Aether continued, “This restaurant might look run down and dirty, but it's a cultural landmark of the city.”
Busy slurping down on his serving of food, Cypher slowly asked, “How did you find this place? We had to solve a freaking maze to get here!”
“A kind, wizened senior that I know introduced me to this place,” chuckled Aether. He remembered his first time coming to this store with Gondora. ‘I wonder how that old devil is doing these days?’ He thought to himself while stuffing his face.
“He must be a nice person.”
“Oh, he’s a joy.”
A thick arm appeared in their view field and placed a filled plate in their middle. “Here are your side dishes,” announced Jin, the obese chef, before wiping his hands on the towel tucked in his waist.
He then alternated his gazes between Aether and Cypher before leaning forward and asking with a knowing smile. “So… who’s the chick?” He wiggled his eyebrows while looking at Aether.
Calmly finishing the spoonful in his hands, Aether replied with a smile, “He’s a guy.”
“Yeah,” Jin snarked. “And I’m a perfectly built 6’4” hottie who’s got beautiful ladies falling at my feet. Cut the crap and answer the question, ya traitor!”
Aether could not help but laugh at his insult. Wiping the tears off his face, he insisted, “I’m not lying. He really is a guy.” Turning to look towards Cypher, who had at some point buried his head into his bowl for some reason, and said, “Tell him, Cypher.”
At Aether’s insistence and realising that he could not keep hiding from the issue, Cypher raised his blushing face and greeted, “H-hello, my name is Cypher.”
Jin simply looked dumbstruck by this twist. He then stared at the blushing Cypher, glared at the snickering Aether, and finally turned to face the sky forlornly. “How the heavens are unfair…”
After sighing an unknown number of times, Jin turned to face the guffawing Aether and resentfully said, “And here I was thinking that you had betrayed our alliance.”
“Come on!~ You know me. I would never do such a thing!~” dawdled Aether while wearing an ambiguous smile.
“As if I’d believe you, ya handsome bastard!” Jin barked with a terrifying expression. “God! Just looking at your stupid smile makes me want to punch it!”
Cypher vehemently nodded his head at that sentiment.
After glaring at Aether for a few more moments, Jin suddenly turned toward Cypher and put on his best smile. “Anyways, Cypher, right? Why would a nice, kind-looking kid like you hang around this delinquent?”
“Are you calling me a delinquent, Jin-Jin?” asked Aether, sadly.
Slamming his hand against the counter, Jin bellowed, “Call me that one more time and see if I won’t throw you out, you bastard!”
“Jin-Jin,” unflinchingly repeated Aether. The smile on his face became even more pronounced.
“WHY YOU–”
“Mr Jin!” Cypher hurriedly got up and caught the fuming chef by his shoulder. “Please calm down! He’s not worth it!”
It seemed that Cypher’s earnest pleading face which looked to be on the verge of tearing up quelled the obese chef’s rage. Whipping his towel and snorting loudly, he said, “He’s right. This bastard isn’t worth my anger!”
“Right, right,” Cypher nodded his head quickly. He then raised the bowl in his hands and softly asked, “May I have a refill, Mr Jin?” His large eyes innocently blinked.
Jin felt his heart stop at the sight of this sweetness. Clutching on to his chest, he quickly grabbed the empty bowl from Cypher with his empty hand and said, “Anything for you, my sweet, beautiful boy!”
“Uhm, can I also get a refill–”
“You get out of my restaurant!” Jin bellowed, not even deigning to look at Aether. His eyes were solely fixed on Cypher.
“Tch, what terrible customer service,” Aether clicked his tongue. Slowly drinking the remaining soup in his bowl, he quietly muttered, “...one star.”
The trio engaged in harmless banter as they gorged on their wonderful meal. Cypher fell in love with the food and Jin fell in love with Cypher—’s warm nature. He got a total of three free refills while Aether, after engaging Jin in another quarrel, got a second refill for twice the cost price. This resulted in Aether swearing off friendship with Jin and the latter announcing that he was all the better off for it.
Naturally, all of this was in jest without any actual solidarity. Though, Cypher's reactions and expressions as the two old friends quarrelled were hilarious to look at.
After spending an hour at the restaurant, Cypher and Aether finally left. Of course, it was not before Jin solicited a promise from Cypher to come again by himself, without the presence of Aether, to which Aether swore that he would not rest until he spread false rumours throughout the city about how bad Jin’s food had gotten. The duo tussled again while Cypher helplessly watched having given up playing the role of the mediator.
It went without saying that that afternoon was the most exhausting and fun experience that Cypher had ever had in his seventeen years of living. For not a single instant was his face absent of a genuine, whole-hearted smile.