Chapter 42: Latika
After waking up from his healing sleep, Alexandre washed his face and put on a fresh (and untattered) set of clothes. Then he left the resort and made his way to the restaurant Iwa.
This classic Chinese restaurant was small, but wonderful spicy smells wafted out from its kitchen to perfume the surrounding area. Iwa had been around since the Post-Pandemic Period, when Chinese nationals who'd managed to escape the Great Wave were fundraising to launch a campaign to recolonize parts of China.
Of course, once it became clear that almost every square kilometer of Chinese territory had been designated as a particularly dangerous Black Zone (a term used both for individual zones and for the deadly Virus Z-infected areas of the world in general), no recolonization efforts had actually been made.
Alexandre was shown to a small table, where he ordered a cocktail and waited for a quarter of an hour for his date to show up.
Finally, Latika arrived. She wore a pretty dress with a skirt that came to her knees, an outfit a little nicer than Alexandre's own—she hadn't had to rely on the few supplies packed for attending the Hunter Exam, after all! Aside from her clothes, Latika was a beautiful young woman with long, lustrous black hair and chocolate-colored skin. She looked to be about twenty-five, and her Indian heritage was apparent.
Latika stepped up to the table and crossed her arms, looking at Alexandre from head to foot. She didn't sit down.
Alexandre rose, intending to pull out Latika's chair. "Hello, beautiful."
In response, she slapped him across the face. "That's for lying to me last night, asshole!"
Alexandre gave her a crooked grin. "Believe it or not, I hate lying, especially to beautiful women. However, the mission always comes first. My purpose there was to gain intel about the final test."