Chapter 4: Food For Thought

As the three of us walked out of the class, I observed my classmates filtering out as well. Seems like no one had bothered to wait for the official break time.

Soon we reached the cafeteria. It was surprisingly modern, even giving off some futuristic vibes. It was huge as well, consisting of two floors. I noted that this was only one of the many cafeterias located throughout the school.

“Man, I hope the food’s good!” Jonah commented. His stomach growled in agreement.

I checked my account balance. All students were already credited a fixed amount of money after enrolling. I supposed it was accounted for by the school fees, which I barely managed to pay. It hadn’t helped that I was severely in debt.

The cafeteria was still relatively empty, as we still had a few minutes to lunch. We went to check out both floors of the cafeteria and its amenities. The first floor mainly consisted of a serving area and a dining area. The second floor had some recreational amenities like pool tables, a darts corner, and more seating for dining. Satisfied with our adventure, we went back down, lounging at a table as the clock ticked down.

Soon after, we collected our food and returned to our table.

“Not bad,” Jonah remarked. “In fact, it's actually pretty good for school food.”

“It’s decent,” I said, shovelling a spoonful of macaroni into my mouth.

There was a sudden commotion at the entrance of the cafeteria. A boy of smaller-than-average stature barged in. Despite his size, he walked with an air of confidence, like he owned the place.

I noticed the cafeteria quieten as the newcomer made his presence known. As he strode past us, I counted the stars on his collar. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I felt a shudder of excitement. We had a 5-Star right here in the cafeteria. The urge to have a go at him bit at me, but I shushed my emotions down.

After he collected his food, he approached a random group of boys sitting around a table close to the serving area. “Move,” he commanded. I glanced around. The cafeteria was still less than half occupied. It was an obvious gesture of intimidation, a flex of power.

The group of boys, noting the 5 stars on his collar, scurried away, not even daring to put up a fight.

The 5-Star sat at the previously occupied table and began digging into his meal. Now that the fun was over, the rest of us went back to our food. Jonah’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Kaede was being oddly quiet. She hadn’t spoken much since we had left the classroom. I guess the incident had really gotten to her, but she was trying to push down whatever emotions she was feeling.

A couple of minutes later, as I was figuring out ways on how to cheer her up, there was another commotion at the cafeteria entrance. A large, feisty girl with bright orange hair marched in.

“Heard some big shot’s tryna take over my turf! We call this place Zoey’s Cafeteria for a reason! Why? Because I own it” she bellowed. “Where’s he at? I’m not letting any first-year try to one-up me!” Huh, so the boy was just a first-year like me, and he already acted as if the school was his home. To be fair, it would be our home for the next 3 years.

The boy in question stood up, his face expressionless. He walked over and stopped in front of Zoey. “I wish you wouldn’t interrupt my meal. Besides, no one is taking over anything.” he calmly responded.

Zoey towered over him. “This cafeteria’s too small for two 5-Stars!” she hollered. “Either you leave now and never come back, or I’ll beat you to death!” Another wave of excitement coursed through me. Two 5-Stars here! In this cafeteria!

The boy seemed almost bored. “How do fights here go again? There are specialised arenas for that right? We can fight there later. At least let me finish my meal,” he negotiated.

Zoey laughed. “You wish.” Upon saying that, her right arm inflated to five times its usual size, and she swung her giant fist at the boy.

The boy didn’t move, a thick, black shield appearing before him. Zoey’s fist smashed into the shield. The shield flickered, but it didn’t shatter. “Fighting isn’t allowed here,” he explained. “Like I said, save it for later.”

Zoey smirked, her hand shrinking back to its normal size. “You’re fun. I like you. Very well, you know where the arenas are. Find me at the Colosso Dome at 5 P.M. Classes should be over by then.” She paused. “And your name?”

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"Kazen Rain, remember it.”

My friends and I gasped. He was the missing person from our class earlier! I shuddered with the knowledge that we had a 5-Star in our class. I really wanted to square off against him.

And with that, Zoey left. Kazen casually resumed his meal as if nothing had happened.

Jonah waved his arms excitedly. “No way bro! We have a 5-Star in our class! We gotta see the fight later!”

I concurred. It was a treat to watch 2 5-Stars clashing right off the bat. It was then that I noticed Kaede trembling, ever so slightly.

“You okay?” I asked her.

“That-, he-, that was plasma,” she stuttered. “He’s a plasma user, like me. But he’s a 5-Star… ”

I mulled over the fact. Kazen’s plasma was black instead of purple, but otherwise I guess it was similar to Kaede’s. I figured she was feeling rather inferior now. I suppose Kazen’s awe-inspiring display didn’t do wonders for her already low mood.

