One after another, the dishes began arriving at their table.

Within minutes, it was completely covered with plates of grilled meat, soups, fried rice, roasted vegetables, noodles, and freshly baked bread.

Steam rose from the food, carrying a mouthwatering aroma that instantly filled their noses.

And all of them dove in.

Other than the sound of spoons clinking against plates, the occasional sip of soup, and the bustling noise of the restaurant around them, not a single word was spoken.

Zac quietly focused on his food; Marty was too hungry to start a conversation; Shobin was busy trying a little bit of everything; Daniel ate with perfect table manners.

Sabrina maintained her usual cold expression, though she occasionally glanced in Zac’s direction. Kelly looked from one person to another.

And Adrian...

Adrian looked personally offended that his meal wasn’t being served by royal chefs on golden platters.

Two minutes into the meal, Kelly put down her spoon. "Is there some kind of ’no-talking-while-eating rule’ among you guys?"

Everyone paused and looked at her.

She smiled awkwardly. "I mean... we’re going to spend the next four years together. And this is the first time we’re all eating together. So wouldn’t this be the perfect chance to get to know each other?"

After a brief silence, everyone except Marty and Shobin quietly lowered their heads and resumed eating as though her words had simply drifted away with the steam.

Kelly blinked. "Seriously?"

Marty gave her an awkward smile. "Well, someone has to start." He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I’m Marty Williams."

He pointed toward Zac. "The two of us are from the same city."

Then he looked at Kelly. "What about you?"

Kelly immediately brightened. "I’m Kelly Carter, and I’m from Liberty City, the capital of the Frontier Groups."

"What about you guys?"

"Oh." Marty nodded. "The capital, huh? Your family must be loaded." He laughed. "We’re just from a small city in the Eastern Alliance called Mellow City."

The moment those words left his mouth...

’Cling.’

Daniel’s spoon slipped from his hand and hit the plate.

The sound wasn’t loud, but everyone at the table heard it and looked toward him.

Daniel stared at his bowl with a changed expression for a few seconds before looking at Marty. "Did you just say Mellow City?"

"Yeah, I did," Marty nodded.

After hesitating for a moment, Daniel asked, "Have either of you been to the Variant Association there?"

"I haven’t," Marty replied honestly. "But this guy practically lived there during the last month. They probably considered giving him his own office at some point." He casually pointed at Zac.

Zac continued eating as if nothing had happened.

"So you’ve been to the association?"

Zac nodded. "A few times."

Daniel took a slow breath. "Then... have you ever met someone named Lima Martel?"

Before Zac could answer, Marty jumped in. "You mean the new chief? Of course he knows her." He grinned at Zac. "They’re actually pretty close, if you ask me."

Cough! Cough!

Zac nearly choked. He quickly grabbed his glass and took a sip of water, and the entire table turned toward him.

Daniel looked at Zac with an unusually serious expression. "Is that true?"

Zac set the glass down. "She helped me a lot during the last couple of months. I guess you could call it... friendship now."

Everyone noticed the pause before the word ’friendship’ but chose to remain silent.

Daniel quietly lowered his gaze. "I see."

Noticing his expression, Zac asked, "Are you two siblings?"

Daniel stopped eating. For a brief moment, the lively restaurant faded into the background. Memories of a gentle girl smiling as she patted his head years ago surfaced in his mind.

"Yes. She’s my older sister. And it’s been a long time since I’ve seen her."

After a moment, he looked at Zac again. "How is she doing?"

A small smile appeared on Zac’s face. "Better than ever."

Daniel quietly smiled back. "That’s good."

The table fell silent again.

[It seems he cares for his sister dearly].

"Yeah. He didn’t even ask for her contact number, it seems knowing she’s doing well is enough for him."

[Why don’t you ask him more?]

"Not the right time or the right place. Plus, I don’t want to get dragged into their family drama. At least not yet."

Marty looked around before his eyes landed on Sabrina. "Miss Ice Queen."

Sabrina looked up. "Call me by my name."

"Okay, Sabrina." He scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I know this isn’t really my business, but Zac isn’t actually a bad guy."

Before Sabrina could respond, Zac interrupted. "Marty. Mind your own business and eat."

Marty looked at Zac. "I’m tired of watching you two fight over every little thing."

He turned back toward Sabrina. "What happened yesterday was one huge misunderstanding. So I hope you’ll forgive him."

"Marty..." Zac rubbed his forehead. "Why am I the one who needs forgiveness? I didn’t do anything wrong."

Sabrina immediately put down her spoon. "You see that?" She pointed at Zac. "He doesn’t even think he did anything wrong."

"So why should I forgive him?"

Zac leaned back in his chair. "This is exactly what happens when you try to reason with arrogant people."

Sabrina narrowed her eyes. "Who are you calling arrogant?"

Zac looked around the table. "I don’t see anyone else here starting wars over tables."

"Oh, really, but seeing one right in front of me."

Kelly immediately raised both hands. "Time out. We came here to have dinner. Let’s just do that. Please don’t start round two."

