"My brother said that?!"
Nisha exclaimed with her eyes sparkling brightly after hearing the story about how Alec and the others discovered Raven’s relationship with Keara and Ruby.
Her small hands clenched into fists on top of the table, showing just how excited she was about the tale she just heard.
"Yeah, he really went and said it without a hint of hesitation!"
Blake replied immediately, nodding several times as if to emphasize how serious he was. His grin widened as he recalled the memory, and his voice carried both amusement and admiration still.
Blake then trailed off for a moment, lowering his tone as though preparing himself to act it out properly.
He slowly stood up from his seat, brushing some crumbs from his lap, and positioned himself with an air of confidence.
And after that, he pointed somewhere randomly across the street, his finger stiff and firm as though he were declaring something monumental.
And with a deep frown on his face, imitating Raven’s aura and mannerisms as much as possible— Blake spoke in a low but commanding tone.
"She’s already taken."
Blake muttered the line.
His voice tried to mirror Raven’s steady and unshakable one, and for a brief moment, it actually carried a bit of that same intensity.
Nisha squealed so loudly that a few people in nearby tables turned to look. She clasped both of her cheeks with her hands, her face full of admiration.
"He’s just like a knight I read in fairytales!"
Then she said, her voice high with excitement.
"Yeah! He looked so cool when he declared that Miss Keara belongs to him!"
And Adelle responded to Nisha with the same energy, her own smile stretching wide as she remembered the moment.
On the other hand, looking at the three of them having fun gossiping and getting carried away by Raven’s story...
"I’m still getting secondhand embarrassment whenever I think about what happened that time."
Aoi mumbled in a low voice, her cheeks faintly red as the memory replayed in her mind. She shifted her gaze away, unable to look directly at them while recalling Raven’s boldness.
And hearing Aoi’s statement...
Eve agreed right after, then Alec just scratched the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly, caught between amusement and embarrassment.
Then Curtis declared bluntly, his tone as flat as ever, like it was simply a fact.
"You’re not the one to talk, Curtis."
Eve quickly and casually shot back at him, a straight look on her face.
Curtis was about to say something else, probably to defend himself, but once again Nisha squealed so loudly that his words were cut off before he could finish.
Alec, Aoi, Eve, and Curtis all turned their eyes toward her in curiosity.
"What did you guys tell her just now?"
Then Alec asked Adelle, raising one eyebrow as he tried to piece together why Nisha had suddenly reacted like that again.
Adelle looked at him, then she opened her mouth casually, not even trying to hide it.
"About when Miss Ruby kissed Raven on the cheek."
Adelle answered, her lips curling into a mischievous grin.
"You’re both dead when Raven discovers about this."
Alec said with a worried expression on his face, his voice hushed but his concern clear.
"Oh, come on, Raven would probably not care about it that much."
And Adelle replied in a carefree manner, waving her hand dismissively as if she really believed it was no big deal.
But it was then, they suddenly heard Raven’s voice!
Everyone froze in shock, their bodies stiffening as not a single one of them noticed his approach!
Nisha, Adelle, and the others immediately snapped their heads in the direction of the voice.
And then they saw Raven standing there, holding a big serving of milk custard with both of his hands! The sweet dessert’s golden-brown caramel shimmered under the light, its scent subtly drifting through the air.
(Milk custard is an egg-based custard with caramel sauce. It contains evaporated milk, condensed milk, and mostly egg yolks.)
"Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
Raven asked, a small frown creasing his forehead.
His sharp gaze swept across their faces, catching the traces of panic and nervousness.
"It looks like you guys saw a ghost, to be honest."
Then he added, his tone carrying a touch of dry amusement.
After that, Raven calmly walked back to his seat and sat down beside Nisha as though nothing was wrong.
Then he turned to her directly.
"Sorry, ordering this took me longer than I expected."
Raven said to Nisha as he carefully placed the milk custard in the middle of the table. The custard was so large it almost looked like a cake.
"It’s okay, these sisters and brothers told me a lot of stories so I wasn’t lonely nor bored at all!"
Then, Nisha exclaimed happily, her little finger pointing at Blake and the others.
And at her words, Raven softened a little, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Oh, that’s good then. What stories did they tell you?"
Then he asked, leaning slightly closer to hear her better.
And hearing Raven’s question, Blake unconsciously let out a nervous groan, his shoulders stiffening.
Though Raven didn’t notice that, he was too focused on his little sister’s reaction.
"Oh god... We’re in trouble."
Adelle whispered to Alec and the others, her face scrunching a little as she was already imagining Raven’s next reaction.
"You guys are, I didn’t tell her anything."
Then Eve and Aoi responded quickly, distancing themselves from the mess.
