Tears trickled down Daiyu's cheeks. Chioma attempted to wipe off the tears, but Daiyu blocked her.
Chioma said, "Girl, it's not a fight."
"I understand that you want the best for me. But what you said hurt me; nevertheless, it's the truth, and I have to work with it. I will act better, Chioma. Thanks for your advice," Daiyu said.
She wiped her tears off her face. Guided by her reflection in the mirror, she adjusted the smeared makeup on her face with her mini makeup kit that she carried with her in her purse.
She looked at Chioma and said, "Let's go back together so that the boys don't have a good guess of what transpired here."
"After you," Chioma politely said, giving Daiyu the room to lead.
The ladies returned to their seat. Ivan's demeanour had brightened up. He took the initiative to direct the conversation. The four friends talked about what they intended to do in the future. Ivan discussed his ambition to own an animation studio. Chioma was a fashionista; she desired to establish a clothing line of which she would be the owner. Daiyu expressed that she had a strong desire to pursue a degree in clinical psychology in order to become a therapist.
As for Roger, he wanted to continue with his simple life as an influencer. He already had a significant number of followers on social media. All he needed was one viral post to become a super influencer. He mostly promoted games and food retailers on his social media handles.
The friends then talked about how the recent flooding and alien attack had impacted their lives. They all avoided words that would trigger Ivan's trauma as they discussed.
Ivan's phone buzzed; it was a notification from the Disaster Relief Agency. Ivan read the notification. The ministry had found Ivan's cab and reached a conclusion that the cab was damaged. As a result, Ivan would be given a new cab.
He shared his news with his friends. They were all elated. It was assured that Ivan would be given a recent sedan model that came with cool features. The friends talked about what they would do with the car when the need arises. Ivan was a friend who was ready to help if it didn't inconvenience him too much.
The clock struck 9:00 p.m., and the four friends decided to call it a night. Chioma and Roger went their way. Daiyu insisted on walking Ivan home. Ivan tried to convince her not to, but ultimately, he had to accept.
The duo walked down and left the street the restaurant was on and entered a right that branched off from the right. Daiyu fought the urge to hold Ivan's hand. She began a conversation; she asked Ivan how soon he was going to open his heart to love. Ivan revealed that he had no plans at the moment, and the uncertainty and danger the future held frightened him from thinking about opening his heart to love.
Ivan's reply took the steam out of the conversation. It was not the reply that Daiyu wanted to hear.
"We are almost at your place. You are very lucky that your apartment building has never taken a heavy blow," Daiyu said with a bright expression. "If your cab wasn't damaged, I wouldn't need to call another cab to come take him."
Daiyu took her phone out of her purse. A man had been following behind. He didn't look suspicious. He just looked like a regular person walking down the street. This man wore a black hoodie with its hood down, showing his face, and brown jean trousers with a pair of grey track shoes. Daiyu was navigating her way to her Uber app when the man ran past her, snatching her phone out of her hand.
Daiyu exclaimed, "What the hell! That guy snatched my phone."
Ivan reluctantly pursued without saying a word. Daiyu tried to chase after them, but she gassed out in no time. She was left a spectator to their fleeting figures.
Ivan chased the thief for more than 20 blocks, which saw them cross two streets. The hoodlum ran into an alley. Ivan followed him. Ivan halted in his tracks. He saw the hoodlum standing on the end of the alley, but he was behind a crowd of men who were smoking pot and some other hard drugs.
"Who are you, shithead?" One of the drug indulgents asked the visiting hoodlum.
The hoodlum smiled and said, "Consider me a friend."
The hoodlum raised his voice and spoke assertively to the crowd while pointing at Ivan, "Gentlemen, that man right there is not like us. He chased me here because I took a phone that doesn't even belong to him. He thinks he's better than us because he doesn't do what we do."
Ivan sensed a strange power leak off the hoodlum. His instincts warned him that the crowd had turned on him. The hoodlum was a special character whose class was 'Thief'. Characters who possessed the Thief class were highly exceptional in evading pursuants, depending on who was pursuing them. Additionally, they had the ability to instigate people.
Instigation was the only special ability that a Thief-class character exhibited when they were F-rank.
Ivan correctly judged that he couldn't flee the grasp of the instigated crowd. He remembered that he was F-rank and had noticed enhanced physique. He inferred that he could fight off the crowd and tank some of their assault as long as he could finish them off quickly. Adrenaline coursed through his blood, anticipating the first person who dared to attack.
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Congratulations.
Your intelligence has unlocked an innate special ability: Flaw gleaner.
Description: Using your eyes and intelligence, you examine a structure, be it living or inanimate, and can tell its weak point.
Ivan quickly read the information on the pop-up window in his vision.
One brawny man took the initiative to attack Ivan with a crowbar. He had plotted how to dodge the man's attack and deliver a strong blow to the man's temple which would knock him unconscious.
Ivan side-stepped to the right, dodging the crowbar that slashed down. He delivered a powerful cross punch to the man's temple, knocking him out cold.
Ivan hadn't invested in human anatomy, so he didn't know before now that a strong punch to one's temple could knock them unconscious.