I had finally arrived at the academy’s cafeteria. It was still the same one back during the exam, a large, spacious room, countless desks, and a literal drink bar near the corner.

Still no alcohol. Figures.

What was different, though, was how packed it was. Nearly all of the seats, on the ground floor at least, were taken, mostly by students who wore white uniforms. I could barely spot any black suited students like me, even though we all supposedly left classes at around the same time.

What, did they reserve these seats or something?

I was curious how ordering food here works. A lot of students were crowded near the food court, in a slightly orderly manner, while some students had their servants bring the food to them. Then there was a matter of payment. Was the food free, or do we need to pay with our own money?

But before I could even worry about that, the fact that there was no visible empty table was my most pressing concern.

Maybe I’ll have better luck on the second floor?

“Feyt, is that you?”

A familiar voice called out to me. I scanned the sea of heads until I found a figure wearing a similarly dark uniform like mine, standing out easily.

“Oh, Clara!”

The Saint, Clara, weaved across several tables of the cafeteria to approach me. It didn’t seem like she was seated anywhere; rather, from where she was standing, it looked like she was looking for something. Was she looking for a place to sit, too?

“Hey there,” I said as she approached. “Looking for a place to sit too?”

She blinked before nodding, stopping right before me. “Yeah, even after a year, finding a place to sit here is still hard,” she said with a light chuckle. “Anyway, how was your first class?”

“It was a bit… strict? But it was fun!”

“Fun?” she tilted her head. “You must be a really optimistic person to find that fun…”

“I had worse, to be honest.”

Students were still pouring in from the cafeteria’s front door, even with the seats full.

That was when I finally realized a line of students was exiting the cafeteria with boxes of varying sizes.

You can order take-out here?

That explained the line of students leaving with boxes.

With no seats available, eating it in your room or one of the many lounges is the next best option.

From the different box sizes students carried, apparently we needed our own box to fill.

But… I didn’t bring any…

Just as I thought we were going to starve, Clara spoke up.

“We shouldn’t be standing here,” she said. “Come on, let’s go upstairs. There’s an empty table we can use!”

Oh, there’s an empty seat after all? Maybe she already reserved it?

Wait, if she already has a table reserved…

“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked with a warm smile. “Not hungry?”

I shook my head. “N-No—I mean, yeah, I am. Should we head upstairs then?”

…

The upper floor of the cafeteria was as packed as the ground level. But a lot less hectic, too. As I scanned the upper floor, I even spotted Lionne, sitting by herself on a rather large table, checking out her nails.

Thank god she got a table for us.

After the brief look around, I finally turned to the table I was sitting at. It was a small, two-person table located at the edge of the floor, overlooking the ground floor, divided only by the railing. Clara sat before me, her smile as gentle as it always was.

“Now, where were we… Oh, right. Your first class!” She slightly leaned forward. “How was the class with Miss Sandra? She wasn’t too tough, was she?”

“I already said the class was strict, didn’t I?” I said with a small chuckle. “But wait, how did you know the instructor for my class?”

She stopped herself for a moment before quickly saying, “W-Well… as the Student Council President, I do have schedules for every class on hand, you know?”

“Oh, that tracks…”

A pair of footsteps amidst the crowd approached us. It was a waiter bringing a tray of food who stopped by our table.

“Your food,” the waiter said in a deep voice. “Please, enjoy.”

The plates of food were placed before us, and boy, did they look good. They weren’t up to par with the estate’s level of food, but still enough to make me nearly drool. 

It was a full breakfast set. Fried eggs, mashed potatoes, warm chicken soup, and a cup of coffee to seal the deal.

“I ordered us my favorite set,” Clara said. “Now, shall we?”

I briefly nodded before digging in.

…

With my plates utterly cleaned out, we wiped our mouths with a provided handkerchief.

“It was good, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, really good, especially the soup.”

Clara set her handkerchief aside and glanced around the crowded floor before looking at me.

“By the way, you haven’t seen a lot of things around the academy yet, right?”

“Yeah, I was completely lost finding my dorm yesterday and the classroom just this morning. This place is like a town in and of itself, you know?”

She let out a small chuckle.

“Then, how about I show you around? I’m free after your next class, if you’d like.”

I paused for a moment before nodding.

“Really? That’ll be great!”

At first, I thought I might have to use Carine’s eyes from a higher ground every time I was lost. 

“Great! Let’s meet up in the front lobby of the main building!” She checked the clock behind me before her expression softened. “Though… that doesn’t mean I’m free for today. I have to go back to my own class soon, sorry!”

“Oh, that’s alright!”

She stood up from her seat. “See you soon!”

“See you.”

So, I would be getting a tour later. At least that was something worth looking forward to.

Now, I should probably leave the cafeteria quickly, too. After all, a certain group of people was about to enter.

…

As Feyt quietly left the cafeteria and took a silent route back to the dorm, another group entered the facility. The cafeteria grew noisier as the group made its way inside, the five white coats cutting through the crowd.

Even among those who wore similar uniforms, the presence of the one leading the group was enough to draw the entire floor’s attention.

After all, the group was led by none other than me, Carine Sareid.

Entering the cafeteria, trying my best to ignore the stares, my group stopped in their tracks.

“Now, where did she set our tables?” Eveliana said, referring to Lionne. “I don’t see her anywhere.”

“It’s on the second floor,” I added confidently. “…Probably.”

The three other members of our entourage stood behind us, and one of them stepped forward with a confident smile.

“Then shall we head upstairs?” Villius asked. 

“Yeah! Can’t wait to eat here again!” Kyro added. “Last time, the food was really good! I wonder if it’ll be delicious today too!”

“I-I don’t know… maybe the food was great because it was a special occasion or something,” Clarissa said, her posture pulled back, nearly hiding behind Kyro.

“Come on, don’t be pessimistic! I’m sure it’ll be great!”

That’s right. Our practical exam group had finally reassembled. Having already met during the ball, and not to mention seeing Villius at my birthday party, a tearful reunion felt excessive—especially with our limited break time ticking down. So after meeting each other while walking down the halls, we immediately set off for the cafeteria.

We threaded through the tables, trading small talk of our first classes as we went.

“How was the Honors class, Lady Carine?” Villius asked. “Was it as tough as the rumors suggested?”

I shook my head. “It was surprisingly light, but I’m sure it’s going to be tougher from here.”

“As expected of a first-ranked student,” Villius said with a bright smile.

“Ehem,” Eveliana cleared her throat. “Have you perhaps forgotten about me?”

Right, she’s in Honors too, you know? Just asking me is a bit rude, don’t you think?

“T-That’s not my intention at all, Eveliana.”

“That is Lady Eveliana to you,” she said with a gentle smirk.

“Did your instructor scream a lot?” Kyro asked. “Mine did, at least. Man, my ears are still ringing…”

“O-Ours didn’t,” Clarissa said. “She was pretty soft with her voice, it’s kind of… sleep-inducing.”

You sure you weren’t just bored with the lesson?

“Ah, by the way,” Villius said. “Where is Lady Mirabelle?”

“…I wonder that myself.”

I hadn’t seen her at all today.

“I heard the first class for the Mages division is still going on even now,” Villius added. “I’m guessing their break will start as soon as our break ends.”

“Oh, then they’ll have the cafeteria all to themselves then!” Kyro said, his tone almost envious.

“Yeah, but that also meant…” Eveliana muttered. “She won’t be meeting us anytime soon.”

…Poor Mirabelle.

I do wonder how she’s faring, though.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep