Alia practically dragged the whining guy all the way to the student council office like she was escorting a criminal. It was a little funny to watch.
rlin let out a sigh as they stepped inside.
'This is gonna be a waste of ti.'
The office was… underwhelming. No fancy decorations, no banners of justice, nothing. Just a long oak table that stretched almost comically far, surrounded by plain chairs. At the very end sat the big chair—the one reserved for the student council president.
It was empty.
'Guess Alia's the only one bored enough to handle minor crap like this.'
She lined up the three of them, sat down, and opened her laptop like she was about to file taxes.
rlin and Nathan exchanged looks.
The loud guy had finally shut up, standing close to Nathan like rlin had so kind of disease.
Alia typed sothing, then spun the laptop around.
Security footage.
"You might already know ," she said flatly. "My na is Alia Vaughn. Student council."
'Yeah, no kidding.'
Nathan, ever the polite one, nodded as if she'd just told him the aning of life.
"Now, explain what happened."
Her voice filled the room, cold and sharp.
"I-I didn't do anything—"
The whiny dude instantly started spitting excuses at lightning speed.
Alia clicked her tongue.
rlin covered his face with his hand.
'Dumbass alert.'
Without another word, Alia replayed the footage of the guy and his friend cornering a kid.
"Eric Reed."
Her voice could've frozen the air itself.
'Eric Reed? Never even heard of him in the novel.'
"Do I look stupid to you?"
Her tone wasn't loud, but it carried the weight of soone who didn't tolerate nonsense.
Eric, to his credit, folded instantly.
"I-I'm sorry!" He started bowing so fast he looked like a broken wind-up toy.
rlin had to bite his cheek to stop himself from laughing.
Alia sighed and turned to rlin, catching the amusent in his face.
"Sothing funny, rlin Everhart?"
'Oh, so she knows my na too. Great.'
"Not at all, ma'am."
rlin straightened his posture like a soldier. Nathan nearly choked trying not to laugh.
"You two think this is a joke?"
She slamd the table and stood up, walking over with slow, deliberate steps before fixing Eric with a glare.
"Leave. You and your little friend's punishnt will be sent through the academy system."
Eric's entire face fell apart. He trembled, nodded, and ran out of the office like his life was over.
'Okay, so he's gone. Why are we still here?'
"rlin Everhart. Nathaniel Varen."
Her tone dropped.
"There was no need to resort to violence."
'??? What?'
rlin narrowed his eyes.
"With all due respect, we both saw the footage. He threw the first punch."
He pointed at Nathan.
"Nathan told them to stop. Eric and his buddy didn't listen and ca at us instead. Was I supposed to just stand there and let them take free shots?"
Nathan, ever the moral compass, sighed and added, "I just wanted to help the kid. Eric was the one who escalated."
Alia folded her arms.
"There were better ways to handle it."
rlin wasn't letting this go.
"The academy exists to teach us how to use our strength for the right reasons, doesn't it?"
Her brow twitched. "Yes, but—"
"Then let ask you this, Alia Vaughn." rlin cut her off. "Should we have just let them beat up that kid? Just because the student council, the people responsible for stopping this, were nowhere to be found?"
Silence.
Alia's face twitched slightly. She didn't like being interrupted—twice—but she couldn't exactly argue.
Nathan shot rlin a look that said, Did you seriously just say that?
Before she could respond, the office door creaked open.
Alia's serious expression imdiately lted into sothing… way too friendly.
'…What?'
rlin and Nathan turned around at the sa ti.
A girl walked in.
Long, snow-white hair. Light blue eyes that almost glowed. A lollipop in her mouth, looking completely uninterested.
Her gaze swept over them, then landed on Alia, who was still smiling like she hadn't just been arguing two seconds ago.
'…Isabelle rcer.'
The student council president. The top-ranked third-year.
One of the most influential students in the entire academy.
"I-Isabelle," Alia started. "I was just handling a minor incident."
Isabelle didn't respond. She just walked over, glanced at the laptop, and silently watched the footage.
rlin and Nathan looked at each other.
rlin shrugged. Nathan gave a nervous smile.
After a mont, Isabelle finally spoke.
"It's obviously self-defense."
Her voice echoed in the office.
Alia's lips tightened. She knew she couldn't argue against the president.
"Understood," she said stiffly. "You're free to go."
rlin and Nathan nodded, turning toward the door.
Just as they stepped out, Isabelle's voice rang out again.
"rlin Everhart."
