With duller eyes than usual, I observed the restaurant in front of me.
It was a modern place, mostly made of glass. Since it was late afternoon, there weren't many people inside.
Most of the chairs and tables were entirely wooden, blending a modern and rustic look.
A few staff members moved about, but most of the food sat in open compartments for customers to pick up. This was a serve-yourself restaurant.
It was the first time I had seen one like this. I had seen similar scenes in Japanese animations; after all, it's common in their culture to grill meat in specialized restaurants.
For me, though, it was simply unfamiliar. At most, I ate fast food or my grandmother's cooking, which consisted mostly of vegetables or cheap protein.
Our financial situation had never been very good.
I could almost taste the food just by looking at it, even though in reality I couldn't taste or smell anything.
I was in complete shock, and Connie was no different. Her eyes, behind me, scanned the food displays with excitement.
Doug was the most composed, simply wearing his signature smile.
He walked forward and led Connie and me to a wooden table. In the middle of the table were some cards with a barcode.
Noticing Connie and me looking at him curiously, Doug calmly explained how the restaurant worked.
"Each table has cards. You can only get food if you scan the barcode at the entrance." He proudly showed us the card. It was a wooden card with a number glued to the front and a code on the back.
There was one card for each chair. Doug took two and handed them to Connie. After watching for a while, she naturally handed one to me.
I examined the card with great curiosity.
'I didn't expect there to be such advanced systems in this world.'
From Steven's perspective, most of the technology seemed about what you'd expect from the 2000s to the 2010s.
However, that clearly wasn't the whole picture. There was a Smart TV in my house and some pretty advanced devices.
Overall, this world felt quite incomprehensible. It was as if they had the most powerful consoles, but all the games were trash.
There were even stranger things. I had recently discovered, while watching TubeTube, that paints in this world dried quickly and almost perfectly.
I had no idea what logic those paints followed, but such things didn't seem unusual here. This restaurant was just another anomaly.
Each table had its own customer system that stored the food's price upon scanning; there was almost no need for staff. A development you rarely saw, even in the 2020s.
I didn't know if this restaurant was typical or exceptional. Seeing Connie's surprised face, though, it seemed the place Doug had chosen wasn't as common as I'd imagined.
Perhaps this place was a pioneer of the business model; the new tables and clean construction reinforced that impression.
He seemed to know the internal system well, so it was likely he'd researched it before bringing us here.
I fixed my gaze on Doug suspiciously.
The more he explained the restaurant's inner workings, the more suspicious I became.
Priyanka's conversation with Connie about taking me to the library and buying some toys along the way came to mind. And not only that, but also the fact that she had me interact with Connie from the beginning to increase my screen time.
At the time, I was still too influenced by my instincts to think rationally about it, but now, with a clearer mind, I noticed some dangerous patterns that, little by little, drew me closer to the other members of the family, even without my intention.
In the beginning, it was just Connie, but more recently, my relationship with Doug had grown increasingly strange, too. I had never intended to get involved with either of them, yet suddenly I was caught in a web that was hard to escape.
'Did Priyanka plan all this?'
A chill ran through me when I realized her secret ploy.
Why did I feel this trip was destined to be more troublesome than I'd imagined from the start?
I was starting to think that even if I hadn't asked to go to a library on my own, I still would have ended up stuck with these two.
Until now, I believed it was enough to simply focus on being discreet; after all, every word I wrote could cost me dearly. But with Priyanka actively working to ruin those plans, that was another matter entirely.
'I have to do something about this.'
I needed to fix the misunderstanding with Doug and restore the status quo. At the same time, I had to make sure Connie stayed by my side to keep Doug from acting beyond his limits.
The situation wasn't ideal, and I felt uneasy even now. If my discomfort with Doug had already been a problem before, it had only grown worse.
I knew my memories of my past life were more sensitive than those processed by my Gem. The two systems of memory were different.
Perhaps because Gems were a long-lived race, the emotions I experienced as a Gem were not as strong as my human ones.
A clear example was how I managed to spend so much time on the abandoned world without issue. The passing of days on that planet was different from Earth's, each one stretched far longer, and I estimate at least two Earth years went by there.
Any human would have gone mad, but for the most part, I was fine, except when I thought about the past.
Even the days I spent in the desert only became traumatic when I was under the influence of my human memories.
My experiences with my father hadn't been pleasant, but I lived my entire life without ever complaining. They only became a burden to me in my second life.
Perhaps the second greatest problem, aside from the overload and loss of senses, was this memory processing. I had no idea where these memories came from, but since they weren't rooted in the physical world, I assumed they belonged to my "soul."
Yet a soul is not something that can be analyzed. So I couldn't think of any solutions. The only option was to avoid dwelling too much on my past memories. Meditation worked as a temporary fix, but I needed long-term plans.
