Kaiser locked eyes with Kiera, who was glaring at him. There was a moment of silence, then she turned away with a snort.

Kaiser also ignored her.

Meanwhile, Liam heard his girlfriend snort, immediately looking at her.

"Hm? What’s wrong?"

Her expression was a bit displeased. Not facing him, the girl folded her arms and stared straight ahead.

Liam was puzzled, then caught sight of Kaiser and Maya some distance away.

’Oh, they’re here too.’

He thought, then glanced at Kiera. Was she displeased by Kaiser’s presence? There seemed to always be something going on between them.

Suddenly, he remembered Kaiser’s words from the last time they met privately.

"Regardless of the crab’s choice, the process will be very interesting to observe."

He couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart, wondering if Kaiser was actually that cruel.

’There’s no way he would bring harm to Kiera, right?’

Taking another look at the blue-haired boy who was chatting with his Class-C friend, Liam was filled with doubt and worry.

Sighing, he rose from his seat and tugged at Kiera.

"Let’s go somewhere else."

The girl looked at him in surprise, then followed.

Kaiser turned again to look, realizing the couple was gone.

"By the way, do you know midterm exams have been announced? We only have one week left to prepare."

Maya said to him while scrolling through her phone.

"I’m aware."

His answer didn’t surprise her, so she simply continued.

"How prepared are you?"

Kaiser ate the last popcorn from his bucket, chewing softly. "Enough to perform well."

Although he said it casually, Maya believed him. Kaiser was always topping the grades in the entire Class-E, after all.

He put down the empty bucket of popcorn, then asked. "Do you hae other people you study with?"

Maya paused, raising her head to look at him. "Actually, no. But Apollo asked me to help tutor some of the academically weak students in the class. He doesn’t want anyone to carry the risk of failing."

Kaiser nodded in understanding.

"I see. Good luck with your teachings, then. If you need personal help, you can always let me know."

She smiled gently. "Thank you."

"Alright. Let’s leave this place."

Standing up, Kaiser and Maya left the Cinema, then went to the Violet Star Mall under the girl’s lead.

"What are you planning?"

He asked, trailing behind her with a trolley as she picked some ingredients into the trolley. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"I want to try cooking for you. Is that... okay?"

She paused, probably realizing she was too forward. After all, she hadn’t even told him about her plans.

"Oh, alright."

His answer relieved her slightly, though she already expected it. Kaiser didn’t seem like the type to refuse her.

’Anyone would really misunderstand us as a couple.’

Glancing at Kaiser who obediently followed behind her with the trolley, Maya couldn’t help but blush.

’Well, I can at least be his best friend until he gets a girlfriend... or make me... Ah!’

Pinching herself stealthily, she banished the thought immediately, refocusing on her current goal.

Buy the necessary ingredients to cook a meal.

This time, Kaiser insisted on paying, which she allowed him to.

From there, they returned to the dormitory, heading straight to Kaiser’s room.

Just as they were about to enter, the door opposite Kaiser opened, and Ariel stepped out, carrying a black trash bag.

The three locked eyes, then exchanged nods. Ariel walked away, his brows furrowed.

’That guy... isn’t normal.’

Maya thought as she watched his receding figure. Then, she followed Kaiser into his room.

This was her first time entering another student’s room, and she couldn’t deny that she was a bit nervous.

However, as soon as she stepped inside, her nervousness eased.

The air was cooler, making her tensed body relax. Looking around, she could only describe the room with one word—tidy.

Everything was in the right place, and nothing was out of order. Her gaze shifted to the flowers growing by his window.

One flower in particular, caught her attention. Its petals were yellow and sky blue, truly beautiful.

’Isn’t that...?’

It was identical to the flower Kaiser had plucked from her hair a few days ago.

Kaiser sensed her gaze and nodded. "I dabbled into learning runes recently, and I’ve been using them experimentally."

He pointed at the plant with a yellow and blue flower.

"That plant was birthed from the flower you complimented on Wednesday."

Maya’s eyes widened. "Runes? Like runic formations? I heard they’re only going to teach us that when we become second-year students."

Kaiser shrugged, summoning his storage relic and pulling out the Rune book.

"This... is what I’m learning from. Something left behind by my father."

The pink-haired girl stared at it in a daze. She knew how important Kaiser’s father was to him, so she understood that the Rune book was going to be priceless to him.

"That’s amazing. I’m sure you’d be able to ace all our rune-related courses by the time we start doing them."

Placing the book into the bag, Kaiser said flatly. "Perhaps."

"Well, you said you wanted to prepare something, right?"

Maya blinked, mentally chiding herself for forgetting why she had come to his room in the first place.

She immediately went to his kitchen, and they began cooking. Kaiser merely assisted her, while she did the main work.

Sometimes he would just stay back and watch her with a keen gaze, unknowingly making her self-conscious.

’Uhm...’

Finally, after an hour, the food was ready. She dished it, and waited for him to take a bite of his own portion.

Kaiser paused briefly, then continued eating it. "Peppery, but I like it."

The comment made her smile wider than she intended, and they began eating in silence. The atmosphere was harmonious, and they both reveled in it.

After all, the break was about to end, and the class competitions would resume. Although Kaiser didn’t show interest in the class competition, there was no guarantee that he might not interfere.

After finishing the meal, Maya picked up her bag and prepared to leave. Kaiser escorted her to the door, then waited.

The girl sighed and turned back to him.

"I just thought I should stay this. Uhm... no matter what happens in the competition between our classes, I am still your friend."

Her gaze was filled with resolution and honesty as she spoke.

Kaiser nodded, then stepped forward.

He spread his arms and embraced her, pressing her body against his. She felt warm and gentle—just like her personality.