The main building’s cafeteria was the most prestigious and expensive dining hall on campus. It was a place frequented by the Empire’s nobles, the Holy Empire’s high-ranking clerics, and the Republic’s wealthy heirs. Among all the cafeterias in the Hero Academy, it stood at the very top in both quality and price.
Inside that grand cafeteria was a private room, a luxury space reserved for not rely those with money but also cadets whose exceptional grades earned them the privilege. Around the large table that could easily seat ten sat four people: Laneige, Iris, Yurina, and .
Iris’s gaze drifted toward Laneige. “Then...”
Laneige flinched like a startled animal, her shoulders trembling before she quickly averted her eyes.
Iris continued, “This is Senior Laneige, the one you grew close to during the ntoring program, right?”
“Yeah, that’s her,” I replied.
Yurina’s expression hardened, as if recalling certain rumors about her. “Laneige. Fourth year, if I’m not mistaken...”
I replied, “If it’s those rumors you’re thinking of, forget them. Laneige has nothing to do with demons.”
Laneige’s voice trembled as she looked at , eyes shimring with emotion. “D-Dale.”
Yurina watched her silently, her sharp eyes narrowing. She finally sighed and nodded. “Alright. If you say so, I’ll believe you.”
“Sa here,” Iris added softly.
Though neither of them seed completely convinced, they both nodded in quiet acceptance.
Iris then asked, “Was it Senior Laneige who invited you to the main cafeteria?”
“No, it’s the other way around,” I replied.
“The other way around?” Iris blinked, surprised.
“I invited her.”
Her eyes narrowed, sharp as a blade. “You. Invited her?”
Folding her arms, she tilted her head and gave a low, skeptical hum before shooting a sidelong glance at Laneige. Laneige hiccupped, startled, and shrank back in her seat.
“There’s a bit of a story behind it,” I said.
I explained how Laneige had been ostracized by her classmates and how, because of all the whispers and stares, she had never once eaten in a proper cafeteria since coming to the academy.
It was probably sothing she wanted to keep hidden. But if we were going to keep spending ti together, it wasn’t sothing that could stay a secret forever. And why should it be hidden at all? She wasn’t the perpetrator, but the victim. Why should soone who did nothing wrong have to hang her head in sha, pretending her past didn’t exist?
The sharpness in Iris’s eyes softened. “I see.”
She had known that the children of demons weren’t exactly welcod in the Hero Academy, but even she hadn’t imagined that the so-called hero cadets, supposedly mature adults, would bully soone so maliciously.
Shaking her head, she muttered, “That’s awful,”
Yurina’s expression darkened as well.
Laneige turned to with a faint smile and softly said, “I-it’s okay. Dale saved ,”
Iris clicked her tongue, as if to say she understood the situation now. “Honestly, Dale, you’re still the sa as ever.”
She smiled, but her eyes glead with a dangerous edge. I gave an awkward cough and turned my head away from her stare.
Then I said, “Anyway, since we were going out to eat, I figured we might as well eat sowhere nice.”
“That’s why you ca to the main building cafeteria instead of the annex,” Yurina replied, nodding.
She looked between and Laneige, her expression curious. “By the way. You’re calling her just ‘Laneige,’ huh?”
I replied, “Oh, that’s—”
Before I could finish, Laneige blurted out, “I-I told him to call that!”
“You did, Senior Laneige?” Yurina asked.
“Y-yeah. Dale’s the one who saved , after all.”
“I see.”
Yurina narrowed her eyes at her. Laneige’s head was lowered, her ears burning red. She sighed, giving a look that said, I knew it.
“S-so, um, should we start eating?” I said quickly.
“Fine,” Yurina replied.
“I’ll go get the plates,” I said.
The main building cafeteria usually operated buffet-style, so I stood to grab four plates, but Yurina stopped .
“No need,” she said.
“What do you an?”
“In private rooms, you can just choose what you want, and they’ll bring it to you.”
“They do that?”
I didn’t even know that was an option.
“Yeah. One sec.”
Yurina pressed a button on the side of the table. Instantly, a holographic nu appeared before each of us, divided neatly by cuisine: dishes from the Empire, the Holy Empire, and the Republic.
“Just pick from here. They’ll cook it fresh and serve it here.”
“It’s like ordering room service at a luxury hotel,” I muttered.
I finally understood why only top-performing cadets were allowed to use this place. Even if one were rich, good grades were the real key to getting in. Thank goodness, Yurina was the top student of the year. Normally, neither Laneige nor I would’ve been allowed in here, but top-ranked cadets had the privilege of bringing a few guests regardless of their status.
Laneige let out a gasp of wonder as she scrolled through the endless list of dishes. “W-wow! Look at this, Dale! There are so many I’ve never even seen before!”
She sounded bright and excited, her eyes darting from one holographic image to another, fingers tapping frantically on the nu as if afraid to miss sothing.
