Clara turned on her heel, walking away, following the same path Melissa had taken.
UltSans watched her go, his expression unreadable.
Then—he turned his head slightly, looking back toward the entrance.
The bags and briefcase still sat there, untouched.
Without a word, he lifted his right hand.
A soft, blue glow flickered to life around his fingertips.
Immediately, the bags and briefcase glowed with the same eerie light, lifting off the ground effortlessly.
Then—
A portal tore open before him, swirling with glitch-like distortions of red, black, and white.
He didn't even look at it.
With a mere flick of his wrist, the floating items smoothly drifted through the rift.
A single moment of stillness.
Then—the portal closed, vanishing as if it had never been there.
UltSans exhaled softly.
Then—without hesitation—he turned and followed Clara's path.
As he walked, his pupils flickered slightly, scanning his surroundings.
Then—he saw it.
A large dining room, well-lit, warm, the air thick with the scent of fresh food.
Seated around the long wooden table were Clara's entire family.
Richard and Eleanor sat together, with Melissa on one side, her son Nathan seated beside her.
Clara?
She sat alone.
UltSans hesitated at the entrance.
Then—he stepped inside.
The moment he did—
A deep, booming voice greeted him.
Richard:"Ah! You must be her new man?"
UltSans blinked.
Before he could even process that statement—
Richard stood up, striding toward him with a confident gait.
UltSans barely had time to open his mouth.
UltSans:"Uh… Hey, uhh… I mean… I guess?"
Before he could say anything else—Richard reached him, clapping a heavy hand onto his back.
Hard.
UltSans didn't flinch, but he definitely felt it.
The older man kept his hand there, giving him a few solid pats.
Then—Richard smirked slightly.
Richard:"Well, don't worry, young soldier. She's an entire battlefield."
Clara vs. Her Father
Clara:"Dad!"
Richard shrugged.
Richard:"What? Just warning this young soldier about the war he's stepping into."
Then—with a playful grin—he leaned in slightly.
Richard:"Just preventing any… accidents during conflict."
UltSans' pupils flickered.
He wasn't sure if he was meant to take that literally or not.
Clara, however, looked about ready to throw something at her father.
Clara:"Dad! Seriously—stop already!"
Richard held up his hands in mock surrender.
Richard:"Alright, alright, honey. Relax."
He turned back toward his seat, chuckling to himself as he sat back down.
UltSans stood there for a second longer, taking in the scene.
Melissa?
She looked completely amused.
Nathan?
Too busy poking at his food.
Eleanor?
Already grabbing another plate.
And Clara?
She still looked mildly irritated.
UltSans sighed through his nose.
Then—he moved forward, walking toward the table.
Without asking, he sat beside Clara.
Immediately, Eleanor moved toward him, placing a portion of food onto his plate.
But—
She didn't stop there.
As she set the food down, her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Eleanor:"So! What are you studying then?"
UltSans paused mid-motion, his fork hovering over the plate.
UltSans:"Well…"
A slight pause.
Then—a half-smirk.
UltSans:"I guess I can share it… I'm currently studying… Scientific… Molecular systems?"
A beat.
Clara:"…Are you telling or asking?"
UltSans exhaled softly, shaking his head.
UltSans:"I… I just don't know a name for it, so… Both?"
Eleanor beamed.
Eleanor:"¡Madre mía! Finally! Someone intelligent!"*
UltSans blinked.
That phrase.
That accent.
Something clicked.
He tilted his head slightly.
UltSans:"Uhm… Is that… Spanish?"
Richard chuckled.
Richard:"Yes, it's Spanish, but her accent is Italian."
UltSans' pupils flickered slightly.
Then—he smirked.
UltSans:"Mhm… That explains why I have a hard time fully understanding her."
A slight pause.
Then—without missing a beat, he smoothly switched languages.
UltSans:"Supongo que sí es madre suya, cierto?"
The Entire Table Freezes
Silence.
The entire room fell dead quiet.
Melissa's fork stopped mid-air.
Nathan, who had been messing with his food, looked up curiously.
Clara?
She slowly turned toward him, eyes slightly wider.
Her expression unreadable.
Clara:"…You know Spanish?"
UltSans shrugged casually.
Then—with a smooth, effortless tone—
UltSans:"It's my native language."
Eleanor nearly dropped a plate, her hands clutching it tightly as her eyes widened in disbelief.
Eleanor:"¡Dios mío! ¿Por qué no dijiste antes? ¡Hablas mejor que mi sobrino en España!"
Melissa, however, simply arched a brow, intrigued.
She leaned forward slightly, her smirk lazy yet calculating.
Melissa:"Oh?~ A trilingual man? Interesting~"
UltSans paused.
His expression shifted slightly, as if something about her words had caught his attention.
