A supercar was parked in front of a small orphanage, at first glance as if the two had nothing to do with each other.
Morgan stepped out of the car, his gaze nostalgic as he looked at the old house before him. Since he was very young, his family had the misfortune of having an accident on a trip, leaving only him alive.
He was sent to this orphanage to be cared for, and when he came of age he would return to inherit a massive fortune.
A young woman stepped out of the car after him. She was graceful, her temperament somewhat playful, looking like a willful young lady.
"Morgan, you really are a cold-hearted bastard. You left John all alone." Luna curled her lip, her eyes looking at him like he was trash.
Morgan's face twitched. He looked down, tempted to hit her. But then he grabbed a cream puff and shoved it straight into her mouth to shut her up.
"We both have vehicles, only you don't. Weren't you insisting I take you here to visit our old house?"
"Nom nom… hmm, one pastry doesn't make you a good person…" Luna hadn't finished when she suddenly froze as Morgan handed her the whole bag of pastries.
"Well then… you're rather considerate. Nom nom…" she praised him and ate with relish.
Watching her piggish eating expression, Morgan felt utterly baffled. He asked, "You eat so much, why aren't you fat?"
"To get fat you need surplus energy. I'm afraid I lack energy, let alone have any to spare." Luna said, her mouth still smeared with crumbs and cream.
Morgan could only smile wryly. Luna wasn't wrong. She was a bit… hyperactive.
Although joining the puppet dance club had calmed her mischief a little, overall she hadn't changed much.
A motorcycle roared up and braked in front of them, the stop kicking up a light breeze that blew over the two of them.
The man on the bike took off his helmet, revealing a handsome face with a sharp, gangster-like coldness.
"Just in time." Morgan smiled and raised his hand in greeting.
"Hey, want a bite?" Luna waved a cream puff at him.
John's eyes fixed on the large bag of cream puffs in her hand, then his gaze turned hostile toward Morgan.
"Morgan, why are you spoiling her? Eating too many sweets isn't good for your health." After lecturing him, John pulled a salad from his backpack and swapped it for her bag of cream puffs.
"Eh…" Luna was stunned for a moment, then threw a tantrum.
"You're not my father, what right do you have to stop me? Boohoo, Morgan, he's bullying me, I don't like eating vegetables." Her eyes filled with disdain, her lips trembling as she looked at the salad box.
"Ha ha, how are you a professional fighter with such an unscientific diet?" Morgan mocked instead of helping.
The vein on Luna's forehead twitched. She jabbed a fist straight into the top of his head and scoffed coldly.
Morgan clutched his head, his eyes displeased as he glared at her and grumbled, "Why didn't you hit him? He was the one who took your food."
"You don't understand anything. John may act annoying, but at least he cares about my health. You, on the other hand, just want to mock me." She snapped back at him without hesitation.
John stood beside them, watching his two childhood friends argue. A faint curve appeared on his otherwise expressionless face.
"Alright, stop fighting. We came here to visit our old home and make a small donation, remember?" He stepped between them and spoke calmly.
"See that? That's how a mature person should act." Luna continued to provoke Morgan.
Morgan, of course, wasn't having it. Others could call him out, but not her. He snorted, "Hmph, what makes you any better than me? You're already an adult and still act like a thug—reckless and wild as ever."
"You—" She was about to retort but stopped when she caught John's glance.
And so, the three of them fell silent for a while and went inside to visit their old home together.
…
When they were done, the three stood at the orphanage gate, looking up at the sky for a moment.
"Hey, the weather's nice today. How about a picnic? Barbecue sounds good, right?" Luna suggested, her hungry expression impossible to hide.
Morgan read her like an open book and instantly knew what she wanted. He sneered, "Hmph, you just want John's grilled meat, don't you? Why can't you just say it? Still pretending to suggest it—like we don't already know you."