When I saw her like that, a natural smile spread across my face. “Order whatever you want.”
“O-okay.”
She scrolled through the nu again, unable to decide.
“You’re from the Empire, right? Then maybe you should try sothing from the Imperial section,” I suggested.
“But I’m curious about the Republic’s food too,” Laneige replied.
“Then how about sothing from the Holy Empire?”
“T-the Holy Empire’s food is a bit...” She trailed off, clearly uneasy.
Wait, she said yesterday that she would eat dog food if I were the one buying it, yet she’s avoiding food from the Holy Empire? What in the world did they do to their food over there?
I suddenly felt the Holy Empire’s reputation on a whole new level.
“Dale, what about you? What are you getting?” she asked.
“Hmm, not sure yet.”
“Sothing from the Republic?”
“Nah. Not today.”
After eating Republic cuisine almost every day, I suddenly found myself craving sothing Imperial. “Since we’re in the main building cafeteria anyway, I might as well treat myself to a steak today.”
“T-then I’ll have the sa thing as you, Dale!”
“Yeah? How do you want it cooked?”
“Cooked? I get to choose that?”
“Let’s just go with dium.”
A short while after I placed the order through the nu, perfectly seared steaks were brought into the room.
Laneige took one bite, and her eyes went wide. She exhaled an excited snort, her legs kicking under the table like a happy child. “Uuummmhh!”
Watching her beam like she had just discovered the aning of life over a single bite of steak left Iris and Yurina both looking conflicted.
“Haah. I guess there’s really nothing I can say after seeing that,” Iris muttered.
“Right?”
They exchanged a wry smile, shaking their heads. Laneige, who had been devouring her steak like she hadn’t eaten in days, suddenly froze and looked around in a panic.
Her cheeks flushed red, sauce still clinging to the corner of her lips. “S-sorry. I got a bit carried away.”
Iris smiled softly and handed her a napkin. “Here, use this.”
Laneige took it. “Thanks!”
She wiped her mouth, grinning shyly.
After that lavish al, the four of us decided to take a short walk around the academy to digest. For Laneige’s sake, we chose a quiet trail behind the academy where few cadets ever went.
Laneige practically glowed as she recounted the ntoring session episode to Iris, her tone full of excitent. “Then Dale showed up, and bam! He burned the demonic monster to ashes!”
“Really?” Iris asked, amused.
“Hehe, yeah!”
Technically, Laneige was a year older, but by energy and composure, Iris felt much more like the older sister. Honestly, to , she even looked the part. Laneige wasn’t as small as Senior Sophia, but she still had that delicate, frail air about her, short and slender, like a porcelain doll.
“I get it, you know,” Iris said suddenly.
Laneige blinked. “You do?”
“Yes. The person I’m dating right now also saved when I was in danger.”
“Ooh! I see.”
Laneige nodded, then looked back and forth between Iris and Yurina. “Um, Iris and Yuren, you two look really good together.”
“Huh? What do you an?”
“Wait, aren’t you two dating?”
“Oh.” Iris burst into laughter, the sound bright and clear. “The person I’m dating isn’t Yuren.”
Laneige’s expression turned sheepish, clearly embarrassed by her mistake. “O-oh, really? Sorry, I just assud.”
“The person I’m dating is...” Iris’s lips curved into a teasing smile as she reached over and gently wrapped her arm around mine.
“Wait a second,” I said in a hurry.
A sinking feeling hit , but before I could say anything, Iris cheerfully finished her sentence, “Dale.”
Laneige froze, her face stiffening like stone. “What? You’re... dating Dale?”
“Huh? Didn’t he tell you?”
The color drained from Laneige’s face. Her shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably. “Dale and Iris are... a couple?”
“Laneige, this isn’t...”
Laneige suddenly dropped to her knees, clutching her head as if trying to tear the thoughts out by force. “Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies, lies, lies!”
Fwoooosh!
A blinding light burst from her soul stigmata. The air around us froze solid as an arctic wind swept through the hill. A violent blizzard howled to life, coating everything in frost.
She said with a hollow laugh, “I see. Yeah. That makes sense. Soone as good as Dale, of course, he wouldn’t be single.”
Her laughter cracked and broke apart, twisting into sothing pitiful. “What was I even thinking? Soone like . There’s no way Dale would ever love soone like .”
“Laneige!” I shouted.
“Ahaha!Ahahahaha!”
The blizzard surged outward. Towering trees, solid boulders, drifting leaves—all of it froze and shattered like glass.
I clenched my teeth, staring at Laneige as she laughed with lifeless eyes, her sanity dissolving into the storm. “You’ve got to be kidding .”
Why? Why was this happening? I had saved her from those bullies! I kept her warm when she was freezing! I even found a Soul Stigmata Stabilizer for her soul stigmata! I dideverything for her! So why, why the hell was she awakening the Blessing of Frost less than a day later?
A silent scream echoed in my chest, swallowed by the roar of the blizzard.
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