Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Crash Landing On You , Seriously

The Zenith Academy cafeteria was alive with its usual midday chaos—students talking over each other, trays clattering, and the aroma of sizzling meals wafting through the air. Among the noise, a particular table stood out, mostly due to the energy radiating from the group seated there.

Seraphina, Alden, Ethan, Charlotte, and Ava were happily enjoying their lunch. Their plates were stacked with Academy-tier delicacies—grilled mana-infused steak, golden rice, and floating fruit cubes that sparkled faintly with magical residue. It was a peaceful moment in their academy lives.

Henry sat at the end of the table, however, looking like a condemned man on death row. He clutched his spoon like it was a weapon and hadn’t touched his food.

His face was pale, his eyes darting around as if expecting a dragon to drop from the ceiling at any moment.

Ava noticed and leaned in with concern. “Are you okay, Henry? You look like you’re about to faint.”

“I’m f-fine!” Henry squeaked, forcing a smile that looked more like a wince. “Just, you know… it’s hard to relax when I’m sitting with a bunch of actual stars.”

Ethan chuckled as he reached for a piece of fruit. “Come on, don’t be so dramatic. We’re just students, same as you.”

Alden leaned back in his chair, still chewing on a piece of steak. “Man, I gotta say—this lunch hits different when someone else is footing the bill.”

“Right?” Ethan grinned. “Feels even better when that someone is Alex.”

Henry blinked. “Wait… seriously? He’s paying for all this?!”

“Yup,” Alden chimed in with a bright smile. “Every single bite. I even took an extra dessert!”

“Of course you did,” Charlotte smirked, crossing her arms. “If someone’s gonna pay, we better make it hurt.”

Just then, Alden glanced around and frowned. “Speaking of, where do you think Alex and Draven wandered off to?”

Charlotte glanced at her untouched juice. “Judging from the storm brewing on Alex’s face, it’s definitely not a pleasant conversation. Poor Draven.”

A beat passed.

Both of them burst into laughter.

Seraphina rolled her eyes fondly while Henry slowly lowered his head to the table, already reconsidering every life decision that brought him here.

Everyone chuckled.

The laughter was just dying down when Ethan leaned forward, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.

“Come on, guys,” he said, voice laced with amusement, “you’ve gotta give him a little credit. At least he motivated Henry a bit, didn’t he? No matter how painfully cringe it was.”

Alden raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. “Are you mocking him or taking his side, Ethan? Pick one.”

Ethan shrugged, all too pleased with himself. “Why should I pick one,” he said with a grin, “when I can do both? Maximum efficiency.”

Alden smirked. “Well, I can’t argue with that.”

Just as the teasing was ramping up, Seraphina placed her fork down and spoke, her tone a little more serious.

“Alright, enough,” she said, glancing around the table. “You guys shouldn’t make fun of him that much. Whatever Alex said—cringe or not—came from a place of experience. You might not have noticed, but it was honest. Genuine.”

There was a short silence as the group absorbed her words.

Ava nodded slowly. “Yeah… I actually thought it was kind of nice.”

“Oh please, Sera,” Charlotte smirked. “You were laughing harder than any of us!”

Seraphina’s face turned crimson. “T-that was different! I wasn’t— it wasn’t like that!”

Ethan leaned in playfully. “So what was it like, Sera?”

“Shut up!” she huffed, puffing her cheeks in a dramatic pout.

The table erupted into laughter again.

Ava, still giggling, turned to Henry. “Are you really okay, though?”

Henry jolted when he heard his name again. “Of course! I’m great! Totally not dying inside or anything.”

“Don’t be like that,” Ava said sweetly. “They’re all nice—way better than those nobles who always harass you.”

Seraphina reached over and gently patted Ava’s head. “You’re so adorable, Ava. Such a good bean.”

Ava smiled shyly, leaning into the affectionate gesture.

“So, Mr. Loser,” Alden said suddenly, looking straight at Henry, “Did Alex mention how he plans to deal with Lorenzo? Or are we just counting on another motivational cringe-fest?”

Seraphina smacked the back of Alden’s head.

“Ow! What did I say?”

“Don’t call him a loser.”

“Okay, okay, no need for violence, princess,” Alden mumbled, rubbing his scalp.

Henry finally spoke. “He didn’t say anything specific. Just said he’d take care of it… and help me out.”

