The cafeteria had never been this… quiet.
Not when Sayaka walked in.
Not when she picked up her food tray.
Not even when she walked past the first-year section, where students usually barked insults and muttered fake coughs to hide cruel laughter. Even the green-haired girl in her dorm didn't look at her face.
Not tonight.
Tonight… all she heard were whispers.
"That's her…"
"The girl Dev protected…"
"Do you think they're dating?"
"No way… but did you see how he looked at her?"
"She didn't even flinch when he shut down Leira's brother!"
The murmurs passed from table to table like wildfire through dry weeds. But no one said a word to her directly. No one even dared to meet her eyes.
Some even moved aside to let her sit.
Sayaka lowered her tray onto the corner table near the glass wall. The moon outside hung bright, staring through the windows like an audience.
She sat alone.
Again.
But not in the way she used to.
No longer ignored.
Now… watched.
She slowly began eating, but every bite tasted like a stone.
Her mind wasn't on the food.
It wasn't even on the silence.
It was on the storm building inside her chest.
Final exam tomorrow…
Two trials. Practical exams.
Summoning… Elemental Magic… Actual spellcasting.
She stared at her hands.
I still can't summon anything. I don't have mana. I don't even know if my system will help.
Her heart pounded against her ribs like a trapped creature.
What if I fail?
What if I'm humiliated again… after all this?
After he—
Her thoughts froze.
No. Don't think about that.
But the memory still burned inside her.
Dev — standing between her and fire, silencing a battlefield with one voice.
That can't happen again. I don't want someone saving me every time I fall. I want to stand up on my own.
She stabbed a piece of roasted root with her fork and sighed.
Still…
Why are they all talking like we're something? I've never even talked to him properly.
She glanced across the cafeteria.
Dev was there.
At his usual spot. Alone, of course.
He hadn't touched his food.
Again.
He sat with one elbow on the table, his crimson eyes lazily scanning the moonlit windows like he could read the night itself.
And just when Sayaka looked away—
He turned his gaze toward her.
Just a glance.
But it felt like her chest skipped.
She quickly looked down at her tray.
Don't do this. Focus. Exams are tomorrow. You're going to pass. Even if you barely survive it, you'll pass.
She tightened her grip on her spoon.
Let them talk. Let the rumors burn.
Just don't burn out before you even begin.