I woke up with a start, realizing it was already lunch break. I stretched my body instinctively. My stomach growled loudly, reminding myself that I haven’t eaten since I got here.
I quickly made my way to the cafeteria, thoughts of food motivating my legs to move faster. As I walked, my smartwatch beeped, drawing my attention. A notification popped up so I opened it and read the ssage:
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Search and Retrieve Group Chat
*Cypher nad the group "Search and Retrieve"*
*Cypher added you to the group*
*Cypher added Ezekiel Craine to the group*
*Cypher added Christian George to the group*
*Cypher added Angela Forbes to the group*
*Cypher added Jawn Green to the group*
Cypher: Did I miss anyone?
Angela: Nope! I think this is all of us.
Ezekiel: Thanks for creating this.
Troy Santos: Oh wow! I can’t believe I’ve tead up with you guys!
Jawn Green: *thumbs up*
Remillia: So when—
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I was trying to type a ssage as I navigated through the cafeteria, my focus on the screen rather than where I was going. Suddenly, I bumped into sothing hard, or rather a person.
"Aww!" I exclaid, touching the bridge of my nose where it stung. "Are you blind?" I looked up, ready to glare at the person I collided with.
"You’re blaming ? You’re the one who has her head bowed down," Kairos said, his voice hinting at a playful accusation as he looked down at .
His towering height forced my gaze upward, and I had to tilt my head back significantly just to et his eyes. "Well... Why are you made up of a wall? My nose hurts just from bumping into you!" I retorted, frustration bubbling beneath my skin.
Kairos crossed his arms, a teasing smirk on his face. "It’s not my fault whose not even looking her way."
"Urgh!" That was all I could manage to say, annoyance flashing in my eyes. "Why are you so tall? It’s so hard looking at you!" I added, not knowing what to say anymore.
"I’m sorry," he suddenly said, his tone shifting ever so slightly as he gently caressed my nose, the unexpected gesture catching off guard.
I froze, my heart racing. I was perplexed. I was the one who’s in the wrong so why is he apologizing? I should be the one apologizing.
Yet there was sothing about the warmth of his hand resting there, the sincerity in his eyes, that made my confusion change into an unexpected flutter of warmth inside .
Feeling heat rise to my cheeks, I looked away, suddenly aware of how close we were standing. "Uh...thanks, I guess," I fumbled, I wasn’t used to how gentle he is looking at right now.
I quickly changed the topic to keep the conversation going. "Why were you absent in our first class?" I asked as we walked together through the bustling cafeteria.
"I had so important things to do," Kairos replied casually. He glanced at , curiosity flickering in his eyes. "What did you do in class anyway?"
"Oh, apparently we just pick a mission as part of our combat training," I explained as we joined the line, the delicious scents of food wafting from the cafeteria’s kitchen making my stomach growl even louder.
"So what did you choose?" he inquired.
"Search and retrieve mission," I admitted, though it was Cypher who had actually chosen it for .
"I see," Kairos said, nodding thoughtfully as he began typing sothing on his smartwatch.
It was my turn at the food station, and I eagerly selected my als, a mix of fragrant rice, roasted vegetables, and a generous serving of grilled chicken.
As I glanced at Kairos, still focused on his smartwatch, an idea struck . I decided to double what I was taking. Just in case he hadn’t planned on getting food for himself.
Once I was done picking my food, I turned around and noticed that Kairos hadn’t chosen anything at all, still glued to the notifications on his device as he followed .
I sighed inwardly. It felt like a smart choice to have taken extra food.
We found a table in a quieter corner of the cafeteria, and as Kairos continued his concentration on his smartwatch, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of nostalgia. Without thinking too much about it, I served the extra food I had taken in front of him.
I rembered the tis I used to serve food to my parents at ho. It was a small mont of bonding, a way to show them that I cared. A smile crept onto my face as those mories washed over , vivid and warm. How were they doing now? I missed those simple afternoons spent together, sharing als and laughter.
While I was busy serving him food. The students around us started murmuring.
"Hey, look over there," a girl said, her tone laced with intrigue.
"Oh? What’s happening?" another one chid in, glancing our way.
