The sun was setting again, casting long shadows across the academy dorms as I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the black blazer for the third ti.
"Too much?" I muttered, tugging at the collar. "No, wait—not enough?"
I stared at my reflection. White shirt. Black formal pants. Neatly polished leather boots. The blazer clung well enough to my shoulders. Hair styled, at least the best I could manage.
I looked like soone going to a noble banquet. Or a high-level assassination eting. Either way, I was overdressed.
I sighed.
"What even is this dinner?" I mumbled. "Why would she ask out of nowhere?"
My mind spiraled. A mission from the academy? So secret trial? Did I break a rule I didn’t know existed?
Or... was it because of the kiss?
My heart did a sorsault.
"No, that wasn’t even with her! Gods, stop thinking like that."
Still... it bothered . The way she’d looked at . The hesitation in her voice. That wasn’t her usual cool, composed self. Sothing was up.
And I was about to walk right into it.
By the ti I made it to the academy courtyard—the spot she’d told to et at—twilight had sunk in properly. The enchanted lamps lit the path in a warm golden hue, soft wind brushing through the trees.
I stood by the fountain, hands in my pockets, doing everything I could to look calm.
I wasn’t.
Every few seconds, soone walked past and looked.
Great.
Apparently, being dressed like this had made stand out more than I thought. A group of second-year girls walked by, whispering. One even giggled.
I scratched my head, looking anywhere but at people.
When did I beco the guy people look at twice? Was it always like this? Or just the blazer?
Then—
Click. Click. Click.
The unmistakable sound of heels against stone.
I turned.
And ti stopped.
She walked into the courtyard like she owned every breath of air in it.
Professor Seraphina.
Her blue hair was tied up into a flawless bun, a few strands curling near her ear. She wore a sleek, single-slit black dress—tasteful, elegant, but... dangerous. There was sothing almost surreal about the way it flowed around her fra, like darkness had wrapped itself around moonlight.
And that choker—black diamond, resting at her throat—it practically glittered when the lamplight hit it.
I forgot how to breathe.
"G-Gorgeous..."
The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
Her steps faltered.
She stared at , wide-eyed, for a full second.
Then—just for a blink—her ears turned pink.
She cleared her throat softly, looking to the side.
"You... don’t look bad yourself," she said, composed but a little too fast.
I blinked.
Did she just... blush?
Before I could register anything else, she walked up beside , her expression shifting back to calm and unreadable.
"Shall we?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Y-Yeah," I stamred, straightening.
She walked forward. I followed.
The walk was awkward.
Not because we talked. But because we didn’t.
Every now and then I’d glance at Seraphina beside —her expression unreadable, her posture perfect, her presence intimidatingly graceful. She wasn’t just walking—she was gliding. And I was lumbering along beside her, wondering if my boots were too loud.
And then we reached it.
A towering building with marble pillars, glass-pane windows glowing with soft golden light, and an enchanted sign that shimred in floating cursive:
"La Viore"
A high-end restaurant known only to nobles.
I stopped just short of the entrance. "Professor, isn’t this... a bit too much?"
She turned slightly, eyes flickering toward . "You’re properly dressed. You’ll be fine."
That didn’t answer my question, but she walked in, and I had no choice but to follow.
Inside, it was like stepping into a painting.
The air was warm and scented with herbs and flowers I couldn’t na. Elegant music floated from a quartet in the corner, and servers glided past in enchanted uniforms that didn’t crease or wrinkle. Crystal chandeliers sparkled above, and every table was spaced for privacy. Nobles sat in hushed conversations, dressed in silk and satin.
I imdiately felt out of place.
A host approached. "Reservation na?"
"Seraphina. Table thirteen," she said, smooth as butter.
The man bowed. "Right this way, Lady Seraphina."
Lady? I blinked. Oh. Right. She is technically a noble.
We were led to a semi-private corner booth, dimly lit but cozy. Seraphina sat without hesitation. I slid in across from her, trying not to fidget too obviously.