Trilingual?
What did she mean by that?
Wouldn't it be bilingual?
He knew Spanish and English. That was two.
But three?
He hesitated for a split second.
Then—he rolled his eyes, scoffing slightly.
And chose to ignore her entirely.
Richard's Amusement – A Father's Approval
Richard, watching the entire exchange with a look of mild amusement, leaned back slightly in his chair.
His arms crossed over his chest, his expression approving.
Richard:"Well, that's unexpected. You barely have an accent."
UltSans simply shrugged.
Unbothered.
But Clara?
She was still staring at him.
Her expression shifting between shock, confusion, and mild irritation.
Then—without thinking—
She smacked his arm.
Not hard.
Just enough to make her point.
Clara:"Then why the hell didn't you tell me before?!"
UltSans grinned.
His pupils flickered slightly, his smirk widening.
Then—with a smooth, teasing tone—
UltSans:"You simply didn't ask, guapi~. Si me hubieras preguntado, te lo habría dicho."
Clara's eyes twitched slightly.
Meanwhile—UltSans thought to himself.
"Well, if that scum of a mother said trilingual, I'll give her that trilingual."
And so—without missing a beat, he continued.
His voice?
Casual.
Smooth.
Unbothered.
UltSans:"Inoltre, riguardo all'essere trilingue... Faresti meglio a tacere, non hai il diritto di esprimere la tua opinione."
Melissa's smirk twitched.
For the first time—
She had nothing to say.
UltSans?
He simply picked up his fork—
And started eating.
Conversation over.
UltSans continued eating, his focus now fully on the meal in front of him.
Yet, in the back of his mind, he was still thinking about something Richard had said earlier—
"You barely have an accent."
That statement stuck with him.
Because it didn't make sense.
He had just said his native language was Spanish.
And yet, Richard had spoken as if it were some kind of secondary language for him.
But—maybe Richard simply didn't know what a real Spanish accent sounded like?
UltSans sighed internally.
"Doesn't matter."
Then—
A familiar presence stirred inside him.
Abyss.
The symbiote's voice echoed smoothly within his thoughts, its tone curious yet amused.
Abyss' Intrigue – The Endless Layers
Abyss:"He's clearly confusing languages, but… You, my friend, are a pack of surprises."
A brief pause.
Then, Abyss' voice carried a sense of deep fascination.
Abyss:"An endless onion. Every time a layer is peeled away, another one is there waiting. And another. And another. You're full of hidden depths. Anything else you feel like revealing?"
UltSans didn't even pause his chewing.
UltSans:"I mean… There's still a lot, so… yeah. But I'm not sure though."
Abyss simply chuckled, amused.
Then—
UltSans was pulled from his thoughts.
Eleanor, still watching him with bright, eager eyes, suddenly spoke up.
Her voice cut through the table's chatter effortlessly.
Eleanor:"Y dime, ¿eres de España? ¿Eres nativo de España?"
UltSans hesitated slightly.
Then—
UltSans:"...Sí... Soy de España."
A brief pause.
Then—
Eleanor's eyes lit up, full of excitement.
Eleanor:"¡Dios mío! ¡Un español en mi mesa! ¡Qué honor!"
Melissa raised a brow, tilting her head.
Melissa:"Oh?~ So you're from Spain? How… exotic~"
Her voice carried its usual sultry tease, but there was also a faint undertone of curiosity.
Richard, still relaxed, simply nodded approvingly.
Richard:"Spain, huh? That explains a lot."
UltSans tilted his head slightly.
UltSans:"Explains what?"
Richard simply chuckled.
Richard:"Well, for one—your confidence. Spaniards always have that 'I own the world' attitude."
UltSans smirked slightly.
UltSans:"Or maybe I just own the world."
Richard laughed, clearly entertained.
Melissa, however, leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her palm.
Melissa:"Mmm… España… So tell me, sugar~… Are you from Madrid? Barcelona? Somewhere… smaller?"
UltSans' expression remained neutral.
UltSans:"None of the above."
Melissa's lips curled in amusement.
Melissa:"Ooh~ A mystery~"
Before UltSans could say anything else—
Eleanor gasped slightly.
Eleanor:"¡Espera, espera! ¡Eso significa que también debes saber cocinar!"
She suddenly clapped her hands together.
Eleanor:"¿Sabes preparar paella? ¿Tortilla española? ¡Dime que sí!"
Clara, still resting her chin in her hand, let out a small groan.
Clara:"Mom, he's not here for an interview."
Eleanor waved a hand dismissively.
Eleanor:"¡Claro que no! Pero si es de España, debe saber cocinar. Los españoles son buenos con la comida."
UltSans sighed internally.
This dinner was going to be longer than expected.