Chapter : 338
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Chapter : 338
The living room was very quiet. The intense battles were over. The courtroom drama was completely finished. The corrupt politicians were gone. The unit finally had a day off. Ken sat on the comfortable sofa. He slouched his shoulders. He pushed his back deep into the soft cushions. He wore his dark blue suit pants. He wore a simple white shirt. His shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie today. His black hair was very messy. He looked like a guy who just woke up from a long nap.
He held a bowl of potato chips on his stomach. He reached into the bowl. He pulled out a chip. He popped it into his mouth. He chewed loudly. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
He let out a long, lazy sigh.
"This is the absolute best day," Ken mumbled happily to himself. He stared up at the ceiling. "My bones are finally on vacation. I am going to merge with this couch. I will become one with the furniture."
Naomi walked into the living room. She carried a plate of sliced apples. She set the plate down on the wooden coffee table. She turned her head and looked at Ken.
A few weeks ago, Naomi would have yelled at him. She would have screamed about his untucked shirt. She would have called him lazy. But she did not yell today. She did not frown. She smiled a very warm, friendly smile.
"Eat some fruit, Ken," Naomi said gently. She picked up a cloth napkin from the table. She tossed the napkin right at his chest. "You have chip crumbs all over your chin. Wipe your face. We are relaxing today. You do not need to look like a complete mess."
Ken caught the napkin. He wiped his chin casually. He gave her a big, goofy grin.
"Thanks, Naomi," Ken replied cheerfully. "You are a fantastic boss. I really appreciate the snack delivery. But apples require a lot of chewing. Chips are much easier on my jaw muscles."
Naomi chuckled softly. She sat down on a nearby chair. She stretched her legs out. She looked very relaxed. She did not wear her combat boots today. She just wore comfortable indoor slippers.
"You deserve a rest," Naomi agreed. She leaned back in her chair. "We all do. We survived a very crazy week. We secured the points. We earned this downtime."
The rest of the team was scattered around the large living room. They were all enjoying the peaceful afternoon.
Laxmi sat cross-legged on the large rug. She held a deck of playing cards. She tried to build a tall house of cards. She placed a red card carefully on the top. Her hand shook just a tiny bit. The entire card house collapsed into a messy pile.
Laxmi groaned loudly. She fell backward onto the rug. "Gravity is totally unfair!" Laxmi complained playfully. She did not get angry. She did not use her fire magic. She just laughed at her own failure.
Zinia sat near the large glass window. The strong earth mage was doing simple stretches. She reached down and touched her toes. She looked incredibly calm.
"You need more patience, Laxmi," Zinia advised with a tough smile. "Building a card house requires a very steady hand. You are too used to throwing fireballs."
Sayma sat at the dining table. The intelligent Vice-Captain held a small paperback book. It was not a strategy manual. It was not a magical encyclopedia. It was a regular fiction novel. She turned a page slowly. She took a sip of hot tea from a porcelain cup. She smiled a polite, quiet smile.
"It is very nice to read a simple story," Sayma noted happily. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I do not have to calculate any risks today. I do not have to plan any formations. My brain is officially taking a break."
Luna was fast asleep. She lay on a large, fluffy beanbag chair in the corner of the room. She snored very softly. A warm, knitted blanket covered her shoulders.
Risa sat on the floor right next to Luna's beanbag chair. The sweet pink-haired healer held a box of colored pencils. She drew a picture on a piece of white paper. She drew a bright yellow sun. She drew a happy little flower. She looked completely content.
The entire team felt incredibly safe. The danger was entirely gone. They did not have to worry about the Succession War today.
But one person was not relaxing.
Ira stood near the hallway entrance. She wore her neat dark blue uniform. Her posture was perfectly straight. Her arms hung rigidly by her sides. Her pale face was completely blank. She stared at her teammates.
Ira observed Laxmi laughing on the rug. She observed Naomi eating an apple slice. She observed Sayma reading a fiction book. She observed Ken slouching on the sofa.
Ira felt a strange, uncomfortable sensation in her chest. It was not physical pain. It was pure, overwhelming confusion.
The mission was officially over. There were no targets to track. There were no enemies to fight. There was no schedule to follow. Princess Iris had given them zero tasks for the day.
Ira did not understand this situation. Her entire life was a strict, rigid schedule. Her noble family had trained her to be a flawless weapon. Weapons do not relax. Weapons do not play card games. Weapons wait silently in the dark for their next order.
But Princess Iris gave no orders today. Princess Iris simply told them to rest.
Ira looked down at her pale hands. She felt completely lost. She did not know how to rest. She did not know how to do absolutely nothing. It felt entirely wrong to her. It felt highly inefficient.
She wanted to be useful. She wanted to protect someone. But nobody needed her high-pressure water whips right now. Nobody needed a shield.
Ira looked back at Ken.
Ken reached into his bowl. He grabbed another potato chip. He tossed the chip high into the air. He opened his mouth. He caught the chip perfectly on his tongue. He chewed it and let out a quiet cheer for himself.
Ken looked entirely content. He had zero worries. He did not care about being productive. He did not care about looking professional. He was the undisputed master of doing nothing.
Ira made a firm decision. She turned around. She walked very quietly down the hallway. She headed straight for her bedroom.
Ira opened her closet door. She reached onto the top shelf. She pulled down a small, magically sealed cooling box. She unlocked the box. She pulled out a beautifully wrapped package.
It was a premium sea-salt chocolate cake. It was incredibly expensive. She bought it weeks ago from a luxury bakery in the Inner City. It was her absolute favorite dessert. She kept it hidden from everyone. She never shared her snacks. She guarded her personal space and her personal items with intense, lethal focus.
But today was totally different. She needed help. She needed a teacher. She needed someone to explain this confusing situation.