Chương 131: Chapter : 131

"Uh, yes," Ken answered smoothly, giving her his best innocent puppy-dog eyes.

"I am going on a highly critical supply run. It is an absolute emergency. The kitchen is completely out of the spicy beef flavor instant noodles. If I don't go to the market right now, my dinner schedule will be totally ruined." Naomi let out a long, exhausted sigh. She finally looked up, shaking her head at his messy, untucked shirt and his crooked tie. She didn't yell at him. Instead, she reached into her pocket, pulled out a few silver coins, and tossed them across the room.

Ken caught the coins clumsily, almost dropping them on his toes.

"Take that and buy something with actual vegetables in it," Naomi scolded him, though her voice was remarkably gentle.

"And do not get into any trouble. If the Grandmasters send the signal that they found the thieves, we need you back here fast. Just be back before sunset, you idiot."

"You are the best, Naomi!" Ken cheered happily, shoving the coins into his pocket.

"I will buy a noodle cup that has little dried carrots in it! That totally counts as a salad!" Before she could change her mind, Ken slipped out the door and hurried out of the estate. The walk to the Iron Rose District took about twenty minutes, but Ken didn't mind. The afternoon sun was warm, the sky was clear, and he was finally free from the stressful, high-stakes politics of the Royal Succession War.

As he dragged his cheap shoes against the cobblestone streets, making his favorite scuffing sound, his mind drifted into a very happy daydream. He thought about his ultimate goal. He didn't care about points, artifacts, or who became the next Emperor. He just wanted to survive this ridiculous, deadly tournament so he could retire in peace.

"Just a few more months," Ken mumbled happily to himself, kicking a small pebble down the road.

"Once this is all over, I am going to move to the countryside. I am going to buy a nice, quiet piece of land. I will grow some potatoes in the back, and right in the front, I will open a tiny, incredibly boring convenience store." He could picture it perfectly in his mind. He would call it "Ken's Snacks and Naps." The store layout would be highly optimized for maximum laziness. He would put the cash register right next to a very comfortable, padded reclining chair.

The shelves with the potato chips, chocolate bars, and instant noodles would be exactly one arm's length away, so he wouldn't even have to stand up to restock them. If a customer asked a difficult question, he would just point to a sign that said, "I don't know, please figure it out yourself." It was a flawless business model. His happy daydreaming came to a halt when he finally arrived at the busy local market in the Iron Rose District.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The streets here were loud and packed with everyday commoners buying groceries and trading goods. It felt like home. Ken dodged a merchant pulling a cart of apples and made his way toward his favorite little corner of the market. After picking up a tall stack of his beloved spicy beef noodles from a grocer, he decided he deserved a little dessert. He walked up to a very bright, colorful sweets shop.

The bell above the door chimed cheerfully as he pushed it open. The shop was filled with glass jars of colorful hard candies, fresh baked pastries, and fancy imported chocolates. But as Ken walked down the pastel-pink candy aisle, he stopped dead in his tracks. Standing right in front of the premium chocolate display was a very familiar face. It was Ira. The fiercely private, completely emotionless water magic user from the 13th Unit stuck out like a sore thumb in the cheerful candy store.

She was wearing her dark, practical combat uniform, and she was staring at the colorful candy wrappers with the exact same intense, flat expression she used when calculating battle statistics. Ken blinked his sleepy eyes, genuinely surprised to see her outside of the estate. Ira almost never left her room unless Princess Iris gave her a direct order. Ken casually strolled up the aisle, slouching his shoulders and leaning his elbow comfortably against the wooden candy display.

He looked down at the shopping basket she was holding. It was absolutely filled to the brim with large, highly expensive, gold-foil chocolate bars. There had to be at least twenty of them in there.

"Hey, Ira," Ken said cheerfully, giving her a goofy grin.

"Are you planning to build a small house out of cocoa beans? Because you definitely have enough bricks in that basket." Ira slowly turned her head to look at him. Her face did not change a single millimeter. Her eyes were completely flat, totally devoid of any surprise or amusement.

"Hello, Ken," Ira replied in her signature deadpan, robotic voice.

"And no. I am not building a house. I am purchasing these for consumption."

"All of them?" Ken laughed, leaning closer to look at the shiny wrappers.

"That is an incredible amount of sugar. I highly respect your commitment to unhealthy eating. We actually have a lot in common. Do you like the ones with the almonds, or just the plain milk chocolate?"

"I prefer the dark chocolate with sea salt," Ira answered flatly. She reached out and placed three more heavy bars into her overflowing basket. Ken watched her, a cheeky, playful idea popping into his head. He gave her his absolute best, most tragic puppy-dog eyes. He let his lower lip jut out just a tiny bit, acting like a starving child begging for a treat.

"You know, Ira," Ken started, his voice going soft and pitiful.

"I had a really tough day today. Naomi yelled at me, my shoes are uncomfortable, and my blood sugar is running dangerously low. Do you think, maybe, out of the kindness of your heart, I could have just one tiny piece of your chocolate? Just one square to save my life?" Ira stared at him. She looked at his messy, untucked shirt, his crooked tie, and his big, fake sad eyes.

"No," Ira stated bluntly. Ken dropped the puppy-dog look and gasped, pressing a hand over his heart in dramatic, exaggerated shock.

"No? Just like that? No hesitation? You didn't even think about it for a second!"

"There is nothing to think about," Ira replied, her voice remaining perfectly monotonous. She turned back to the shelf to inspect a caramel bar.

"I absolutely never share my chocolate with anyone. Under any circumstances."

"You are cold as ice, Ira," Ken whined loudly, though he was secretly highly amused by her total refusal to play along with his jokes.

"We are teammates! We survived a giant snake monster together! Doesn't that count for something?"

"It counts for professional camaraderie," Ira said, picking up her heavy basket.

"It does not entitle you to my personal snacks."