We decided to retreat from our recruitment efforts for a while and have lunch. As we sat down at a table in a small tavern, the aroma of freshly cooked stew and baked bread wafting around us, Sera rounded on me, her violet eyes blazing.
She slammed her palms on the wooden table, leaning forward to point a finger at me. "It's all your fault!" she accused, her voice filled with frustration. "Nobody wants to join our team because you're F-tier!"
I leaned back in my seat, raising my hands in surrender. "Now, Sera," I began, trying to hide a grin, "we agreed that you'd do the asking, remember?"
"That doesn't change the fact that you're the reason we're being rejected!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You could at least pretend to be more competent!"
"I could," I agreed, much to her surprise. "But where's the fun in that?"
She looked at me incredulously, her mouth opening and closing in search of words. "Fun? FUN?" she repeated, throwing her hands in the air. "This isn't some game, Chang! This is about survival! About... about revenge!"
"I know," I replied calmly, meeting her frustrated gaze with a softer one. "But the fact that I'm F-tier doesn't change the fact that you're a capable adventurer, Sera. You don't need a team of 'decent' people. You need a team that sees your worth and respects you for who you are, not for who's leading the team."
She fell silent, staring at me as if seeing me for the first time. Then, slowly, she sighed and sunk back into her seat. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?" she muttered, her gaze moving to the table. But, for the first time that day, I saw a faint smile cross her lips. "A real piece of work..."
"Well," I started, wiping my mouth with a piece of cloth after the last bite of the tavern's hearty stew, "I'm afraid you'll have to pick up the bill this time, Sera."
Her fork froze midway to her mouth, and slowly, she placed it back onto her plate. "What?!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening, and then narrowing into a fiery glare. "You can't be serious!"
"But I am," I countered, casually leaning back in my chair. "Remember, I'm the noob adventurer with an overall power of 5."
She seethed across the table, her eyes flickering between me and the untouched stew in front of her. "So, I am supposed to pay for you because you're playing pretend?!"
I couldn't help but chuckle at her indignant tone. "Isn't that usually how it works?"
"That's... You're..." She stuttered, struggling to find her words. I watched as her face turned several shades of red, her usual cool demeanor crumbling. It was... entertaining, to say the least.
"Incredibly frustrating?" I supplied, grinning broadly at her. "I know. I've been told that before."
"Fine!" she finally huffed, withdrawing a small pouch from her pocket. Coins clinked as she thumbed through them, her cheeks still flushed. "But this doesn't mean I'm your...your...your sugar mama! Do you understand?"
I threw my head back and laughed, the sound echoing in the nearly empty tavern. "Of course not, Sera. That wouldn't be very 'noob' of me, would it?"
"I swear one day, I will drain every last drop of blood from you with my blood magic!..." Her glare could've set the wooden table on fire, but it only made me laugh harder.
Q: What's your usual lunch?