The taste hit him like a physical blow. His entire being screamed in horror.
How could meat taste this horrible? Was that blood, not sauce? It's purple, though. Since when did blood in purple? If so, what the hell was that meat?
Neville tried to chew the meat, but the smell just spread all over his mouth. His brain struggled to analyze the assault on his taste buds.
The pungent aroma came stronger in each bite. Part rotting fish, part burnt rubber, with subtle odors of what he could only describe as existential abomination. It tastes even worse because he was a mermaid with enhanced senses.
Meat might come worse since that was the first thing you could taste, but what comes after was worse.
What were those 'vegetables'? Not to mention that the 'lettuce' looked like seaweed in lettuce-shape, its texture was closer to the meat of the Aloe Vera that stretches like a lady's finger's slime when boiled or steamed.
It wasn't that there was much problem with the texture, but the taste was horribly wrong and bitter. If he could describe it, it was closer to a bitter gourd mixed with iron shards. The other 'vegetables' were both tasteless and overwhelmingly bitter at the same time.
This is how I die. This is not edible for an earthling, Neville thought desperately, fighting every instinct that told him to spit it out immediately. But spitting out an overpriced burger felt like a sin.
After chewing once, Neville didn't dare to chew for a second time. But Grayson was watching. Bryan was watching.
[Host, your stress levels are amusing—I mean, concerning! Very concerning! (´∀｀)♡]
Neville ignored Shelly, focusing on keeping the bite in his mouth. Despite his mouth almost spilling mixed saliva and 'burger' juice, Neville didn't dare to swallow it.
That's when he noticed Grayson had taken exactly one bite of his own burger before setting it aside with the kind of precise movement that suggested he never intended to touch it again.
Grayson took out a tall cup and was methodically emptying several nutrient solutions into it until it was almost full.
But he did not just drink it after pouring it into the cup. To Neville's surprise, he added three packets of what looked like a sweetener and began mixing them.
That's what I call taste! Neville couldn't help but think admiringly. Not just eating anything at face value and being done with it.
Grayson must have sensed his gaze because he looked up, those silver eyes meeting Neville's ocean-blue ones. For a moment, Neville forgot about the abomination in his mouth and almost swallowed some of it. He nearly choked trying to prevent himself from swallowing it.
"You don't have to eat it," Grayson said, his voice lower than usual, almost... gentle?
Then Grayson walked over to him and handed him the trash bin and a separate biodegradable plastic bag.
Neville didn't wait for anyone and decided to throw up everything there and then. He didn't even know where Grayson got the water when he handed it over to him.
He noticed, Neville thought.
"Tsk tsk tsk," Bryan's voice was full of disapproval. "Sir, how can you teach bad habits to your own employees?"
Grayson didn't care and handed over a tall cup and a few nutrient solutions with sweeteners. Neville shyly took the items and put them one by one on the table.
He continued to complain. "You should be setting a good example. This is clearly an expensive food—how can it taste bad?"
Neville couldn't believe that Bryan had said that. But then, when he glanced at Bryan's empty tray, he noticed that only traces of purple and green liquids remained on the plate.
The man completely wiped out every last bit of the meal. His tray was so clean it could have gone straight back to storage after rinsing it once.
Ha, Neville thought wryly, carefully pouring the nutrient solutions into the tall cup. Sir Bryan, you must have heavy tastes, don't you?
Grayson walked back to his desk and ignored Bryan, who was looking at him with 'you're wasting food again' written on his face.
Neville couldn't tell if Bryan genuinely enjoyed the meal or if he was raised in a background that couldn't afford to waste anything, especially the rare and expensive ones. But what he could tell was that both he and Grayson had the same standards when it came to food.
"If you want to eat these, you can just order yours," Grayson said, sending shivers down the spines of those who heard. "You can put it on my tab. Just don't order mine."
Grayson leaned back to his seat and drank his nutrient solution mix.
Bryan never failed to maintain his smile, but something flickered in his eyes. "I would if I could, but you know Madam would ask."
Madam? Neville's hand froze halfway through pouring sugar into the mix.
Grayson's expression didn't change—it rarely did—but Neville caught the slight tightening around his eyes, the small change in his posture. Whatever Bryan had mentioned, it wasn't a comfortable topic.
Maintaining his calm expression, Neville continued to stir his drink. Mentally, he was practically shaking Shelly awake.
'Madam? SHELLY!' His mental voice reached near-hysterical pitches. 'You didn't tell me Grayson is married! This changes everything! Maybe I don't need to be his partner to fill up the favorability! I can just brush off some favorability from his family and wife!'
The logic was sound, desperate as it was. If Grayson had a wife he cared about, then surely taking care of that person would be a shortcut to increasing favorability.
It was a classic strategy in system novels—win over the family, win over the target. Much easier than trying to seduce a workaholic CEO who seemed more romantically attracted to quarterly reports than actual people.
'If Grayson really cared about this person, surely—'
[Don't dream while awake, host.] Shelly's blunt tone snapped him back.
Neville secretly glared at the floating shell. 'What do you mean?'
[Your target is definitely not married.] Shelly's animated eyes rolled in a way that was almost snubbing at him. [If he were, it would be impossible for him to be completely compatible with you. Basic biology, host. Did you sleep through the explanation?]
'I'm just saying that maybe there was an error somewhere.' Neville shrugged.
[Excuses, excuses. The chief secretary was probably referring to his mother. If not, maybe his older sister.] Shelly said.
The revelation made Neville pause, but he continued to stir. 'When Grayson's father died...Grayson retired from the military for unknown reasons. Was that why he took over the company? But wasn't it his sister who was supposed to inherit the business?'
[The whole thing was a mess,] Shelly confirmed, her tone unusually subdued. [His older sister was already pregnant at the time. The Maxwell family couldn't afford someone taking advantage of the chaos to stage a hostile takeover. Right now, she's taking care of her child at home.]
Neville stopped moving. Grayson's tired face seemed to be in distress, and he didn't sleep for a long time. A subtle tension on his shoulder when he triggered the button to destroy the world. Details from the original timeline that had frequently slipped from his mind because of the busy days.
'If I recall correctly,' Neville thought slowly, 'didn't something happen to his family? They were gone before the original story even started. That's the reason why Grayson had to rebuild everything from scratch.'
[Yes, host.]
The simple confirmation hit harder than any explanation would have. Neville felt something twist in his chest. It was a sensation that had nothing to do with the system or favorability progress bar, or the missions.
It was pure sympathy for Grayson.