MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1042: Von Bryan-3
Previously on MIGHT AS WELL BE OP...
Bryan bolted upright at once, sharpening his focus while his heart hammered fiercely in his chest, akin to a guy getting a text from his crush, even though he knew she was completely beyond his reach.
Following brief moments of excessive rumination and inner turmoil, he opted for simplicity and directness just like before, determined not to let his mind whirl out of control any more. His fingers flew nimbly over the phone screen, typing with habitual ease, almost on autopilot.
The instant he pressed send, everything around him appeared to halt as he anticipated a response, his thoughts racing through endless possibilities of Anthony's reply, his mind conjuring scenario after scenario relentlessly.
In no time at all, Anthony's message popped up.
He scanned the text once, then twice more, each read with a varying inflection in his mind, attempting to decipher Anthony's actual mood. It came off as relaxed, excessively so, yet Bryan couldn't tell if it was genuine casualness, trapping him in endless doubt and reinterpretation.
Yet another query sneaked into his thoughts like a sly temptation, slipping in quietly but insistently; why had Anthony messaged him?
After all, if Anthony had only just recalled his number, he could've easily overlooked it or erased it completely, given their five-year silence, but instead, he'd reached out. Bryan sensed something profound behind this, beyond random chance or fleeting memory.
'Does he want to hang out?' The notion tentatively took shape in his mind.
Still, it struck him as wildly improbable. If Anthony craved company, he'd surely have mightier, more skilled comrades from the military; no reason to contact him personally after years of quiet.
Moreover, the idea of someone so elite just wanting to 'hang out' felt absurd—even his own father never spoke of casual meetups like that, rendering the concept alien and implausible.
Furthermore, with such a vast power gap, could they even count as friends anymore? It was common knowledge that the mighty often ditched old pals due to irreconcilable differences in strength and progress; after all, no one holds back for 'friends' who might stab them in the back at the first chance.
Bryan let out a sigh, resolving to quit overanalyzing and just respond, yet paradoxically, the harder he pushed that resolve, the wilder his thoughts tumbled, refusing to calm.
He shot back a reply, mirroring the laid-back vibe he'd shared with Anthony five years prior. A risky move, but one he deemed worthwhile. True to form, Anthony's comeback arrived in a flash, as if prepped in advance and just awaiting Bryan's prompt.
Anthony made no effort to disguise his boredom or sugarcoat it; no need for pretense, his straightforward bluntness unchanged from Bryan's memory.
Bryan raised an eyebrow, gazing silently at the message. All his frantic overthinking, and Anthony had hit him up purely from idleness. Bryan wavered between laughing or weeping at himself, but a subtle grin crept onto his face regardless—this was pure vintage Anthony from half a decade back, unfiltered.
This epiphany confirmed Anthony hadn't fully transformed... or at minimum, echoes of his former chill, indolent self lingered. Bryan geared up to type back, but another ping from Anthony interrupted.
Bryan eyed the new text, his frantic pulse easing as fresh doubt seeped in. Anthony griped that his surroundings had all retreated into closed-door cultivation, abandoning him to solitude.
Bryan grappled with a fitting reply. Wasn't pushing for greater strength the norm? Why not join them, unless he'd hit a stage where more training meant nothing—maybe capping his own limits or even the Galaxy's heights?
He shook his head briskly, banishing those notions. He'd vowed no more overthinking, so backsliding was off-limits.
Right after dispatching his message, Anthony fired back without delay.
'Classic him,' Bryan reflected quietly while absorbing the words. To strangers, it might ring as haughty or dismissive, but Bryan got the subtext. From their history, he caught the playful banter and easygoing undertone woven in.
Before lingering on it, his phone buzzed once more with Anthony's next message.
Bryan fired off his response without pause, denying himself room for doubt.
Though he'd meant to start cultivating soon, he skipped mentioning it on purpose. What if Anthony logged off, assuming he was cutting into training time? Who knew when the next contact might come—days, months, or another five years.
Even if Anthony was just killing time with him to beat boredom, Bryan didn't mind one bit. Given Anthony's immense power and sway now, staying in his favor was paramount. Bryan would happily chat anytime Anthony wanted, no matter the hour or situation.