"..."

Seriously? Is the power of friendship really a thing? So specific too. Even when he didn't finish his thoughts, the accuracy was downright scary.

The incident 2 weeks ago didn't happen with only one girl. The number of girls there during that day was on a squadron level. 

And Irene did it again!

"Stop thinking about them! Only look at your childhood friend right here!"

Grabbing him by the shoulders, Irene pushes him to the tree and points the stick at his neck, "If you think about any girls besides me, I'll show you the consequences of getting me mad!"

Despite all the good qualities Irene has, there is one bad quality. That was...jealousy. Irene is an incredibly jealous person.

And especially things that are related to Onyx. 

Onyx didn't look her in the eyes. He turns away and shouts, "I don't know what you are talking about? I haven't thought about any girls who gave me chocolates."

Oh no! Onyx knew he messed up.

"Huh?! Say that one more time! Say it while you're looking at me!" Irene got pissed off. She smooshes Onyx's cheeks as she forces his head around, making them look face to face with each other. 

"Irene, your face is too close!" Seeing her emerald eyes gazing down at him, he couldn't help but blush. 

The two aren't just childhood friends. But childhood sweethearts. They were inseparable the moment they saw each other. 

Irene would follow Onyx around. While Onyx watches over Irene. They did everything together to the point that the villagers considered them the perfect couple. 

Even though some guys and girls were jealous of them, they couldn't say a thing about it. 

Onyx is handsome and sensible, while Irene is beautiful and energetic. Their emotions match well with each other. 

And what makes it better is that Onyx's in love with Irene. From the moment he met her, he felt something in his chest. 

Noticing him blushing, Irene moves closer to him, "Promise me that you won't think about any other girls."

"Move away first, and I'll answer!" Onyx couldn't stand being so close. It was bad for his heart. 

Why are her lips so red? He couldn't believe how beautiful Irene's lips were.

"Answer first." Onyx was going to refuse again. But he notices that there's a tint of red on her cheeks. 

You're embarrassed by this too! Seeing how the two are blushing with embarrassment made them look like fools. Onyx sighs, "Alright."

He knew he couldn't win against her stubbornness. 

Irene moves back with a bright smile on her face, "Good."

"But Onyx, I'm serious. I want to go on an adventure with you." Once the two go on an adventure together, all the other girls in the village wouldn't be able to follow after them. She would have Onyx all to herself, and nobody could do a thing about it.

"...What if I get some kind of bad skill?" Going on a trip with his crush doesn't sound bad for him, but he doesn't want to become an anvil. Becoming a dead weight for Irene is something that he never wanted to do. 

"I don't care about what skills you get!" Irene's expression turns red as she continues, "I just want to go on an adventure with you."

"So promise me that we'll stay together forever!" Irene holds up her pinky.

When Onyx saw her stinking up the pinky, he laughed a bit. It was something the two would always do when they wanted something really badly.

An oath that can never be broken; that's what the pinky promise meant for the two. Whoever breaks it will face severe consequences from the other. 

Linking his pinky with hers, Onyx says, "I promise I will always be with you forever." 

With his refreshing smile, Irene quickly looks away from him. Onyx was about to play the same trick that she pulled on him, but he stopped.

Chu!

Before Onyx could tease Irene, he got intercepted by a kiss on the cheeks.

A blushing Irene didn't say anything anymore as she sat down and started eating, leaving Onyx standing there all stunned. 

It didn't take him long to get back his sanity....well, mostly.

Onyx looks at Irene, "Ahdskjhsdfihjnnoqiej." His brain was still partially broken. 

Laughing at how cute he looks, Irene pulls him down gently, "Come on, let's have our lunch now."

Onyx could only nod like a zombie as he got stuff with another sandwich. The entire scene became peaceful, like a scene in a picture.  

...

After hanging out with Irene at the top of the hill, the sun began to set. When Onyx returns home, the moment he opens the door, the first thing he heard was,

"Suprise!" Onyx looks in shock at what he saw. In front of him was a feast. Roasted beef wellingtons, a bowl full of mashed potatoes, and there was a giant roasted chicken. All of his favorite foods were on the table. And right in the center was a large cake. 

