Possibilities & Jokes

On the road

Aether, clad in his black sweater, strolled calmly toward the Federation Palace.

The day was unusually cold, and the path he walked on was quiet, with few people passing by.

There was no rush in his stride toward the Federation Palace.

Before long, his attention was drawn to a sizable supermarket, and without much thought, he veered toward it.

"Cling~"

A soft chime echoed through the supermarket's entrance as Aether pushed the door open, and he stepped inside with a gentle grace.

"Good morning and welcome!" A cheerful cashier greeted him, a warm smile gracing her face.

Upon seeing this, Aether nodded and returned the smile.

"Good morning to you too." After exchanging pleasantries, he ventured further into the supermarket's interior to explore the well-stocked selection of foods, beverages, and groceries.

"It's unusually quiet here today, especially for a morning like this when many people usually come shopping for their various needs," Aether mused to himself.

He hadn't anticipated that Princess Sharon's arrival would have such a profound effect.

He soon reached the aisles filled with drinks and an assortment of snacks, which he planned to bring to the Federation Palace to enjoy while watching the treaty between Mars and Earth.

Of course, he wasn't just buying these for himself; Ethan had asked him to pick up some snacks as well.

After collecting the food and drinks he intended to take with him, Aether made his way to the cashier's counter, ready to pay.

"How much is the total?" Aether reached for the plastic bag containing the items.

In response to Aether's question, the cashier glanced at the monitor and swiftly operated it.

"That'll be one hundred Ven, sir," the cashier replied with a friendly smile.

Ven served as the world's currency, having replaced all the previous currencies of the nations following the devastation and conflict with the Martians.

Many countries had been laid to waste, and humanity, lacking the means to fend off the Martians and their Genesis technology, had formed the three Federations.

These three federations had jointly introduced a new currency: Ven.

Nodding slightly, Aether opened his wallet and handed over his debit card.

"Thank you for shopping with us, sir," the cashier said after completing the transaction, returning the debit card to Aether.

"You're welcome," Aether replied with a gentle smile.

He then exited the supermarket, took out his smartphone, and accessed the location Ethan had provided.

"Right in front of the station near the Federation Palace, huh?" Aether muttered to himself before continuing to walk in the direction indicated by Ethan.

...

At the station

Ethan, standing around and munching on potato chips, scanned his surroundings in search of Aether, who had claimed to have left already.

"It's been twenty minutes, and he's nowhere in sight. Is he deceiving me?" Ethan sighed softly, glancing at the clock on his left wrist, and continued to snack on potato chips to stave off his boredom.

His attention kept drifting toward the bustling crowd, all heading towards the palace just two hundred meters away.

"I didn't expect such enthusiasm. Initially, I thought there would be many opposing and spreading hatred upon Princess Sharon's arrival. It seems like I was mistaken." Ethan wasn't lacking in intelligence, despite his struggles in certain academic subjects.

His powers of observation rivaled Aether's.

As the son of one of the three ministers of the Arcana Federation, he possessed inherent advantages.

However, sometimes his eccentric nature and behavior overshadowed his capabilities.

As he munched on potato chips, carefully observing his surroundings, Ethan suddenly felt someone grab his shoulder.

"Who's there?" He swiftly turned, only to find Aether grinning at him.

"You got me good, man. You really caught me off guard," Ethan exclaimed with a sigh of relief, realizing it was Aether.

Aether, seeing Ethan's reaction, chuckled and replied, "My apologies, Ethan. I meant to call out to you earlier, but when I saw you sporting such a serious expression—something quite unusual for you—I couldn't resist surprising you."

Upon hearing Aether's explanation, Ethan sighed and gave him a quizzical look.

"Have I never been serious around you before?" He spoke with a hint of doubt, prompting Aether to burst into laughter.

"Of course! I've never seen you make a face like that before. That's why I was so surprised when I saw you with such a serious expression," Aether admitted with a shrug, speaking honestly.

After all, Ethan was known for his goofy demeanor, so seeing him look serious was quite a rarity.

Upon hearing this, Ethan's lips twitched slightly, and he pretended to let out a small sigh.

"Maybe this is the first time I've shown such a serious expression, as you said, my friend. I almost gave myself away to you." Ethan's gaze seemed to hold a meaning that piqued Aether's interest.

"What do you mean by 'almost gave myself away'?" Aether furrowed his brows slightly, patiently awaiting Ethan's explanation.

Ethan shook his head, his gaze drifting to the beautiful blue sky.

"What I meant is that all this time, I've been concealing my true abilities, one of which includes pretending to be ranked last since our first year. I've always held back so that you could be in first place, you know?" Ethan's gaze shifted to Aether, who was now thoroughly surprised by this unexpected revelation.

"Ha! You're still putting on an act in front of me?" Aether laughed heartily and playfully slapped Ethan's shoulder, causing Ethan, who had been feigning a reaction, to suddenly gasp and cry out.

"Ouch! You're such a jerk, Aether. That was a hard hit," Ethan grumbled, rubbing his sore right shoulder.

Aether wiped tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes and shook his head.

"Alright, I'm too lazy for this nonsense." Aether then handed over his shopping bag to Ethan.

"Oh, you actually brought it!" Ethan exclaimed with excitement as he peered into the plastic bag filled with food, snacks, and soft drinks, his eyes gleaming with delight.

Aether smiled at his friend's reaction and chuckled.

"Okay, let's make our way to the Federation Palace," Aether said casually, and Ethan nodded in agreement.

Without hesitation, they set off toward the Federation Palace.