Free Web NovelChapter 66: Chapter 65 - New Year’s
Point-of-View: Inoka Fonseka
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Today’s the 1st of January, 2026, a little bit past midnight...in other words, it was new year’s day. Normally, we’d all be asleep at this time, but because of the occasion, we’d stayed up to celebrate.
Specifically, it was me, Zoraiz, Alexis, Kiyana and Aurora, we were in my room with a bunch of snacks and stuff, playing cards with music blasting out in the background. Normally, I’d complain about holding this in my room, but since there’s more girls than guys, I’ll let it slide.
It’s been over seven months since we ended up here, and...well, nothing particularly remarkable had happened since Aurora was brought here. We’d all continued working on mastering our Skills, and we’d also been given regular hand to hand combat training.
Well, not that Aurora needed it, there was no one who could beat her in a regular fight. Actually, there was no one who could beat her, period. She picked up new techniques with her Dark Skill at a frightening pace, and her instincts were insanely sharp.
As for the rest of us Outliers, there wasn’t a huge difference in ability between the three of us, and we were all now competent enough to be classified as high level Category 2 or just barely Category 1 Meta-Humans. However, we hadn’t yet been sent out on any missions or anything for Harmony.
.
That was going to change soon though, we’d each be accompanying a high ranking Meta-Human on simple assignments starting in a few days, and then gradually work our ways up to tougher missions as we gain more and more experience.
I had to say, I was starting to get pretty used to this new life, and I definitely wasn’t disliking it. I’ve got myself a comfortable room, three square meals consisting of pretty decent food, a fair amount of free time and if there’s something I need, I can just request it.
Like, last week, I asked Neo for a butterfly knife, because I’ve always thought that those things are really cool and wanted to try my hand at spinning and flicking it about. Yeah, within twenty seconds of receiving it, I ended up slashing my wrist open by accident, almost took off a finger too.
Man, that was painful. Good thing I was able to heal myself right away, otherwise, I might have actually bled out and died. Seriously, I sliced into my wrist REALLY deep, I felt the blade graze my FUCKING BONE...ughh, just recalling it makes me shudder.
Well, anyway, to get back to the present, we were currently playing a game of joker, and it was down to Aurora and me...I was holding a seven of hearts card, and the joker card, while she had one card in her hand, presumably a seven. It was her turn to pick...
"Hey, stop trying to see the reflection of my cards in my eyes," I frowned, as I noticed her pupils sharpen while she stared intently at my eyes.
"I wasn’t, uh, doing anything of the sort," She huffed in response, averting her gaze as she reached out and picked...the seven of hearts card.
"Ah, crap...," I sighed as I tossed the joker card onto the pile with a defeated sigh. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
"You really don’t have a lot of luck, do you?" Said Zoraiz with an amused look on his face.
"Leave me alone, it’s not my fault that my starting hand didn’t have even a single pair," I groaned in response.
"I wonder what it is, but I feel happier when you lose than when I win," Smirked Alexis, as she held her head high.
"You annoying little bitch...," I sighed in exasperation.
"Huh? What did you just call me, shithead? I’ll tear off that stupid bit of scruff on your chin," She responded with a glare.
"Oh, yeah? Why don’t you go ahead and try, just see what happens next," I replied as I returned her glare.
"I’ll, um, reshuffle the card," Smiled Kiyana wryly, picking up the cards, her sudden intervention killing a bit of the tension.
She’s gotten really used to all this, she doesn’t even bat an eye anymore when an argument breaks out among us. As for Aurora, she used to kinda stiffen up a bit, like an alarmed cat, when the rest of us argue, but now, her ears just perk up a bit, and beyond that, she doesn’t really react.
"We’re going another round? Can’t we just, like, watch a movie or something?" I sighed, as I reached out for a handful of chips.
"Seriously, how are you not fat as shit with the amount of junk food you eat?" Frowned Alexis disdainfully.
Okay, now she’s just trying to pick a fight...
"No idea...but on the flip side, you certainly seem to have gained some weight recently, haven’t you?" I responded with narrowed eyes.
"Wh-wha...!? Of course, not!" She huffed angrily in response, her face turning red.
She doesn’t actually look any different to me, but yesterday, I spotted her squeezing her stomach with a self-conscious look on her face, so it’s possible...
"You sure about that? You seem a bit tubbier around the midsection," I remarked in an innocent tone.
"Wow, you don’t even try to be tactful, do you?" Muttered Aurora in amusement.
