Two days had passed since our return.
We were exempted from classes and given the rest of the week off, so there had been no studying over the past two days.
And since I had nothing better to do, I spent most of my time training... and I wasn’t the only one doing that.
I moved through my private training hall, dodging a wave of flames that shot toward me, only for Elliot to appear in front of me, swinging his sword wrapped in light.
At just the right moment, I raised my sword in a defensive stance and blocked his strike, but even so, my arm went numb as I was pushed back several steps.
I clenched my teeth and lunged at him again, only for him to vanish from sight and reappear at the perfect timing.
He had become much faster and stronger today...
The reason?
That bastard had already reached the Advanced sub-rank... he had probably broken through just yesterday.
So we were back to square one again.
Well, that was bound to happen sooner or later anyway.
I dodged an arc of light as I asked, "So, did you tell them everything when they interrogated you... fighting the Dream Demon and awakening a new ability?"
Elliot nodded. "Of course I did."He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Were you questioned by the vice director?" I asked.
Elliot stopped attacking and stood a short distance away from me. "No... it was someone named Darin."
Darin... I felt like I’d heard that name before.
Elliot continued, "He specializes in entering dreams, so he asked me a few questions... how I got out of the dream and what I did afterward. I just told him what I did, and about our battle."
Our battle?
Did he want to share the credit with me?
The problem was that Elliot wasn’t the type of idiot who refused rewards. This bastard never turned down anything that was offered to him.
Well, I had to admit he was smart... smarter than most fictional heroes.
...
Time passed, and we finished our training.
I returned to my residence drenched in sweat, so I headed straight for the bathroom.
After taking a hot shower and changing my clothes, I checked the time on my phone.11:45 a.m.
Almost lunchtime.
"Maybe I should try a new restaurant today," I muttered as I walked over to my desk.
Several sheets of paper were stacked there.I picked them up and looked them over for a few moments before placing them into my ring.
It was a detailed report Alicia had asked me to write and submit as soon as possible. She hadn’t given me a specific deadline, but I did it while I had free time.
I left my room and took the elevator down, heading out of the dormitory.
...
I walked leisurely through the streets of the Axis.
I planned to submit the report to Alicia after lunch, so I was heading toward the district filled with shops and restaurants.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, I reached my destination.
The place was a wide street lined with beautiful, well-organized buildings on both sides.
Students walked back and forth in groups or alone... even couples holding hands, fingers interlocked in a romantic display for everyone to see.
It wasn’t just first-years wandering around here; even second- and third-years were present.
I checked my phone, following the precise location of a five-star Italian-style restaurant, until I finally found it.
I went inside, where a waiter greeted me and led me to the tables on the second floor.
The place was relatively empty, with only a few people seated around.
I chose a table in the corner near the window overlooking the street and sat down as the waiter handed me the menu.
I looked it over, thinking about what to choose. "Pizza, pasta..." flavors I remembered from my past life.
It seemed that humans in this world had carried over and preserved recipes from old Earth.
After some thought, I chose pizza, along with a few other dishes I didn’t recognize, just to try them.
The waiter wrote down my order.
"Your food will be ready in a few minutes, sir."With those words, he turned and left.
I leaned back in my chair, gazing down at the crowded street below, when I noticed two familiar figures... or rather, one, then the other.
With her fiery red hair and blazing orange eyes, Izel walked alongside Leona, both of them looking around as if searching for something.
Leona pointed toward a spot on the side of the street—it looked like a clothing store.
But instead of heading there, Izel said a few words to Leona, then pointed somewhere else... this restaurant.
Leona nodded, and the two of them made their way over.
I didn’t know why, but the moment I saw them, I expected they’d come here.
A few minutes later, two beautiful girls entered the seating area behind the waiter, who looked visibly nervous because of the lovely ladies.
They walked around, choosing a place to sit, drawing plenty of glances from the other young men there, which sparked some tension among the couples.
I rested my head on my hand, watching them while wondering when my food would arrive—and silently praying they wouldn’t notice me.
My prayers went unanswered.
Izel’s blazing eyes landed on me, and she froze in place the moment our gazes met.
Leona looked at her in confusion."What’s wrong?"
Then she followed Izel’s line of sight and found me sitting there.
A smile formed on her beautiful lips as she headed toward me, dragging Izel along with her...
They reached my table in moments.
"Look who we have here, Caius himself," Leona said cheerfully, pulling out a chair and sitting down without asking.
"You’ve got a great table here, with this view."
I looked at her with dead eyes. Izel did the same.She ignored our stares until I finally spoke.
"Hello, Leona. It’s good to see you... but if you hadn’t noticed, you just sat down without an invitation."
She looked at me with that cheerful smile."Well, we’re colleagues, so that automatically makes us friends... and friends don’t ask each other for permission."
I blinked a few times, trying to process the logic of this girl, who clearly had an excessive amount of social energy.
She then turned her head toward Izel, who was still standing there."Why don’t you sit down, Izel?"
Izel raised an eyebrow."Are you seriously expecting me to sit with this person?"She said it while pointing at me with obvious disdain.
Leona wasn’t bothered at all. She grabbed Izel by the wrist."Come on, Izel, stop being shy and sit down."
"Shy... what are you talking about? I’m telling you I don’t want to sit with this trash, and you’re talking about shyness?" Her tone was clearly angry.
I watched them with mild amusement... this might at least make the time pass faster and get my food here sooner.
"I’m leaving. Are you coming with me or not?" Izel asked, while Leona’s smile only grew wider as she replied,
"No."
Izel nodded and turned to leave, only to realize that Leona was still holding her wrist."You can let go of me now, Leona."
Instead of answering, Leona shook her head in refusal, which only made Izel angrier."Leona, stop provoking me, please."
I smiled and seized the chance to intervene."Or what... you’ll burn the place down?"
Leona let out a soft laugh, while Izel’s face reddened slightly with anger as she glared at me, those eyes trying to bore holes through my face.
She clenched her teeth."You—"
But Leona cut her off."Maybe it’s better if you sit. You’re making a scene."
Only then did Izel notice that everyone was staring at her—even the waiter was standing there like a statue.
She hesitated, then returned and sat down on one of the chairs."Damn you, Leona... I’ll make you pay for this later."
Leona ignored her and turned her attention back to me."So, did you order yet, Caius?"
She was really rolling with it.
I nodded. "I did."
I knew she wouldn’t get up or back down no matter what I said... and I hadn’t planned to push her away in the first place.
After all, what man would complain about having lunch with two beautiful girls?
Even if one of them looked ready to explode and set everything on fire at the slightest spark.
Leona looked at the waiter, who was still standing by the table."Could you bring us the same thing he ordered?"
"Yes, miss," the waiter replied before leaving.
Izel didn’t speak or look at us. Instead, she rested her head against her hand, staring down at the street below, avoiding any interaction with me.
I didn’t plan to provoke her—especially since the food arrived just then.
I ignored the two girls as the smell of freshly baked pizza filled my nose while the waiter placed the plate in front of me.
It was a pleasant moment.
But only if I had known that things were about to take a completely different turn.
A path that hadn’t even existed to begin with.