The round ended in a blur of overlapping voices and scattered shots.
Then—
Victory.
The screen shifted. Colors changed. The tension snapped.
For a second, no one spoke.
Then the room exhaled.
Diego dropped back into the couch. "Finally—"
Daniel leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "That got messy."
Ethan didn't move much, just lowered his phone slightly, eyes still on the screen as if replaying something in his head.
Marcus set his phone down without comment.
Li Shen looked at the result screen for a moment longer than the others.
Not at the score.
At the movement he had just gone through.
Then he blinked once and let the screen fade from focus.
The noise of the room came back in fully.
Diego sat up again almost immediately, turning toward the kitchen.
"Hey—Dad," he called out, still a little out of breath. "How was that?"
Rafael didn't answer right away.
He was leaning against the counter, arms folded, watching them in a way that didn't match the casual setting.
Then he shrugged slightly.
"Chaotic."
Diego made a face. "That's it?"
"You're all playing your own pace," Rafael continued. "You'll need to adjust to each other."
A small pause.
Then his tone shifted, lighter.
"But anyway—break."
Diego didn't argue.
"Yeah, break sounds good."
Rafael pushed himself off the counter and walked to the fridge.
He opened it, the cool light spilling out into the kitchen, and reached in without looking for long.
Metal shifted.
Cans.
He pulled a few out and set them on the table with a soft clink.
"Here."
Diego grabbed one immediately. "Finally."
Daniel took another. Marcus followed. Ethan picked one up last, already turning it in his hand.
Li Shen looked at the can in front of him.
Cold.
Smooth.
Unfamiliar.
"…what's this?" he asked.
Diego paused mid-motion, then looked at him.
A beat.
Then he shook his head once, half laughing.
"You know, at this point, I should've expected that."
Rafael spoke from the side, tone calm.
"Soda," he said. "A refreshing beverage."
He tapped one of the cans lightly.
"This one's called Coca-Cola."
Li Shen picked up the one closest to him.
He turned it once.
Then again.
No obvious opening.
"…how do I open this?"
He pressed lightly at the top.
Nothing.
He adjusted his grip.
Then applied a little more force.
The metal tab snapped up—
Too fast.
Too hard.
The seal tore open with a sharp, violent sound.
TCHK—
A small burst of fizz escaped immediately.
Everyone looked at him.
Diego froze mid-drink.
Daniel blinked.
Ethan paused.
Marcus didn't react much, but his gaze shifted.
Rafael's eyes flicked down to the can, then back up.
Li Shen stared at it for half a second.
…too much force.
The thought came cleanly, without emotion.
The soda fizzed quietly in his hand.
He did not move.
Then—
"…like this?" he said.
Diego let out a short laugh. "Yeah—yeah, like that. Just… maybe not like you're trying to break it."
Daniel leaned back slightly. "You almost peeled it open."
"I did not," Li Shen said.
There was a small dent near the opening.
Claire, from the side, finally spoke. "You absolutely did."
Li Shen looked at the can again.
Then, without comment, brought it to his lips.
He took a sip.
The reaction was immediate.
Cold.
Sharp.
Bitter—then sweet.
Then something else entirely.
His expression didn't change much.
But he paused.
"…it's strange," he said.
Diego grinned. "Strange good or strange bad?"
Li Shen considered for a second.
"…not bad."
"That's basically a five-star review from him," Claire said.
Ethan huffed lightly through his nose.
Rafael said nothing.
But he was watching again.
Not the soda.
Not the reaction.
The small things.
Grip strength.
Control.
Adjustment.
Earlier—on the screen.
Now—off it.
The pattern wasn't clear yet.
But something about it didn't match.
Li Shen lowered the can slightly.
The cold lingered in his hand.
The taste stayed longer than expected.
Not strong.
But present.
He took another sip.
Slower this time.
Less force.
Better control.
…interesting.
Foods Ready.
A sudden sentence pulled him out of his thoughts.
They moved to the table without much structure.
Chairs scraped. Someone grabbed plates before being told.
Diego was already talking before he even sat down.
"Okay but that second round—no, wait—the first one—how did you even hit that?" he said, pointing vaguely at Li Shen while reaching for food at the same time.