"What's all of this?" Instead of having a happy expression on his face, Onyx makes a confused one. 

"This is all for your birthday, Onyx." Onyx's mother, Emilia, says as she continues, "I have worked really hard today." With Onyx out of the house, she used all day to work on making the feast.

From how delicious the food looked, of course, Onyx understood how hard his mother worked to make it perfect for him. But the question in his find is;

Why? 

Even though he's happy that his family has done so much for him on his birthday. But he was more worried about the amount of money spent on it. He was afraid his parents wasted a lot more than they should have. 

Knowing how frugal her son was, Emilia explains, "Why can't we give you a party? Tomorrow you will be getting your skill. Of course, we have to celebrate this day!"

'Then why didn't we do this for second and eldest brother's birthday too?' Onyx is the third oldest of five children. His oldest brother, William, and second brother, Noah, were naturally seated by the table. But both of them were too focused on the food to even look at him. 

"Let's just eat. Today is your birthday. We just wanted to celebrate this occasion." His father, Douglas, says as he brings his son to his seat. 

Onyx couldn't say anything else as he was getting hungry even after eating all that food with Irene. After everybody was seated, all of them clapped their hands, 

"We thank you for this meal." And the family begins to eat. As they eat, Onyx's little brother, Wyatt, asks him,

"Big brother, what kind of skills will you get?" For the most part, Onyx could only tell every sixth word coming out of his mouth. 

"Wyatt, I don't get to decide what skills I'll get. For all I know, I could be getting some weird skills." Grabbing a napkin, he wipes his little brother's untidy mouth.

But Noah interrupts, "At least you would get something better than mine. I only have two skills!" Even after 4 years, Noah still felt frustrated with the skills he got. 

The skills he got are:

Arm enhancement -Elementary

Vitality - Novice

William says, "Even if you only have two skills: if you use your skills properly, you can definitely become the best farmer in the village." 

"I knooooowwww. But it would have been better if I had gotten another skill. Like your skills, William." 

"My skills aren't that good. Your skills are much better than mine." Unlike his little brother, William got three skills. They are,

Woodworking - elementary

Fire magic - Novice

Wind magic - Novice

"How can you say your skills aren't good? Can't you make my chicken leg crisper?" Noah hands William his chicken leg. Seeing this, William sighs, and his fingertip burns with a small flame. He places it under the chicken, turning the skin crisper.

Handing it back to his little brother, 

"See, isn't your skill useful?" Eating the chicken leg, Noah continues to praise, 

"I wish I had your fire skill." 

But William shakes his head, "But that's the only thing I could do." William can only make a small flame on his fingertip with his skills. And with his wind magic skill, he could make a breeze to cool himself off. 

Hearing the two talk about their skills,

"When I grow up, I'll get a hero skill and become a champion!" Wyatt says as he waves his arm around. 

But Noah scoffs and shatters the child's dream, "Oh please, do you know how difficult it is to get hero skills?! They don't grow on trees."

But how could a child believe his words? Wyatt screams in denial, "I will definitely get the hero skill!" 

"No, you won't." Noah teases harder, making Wyatt start to tear up.

"Noah, stop bullying your little brother! And Wyatt, sit back down at the table!" Douglas shouts at the two of them, making them quiver like two shivered kittens. But it wasn't enough as a long lecture awaited them.

Onyx laughs at the scene, but he stops as he feels a slight tug beside him. Turning over, Wyatt's twin little sister, Lily, says in a tiny raspy voice that only the two can hear, 

"Big brother, I want to get skills that will help me protect mommy and daddy better." 

Who is this little angel? Onyx couldn't help but smile at her, "I know you will get something special, Lily." 

After giving the two a good lecture, Douglas turns over to Onyx, "But Onyx, I hope you get something good that will help you in the future." Unlike the other children, Onyx and Lily were the most sensible with everything. He hopes his third son will get something helpful.

Biting onto a piece of chicken, Onyx replies, "I hope so."