After their father left, the two kids sat down in the plush leather seats alongside the massive glass wall, which provided a breathtaking panoramic overview of the city sprawling below them like a living map.

Both were completely mesmerized by the scenery, their faces practically pressed against the glass.

Philip, who was lurking around on the other side of the waiting area while pretending not to acknowledge their presence, caught sight of their awestruck reactions and felt smug satisfaction wash over him.

'This view is nothing. I've even seen Mount Fuji last summer and it was way more beautiful,' he thought smugly to himself.

Competing with people who didn't even know they were in a competition, all inside his own head.

After a while, the boy suddenly stood up from his seat. "Wait here, Ava. I need to make a quick visit to the restroom."

"I need to use it too, Derrick," Ava said, her voice taking on that pleading tone kids use when they really want something, looking up at him with big eyes.

"Father might come out at any moment, so it's best if one of us stays here to make sure he doesn't get worried when he comes out," Derrick made his point calmly and logically, which Ava understood and reluctantly accepted with a pout, her bottom lip sticking out dramatically.

As soon as Derrick disappeared around the corner, Philip saw his golden opportunity and quickly shuffled up to Ava, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Hey, you," Philip bluntly called out while pointing directly at Ava with his stubby finger.

His round figure and awkward posture made it look like a scene recreated straight from a video game—Bowser approaching Princess Peach, minus any of the threatening presence.

"Hmmm?" Ava, who was seated with her feet swinging off the ground since the chair was too tall for her, turned her head in a slightly tilted manner, curious and confused.

The afternoon lighting that streamed through the glass wall further accentuated her delicate facial features, the golden glow adding even more to her natural charm, making Philip's heart skip a beat once more and his palms sweat.

"You have a pretty face," Philip suddenly blurted out. He'd initially thought of walking closer and starting a proper conversation, but flustered completely out of his wits, he just said whatever popped into his racing mind.

"Thank you?" Ava, who was still at an age where boys weren't yet a romantic interest but just other kids to play tag with, was confused at the random compliment from a stranger. But she still answered in a polite manner like her parents had taught her.

"Do you want to be my friend?" Philip asked without a hint of hesitation, the words tumbling out as he smiled while saying it.

His eyelids were so close to each other due to the fat on his face that they almost connected when he smiled. One could theoretically hide from his line of sight if they'd told him a funny joke and made him laugh.

But Philip had the confidence of a wild badger charging into battle—he'd never once thought of himself as an unattractive person.

He vaguely remembered people calling him handsome when he was younger, but that was years ago, back before he'd transformed into a walking cinnamon roll.

He thought without a single doubt that surely this pretty girl would definitely want to befriend him.

"What?! No, ewww," Ava couldn't hide the disgust that flashed across her face when she heard his question, her nose wrinkling up.

Ava had never met this boy before in her life. And as her parents had taught her countless times, she tried her absolute best not to judge people based solely on their appearance.

But she didn't know a real-world test for that important lesson would come so soon and so intensely. As it turned out, she failed miserably on her first try.

The boy standing in front of her was genuinely the most unattractive person she'd ever seen in her young life. And his personality and approach clearly didn't make up for it in the slightest.

Philip, having just done his very first confession of any kind, which ended with a complete and brutal rejection, was shocked to his absolute core. His whole world tilted.

'Is he going to cry?' Ava thought nervously as she glanced to her side from time to time, looking for her brother to come back and rescue her from this awkward situation.

Philip gritted his teeth hard and looked down at the floor like he was about to burst into tears, his whole body trembling slightly. But he didn't cry.

He just backed away slowly, step by step, and walked stiffly towards the bathroom area with his fists clenched at his sides.

Derrick had also just finished his business in the restroom and was making his way back down the hall.

He passed by Philip, who seemed to be fuming and radiating anger for some reason, his face flushed red. But Derrick didn't question him or say anything.

"Now it's your turn to wait. I have to use the restroom, too," Ava announced the moment Derrick got back.

Derrick pointed towards the restroom area, which was right around the corner at the end of the hall.

Both the men's and women's rooms were separated and positioned right at the end, facing each other.

Ava, feeling uncomfortably full from their big meal earlier, quickly made her way into the women's room.

Little did she know, someone was watching her every movement from right across the hall.