Vincent listened for a moment before returning his attention to Julian.
"So," Vincent asked, reaching for another piece of chicken, "how’s your millionaire client doing? Has he finally realized his marriage is a complete disaster?"
Julian nearly choked on his beer.
"Oh, you have no idea!" he exclaimed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "The man called me three times today. Three! First, he wanted to know whether I’d obtained more photographs of his wife. Then he asked if I could recommend a good divorce lawyer. And finally, he wanted advice on how to convince his secretary to stop threatening to expose their relationship."
Vincent stared at him incredulously. "Why the hell would he ask you that last question?"
"Exactly!" Julian replied, throwing his hands into the air. "I’m a private investigator, not a marriage counselor! Apparently, because I know about both affairs, he thinks I’m qualified to solve every romantic disaster in his life."
Vincent laughed so hard that he had to put down his beer.
Julian continued with an exasperated expression. "And here’s the funniest part. His secretary apparently discovered that he’s been sending expensive gifts to another woman. So now she’s furious because she thought she was the only one."
Vincent slowly shook his head. "Wait. Another woman? How many people is this guy involved with?"
"At this point, I genuinely don’t know," Julian admitted, laughing. "I’m starting to think I should charge him separately for every relationship I uncover."
"Do it," Vincent replied immediately. "You mightbecome a millionaire before the divorce is finalized."
Julian pointed at him approvingly. "Now you’re thinking like a businessman!"
The two continued eating as the evening progressed, occasionally ordering additional plates of meat and another round of beer.
Their conversation drifted from Julian’s ridiculous investigations to former classmates, embarrassing high school memories, and the various ways their lives had changed since graduation.
At one point, Julian reminded Vincent of a particularly disastrous school football match during which Vincent had attempted an ambitious bicycle kick, missed the ball entirely, and landed flat on his back in front of half their classmates.
"Six years isn’t nearly enough time to forget something that beautiful," Julian replied, wiping tears from his eyes. "You should’ve seen your face! You were lying there staring at the sky like you’d just witnessed the meaning of life."
Vincent shook his head with a helpless smile. "And I suppose you’ve conveniently forgotten the time you tried to impress that girl from our class by pretending you could speak French?"
Julian’s laughter stopped immediately.
Vincent grinned triumphantly. "Oh, now you remember."
Julian cleared his throat and reached for his beer. "That incident has been greatly exaggerated."
"Exaggerated?" Vincent repeated, laughing. "You spent an entire afternoon memorizing random French phrases, and when she finally spoke to you, you panicked and introduced yourself as a refrigerator!"
Julian covered his face with one hand while Vincent laughed uncontrollably.
"All right, all right!" Julian protested, struggling to suppress his own laughter. "I was sixteen! People make mistakes!"
"Not everyone introduces themselves as kitchen appliances," Vincent replied, still grinning.
Their laughter continued until the waitress approached to collect several emptyplates. By then, the evening crowd had grown even larger, and the restaurant’s televisions were broadcasting highlights from a professional Hero tournament.
Several customers watched enthusiastically as two powerful Superhumans exchanged spectacular attacks inside a reinforced arena.
Vincent glanced toward the screen, watching one competitor unleash a devastating burst of energy that sent his opponent crashing across the battlefield.
Julian followed his gaze.
"Thinking about getting that strong someday?" Julian asked, his tone more thoughtful than teasing.
Vincent watched the replay for several seconds before answering. "Yeah. Eventually."
Julian smiled faintly. "Well, you’ve already taken the first step. Just don’t forget the rest of us ordinary people when you’re famous."
Vincent chuckled. "Don’t worry. Even if I become an S-Rank Hero, I’ll still remind everyone that my best friend makes a living spying on cheating spouses."
Vincent raised his bottle with a grin. "Fair enough."
Their bottles clinked together once more.
For a while, neither felt the need to discuss missions, criminals, or the future. They simply enjoyed the food, the beer, and the familiar comfort of spending time together.
Eventually, Julian leaned back in his chair and examined Vincent with a satisfied expression. "You know something, man? I’m genuinely happy for you. You’ve wanted to become a Hero for as long as I can remember. Seeing you finally get your license and complete your first assignment feels pretty damn good."
Vincent’s expression softened. "Thanks, Julian. And seriously, I couldn’t have found Felix that quickly without your help."
Julian waved dismissively. "Don’t mention it. Besides, I actually enjoyed helping you investigate a wanted criminal. Makes a nice change from tracking down people who can’t keep their pants on."
Vincent laughed. "Careful. You might end up enjoying Hero investigations more than your regular work."
Julian considered that possibility for a moment before grinning. "Maybe. Although if we’re going to keep doing this, you should probablystart paying for dinner more often."
Vincent looked at the mountain of empty plates covering their table.
"Wait a minute," he asked suspiciously. "I thought you invited me here to celebrate."
Julian’s grin widened.
"I did," he replied cheerfully. "But you’re the professional Hero now. Surely a man with one hundred Merit can afford to treat his hardworking investigative partner."
Vincent stared at him in disbelief.
"Julian, you cheap bastard!"
Julian burst into laughter, nearly spilling his beer as Vincent reached across the table and snatched the last skewer from his plate.And beneath the warm lights of the roadside barbecue, surrounded by the sounds of laughter, sizzling meat, and passing traffic, the two friends continued celebrating Vincent Crowe’s first successful mission as a professional Hero.