They checked out their bedrooms afterward, picking up a sling bag full of books that Solren no doubt left for them. Its entire body had been woven from fine black cloth, with sturdy leather straps ensuring it could withstand the test of time. Not only that, Zeke noted a faint hint of mana etched in the fabric, and they found out that a space expansion spell had been casted on them.

“No wonder, I could barely feel the weight despite all the thick books in here,” Circe mused as they made their way back towards the teleportation circle in the lobby. While Zeke's attention lingered on a textbook he picked out from the bag, she continued to speak, “Anyway, I'm getting really hungry. You reckon they have something like instant noodles in the cafeteria?”

Her question sounded so ridiculous, it made Zeke halt his steps. He glanced up from the book with a small frown. “Why would they have that in a fantasy world? Besides, noodles aren't even that popular in the empire. This place has more of a western feel.”

Circe pouted at his stern response, “Of course, I know that…” She glanced at him as the sound of his book snapping shut broke the quiet, her eyes flicking to the magic circle glowing under their feet. As she crossed her arms, she leaned slightly toward him with a small smirk. “But I still reckon they have some form of noodles.”

Zeke gave her a blank stare, and despite the magic circle's brilliant shimmers enveloping their bodies, his expression somehow remained dark. “...Sure.”

Circe’s hysterical laughter echoed through the air, sharp and unhinged. In a flash, they vanished from the scene, leaving behind only the faint shimmer of magic.

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.

.

Numerous floating candles casted a warm glow across the vast room. Rows of polished mahogany tables lined up in the middle of the cafeteria, surrounded by stores each selling different delicacies, ranging from light snacks and desserts, to full course meals which enveloped the air in a mixture of aromas. Despite its grand size, students still managed to cram the hall to the brim, filling the atmosphere with cheery chatters and clangs of utensils against platters.

Zeke and Circe managed to reserve their seats near the back. Having entered the cafeteria early, they didn't have to wait as long to receive their orders. As per her craving, Circe ordered a big bowl of chicken noodles, while Zeke opted for a humble plate of medium-rare steak.

“What's our class this afternoon?” Circe asked as she twirled her fork around the noodles. Her eyes sparkled, and a satisfied smile played on her lips. She must've really enjoyed her meal.

Zeke slid his student I.D from his breast pocket, his other hand still loosely gripping the fork. With a single thought, a holographic projection flickered to life above the card, displaying the timetable from the ceremony. “We’ve got…‘Spell Theory Two’ next,” he said, his tone as flat as his interest in the subject.

Returning his attention to his plate, he frowned slightly. “But not all of our schedules line up. So check yours too. Just to be sure.”

In the midst of slurping up her noodles, Circe looked at him with narrowed eyes. A fleeting displeasure flickered behind her gaze, though it lasted only long enough to keep Zeke wondering why she made that expression as she took out her own I.D from her skirt pocket.

A similar projection manifested before her. She took one glance at it and immediately put the card back where it belonged. “We have the same class.” Resting her utensils in the bowl, she stared absentmindedly into the leftover soup as she continued, her tone now held a hint of frustration. “Do you know what Spell Theory is about?”

Zeke didn't answer immediately. For a moment, he quietly stared at her, face too stoic to discern whether he felt confused at her sudden question or he simply thought about it a little too hard.

Though it didn't take long for him to reply, his voice tinged with slight uncertainty, “Spell Theory is a class that focuses on the functions and concepts of magic…It's explained in the handbook, why did you ask?”

Circe rested her chin on the back of her palms, pressing her elbows on the table. “It sounds like such a hassle,” a big, tired sigh escaped her lips, “If it's Arcane Studies, I can at least get a decent grade since it's mainly made up of history and magical ethics.”

She frowned deeply, her face contorted in a mixture of horror and disgust, “But Spell Theory…? I can't even control mana. And now that Solren published his new research on magic, the entire class changed to match his discoveries.”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Ah, I heard about it,” Contrary to her, Zeke appeared as cool as a cucumber. He nonchalantly chopped up the last bits of his steak while speaking. “It's about how different languages affect the strength and outcome of a spell.”

He didn't even realize how his voice grew to a higher pitch the more he spoke about the topic. Even while finishing the remainder of his lunch, the spark in his eyes reflected his clear interest. “The research itself just offered a few worthwhile theories, but since it's so closely related to the subject, now students can get the chance to figure out the rest of this impressive puzzle too.”

Although her eyes looked dead, Circe managed to crack a smile, “Ha. Only a nerd like you could get excited about that.” She scoffed, turning her gaze away as she mumbled, “What's so impressive about more work anyway?”

“The entire thing is fascinating,” Unbothered by her words, Zeke continued speaking with enthusiasm. “Since people had spoken Central for thousands of years, the language became a part of magic too. Spell Theory used to just be about learning how and why similar words produced different results, but now with the new discovery, the class should become much more interesting—”

Despite trying her best to ignore his ramblings, Circe couldn't help but turn back to his bright grin. She found it difficult to resist. Especially when he looked so cute, she thought, a tinge of pink lightly dabbled her stoic face.

‘DI~NG, DONG…DINGGG…DONGGG…’

Cutting Zeke's words short, deep, metallic chimes echoed throughout the hall, garnering the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. They looked around to see students rising from their seats, unbothered by the sudden noise as if it was routine.