Still, leaving that aside, a bigger problem now demanded attention.
As I stared at Doug, still arguing heatedly with Connie, I felt my resolve harden. By the end of this meal, I would dispel any foolish notions he had about me.
My first plan was to avoid the topic altogether, but my conversation with Connie had given me some hope.
She had interacted with me without misinterpreting my actions. People in this world could still speak rationally; perhaps with her on my side, I could change Doug's mind. After all, two were better than one.
To do this, I had to create a calm environment for discussion. If Doug and Connie ate high-calorie, hard-to-digest foods, their bodies would likely become more demanding.
The human body naturally uses more energy after meals to digest everything. During this process, people feel drowsy and comfortable; it was this mood I needed to clear up Doug's misunderstandings.
Regardless of whether my actions would be effective or not, I saw an opportunity at the end of the tunnel. And what was the worst that could happen? Things couldn't get any worse than they were now.
Determined, I tugged at Connie's clothes, breaking off the endless conversation they were having.
I opened my notebook and wrote the first words of my new plan and showed them to Connie.
It was time to initiate plan B.
*
Connie, who suddenly felt a small pinch, looked to the side and saw a little girl in a white dress with dull eyes showing her notebook.
[I'm hungry.]
With those words, the conversation came to an immediate halt. She hadn't realized she and her dad had been talking for so long.
Some people in the restaurant glanced at them curiously, and the attendants chuckled quietly.
She was so excited to have been allowed to eat anything that her awareness of her surroundings had dulled.
Connie blew on her flushed face in embarrassment and then shifted the topic with her father.
"Dad, Asha said she's hungry."
Doug, sensing her mood, simply patted her head as if nothing had happened.
"Then let's get some food."
He pointed to where the food was; there was a space to scan the table card and an automated door.
The only problem was that even though the door was wide enough for an ordinary person, the crowd made it a very hostile environment for a girl in a wheelchair.
Asha would probably struggle to keep up with them.
Connie turned her eyes to her sister and mouthed the words she wanted.
"Is there anything you want to eat? I'll get it for you."
She knew Asha didn't like crowded places, and even if the restaurant wasn't too busy, it would still feel uncomfortable and cramped for her.
However, Asha just remained there, as if in shock. Her eyes were darting to Doug and then back to Connie, before finally writing in her notebook.
[I can go with you.]
Her grip on Connie's clothes tightened as she wrote the words.
Just like in the library, Asha had no intention of separating from Connie, not even for a second.
Connie felt paralyzed for a moment as she saw Asha close the distance with a determined look.
At first, she felt a little embarrassed, but her expression gradually became more serious as she looked at her hands.
They were shaking more than usual.
Asha seemed genuinely scared of being left alone, even in a restaurant full of people.
This was a stark contrast to before. Even when facing the intimidating librarian, her face had remained stoic, showing no hint of fear.
Previously, her clinginess had made sense, as Asha had wanted to avoid her father's presence.
But now they were both going out together, and there was no reason her father would interact with her in that moment.
So why was she acting like this now?
She knew it was fear, but what exactly was Asha afraid of?
Connie tried to recall the times Asha had been alone to see if a similar pattern had occurred.
Surprisingly, there weren't many. There was almost always someone by Asha's side, either her or her mother. She had someone with her all day.
There were only two memorable occasions when Asha had been left alone.
The first was when she had cut her wrist and bloodied her room, and the second was when Connie had found her in tears after watching some strange meditation coaches.
In both instances, something serious had happened.
Perhaps Asha instinctively sensed that being alone could lead to danger, and her body had moved to cling to Connie, someone she trusted.
If that were the case, her actions made a lot of sense. Even in a crowded restaurant, everyone else was just a stranger in her eyes.
Even Connie had only recently had meaningful interaction with her after months of living together.
'I feel a little strange...'
She knew the situation wasn't ideal, but seeing Asha clinging to her made a part of her heart feel comforted.
Connie had always been an only child and had never longed for a new family member, but seeing Asha act like a scared little sister made her feel the trust of having someone rely on her.
Perhaps this was the responsibility of an older sister, a feeling Connie had never imagined she would experience.
It seemed that, in the whole world, Asha was the only one who could make her feel this way. No one had ever truly needed her help before. For the first time, she had become someone's object of trust, rather than a target of envy or resentment.
Connie held Asha's hands tightly and gave her a rare smile.
"It might be a little uncomfortable. Are you sure you want to come along?"
To that, Asha simply nodded without a second thought.
The three of them moved toward the food line. There weren't many people, but that didn't mean they were alone.
As they entered, the limitations of moving around in a wheelchair became immediately clear; the table was too wide for Asha to reach the food, and the space between was narrow.
