The cafe Arabel had chosen was located on the ground floor of a large building and occupied only a small corner. Most of the seating was outdoors, and the smaller part was inside the cafe itself. There were other similar establishments in the building, as it was a large shopping mall.
Idan arrived half an hour earlier than the scheduled time. In his opinion, the cafe was no different from many other similar places. He didn't know why she chose this particular place, but he had nothing against this choice.
Half of the outdoor seats were already occupied.
Before entering, Idan went to a kiosk where glasses were sold. He chose some not too fancy glasses to suit his taste and bought them. After putting them on, he went to the cafe. He didn't want to be recognized as the younger brother of the Heroine of the Federation, and the glasses could at least slightly change his appearance.
As soon as Idan crossed the threshold of the establishment, he immediately turned to the staff and asked if there were any empty seats in a separate booth. Unfortunately, the answer was no: all the seats were occupied.
Idan wasn't surprised. He quickly booked a private booth for a certain time, which he hoped would be vacated by then. Finding an empty seat, he ordered tea and waited.
Meanwhile, Irene found a small place that overlooked the cafe where Idan was sitting. She took a seat and ordered coffee. She still couldn't figure out why her younger brother had come to this place.
While Idan was waiting, he thought a lot, and the time flew by unnoticed. Ten minutes before the appointed time, a stylishly dressed young girl with long red hair, whose face was hidden by a small hat, entered the cafe.
Idan immediately recognized Arabel in her and, rising from his seat, waved at her to get her attention. Arabel, noticing Idan, quickly approached him, took off her hat and smiled. Idan, fascinated by her smile, froze for a few seconds, mesmerized by her beauty.
Arabel, seeing him frozen, was pleased. What girl wouldn't be happy if a guy froze at the sight of her?
Gathering his thoughts, Idan invited Arabel to sit down and told her that he had taken a separate seat, which would soon be vacant. Arabel ordered regular water, and they waited in silence until a booth was vacated before starting a conversation.
Irene, who was waiting quietly in another establishment, noticed a girl with long red hair approaching Idan's table. She didn't recognize her at first, but as soon as Arabel took off her hat, Irene immediately recognized her as Arabel Morgan. Seeing her younger brother with her, Irene was stunned.
While she was in a state of shock from this discovery, a young man with red hair entered the establishment. He did not pay attention to those who were already inside.
All this time, Arslan's attention was focused on his older sister, who entered the cafe opposite and approached the young man. Arslan recognized Idan immediately and was just as surprised as Irene.
He silently sat down on an empty seat and watched the couple in disbelief. It wasn't until some time later, when the surprise had subsided a little, that he turned his attention to those around him.
Irene also came to her senses and noticed an acquaintance who entered the establishment and sat down at the table next to her. She looked intently at Arslan, and at that moment he also paid attention to her. Both were silent, not taking their eyes off each other.
The atmosphere between them began to heat up quickly.
"Damn it!" — Arslan swore softly.
He couldn't even imagine meeting Irene while following his older sister. He still couldn't forget how she had beaten him up because of his family's attempts to woo them. Although he wasn't involved in it himself, the people from his family annoyed Irene so much that she thought he was the one who sent them and stabbed him.
No matter how he tried to justify himself, she didn't believe him. And in this situation, he was sure that she would not even listen to his excuses, but would immediately use force.
Irene was furious. Previously, Morgan's family had been very annoying to her, and they had even tried to threaten her by involving his family members. She couldn't stand this kind of attitude. She had only her mother and younger brother left, and the attempts to threaten her and drag them into this farce were unbearable. She made it clear to the Morgan family what would happen if they raised their hand against them by beating up their only awakened one, whom they had pinned all their hopes on.
Irene, analyzing the events that took place between her and the Morgan family, came to the conclusion that they decided to use her younger brother to their advantage. To this end, they sent Arabel Morgan to manipulate her younger brother.
The situation between them escalated, and few visitors to the establishment paid attention to them. Recognizing them as the Heroes of the Federation, they started making noise and taking out their smartphones to take photos.
The sudden change in the situation brought Irene and Arslan to their senses, and they immediately decided to use their abilities. Irene closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they turned into purple-pink rotating spirals. Everyone who saw her eyes froze, and their eyes lost color, becoming white without pupils. Under her spell, all the visitors put away their smartphones and returned to their seats as if nothing had happened.
Arslan did not stay away. He created an invisible barrier around the establishment so that no one would notice what was going on inside. From the outside, it looked like nothing had changed.
Arslan shuddered slightly when he saw Irene's eyes. He still couldn't forget that look. Even he couldn't withstand her power. His abilities weren't designed to defend against such attacks, and her other abilities only increased his helplessness. If he found a way to counter this ability, he was sure he wouldn't be able to handle her other skills.
Irene, realizing the situation, closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them, and her gaze returned to its normal state. She looked at Arslan, then looked around the innards of the establishment, closely examining his sealing abilities.
Thanks to her skills, Irene could distract other people's attention and remain unnoticed. Arslan's appearance unsettled her, and she was noticed with him.
At that moment, both of them felt a strange force enter their bodies, and they clearly realized that their own abilities had weakened a little.
They both sighed heavily.
Arslan and Irene knew exactly what that meant. They had already expected this when they decided to use their powers against ordinary people.
Arslan got up from his seat, walked over to Irene's desk and sat down opposite her.
He decided to try to talk to her, explain his position and find out how her older sister and younger brother Irene were related to each other.
Irene decided to listen to his words before answering.
When Irene and Arslan finally started talking, Arabel and Idan had already taken the vacant booth.