73 Return of Daniel (1/2)
In the cafeteria, Hayden bought the trio four smoothies, a gesture that greatly shocked Scarlet. As for Zeke, he was already treated by Hayden once. Though that didn't stop him from wondering why Hayden would treat them.
Finding a four-seat table and sitting on it, Scarlet expressed her confusion, ”Why did you treat us?”
”Mhm?” Hayden sipped on his mango smoothie. He was impassive whilst answering, ”Oh, these smoothies? Do you not like free smoothies?”
This answer of Hayden's made Scarlet speechless. It was a little uncharacteristic for the Hayden she knows. ”What's the deal?”
”What deal?” Hayden gazed at Scarlet unemotionally whilst drinking his smoothie. ”It's not like it's a crime to treat people, right?”
”If I know you enough, you're a pragmatist.” Scarlet's face was ice-cold. ”You don't do things that wouldn't benefit you. So-”
Before Scarlet can finish her sentence, Hayden interrupted her words, ”Really? You see me on that light? What about when I helped you expand on your perception of your Ability? Zeke. When I helped you boost your ego, was that pragmatic?”
At this point, Hayden released a little of his killing intent and paused. Continuing, Hayden formed a cold smile, ”My principle is simple. I'm no saint and I won't go out of my way to help people. However, if there is an opportunity to help without me risking or losing anything, and I don't really have anything better to do, nor is it a waste of time, I will. And if I see that there's no way I could possibly help, then I won't. The sole exceptions would be if somebody that means that much to me is in danger, only then will I break these rules. I'm still human, a superpowered loner that isn't fond of interacting with other humans, sure, yet still human. Someone that can sympathize. By that regards, I don't expect people to pay me back when I give my help, but it would indeed be good to be paid back.”
His words caught the trio off-guard. Howbeit, Hayden wasn't finished. ”In that aspect, I see of myself as a mix of a pragmatist, a realist, a hedonist, a stoic, a rationalist and, to be honest, a bit of an opportunist and existential nihilist. To call me a pure pragmatist would be way off.”
Scarlet and Zeke looked into each other's eyes, with Scarlet's face reddening as her accusations were unproven. She didn't understand her own self why she keeps impetuously reproaching Hayden only for her to get shot down. It was incensing.
”A completely principled man, huh?” Annie giggled at hearing this, breaking the tense atmosphere amongst the three. ”How've you come to this?”
”I don't want to talk about it.” Hayden plainly shook his head in rejection, his face returning to its usual nonchalance.
In that instance, Zeke's phone vibrated. Fumbling for it, Zeke saw Anthony's message that Daniel was safe.
Scarlet looked away, attempting to hide her feelings and tears of joy upon receiving the news. In fact, she even sniffled a bit. Meanwhile, Hayden's phone vibrated as well.
Checking on it, Hayden saw a communication link request. Surprisingly, it was from Sayuri. 'Ahh... Shit…'
Hayden gulped at the sight of this, accepting the communication link request. Suddenly, Zeke looked at Hayden and saw his frown, ”Hayden? Are you…”
”Sad about Daniel's safety and reappearance?” Hayden completed the sentence for him. ”No, that would be stupid… It's something else that I'm frowning upon. As for Daniel, I expected he'd be safe already.”
Of course Hayden would expect Daniel's safety. He's the one who saved him and killed Crimson Enchantress. Well, not like he could announce this, nor would he want to, as a Walong Sinag ng Araw member saw him, so, he'll just keep it under wraps. 'Well, even if no one saw me, I still won't announce it anyways…'
”Oh, okay…” Zeke gave up trying to make Hayden show emotion as it was as if Hayden had known the outcome of Daniel for a long time. ”He's being transported back here from Zamboanga as we speak.”
At that moment, Hayden's phone received a call from Eun-ha. ”Message me when Daniel gets back. I have to take this call.”
Finishing his mango smoothie, Hayden left for the hallway without a word, taking out his wireless earphones out of his Space Ring. In the hallway, answering the call, Hayden silently spoke, ”Gonjunim?”
”Hey, honey,” Eun-ha greeted back in Korean. ”Um… I hope you didn't mind that I gave Sayuri-noona your Identity Number. Did she establish a communication link request with you?”