They stopped and both turned around almost synchronized.
Her gaze was as deep as the ocean.
"Be careful."
'…Huh?'
rlin stared at her, but she didn't say anything else.
He just gave a slow nod and shoved Nathan out the door before he could open his mouth.
Outside, Nathan turned to him, eyes full of questions.
"What did she an by that?"
His voice was way too innocent.
rlin sighed. "Hell if I know."
Without another word, he turned toward the cafeteria.
'I'm starving.'
Nathan stood there, watching his rlin's back.
Then he jogged after him like a loyal puppy.
'…I'm never getting rid of him now, am I?'
rlin sighed again, shaking his head.
They finally made it back to their original destination—this ti without any interruptions.
The massive dining hall was packed with students, all stuffing their faces like they hadn't eaten in days.
The mont rlin and Nathan laid eyes on the buffet, their expressions froze.
Then rlin let out a long sigh.
'This is why I wanted to get here early…'
A line—at least fifteen ters long—stretched out in front of the food counter.
"…Maybe we should eat sowhere else?"
Nathan smiled awkwardly, turning to rlin, whose face looked seconds away from exploding.
But then—rlin rembered sothing.
Sothing that Nathan, with all his kindness, never took advantage of in the novel.
'That's right… I almost forgot.'
Without another word, rlin pulled out his academy-issued phone and started walking.
Straight to the front of the line.
"Uh… rlin?"
Nathan's smile twitched as dozens of students turned to glare at them. Even so who were already eating put their food down to watch.
"What do you want to eat."
rlin's voice was flat—almost like a statent.
For Nathan, it was a question.
For the rest of the cafeteria? It was as if rlin didn't even see them.
"…A hamburger?"
Nathan answered hesitantly, watching as rlin strolled right up to the cashier.
One of the perks of being ranked first for a year.
No waiting in line for food.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The woman at the counter raised an eyebrow.
Long black hair. Dark eyes.
'Like a phantom.'
rlin didn't answer. He just held up his phone, displaying his rank.
The number 1 was clear as day.
Her eyes widened slightly—then, just as quickly, a professional smile spread across her face.
"What would you like to eat, Mr. Everhart?"
'That was fast.'
rlin smirked.
The rest of the cafeteria, however, was not as calm.
"What the hell?!"
"Who does he think he is, cutting the whole line?!"
"Teach that bastard a lesson!"
Muttering turned to shouting as irritation spread through the students.
rlin ignored all of it. He turned to the cashier like they didn't exist.
"Two hamburgers."
"Right away!"
She responded brightly before rushing off to grab the food.
Nathan, standing beside him, was visibly uncomfortable under the barrage of complaints.
rlin, on the other hand, sighed as if none of this had anything to do with him.
A mont later, the woman returned, handing over two burgers with a polite smile.
"Here you go, Mr. Everhart!"
"Thanks."
His voice was indifferent as he passed one to Nathan—who was looking at him like he had just witnessed a miracle.
'Like a puppy.'
The two turned to leave, but—
A boy stepped in front of them.
'…You've got to be kidding . Just let eat my burger in peace.'
"Who do you think you are, cutting the whole line—"
rlin sighed.
Without a word, he raised his phone again.
The ranking was right there for everyone to see.
The boy went silent.
Then he stepped aside.
"Yeah, I figured."
rlin sighed and then they just kept walking.
Well—more like rlin looked for an empty table, and Nathan just followed behind him.
'…'
They sat down, unwrapped their food, and—finally.
'Finally.'
rlin had been waiting for this mont for way too long.
The sll of freshly grilled beef hit his nose, and for a second, his eyes almost watered.
Nathan, on the other hand, was already eating.
Without hesitation. Mouth completely stuffed.
"This is so good."
'…He can eat that fast, huh?'
rlin took his first bite—and for a mont, he was in heaven.
The juicy, tender beef patty practically lted in his mouth.
'Nothing could possibly ruin this.'
Right?
Maybe he spoke too soon..Way too soon.
Just as he was about to take another bite—
Two people sat down.
One next to him.
One next to Nathan.
'…'
rlin closed his eyes for a mont.
Prayed to whatever god might be listening. Hoping for an escape. For things to turn better. But nothing changed.
So he just sighed and accepted his fate instead.
'Maybe if I ignore them, they'll go away.'
Liliana and Seraphina sat beside them, smiling.
Because, apparently—
There were no other empty seats in the whole cafeteria.
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