“Hey, since he’s in our class, you can ask him for tips! He could be like your personal coach or something!” Jonah continued rambling.

“That’s… besides the point,” Kaede muttered. She looked down at her own hands.

While I sympathised with Kaede, I had more pressing issues on my mind. Why wasn’t Kazen in class just now? What was the extent of his plasma abilities? And most importantly, what was he, and Zoey for that matter, doing in District 4? I considered the possibility that they could be in the same financial predicament as me, but I somehow doubted it.

As Kazen finished his meal, I decided to approach him. I waited until he had left the cafeteria before tailing him out, telling my friends that I would be making a short trip to the toilet. “Uh Cadel, there’s a toilet in the cafeteria itself!” I heard Jonah hollering after me.

I stepped out of the cafeteria and hastened after Kazen. “Kazen!” I called out. He turned around.

“Can I help you?” Annoyance on his face betrayed his friendly greeting.

“I’m Cadel from Class 1C. Why didn’t you come to class just now?” I asked bluntly.

“None of your business.” Kazen resumed walking.

“What’s a 5-Star like you doing in District 4?” I pressed.

“Because I wanted to come here. Now leave me alone.”

A black barrier the size of a door appeared out of thin air in front of me. I could simply step around it, but I got the message. Had I done that, he might have started to get rough with me. I didn’t want to ruin our relationship before I got to know him better.

I walked back to our table at the cafeteria. Jonah and Kaede had finished their meals, so I quickly polished my plate, preparing to return to class. Jonah was cracking jokes the whole time, while Kaede and I smiled and laughed politely. It was a good start to my school life. One of the things I had feared was eating alone in the cafeteria, as I felt like I stood out more. If you sat with at least one other person, you would be more likely to blend in. It just felt more natural.

Still, I could tell Kaede was forcing herself to embrace the jovial atmosphere. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

While we returned our trays to the tray-return station, she whispered to me.

“Psst, Cadel, could you meet me at the stairwell outside our classroom later?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, sure” I replied. She looked like she had been wanting to say something for a while.

After returning to class, we still had a couple more minutes before Ms Reina would return to resume the Orientation. I saw Kaede slip out near the back door. I followed suit.

“Hey, where are you guys going?” Jonah called.

“Uh… toilet,” I lied.

“Again?”

“Must be the macaroni I ate,” I muttered as I hustled out of the classroom.

I found Kaede at the stairwell, leaning against the railing. “What’s up?” I asked.

“Cadel… I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I was wondering if you were the one who stopped Daxston just now?” she asked, a tinge of awkwardness in her voice. “Sorry, I don’t mean to sound accusatory, but the whole time back then, you looked totally calm. Like you were in control the whole time…” She shifted in her position, looking obviously uncomfortable.

A wave of uneasiness washed over me, but I quickly shut it down. This was inconvenient - I hadn’t expected her to be so perceptive. As I hummed and hawed, thinking of a suitable reply, Kaede smiled - a genuine smile this time.

“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone. You must have reasons for hiding it, right?” she assured me. “Thanks though, you saved me there. Even if you were the one who got me into that position in the first place,” she chuckled coyly.

I weighed my options. I could still feign ignorance, but it may lead to awkwardness in our friendship. Meanwhile, if I did admit it, what was the worst that could happen? Even if Kaede spilt the beans, all I had to do was deny it. I decided to trust her.

“Yeah, it was me,” I said.

Kaede grinned. “I knew it! You’re not a 2-Star right? There’s no way a 2-Star should have been able to stop an attack from a 4-Star!”

I continued, “The blast he released honestly wasn’t that strong though. It would probably have been enough to knock you over, but it wasn’t enough to really injure you or anything.” While I had been a bit surprised by the lack of power, I understood that it wouldn’t be in Daxston’s best interest to injure a fellow classmate on the first day of school. He was holding back.

“That’s because I wasn’t trying to injure you,” a voice snarled.

The colour drained from Kaede’s face. “Oh no..” she gasped. I silently cursed my lack of awareness. After being momentarily caught off guard by her earlier suspicion, I was too distracted to pay attention to my surroundings. I looked down the staircase. Grinning back at me, one floor below, was Daxston.

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Administration Notes

School: Waning Crescent Institute

Name: Jonah March

Gender: Male

Year: First-year

Rank: 1-Star

Division: Combat

Ability: Can manipulate light rays and create mirages on a small scale. Made a rainbow during the practical assessment.

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