Chapter 155: Chapter 155- Discuss
The room grew lively with laughter and chatter, the warmth of shared drinks cutting through the weight of the world outside. As Julian looked around, he noticed one familiar face missing.
"Where’s Reimon?" he asked, turning to Kevin.
Kevin leaned back in his chair. "Worn out. He pushed himself too hard with his skill, so he couldn’t make it."
Luke, cast a gentle look at Rea and said politely, "Don’t drink too much. We might have to be ready tomorrow."
Rea only waved him off with a grin, lifting his cup again. "It’s fine. I can hold my liquor." And he continued to drink.
"Let him," Rogan said, smirking as he poured himself another. "He’ll figure it out the hard way."
Leighton, with his usual soft and apologetic tone, added, "I hope you don’t mind me joining in as well. I didn’t want to intrude."
Kevin chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Don’t be ridiculous. Among men, we’ve got to look out for each other."
As the night went on and the drinks flowed, Luke leaned slightly toward Julian, his voice calm but carrying a note of concern.
"Is everything alright? I heard there’s been some trouble in the production sector."
Julian exhaled slowly, setting his cup down. "That one’s on me. I brought in someone who turned out to be a troublemaker. But I’ve already taken responsibility, so don’t worry, the weapon will be fine."
Leighton adjusted his glasses and spoke in his usual gentle tone. "From what I’ve heard, Miss Beatrix went through quite a bit before you found her. She must’ve been in a difficult place."
Julian gave a faint nod, though his gaze sharpened. "That’s true. But that doesn’t excuse her for messing with our plans. Whatever she’s been through, I can’t allow her actions to put all of us at risk."
Julian leaned back, his eyes narrowing with a faintly teasing edge. "And wasn’t it you, Mr. Leighton, who used to be close with Beatrix? Why not go say hello yourself?"
Leighton blinked, taken aback. "And where did you hear that?"
Julian swirled the drink in his hand casually. "Rumor has it you were actually dating her."
Leighton let out a quiet sigh and shook his head. "That’s not true. I only kept an eye on Miss Beatrix because she had a habit of slacking off when she was supposed to be working as a teacher. I couldn’t just stand by and ignore it. If people thought we were close, it was nothing more than the familiarity of being colleagues, nothing beyond that."
Julian exhaled softly, almost amused. "So the rumor wasn’t all that true then."
Leighton gave a small nod. "Exactly. Don’t put too much weight on rumors. Though," he added with a faint smile, "some of them do have a grain of truth, like the one about you, making someone traumatized with nothing more than a stare."
Kevin’s eyes widened as he leaned forward. "Huh? Seriously? Julian’s that kind of guy?"
Julian answered flatly, without even blinking. "I just looked at him normally. His reaction was the exaggerated one."
Kevin smirked, unconvinced. "Come on, no way someone ends up traumatized just because you glanced at them. You must’ve done something more."
Luke chimed in, brows knit in curiosity. "Then why would he react that way at all?"
Leighton set his drink down, speaking calmly. "Because Julian once put several of upperclassmen in the hospital for bullying one of his friends. The one who claims to be ’traumatized’ just happened to witness it. So now, whenever Julian looks at him... he panics."
Julian’s gaze slid toward Leighton, sharp, silent, and carrying the weight of an unspoken warning. Leighton raised his hands in surrender with a small chuckle. "Alright, Seems you’re still not ready to open up about all that."
But Kevin leaned forward with a grin that was half-teasing, half-probing. "Hold on. You can’t just drop a bomb like that and move on. Julian, you put seniors in the hospital? How many are we talking about here?"
Rogan’s eyes lit up, the way a child’s would when hearing ghost stories. "Yeah, I wanna hear this too. Was it like, bam! one punch each? Or did you break bones? Don’t tell me you snapped someone’s arm clean off."
Luke frowned slightly, though his tone was calm. "That’s not really something to joke about, Rogan. But... I admit, I’m curious too. Violence like that leaves scars, on both sides."
Julian swirled the glass in his hand, expression unreadable. "You all sound like gossiping old ladies."
Kevin chuckled. "Maybe. But come on, man. You’re always acting like the cool, and calm. We deserve at least one war story."
