He didn't even stop his chopsticks; he simply lifted his eyelids, his calm gaze falling upon her.
"How do you know my name?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the noisy cafeteria, like a needle accurately piercing the sweet atmosphere she had prepared.
"Did you investigate me?"
Although participating in the Ever Grande Conference meant one's name and information would be recorded by the League and weren't exactly secrets,
the key point was that Ariel had never revealed his name to her.
The fact that she could call it out now was a problem in itself.
A flash of stiffness, almost impossible to catch, crossed Ayaka's face, but it was immediately covered by a well-timed layer of shyness.
She lowered her head slightly, her fingers nervously twisting the corner of her clothes, and she lowered her voice even further, sounding a bit aggrieved.
"After all... after all, Honmura did such a rude thing, and I've been feeling terrible about it, so I... I went to ask that Inspector for your name. I just thought that if I met you again, I had to apologize properly, and I hope you won't dislike me."
These words were spoken flawlessly, and her posture was kept extremely humble.
For a beautiful girl to show such favor in an almost subservient manner—any normal young man's heart would likely have melted.
In the cafeteria, many eyes had already been drawn toward them.
Whispers began to rise.
"Isn't that Ayaka, who's somewhat famous among the new generation? I heard her Pokémon are very well-raised."
"Does she know that guy? It looks like she's hitting on him."
"Who is that guy? He's acting so high and mighty; Ayaka is talking to him and he's still just sitting there eating."
Ariel was deaf to the surrounding discussions. He finished chewing the food in his mouth, swallowed, and then spoke again, concise and to the point.
"Something the matter?"
Two words, devoid of any emotion, as if he were handling a piece of business that had nothing to do with him.
Ayaka clearly hadn't expected this reaction, and the stomachful of prepared rhetoric got stuck in her throat.
She looked up, her eyes already shimmering with a hint of tears, looking pitiful and vulnerable.
"We... we should be around the same age, right? And it's our first time participating in the Ever Grande Conference, so we're in an unfamiliar place. I was thinking, could we team up? That way... that way, it won't be so lonely on the way to the competition."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was just enough for the people at the surrounding tables to hear clearly.
In an instant, countless looks of envy and jealousy shot toward Ariel in unison.
Some Trainers who were eating with their girlfriends couldn't control their envious gazes and were unceremoniously kicked under the table by their partners, making them grimace in pain.
Faced with a scene that would make any man's vanity explode, Ariel's reaction made everyone's jaws drop.
He stood up.
Not because he was moved, nor because he was going to give it serious consideration.
But because the food on his plate was finished.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up, and looked down at the girl who was still trying hard to perform, and then, he smiled.
It wasn't a friendly smile, nor was it a mocking one; it was a pure, undisguised look of contempt.
"Are you even worthy?"
His voice remained calm, yet it was like a resounding slap that landed hard on Ayaka's face and struck the hearts of everyone watching the scene.
The entire cafeteria fell into an eerie silence, centered around Ariel.
Everyone was stunned.
They had imagined countless responses from Ariel—either being overjoyed or acting reserved—but no one expected such a humiliating rejection.
It was too direct.
It was too hurtful.
Ariel, however, acted as if he had done something insignificant. He picked up his tray, turned, and walked toward the tray return area, never sparing Ayaka another glance from start to finish.
Ayaka was frozen in place, the expression on her face solidified.
That carefully maintained shyness and grievance were like a low-quality plaster mask, showing cracks everywhere.
A moment later, the corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Immediately after, the mask was glued back together.
She spun around abruptly, covered her face with her hands, and acted as if she had been terribly bullied. Her shoulders twitched violently as she ran toward an inconspicuous corner of the public cafeteria.
There, the young man named Honmura was sitting, waiting somewhat anxiously.
Seeing Ayaka run over crying, he quickly stood up and asked with concern, "How did it go?"
Ayaka plopped down, and the hands covering her face came down.
Where was there even a trace of a tear?
That pure and lovely face was now filled with gloom and impatience.
Her beautiful eyebrows were knitted together, and her eyes were full of icy disgust.
She picked up the water cup on the table, took a heavy gulp, and clicked her tongue sharply.
"Tch."
"Damn it, he didn't take the bait."
She knew that her pure, innocent, and polite appearance was nothing more than an act for others.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.
Honmura was an unreasonable fellow, and as his partner, she naturally wasn't any kind of good person either.
To their core, they were the same kind of people.
Ayaka's original plan was to use her face to make Ariel lower his guard and lead him step by step into the trap she and Honmura had set.
She and Honmura were nominally a couple, but more often than not, since Honmura came from a prominent family, he was someone she clung to.
However, as time passed, she had actually invested true feelings into this relationship and was willing to do anything for Honmura.
And Honmura held a significant grudge against Ariel, so Ariel became the target of their schemes.
Hearing this, Honmura put his arm around Ayaka's waist and gave it a playful squeeze.
"No rush, baby."
He laughed in a low voice, his tone full of disdain.
"That guy Ariel is just a total hypocrite. I don't believe there's a man in this world who could refuse you."
He was smug, as if he had already seen the scene of Ariel falling into their net.
Ayaka gave his waist a mock-angry pinch, but there wasn't much blame in her eyes.
"The ranking in this Ever Grande Conference is what's most important, right?"
She reminded him, a hint of subtle worry in her voice.
"Don't delay your proper business just because you're getting revenge on a small fry."
"You don't need to worry about that."
Honmura patted his chest, full of confidence.
"Did you forget that my brother is also participating in this Ever Grande Conference? A while ago, he became an apprentice to a Quasi-Elite Four Level Trainer, and that person is also one of the organizers of this conference. With my brother around, the opponents later on will definitely be weaker than me, so I can at least make it into the Top 64."
Hearing this, the worry on Ayaka's face dissipated quite a bit.
"That's good."
She leaned into Honmura's arms, her tone relaxing.
"We only came here to go through the motions and settle some personal business anyway."
"Exactly."
Honmura held her tighter, a flash of playfulness and ruthlessness in his eyes.
"Since we're just going through the motions, what do we have to worry about? Whoever makes us unhappy, we'll mess with them!"
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