Food Vibes. What a strange name.

The restaurant was nearly as large as an inn. It stood out around its neighbors with its blue colored bricks. And unlike all its neighboring buildings, it also had a small line leading from the entrance.

Ashley bypassed the small line outside, heading inside, straight to the podium, where she received odd looks from the people in line. Some were filled with envy, others lust, mostly from the guys. One gentleman even got hit in the arm for looking too long from his partner. Kai chuckled to himself silently while following behind Ashley and Akane.

“Greetings– Ahh. Lady Ashley, A pleasure to see you again.” A well-dressed man in black plants and a white button up stepped out from behind the podium, performing an impeccable bow.

“Hey Marty, good to see you,” she flashed a smile to the young man.

His cheeks colored red for a moment before he turned back to the podium and rang a silent bell. A moment later, another individual similarly dressed arrived prompting them to follow. Kai followed them through the restaurant where he received looks of jealousy. The three were seated in a private room, with menus placed in front of them. Kai watched the staff give a curt bow before leaving the room and closing the sliding doors. A small hum began once the doors closed, making the sound outside of the room noticeably softer.

Ashley smiled, “We can talk privately now.”

Akane leaned over the tables edge, scanning the menu. She was downright salivating, a little drool leaking out before she wiped it away with her front leg. Seeing Akane’s look, Kai had a premonition that his coin pouch would endure a tribulation soon.

Ashley and Kai kept silent as they looked on in wonder. The fox finished reading the menu shortly after, looking up she noticed the two had been staring at her. Instead of looking embarrassed, Akane patted her paw against her closed menu, signal the two to look at theirs.

“I didn’t know she could read...” Ashley appeared at a loss.

Kai did the only thing he could think of. Shrugged. He had no idea either if he was being honest.

They shared a look of bemusement before they opened their own menus. Menu opened; Kai’s eyes bulged out. What caught his eye first was the prices. Kai could feed himself for a month for the prices of one of these meals, maybe even multiple months with some food items being obscenely expensive. He sneakily glanced at Akane who was still drooling with her eyes closed, likely imagining all the delicious food she was about to eat.

There were quite a few exotic dishes that he had never heard of, including slime cores and flying snake. He didn’t know what slime cores were, but it sounded disgusting.

A waiter appeared shortly taking their order. The woman didn’t even blink when Akane began pointing to different items across the menu. She would repeat them aloud, looking for confirmation from Akane that it was the food item she wanted. Kai’s heart sank with every additional item added.

Ashley looked amused more than anything. They hadn’t discussed how they would pay, but Kai would pay for all three of them although this was not a date. The warden had given him one of the coin pouches belonged to the men he arrested. He hadn’t checked the contents yet but was positive he would be able to afford this meal, he hoped.

Kai remained quiet, waiting for Ashley to speak first. He was a little uncomfortable with the situation but was doing his best to remain in control.

Ashley stared at the young man before her. He was an enigma she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Most of the time he was broody, observant, and quiet, while at other times he could be expressive or cheery when he was with what few friends he had. Unfortunately, his guard was up as he quietly observed her now. Her usual tricks didn’t work on the young man.

She knew she looked breathtaking. If the number of guys and girls turning their heads as she walked by was any way to gauge it, she was looking quite eye catching today. Her sundress showed a bit of skin, just enough to give rise to the imagination of those hopeful lusty few.

Her counterpart looked quite different from her. His tunic was plain and looked cheaply made. Very out of place for a restaurant like this, but he wore it without a care, seemingly ignoring all the stares he received walking in. It made her curious how he could afford the schools tuition. It was expensive for sure but not so much that nobility throughout the kingdom couldn’t afford it.

She hadn’t found out anything about his family, despite her digging. A mysterious father who vanished as quickly as he appeared. His transcripts stated he was from a Kitsune Village, a place no one had any clue about the location. The only certainty she could dig up was that his brother had attended the academy 8 years prior and had performed exceptionally well for a commoner with little to no background, catching the attention of many nobilities throughout the kingdom. The family was filled with secrets for sure.

Strangely, she had come to like Kai, perhaps even more than she thought. It was odd to meet someone who didn’t lust after her or try to get closer to her to because of her grandfather’s power. Now the question was, what did he think of her?