"Are they a couple?" soone else speculated.
"I thought she liked Ezekiel?" one of them replied, a hint of disbelief in their voice.
"Look how she’s taking care of him," a voice comnted. "I wish my girlfriend would also take care of that way."
"She’s really the wifey material," another boy remarked.
"I wish I was the one sitting infront of her right now," ca the last comnt laced with envy.
Kairos, who had just finished typing on his smartwatch, looked up at and smiled, a soft warmth in his gaze as he saw serving him food. I shook it off thinking that he’s thankful for the food.
Once I was done, I t his gaze and caught him staring at . My cheeks flushed under his attention, and I felt the need to explain myself. "I-I noticed that you haven’t ordered any food, so I gave half of mine to you," I stamred, fumbling over my words.
"Thanks," he said, taking a spoonful of food. "By the way, I also joined the search and retrieve mission," he added, casually as he dug into the food I had given him.
"Really?" I exclaid, surprised and curious as I took a bite. The flavors burst in my mouth, and, without thinking, I let out an involuntary moan of delight at the taste.
Kairos chuckled, amusent dancing in his eyes. "It seems like you haven’t eaten in days," he teased, taking notice of my reaction.
"Because it is!" I exclaid, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "Do you know how starved I was because of that Jaxo—" I abruptly halted mid-sentence, realizing my slip. Shit, I almost forgot that I was talking to his disguise and not Kairos himself.
Kairos raised an eyebrow, urging to continue. "Go on, whose na you’re talking about again?"
I panicked internally, scrambling for a way to divert the conversation back to safer ground. "I, uh," I stuttered for a mont, trying to buy ti. "Oh! You said that you joined the sa mission as mine, right? I’m going to add you to our group now!" That seed like a solid escape, at least.
Fumbling to open my smartwatch, I quickly added him to the group.
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Search and Retrieve Group Chat
*You added Caleo Valheim to the group*
Ezekiel: Caleo? Why is he here?
Cypher: Remi why did you add him?
Angela: Caleo Valheim?
Remillia: Say hello to our latest mber!
Cypher: How did you know he’s a mber?
Remillia: He’s with right now. We’re currently eating at the cafeteria.
Christian: Hi Caleo!
Jawn: *thumbs up*
Angela: Hello Caleo!
Caleo: Hello everyone *smiley face*
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I sighed as I successfully redirected Kairos’ attention.
"It seems that they accepted already," he said, glancing at the responses.
"Yeah, they can be a bit chatty," I admitted, trying to keep the atmosphere light. "But they’re great people. You’ll fit right in."
"Good to know," he replied, flashing a grin. "I’ll make sure to pull my weight during the mission, then. No pressure, right?"
"None at all," I assured him as we continued to eat.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Classes ended, and I quickly made my way to the grocery store to stock up for my beloved companions, Macaron and Glacier. I placed my orders with precision: five kilograms each of tuna, beef, and pork for Glacier, and a selection of ready-made als for Macaron.
After paying, I stored everything in my expansion pouch and headed straight back to my dorm. The anticipation of seeing Glacier and Macaron always lifted my spirits, and I unlocked the door, prepared for the usual chaos.
As soon as I entered, they pounced on . Glacier, pressed his cold head against my face, rubbing affectionately. "Hey there, buddy!" I laughed, but the mont was interrupted by a loud and terrified shriek.
I whipped my head up just in ti to see two male students standing frozen in the doorway, their faces contorted in horror.
"M-monster!" one of them stamred, backing away slowly.
"How the hell did a Frostbane appear here?!" the other yelled, his voice rising in pitch.
"Ahhh! It’s eating her face! Help!!!" they shouted in absolute panic.
Stomach dropping, I felt a wave of anxiety wash over . If they discovered Glacier here, the administrators would not only try to capture him but might also report , possibly leading to being expelled. "No, no, please, guys!" I tried to reason, but before I could say anything further, they collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
They were shouting loudly and I can’t help but be anxious. If they see Glacier here, they would personally lock him up and might get expelled for keeping him here.
Before I could silence them, they imdiately slumped down, unconscious.
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