Chapter 55: Bonus - : Uninvited Guests (I)
This bonus is for 5k stones.
Next one at 7.5k.
Good luck.
...
In that sea of envious and greed-filled green, John easily found the burning red matching the chowder. It was a waiter who moved through the party members with a practiced smile but very sharp, mocking eyes.
The problem was that he wasn’t the only one.
There was one beside the gate that led to the corridor connecting to the kitchen, another sneaking about the gate to the lower floor, and a few that were bringing the food trays teeming with red energy, barely holding back a smirk as the guests ate them.
Normally, John would try to keep to himself, but these guys had messed with his food. Still, beating them up would cause too much of a scene.
’Well, guess I’ll just tell Harry about it.’
But before he could call the host of the party to himself with a handwave, someone else stopped beside him.
"You noticed them too, huh? Impressive." It was a woman about his age; she was in a white suit with a crisp blue shirt with the top buttons undone. But the thing that caught his eye was the white Katana in her hands.
"Colleen Wing, Freshman at Columbia University. You are John Grayson, right?" She smiled, matching his gaze.
Now, what did this chick right out of Kill Bill want from him?
Jokes aside, it was quite the shock to see Colleen Wing in the flesh. There were things that only those who have trained in martial arts would understand. And the Hanma bloodline, which stood at the pinnacle of potential when martial arts was considered, could see much more hidden behind the pretty face.
A lot of guests at the party, be they actors, models, reporters who were waiting for Norman, or heirs and executives from companies, John had a lot of eyes on him the entire night.
But he could easily pick her gaze in the room full of curious eyes. Even if she seemed lax with that confident smile, her alertness stayed at its peak.
’I didn’t know guys like this were around still.’ From the moment John had entered the party, her eyes had been drawn to him over and over again.
The presence commanded attention.
That restrained, stoic face reminded her of her grandfather and teacher; she was sure he was a great warrior from the look in his eyes. Still, that wasn’t the reason she approached him.
"It would be a bit embarrassing for the host if you call him over like he is a waiter, you know?" She dug that natural arrogance, and she would’ve loved to see Harry’s reaction to it, but not this time.
"Are you his bodyguard?" John asked, glancing at her earpiece. And there were a dozen others in black suits keeping an eye around the Club.
"It pays well." She shrugged. "I’ll let him know about the disturbance, but can I ask you to keep my friend company for a bit?"
"Why would I do that?" John picked some lobsters that weren’t messed with.
"Cause she has been trying to gather the courage to talk with you since she arrived, and she is a super pretty up-and-coming actress. It is a win-win for you." Colleen winked at him while walking away.
She didn’t have to point in the direction of her friend, expecting him to already know with his trained senses. And truthfully, John knew about this friend of hers for a while.
Not because her eyes were stuck on him since he arrived; that did play a part, but it was because the system notifications kept popping into his view every 3-4 minutes.
[Susan Storm wants to talk with you. +1EP]
[Susan Storm wants to talk with you. +1EP]
[Susan Storm wants to talk with you. +1EP]
[Susan Storm wants to talk with you. +1EP]
Turning his head slightly, he met the bright blue eyes that were looking at him from the middle of the hall.
The look on her face resembled someone trying to ask permission to approach. John nodded, wondering when he became a king?
’If she wanted to talk, she should’ve just come over.’ He sighed as she walked over in that white dress, almost beaming.
Her facial features were a lot softer, with blonde hair styled into a voluminous, shoulder-length blowout. The locks bounced with each step, parting just enough to reveal the sharp glint of rose gold earrings on her ears. Was this a woman or an angel?
As she stood in front of him, looking up at his face, she had this captivating smile.
"John Grayson." He introduced himself with a small smile.
"I know. I saw you in ESU when that football guy charged at you." When Susan said that, John’s eyes went to Flash, who stood near Harry. Poor thing was reduced to just a football guy now.
’I don’t know how to tell him that it happened because that guy wanted my number.’ She felt a bit embarrassed remembering the details of that day she had visited the ESU with Harry’s friends.
At first, she had only gone along because she was curious how ESU compared to Columbia University, and declining Harry would come with a slew of problems. Still, that decision led her to meet someone extraordinary.
"I suppose I didn’t leave the best first impression on you." John rubbed the back of his head.
Susan could feel something different in his gaze. It was this enigmatic aura around him that made him different from everyone in the room.
"I’d say you left a very strong impression." She gave a small smile as he did not attempt to fix his image.
As an up-and-coming actress, quite a few people were trying to talk to her throughout the party. Even if it meant talking over others to show off. But now that she stood next to John, no one approached. Almost like there was a wall around him.
’It’s like I am looking at a lion.’ The only lion she had seen was in a zoo, so she wasn’t sure if it was the correct comparison.
But just like that Lion’s roar had been in her mind, after that visit at ESU, she had been thinking of him every day. She only came to this party because Harry said John would be coming as well, and now she was able to talk with him at last.
’His eyes are really intense... the good kind of intense.’ She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears, unable to maintain eye contact with him as her heartbeat started to rise.
On the other hand, John kept looking at her with an unreadable expression.
’Why is she silent? This is awkward.’ He blinked as a waiter stopped by them with a tray full of ice cream sundaes that had no business looking that expensive.
Why were they serving this on trays? He had no idea.
The waiter had initially looked at John, wanting to offer him one, but this guy quickly turned to Susan.
"Miss, would you like to try this? It is the chef’s special. The ice cream is made from milk freshly brought in from Switzerland." The guy had this slimy smile that rubbed people the wrong way.
"Sure!" But Susan didn’t notice it.
Just like she couldn’t see the purple energy rising from the ice cream. But before she could touch the glass, John stopped her, his hand grasping at her fingers.
"U-Um..." As she stumbled over her words, John looked straight into the waiter’s eyes, peering into the swirling mass of negativity inside him.
"What did you mix in this?" This was the second time they had messed with the food, and John could feel his blood boiling no matter how much he tried to suppress it.
’All of them have been looking at me like I am a target; why do they have to make things hard for me?’ He had worked hard to control the anger rising in his stomach, but it had started to overflow.
Not only did they mess with his food, but they tried to mess with his conversation partner. Right in front of him at that, like he didn’t exist.
"I will not ask again." John stepped forward as the waiter stumbled back.
[Hanma Bloodline (Awakening—75%)]
Since he had increased his training, the Hanma bloodline had started to awaken faster. And that had made his urges even stronger. To the point that he struggled to keep them in check with Haki; even earlier, he had barely stopped himself.
But now that things had come to this, he had to soothe the Hanma ego inside him in the simplest way he could. And that was striking fear in the one that pissed him off.
"I-It’s nothing, I swear!" The waiter spoke loudly, trying to gather attention.
However, everyone was already staring this way. The guests, the host, even the waiter’s colleagues, but no one came to help him. No one made a peep as John grabbed one of the tall glass cups by the stem and handed it to the middle-aged man.
"Then eat it." He demanded.
"T-That..." The waiter started to sweat.
"You eat it, or I’ll shove it down your throat with the entire tray."
...
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