"I barely told her anything, so I’m safe... Probably."
Alec mumbled under his breath, though the uncertainty was obvious in his tone.
Meanwhile, Curtis and Blake just stayed silent. Curtis looked calm as if nothing concerned him, but Blake was visibly nervous, his foot tapping lightly under the table.
"Raven wouldn’t destroy my social life or anything like that because of what I told Nisha, right?"
Blake whispered nervously, half to himself and half to the group.
But he received no answer at all, which only made him sweat even more.
"Oh, they told me stories about you!"
And it was then that Nisha cheerfully replied to Raven’s earlier question, her bright eyes shining as she grinned from ear to ear.
Raven muttered, a frown forming again as he looked directly at Blake and the others with sharp suspicion.
"What kind of stories about me?"
Raven asked, his voice calm but heavy.
Nisha immediately opened her mouth.
"It’s a secret, hehe."
Then she answered, giggling as she playfully tapped her lips with her finger.
And at her answer, Blake, Alec, and Adelle grew even more nervous, their faces twitching.
On the other hand, Raven just studied Nisha’s happy face for a long moment. She was beaming so brightly that his suspicion softened.
"Fine, I wouldn’t pry about it."
So in the end, he decided to let the matter slide.
Which made both Blake and Adelle breathe out in visible relief, their shoulders dropping as the tension left their bodies.
’I bet Blake and Adelle told Nisha something that will probably annoy me.’
’I’ll just ask them personally later about it.’
Raven thought silently to himself.
"Anyway, let’s all eat."
Then he stated firmly as he pointed at the milk custard sitting like a prize in the middle of the table.
"I bought it for everyone."
"And if you want more, you can order some more, my treat."
He casually added without concern.
Nisha and the others responded positively, their faces brightening immediately. Without hesitation, they each grabbed a spoon and started digging in.
And while that was happening...
’Hmm, now that everyone is eating, Nisha will probably not notice me only taking a small portion.’
’So it was the right decision to buy something sweet and share it with everyone instead of ordering my own plate.’
’I also made sure to buy this custard from the cleanest-looking stall around, so eating a little bit from it isn’t a problem for me.’
These were the thoughts running in Raven’s head as he quietly took a small bite for himself.
And with that, the group enjoyed their dessert together.
Raven started eating too.
Still the same day, 4:20 PM.
"See you on Monday, Raven!"
Adelle exclaimed while she’s waving her hand goodbye.
Then Raven replied as he wave back to her and the others.
"Goodbye sisters, brothers, it was nice meeting you!"
And it was then, Nisha, who’s getting carried by Raven, exclaimed with a big smile on her face.
"Bye Nisha, see you later!"
Adelle exclaimed back to her.
Alec, Blake, Curtis, Aoi, and Eve already said their goodbyes earlier to Raven and Nisha.
They also thanked Raven for treating them.
(They ordered four more big servings of milk custard after the first one, and each one of them surprisingly cost 10,000 Zeals!)
Anyway, with all of that—
They all went their separate ways.
Alec, Curtis, Aoi, and Blake went back to the Lunar.
While Eve, Raven, Nisha and Adelle went back to their homes.
The day before Raven and the others enter one of Lunar’s private dungeons.
Raven didn’t do much this day.
He already prepared all of the things he will bring inside the dungeon after all.
So after doing his daily morning training, he spent the rest of the day together with his family.
He also checked after Ruby, Keara, and Levina by calling them from time to time.
On the other hand, Alec and Curtis met each other in the academy.
And then they decided to train all day by sparring against each other several times!
Then later on, they called Blake and he joined them!
So they did a three-way sparring!
Now going to the girls—
Eve is actually quite nervous because she doesn’t really have a real life experience of going inside a dungeon unattended by adults.
And what else, she and the others would stay inside of the dungeon for a week!
So to calm herself, she read novels after preparing everything she thinks she will need.
Meanwhile, Adelle is trying to increase her proficiency in healing magic and buff magic in her private training room in their house.
She doesn’t know what to prepare so she asked Raven for advice.
Adelle just thought that if it’s Raven, he would probably know.
And when Raven sent her a reply, Adelle immediately asked her parents to help her prepare.
Then Aoi, she’s on her own in one of the training rooms in Lunar.
She’s practicing her shooting skill in silence while also increasing her concentration.
She texted her mother too when it was late at night, informing her that she would enter a dungeon.
And Aoi didn’t wait for a reply as she’s already exhausted so she started sleeping to refill her energy for tomorrow.
And with all of that...
Monday finally arrived.
And Raven, Alec, Curtis, Eve, Aoi, Blake, and Adelle met in front of [Eden].