Leon’s POV
The whole academy hall felt like it was drowning in groans, sighs, and half-awake mutterings that buzzed low in the air.
It was like a swarm of invisible flies that nobody had the energy to swat away this early in the morning.
It wasn’t exactly surprising, though. The professor standing at the front could bore even the most dedicated student into a state of half-conscious misery. His voice droned on and it was flat and heavy, as if every word weighed a ton and dragged everyone’s eyelids down with it.
And it had barely even started.
Yet, almost everyone around was already fighting to stay awake with their heads bobbing, mouths stretching into wide, helpless yawns.
So were rubbing their eyes raw, while others gave up entirely, staring blankly at nothing.
But then... sothing felt off.
Like an undercurrent beneath the boring tide of the lecture.
It was a weird tension that seed to creep into the room, like an odd dynamic that hadn’t been there a mont before.
Not so much that everything changed beyond recognition, but enough that you could feel it prickling against your skin.
"Tsk. Why the hell does that guy get to have that beautiful yet mysterious Miss Isiliraiellyn too...?" soone hissed nearby, their words coated with frustration that practically dripped onto the floor.
"Soone from the Bronze Dormitory said they heard them having sex last night... You think it’s true? That he fucked her too...?" another whispered, voice low.
"As long as there’s a hole, there’s a goal, huh?" ca another voice, half sneer, half bitter laugh.
"This is bullshit. Why him? Why can’t it be ?!" soone else muttered, their words tight, like they were chewing on jealousy that tasted like iron.
The air itself felt sour with resentnt, and it was all pointed right at .
It was like they all silently decided I wasn’t worthy of any of this—like I’d sohow cheated my way into sothing they thought belonged to them.
I didn’t bother answering or even looking back. Instead, I leaned into my chair, letting their envy wash over , while Isiliraiellyn pressed herself closer with her whole body gently resting against mine. The professor’s voice kept droning on, but it felt a million miles away compared to the heat of her presence right beside .
When lunch break finally rolled around, it felt like soone had cut the ropes tying everyone to their seats.
Titania and the others gathered around, inviting to join them, and for a mont, I almost said yes right away.
But then my eyes landed on Zeruel.
She was sitting by herself at the far end of the hall, holding a carefully wrapped package close to her chest.
It was probably sandwiches like the one we’d shared last ti. There was sothing almost delicate about the way she held it, like she was carrying more than food.
It felt wrong to just ignore that. So I turned to Titania instead.
"Nia, mind if we invite Zeruel too?" I asked.
"Hm? Zeruel?" she repeated, blinking.
Her gaze followed mine over to Zeruel, who had been stealing glances at —and the instant Titania’s eyes landed on her, Zeruel jerked her head away, as if she’d been caught doing sothing forbidden.
The reason why students from the bronze class like were now sitting together with the gold class—people like Titania and Zeruel—had everything to do with Myrcella’s push for change.
Before, the academy system split us into walls you couldn’t climb over.
Professors dumped all their effort into the gold class—the ones destined to beco magic knights—while the rest of us got scraps. It made us complacent as well as made us stop trying.
Myrcella had been fighting that. Her idea was simple and that was to mix the classes together, prove that what kept the bronze class stuck wasn’t laziness, but a lack of opportunity.
I still rembered how surprised I was when I ca back from that other world to find that now, lectures were mixed. That I could actually share a room with people like Titania... and even Zeruel.
"Well, sure," Titania said after a pause, her lips curling into a gentle smile. "The more, the rrier, right?"
"Alright. You all go ahead, and I’ll ask her," I told them.
"Okay. We’ll wait," she replied, nodding softly.
With that, I crossed the room toward Zeruel, weaving past students still packing up.
She was just about to rise from her seat when I called her na.
"Zeruel."
"Fueh?!"
She let out a tiny, startled squeak.
It was so sudden it almost made laugh.
"Ah, L-Leon... W-What is it?" she stamred, cheeks pink and eyes darting everywhere except at .
"Do you want to co eat with us?" I asked, my voice calm, even though inside I wondered if she’d say yes.
"M-?" she echoed, her voice small, almost swallowed by the noise of the hall.
"Yes," I said again, nodding to reassure her.
She fidgeted, twisting the package in her hands, her gaze flickering to the floor.
"I-Is that really okay? I... I’m not going to bother anyone, am I?"
"I don’t think so," I told her gently. "And honestly, Nia looked pretty happy when I brought up inviting you. But if you’re too shy, and you just wanted to give the sandwich, I can still take it. It’s just... I haven’t eaten with them for a while, and I feel like I should."
"I-If that’s the case..." Zeruel swallowed, drawing a shaky breath before she lifted her eyes to et mine. And then, softly, she spoke the words she’d been holding in.
***
We walked into the cafeteria together—Zeruel just behind , still clutching the package but stepping a little closer with every stride.
The sll of food hit us first.
The warm bread, sothing fried, and the sweeter scent of fruit. The place buzzed with voices, laughter, and the scrape of chairs.
Titania and the others were already there and were waiting at a long table.
"Oh, Leon’s here! And look—you really did bring Zeruel too!" Titania’s voice lit up, genuine warmth in her smile.
Zeruel was still a step behind, her shoulders slightly hunched, but I could feel her trying to steady herself.
"Yeah. Managed to convince her," I said, glancing back at Zeruel with a quick smile.
The others seed happy enough, their faces open, not a trace of annoyance—and that, more than anything, seed to help Zeruel breathe a little easier.
"Co on, both of you—have a seat," Titania said, her voice soft and welcoming, as if she’d been saving that spot for us all along.
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