Now, when I said to Lisa to get me something to eat, I was expecting something like bread or other cheap stuff like that.

I sunk myself into the sound of clinking tableware, student babbling. The soft chair that I had never experienced before assumed the form of my bottom.

A wooden table clothed in white fabric held various food served at the glass plate. One of my hands that were wrapped around me just until now moved and grabbed a water.

I gulped the smooth refreshing water, along with the hazy thoughts of there was no way I could eat in this place.

I was aware of how elite this school was, but I still couldn't comprehend how rich my schoolmates really were.

Our canteen looked like a high-class restaurant that nobles attend after a long hour of work. It was bright, but not blinding. The atmosphere was relaxing that even if I did not want to, my body would unwind against my will.

“Shall we eat then?” Lisa, who was holding a silver knife and fork said, cutting a piece of her tender juicy stake before gracefully placing it inside her mouth. Eating could be art if she was the one doing it.

“Y-yeah...” I was hesitant to either eat or just look at the food. Certainly, I was the one that requested this to happen, but I wasn't anticipating it to be this grand.

The fork made a ruckus at my unrefined way of holding it. There was a bowl of soup, (though I am sure that there was a more specific way to address it) meat and leafy vegetables. Not to mention the fresh fruit that was sparkling clean, proudly proposing themselves to be eaten.

First, I scooped the creamy white soup with my utensil. I felt some kind of resistance, likely because the soup was thick and dense with meat and mushroom in it.

Gently nearing it to my mouth as to imitate Lisa, I tasted the food. The mixture of mushrooms, eggs, and meat splendidly danced together inside my mouth.

Just what the hell is this food... Food for the gods...? If the higher gods could eat, this would be the one we would serve them.

The next one was the fresh assorted veggies, from the leafy ones and the colorful ones, all inside a bowl, sprinkled with salt. Lisa told me that this was a salad.

When I took a mouthful of the vegetables, the word fresh swirled around my head as I savored the delicate character of the food.

This was all but new to me, and that was I expressing through my dumbfounded face.

Lisa looked at me after eating almost half on her stake, saying, “is the food not to your liking?” Quite worriedly. She was the one that chose what to eat, so that was why she was concerned.

“Not at all...! I-I mean, this is all very delicious.” I'm just having trouble eating them since they're too expensive.

She smiled gently at my response, acknowledging it with a small gesture of her hand. “I am very grateful that you like it.”

Phew. She exhaled cutely. My eyes roamed into the corner and saw numerous student taking their break and enjoying their foods. Right, I should do the same.

But how should I act? Imitating the action of a male student who had finished their food way before mine. Would that work?

I held their image inside my mind and with careful motion, I decided to eat. You should've thrown me some coins and let me handle my food, Lisa.

That would be much easier if that were the case. The guilt of getting something this expensive grew stronger and stronger with each chew of food.

Added by the silence, my heart could no longer bear it. “So... Is meat something you eat?” A small talk, it was my best attempt to at least compensate for the money that she spent without hesitation.

She leaned her knife and fork at her clean plate, she then clasped a tissue and gently tapped her mouth. “Rarely. For energy purposes, I eat something heavy today.”

“That's actually a good idea. An hour or two, the student will be back to hunt us again.” I showed my exhaustion by the tone of my voice, finishing the soup, and was now working with the salad.

She just watched me patiently as she drunk her water. “You lack refinement, Elric.”

“What's with that? I don't need you telling me that all of a sudden.”

“Now, I don't mean ill in that statement. I'm just surprised that you don't have that noble like the attitude you have when fighting.” She laughed at the sight of me being irked by her statement.

“What do you mean noble like?” I said, raising one of my eyebrows.

“The way you hold your sword, your footwork, everything you do screams of your heritage as a noble. Am I wrong?”

“No.” Saying that she was wrong and then correcting her after seemed like a pain so I decided to let it go.

Do I move noble-like during a fight? I just move the way I wanted to, I have no idea whether she was right or wrong.

There was a gap of silence after that, I also finished eating my food. I offered a small prayer to the gods of order before taking a gulp from my glass.

“Enough about talking fights. I just want a break for a moment.”

She agreed with my declaration with a chuckle. “Fine, let's talk about other things. I bet there'll be a thing or two that I could learn from you.”

“Hahaha! Learn from me? If you want me as a tutor, pay for it.” I said jokingly at her, shrugging my shoulder as I dismissed the thought of actually doing it.

“Just say the price,” Lisa replied in all seriousness. Is this girl for real?

“Idiot, I'm just kidding.” Well, it was my fault for making an offer. I sloped my chin onto my palm, sending gazes to the side.

I spotted a young man eating something. A color red insect-like creature with big claws and whiskers, small dot eye. Just what was that?