"Eat first," his mother said from the side, placing another dish down. "Talk after."
"I am eating," Diego said immediately, already chewing.
"You're talking more than eating."
"That's multitasking."
Claire snorted. "That's choking waiting to happen."
Ethan sat down across from Li Shen, calm as always. "It was timing," he said, answering Diego's earlier question like the conversation hadn't been interrupted at all.
"Timing?" Diego frowned. "No, that wasn't timing, that was—"
"You were late on the call," Marcus said quietly, already halfway through his meal.
Diego paused. "I was not late."
"You were."
"I said left."
"You said it after he was already there."
Daniel looked between them. "He did say it kind of late."
"Bro, whose side are you on?" Diego leaned back.
"There are no sides," Daniel said, then added, "but also… yeah, it was late."
Claire leaned on the table slightly. "This is why you lose arguments. Too much confidence, not enough evidence."
"I had evidence," Diego protested.
"You had volume," she corrected.
Li Shen sat quietly, watching the exchange move without structure.
No hierarchy.
No punishment for speaking out of turn.
Just… flow.
He picked up his utensils a little slower than the others, observing how they moved, how they handled things without thinking.
Across the table, Ethan continued like nothing had happened. "Your crosshair control is off," he said to Li Shen. "Too wide."
Li Shen nodded once. "I noticed."
"You still landed it," Daniel added.
"Barely," Li Shen replied.
Diego pointed again. "Exactly. Barely—but it worked. That's the point."
"That's not a reliable pattern," Ethan said.
"It doesn't have to be reliable if it works," Diego shot back.
"That's literally the definition of unreliable."
"Okay but—"
"Eat," Diego's mother said again, not looking up this time.
"…I am eating," Diego muttered, grabbing more anyway.
Marcus didn't react. Just kept eating.
Claire glanced at Li Shen. "So?" she said. "First game. Thoughts."
Li Shen paused for a moment.
"…interesting."
"That's it?" she raised a brow.
He thought for a second longer.
"…incomplete."
That got a reaction.
Ethan looked up.
Daniel blinked. "Incomplete?"
Diego laughed. "What does that even mean?"
Li Shen tapped the table lightly with his finger, thinking as he spoke.
"The intention and the result do not match," he said. "There is delay."
Ethan nodded slightly. "Controls."
"Yes."
Diego waved it off. "You get used to that."
Li Shen didn't respond immediately.
He picked up the drink again. Smaller sip this time.
Better.
"…I would rather not," he said.
Claire smirked. "Of course you wouldn't."
At the end of the table, Rafael finally spoke.
"Then don't."
The conversation paused for just a second.
Not fully.
Just enough.
Rafael took a slow drink before continuing.
"Most people adapt to limitations," he said. "You can also change the system."
Diego looked at him. "What does that even mean?"
Rafael shrugged lightly. "Nothing for now."
Daniel frowned slightly. "That sounds like something for later."
"It is."
The moment passed as quickly as it came.
Conversation resumed.
Different topic. Same energy.
Li Shen didn't speak again for a while.
He listened.
Watched.
The way they moved between subjects without friction.
The way nothing needed to be perfect.
The way mistakes weren't punished.
Across the table, Rafael's gaze lifted briefly.
Met his.
Held for a moment.
Then moved away.
No words.
Li Shen lowered his eyes back to the table.
…noted.
From the kitchen, Diego's mother called out, "Anyone want more?"
"Yes," Diego said immediately.
"No," Marcus said at the same time.
"Maybe," Daniel added.
Claire laughed. "That's not an answer."
"It's a flexible answer," Daniel replied.
Ethan shook his head slightly.
Li Shen watched them for another moment.
Then took another bite.
Slower this time.
—
When the plates started to empty and the noise settled just slightly—
Diego leaned back in his chair.
"Alright," he said. "Now we run it back."
Claire rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."
Ethan stood. "One more."
Marcus wiped his hands. "Fine."
Daniel nodded. "Yeah."
Rafael didn't say anything.
Just stood.
Li Shen followed.
Quiet.
But this time—
not just observing.