"How are you?" Saya beamed and took the seat beside Ren at the round table.
Ren had to remind himself that this was not the past. That his relationship with Saya and Mike was still okay.
However, he still couldn't forget how the two of them used him. Especially Saya. She knew he liked her, and she took advantage of his feelings even at the cost of his expulsion from his previous guild.
And after they got everything they wanted from him, they didn't even help him or bother to ask how he was after being kicked out of his job with a blocklisted name.
But for the sake of Leonel, who wanted to continue their friendship, Ren would preserve and treat them as acquaintances, at least if not friends.
"I'm fine," Ren replied and offered no further ongoing conversation.
Saya's smile faltered. She felt that there was something wrong with Ren today. Usually, upon the sight of her, he would shy away and even stammered his words of greeting. He would also make an extra effort to converse with her, even on the most mundane of topics.
Ren was cold, but he was never cold to her, which Saya took pride in since he was a looker and most of their classmate had a secret crush on him. They were just scared to confess because Ren was known throughout the school as merciless when it came to rejecting feelings.
Did something happen? Saya thought. He must have been tired of playing that game, COVENANT. Leonel asked them last night, but they didn't have a pod, and going out late into a café like everyone else didn't bode well with her.
She wanted a pod of her own, and she and Mike planned to buy one later.
She wasn't all that interested in playing, but with everyone diving into the game, she couldn't help but get swept up in the hype—especially since Mike was joining. And if there were going to be other girls in the game, she had to keep a close eye on her boyfriend.
"What's wrong?" Saya asked voice and face worried. "Are you sick? Did you pull an all-nighter with Leonel playing that game you talked about?"
Saya reached out to touch Ren's head, but he tilted away at the last moment, turning his gaze to the side.
Ren cleared his throat and said with a monotone voice, "Something like that." He wanted to appear neutral, but his feelings got in the way.
Saya blinked. Something was definitely different about Ren. The warm, stoic guy she used to know was now cold and indifferent toward her, and for some reason, her chest tightened at the change.
She quickly brushed off her feelings, lifting a glass of water to ease the awkward tension hanging between them. Normally, conversations with Ren flowed endlessly. But now . . . his demeanor toward her was colder than the restaurant's air-conditioning.
Ren must be tired of playing that game. Saya thought.
Come to think of it, something was different about him.
Saya's gaze lingered on Ren as he lifted his glass of water.
His silver eyes, sharp and mesmerizing, only added to the cool indifference in his expression. Paired with his handsome features and lean physique, even the simple black shirt he wore seemed to fit him perfectly.
But it wasn't just his looks that caught Saya's breath. There was something more—an elegance, a quiet maturity in the way he moved and spoke—that made her heart skip a beat.
What's with him today? Saya mused, pretending to scroll through her phone while sneaking glances at the man beside her.
Ren felt different—like he had matured overnight. Even the way he simply held his glass seemed refined. When he lifted it to drink, his Adam's apple moved in a steady rhythm, and Saya found herself mesmerized by the small detail. She swallowed hard and quickly downed her own water in one gulp.
Suddenly, her body felt uncomfortably warm.
No . . . what's with me today? she shook her head, unsettled. It was as though she was seeing Ren for the first time. He had always been good-looking, but now . . . now he carried himself like a noble.
Was it the strength in his posture when he sat, the composed way he sipped his tea, or the effortless grace with which he crossed his legs? Or perhaps it was the cold indifference in his voice whenever he spoke?
He had always been attractive, but now . . . he carried himself as though he owned the entire restaurant.
Saya shook her head and happily chirped while tapping the pad of her fingertips together. "I'm rather excited to play this game later. You and Leonel already played it last night, right? What do you think should I play? Mike said that he wanted to be a human Swordsman. I looked at the game's website and found many races and classes, and I'm not sure what fits me the best."
Saya looked over at Ren and smiled her brightest. "You're usually good with this stuff. I want to play a White Mage so I can support you and the others. What do you think?"
Ren's eyes were half-closed as he sipped his tea and said, "Just go with what you want."
". . ."
Saya's smile froze on her cute face.
That's it?
That's his reply?
"Uhm . . . are you alright, Ren? Are you not feeling well?
Ren finally met Saya's gaze, and she gasped as his silver irises locked onto hers. But what truly made her breath hitch wasn't their brilliance—it was the chilling emptiness in his stare.
"What made you say that?"
Saya pulled her eyes away and replied in a timid voice, "N-nothing. It just felt like . . . you're rather . . . not in the mood today."
"Just tired from the lack of sleep," Ren lied. But Saya probably still didn't know that the VR game was sleep operated, so there was no way that he could be tired from lack of sleep.
Ren then looked at his phone, signaling that he didn't want to talk anymore.
Saya could only place a hair behind her ears and pretended to look at her phone to pass the time.
Why did things suddenly turned awkward between them like it was their first meeting?
Did I say or do something? Saya searched her memories but found nothing that could explain why Ren was acting so cold toward her.
Relief washed over her when Leonel finally came into view.
"Leo!" she called, waving with a bright smile that showed off her dimples.
Leonel bounded over, as energetic as ever, and hopped into their space. Practically bursting with enthusiasm, he immediately began rattling off stories to Saya about his and Ren's adventures in COVENANT.
Not long after, Mike also appeared together with an adult in his mid-twenties.
Ren's eyes widened in surprise—because that man was Scar, the leader of Black Lions, the very guild Saya and Mike had managed to join thanks to his help.
Back then, Black Lion had been locked in a fierce contest for the number one spot against White Unicorn. Both guilds boasted pro players and Beta Testers, and breaking into their ranks was nearly impossible unless you matched every one of their requirements.
Ren hadn't been present at this lunch meeting in the past; he'd been too busy chasing part-time jobs. That was why he was stunned now to discover that Mike and Scar already knew each other.
Come to think of it, they did mention Scar's name in the past, but Ren wasn't interested and quickly forgot.
This time . . . Ren was all ears.
Because it seemed like Mike and Saya didn't manage to enter Black Lion's guild in the beginning even if they knew the leader.
Did something happen?