Gina was two years older than Jason, so she was already twenty years old. But unlike Jason, she didn't bother finishing high school.
Once she found out that she was a Superhuman, she immediately dropped out and joined one of the D Rank guilds in the country.
Her ability allowed her to fire arrows of pressurized air, making her invaluable for long-distance warfare inside Gates since she could snipe enemies from a distance.
Gina looked Jason over, and her eyes trailed to his rolled-up shirt that revealed his muscular arms. Jason began heading toward a table to clear the trays of food there, and the muscles in his arm rippled with his movement, making them stand out even more. She swallowed discreetly and shook her head before bringing up the bag she brought with a smile.
"Look what I brought. The company had a celebration, so I took out some of the wine. Let's have a party at your place!"
"No drinking 'til you're eighteen!"
Mira suddenly shouted from inside the kitchen when she heard Gina talking about drinking, and Gina groaned tiredly. They were still talking about this.
Jason was going to be turning eighteen tomorrow, but Mira was adamant that he wasn't allowed to drink, no matter what, until he was eighteen! Even though it was only one day away!
Today, tomorrow! What difference did it make!?
Jason chuckled at the tired look on Gina's face and was about to head into the kitchen to drop the dirty plates when Gina put a hand on his chest to stop him. He looked down at her with a raised brow and frowned as a devious smile appeared on her face. She leaned in and whispered:
"I have to get back to work, but I'll drop this at your place, and I'll be waiting for you once I get off tonight. You still leave the key under the mat, right?"
Jason shook his head.
"I'm not coming back tonight. I've got to help Mum carry some things home, so I plan to stay there for the night."
Gina slapped Jason on the chest, and Jason grimaced in pain! What the fuck was wrong with this girl!? Did she know how strong she was!?
Gina couldn't believe Jason was turning down the chance to get drunk with her! This fucking virgin! A beautiful girl was offering to stay all night with him and get shitfaced, and he was turning it down!? Really!?
'Whatever, it doesn't matter what he thinks. I'm getting him tonight, whether he likes it or not!'
Gina was a woman on a mission, and she wasn't going to let this chance pass!
Did he think she was going to let him spend his birthday working like a middle-aged man!? He was only eighteen for Christ's sake! He should try to live a little!
Gina spoke in an angry whisper:
"You better come back home tonight, mister, or I'm going to be very angry! I've been waiting for years for you to turn eighteen, and we are sure as hell gonna get drunk when you do! Do you hear me!?"
Jason sighed tiredly before he felt a small smile break out on his face. He already knew that he wasn't going to be winning this argument, so he just shrugged in surrender and whispered back to Gina.
"The key's under the mat. I'll come around once I'm done helping Mum."
Gina cheered before she said a loud goodbye to Mira and headed out of the diner quickly. Mira appeared from inside the diner with a disappointed look on her face. Mira planned to talk to Gina a little more before she left, but Gina left so quickly.
Jason spoke up as he carried the plates inside.
"I think I'll go back to my place tonight, Mum."
Mira's eyes widened, and she immediately followed after Jason angrily.
"You better not be planning on drinking anything tonight!"
"I'm not planning anything, Mum."
"Jason…"
"Really, Mum! I'm not planning anything!"
Jason chuckled as his mum fixed him with a heavy stare, and he turned his eyes away to make sure she couldn't see how hard he was trying not to laugh.
For some reason, his mum was just too good at reading the truth whenever she looked into his eyes. It's like she could see into his soul or something.
Mira finally sighed when she realized that she wasn't going to get anything out of Jason, and she turned away to leave while saying a few things.
"Okay, you can leave, but make sure you stay safe. It'll be dark when you go, so you need to be careful."
Mira knew that the streets were dangerous at night, and no matter how strong her son was, it would be bad if he ran into one of those gang members when he was outside.
Jason told his mom that she worried too much. It's not like he was going to walk into a gangster's territory on his way home. He'll be fine.
…
After they closed for the day and finished cleaning up the diner, Jason helped his mum pack her things into the small car that she used for commuting, and then he drove her home.
Jason's little sister, Maya, was in boarding school and she wouldn't be back until the end of the month for the holidays, so right now, Mira was staying alone in the small two-bedroom apartment. Jason helped her take things up to the main apartment, and he said a greeting to the old neighbors that he ran into on the way.
Jason helped Mira drop her things inside, and just before he could leave, she told him to hold on.
"There's something I want to give you…"
Mira went inside her room, and Jason dusted his hands and plopped himself down on the couch while waiting. Jason didn't come to this house that often because he stayed in his own house all week since it was closer to his workplace and his school.
So he couldn't help the sense of nostalgia that it always brought up in his heart whenever he sat here. It felt like he was a little kid again, waiting with his sister for his parents to come back home from work.
Jason shook his head and sighed. It was pointless getting lost in those memories. They were in the past, and things had moved on from back then. His father left them when they needed him most of all, and now all that Jason could do was focus on moving forward.
Mira came out of her room a few seconds later, and Jason watched as she came to sit beside him. Mira gave Jason a serious look, and Jason wondered what Mira could possibly be trying to do here. She was holding something behind her back, and Jason was waiting for her to bring it out.
Mira spoke up in a serious tone.
"Now, Jason, I want you to listen to me very well before you say anything. Do you understand me? Good. Now, before your father left—Jason, relax."
Jason had already turned away from his mother once she mentioned his father. He wasn't interested in knowing anything about the man. Not where he went, not what he was doing, not why he left. None of it mattered!
The only thing that mattered was the fact that he left them alone and left his mother with three children to take care of all on her own! He didn't even care about how they were going to survive without him there.
Jason didn't want to know about his father at all, but Mira calmed her son down. She gave him a serious look and reminded him that he promised to listen. He was going to hear what she had to say whether he liked it or not.
Jason just let out a sigh before he turned back to look at his mother. He wasn't going to ignore her when she was being this serious.
Mira smiled when she saw her son listening, and then she spoke up again.
"Okay, now, before your father left, he didn't leave just a note for us. I know I only told you about the note, but there was something else he gave us. He told me not to give it to you until you turned eighteen years old, and since you're going to be drunk with Gina tomorrow—yes, I know you're going to drink, you can't fool me. But it's okay, I can't hold your hand forever, and you deserve to have some fun since you've worked so hard. But before you get plastered, you should have this."
Mira brought a box forward and handed it to Jason. Jason looked at it curiously and wondered what the hell was inside. It looked like a jewelry box, and it was wrapped with a black cloth that made it look very expensive.
Jason asked his mom what was inside, and his mom shook her head. She'd never opened it before, so she had no idea what was in there.