Seeing how far away things were, Connie almost instinctively tried to offer her help.
But what she didn't expect was how naturally Asha handled the situation.
Using the longest cutlery she could find, and moving almost as if she could sense her surroundings, Asha grabbed food with ease, even food outside her line of sight.
Her once-empty plate quickly filled, forming a mountain of food so large it made others do a double-take just to confirm it was real.
But more surprising than the heap of food were her precise, efficient movements.
Before Connie even realized it, she was admiring how Asha stacked everything so neatly, forgetting to fill her own plate.
Asha was expected to be the last to finish because of her limitations, yet she was the first.
When she was done, she waited silently at the end of the line for the others who lagged behind.
Doug and Connie exchanged looks, both wearing the same baffled expression. It wasn't just them; people around were staring too. Some even pulled out their phones to film her.
Strangest of all, Asha didn't seem to notice that holding a plate that size was attracting so much attention. Even with dozens of eyes on her, she remained there without the slightest discomfort.
"I think we'd better hurry," Doug muttered, noticing how much attention she was drawing.
Connie nodded as if she could already read his thoughts.
No matter what Asha did, attention always found its way to her. If they didn't hurry, those filming might approach her while she waited alone.
With quick flicks of her eyes, Connie studied the food, only to freeze in place.
There were both healthy options and things her mother would never allow her near. The choices were so many that she didn't know what to pick.
Doug wasn't much better. He knew the restaurant by reputation, but this was his first time actually eating there.
As the line grew longer behind them, the two rushed to grab whatever their instincts chose.
Their plates ended up modest but colorful, filled with potatoes, vegetables, and cooked fish. The portions were simple and healthy.
Priyanka's food and manners were already so ingrained in them that even if they tried reaching for something less healthy, their hands betrayed them and shifted away.
When they reached the end, Asha glanced at their plates in disbelief.
Compared to her mountain, the contrast was staggering.
Luckily, she didn't question it. She simply wheeled herself toward their table.
Doug sat slightly apart, while Asha and Connie sat side by side. The distance was evident, but for them it had already become natural.
Connie eyed the mountain of food with clear doubt.
Most of Asha's plate was fried, high-calorie, and hard to digest. It wasn't the kind of food one imagined someone as delicate as her eating.
The sight of a little girl with such a massive plate was so jarring that Connie couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Are you sure you can eat all of that?"
From Connie's experience, Asha never ate more than she did. Their portions were usually the same, and Asha rarely took more unless offered. Her sudden overeating seemed completely out of character.
And Asha's answer was even more startling.
[I'm hungry.]
'Hungry...? Just how hungry was she to pile a plate high enough to feed a whole starving family?' Connie was curious, but she kept her questions to herself.
She began eating instead. The food tasted very much like her mother's, with simple vegetables and simple seasonings.
But with each bite, something strange happened. The food on her plate seemed to change.
A piece of steak appeared among the lettuce, followed by layers of gravy and fries. Before she knew it, her once-healthy plate had turned into a pile of junk food.
Alarmed, she glanced at Asha, but she was calmly eating her own mountain without giving her a single stare.
'Did I put this on my plate and not notice?'
She had been in a hurry and grabbed whatever was in front of her, yet she didn't remember taking anything like this. However, if Asha had put it on her plate, she surely would have noticed.
She felt a mix of suspicion and curiosity, though her hands moved on their own. With mild excitement, she picked up the fried food and put it in her mouth.
Her tongue immediately twitched at the peculiar taste. The flavors were so unfamiliar that she was shocked by them.
'So this is what fries taste like...'
It was as if a whole new world had opened before her. The roasted beef and gravy tasted unusual too, not entirely to her liking, but still something she could appreciate.
The same was true for the roasted chicken thigh, the fried fish, and the small snacks scattered throughout.
She filled her mouth, savoring each new flavor. The sensation was rich for her taste buds, but at the same time, heavy on her stomach.
Only when the discomfort began to outweigh the pleasure of discovery did her eyes return to her surroundings.
The first thing she noticed was that her father's plate, like hers, was still half-full and piled with fried food.
But just like her, his eyes weren't on the food anymore. They were fixed on the little girl sitting beside her.
When she turned, she found Asha calmly wiping her face with a napkin. Yet beneath the table, a discreet hand was already at work, slipping more fried food onto her plate.
Asha's once-mountainous plate was now almost empty. And as for who had eaten all of it, the answer was clear.
What poor Connie and her father didn't realize was that it was already a bit too late.
Plan B had already begun.
*
Author's note
I wrote this chapter while I was a little sick and on a busy schedule, so I apologize for the possible drop in quality. By the time you read this, my birthday was probably two days ago.
Wow, I've been writing this for a while now. Thank you so much for continuing to read 😭🍪
*
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