She sent him a disarming smile. Nothing. His striking blue eyes didn’t even blink.

“How are the boots doing?” she questioned, trying to get him to open up or even smile.

“Good,” he responded without changing his expression.

Ashley pouted. “You’re not a fun date.”

“This is not a date,” he repeated with a hint of amusement.

“You know most people would kill to be in your position,” she said, pointing a finger at him.

“I’m sure we passed a few dozen that thought about it.”

A joke that’s a good sign.

“You choose me,” he said suddenly. His were eyes playful, but his words held other meanings.

It was an accusation.

Ashley stretched her arms in front of her, the sundress shifting with her movement. “Hey, meeting you today was purely coincidental.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” he accused, his eyes dipped low for a split second before returning to her eyes.

Her eyes bored into his. Ahh, Kai. I caught you there.

His cheeks pinked for a few seconds knowing he had been caught.

“Maybe you’re not as resistant to my charm as I thought,” she winked at him.

He scowled. “Why’d you’d do it?”

“Do what?” She kept playing the game of cat and mouse with him.

He sighed. “Would it kill you to be upfront with me? I want to know why you singled me out at the beginning of the year.”

“Would you believe me if I said it was because you’re different than the others?”

Something passed through his eyes, she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. Deciding, she wouldn’t tell him the truth, She couldn’t. But maybe he would accept a different answer.

“As you know I’m soul mage,” she waited for him to nod. “One of the abilities I received when I got my magic is called soul vision. It is exactly as it sounds. I can see people’s souls. Makes for finding monsters or people easy. Although there are ways to hide or disguise it from what I’ve been told. In any case, while playing around in melee tactics, to my astonishment your soul was different than all the other students.”

Kai was frozen, wide eyes staring at her. There was even a little bit of fear in his eyes. Does she mean soul presence? Can she tell my soul doesn’t match someone in the foundation realm? It wasn’t something he had often thought about, but soul presence 4 had been the only skill to transfer over from his old life.

After half a minute he finally spoke, “different how?”

Ashley shook her head. “Nope, I already shared one secret now it’s your turn.”

“A secret...” he mumbled. He looked thoughtful. His eyes turned to Akane ever so slightly, before looking up. A hint of anger passed through his eyes before it vanished. “Fine. I have a life and death enmity with someone,” he said simply.

Ashley’s eyes widened. “What!” she half yelled. She covered her mouth and looked around, but then remembered the enchantments were in place to block the sound going outside of the room.

A knock on the enchanted doors halted further questions. A second later they opened revealing a few waiters bringing trays of food in, placing them on the table. Both Ashley and Kai each had one plate placed in front of them, while Akane had eight. There were stars in her eyes, a small puddle of drool had fallen onto the floor below as she stared blatant like a ravenous beast that hasn’t eaten in weeks. Only Ashley was pretty sure the little monster ate this morning, as she caused a commotion as she always does at the cafeteria. Students had begun betting on how much the little fox would eat during a single meal.

Ashley stealthily activated her soul vision, making her eyes glow lightly. She peered at the unusual fox, examining her soul. In the center of the fox’s chest a small white vaporous orb sat there. Ordinary would be the way to describe it. All souls were different in size, shape, and color, but the most commonly seen were white orbs. The only true difference in souls was their strength or presence, which was dependent on their magical realm. Basically, Akane’s soul looked like the generic version of a Foundation realm individual.

Pausing in her eating for a moment, Akane looked into her eyes. The fox gave her a toothy smile before she resumed her gluttonous feast. It was the knowing smirk that set Ashley’s chest cold. She put it out of her mind for the moment as she peeked at Kai who had settled down, eating as he sent occasionally horrified glances at the fox.

Breaking the silence now that the staff had left, “Who is it you have a life and death grudge with?” She was too curious not to ask.

He looked at her oddly. “I won’t tell you.”

“I promise I won’t tell,” she said sweetly, giving her best puppy dog look that always worked on her grandfather. She really wanted to know.

He just shook his head determined.

She sighed giving up. Stubborn was the first thought that came to her mind. Not that she blamed him, giving up secrets about yourself was no easy task, even with someone you trust or loved, let alone a stranger. Despite her attempts to grow closer, Kai remained vigilant of her. No, more like he’s just determined and obstinate. Maybe I came on too strong when we first met.