”Yep, she did.” Hayden answered in Korean as well. His eyebrows puckering in puzzlement, Hayden talked, ”Did she ask my Identity Number from you?”
”Yeah.” On the other side, Eun-ha was on the rooftop as she nodded her head. ”It was kind of strange, really...”
”Mhm, how do I say this…” Hayden exhaled heavily. ”I think… She was flirting with me earlier… It was… Conflicting?”
”Oho...” Instead of being bothered, she teased Hayden. ”Is she going to be your second girlfriend perhaps? Mhm…”
”Gonjunim?” Hayden's tone was absolutely cynical. ”Are you seriously saying that? You're not… Jealous at all? Or at least angered?”
”Why would I be?” Eun-ha laughed. That laugh transformed to a sly voice, ”I did say that you can take on other women, right?”
”You're an open-minded enigma…” Hayden was flabbergasted. ”Do you want me to take a second woman that bad?”
”Well, not that bad, but if that second woman is Sayuri-noona…” Eun-ha chuckled, clearly poking fun at Hayden.
”You're so weird.” Hayden snorted, stifling a laugh.
”Is that bad weird or good weird?”
”Good weird. The kind of weird that I love,” Hayden's voice was filled with adoration. ”I love you so much.”
”I love you, too, honey,” Eun-ha shared Hayden's sentiments. ”Nevertheless, tell me if you would pursue Sayuri-noona, okay?”
”You know, Gonjunim?” Hayden was somber this time around. ”These kinds of things sneak up on a person and isn't induced… Well, I literally can trick my own brain to do so, but no, I will never do that… As for her, Sayuri-noona's beautiful, not as beautiful as you don't be mistaken. However, as the wielder of a powerful Ability, I can control who I'm attracted with, and I don't plan on letting my guard down around anybody… Till I'm powerful enough, the sole way a woman could ever be a second girlfriend is by completely bypassing or utterly destroying my defenses. Like how you did.”
”I 'destroyed' your defenses?” Eun-ha once again teased Hayden.
”Oh yeah, you did. You razed it to the ground, demolished it, drilled through it, snuck past through it, hell, describe it in any manner you want and it will remain accurate.” Hayden joked.
Eun-ha was chortling, finding Hayden cute. ”Oh, Hayden-ah… Okay, if you say so, honey. Want to meet up later?”
”Sure.” Hayden agreed immediately. ”Want me to pick you up?”
”Yeah sure. When you're finished there, fly here. We'll fly together. Okay?”
”Okay.”
”Want me to bring Sayuri-noona?”
”Shut up…” Hayden groaned. ”We'll see in the future of what will happen…”
”Fine, fine…” Bidding their goodbyes to each other and whispering sweet nothings, Hayden cut the call off.
Abruptly, a woman appeared behind Eun-ha. It was Sayuri. ”What did he say?”
”He says that you'd have to use brute force to get into his heart.” Eun-ha laughed out loud.
Sayuri tilted her head to the side to express her perplexity.
”Essentially, you'd have to court him or something.” Eun-ha giggled. In the next second, her countenance turned inquisitive. ”Why do you want to be with Hayden-ah anyways?”
”I don't know…” Sayuri shrugged, showing a rare genuine smile and blush that merely a few had the privilege to see. ”He's pretty cute…”
”Right?” Eun-ha hugged Sayuri. ”It's extremely bizarre saying this, but, you go get 'er, girl!”
The two laughed out loud, with Eun-ha giving Sayuri some tips to 'break through' Hayden's 'protection.'
Eun-ha reminded Sayuri that Hayden wouldn't collapse that easily as Hayden's mental fortitude was absurdly high. The reason for that was, well, his Ability.
”Remember that the biggest advantage that you have on other girls is you being part of CHORUS.” Eun-ha prompted. ”He Is a huge VERSE geek, one of the cute little things that I just love…”
Sayuri blankly stared at Eun-ha dreaming of Hayden. Realizing this, Eun-ha embarrassedly pouted and said, ”Shut up. You like him too…”
…..
8:00, Back in the Puting Araw cafeteria, Zeke received the message that Daniel has arrived and was being put in the sick bay private room 606 for further examinations.