“Wow, this cake shop looks so adorable. Look at all those cute decorations on the walls and the windows,” Emilia exclaimed when the group entered the shop.

“It is, isn’t it?” Nicky smiled wide.

“That table is free,” Growly pointed out quickly. He knew how popular the cake shop was and wanted for the group to sit down before someone else took the available table.

“Good day to you. Here are the menus,” A young, cheerful waitress handed out the menus after showing up at their table. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to take your orders.”

“Thank you,” Emilia said before reaching for the menu.

“Do you come here often, Nicky?” Ileena was curious.

“Now and then. We visit it sometimes,” Nicky’s words didn’t match her flushed face.

“Sometimes?” Ileena easily noticed her friend wasn’t telling everything.

“Ok, ok. We come here every time Growly takes me on a date, but I don’t eat a cake each time we come here. I can restrain myself too, you know,” Nicky pouted her cheeks.

“Having some cake now and then wouldn’t be so bad, I suppose,” Flamiris said, looking down while rubbing on her flat stomach.

“Hah, I’ll just burn all those calories during my next training,” Flavia stated confidently, showing a thumbs up sign.

“Not all of us are as good at burning calories as you are, Flavia,” Vivia said with a sigh.

“Heh, you just have to train more. Look at Growly, he’s always eating sweets yet he looks tough and muscular,” Flavia pointed out, trying to make an argument.

“Yes, but he’s a beast-human. You guys rely on your physical strength more than we do, that’s why it is much easier for you to burn extra calories,” Vivia made a fair argument back.

“That’s true, but… Hey, look at Narias. He’s eating cakes too and look how ripped he is,” Flavia fell back on plan B.

“Ah, I don’t… eat that much sweets,” Narias tried to defend himself, tiny sweat forming on his forehead.

“If we talk about Narias, he eats less than many of us do, especially while inside the Magic Dungeon,” Ileena pointed out.

“Yes, that’s right. He always shares his food with us or leaves extra at the Supply Point rooms on our way back,” Nicky added to it.

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, Narias had shared his food with me when it was only the two of us going for the Fanged Whitemane Wolf. We used his ‘Obliterate everything without stopping’ strategy for us to reach the boss monster’s lair faster, which was totally awesome by the way, but at the same time, I was so hungry in the end, I ate everything I had on me before we even killed it.” Flamiris told the story.

“Yes, and Narias is the one who fights more intense than anyone too, yet he eats less,” Emilia was trying to remember it too.

“For real. My coach also said Narias could be a beast-human because of how much stamina he has. Seriously, I have a hard time catching him when we play tag during our training sessions,” Flavia wasn’t exactly excited when she spoke about it.

“I’m certain Instructor Dreknor didn’t mean it in that way when he said I have more stamina. Besides, if I was a beast-human, I would eat more not less, right?” Narias said, wishing the waitress would come back sooner rather than later.

“Oh, yeah. Maybe you’re of different race altogether then?” Flavia said thoughtfully, touching her lips with one finger.

“No… I… I’m sure I’m not,” Narias started to sweat for real, not knowing what to say.

“Oh, come on, Flavia. Narias certainly is a human. Besides, you should already know that the Magic Dungeon affects people differently. It’s just how it works,” Ileena joined in to save the day.

Phew, thanks Ileena. Narias let out a sigh of relief.

“Excuse me for interrupting, but have you decided what you’d like to order yet?” The same waitress finally showed up to ask.

“Yikes! I haven’t looked at the menu yet,” Flavia was the one to panic now.

“Yes,” but Growly already knew what he wanted to order without needing to look at the menu.

The others rushed to check what the shop had to offer before finally placing their orders one by one. The waitress was patient and waited for everyone to choose what they wanted, writing down the orders and double checking them before leaving the table. It didn’t take long for the students to be served and the group was quickly enjoying the wonderful desserts everyone chose to try.

“Wow, so good,” Flavia wasn’t shy to announce it out loud.

“Yes, this fruit cake is sweet, but the added fresh fruit pieces balance the flavor out,” Emilia commented before putting another spoonful of it in her mouth.

“Indeed. I like how they put just enough cream on mine to add that softness without making it overpower the crust of the cake,” Ileena offered an observation about her own cake.

“My apple cake is so well baked it almost melts in my mouth with the apple pieces adding that sweet sourness to the taste,” Vivia added, enjoying her food.

“Humph, I wish my cake had more caramel added to it,” Flamiris complained, but the way she was devouring her cake showed she was very happy with it.

“I like strawberry cake best,” Nicky said, but everyone knew that already.

“Strawberry and honey too,” Growly added to his girlfriend’s words.

After a few extra bites, the table became quite with the stares directed at Narias for some reason.

Huh? What? Narias became uncomfortable all of a sudden.

“Ah, yes, it’s very nice. I like my cake too,” Narias finally said. He was simply enjoying his dessert without giving it too much thought.

