61 Aiden’s Talent
The day dragged on endlessly for Noah. It was one of those afternoons where time seemed to stretch.
The last lesson felt like background noise since he already knew all the material by heart.
He wasn’t sitting next to Aiden, who usually kept him entertained with his goofy antics, nor was he near the school’s “cold beauty,” whose silent presence, and alluring beauty could have at least given him something to admire.
Instead, he was left alone with his thoughts and his phone which he seemingly hid from the teacher. Although he knew that the teacher knew that he was using it, but didn’t say anything due to his recent grade in the exam.
Scrolling through social media, Noah found himself watching mukbang videos—people eating absurdly large portions of food in front of the camera.
The video he clicked on had an astounding 15 million views. Noah’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Damn, they must be making a fortune,” he muttered, shaking his head. The person on the screen was eating a mountain of noodles and entire platters of eggs with shocking ease. It was almost mesmerizing.
Watching the video triggered a thought. Noah smirked as Aiden popped into his mind.
“I should really talk to him about starting a YouTube channel,” Noah thought.
“I mean, Aiden loves food, and he’s naturally hilarious. He’d kill it doing mukbangs.”
The idea began to take shape in his head, and he realized something.
“Wait, I’ve never actually checked Aiden’s talents. I only ever used Talent Finder on Mom… Hmm, let’s see.”
Noah glanced over at Aiden, who was seated a few rows away, daydreaming. Without a second thought, Noah activated his skill mentally, whispering to himself, “Talent Finder!”
[Ding!]
Name: Aiden Shelby
Age: 18
Talent Grade: B, C
Talents: Comedian, Gluttony
Description: Aiden possesses a natural talent for comedy, having an innate sense of timing and humour that can turn mundane situations into laughter-inducing moments. Through years of lifestyle choices, Aiden has developed a unique ability to consume large amounts of food without significant adverse health effects. This talent allows him to eat far beyond the normal capacity of an average individual, though at most he may become chubby, rather than obese.
Noah blinked at the screen before him. “Of course, gluttony,” he muttered, chuckling to himself. “That makes perfect sense.” He couldn’t help but laugh a little louder at the description, especially at the system’s mention that Aiden would only get “chubby at most.”
“This guy could eat like a truck and only get a little rounder… no wonder he’s never worried about portion sizes,” Noah thought.
Leaning back in his chair, Noah mused, “Aiden really does have the potential for this. I wasn’t kidding about the mukbangs.”
Just then, the bell rang, signalling the end of the class. Aiden bounced over to Noah’s desk, eager to chat now that the lesson was over.
“Bro! Let’s go, Uncle Ben is waiting for us. The skewers are waiting for us!”
Noah smiled mischievously but then got serious. “Aiden, I’ve been thinking. Did you ever consider starting a YouTube channel? I’ve been watching some mukbangs, and man, with your personality and your… well, let’s just say ‘unique’ talent for eating, you’d blow up.”
Aiden blinked, clearly confused. “Mukbang? Are they that popular?”
Aiden was clearly not used to watching people eat, otherwise he would have known. Clearly, he was more focused on eating rather than watching people eat.
“Oh yeah,” Noah replied, pulling up the video on his phone to show Aiden. “Look, 15 million views. And this guy’s just eating a pile of food. You could totally do this.”
“Stop glazing me, I feel shy now,” Aiden said, covering his face with his hands like a shy anime girl.
Noah rolled his eyes and smacked Aiden lightly on the head. “Screw you, dude. I was just trying to help you make a good buck. But now that I think about it, you’ll probably just end up being a broke NikAvocato.”
“And trust me, you don’t want to be a ‘Broke version of him’,” Noah continued.
“Ouch! Why did you smack my head? I was just joking with you calm down. Anyway, I will give it a try but I need a good camera and stuff.” freёwebnoѵel.com
Aiden gasped in mock horror, his eyes widening. “Ouch! A broke version of him? You really had to go there?” He rubbed the spot where Noah smacked him, faking a pout. “Why did you hit me? I was just joking! Geez, calm down.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to be a ‘broke version’ of that guy,” Noah said, shaking his head.
Aiden snickered, finally dropping the shy-girl act. “Alright, alright. I’ll give it a shot. But I need a good camera and, like, some proper equipment, right? I don’t want to look like a potato on screen.”
Noah’s face brightened. “Oh, right! I forgot to give you that iPhone, so much stuff has been happening lately. I’ll bring it tomorrow. You can use it to film your first mukbang video. It’s got a great camera, and it’s super easy to use.”
Aiden suddenly looked off to the side, his eyes darting nervously like he was guilty of lying. “Oh, yeah… the iPhone… I forgot about it too…”
Noah raised an eyebrow, staring at his friend. “You didn’t forget. Didn’t you? why didn’t you remind me.”
Aiden chuckled awkwardly, still avoiding eye contact. “I did forget…” The guilt was written all over his face.
“You’re something else, man,” Noah said, standing up from his seat. “But it’s decided then. We’ll get you set up with that iPhone tomorrow, and you can start planning your first video. Maybe something simple like a burger challenge or a ramen showdown. You know, ease your way into becoming the next big mukbang sensation.”
Aiden grinned, clearly excited by the idea. “I like the sound of that. But let’s make sure I don’t look like a total slob in the first video, alright? I’m going for charming, not alarming.”
“We’ll see about that,” Noah replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Now, I’ve got to head to the grocery store. I completely forgot to pick up stuff for the house for the past few days, and if I don’t do it today, we will be out of groceries.”
Aiden nodded sagely as if he understood something hidden. “Ah, the classic grocery store run. Don’t worry, but make sure you protect the ci- I mean groceries from harm.” He winked playfully.
Noah sighed and shook his head, stifling a laugh. “What an idiot,” he thought, watching his friend’s overly serious expression. “I’m leaving before you start giving me grocery advice.”
Without looking back, Noah waved dismissively over his shoulder and headed for the door. As the hallway echoed with Aiden’s mock salute, Noah couldn’t help but smile.