Cafeteria Break

Now that their training session was over, the students were given a well-earned lunch break. They could either eat with their friends in the cafeteria or venture out into the vast metropolis of New York. It was their choice, as long as they remained responsible for their actions.

Class 1B, however, looked completely drained. The brutal physical training imposed by Instructor Joshua had left them utterly exhausted. As they trudged toward the cafeteria, Jupiter, on the verge of collapse, glanced at Xavier and asked, "You alright?"

He frowned. "You look like you're about to throw up."

Xavier, drenched in sweat but forcing a smile, waved him off. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired from all that training Instructor Joshua put us through."

Jupiter let out a dry chuckle. "Man, I thought I was gonna die."

"Yeah, same here."

Jupiter groaned. "On the sixth lap, my legs just gave up on me. But you seemed to be doing better than me."

Scratching the back of his head, Xavier laughed. "Well, that's because I'm kinda used to physical training. My brother and father made sure I stayed in shape. They'd drill me to the bone, training me in combat and self-defense."

Jupiter shook his head in disbelief. "What a military life you've been living."

Xavier chuckled. "Yeah, pretty much."

When they finally entered the cafeteria, both of them stopped in awe. The food spread before them was nothing short of exquisite. The chefs had outdone themselves—each dish glistened under the cafeteria lights, steaming with enticing aromas.

Jupiter's mouth practically watered. "Wow… look at how shiny they are."

The lunch lady smirked, noticing their amazement. "What will you young sirs have today?"

"Anything goes," Xavier answered, still mesmerized by the sight.

"Sure thing, dear," she said with a chuckle before piling their plates high with delicious food. "These meals are prepared by the academy's top chefs. Only the best for our students."

She glanced at their sweat-soaked uniforms and raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing Instructor Joshua is your training instructor?"

Xavier nodded. "Yeah, he is."

The lunch lady grinned knowingly. "In that case, I made sure to add plenty of protein to your plates. Gotta build those strong, capable muscles."

Xavier and Jupiter exchanged smiles before turning back to her. "Thanks a lot, Miss!"

She beamed, clearly pleased by their gratitude.

As they picked up their trays and searched for a seat, a familiar voice rang out across the cafeteria. "Xavier! Over here!"

Xavier turned to see his cousin, Jason Whitmore, waving them over. With a grin, he made his way through the bustling crowd toward Jason and his friends.

"Yo, what's up, brother?" Jason greeted, slapping Xavier's shoulder as he sat down.

"I'm good. You?"

"Fantastic! It's great to see you, man."

Jason's gaze flickered toward Jupiter, who hesitated before speaking. "Uh… I'm Jupiter Cavendish. Nice to meet you."

Xavier gestured toward him. "He's my new friend."

Jason's face lit up. "Oh really? That's awesome, Xavier!" He extended his hand toward Jupiter. "Nice to meet you, man. I'm Jason Whitmore. Glad you're looking out for my cousin."

Jupiter blinked. "Wait… you're his cousin?"

Jason smirked. "Yep. Our dads were tight when they were kids."

"Wow, that's cool," Jupiter said, a bit taken aback.

Just then, one of Jason's female friends, Emily Starbrook, reached out and ran her fingers through Xavier's hair. "His hair is so soft…"

Jack Ironvale, another friend, smirked. "So, Jason wasn't lying when he said his cousin was cute."

Jason leaned back smugly. "Told you guys."

Emily turned to Xavier. "So, are you a first-year?"

"Yeah. We're in Class 1B."

Emily's eyebrows shot up. "Wait… isn't that one of the classes Instructor Joshua teaches?"

Xavier sighed. "Yeah, he's our training instructor."

Jack winced. "Oof. That's gotta be the worst luck I've ever seen."

Sophie Ravenscroft, another one of Jason's friends, shook her head. "Imagine having Instructor Joshua as your trainer. Brutal."

Jupiter, still sweating from their earlier workout, groaned. "I almost died running those 25 laps."

Jack nearly choked on his drink. "Just 25 laps? That's Joshua we're talking about, right? No way."

"Maybe he's gotten soft over the years," Emily suggested.

Sophie scoffed. "Doubt it. Jack, didn't he train you before you switched class?"

Jack nodded. "Yep. And he was ruthless. He'd break us both physically and mentally—and then laugh when we begged for a break."

Everyone shuddered at the thought.

"You guys are exaggerating," Jason said nonchalantly before taking a sip of his juice.

Sophie narrowed her eyes. "Exaggerating? You wouldn't be saying that if you were in their shoes."

Jason just smirked and shrugged, which only annoyed her further.

"Anyway, Xavier," Jason said, changing the subject. "What's your next class?"

"Ancient runes."

But then, Jason burst out laughing. "Oh man, you're in for a field day trying to understand anything in that class."

Xavier frowned. "Why's that?"

Jason smirked. "Let's just say… it's probably the second-worst class in the academy."