I pushed open the classroom door, stepping into the familiar space with its rows of wooden desks and tall windows overlooking the training grounds.

A few students glanced up as I entered. Their eyes tracked me briefly, curious, maybe a bit surprised, before they returned to their conversations.

Well, I have been absent for over a week. They probably thought I'd died or dropped out.

I made my way to my usual seat beside Kyle, who was already there, sprawled back in his chair like he owned the place.

"Look who finally decided to show up," he said, grinning.

"Shut up."

Emma sat a few rows ahead, her brown hair tied back in a practical braid. She glanced over her shoulder at me, caught my eye, and smiled, quick and fleeting before turning back around.

I raised an eyebrow at that but didn't think much of it. Maybe she was just focused on whatever notes she was reviewing.

I leaned back in my chair, letting the familiar sounds of the classroom wash over me. Students talking about weekend plans, complaints about upcoming assignments, the usual background noise of Academy life.

Normal. This is normal.

Professor Thorne entered exactly on time, his robes billowing slightly as he strode to the front of the room. The chatter died immediately.

He launched into the lecture without preamble, his voice filling the space with practiced authority.

I took notes mechanically, my mind only half-focused.

The day passed in a blur of lectures, note-taking, and the occasional pointed question from instructors testing whether I'd kept up with the material during my absence.

I hadn't, but I was good at bullshitting my way through answers.

Finally, the final bell rang, and students began gathering their things with the relieved energy of people released from obligation.

Kyle stretched dramatically with a loud groan. He stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder with casual ease.

"So, where you want to go now?"

I stood as well, rolling my shoulders to work out the stiffness from sitting all day. Then I grinned. "Just follow me."

Kyle tilted his head, confusion flickering across his face. "What the hell? Where are we going?"

I was already walking toward the door.

"Wait for me!" He grabbed his bag and hurried after me, catching up quickly and slinging his arm over my shoulders with that easy familiarity he had. "Yeah, let's have some fun. I've been dying of boredom without you around to get into trouble with."

"I don't get into trouble."

"Sure, sure."

We were nearing the exit when I spotted Emma walking ahead of us, moving a bit faster than normal, her bag clutched tight against her side.

"Hey, Emma!" I called out.

She paused mid-step, her shoulders tensing before she turned around.

I caught up to her, Kyle trailing behind. Something in her expression made me stop, she looked tired, like she hadn't been sleeping well. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, barely hidden beneath a layer of concealer.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

She shook her head quickly, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "No, just some work I need to take care of."

"Work? What kind of—"

"I'll see you later, okay?" She was already backing away, not quite meeting my gaze. "Have fun."

And then she was gone, disappearing around the corner before I could say anything else.

I stood there, staring after her, a strange unease settling in my chest.

Kyle slapped my arm. "Hey, aren't we going?"

I turned back to him. "Yeah. Let's go."

We exited the main academic building and followed the stone pathways toward a large, open structure near the center of campus, where students could buy meals with Academy credits or coin.

It was busy this time of day, packed full of students celebrating the end of classes, the upcoming semester break, the fact that exams were finally over. The air smelled like roasted meat, fresh bread, and the faint spice of mulled cider.

We grabbed a table near the windows, and I ordered something substantial roasted chicken, bread still warm from the oven, vegetables that didn't taste like they'd been boiled into submission.

Real food. Finally.

Sira appeared a few minutes later, followed by Tobias, who looked like he was still recovering from yesterday's interrogation. She sat down beside me without asking, reached over, and pulled my plate toward her.

I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

She picked up my fork and started eating. "You're too skinny. You can afford to share."

"I've been in the infirmary eating nothing but porridge for more than a week."

"Exactly. You're used to not eating much." She took a bite of chicken, chewing thoughtfully. "This is decent."

I sighed and flagged down a server, ordering another plate for myself and one for Tobias, who'd been hovering uncertainly.

"Thanks," Tobias mumbled, sitting across from us. He adjusted his glasses, glancing around like he expected Kyle and Sira to tie him up again at any moment.

Kyle returned with his own plate, piled so high it looked structurally unsound, and dropped into the seat beside Tobias with a satisfied grin.

"So," Tobias said after a moment of awkward silence, "Emma didn't come?"

