"What the f*ck did you just say?!?" Tyler grew furious. Some random guy was insulting him out of nowhere.
"The truth is you were a mistake. Your birth certificate was an apology letter from the condom factory!"
Tyler's face turned red with embarrassment and anger.
Ben might have been reserved, but he was damn good at cursing. Even the system praised his video game trash talking when it first described his communication stat. At least, that's how he saw it.
Ben looked at Tyler's bulging stomach. "From the looks of it. You'll be needing another birth certificate."
*Ptuu!* Tyler's friend spit out his Gatorade on some girl running on a nearby treadmill. He laughed uncontrollably and the scene descended into chaos!
Tyler almost fumed from his ears! His arm shook as he pointed at Ben while searching for a comeback.
Ben continued gazing at Tyler's mid-section. "Not pregnant? Then you'll be needing a girth certificate."
*Bam!* A guy broke into laughter while sprinting on a treadmill and got flung off. Most of the gym-goers nearby exploded into laughter, staring at Tyler!
Tyler couldn't hold back anymore! He lunged at Ben and swung a haymaker! Despite Ben not having fought in many years, he found it too easy to dodge this fat, slow, hungover slob. He was already short so he side-stepped it.
Pulled by the momentum of his wild swing, Tyler stumbled forward until crashing headfirst into a rack of weights! One of the heavier weights fell onto his foot! "Ahhh!"
Ben glanced at Tyler's friend who was still recovering from his laughter. He put his hands up in a nonchalant manner, showing no intention of joining the scuffle. It wasn't too surprising. Everyone here only knew each other for under two weeks so no one was close yet.
Ben walked up to Tyler who was still on the ground holding his foot. "Tyler, say it. Who's your daddy?"
Tyler glimpsed up at Ben. 'That hair…' At last, he realized Ben's identity. "It's you…"
"Good answer."
Tyler wanted to cough blood!
Ben never expected Tyler to hold up his end of the bet. It was enough that he had an excuse to humiliate him. When people bullied Ben, he didn't stand up for himself in the past, but it wasn't because fighting scared him, but that he didn't see a way to win. With his recent physical changes and his system, he had weapons now. So why should he allow others to bully him?
Feeling he had shamed Tyler enough, Ben went back to his dorm room. As he walked through the hallway of his floor, a door to the side opened, and a girl backed out of it carrying a stack of papers. She was in a rush. She didn't notice the silent Ben right outside her door. As a result, she bumped into him. The collision had knocked her doc.u.ments out of her hand and scattered them in the air.
As the papers floated in the hallway like clouds, the two of them locked eyes.
Ben stopped breathing at that moment.
Her clear eyes seemed focused and persistent, like they gazed at the future as much as the present. Her long black hair hung down her chest, blending into her professional dark skirt. High cheekbones accented her small pink lips, now forming an O from the surprise of the collision.
When the doc.u.ments reached the ground, they both snapped out of it. "Oh…" the girl cried as she began collecting the papers. Benjamin knelt down and helped her, stealing the occasional glance at this diligent beauty.
She blinked for a few seconds as if recalling something, then looked up at him, "Benjamin Romero-san?" the girl asked in a sweet but restrained voice with what sounded to Ben like a Japanese accent
Ben's eyebrows raised. "That's me."
She followed up. "We haven't met yet. I'm your R.A. I came by your room several times, but your dormmate Fariq-san said you were at the gym or in class..."
"R.A.?"
"Resident Assistant. I'm a grad student, but I get free-housing by working here to help undergrads with any issues. Every floor has one. I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Miyuki Saito." She held out her hand as she continued stacking the papers with the other, showing how much of a rush she was in.
Ben shook her hand, noticing how polite she was. 'Now that I look at her, she seems a bit older, around early 20s…'
"Oh…" Miyuki made that cute sound again as she remembered something. "I apologize for not tearing down those awful flyers faster."
It took Ben a few seconds to realize that she must've been the one who took them all down when he first entered the dorm.
Miyuki continued. "Although…I don't get it. 'Burrito king?' You look like you don't even eat burritos." She gazed at Ben's muscular arms as her cheeks became red.
"Oh, that...that was a misunderstanding. It was...a Mexican delivery side-business I was trying." Ben said with a straight face. 'Who's to say it wasn't? Fariq thought so. Maybe she will too.'
"Oh…side-business." She nodded her head.
'Thank you Fariq, you angel!' Ben lucked out with his roommate.
Miyuki stopped collecting her papers, realizing something. "Then…I ruined your business?" Her face turned pale, then she bowed. "Gomen-nasai!"
Ben's eyes widened. He lifted her up by her exposed upper arms. Her face went from white to red in the blink of an eye. "It's nothing. You can buy me a drink." Ben didn't know where that came from. After getting into good shape and owning Tyler, his confidence was growing.
"You cannot drink here Benjamin-san. It's not allowed. You are not 21. One of my duties here is to keep an eye out for underage drinking." She looked at him with a stern face like it was a life or death issue.
"Not even sake?"
"Not even sake, Benjamin-san." Miyuki looked down at her watch and realized how late she was running. She collected the rest of her papers. Then she said goodbye to Ben and ran to the elevator.
Ben watched her leave. 'A Japanese cutie with R.A. duty…'