Adrian suddenly placed his fork down. "I ordered the most expensive dishes on the menu, and yet..."

He let out a disappointed sigh. "They remain far beneath the standards to which I am accustomed. It’s as though they charged us for gold and served us bronze."

"Really?" Marty asked. "I think the food’s great."

"That is because you have spent your life surrounded by mediocrity."

Adrian placed a hand against his chest. "How can someone as splendid and refined as I nourish his body with such ordinary cuisine?"

"Would that not stain both my body and soul?"

[I take back what I have said, he is not a narcissist. I believe he is in a committed relationship with himself.]

Daniel calmly wiped his mouth. "You know, nobody asked you to eat with us."

Adrian looked genuinely shocked. "My dear Daniel. How could loyal subjects enjoy a feast without inviting their king? It is only natural that I grace you all with my presence."

"You know what?" Daniel sighed. "I’ve had enough. I’m not arguing with you anymore. Let me eat in peace."

And just as he said, everyone quietly returned to their food. Adrian looked around the table before letting out a long, dramatic sigh.

"What a lonely burden it is to be surrounded by people incapable of appreciating true greatness."

"Shobin," Zac called out, "I’ve noticed something ever since we left the Justice Arena."

Shobin blinked.

"You keep giving me side glances every now and then." Zac shrugged. "I don’t know why, but if you’ve got something to ask, just ask it."

Shobin scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Is it really that obvious?" He hesitated for a few seconds before finally speaking. "The thing is... I understand why you got so angry with Gary."

"No one would stay calm if someone insulted their family, and I completely understand that. But don’t you think you went a little too far?"

The table immediately fell silent again, and everyone waited for Zac’s answer. Zac gently placed his fork on the table and looked at Shobin before answering.

"People like Gary... they never stop. If you let them get away with it once, they’ll come back again and again."

"They will keep pushing, trying to find your limits and keep testing where your bottom line really is." He picked up his glass and took a sip of water. "So I made sure he understood exactly where that line was."

He set the glass down. "There was another reason too. He publicly announced my potential in front of the entire academy."

"If I had simply walked away after that, there would’ve been another Gary. And after that, another one. They would’ve kept coming."

Daniel nodded slowly. "So you made an example out of him. To warn everyone else."

"Exactly," Zac replied.

Daniel gave a small smile. "If you ask me, it was an effective way of doing things."

"Rarely do I compliment commoners," Adrian added with a nod, "but in this matter, what you did was a splendid way of handling things."

Kelly smiled. "I don’t think anyone’s going to provoke you again after what happened today."

The moment she said that, everyone at the table turned to look at Sabrina.

Feeling everyone’s gaze, Sabrina frowned. "Don’t count me in on that. His little tricks aren’t going to scare me."

Ignoring her comment, Zac looked around the table. "So none of you think you’re tarnishing your image by eating with an E-rank potential?"

Kelly let out a small laugh. "Only an idiot would actually believe you’re an E-rank."

Zac raised an eyebrow.

Adrian crossed his arms proudly. "You think someone as capable as me wouldn’t notice your aura the moment you released it in the classroom?"

"I already knew you had at least reached D-rank. And judging from the pressure, you’re probably close to C-rank already."

[It seems narcissism isn’t the only thing he’s good at.]

Daniel nodded. "Not only that, the Eastern Alliance’s annual awakening only happened a little over a month ago, and you’ve already reached almost C-rank."

"Judging by your growth speed, that puts you on the same level as S-rank and SS-rank potentials. And then there’s the vice principal."

He looked directly at Zac. "Do you really expect us to believe she’d personally recruit someone with ordinary talent?"

He shrugged. "And even if all of that were somehow false, it still wouldn’t matter. What matters to me is your actual strength."

Zac simply smiled. He neither confirmed nor denied any of their theories. Instead, he picked up his spoon and continued eating his soup.

[It seems your future brother-in-law is somewhat knowledgeable.]

About half an hour later, everyone finished their meal and walked out of the restaurant together.

Kelly stretched her arms in the cool evening air. "So, where are your dorms?"

"I’m not telling you," Sabrina answered immediately. "I don’t want this bitch boy showing up outside my room trying to take another peek."

Zac stared at her in disbelief. "What exactly do you think I do in my free time? Go around peeking into random girls’ dorm rooms?"

"Didn’t you already do that?" Sabrina replied without missing a beat.

Marty covered his face. "Please. Not again."

Kelly quickly grabbed Sabrina’s wrist. "We’re leaving. See you all tomorrow." Without giving Sabrina another chance to continue, Kelly dragged her away.

Daniel watched the two disappear before looking back at Zac. "I don’t think you two are ever going to get along."

Adrian adjusted his gloves. "Every great story begins with conflict."

Zac looked at him. "Please don’t be the one writing ours."

"I wasn’t planning to anyway," Adrian replied proudly. "If anything, you should be the ones writing my glorious story."

"That’s a hard pass from me," Zac replied immediately.

Marty laughed. "Good night, everyone."

One by one, they headed toward their own dorms.