---
**[Cutscene - Academy Cafeteria – Afternoon]**
The cafeteria was alive with activity. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting a golden hue over the tables. Students sat in their usual friend groups, their chatter and the clatter of trays echoing throughout the vast hall.
At a long table near the middle, Ryuto, Lucien, and several other boys from Class B were talking animatedly. Kuro sat silently at the end, listening without touching his food.
> "So, Ryuto-kun," one student smiled. "You're going to win the whole tournament, right?"
Ryuto laughed, scratching his head.
> "I mean… I'll try. But Princess Alisa and Lucien are strong. This tournament won't be easy."
Lucien took a sip from his cup and smiled.
> "Oh? You think I'm that strong? I haven't even shown you my true power yet."
Ryuto gave a kind smile.
> "That's the scary part."
Another student leaned forward.
> "I heard Class A has been training under real Knights from the Flarewood Kingdom. We're like the weaklings here, man."
Lucien glanced towards Kuro.
> "Kuro, you're really not joining, are you? Not interested in showing off your magic?"
Kuro didn't look up from his tea.
> "It's meaningless."
Ryuto laughed.
> "That's just Kuro. He's the type to operate from the shadows."
> "Or maybe he's the secretly strongest one," another student whispered.
Lucien raised an eyebrow at Kuro but said nothing more. Internally, he knew this quiet, silver-haired boy wasn't normal. Too composed. Too cautious.
---
**[Scene - Nearby Table – The Girls' Corner]**
On the other side of the cafeteria, a group of girls sat at a separate table. Rei, Princess Alisa, Saria, and others chatted softly, smiling and giggling lightly. Their plates were half-touched, most of the talk being gossip.
> "So~" Rei leaned her chin on her hand with a dreamy smile. "Even when Lucien provoked him, Kuro-sama didn't even blink. He's so cool, isn't he?"
Alisa rolled her eyes slightly, but couldn't hide her smile.
> "He's… different. He acts like nothing matters, but he's always watching."
> "That's what makes him interesting," Saria added. "His thoughts are hard to read. Even in class, he knows all the answers but never shows off."
Another girl chimed in.
> "He's a little scary. Those eyes… they're calm but cold."
Rei shook her head.
> "That's only because you don't know him like Rei does~ He's kind and gentle, and… he always keeps his promises."
Alisa leaned forward.
> "You've known him from the beginning, haven't you?"
> "Yes," Rei nodded proudly. "He saved me. He's the only one who truly understands me."
The other girls exchanged looks and whispered.
> "Do you think he likes Rei?"
> "Impossible, if anything, Rei is the one who likes him."
> "He never talks to any other girl… except maybe Selvaria-sensei."
Rei's face flushed slightly, but she smiled gracefully.
> "Well… Kuro-sama belongs with me. Okay?"
Alisa raised an eyebrow but smiled.
> "Is that so."
Saria shook her head gently, her gaze still distant, fixed on Kuro.
> "He is not ordinary. Not at all."
---
**[Cutscene - Upper Floor - Selvaria Watching from the Balcony]**
On the second-floor balcony, Selvaria drank her tea alone, her sharp demon eyes glowing faintly behind her glasses. She watched the two tables silently.
> "Human… emotions are so open," she whispered.
Her gaze moved between Kuro, Rei, Lucien, and Alisa.
> "This change… could alter everything."
She gave a faint smile.
> "Let's see how long they can keep pretending to be normal students."
---
✦ **To Be Continued...**