Julian finally set his glass down with a dull thud. "I’m not particularly interested in telling that story."
Rea, who had been unusually quiet until now, leaned forward with a grin. "You know, I’ve been just listening all this time... but now I’m curious too."
Julian’s eyes flicked toward him. "What’s so interesting about a guy beating up a bunch of bullies?"
Luke raised a hand, cutting in before Rea could press further. "Enough. It’s clear Julian doesn’t want to talk about it. Let’s not dig into things better left alone. We can discuss something else."
Rea slumped back in his chair with an exaggerated sigh, disappointment written all over his face. "Tch, and here I thought I’d finally hear a cool story...."
Kevin chuckled. "You’re just mad he won’t spill the good parts."
Rogan suddenly leaned toward Kevin, his grin mischievous. "So, Kevin... how’s your girl doing now that she’s been moved to another group?"
Kevin choked mid-sip and spat his drink out in shock, straight in Julian’s direction. But Julian was faster. With a flick of his hand, a ripple of shadow rose like a curtain, blocking the spray before it could touch him.
Kevin froze, realizing who he’d nearly drenched, and forced a crooked, embarrassed smile. "Uh... it’s not what you think. She’s not my girl!"
Julian lowered the shadow barrier, his eyes narrowing in that sharp, unreadable way of his.
Leighton laughed softly and shook his head. "Careful, Kevin. Keep staring at you like that and you’ll end up traumatized too."
Kevin winced, bowing his head. "S-sorry, Julian. I didn’t mean to—"
Julian cut him off with a flat, dangerous calm. "If you spit on me again, I’ll drown you in alcohol until you can’t crawl out."
Rea, already flushed from drinking, slammed his cup on the table and slurred with a grin. "Drown me instead! Sounds like a good way to go!"
The room went quiet. Everyone turned to stare at him, some with pity, others with mild horror.
Kevin sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Rogan’s the one who started with his ridiculous statement."
Rogan leaned back, feigning innocence. "What? It’s not?"
Kevin scowled, his ears turning red. "She’s not! Nia isn’t my girlfriend!"
Kevin huffed, running a hand through his hair. "Nia’s just a friend, that’s all."
Rea pointed at him, eyes gleaming with drunken mischief. "Then why’s your face turning red?"
Luke sipped his drink, voice calm but cutting. "Kevin, maybe you should be more honest with yourself."
Rogan slammed his mug down, laughing. "Exactly! Don’t deny it. I saw you sulking when she got moved, like your whole world collapsed. You looked like a man mourning the end of days... though, honestly, I wouldn’t know what that feels like."
Kevin’s jaw tightened, his flush deepening. "It wasn’t like that. I was just thinking about my group’s future, nothing more."
Julian’s gaze settled on Rogan, who had gotten far too expressive while meddling in other people’s love lives. The corner of Julian’s mouth twitched slightly, amusement and mild exasperation mixing in his sharp stare.
Luke leaned forward, voice gentle but teasing. "Come on, Kevin. You need to accept your feelings and just confess already. Don’t leave the girl waiting."
The room fell silent for a beat. Everyone turned their eyes to Luke, each one giving him a mental side-eye. "Look in a mirror first, will you?" they thought simultaneously.
Rea waved a hand dismissively. "Luke, maybe you should just stay quiet."
Luke blinked, genuinely confused. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Julian’s gaze shifted to Kevin. "So... the problem still isn’t resolved?"
Kevin ran a hand through his hair, a little tense. "I’m giving Nia time. She hasn’t communicated with me yet, so I’m waiting."
Rogan leaned back, smirking. "Maybe she’s already forgotten about you."
Kevin opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, the sound of a door creaking open silenced the entire room.
Rea glanced toward the entrance. "The shop’s closed... we can’t—"
A familiar figure stepped inside. Kevin’s eyes widened instantly. "Nia? Why are you here?"
Nia walked closer, her expression calm. "Am I disturbing anything?"
Kevin shook his head quickly. "No, not at all."
"I just wanted to talk with you," Nia said softly, turning her gaze to him. Kevin’s shoulders relaxed immediately. "Sure."
Then Nia glanced around at everyone else, a playful tilt to her head. "Is it alright if I step over to Kevin first?"