ASH was startled when he heard that. He glanced at the two people sitting on the table. One had red hair and freckles and the other had silvery light blue hair and pale white skin. Although he was quite shock that one of the two was actually Astrid, he couldn't help but give the latter one a double look.
The other just looked too familiar. As if he had seen him somewhere. And then, as if his brain was giving him the answer, he remembered when he met with Reas and the others at that piano lounge. When he just got out of the elevator, he passed by someone. The other was about to enter the elevator as he left.
That fleeting moment probably left quite an impression on him. That's why it was easy for him to remember where he had seen the other. Now wonder the guy felt familiar.
Wait- then wouldn't this mean that the freckled guy was actually Astrid?
Because of the amazement he felt, he totally forgot about Reas and walked towards the table. He sat on the seat in front of Astrid and said in amazement;
"Wow. Astrid. Is that just from make-up? Or is there a new technology I didn't know about that could change people's perception?"
Astrid chuckled at Ash's overreaction. "It's just make-up and hair dye."
Ash gave him a thumbs-up. "If you ever think of retiring as an actor, I think you can be successful as a make-up artist."
Astrid only laughed at that. "But why did you suddenly pull Reas earlier?"
"Ah... haha..." Ash scratched his cheek, not sure how he should answer.
"It's nothing. This guy just asked me something nonsensical," Reas said as he sat beside Ash. "Don't ask what it was because it might just lower your IQ."
Ash punched Reas' shoulder jokingly. "Hey, don't make me look like a fool in front of your brother and his friend."
Reas only gave the other a look as if saying 'you're already doing that on your own'.
Astrid shook his head and was once again glad that his brother had such a friend. Once the two graduated and both became soldiers, at least someone would be there to have his brother's back.
"By the way, this is my friend, Snow," he said, introducing Snow to Ash. "And Snow, this is my brother's friend and roommate, Ash."
Ash was startled when he heard the name 'Snow'. Then, he laughed inwardly. It's not like the name 'Snow' was very uncommon. It's natural to find and meet people with the sane name.
He turned his gaze to the young man sitting beside Astrid. The other didn't have any expression on his face. No, more accurately, the guy was staring at him coldly as if he didn't want anything to do with him.
Did he do something to annoy the other without his knowledge? No, how could that be possible when it hadn't even been 10 minutes since they met? Wait- did this guy hear what he and Reas talked about earlier that's why he's looking at him like that? Because he didn't like the idea of him being on a blind date with Astrid?
Ash shook his head. No, he shouldn't jump to conclusion like this. What if the other just had a resting bitch face? Wouldn't it be bad if he judged the other like this only to be proven wrong later?
So, in a very Ash-like fashion, he gave the other a friendly grin. "Hi! I'm Assil Brewer. Everyone calls me 'Ash'. Please, feel free to do so as well."
"We're not too familiar with each other, so I'd rather not," the other said in a voice that seemed like it could freeze anyone because of how cold it was.
Ash blinked. [He definitely hates me, right?]
-----
After drinking coffee, the four decided to go an arcade to play some games. The one they went to was not an ordinary arcade, but an arcade that featured games from Earth millenniums ago. So, everything was very... analog? At least if one compared it to the games available in this era.
Astrid felt very nostalgic seeing all the games in the arcade. It's like he suddenly time travelled and returned to the 21st century. He didn't know that there was actually a place like this here in the capital.
Ash was the one who suggested this place. The moment Astrid heard what kind of arcade it was, he readily agreed. Not because he wanted to play games, but mostly because he wanted to see if the place would really resemble the arcade he remembered.
And thankfully, it did.
He picked a game that was similar to Mario. From the plumber with a big moustache to the gameplay, everything was almost identical to the beloved game. It's just a shame that the iconic soundtrack was missing. Even the sound when fake Mario was hitting something with his head was completely different.
Because of that, he gave up midway and decided to choose another game.
As he did, he saw Reas shooting balls on the basketball game. The other's points were already in the hundreds. When he glanced on the other side, Ash and Snow were both on shooting game area.
He raised his brow seeing the two standing side by side. It was because of how Snow acted towards Ash from the moment they met. It was like a cold wind was blowing from Snow every time Ash tried to talk to him. It was... very unusual.
He knew that Snow was not the type to warm up to people easily. It did not help that he always had this cold demeanour. But he had never shown his dislike towards someone this blatantly before.
Of was it truly 'dislike' and not something else?
Astrid still remembered how the other flinch when Ash's name earlier at the cafe. Was that just a coincidence or was there something more to it?
When he was finally close enough to the two to hear their conversation, if they were even talking, the first thing he heard was Ash asking;
"Do you have a problem with me?"
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