CHAPTER 3: BETS
1262 Words
Zero noticed the unusual behavior of his friend. He is still driving his two-seaters car to their units when he noticed that Cloud’s mind is occupied by something he don’t know. He wants to ask Cloud, but he kept quiet instead of prying to his friend’s issue. He wants Cloud to open it up or share it himself.
Zero suddenly saw a coffee shop from the sidewalk. He turned the wheel and parked the car in the available parking lot of the said coffee shop. They are welcomed by an attendant that shows the high quality of the shop.
The attendant started to assist them. Zero, who is wearing his gray polo shirt and unbuttoned black suit caught every attention inside the shop. They are obviously drooling, yet Zero’s attention is not entertaining them but his best friend that stayed silent until they found a two-seater table beside the glass window.
Zero ordered his black with no sugar coffee and a pasta for himself, and a Cappuccino and chocolate truffles for his friend. While waiting for their orders, he finally decided to inquire about the mission his old man gave.
"Have you checked for the mission contents?"
He saw Cloud stunned. He is confused on how and why his friend became anxious after his voice fell.
’What the heck is happening to Cloud?’ He asked himself, but never opened his mouth to pry.
"Yoohoo! Cloud Simpson to Earth!"
Cloud blinked twice then he looked up to his friend that is staring at him with pure worriedness written all over his face.
"Huh?" He asked subconsciously.
"Are you sick?" Zero asked him.
"N-no. Why did you say that?" He stuttered.
Cloud don’t want Zero to worry about him and to suspect something because of his actions lately. He tried to calm himself and smile.
"You’re acting so weird after we left the base. You are always spacing out. Did that old man bullied you? Tell me!" Zero asked and complained anxiously.
Cloud can’t help but to chuckle. Zero really is cute when he is anxious.
"Don’t laugh because nothing is funny. You are making me worry for nothing."
"Sorry. Sorry. I just thought about the difficulty of this mission we’ll be facing." He lied.
What really makes him anxious is he client. He is reluctant to let them meet. He is threatened that one day, when they finally meet after almost two decades, he will be neglected by his best friend.
"What is the difficulty?" Zero asked curiously.
"Grade SS." Cloud answered.
The orders came as the difficulty of the mission was being said. Zero never thought that they will be facing such grade after he finished his last grade S mission two months ago.
Compared to the Grade A and S missions, the Grade SS is more difficult than the previous two. It is more challenging than the others because it will make you struggle from your fears and weakness.
The grades of their missions are normally divided from grade E to A. E is the easiest and A is high level already. But other than those first five, there are still more three grades above the grade A that can make you be in your wit’s end, challenge your will and strength, and can make you kill if you didn’t focus in your missions and its details.
Their missions are also some kind of tests to them. They can have the 50% of the payment which is too generous that can make their clients crawl because of poverty, they can also learn and gain experience in the process. These is why Zero and Zyro aren’t afraid whenever they face the missions that is more difficult than the grade A.
"Oh? So it may be tricky, right?" Zero asked, half-inquiry and half-statement.
"Yes, I guess."
Zero is still suspicious with Cloud, but he just ignored it and started to devour the meal in front of him when Cloud opened a topic that resulted for him to frown.
"Lilac said that I must make sure that you will eat the food she gave." Cloud informed the eating Zero.
"Who’s she?" Zero asked instead.
Cloud wants to laugh out loud hearing this. Zero have the habit to not remember the people that he recognizes as ’not important people’. And one of it is Lilac and her gang.
"Your number one admirer and your self-proclaimed rival. A gold-ranked agent like me. The one who gave you a paper bag with Seafood Casserole inside." Cloud replied.
Zero’s frown deepen. Cloud knew that his friend is now irritated after hearing the ’seafood’.
"Really? Is she trying to get rid of me by giving me that?" Zero is furious.
"I don’t know. But she told me that it is made with her full love and sincerity." Cloud chuckled.
"Sincerity my foot." Zero said with full of disdain in his voice.
Cloud knew that Zero hates the seafood especially the shrimps. Because Zero is allergy in shrimps, and one of the well-informed people with that facts is the whole BMA. Cloud just don’t know how come Lilac do not know about that fact about his ’crush’ and ’rival’.
"Don’t be mad. Maybe she is hiding in her turtle shell when the BMA learned your allergy." Cloud tried to ’coax’ Zero, but in fact, he is adding fuel to the fire.
"I will never forget this challenge and humiliation. I will definitely pay her back ten folds." Zero gritted his teeth.
Cloud is satisfied that no one can replace his side. Actually, he don’t mind Lilac’s show off her feelings to Zero. He just want to get rid of her by leaving a bad impression of her to Zero.
"A frog that wants to eat swan’s meat." He mumbled as he watch Zero’s cold face that is showing some cute expressions.
"What do you think of the mission?" Zero suddenly asked.
"Huh?"
"How long will it take our time to accomplish the mission?" Zero asked.
"Oh!"
Cloud and Zero is always talking about the time they may spend in accomplishing their missions. They are placing bets before they start it and in the end, in every missions above grade B that they shared, Cloud always losing their bets that made his vintage wines and alcohols be swept clean by Zero that he happily obliged to give.
"I don’t want to bet with you anymore. I am afraid that one day, you will swept clean my whole condo unit by losing to you in this kind of gamble that we do." He complained.
"Then, what should I do? I am not used to not gambling with you." Zero teased him.
"Don’t want to!" He insisted while crossing his arms and pouting his natural red lips.
"Uhm. Don’t pout like that. If you are a girl, I’ll definitely kiss and devour that red lips of yours." Zero seriously said that made Cloud blush.
"Kiss my ass!"
Zero smirked and continued eating while Cloud’s face is still fire red.
"But seriously, how long will it take us to accomplish this grade SS mission?"
"One month." Cloud replied with firm voice.
"Two weeks." And their gamble begins.
- Writer
