Lunch With "Jasman"- Chapter 80

Lunch With "Jasman"- Chapter 80

Mei Mei glanced sideways, her cheek leaning gently against her hand as she pretended to admire the rain tapping against the restaurant's glass. But her thoughts were not on the weather. Her attention was fixed squarely on the boy sitting just one table over.

That boy is the so-called genius? she thought, eyelids lowered lazily. The one who learned cursed energy all by himself? Beat two special grade curses? Can summon a special-grade curse?

Her lips curled ever so slightly. Honestly, he's done more in a few months than I have in five years… Her gaze drifted to his hair. Wild, unruly, untamed. And he's still in school. Cute face, though. I thought someone like him would be huge and buff, especially with all those rumors saying he's wild and dangerous.

She reached for her phone, tapping idly, but her side glance never wavered.

That hair is bad… But it's a look, alright.

There was something else too. Something curious. She didn't sense anything from him.

No cursed energy at all… He looks normal. Ordinary even. Except for that ridiculous hair.

But Mei Mei wasn't fooled. She tilted her head, chewing lightly on her inner cheek.

Which means one of two things: either the intel is wrong—which is unlikely, considering how thorough the report was—or…

Her eyes narrowed.

He has such perfect control over his cursed energy that he doesn't leak any at all.

She leaned back slightly, amused. If that's the case, this boy might be far more dangerous than I thought.

What she didn't know was that the reality was simpler and far more complicated: Ren's cursed energy pool was limited. Small, by most standards. What set him apart wasn't power—but control. Through his Red Cursed Circuit, he had pushed efficiency and output to nearly surgical levels.

But to the outside world, to someone like Mei Mei, it looked like he was a prodigy. A monster in the shape of a boy.

And to her surprise, he smiled at her.

Openly. Calmly. Boldly.

Mei blinked. Bold boy…

There was nothing in the report that said he was interested in women… Her eyes softened, amused. Or maybe I'm just that beautiful. At the end of the day, he's still a teenager.

The waiter returned to Ren's table with a plate of steaming pasta, placing it gently in front of him. Ren gave a quiet nod and picked up his fork, casually twirling the noodles.

From her table, Mei continued to watch him, hand still resting beneath her chin.

Pasta? That wasn't in the report either… Her expression didn't change, but her thoughts churned. Is this his favorite food? A hidden indulgence?

She made a mental note: Ren Sato. Likes pasta. Wild hair. Looks like a normal person. Smiles at strangers. Possible flirts.

Ren, meanwhile, sighed internally as he chewed a mouthful of his long-awaited pasta.

She's still looking at me. Dammit, I just wanted to eat in peace.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How's she going to start this? Just jump in with a fake bump-in? Or is she going for the long game? Reappear a few times. Build rapport. Ugh. That'd be such a waste of time.

He looked over at her casually. Their eyes met. No pretense this time.

Then, with a small smirk, he lifted his spoon toward her—just slightly. A teasing motion. As if saying, You want some?

Mei blinked.

Uh… what? she thought, momentarily stunned. Did he just—?

And then, a smile tugged at her lips.

Wow. He's making my job easy.

She stood up from her table with practiced elegance, her dress shifting slightly with the movement. She picked up her drink and glided over to his table, her heels barely making a sound.

"Oh no no," she said sweetly, waving a manicured hand with a gentle laugh. "I don't want any. But you do look quite handsome. Sorry for staring. My name's Jasman."

She offered her hand across the table.

Ren glanced at it, then up at her face.

"Hmm. You're beautiful too, Jasman," he said smoothly, placing his hand in hers and giving it a polite shake. "My name's Ren. Nice to meet you. You won't mind joining me for lunch, right?"

A little laugh escaped her, fake but practiced, soft like honey.

"Oh, I don't mind at all."

She slid into the seat beside him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Ren took another bite of pasta.

Inwardly, he chuckled. Jasman? Oh, going with a fake name and everything, huh? Well… Jasman does sound like a hot name. I'll give you that.

He swallowed the food.

He's respectful… and asked me to join him? He's making this almost too easy, Mei thought, her voice in her head both amused and intrigued.

Ren sipped his water, eyes not leaving hers.

She smirked inwardly.

"And 'beautiful'... It's been a while since someone called me that."

The sound of the rain grew louder.

Outside, the crows still watched.

And inside the cozy little restaurant, a predator and a schemer sat across from one another… smiling.