"It’s a hundred percent intentional on his part," Sighed Zoraiz as he rolled his eyes.
"Keep talking and I’ll zap the shit out of you," Alexis growled at me with a glare.
"Uh-oh, this is starting to get ugly," Zoraiz smiled nervously.
"Just try it, I’ll blast you in the face before you know what hit you," I stood my ground firmly.
Honestly, I really want this back and forth to just end...but, well, I don’t want to be the one that backs down first.
"Um, I’ve finished dealing the cards, so...," Began Kiyana, in an attempt to intervene.
Perfect, this is my chance to end this while coming out on top!
"Yeah, I suppose that it is pretty childish to let a pointless argument like this drag on, let’s play," I nodded, taking the high road.
"Tch, whatever," Muttered Alexis with a growl.
She clearly has more that she wants to say, but if she does now, she’ll end up looking bad. Heh, I win.
"You expression is giving away your thoughts," Zoraiz nudged me, as I noticed Alexis giving me a dirty look.
"Oops, my bad," I responded wryly, before putting on a poker face.
"You are such an asshole," Alexis mumbled under her breath.
"Gasp! How could you say something so hurtful to another human being?" I cried dramatically, placing a hand over my mouth in feigned shock.
"...did you just say the word ’gasp’?" Chimed in Aurora incredulously.
"Hey, um, guys, the cards-," Kiyana started to try and get our attention.
"Okay, that’s it, you’re really pissing me off," Alexis snarled at me.
Man, she gets so feral when she’s riled up...
"What else is new? It’s practically a daily routine at this point," Sighed Zoraiz in exasperation, as he rolled his eyes.
"Huh!? You got something to say!?" She snapped at him, completely seeing red at this point.
Yeah, when she gets like this, calming her down isn’t easy. Well, not that I’ve ever tried, I just can’t help dumping more fuel on the fire. Either way, it’s clear that she’s got some anger issues...
"Nah, I don’t...I mean, there’s just so much to get through, where would I even start?" He retorted dryly.
He’s come out of his shell quite a bit lately, and can hold conversations without stuttering or sounding all robotic, but, uh...if anyone confronts him aggressively, he won’t back down, that much hasn’t changed. He’s still as easily provoked as he was before, he never starts fights, but he sure as hell never backs down from one either...
"How about I start with zapping your face!?" Alexis threatened him, as her hand crackled with lightning.
"If you really think you can lay a finger on me, go right ahead," He taunted icily in response.
Oh, boy...things are certainly starting to heat up now. I, uh, think that’s my cue to slowly back out of this verbal showdown, before it, you know, becomes a physical one. Because when that happens...
"Aurora, if you don’t mind...," Sighed Kiyana with a shake of her head.
"Hm? Yeah, okay," She responded, before a dark, shadowy cat-shaped silhouette enveloped her, and the next thing I knew, I was being pinned to the floor by the tail part of the shadowy silhouette, while Alexis and Zoraiz were pinned against the wall with the hands of the silhouette.
"H-hey, uh...why me too? I wasn’t going to get violent like these two dumbass idiots," I spoke up sheepishly.
"Care to repeat that, Inoka?" Inquired Zoraiz with a cold glare.
"Yeah, I dare you to say that again, you shithead!" Added Alexis in agreement.
Great, they’re ganging up on me now...man, these two do this flip-flopping crap every single time, the targets that they direct their anger at shifts far too easily...
"Oh, I’m sorry, but what else should I call the bratty morons that were about to let loose their literal superpowers INSIDE MY ROOM!?" I countered firmly.
"Ohh, that’s rich coming from you! Remember when you tried to hit a mosquito with your light blasts and ended up damaging the ceiling in my room!?" Alexis snapped in response.
"Give me a break, that was nothing compared to when-!" Zoraiz began to chime in.
"No choice, I have to put you three to sleep," Sighed Aurora, before a wave of fatigue hit me, my vision darkening.
Oh, crap, she’s using her Dark Skill to force us into falling asleep...
"H-hey, wait a sec, that’s a bit extr-...uhh...what was I...saying...?" Muttered Alexis, before her head slumped down as she passed out.
"Whatever...I was feeling...kinda sleepy anyway...," Yawned Zoraiz, as he let himself succumb to her technique.
"Huh...yeah, I think...he’s got the right...idea...," I stifled a yawn, before my eyelids drooped shut, and everything went dark...
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