Descending Into A Novel-Chapter 36:Special Class Get-together (1)

Chapter 36: 36:Special Class Get-together (1)

Raymond didn’t know when he had fallen asleep.

Groggily rubbing his eyes. He found himself lying flat on his back on his sofa, a blanket draped over him and a pillow under his head.

The morning sun shined a dim light through the clouds, providing a nice atmosphere in his living room.

Looking around, he found his apartment to be as clean as before. Not a single trace of blood remaining as far as he could tell.

He could hear the sounds of bacon sizzling and something in the toaster pop up with a ding.

"Good morning Raymond."

"...good morning Ellen."

Seating himself at his kitchen countertop, a plate was soon handed to him—along with a fork and knife.

Sunny side up eggs with the yolk still runny, crispy bacon and toast browned until the edges. Each item exactly how he liked it.

"Go brush your teeth first. Don’t eat yet."

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he quickly returned to the kitchen. Sitting next to Ellen, he turned to her after the first bite.

"How’d you know?"

She raised an eyebrow, "Know what?"

"How I like my eggs, bacon, and toast. Everything’s perfect."

"We lived in the same household for nearly five years. It’s hard not to know."

Raymond suddenly felt a pang of guilt hit him, he didn’t know hers yet she knew his likes.

It suddenly occurred to Raymond that he didn’t know much about Ellen aside from the basics.

He had treated this entire dimension as only entertainment, using other people’s lives as stories. Treating living, breathing humans as only npcs and characters.

Raymond quietly added three new items on his list, once he returned to Earth, he would delete his entire novel that he had written. Wiping it from everyone’s memory.

Second, was to get to know Ellen better and the third was to stop treating people like they were characters in a story.

"Thank you for what you did yesterday."

She nodded slightly, "Like I said, it’s fine."

The two of them quietly finished their breakfast. With Raymond helping to clean up and wash the dishes.

...

Wearing casual clothes, Raymond tried his best to look as normal as he could. But try as he might, it was hard to muster up the same carefree energy after what happened yesterday.

He wore a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt to try and hide his bandages. But the bandages on his hands were still very visible to anyone who paid attention to his appearance.

Following behind Ellen, the two of them soon reached their destination.

The Fired-up Bull

Approaching the waitstaff, the two of them entered the restaurant. Following the employee until they reached a VIP room.

"Your reserved room dear customers. If you have any requests, please ring the bell to notify an employee."

Pushing the sliding door open, the two of them entered the VIP room. Immediately spotting Thomas sitting by himself looking at a menu.

He cheerfully greeted them, "Ellen! Raymond! Glad to see you two arrive."

Ellen looked around, "Where’s Noelle and Audrina?"

"They haven’t arrived yet. But since you two are here, I can finally order something! I’ve been surrounded by the smell ever since I entered and it’s really making me hungry."

Seating themselves around the round table on Thomas’s right. With Ellen in between Thomas And Raymond, the three of them chatted for a bit as they waited for the others.

Thomas’s squinted slightly at Raymond’s hands, "Raymond, I couldn’t help but notice that your hands are bandaged. Were you injured in some sort of accident?"

"Just a small magic accident, it’ll heal on its own soon enough.", he played it off. Acting as if it were nothing.

"I see, I happen to know quite a bit of first aid and several medical techniques. Do you want me to take a look at it?"

He shook his head, someone like Thomas could easily determine that his wounds were self-inflicted and he would rather not have that kind of conversation with him.

"It’s just a small accident, I’ve already applied all the proper medicine and stuff."

He said nothing for a while, only staring at Raymond. "Is that so?"

The door slid open, interrupting their conversation. Something Raymond felt immensely grateful for.

Thomas was just too overbearing sometimes due to his care for his close friends. Which lead to a lot of interrogations from him.

"I’m glad to see you made it on time Noelle, come sit. We were just waiting on you and Audrina."

Sitting on Thomas’s left, she made a small sound of acknowledgement. in response.

Luckily Thomas was a very amicable person, able to socialize with nearly anyone. Otherwise, in a group of only Raymond, Ellen, Noelle and Audrina—the awkward silence between the four of them would have been enough to suffocate someone to death.

Audrina soon appeared as well, her long dark magenta and purple hair which reached her mid back swaying slightly as she sat down.

