The morning light filtered through the high windows of this damn restaurant, illuminating the diamond dust that seemed to float above the impeccable tablecloths. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked croissants filled the air. Moving with an efficiency that had become second nature, I arranged the cutlery with millimeter precision. Every movement was calm, deliberate. The iron peace from the night before still enveloped me, a silent shield against the world.
I must admit that at this point, the stats work almost too well. If they're like this when they're all below 20 points, what will happen when they reach that moment? Will people start to suspect, or will I be able to regulate them as they grow? If I ever get a Strength of 100, will I break someone's hand just by shaking it, or is it impossible to reach that level? Let's relax;I'll know what to do when that time comes.
"It's a bit quiet today, don't you think?"
"Yeah."
"Why so serious,Will? Because you serve so quickly and seem so calm, you relax us, and we serve our customers faster. Leaving that house has definitely done you good."
Seeing Chloe's smile relaxes me.Although I partly serve customers better because I'm more relaxed, the stats are what help the most.
"But tell me, what did you do yesterday? You said you got revenge on that idiot brother of yours."
"He was playing the victim again.He came up to me and said, 'If slapping me makes you feel better, just do it.' So I proceeded to give him the hardest slap and made them all step back. I wish you could have seen the stupid look on his face."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,you're excellent! It must have felt so good."
"Yeah,although I must say if I had another chance, I might have given him a punch."
"Easy there,I'm sure you'll take advantage of it next time."
While we were talking, I noticed her expression change slightly as she pointed towards the door. Turning my head, I saw Diana and Stephanie entering the restaurant, well-dressed. Seeing them arrive, I could only make a face and do my job, as only Chloe and I were free.
"If you want,I can take their table today."
"While I appreciate the offer,we both know those two didn't come here just to eat and leave."
"You're right.But if I see something happening, I'll call the manager to help you."
"Thanks."
I approached them.
"Good morning,ladies. I'll show you to your table." The two just nodded and started to follow me.I led them to a table for two and gave them the menus.
"If you need anything,you can call me."
"Wait,William. We didn't come to eat; we want to have a conversation."
I looked at Diana,who was stopping me.
"Miss,I'm currently working, so I can't neglect my duties just because you wanted to talk. So if you don't plan to order anything, I'll have to escort you out."
"Wait!"
Before I could leave,I saw Diana quickly skim the menu.
"We'd like these two coffees."
I looked at the two coffees;one seemed to have a lot of sugar and the other was a bit simpler. "Alright."
I quickly went to the counter and gave the order to the staff, who handed me the two coffees in less than 5 minutes. It seems I'm not the only one being efficient here.
"Here are your coffees. I hope you enjoy them."
"Wait.We've ordered something, so you have to stay with us and talk about what we want to talk about."
"I don't want to."
That direct answer left her so stunned she was just left with her mouth hanging open,staring at me.
"If you don't stay and listen to what we have to say, I'll go to your supervisor and say a staff member is being unfriendly and is, in fact, being very rude."
This is why I hate these situations. Even though I know my manager won't fire me over a simple complaint, I know it could cause problems for her if she has to confront them, and I wouldn't want to bother her with this. I looked at Chloe and signaled for her to understand I was going to sit and talk.She seemed to get it, as she headed towards the manager's office and went in. I,on the other hand, sat down opposite my sister and mother.
"Well, I'm here. So say what you want to say."
Mother got comfortable and leaned in closer.
"I would like to apologize,especially for the slap I gave you yesterday. I know I shouldn't have done that. I was just upset that you hit Ernesto, but I understood that all that hatred came directly from a place of pain because of everything we've done to you. I am deeply sorry for what we did." Mother seems genuinely remorseful. "I accept your apology."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Mother smiled deeply.
"It's good that you accepted Mom's apology. So you should also go and apologize to Ernesto for the punch you gave him."
Diana also showed a smile,but it seems she has problems with her brain.
"Yes,William. So come back home and stop bothering your friends by staying at other people's houses. We know it was hard because you were upset, but now that we're leaving the recriminations behind, there's no need for you to keep staying at someone else's place."