Ethan rested his chin on his palm. “I wonder what he’s planning. Lorenzo’s no joke. He’s got a lot of noble followers and also nearly broke into Advanced-rank the last time we saw him.”

Seraphina nodded. “Yeah, and Alex won’t ask for help. That’s just how he seems to be. I’m really curious what stunt he’s planning.”

“Would be hilarious if he got his butt kicked and came begging for our help,” Charlotte smirked.

“Are you serious, Char?” Ethan laughed. “The same guy who outwitted all of us during the entrance exam? He made us fight an Advanced-High-rank beast, turned humans and vampires on each other, and ended the exam on his terms. That cunning bastard!”

The table went quiet for a second.

Charlotte finally muttered, “You think pretty highly of him.”

Ethan smiled faintly. “All I’ll say is—his strength isn’t the only scary part. His mind is sharp. Razor-sharp.”

“Tch. You’re not wrong,” Charlotte said, puffing her cheeks in defiance.

Seraphina narrowed her eyes at Ethan. “You didn’t use your full strength either, did you?”

Alden slammed his hand on the table. “Exactly! This sneaky bastard was holding back a lot. And also used only two of his elemental affinities! Just two! I’m still mad about it!”

Everyone leaned back slightly as Alden’s eyes lit up with fiery passion.

Ethan held his hands up. “Okay, okay, you caught me. I was curious about how strong Alex and Alden really were. But don’t worry—I paid for it. Alex blew up two entire factions. I didn’t see that coming.”

Ethan sighed and tapped the table thoughtfully. “The crazy part is… I get this nagging feeling he knew I was holding back. Like he saw through it. And planned around it.”

A short silence followed. Then Charlotte, skeptical but sharp, said, “That’s not possible. Only the three of us—me, Alden, and Seraphina—and a handful of others know your true strength. There’s no way Alex could’ve known.”

Ethan paused. “Yeah… maybe I’m overthinking.”

Ava, who was usually quiet, spoke up hesitantly.

“You guys sure are curious about him, huh?”

Everyone turned toward her.

She offered a shy smile. “It’s just… this is the first time a commoner actually became the apex of the first-year batch at Zenith Academy. That’s never happened before. So… I guess I’d like to know him better too.”

Alden snorted. “You better not.”

Ava blinked. “Huh?”

“A pipsqueak like you won’t survive it,” Alden said with a smirk, leaning in mock-seriously. “That guy gives trauma to everyone around him—including his friends.”

For a second, Ava looked stunned.

Then—with an exaggerated huff—she shot up from her seat, cheeks puffed, eyebrows furrowed, and arms clenched at her sides.

“I am not a pipsqueak!” she declared, pouting adorably.

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not!”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

Seraphina leaned toward Ava, whispering something in her ear.

“Hey, no cheating! Let the pipsqueak fight her own battles!” Alden protested.

Then Ava raised her voice triumphantly. “I’m not a pipsqueak, and you’re definitely not more handsome than Alex! In fact, you don’t even have one-third of his charm!”

That did it.

A vein popped on Alden’s forehead. “WHAT DID YOU SAY, PIPSQUEAK?! Say that again!”

Ava yelped and dove behind Seraphina.

“You heard me!”

Their laughter echoed through the cafeteria, drawing a few amused glances from nearby tables.

Despite their teasing and quirks, this strange, mismatched group was slowly forming a bond—one filled with chaos and warmth.

Then just as Seraphina raised her hand to scold Alden when—

CRASH!

A body came flying across the cafeteria and landed right on their table. Dishes flew in every direction. Food splattered over everyone like a buffet-themed explosion.

They all froze, trying to process what had just happened.

Alden had mashed potatoes on his shoulder. Ethan was blinking slowly, a carrot stuck to his cheek. Seraphina stared blankly at a noodle sliding off her sleeve.

Charlotte had broccoli in her hair.

Henry had fainted.

And Ava was behind Seraphina, shaking like a leaf.

They turned toward the moaning, broken figure on the table.

“L-Lorenzo D’Vaire…?” Charlotte muttered.

It was.

Bloodied, bruised, and barely conscious—Lorenzo had been launched like a cannonball.

Alden turned to see where Lorenzo had come flying from. Just as he turned—

SPLAT!!

A pie smacked squarely into his face, cream and crust exploding like a sugary landmine.

He froze.

“…”

Slowly, pie filling dripping from his chin, he wiped whipped cream from his eyes.

His expression was unreadable.

—

A/N:

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