“That must be the school bell,” Zeke concluded as he got up, one hand holding onto his empty plate while the other adjusted the band of his sling bag. As Circe grabbed her bowl, he pointed towards one of the stores with his chin. “Do you wanna grab a drink? Apparently they allow us to bring it into class…as long as you clean it up yourself when you spill it.”

“Oh, really?” A wide grin broke across Circe's lips, her expression now clear of the displeasure she once had. “Alright, count me in. Go stand in line for me and I'll return the plates for us.” She held out her free hand, eagerly beckoning for Zeke's platter, “Get me a strawberry yogurt frappe!”

Smiling at her sudden shift in behavior, Zeke handed Circe the dish, “Alright, but aren't you being a little too ambitious? What if they don't have that?”

“Of course they do, I bought a bunch of it when I played through the game,” Circe scoffed, her smirk growing wider, “What? Did you think I wouldn't know? I'm not that clueless about story-based things. If they have ice cream, then they're bound to have yogurt frappe.”

A short sigh escaped Zeke's lips, though he remained smiling faintly as he took out his student I.D. “Okay, okay. I'll get you your drink. Let's hurry up before we're late for our first class.”

With a nod from Circe, they both parted ways, one heading for the tray return station, while the other found a moderately long queue in front of a drinks store.

“Seems like this place's pretty famous,” Zeke glanced around, noticing that each wall had its own drink shop, most likely to accommodate the large number of students. Yet, only this particular store had customers by the end of lunch time. “Though this is also the only place that has strawberry yogurt frappe…from what I could see anyway.”

Not long after, a male student queued up behind him. “And there goes my idea of checking the other stores,” Zeke returned his focus to the front, “We're gonna be late if I dilly dally. I'll find out more later.”

While his thoughts wandered around, his queue had shortened by a considerable amount. Three students left until it became his turn to order, and only then did he realize that he had no idea what he himself would like to drink.

In a rush, Zeke peered his head over and squinted at the large blackboard menu. Bright, colorful chalk spelled out: ‘TODAY'S SPECIAL: CHOCOLATE MATCHA SMOOTHIE’, in big, bold letters.

It piqued his interest, and he decided not to waste more time looking through the regular servings on the magical projectors by the store front. When his turn finally came, he told his order to the young lady behind the counter. “One strawberry yogurt frappe and the special menu please.”

“Your order's coming right up,” the cashier smiled at him as he tap his student card against the magic circle emblem she offered up, “Please wait a moment.”

“Here you go, please enjoy!” True to her words, he only had to wait five minutes for his drinks to arrive. “Next time, if you bring your own cups, you will get a discount.” Nodding at the information, he took the drinks with a courteous ‘thank you’ before letting the student behind him order.

Apart from their metallic containers, they looked pretty much identical to the ones he often saw in expensive cafés back on Earth. As he marveled at the beautifully crafted beverages, Circe came up to him with an equally stunned expression. “Woah, those look so cute!” She took her frappe in excitement, drawing the metal straw closer to her, “I wish I could take a picture of this, but oh well!”

Taking a sip, she squeal happily at the sweetness overflowing her tastebuds. The lingering aftertaste of milk and yogurt left her with a thirst for more. “It's so good!” Circe drank it again as she looked at Zeke, “Let's go enjoy them in class. I overheard some students talking earlier but our teacher's coming in late as well. We can still make it!”

“Alright,” Zeke nodded, and they began making their way out the cafeteria. He brought up the minimap while they walked, eyes locked onto their destination marked with a golden arrow. “Class A1504…So it's the fourth room of the first building on the fifth floor.”

While Circe continued to sip her frappe, she opened up her schedule, looking at the small text written beneath the subjects’ names in brackets: the location of their classes. “I wonder what the letters at the front mean.”

“Who knows…” Zeke shrugged in nonchalance, stirring his drink with the straw, “Might dictate rank…or maybe the size of the room.”

As Circe hummed in thought, he finally drank his smoothie. In an instant, a soothing scent of green tea filled his mouth, its typical bitterness tamed by the cholocate's saccharine aroma. Unexpectedly, he found himself biting down on small, crunchy chunks of sweetness.

Circe seemed intrigued, especially when Zeke looked so awestruck as he chewed on the chocolate and ice. “Is it that good? Can I try?”

“Sure.” Zeke nodded, tilting the glass towards her.

He thought she would take out her own straw to drink it, but instead she uncaringly took a big sip from his. Too stunned to speak, Zeke could only take back his glass silently, mouth hanging agape in shock.

“What?” Circe raised an eyebrow at his reaction, her expression turning as sour as her tone, “Is it because I drank too much? Sorry, I didn't think it'd bother you this badly.”

“That's…not it…” Zeke averted his gaze as warmth gushed to his cheeks. He replied in a low mumble, “You took my straw…”

Circe's eyes slightly turned wide, “Oh.” Her sheepish expression held a hint of shyness. Clearing her throat, she did her best to ignore her light blushes and replied, “Sorry. I should've asked first.”

“Ask? Ask for what??” Zeke got confused at her answer, though decided not to press for an explanation. By the time he managed to face her, he'd somewhat calmed himself down, “Never mind…Was it good though?”

Circe fixed her gaze to the path before them, the redness from her cheeks fading away, replaced by a small, satisfied smile. “Yep, it was delicious.”

As she walked ahead, Zeke took a moment to drink some more of the smoothie. This time, he could taste strawberries, and it made his face turn just as red as Circe's frappe. He was glad she didn't see what he just did, nor the uncontrollable smile he failed to wipe off his lips as he followed behind her.