Mydei glanced at the exquisite ice cream in front of him.
Bright red pomegranate sauce trickled down the pristine white sphere, like a work of art.
He frowned deeply.
"I thought we weren't here to eat?"
"Oh, little prince, don't be so rigid!"
Cipher, her mouth glistening with oil, gnawed on a grilled fish, speaking indistinctly: "This is what Savior Kid specially ordered for you. He said sweets can soothe pain."
Mydei's hand, holding the spoon, froze in mid-air.
The words of rebuttal caught in his throat.
He did like sweet flavors, there was no denying that.
In that childhood steeped in bitterness, sweetness was the only light.
Only with the taste of sweetness could the bitterness in his heart be somewhat diluted.
Since then, he had silently grown to love this flavor.
"...He still remembers?"
Mydei murmured to himself, an unspeakable emotion churning in his eyes.
"No wonder that guy always mixed sugar into my protein powder."
"Another one!"
Cipher tossed the cleanly gnawed fishbone onto her plate, sucked her fingers, utterly devoid of any ladylike demeanor.
The next moment, her cat ears twitched sharply, sensing something amiss.
"Speaking of which, Savior Kid has been inside for ages, why hasn't he come out yet?"
No sooner had she spoken.
The restaurant manager, leading a host of waiters, almost fawningly, escorted Phainon back to his seat.
The manager's face was plastered with a smile that bordered on obsequious.
"Your Excellency Cipher! You are truly too generous! With a heart for the world, you are indeed a modern-day Hippocrates!"
Phainon nodded with a serene expression, "No need to thank me."
He spoke calmly, his finger pointing towards Cipher.
"All of this is thanks to Miss Cipher's generous donation."
"I understand! Miss Cipher, your greatness needs no words!"
The manager's eyes welled up with emotion, and he cast a look of immense reverence towards Cipher.
Cipher's eyes widened.
She had an ominous premonition.
"What...what exactly did you do?!"
"Nothing."
Phainon stated the facts nonchalantly.
"I merely, in the name of 'Miss Cipher,' sponsored this restaurant's charity lunches for the next month."
Cipher's fur bristled, and she shot up from her chair!
"You spent all the money?!"
"Not just that." Phainon shook his head, his tone betraying not the slightest ripple, "The money you 'borrowed' wasn't quite enough, so I also advanced you 180,000 credit points. Remember to pay me back."
Then, Phainon twisted the knife further, "Cipher, isn't your motto precisely to rob the rich to help the poor, and to be a righteous thief?"
"Meow...?!
Cipher's eyes rolled back, and she slumped straight back into her chair, as if her soul had been drained, becoming a grayish cat sculpture.
At this moment, Mydei spoke, noticing that Phainon's plate in front of him was empty.
"Why aren't you ordering anything to eat?"
"It's useless." Phainon curved a smile, but there was no mirth in it, "Food will evaporate before it even enters my mouth."
"I can't taste anything now, and eating would just be a waste."
Mydei's hand, gripping the ice cream spoon, tightened suddenly.
Cipher, a fishbone still in her mouth, stopped chewing.
The air was deathly silent.
In this eerie silence, Phainon's gaze shifted to the restaurant entrance.
A gentle girl, like a firefly, was leading Stelle towards them.
"To thank you for saving me, this meal is on me! Order whatever you like!"
Stelle surveyed the luxurious decor of the restaurant and kindly reminded her: "My spending habits... might be a bit high."
Firefly visibly paused, "Sh-should be fine, I still have some savings."
She said, handing Stelle a stored-value card with 20,000 credit points.
Stelle unceremoniously accepted it and went to the entrance to study the menu, her gaze instinctively sweeping towards the window-side tables, wanting to see the actual dishes.
Then, her gaze froze.
That figure... that familiar black robe... that aloof demeanor that even a mask couldn't conceal... "Khaslana? No... he's Phainon!"
Stelle's figure blurred into an afterimage, appearing before Phainon, hands on her hips, radiating an aggressive aura.
"Aha, partner! I knew it was you in Belobog! And you lied to me!"
Phainon looked up, his face innocent.
"I didn't lie to you."
He explained unhurriedly.
"I said, if you wish it were me, then it is me."
"You... sigh..."
Stelle was momentarily speechless, her gaze falling on his iconic black robe, and she sighed, rubbing her forehead,
"I can't even imagine Uncle Yang's expression when he sees you dressed like this."
Firefly hurried over, curiously watching the scene, "Stelle, who is this?"
"My partner, Phainon." Stelle introduced, then pointed to the other two,
"And this strong man, and this cat-eared lady... what were their names again?"
Mydei crossed his arms, nodding slightly, "Mydeimos."
Cipher gnawed on a fishbone weakly, making a 'peace' sign with her fingers, "Cipher."
Firefly bowed slightly to them, introducing herself: "Hello everyone, my name is Firefly."
Her gaze met Phainon's for a moment.
Is he the variable Elio spoke of, who is about to join us?
"Partner, when did these two friends of yours arrive?" Stelle's curiosity was piqued again.
"They've always been here." Phainon's answer was as enigmatic as ever,
"It's just recently that they found a way to manifest."
Stelle gave an "I knew it" expression and wisely gave up on pressing further.
Anyway, that's just how Phainon was; half of what he said she couldn't understand.
Just then.
Phainon suddenly spoke, his gaze sweeping over Stelle and Firefly.
"Since you're here, sit down and eat with us."
He paused, looking at a certain cat that had turned into a gray sculpture.
"Our great Lady Cipher is paying."
"Meow—!"
A shrill shriek echoed through the restaurant.
Cipher shot up from her chair, her finger trembling as she pointed at Phainon,
"You fiend! You're the Demigod of Schemes, aren't you?! Tell me, are you Zagreus in disguise?!"