536 Chapter 536: Final Friends (1/2)
The next morning I woke up early to leave, but not for school. After the devastation the Crimson Blood Demonic Night clan had caused, Teresa Taylor had naturally shut the school down. Parents were too afraid to send their children to Saint Teresa Academy and expressed their concern over their safety following the hideous slaughter.
Never mind a good number of the deaths were caused by social media-obsessed students too busily filming or photographing instead of escaping to safety…
”You sure you're okay?” Dad asked me before I departed my room. I nodded, watching as his image flickered in the holographic screen of my smartphone. Then the picture resolved and I saw the worry on his face. ”You should return home.”
”I will be, shortly,” I assured him. After the catastrophe, my exchange session was cancelled and I was slated to return to Jing Tian City. ”But there are a few things I have to do before I return home.”
”Huh? What?” Dad demanded, his brow furrowed. Then he widened his eyes. ”Don't tell me you plan on taking revenge?!”
I actually burst out laughing at that. Pushing my glasses up, I shook my head.
”Dad, you know what kind of person I am. Do I look like the type to seek revenge? I'm not that petty.”
”Oh, God…please don't let the readers hear you say that. They will be complaining in the comments that you are spineless, a coward, or a pushover.”
”Those readers are idiots. They should use their brains – what exactly am I supposed to do against an entire vampire clan? Do they not know that I am totally no match for the adult vampires? Hunting down Fan Le Lao or Xu Wu Cheng is one thing, but what am I supposed to do against the veteran vampires? If Headmistess Taylor hadn't rescued me, I would have been crushed by one of them. And then there's still that You Shou bloke…even if I somehow defeat all the young elite vampires, I lack the strength to fight the adults.”
”Good. It seems that you��ve thought through this clearly.” Dad looked relieved. Then he frowned. ”So what do you intend to do?”
”I need to pay a friend a visit,” I replied. ”And before that, I'm scheduled to meet another couple of friends. Since this is likely the last time I see them, I should say a proper farewell.”
”Ah, okay. That makes sense.” Dad nodded. ”I won't disturb you then. Head on to your appointment!”
”Thanks.”
I switched off the video call and left the house. Adrian and Melina were still asleep, so neither of them could stop me. I headed in the direction of school, but I didn't intend to go there. As I said, Saint Teresa Academy was closed after yesterday's disaster, so students were supposed to stay at home.
However, we were still allowed to meet up. I stopped by a café, recognizing it as Chao Café – the same one that Nan Gong Zhao Yan asked me to wait for her in what seemed like a lifetime ago.
”Richard! Over here!”
”No, no. You're on time. In fact, Kufa hasn't arrived yet.”
Rossetti sulked, playing with her fork as she stabbed the cake. With a huff, she shoved a piece of the cake into her mouth before sipping the tea.
Then she glanced at me, looking embarrassed. Conjuring a holographic menu, she spun the glowing window toward me.
”Um, don't be shy! Order some cake for yourself! Do you want some coffee too?”
”Maybe. Do they have nothing but cakes here?” I asked, scrolling through the menu. Chao Café was known for its cakes, and to be honest, I preferred cakes over bread because of my sweet tooth, but that didn't stop me from raising an eyebrow when I saw the limited selection. Chocolate cakes, strawberry cakes, fruit cakes, hotcakes, pancakes…
I wasn't a picky eater, so I was fine with cakes. But I wanted something more substantial, something more filling. Cakes, while full of sugar, were surprisingly light on the stomach. If I had cake this early in the morning, I was going to get hungry really quickly.
However, the moment I caught sight of something, I immediately ordered it.
”Eh? Mango cake?” Rossetti giggled when she saw my order. ”Oh, right. I remember that your favorite fruit is mango.”
”How do you know that?” I narrowed my eyes. ”I don't recall ever mentioning that to you.”
”You're always drinking mango juice or ordering mango ice cream in the cafeteria,” Rossetti reminded me. Oh, right. We had lunch together occasionally. She must have noticed my preferences. As for me, I recalled that Rossetti usually drank strawberry milk.
”Sorry for being late.” Kufa showed up. He sighed as he took a seat beside me. ”I overslept a bit.”
”Not at all,” Rossetti assured him. ”You're right on time. Do you want cake? Coffee?”
”Yes to the coffee.” Kufa conjured the holographic menu and grimaced when he saw the selection. ”Do they have nothing but cake here?”
That was the exact same question I asked earlier.
”This is Chao Café,” Rossetti replied, as if that explained everything. Kufa rolled his eyes, but he settled for pancakes and honey maple syrup. His eyes bulged when he saw a waitress bringing my mango cake to me.
”I didn't know you like cake.”
”Because it's mango,” Rossetti explained with a laugh. Kufa stared at her blankly, as if to ask, so what?
Yeah, well…I guess some people were more observant than others.
”Anyway, you wanted to meet us?” I asked Rossetti. ”What's up?”
Rossetti pouted. ”Can't I just hang out with you guys? Especially after going through such a terrifying attack last night? It's not like everything has to be about serious business.”
She then lowered her head.