“Sigh… I’m sorry, Narias,” Ileena spoke first, realizing it must’ve put Narias in a somewhat uncomfortable position. “By the way, I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming Magic Power Games. I believe we should participate in the Field Battle competition.” She quickly switched gears to change the topic of the conversation.

“For sure. And in the Solo Arena Competition too,” Flavia was instantly in favor of it.

“Hah, now you’re talking. We’ll blast them all away and become number one,” Flamiris’ eyes burned with a fierce excitement.

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“Yes, let’s win,” even Growly stopped eating to show his willingness to go for it.

“I am sure we could do well. However, we’ve never participated in a real Field Battle competition as a team yet and this year is the year they are holding interschool competition too. The winner team of both the Field Battle and the Solo Arena competitions will get a chance to compete on a national level and that’s a big deal,” Ileena shared the details, her words being very serious this time.

“Cool. That means we’ll get a chance to fight the best teams from the other schools,” Flavia felt pumped.

“Flavia,” Ileena shook her head.

“You’re such a mood killer, Ileena. Do you think I don’t know we’ll have to work for it? Geez…” Flavia became ticked off because of Ileena’s reaction.

“Ah, sorry, I…” Ileena realized she rushed judging Flavia’s enthusiasm this time.

“Hey, I agree with Flavia. We’re too good to lose. I say let’s just burn everyone to crisps,” Flamiris declared, rising her hand in the air.

“You know not all of us can use Fire Magic, don’t you, Flamiris?” Nicky pointed out with a smile.

“That wasn’t the point there. Humph,” Flamiris frowned.

“I know. I was joking, ok?” Nicky chuckled.

“What about the Exhibition Event? I believe we could participate in it too,” Narias broke the girls’ argument by changing the topic.

“Yes, we could do that,” Ileena agreed.

“But what will we put on a display?” Vivia was curious.

“For starters, it has to be something crafted,” said Ileena.

“Would the bracers Growly crafted for me count?” Nicky asked.

“Yes, they would, but… are you saying you’d be willing to put the bracers that Growly crafted on display?” Ileena was surprised about it.

“Of course. I want to show how awesome my boyfriend is,” Nicky said with the widest smile ever, making Growly squirm in his seat, but he didn’t say he was against it.

“In that case, I will put my upper arm cuff bracer on display as well,” Ileena announced suddenly, her face catching a bright red.

“Hey, hey, I’ll bring my Whitemane Tail Armor to put on display too,” Flavia offered as well.

“Huh? In that case, I will give my Mana Focus Necklace for everyone to see,” Flamiris didn’t want to be left behind.

“I’m sorry, Flamiris, but the item has to be crafted. The Mana Focus Necklace was a monster drop, so it wouldn’t qualify to be put on display for the Exhibition Event.” Unfortunately, Ileena had burst Flamiris’ bubble regarding the matter.

“Say what? Tch… whatever…” Flamiris became upset, but she also knew Ileena was right.

“I’m sorry, but… I don’t have anything to offer for the Exhibition event,” Vivia felt a little uncomfortable because of it.

“Don’t worry about it, Vivia,” Nicky comforted her.

“Hey, I know. Why don’t you bring your Whitemane Leather Armor too, partner?” Flavia remembered her boyfriend had it.

“Oh, about my armor. I don’t think I can,” Narias said, adding a mild smile.

“Why not?” Flavia wanted to know.

“Because… it was damaged by the Crystal Hornhead,” Narias felt uneasy when he spoke about it.

“Damaged? That’s a bummer,” Flavia sounded disappointed, but then perked up. “Hey, maybe it could be repaired?

“Repaired? Well, maybe…” Narias said, thinking about it.

“We could visit Madam Froxen’s shop and ask her about it,” Ileena suggested.

“Yes, let’s do that,” Flavia was in favor of it.

“We could,” Narias agreed. “But in case she can’t mend it, how about we put on display the armor and the weapon Growly’s dad will craft from the Crystal Hornhead’s materials that I brought back with me?”

“Hey, that’s an awesome idea, partner. I bet they will look totally cool,” Flavia could barely sit still, thinking about it.

“Magic items made from such a rare monster’s materials would certainly make an impression. We might even have a chance to win the first prize,” Ileena sounded unusually hopeful.

“I bet you’ve planned it from the very beginning, you Sneaky Mastermind.” Flamiris glared at Narias, a menacingly cheeky smile not leaving her face.

“Only if Growly’s dad is able to finish them in time,” Narias said in his defense.

“That’s true. I am sure Mr. Ferpaw has a lot of work as it is,” Ileena agreed with Narias.

“Dad’s good at crafting, but it takes time to craft good quality stuff,” Growly’s words just confirmed his friends shouldn’t rely on getting the magic items crafted from the Crystal Hornhead’s materials on time.

“If Mr. Ferpaw finishes at least one of the items before the Exhibition Event starts, we can put it on display, otherwise we’ll use what we have right now,” Ileena added in response to what Growly said. “Exhibition Event aside, I think we need to take the next two weeks very seriously and train as much as we can to prepare ourselves better for the upcoming competitions.”