"Yes,William, and as your mother, I will make sure to show no favoritism. I will treat you and Ernesto exactly the same."
"Stop talking."
The two fell silent.
"I will never—and listen to me carefully—neverapologize to Ernesto for hitting him."
"But you accepted the apology!"
"First,the fact that I accepted your apology does not mean I now have to apologize, because you were the ones who were wrong. Second, the fact that I accepted your apology does not mean I forgive you."
I said all that while looking straight at Diana.
"And another thing."
I looked at my mother.
"If you had truly wanted to show sincerity,you would have proposed treating me with favoritism for a while to balance things out with Ernesto. But no, to you, treating me better than Ernesto is an impossible idea."
At that moment, I noticed Diana's irritation.
"Why should we worsen our treatment of Ernesto?We're already doing too much for you by apologizing for just forgetting a few birthdays! Yes, maybe we showed favoritism, but we shouldn't have! Look, Ernesto was always a good student, kind, and always willing to help and be there for us. What exactly have you done? Just rot in your misery because we didn't show you some love!"
"Diana!"
"No,Mom, wait! Look at yourself, William! You waste your time working and never bring a single good grade home. The only things we hear about you are that you leave school early and waste your time in game rooms with your friends. I don't even know if you actually go to school or if you've been completely expelled! The fact that you don't even come home shows you don't have an ounce of respect for your home!"
"Diana, shut up!"
Mother stood up, silencing Diana. Not because she was saying stupid things which, if she thought about it for a second, she'd realize the inconsistencies in her own statements.
"Excuse me,ladies. Could you please leave? Some of our other customers are complaining about the noise. Don't worry about paying; this is on the house."
Diana and Mother,utterly embarrassed, stood up, and I did too. As they were about to leave, I looked at Diana.
"Diana,the fact that you say you 'don't even know' if I go to school or not says a lot about how much you cared. So I wonder which of those things you actually confirmed for yourself and which you just believed because Ernesto said them."
Without waiting to see her reaction,I headed straight for the break room. I don't really feel like working anymore today.
"You did well, Will. You were able to keep your cool without any problem. Even our manager was willing to help you."
"You called her?"
"No,I saw you were in trouble, so I went to get some help."
Looking back,I saw a woman with brown hair in a ponytail looking at me.
"Miss Rosemary,I'm sorry for all the trouble caused by my family today. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again."
She looked at me for a moment.
"Don't worry.When I hired you, I already knew you might have problems with your family. But after all this time, I didn't expect them to come bother you here. Just go home for today and rest."
I took that advice seriously.
"Thank you,Manager."
As I stood up, I noticed Chloe with her hand raised.
"Manager,Manager! Could I also leave early? I don't want William to feel alone after what happened today."
"No.Get back to work."
She said it without hesitation.I looked at Chloe and noticed that, to some extent, she knew that would happen by the smile on her face. I said goodbye to Chloe and left for my apartment.
∆∆∆
Upon arriving, I leaned back on my bed and looked at the slightly moldy ceiling.
"System."
[
Name:William Sanders
Age:19
Race:Human
Titles:[Neanderthal Killer]
-----------------------------------
Strength:10+3
Agility:8+3
Endurance:10
Intelligence:10
Luck:4
Perception:10
Willpower:10
-----------------------------------
[Skills]
[Calm Mind][Running (Lv:3)] [Stealth (Lv:2)] [Boxing (Lv:3)] [Aura (Lv:2)] [Basic Fencing (Lv:3)]
-----------------------------------
[Missions]
[Shop]
SP:3000 ]
My stats haven't changed, but that's to be expected. I haven't even tried to improve my stats or skills yet. But it's time to see what I can do with these 3000 SP. Maybe I can buy something good that will help me on my next adventure.
________________________________________
Since I've seen that there are people commenting, I'll leave it up to you to decide which place the protagonist will emerge from.
1. Take the body of a cliché villain
2. Cultivation world
3. Futuristic dimension
4. Other (Comment)
If you like the idea, comment a number, if you have any idea you can also say it and I will take it into account.