Chapter 74: Chapter 74 : Another accident

The cafeteria was a battlefield. Food splattered on walls, chairs overturned, magical sparks still fizzling in the air, and students either cheering, crying, or unconscious under the tables. It was chaos incarnate.

And right at the center of that chaos… stood Alicia von Crestvale.

White hair tied into a neat bun, pristine white-and-gold student council uniform untouched by the madness around her, and an aura so cold it made a frost fairy in the corner start shivering involuntarily. The room instantly dropped ten degrees.

Alicia’s gaze swept over the cafeteria, scanning the mess, then narrowing in on the students still standing.

“All of you,” she said, her voice calm—too calm. “Every student who was involved in this senseless chaos, regardless of your year, rank, or house… will be penalized.”

Everyone froze.

With a flick of her fingers, a giant holographic board appeared, listing dozens—no, hundreds—of names.

“Effective immediately, 50% of your C.P. will be deducted as a penalty.”

Gasps.

Screams.

A kid from Class 2-C literally fainted on the spot.

“Additionally,” Alicia continued, unfazed by the drama, “you will clean this entire cafeteria. Every. Single. Inch. Without magic.”

The groans were audible.

“And finally, a four-day suspension will be enforced.”

Pandemonium.

It was like she’d dropped a bomb made of despair. The students who barely scraped by were already calculating how many meals they’d have to skip. First-years who had just started cried silent tears for their rankings.

Alden was lying flat on the floor like a fallen warrior—arms spread, eyes closed, and expression dramatically blank.

He wasn’t hurt.

He was just… playing dead.

Fifty percent of his Consumption Points? Whatever. He had more than enough. Cleaning the cafeteria? Please, he’d just pretend to mop while casting subtle wind spells to do the work.

Four-day suspension?

“Vacation,” Alden muttered under his breath with a smirk, still pretending to be unconscious. “Thanks, big sis.”

But then… he felt it.

That chilling, oppressive presence. A shift in the air. Like a predator’s shadow falling over its prey.

A cold sweat broke out on Alden’s forehead.

She was here.

His sister.

Alicia von Crestvale.

“My cute little brother,” came a calm, velvety voice layered with terrifying coldness, “you’ll be meeting me in the training room for the next four days of your suspension.”

Alden’s soul nearly left his body.

“I trust you understand,” Alicia continued with a smile that could kill gods, “since it’s your fault I now have more work. I also need someone to bea— I mean train—to let out some stress.”

Alden’s eyes snapped open like twin suns of panic.

“W-Wait!” he squeaked, sitting up straight like a spring-loaded chicken. “It’s not my fault! That silver-haired bastard—Alex! Alex Dragonheart! He caused all of this!”

He spun dramatically and pointed toward empty space like he expected Alex to materialize out of guilt and bad decisions.

Ethan, Seraphina, Ava, and Charlotte, all standing nearby, solemnly nodded like a synchronized squad of traitors.

“Yup,” Ethan said, arms crossed. “He started it.”

Charlotte chimed in, “Honestly, we were just trying to eat in peace.”

Alicia raised a single elegant eyebrow. “Interesting,” she said, unimpressed. “We’ll check the footage, of course. But… according to me—Alex isn’t even here right now.”

The traitors blinked.

Then looked around.

Indeed… no Alex.

Alden clicked his tongue, lips curling into a wicked grin. “Tch. Lucky punk. Hiding somewhere in his golden penthouse, no doubt.”

Then, as if inspiration struck him like lightning, he put on a very evil smile.

“Okay but, training only me would be unfair. How about you take them too?” he said, cheerfully pointing at Ethan, Seraphina, Charlotte.

The silence that followed was immediate and deafening.

Four pairs of eyes turned toward him with expressions ranging from stunned betrayal to murder in progress.

Seraphina narrowed her eyes. “Alden…”

“You bastard,” Ethan muttered under his breath.

Charlotte simply whispered, “You absolute piece of—”

Alden just smirked, folding his arms like a smug little devil.

“What?” he said innocently. “Why should I be the only one to suffer? Sharing is caring, right?”

Alicia clapped her hands with a bright smile that sent chills down everyone’s spine.

“Wonderful idea, dear brother. Very thoughtful of you. I insist the rest of you join him.”

Before any of them could protest, Alicia turned her gaze on them—that gaze.

The one that said: “Object. I dare you.”

No one dared.

Not even Ethan.

Not even Charlotte.

Alicia crossed her arms and added with a faint, almost nostalgic smile:

“Looks like we’re going to have so much fun together. Just like the old days.”

Ethan visibly paled. Charlotte let out a soft whimper. Seraphina’s shoulders slumped like she’d just been drafted into war.

The three had trained with Alicia before.

It was not training.

It was torture.

They still remembered the time she made them climb a cliff upside down during a lightning storm. Okay, maybe not a storm—but it felt like one.

