Oh Mr General!

16. Stay With Me

The sandwich that Sato ordered came shortly after Gray's coffee. The two sat down quietly t as they drank and ate respectively. The whole scene felt rather awkward as the only noise that could be heard was the crunching that came about from the cucumber in the sandwich.

"Um how is your coffee, Mr Gray?" Sato broke the silence.

"It is normal. Also, when we are out of work, call me Gray."

"Ok, I will try." The silence came back again.

"How is your sandwich, Sato?" Gray asked as he was eating. He choked slightly as this was the first time his boss had called his name.

"G.. Good. It's delicious." Even though this was the cheapest food he could find, the cucumber egg sandwich was tasty. "Was it really ok for me to step in between your hangout with your friend?"

"Yes. It is alright. He is a burden after all."

"Ha? Why'd you say that?" Sato choked on his food.

"He made me leave my house to eat lunch with him." Sato laughed at his comment. Was his boss a secret Otaku? After that short exchange, the mood between the two had lightened up.

"Sato, where do you live right now?"

"I live in district 9, in the suburban area."

"District 9? Why did you not live in the university dorms?"

"Well, I wanted to save some money in case of emergency and not to my surprise, I was correct."

"Not to your surprise?" Gray nitpicked on his words.

"Well, I always have extremely bad luck when it comes to my lifestyle. When I had first entered university, my chosen course was changed due to technical errors. Thus, they had given me a different schedule, to which I followed through for a month before realizing I was working towards the whole goal. I had to change my course and start from square one, all by myself. Luckily, I made a friend, Ming who helped me during that time." Sato went on to tell Gray about the incident where he had experienced a major train breakdown and missed his lessons for the day. He also, on multiple occurrences, tripped on a person's leg and dropped his entire tray of food. Not to mention that, but Sato often receives notifications on lesson date changes late and would report to school to find out about it. Even the loss of his scholarship could certify how unlucky he was.

Hearing all of this, Gray laughed out loudly. This was the first time he had seen Gray laugh this heartily. His dimples were showing distinctly. Eyes creased into smiles. He looked like a model in an advertisement, perfect and flawless. Sato smiled, knowing that his bad luck had allowed him to see this scene.

"You really do have bad luck, Sato," Gray said. "Just like before."

"Before?"

"Ah no forget about what I said. Are you full of the sandwich?" Gray flustered and had changed the subject.

"Oh. To be honest, the sandwich was not enough for me. I'm a growing boy you know." Sato said it while patting his chest.

"Well, let me take you to have a proper meal then. Food's on me." With that, Gray waved for the waiter and paid for the food.

"Hey, I wanted to treat you to coffee. Also, I do not think it is appropriate for me to eat a meal for free." Sato stood up and was about to look for the waiter to pay. He was stopped by Gray.

"Sato, stay with me." Gray grabbed onto Sato's arm gently. It felt like he said it with a different

agenda.

"Okay." Sato heated up as he sat back down and looked at Gray who was coughing awkwardly.

The pair left to a different mall that was right beside the one they were previously in. The ambiance it gave off was totally different. When one first enters the glass sliding doors, you would be welcomed by the long stretching marble flooring that tapered the grounds of the mall eventually ending in the center. The center of the mall was a majestic indoor fountain that spanned 25 meters in diameter.

The craftsmanship in the design of the fountain was made by top-class sculptors in the Mediterranean. The sculptures depicted the scene of Poseidon riding his chariots that were pulled by sea-horses. His soldiers rode onwards beside him, with armor and weapons equipped. Poseidon had a serene face as if he had won a battle recently.

Sato stood there and admired the fountain, while Gray admired him. The young man's fanaticism over art made his face glow brightly as he examined even the smallest details of the fountain. He continued to talk out loud and Gray just stood beside him, listening to his excited voice. The two looked like a prince being followed behind by his loyal subordinate.

Gray led the reluctant Sato away towards the top floor of this high-end mall. The reason why Sato never knew about such a wonderful fountain was just because he had never felt like he rightfully belonged in here. The shopping area was filled with high-end clothing brands that were all priced 4 digits and up. In addition, the restaurants here are only those that have a minimum of 1 Michelin star. And now, his boss is bringing him here for a meal?

Eventually, they reached the top floor of the mall that had a spectacular view of the ceiling top. It was that of Zeus looking down at Poseidon from above. He had his loyal subordinates by his side as he was watching the victory keenly. As Sato sat down in the Italian 2 Michelin starred restaurant, he couldn't help but admire the art piece again.

"Shouldn't you order something for yourself first?" said Gray amusingly. This was a side of Sato that he found interesting.

"Yeah. Yeah." Sato glanced at the menu, to which his eyebrows and forehead creased into a frown. It was all in Italian. He looked at Gray pleadingly. "How about you order for the both of us, Gray?"

"Alright." Gray smiled as he looked at Sato adoringly. Calling for the nearby waiter, Gray ordered several dishes that were unknown to Sato. Sato, on the other hand, went back to admiring the painting on the ceiling. A waitress could not help, but take a picture of the duo. It was of Gray looking at the Sato with adoration. His eyes never peeled away from the young man, while Sato was obviously clueless about this. It felt like Romeo was peering and admiring Juliet from a distance.