"Can't eat properly unless you argue with me first, huh? You want a beating? Let's see how many punches that smug face of yours can take." Luna huffed, raising her fist.
She might not seem reliable, but when it came to combat power, she was number one in the group. The others made money but her job was to pick fights at dojos.
"Alright, alright, the weather's nice. A picnic doesn't sound bad," John said with a light smile. Compared to the other two, he was far more mature.
"Fine, let's go then. And for the record, I'm listening to John, not you, Luna, so don't get ahead of yourself." Morgan nodded, but not without throwing in a jab.
Luna pressed her lips together, eyes practically sparking with fire. After knowing each other for nearly twenty years, she had long stopped holding back around him.
A gentle hand pressed down on her head. John softly said, "Ignore him. You can have all of his share of the meat."
The flames in her eyes instantly turned into stars. She licked her lips, her mood lifting right away.
"I knew it; John's the best. Unlike that annoying jerk."
"If you've got that much attitude toward me, then don't take my financial support anymore," Morgan cursed helplessly.
"Hmph, if you cut my allowance, I'll just move in with John and come to your house every month to beat you up." Luna glared back without an ounce of fear.
"I give up. Just get in the car," Morgan said as he opened the door.
Despite the constant bickering, twenty years of friendship remained unshaken. Luna, without a shred of restraint, treated Morgan like her personal chauffeur.
The three of them gathered some tools and ingredients before heading to a hill near the city.
The hill didn't attract many visitors, so the atmosphere was open and tranquil. It wasn't an exaggeration to say the three practically had the whole place to themselves.
The sound of sizzling meat filled the air, the rich aroma enhanced by John's secret recipe, making Luna drool. She grinned and asked, "Is it ready yet?"
"Other than eating, do you even know how to do anything else?" Morgan still couldn't stand that gluttonous look of hers.
"Oh please, you're just jealous because I'm getting your share." Luna shot him a sideways glance, her lips curling in contempt.
"Not everyone's obsessed with food like you," Morgan sighed.
In his mind, Luna had many good traits. But when it came to eating, she never held back for anyone.
The three of them sat together, eating and chatting like a family enjoying a short holiday. The atmosphere was light, simple, and warm.
Suddenly, the sky darkened—not with ordinary darkness, but one streaked with eerie glimmers of light.
The piece of meat Luna had been chewing fell out of her mouth as she stared at the sky in shock. Her fingers trembled as she pointed upward and asked, "Is… is this normal?"
Aside from her, the other two were surprised but not overly alarmed. John stood up and said, "Let's set up a temporary shelter. The car's parked pretty far away; we won't make it in time if it rains. As for the sky… probably just some impurities in the clouds making it look weird."
His explanation sounded half-baked, like someone pretending to understand what he didn't. But it worked, especially for a group that rarely paid attention to scientific details.
Luna let go of her earlier unease and helped the others stretch a tarp for cover. While working, she grumbled, "Damn nature, why does it always have to rain right when I'm eating?"
"Anything that interrupts your meals becomes your enemy, huh?" Morgan muttered, half exasperated and half amused by her devotion to food.
Before long, the three had finished setting up their shelter. Almost immediately, the rain began to pour down in torrents.
This time, not only Luna but all three of them froze in disbelief. The rain didn't wet anything. Each drop evaporated the instant it touched the ground.
"Hey, do you two still think this is normal?" Luna asked suspiciously, glancing between them as she pointed hesitantly at the strange rain, careful not to touch it.
Normally, she was bold and reckless, afraid of neither heaven nor earth. But that didn't mean she lacked common sense.
When something looked dangerous and made no sense, the smart thing to do was not to touch it.
"Looks like something beyond our imagination is happening right before our eyes," John said seriously, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the sky, now completely shrouded by thick.
Morgan's gaze shifted unconsciously to the pendant hanging on his chest—an old trinket he had bought years ago from an antique market. For some reason, an uneasy feeling rose deep within him.