"She said she had work," I replied, still waiting for my replacement meal.

Tobias frowned. "What work? Technically we're free right now. Exams are over, the semester ends in a few days. Most students are just relaxing or packing to go home."

Sira didn't look up from my stolen plate. "Unlike you, us... Emma's a commoner. Commoners have to work."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. Even with the scholarship, that only covers tuition and basic Academy fees. She probably has to work part-time just to afford staying here."

Sira made a sound of agreement around a mouthful of food.

"That's rough," Tobias said quietly. "I didn't realize the scholarship didn't cover living expenses."

"It does, but not fully," I said. "Commoners have to work if they want to eat properly, have anything beyond the bare minimum."

Then...

Munch! Munch! Munch!

We all paused at the sound.

Slowly, we turned to look at Kyle.

He was on his third plate, shoveling food into his mouth with single-minded focus, completely oblivious to the conversation happening around him.

We stared.

He looked up, noticing the attention, his cheeks bulging with food. He tilted his head. "Wha? Somethin' on my face?"

A beat of silence.

"You're a commoner, right?" Sira said flatly.

"Yeah?" Kyle swallowed hard. "So?"

"We're talking about how commoners have to work."

"Okay?"

"You don't work."

Kyle blinked, genuinely confused. "Why would I work? I'm busy training and studying."

Another beat of silence.

Sira pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kyle, how are you affording all this food?"

"Scholarship covers meals at the dining hall."

"And your supplies? Equipment? Everything else?"

"Oh, my family sends me money." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "My dad's got a pretty successful business. My sister's an Adventurer. They're not rich-rich, but they do well enough."

Tobias looked genuinely confused. "Wait, but you're registered as a commoner student—"

"Yeah, because we're not nobles." Kyle grabbed another piece of bread, tearing into it. "But that doesn't mean we're poor."

Sira leaned back in her chair, shaking her head slowly. "So while Emma is working herself to exhaustion..."

"You're just eating," I finished.

Kyle looked between us, still holding his bread. "Is... is that bad?"

"No, it's just..." Tobias sighed. "Never mind."

"Okay." He took another bite. "Can I finish eating then?"

I shook my head but didn't say anything else. Kyle went back to his food with renewed enthusiasm, and the conversation shifted to lighter topics, training schedules, upcoming semester break, what everyone was planning to do with their time off.

My replacement plate finally arrived, and I started eating properly. The food was good, way better than infirmary rations. The chicken was seasoned perfectly, the bread had a crispy crust, and even the vegetables had flavor.

Kyle was already on his fourth plate. We watched him eat with a mixture of awe and horror.

"Where does it all go?" Tobias whispered.

"Training," Sira said matter-of-factly. "He burns it off immediately. It's actually impressive from a metabolic perspective."

"It's disturbing."

"That too."

We ate in comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying the meal and each other's company. The dining hall buzzed around us with life and warmth, students laughing and talking, the clatter of dishes, the smell of good food.

"Good." Sira finally pushed my now-empty plate back toward me. "Thanks for the meal."

"You're welcome," I said dryly. "Even though I didn't offer it."

Kyle finished his fourth plate with a satisfied sigh, leaning back and patting his stomach. Then, after barely a moment's pause, he flagged down a server and pointed at his empty dishes.

"Can I get another round? Actually, make it two. I'm still kinda hungry."

We all stared at him.

The server blinked, clearly trying to process whether he was serious, then nodded slowly and walked away.

Another beat of silence.

Then I laughed.

Sira's lips twitched. Tobias covered his mouth, trying to hold back his own laughter but failing miserably.

Kyle looked between us, completely bewildered. "What? What'd I say?"

"Nothing," I managed, still grinning. "Absolutely nothing."

"You're ridiculous," Sira said, but there was no heat in it. She was smiling too.

Kyle shrugged, unbothered. "If being ridiculous means I get to eat good food, then I'm fine with that."

His plate arrived, and he dove in with the same enthusiasm as before.

She smirked, standing up and stretching. "I'm heading back. Need to finish packing before the break."

Tobias stood as well, adjusting his glasses. "Yeah, I should go too. My family's expecting me home tomorrow."

Kyle waved them off, still working on fifth plate.

I watched them leave, then turned back to my own food, savoring the last few bites.

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