“Are you sure you’re not a noble? Sometimes you are so dreadfully dull like them.”

Kai gave her a deadpanned stare. “I’m not always like this. When I’m around my family or friends I’m able to relax more. When I’m around you I feel my guard come up. Perhaps it’s because you want something...” he was giving her a chance to spill the beans.

Ashley coughed lightly, choking a little on her food. Well, it’s not like I was subtle I suppose...

“You know I’m not technically a noble either,” she said, changing the subject.

“I’m aware of your status,” he said, his eyes flicked with amusement, obviously not missing the fact that she changed the subject.

“Well just like the nobility of this kingdom, my status is only good here in the Ashbourne Kingdom. Outside in a different kingdom, empire, state, whatever, it means nothing. As other places don’t do this backwards feudal system. The only thing that remains the same is that I have a powerful, influential grandfather.”

“You know it works like that for most nobles, their raised status doesn’t mean jack elsewhere.”

Ashley wilted. “That’s not what I meant,” she muttered.

“... I get it. Are you trying to say that we aren’t so different?” he said flatly.

“Yes!” she said excitedly. He gets it after all.

“No, we’re quite different Ashley,” he refuted.

Gosh, why is it so hard talking to him. She squeezed her eyes, a small headache forming.

“What I was trying to say,” she emphasized, “Is that I will be leaving the Ashbourne Kingdom for good shortly.”

“Why? When?” he asked, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Tomorrow.” She looked down to her plate. “My grandfather has finally concluded his business here. I’ll no longer be enjoying special privileges anymore.” She pointed her fork at him. “So, I won’t be there to save you either.”

“Honestly. That is unexpected news.” He appeared contemplative, maybe even concerned.

Does he actually care about me? Or is this all just faux sentiments?

“Tell me about it. I was only informed a few days ago,” she mumbled grumpily.

“Where will you be going?” he asked.

“Titan Prime. I don’t know the specifics yet, but I’ll be going to one of the Prime Academies there.”

Kai perked up at that. “Congratulations,” he said. “You don’t look happy about it though,” he pointed out.

Ashley couldn’t help it. It was such a sudden decision, and her grandfather wouldn’t change his mind. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. She had many friends in this kingdom, people she had known her entire life

“Perhaps I will see you on Titan Prime then,” Kai said, making her head shoot up.

“What do you mean?”

He looked uncomfortable. “Don’t go spreading this around. I haven’t told anyone else yet. But, if I’m able to win first place in the end of year tournament, my father will help me attend school at the Prime Academies.”

Ashley gave him a critical looked over.

[Human – Foundation Level 46]

He was nearly 80 levels below Nicolas, and 60-70 levels below other top students. The fact that they had their birthdays earlier and thus had access to magic and were likely handheld or fed their levels until school started, was a severe advantage for those students. The power of additional stats, levels, and skills could not be discounted even with the rumor of Kai’s tenacity in battle. Underneath his composure there was a level of competitiveness even she admired. Her contacts told her that the enigmatic Kai could been seen training well into most evenings and with unending determination. Now that he admitted he had a life and death grudge, it made sense why he would train so much. She wondered how Kai’s father would even be able to afford school there, but that just added to his mystery.

Ashley smiled. “I hope to see you on Titan Prime then.”

He toasted her, taking a sip of his water.

As if on cue, the little fox decided to unleash a belch of epic proportion that only a combination of so many different foods could create. Ashley could swear the ground and table vibrated a little.

Water flew across the table, spit out like a cannon, as Kai could no longer contain his himself as he roared with laughter. Ashley as well nearly rolled out of her seat laughing at the pair.

The situation calmed down shortly after, the two having a desert, while Akane opted out of eating any to Kai’s visible relief.

When it came time to pay, Ashley was prepared to pay it all since she was the one who invited the two out. To her disbelief and Kai’s complete shock, Akane made coins appear in front of her. The exact amount with tip for the staff.

Snatching the fox, Kai begun shaking her like a piggybank. “Where are you keeping these coins. You know how much money I’ve spent on your food!”