Seraphina looked like she was already mentally calculating escape routes.

Charlotte whispered, “I knew today felt cursed.”

And Ava? She was quiet… too quiet. Until Alden, smirking like a brat, pointed at her too.

“Take that pipsqueak too. She’s surprisingly skilled.”

Ava blinked.

A horrible, gut-deep feeling stirred in her chest.

“You ugly little—”

Ava didn’t know why everyone was horrified, but it was definitely not something good, that’s for sure.

But it was too late. Alicia had already nodded.

“It’s decided, then. I’ll see all of you bright and early. Bring your soul-crushing willpower. You’ll need it.”

With that, she turned and walked off gracefully, muttering something about rescheduling her day and preparing several hell-tier training routines.

The group stood frozen, their doom now sealed by the Crestvale devil herself.

She vanished.

And with that, the Cafeteria Incident finally ended.

—

Meanwhile, inside his luxury penthouse…

Alex was sleeping like a baby. He had caused a full-blown cafeteria war and walked away without a scratch.

Even worse?

He didn’t pay for anyone’s lunch.

The 2.5 million C.P. he should’ve spent on his friends’ food? Saved.

His bank account? Glowing.

His conscience? Snoring.

—

Four days passed in a blur.

Alex strolled toward Class 1-A like any other day, humming.

But as he reached the hallway near the classroom, he saw them.

Five figures.

Blocking the doorway like final bosses.

Alden, Ethan, Seraphina, Charlotte, and Ava.

Bruised. Tired. Wrinkled. Covered in bandages.

Behind them were other Class 1-A students—elves, vampires, dwarves, beastfolk—everyone who’d been in the cafeteria that day.

All of them… looked like they’d just returned from war.

A bad feeling crept up Alex’s spine.

He smiled awkwardly. “Oh! I think I forgot something. Silly me. Zara was supposed to remind me about—uh—something important. I’ll just go now!”

He turned around and bolted.

“GET HIM!!” Alden roared.

“DON’T LET HIM ESCAPE!!” Ethan shouted.

The hallway erupted into chaos as a massive chase began.

Alex dashed through the corridors, students chasing him while shouting every curse in the book.

“You silver-haired menace!”

“I want my C.P. back!!”

“Stop you bastard!.”

Alex zigzagged, leaped over a trash can, and did a perfect parkour roll off a bench.

But then—

Just as Alex rounded the corner at full speed, his instincts screamed that something—no, someone—was directly in his path.

THUMP!

Something soft. Something massive. Something very, very bouncy.

Alex crashed headfirst into the said “obstacle,” his momentum carrying them both into a tangled heap on the polished academy floor.

Blinking in dazed confusion, he groaned slightly, his face smushed against something that felt like two clouds made of the finest silken marshmallows.

His hands, flailing for balance, instinctively grasped onto… the same soft, warm, suspiciously squishy things. His palms planted firmly in those.

A beat passed.

Then another.

And behind him, a stampede of furious students—Ethan, Alden, Seraphina, Charlotte, Ava, and half of Class 1-A—came to a skidding halt as if the heavens themselves had yanked an invisible emergency brake.

Mouths gaped. Eyes widened. Even Alden forgot to cuss.

Because they all recognized her.

A voice, calm yet laced with danger, broke the tension like a lightning bolt on a sunny day.

“If you’re quite done enjoying yourself, Mister Dragonheart, I believe it’s time to remove your face and hands from my breasts.”

Time. Stopped.

Alex blinked. Slowly. Once. Twice.

His blood froze as realization dawned. He dared to lift his gaze, and there she was.

Miss Selena Vega. Vice Head Instructor of Zenith Academy. Revered war veteran. And a Grandmaster-tier mage.

And—at that moment—the unlucky recipient of an accidental groping.

He looked at his hands.

Still squeezing.

’Oh no.’

He jerked back like he’d been electrocuted, his face turning fifty shades of crimson. “I—I didn’t mean—I swear—I was running and then soft and then boobs and then—!”

Selena’s expression was unreadable.

Deadpan. Dangerous. Doom incarnate.

Behind her, the student mob remained frozen, unsure whether to laugh, run, or write their last wills. Charlotte was openly wheezing. Ava looked like she wanted to jump off the nearest balcony from secondhand embarrassment.

Even Alden and Ethan couldn’t help it.

“PFFFFTTTT!”

“He really face-dived into Miss Vega’s holy mountains. I really envy him,” someone whispered.

“Shut up—she’s going to kill him! And I wanna see that.”

As Alex scrambled to his feet, bowing ninety degrees so fast it looked like he was dodging bullets, he shouted, “I’m sorry, Miss! It was a mistake!”

Only one coherent thought pounded in his mind:

’WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!’

…Not that I’m complaining.

————

A/N:-

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