“But… we can still take at least one day off, right?” Nicky didn’t look very excited after hearing her friend’s suggestion.

“Training is important,” Growly objected.

“Growly?” Nicky exclaimed, making a sad kitties face. “I mean, I was only asking, so… we could go on a date, you know.” She was very sweet.

“We can go on more dates after we win,” Growly threw an argument that was almost impossible for Nicky to counter.

“Nooo…” Nicky looked like she was about to cry.

“Cheer up, Nicky. We’ll be training together with you,” Emilia said with a smile.

“I wish I could go on a date with Narias too, but I am certain he’ll be taking his training very seriously,” Ileena added.

“That’s right, I hadn’t been on a date with Narias for what seems like to be forever,” Flavia tried to remember the last time they went on a date.

“Yes, but…” Emilia wanted to say something, but decided not to.

“Hey, after the Magic Power Games are over, you have to take me on a date, Mister Mastermind Pervert,” Flamiris suddenly declared, pointing her finger at Narias.

“Huh? Hey,” Narias gasped.

“What? No way. Why would you be the first one to go on a date with him, Flamiris?” Flavia protested suddenly.

“First come first serve as they say,” Flamiris had a satisfied grin on her face.

“That’s not fair. I hadn’t been on a date with Narias for so long myself. Besides, you… you were the last one who had spent a night together with Narias, Flamiris,” Emilia felt like fighting for her rights to be with Narias too.

“Well… yeah, so,” Flamiris blurted, averting her eyes away.

“How about this then? Whoever performs best during the Magic Power Games will be the next one to spend the whole day… and night… together with Narias.” Ileena offered in a calm voice, picking up her cup to have a drink.

“Huuuuh?” Narias couldn’t believe his ears.

“Bring it on. I’ll come on top of everyone else for sure,” Flamiris was in right away.

“Now that’s the language I understand. You’re on, Ileena,” Flavia declared, slamming her fists together.

“In that case, I will be attending the Solo Arena Competition as well,” Emilia announced, a party of snowflakes starting to dance all around her.

“We shall see,” Ileena had a very confident look on her face.

What’s going on here? Narias didn’t know what to think of it.

“Are they always so intense?” Vivia spoke to Nicky, trying to remove her presence from being noticeable.

“Flamiris sure adds fire to the table,” Nicky just laughed.

“Having lots of girlfriends is tough,” Growly sighed before putting the last bite of his cake in his mouth.

“You’re the only one for me, Growly,” Nicky exclaimed, hugging her boyfriend from the side.

“Right, it won’t be that late, so I’m hitting the gym room as soon as we get back today,” Flavia declared, securing her training spot for the evening.

“Hey, I wanted to train in the gym too,” Flamiris protested.

“First come first serve as they say,” Flavia showed her a mischievous grin.

“Why you,” Flamiris puffed her cheeks.

“The gym room is big enough for two people to train together,” Ileena reminded them. “That being said, I’ll be training at the gym tomorrow.”

“Can I join you, Ileena?” Emilia asked.

“Yes, of course,” Ileena didn’t mind.

“Wanna train together tomorrow, Narias?” Growly showed initiative by asking him.

“Hey, how about I join you two as well? I’ll show you how much I improved, partner. I bet you won’t be able to tag me easily,” Flavia requested.

“Ah, about tomorrow…” Narias rubbed the back of his head, feeling awkward for some reason.

“Huh? What is it, partner?” Flavia gave him a curious stare.

“Well… Miss Alifur invited me to visit her at her place tomorrow,” Narias told her reluctantly.

“Huuuh?” The girls exclaimed.

“Miss Alifur invited you to her place?” Flavia repeated what Narias had said as a question.

“Miss… Alifur did that?” Emilia asked, her frosty cheeks catching red.

“You Mastermind Pe-“

“Hey, hey, it’s not like that all,” Narias interrupted Flamiris, knowing what she was about to say. “Miss Alifur invited me a few days ago. She… she feels responsible for what happened to me in the dungeon and said she wants to apologize.”

“Ah, that… Yes, I understand. I’ve noticed Miss Alifur was feeling down during the classes lately. As a teacher, I would’ve been really worried too,” Ileena said, adjusting her glasses.

“Oh, yeah. She’s not been herself during the classes at all. That’s no problem, partner. We can train together on Monday,” Flavia showed a thumbs up sign.

“I believe you should go, Narias. Miss Alifur might feel you are angry with her if you don’t go,” Emilia shared her thoughts.

“Hah, I bet you will prove my point, but fine. I’m still gonna come out on top during the tournament, so you could wash my back again, Mister Mastermind Pervert,” Flamiris said it in a way it sounded like a compliment.

“Hey, what makes you think you will win, Flamiris? I will be the next one to spend the night with Narias,” Flavia wasn’t about to let it slide.

“You shouldn’t forget I am here as well,” Emilia joined in.

“Here we go again,” Nicky said, trying to hold in her laugh.

Sigh… I need to take them on at least one date each before the Magic Power Games start. Narias knew he will have to take matters in his own hands.