“Is that really edible?” I pointed at the creature lazy, and Lisa followed.

“That is a lobster. Does Elric didn't know that?”

“Lobster? They want to love or something?” Crap, that's a corny joke, isn't it? Puns were something that my sister love, maybe because of that, I unconsciously cracked a joke.

“Lobsters are creatures that can be found underneath the sea—pff...” Lisa abruptly laughed, it was rather unbecoming from her usual demeanor. “D-did you just implied lobsters love to love? Is it because they are lovester?”

She seemed hung up about my joke. She tried to hide her curling lips, but her smile was still evident through her puffed-up cheeks.

“Sorry about the joke,” I said.

“N-no. It's very witty. I haven't heard anything like that before.” Fascinated at the new “wisdom” she got, she inhaled deeply to clear the lingering smirk on her face.

“As long as your happy. Actually, I don't know what lobsters tasted like. Maybe I'll get a couple if I have some—”

“Pff...!” Now she was redder than before. She hugged her stomach with her arms, her body jolting up and down because of her pressed laughter.

“Just what is it this time?” I was visibly annoyed at her manner, but the girl in question didn't seem to notice it.

She just wiped a droplet of tear from the side of her eye. “Lovesters and a couple of them. Very good—pfff...! Very good o-one, Elric—pff...!”

Just how low is your happiness!? I'm not even joking intentionally! I was confused at this sudden side of her.

“Erm... Let's change the topic, shall we? I heard that the academy is planning something different this year, like, the—”

“Pfff!!”

Just what the f*ck is this again? I glared at her, requiring an explanation for her sudden outburst.

“I-it's just...” Wow. She was really having trouble forming sentences.

She tried to clear her throat, hoping to clear her laughter as well, but she failed miserably that it looked almost intended.

Lisa's eyes were full of tears as her face flushed red. She was grinning from ear to ear, fanning herself frantically, recovering her normal breathing.

“Lovester, couple, like. Just how—fuhehe...! S-sorry—pff...!” She couldn't even finish that one sentence.

Poor lady. Gods, she's speaking in tongues.

The only conclusion I could draw was that she reverted back into her childlike state due to the stress she had experienced earlier.

But she's reminding me of Claire... And that alone made this scene came across as “good”, or whatever the hell that meant.

“Do you want some water?” Just the thought of my beloved sister softened my mood.

She was still laughing while murmuring something incomprehensible. Nevertheless, she managed to give an intelligible reply. “Y-yes please...”

Lisa looked tired, and understandably so. Normal people shouldn't cackle that long.

I stood from my seat and started steering towards the magic water dispenser.

Pressing some buttons that even I knew, water came from a hole, it was cold and clear. The hubbub of the student became noticeable when the giggles of Lisa wasn't here.

A group of girls passed me, they were discussing boys and love loudly, but I wasn't annoyed or anything. I think that it suited them to act that way.

Then another party came, it was young males talking about the newest sword models that would be released this year. Just a group of friends to speak something you care about.

A friend... Huh... Do I have any? Yeah, no... It was my fault for ignoring all the kind people that tried to approach me last year.

When the glass was eventually filled with water, I spun around carefully as not to spill it. Cautiously, I returned to my chair and handed her the water she needed so much.

“Are you okay?” I was worried when she took a moment to respond. She touched her chest, letting out a sigh, eyes shut.

“Yes, I'm fine now. Forgive me for my rude behavior. That is the first time I have experienced something like that.” Lisa was really regretful about what she had done, though didn't have to.

“Nah,” I said, thinking if I should add a compliment to help her cheer up her mood, and then rejected that notion. It wasn't like me to say something like that.

Instead, I offered her a word of comfort. “It's fine acting like that from time to time. You're just a human after all.”

Was that had any effect on her? Lisa maintained her poker face so I couldn't tell. “Thank you. But it's a problem if I keep acting that way...”

She threw a complicated look. "If others saw me in that state, I might dispose of them for safety reasons.”

“S-safety reason? Am I okay seeing that?” I asked her with an almost trembling tone. She was a noble, she had a resource and connection that a mere commoner like me who lived in the slum couldn't go against.

To my question, she tilted her head. “Of course? Why would you think that otherwise?” She told the truth, placing her faith in me.

Oooh... The way she trusts me kinda sting.

Lisa sipped daintily from her cup before setting it once again on the table. “Over the day we have spent together, though short, is something new to me. I am constantly learning, and enjoying my time with you, Elric.”

I looked left and right to see if there was listening to us, thankfully, there was none. If someone heard that, they will think that we are in some kind of relationship or something.

The girl meant nothing more than what she said. It was her nature. She was just like that.

“That's fine then,” I told her with a reassuring smile. “How about we visit Rito. He should be in the first year grounds today, yes?”

About the time we carry out the true reason why we were together.