After the morning theory class, Maria reminded them not to be late for the afternoon session before leaving the classroom.
"Let's go eat?" A soft, sweet voice whispered beside Thunder just as he was reviewing the lesson.
He looked up to see a pair of bright, alluring eyes staring at him, full of charm.
"Me?" Thunder pointed at himself, thinking Beatrice must be talking to her brother.
Beatrice nodded. "It's your first day—you probably don't know where the cafeteria is. Come on, I'll take you."
"Uh… thanks." Thunder nodded cautiously.
Eric nudged him discreetly, but a sharp glare from Beatrice silenced him instantly.
Beatrice was *too* friendly—so friendly that Thunder felt like he was floating. The way this stunningly beautiful girl kept flashing him playful, flirtatious looks only deepened his guilt.
On the way to the cafeteria, they passed many students—mages and warriors alike. Thunder couldn't shake the feeling they were all whispering about him.
With tuition costing a hundred gold coins a year, the food at Fael Academy's cafeteria was surprisingly good. Meals were carefully balanced with meat and vegetables, designed by the academy's nutritionists.
Thunder entered the cafeteria with Beatrice clinging to his arm.
The moment they stepped inside, the noisy hall fell dead silent. Every head turned to stare at them. The sudden shift left Thunder frozen.
"They… seem to be looking at us," he muttered.
"Let them stare." Beatrice smirked and hugged his arm tighter.
**"Pfft—"**
A group of novice mages near the entrance spat out their soup in unison.
"Kyle… am I seeing things?" one whispered, wiping his mouth.
Kyle shook his head numbly. "Frank, whatever you're seeing, I'm seeing too."
The whole table clutched their chests dramatically. **"Gods above! Beatrice is with a *man*?!"**
Thunder flinched at the outburst, but before he could react, Beatrice jabbed a finger at them. **"Shut up and eat! One more word and I'll cut out your tongues! What, wanna fight? Bring it on!"**
Frank grinned and flicked his hair back smugly. **"Everyone knows you're the top mage in Fael Academy, Beatrice! We're no match one-on-one… but we've got numbers!"**
As he spoke, a dozen more students stood up, forming a smug wall behind him.
**"Ugh, pack of swine! Think numbers scare me?"** Beatrice scoffed and dragged Thunder deeper into the cafeteria.
"What was *that* about?" Thunder whispered, completely lost.
"Those guys are from the Fire Magic class," Eric explained quietly. "Magic is powerful, but its strength varies by element. The two most destructive types are Lightning and Fire. We've been arguing for years over which is stronger."
"So… which one *is* stronger?" Thunder asked Beatrice.
"Technically, my brother and I are *slightly* stronger than them individually," Beatrice grumbled. **"But they outnumber us, so they win by default. Bunch of cowards—real mages fight one-on-one!"**
"My sister's the undisputed duel champion of the academy," Eric added proudly.
"Doesn't matter. Every year, the Lightning class ranks *last* in evaluations," Beatrice muttered, her mood darkening further.
"Because of numbers?" Thunder guessed.
"Exactly. Evaluations depend on how many monsters you hunt and tasks you complete. Even with our professor, our class only has *three* people. How are we supposed to compete?" Eric sighed.
"Enough talk. Let's eat." Beatrice waved her hand dismissively, pulling Thunder to a table. **"Sit. I'll get your food."**
"Wait, shouldn't *I*—"
**"Stop arguing! Sit down or I'll get mad!"**
Defeated, Thunder slumped into his seat.
As Beatrice swayed off toward the food line, Eric opened his mouth—probably to warn Thunder to *run*—but she yanked him away by the ear.
Soon, the siblings returned with three trays piled high with food.
Eric shot Thunder a nervous glance before silently digging into his meal.
"Here." Beatrice set a plate in front of Thunder and sat down, smiling sweetly.
"This looks amazing." Thunder's mouth watered at the sight of golden-brown steak.
"Eat up, then." Beatrice rested her chin on her hands, watching him intently.
"Hey, is that Professor Maria?" Thunder suddenly pointed behind her.
"Where?" Beatrice spun around—but there was no sign of their teacher. Even Eric looked confused.
"Oops, my mistake." Thunder picked up his fork, speared the steak, and took a big bite.
His jaw locked. His eyes bulged.
**"Hah! How does it *taste*?"** Beatrice grinned triumphantly.
"It's… so…"
**"Salty, right?"** She smirked, stabbing another piece and shoving it toward him. **"Eat. More."**
Thunder shook his head violently.
**"Eat it, or I'll get *really* mad!"**
"No!"
**"Fine. You have ten seconds to swallow this, or I'll scream *I'm pregnant with your child* so loud the headmaster expels you *personally* tomorrow."**
"You're *evil*," Thunder groaned.
"Be a good boy and eat~" She batted her eyelashes.
"Just do it," Eric muttered, sliding a glass of water toward him. **"Trust me, she has *worse* ideas."**
Gritting his teeth, Thunder forced the steak down.
**"Hahaha! So *obedient*!"** Beatrice cackled, her earlier rage melting into pure glee.
Having reclaimed her pride, she cheerfully stabbed a piece of steak from her own plate and popped it into her mouth.
Then she froze.
**"Is it… too salty?"** Thunder asked, grinning like a fox.
**"You—when did you—?!"** She clutched her mouth, eyes watering.
"Don't spit it out now. Wouldn't want everyone to see such a *pretty* girl making a mess, right?"
**"WATER. NOW."**
Thunder picked up the glass, licked the rim slowly, and held it out.
**"Here you go~"**
Eric buried his face in his hands.
**Will Beatrice explode—or will Thunder regret his bold move?**