Cafeteria Incident [1]

The cafeteria at Holy Academy was located the furthest from the dormitories. As usual, the faces of the students standing in front of the restaurant door were filled with fatigue.

"Do we really have to walk this long distance every day? It's so boring...," one student complained.

"Think of it as exercise," another responded.

"Yeah, and you'll get to digest on the way back after eating."

Holy Academy's breakfast hours were from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. The male cadets, who had arrived at the cafeteria early, grumbled as they scanned the breakfast menu.

"What's on the menu this morning?" one of them asked.

"Today? Same as always. Rye bread, steak, eggs, lobster soup, and salad," came the reply.

"Again? It's delicious, but it's the same menu every day. Should I just skip it?" another one suggested.

"Isn't there a battle at Sanji during first period today? If you skip breakfast, you'll regret it."

Despite their complaints, the boys had a strange smile on their faces. Inside the cafeteria, an "angel" greeted them at the breakfast table—someone who was always the first to arrive and eat.

Squeak.

A male student forcefully opened the cafeteria door.

"... Will she be here today too?" one of them murmured.

"There she is! There she is! Right in the middle!" another excitedly pointed out.

"Hey, shh! Be quiet!"

At the table they indicated, a female student sat quietly, eating her breakfast. It was Emma, the first-year Silver Owl class president at Holy Academy.

Good looks, top grades, impeccable conduct, and proficient in both civil and military affairs—Emma was the true idol of the first-year male students at Holy Academy. Although she seemed distant due to her exemplary and mechanical nature, it added a sense of mysticism around her.

The reason so many boys braved their morning slumber and hurried to the cafeteria was to secure a seat somewhere near Emma.

But today, something unusual had happened.

"Who's that guy?" one of the male students growled.

Unlike usual, a boy was sitting in front of Emma.

It was Zane Cromwell, an infamous student from the first-year Silver Owl class.

The male students who had just walked in exchanged incredulous looks.

"Why is that guy sitting in front of Emma?" one whispered.

"He probably came early just to sit near her. Even an idiot could figure that out," another grumbled.

"Wow. He must've been really desperate to get here so early. Did he even sleep?" a third commented.

"But Emma is really kind. Even though that guy's sitting right in front of her, she doesn't show any sign of being uncomfortable. She's just smiling."

The boys grumbled and shot glares in Zane's direction. However, they were unaware of the truth—Zane had been the first to arrive at the cafeteria that morning, and Emma had sat down across from him.

---

Rye bread, steak, eggs, lobster soup, salad.

Zane Cromwell slowly chewed his breakfast, deep in thought.

"Whoever hired the nutritionist here did a great job," he mused.

The diet was carefully designed to avoid excessive intake of salt and sugar while providing essential nutrients. Zane glanced down at his frail arms as he stuffed more meat into his mouth.

"This body is weak and lacking in every way. That's the worst part."

A healthy body was essential to surviving the trials ahead. Eating well and growing stronger was now one of his top priorities.

Suddenly, the restaurant door burst open with a loud bang.

Three male students with fierce expressions stormed in.

"Hey! Zane Cromwell! Are you here?"

"You bastard! Show yourself!"

"Where are you?!"

They were members of the Black Fangs, led by Melverick. The previous night, Zane had ignored their summons and been disrespectful to the sans-culottes, which was why they had come for retribution.

However, Zane remained calm and continued eating, seemingly uninterested in the commotion. Melverick finally spotted Zane and stormed over to him.

"Is this kid deaf? When people talk, you listen!"

Only then did Zane raise his head. He frowned as he read the name tag on Melverick's chest.

"Who are you?"

Before Zane realized they were the same Black Fang members who had called him to the gym warehouse the night before, Melverick grabbed his plate and hurled it at him.

"Who? Are you kidding me, you little punk?!"

The plate, along with the food, flew through the air. Melverick imagined the soup splattering all over Zane's face, picturing him sobbing in humiliation.

But...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The plate soared past Zane and clattered to the floor.

Melverick blinked, struggling to process what had just happened. To the other students, it might have seemed like Melverick had simply missed his target. But Melverick knew better.

Zane had casually deflected the incoming plate with his fork.

'Did he really react that fast?' Melverick wondered, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Hey, you little punk! Do you think if you go and tell Professor Sans-Culottes about this, he'll protect you?" Melverick threatened.

His two friends joined in.

"How far do you think you'll get, huh? You think you can do the same thing to us as you did to those freshmen yesterday?"

"Yeah, we're second years, you idiot!"

Just then, a refreshing voice interrupted them.

"Excuse me!"

"...?"

It was Emma, the student sitting across from Zane. She stood up and spoke in a clear voice.

"It's not right for seniors to gang up on a junior, especially in front of other students."

Melverick and his gang exchanged puzzled glances before bursting into laughter.

"Who do you think you are? Do you want to get involved and take his place instead? Where did this arrogant junior come from…?"

Emma's eyes narrowed as she prepared to retort.

But then...

"Alright, that's enough."

A new voice interrupted from the entrance. A boy with a princely appearance, golden hair fluttering, slowly walked toward them.

"Juniors," he said with a smile, "you shouldn't be causing a fuss in the cafeteria. You're disturbing everyone, and it's making it hard for them to eat."

At his words, Melverick and the rest of the Black Fangs took a step back.