"Since everybody is here now, shall we ask for the waiter to take our order? After a few minutes of course so that Audrina has the time to choose."

She quickly put down her menu, giving a nod to Thomas.

After giving all of their orders to the waiter which appeared, they all settled into silence. Interrupted only by the occasional small talk between Thomas and whoever he decided was too quiet.

"Audrina, if you don’t mind me asking. I noticed that your clothes are always modified to have a larger then average opening for the neck. Is there a reason for that?"

She gazed at Thomas for a bit before answering, "I prefer my clothes like that. It makes them more comfortable to wear."

"I see."

Raymond made eye contact with Ellen, a knowing smile on their faces.

Audrina’s disguise was merely an illusion. Hiding her horns and tail rather then Raymond’s disguise which truly altered his body composition.

If you waved your hand over her hair you would be able to feel two invisible horns. Likewise with her tail.

Her horns were slender and pointed extending forwards slightly from her forehead before curving upwards and slightly backwards ending with a slight outward flare—giving off an appearance similar to a decorative blade.1

With horns like that, trying to wear shirts that weren’t buttoned was pretty difficult without ripping them apart.

At least her tail was a lot easier to hide, she usually just wound it around her leg or hid it in a small bag on her back.

Raymond remembered when he released a sketch of her true appearance for the first time after her reveal in his novel.

His readers nearly went crazy for her, although Raymond could understand why.

They were like a pack of dogs, gushing over her true form with her horns along with her thin tail that ended with a shape like a double barbed arrow. Along with the pointed ears, she became a fan favourite after her reveal.

Which was why the backlash from her death was nearly as bad as the backlash from Thomas’s death.

The complains poured in like crazy, review bombing his novel to the point it nearly dropped off the top one hundred leaderboard.

Negative comments wishing his mother was killed and pleading for him to bring her back.

Thinking about his novel quickly soured his mood slightly.

He moved up the delete novel priority on his list.

Thomas continued his small talk, "Noelle, during the academy entrance exam. They stated that no outside equipment was allowed. But I noticed that your armour didn’t disqualify you. Is it not outside equipment?"

She shook her head, "It’s my innate ability."

"Wow! That means each and every one of us has an innate ability doesn’t it?"

Raymond raised his hand slightly, "I don’t have an innate ability?"

An innate ability was an inborn ability that would show up randomly throughout the bloodline.

Ellen’s eyes, Thomas’s Angel transformation and Audrina’s bloodlust were all considered innate abilities.

’Maybe my race bonus could be considered an innate ability?’

But his race was originally just human. It had taken him centuries before he could evolve into the perfect human.

He showed a confused expression, "Sorry? Then what is-

A knock on the door interrupted him, with great fanfare. Several waiters soon entered with the dishes they ordered. Setting them down in front of them.

Smelling the rich aroma, Raymond felt saliva forming in his mouth already.

’How I’ve missed you!’

Seeing Raymond who was eating so happily, Ellen felt a little stunned inside but she didn’t show it.

’What happened to your gloomy mood just now!’

She mentally took note of how Raymond seemed to magically recover after eating something good. Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence but three times was a pattern.

But still...

’Cant you be a bit more elegant at least!’

Granted, at least he wasn’t as bad as last time after their time in the inheritance. He was at least holding his utensils properly now and he was eating with his mouth closed.

She refrained herself from using her authority over him for fear of triggering him again. Having someone willingly do something for you was always better then forcing them to.

Looking up from her meal, she saw three pairs of eyes on her.

Noelle motioned with her eyes at Raymond.

She shrugged her shoulders slightly.

Noelle motioned with her eyes again.

She sighed.

"Raymond."

"Yeah?"

"Eat slower."

"Yes ma’am."

At least he listened this time as well.

Honestly, Raymond was doing a horrible job when it came to acting as her loyal shadow. Acting so casual with her, calling her by her name rather then master, not even accompanying her to class.

His background of a poor child abandoned by his parents before moving into an orphanage which was soon shut down was showing. But the part where he was raised by the Grace family and is extremely loyal to her wasn’t.

She would have to correct that soon, otherwise her father might get a bit angry at the two of them for not listening to him.

if you’re struggling to imagine Audrina appearance, then just google Ascalon from arknights.