Then ca the nu.
Before I could even read more than a few nas, she spoke again.
"Order anything you want," she said casually. "It’s on ."
My brows rose. "Really?"
She nodded, eyes on the nu. "Consider it... my treat."
Well. Free food from a noble professor? No way I’m turning that down.
I scanned the list—and then I rembered.
There was a dish in this restaurant I saw ntioned in the ga forums. A player-only event side quest.
The dish with the highest stat recovery and flavor rating.
I smiled.
"I’ll have the Fla-Seared Celestial Steak," I said.
At the exact sa ti, Seraphina said, "Fla-Seared Celestial Steak."
We both blinked, looking at each other.
"...Seriously?" I asked.
She raised an eyebrow. "It’s my favorite here."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "It’s... kind of famous where I’m from."
A pause.
Then—just faintly—she smiled.
The waiter bowed and glided away.
We sat in silence for a mont, the music gently filling the space. Candles flickered between us, casting shifting shadows on the pristine tablecloth. The tension was still there, but... softer now.
Then the food arrived.
No wait ti. No delay. It just—appeared.
Plated perfectly, garnished with glowing herbs, a faint steam rising like a spell.
I stared.
Oh right, this is world of magic.
I let out a small laugh. "I forgot."
Seraphina looked up, watching .
"...What?" I asked.
"You laughed," she said softly. "You don’t do that often."
I coughed. "I—I do! Sotis."
She tilted her head. "Not in class."
"Yeah well, class isn’t exactly ’laugh-worthy.’"
For a second, just a second, her lips curved. "Fair."
She placed her utensils down gently.
"The reason I invited you here," she began, voice calm but more deliberate now, eyes holding mine.
"I want to thank you."
I blinked. "Wait—what?"
She folded her hands in her lap, breaking eye contact briefly before returning it.
"For the dungeon. For saving your teammates. For thinking clearly under pressure."
She paused.
"But more importantly..." Her voice softened, and sothing unreadable flickered in her eyes.
"You trusted ."
My breath caught.
"When no one else did—when I was practically being branded a traitor and didn’t even have the strength to defend myself... you still chose to believe in ."
A pause.
"And then, you didn’t just talk. You acted. You saved everyone. Including ."
I stared at her, unsure what to say. No clever coback ca to mind. Just the hum of the music behind us and the clink of distant cutlery.
Seraphina noticed my stunned expression and added, a little dryly, "Don’t get used to it."
That finally snapped out of it. "R-Right! Of course. Just... once in a lifeti kind of thing."
She sighed, amused. "You’re terrible at taking complints."
"I’m worse at formal dinners."
We both chuckled this ti.
And for the first ti since this bizarre evening began... I wasn’t entirely nervous.
Just confused.
But in a strangely nice way.
Luca had even started relaxing.
Then —
Seraphina looked up from her plate, her expression unusually thoughtful, and said,
" Of course....Dinner isn’t enough of a thank-you,"
Luca blinked. "Eh?"
"You didn’t just save my life," she continued, eyes fixed on him. "You saved my reputation. In front of the entire academy. When it mattered most."
Her gaze didn’t waver.
"So—" she leaned forward slightly, "—speak. Is there sothing you want from ?"
Clink.
Luca’s spoon slipped from his fingers.
He looked up slowly, eyes wide.
"I—what?"
Luca ntally scread. Gods, does she even realize how that sounded?!
Seraphina blinked. Then her cheeks flushed faintly.
"...Within reason, of course."
It seed she did, because she quickly straightened her back and looked away, adding more coolly, "I ant it professionally."
He coughed awkwardly, waving his hands. "I—I didn’t think anything weird! I an, I wasn’t going to ask for—"
The air between them was now radiating with mutual awkwardness.
Until—
A grating, smug annoying voice cut through the restaurant like nails on enchanted glass.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here?"
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