Gifteds: And Then There Were None

Chapter 1. VIII

Crap, no. That doesn't look right. Max hated manga. Scratch that. He hated making it himself. However, he was still content with his success at creating a manga series that had grown way more popular than any other. Even if it meant working 14 hours a day, seven days a week with no holidays or vacation.

Although, if there was one thing that may be worse than his job, it was living with Nico. They were very close friends, but some days they could hardly tolerate each other. Nico was a very successful chef, but with less demand, he was stuck at home, unemployed.

Max has had a rough day today. His assistant called in sick, so he had to run all the manuscripts by himself. He also had a three-hour conference with artists and art critics to discuss the style of his work. To add insult to injury, he went to eat lunch, only to discover an empty noodle container. Nico probably switched the containers he thought to himself.

It was approximately 8pm when Max arrived at his small apartment. He was welcomed by Nico, who served him dinner straight off the stove. Though he may steal a lot of food from Max, Nico was quite the cook.

While they were eating, Nico dropped a large envelope in the center of the table.

"What's this?" Max inquired.

"I don't know, but it has both our names on it" Nico replied.

As Max unsealed the envelope and pulled out the letter, Nico snatched the letter from his hands with a mischievous grin as he began to read aloud:

"Salutations Nico Peng and Maxwell Tong."

"Who the hell says salutations?" Max interrupted.

"Shut up and let me continue. 'Salutations Nico Peng and Maxwell Tong. The first portion of this letter will be addressed to Nico, and the second portion, for Maxwell.'"

"So gimme the second portion then. At least do it for letters if not for food."

Nico sighed. "Ugh fine." He quickly tossed the second page over to Max.

"To Mr. Tong and Mr. Peng,

Our understanding is that you two are very avid manga readers. We would like to invite you to a convention specifically for the creation and celebration of manga, also known as Manga Con. Mr. Tong, you will be invited to a press conference to discuss the future of your highly acclaimed series, and Mr. Peng is welcome take over the position of head chef for the duration of your stay, as our former head chef is on leave.

Two tickets have been sent along with this letter for your convenience. Note that this has not yet been publicly announced, so please avoid bringing this up at any future conversations.

We hope you are able to participate in this event.

With Sincerest Regards,

The Organizers at Manga Con.

"I can't just leave my work!!!!!!! It'll get into a downward spiral of chaos without me!" Max exclaimed as soon as Nico had finished.

"Don't be so dramatic. It'll just be for a week, and you deserve a break." Nico advised.

"I-I guess you're right..." Max stammered hesitantly.

"Then it's settled" Nico announced, "No 'buts'."

Max was about to say something else, but stopped himself when he saw the resolute look on Nico's face. There was no point in arguing. They went back to eating their ramen in silence.