Gaius, Isabelle and Nakama left the classroom together. Like them, other cliques had formed within the first few days, but from what the boy could tell, the others were loosely based on their nation of origin. Miku, the girl that had served as a translator at Solaris’ tomb, had joined a clique whose members looked like they were from the East too.

Of course, Gaius would not call the group sitting around Countess Reinford a clique, given that most of them were now acting as bellboys for the countess. It would seem that the boys and girls around her were closer to indentured servants than anything else.

“Your sister’s like that too, huh,” Gaius murmured.

Isabelle flushed. “I don’t know how she can withstand the embarrassment. It’s not like people are looking at her because she did something great and noble either. If grandmother were to see her right now, I think she might collapse from sheer shock.”

“We call that a heart attack on Earth,” said Gaius, “but I get your point. And of course, we have one here too, in our very own class. For some reason, I want to see the two of them interact — I get the feeling that it’ll be legendary. Something worth writing in Orb: A History.”

“I didn’t buy you that book for you to make fun of me with it,” Isabelle, who looked like she was on the verge of tears, replied.

“Bad Gaius!”

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry.” Gaius patted Isabelle’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go see what the cafeteria of the best school in the North has to offer.”

Pulling the two of them along, Gaius escaped the trauma-inducing scene, leading them upstairs. The members of the other Year One classes were also making a mad dash towards the lower floors, and the three of them twitched as a mad cacophony welled upwards.

“I was about to suggest that we split up to cover more ground,” said Isabelle, “but the cafeteria sounds really good to me now.”

“We’ll check it out when lessons end,” Gaius added on. “So don’t look that sad, Nakama.”

“I’m not sad!”

“Right, right, you aren’t.” Gaius rolled his eyes, and then began climbing upwards. He could have floated up, since flying wasn’t banned in the school for some reason, but Isabelle was on the verge of digging a hole and jumping into it already. Simply being a bit more eye-catching you push her over the edge, and…

Isabelle let out a squeak, and a moment later, Gaius could see why. At the cafeteria, a long red carpet had been rolled outwards. A few students, their vests subtly redesigned to suit their leader, were standing around a table with only one person sitting at it.

“Lia…”

Lia Lorenze turned her head. “Ah, you’re here. I thought we were going to meet up for lunch, but I suppose having one during recess won’t hurt.”

Isabelle, who was twitching, swallowed down what was probably a lump in her throat, and forced herself to take a few steps forward. “Hi, sister.”

“Isa!” She patted the table. “Come, come, take a seat! The two of you too!”

She clapped her hands, and the five or so students around her shepherded Gaius and the others over. Within moments, the table, which initially had enough food for her alone, was filled with enough food for the four of them.

“Hmm, this is rather good.” Gaius, whose right hand was holding on to a sandwich, nodded.

“Why are you this comfortable…” Isabelle’s voice trembled. “You too, Nakama…”

“Aren’t you hungry too?” Nakama asked. “Take some food!”

Gaius chewed a mouthful of bread and meat, and then ladled some soup onto a bowl that had been thoughtfully provided. “Four stars, maybe.”

“You two…” Isabelle shook her head. “So relaxed.”

“I think you’re the one who’s too stiff, Isa.” Her elder sister picked up a cup, and then sipped from it elegantly. “At least father didn’t rub off too much on you, though.”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me,” said Isabelle.

Lia raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t know you thought that way, though. You just stood at the side silently whenever he ranted against the beastfolk, the other Houses and whatever caught his fancy that day. I thought you were like him.”

“That’s horrible. How could I…”

“Looks like they’re bonding,” Gaius whispered to Nakama, who nodded seriously in reply. Unfortunately, Isabelle was still distracted every so often by the servant-slash-students around her, and she would look around once in a while.

“Right, this little girl is our adopted sister, eh?”

“Yeap.” Isabelle grinned. “Father would roll in his grave.”

“Why?” Lia asked.

“Well, she’s a beastfolk,” Isabelle said. “Grandmother had no issues with that, but part of me wishes father was still around to see it.”

“And the others…?”

“The family was living in a nation where beastfolk and humans are equal,” said Isabelle. “They naturally didn’t voice out any opinions.”

“Mother would have been happy to see her, wouldn’t she?” Lia asked. “She’s so adorable. Here, give me a five!”

She held out a hand, which Nakama promptly met with her own, and grinned as the two palms met. “Are you planning to teach her how to cultivate?”

Isabelle glanced at Gaius, who nodded. “Yes. Her elder brother is using a different mantra from ours, and…well, his path is a very odd one, so it’s not replicable.”

“I noticed,” Lia said. “Even as a Knight, I’m getting the feeling that you’re an absurdly dangerous fellow. And yet, you definitely aren’t a Knight, are you?”

The boy swallowed the last bits of his sandwich. “Guess.”

“…I have the feeling that I shouldn’t.” She shook her head. “Right, it came to my attention that Johann was being rude to you during the entrance match, Isa. I punished him duly for that, so please don’t hold it against him.”

“Ah. That explains why he was trembling when I looked at him during class,” Isabelle said. “That might be a problem, though.”

“Losten pampered him too much, little sister.” Lia shook her head. “I expect him to be better behaved from now on.”

“You’ve changed, Lia.” Isabelle grinned. “I like it.”

She looked around at the students standing around them like guards, and at the red carpet, before amending her statement. “Most of it, anyway.”

The table of four laughed loudly, before making more small talk over platters of sandwiches and bowls of soup.