Some people call it fate, others call it destiny, but Ethan personally called it a curse.

  As the group of six left the Academy, they passed by the usual lemonade stall, grabbed some refreshing drinks, and headed into the bustling market district. The outing had started perfectly fine: light on the wallet, high on mood. They browsed the stalls, admired fshy trinkets, sampled free fruit slices, and even watched a street performer juggle daggers while blindfolded.

  It was shaping up to be the kind of celebration Ethan had hoped for—until Daniel opened his mouth.

  “Hey! You know what would hit the spot after this? That cafe we went to before!”

  Ethan froze. His stomach dropped. “Wait—what?”

  And yet, despite his silent plea to the heavens, five minutes ter, they were sitting at the same cursed overpriced cafe.

  “Wow! Look at this! It looks so delicious!”

  “Ah! I want to try this one… but also this one… and this one!”

  “Chocote pudding is undefeated, but that tiramisu is calling my soul!”

  The three girls were absolutely glowing, gushing over the menu like they’d found the gates of paradise.

  Meanwhile, the three guys shared a collective, quiet breakdown.

  Ethan leaned in, whispering fiercely to Daniel, “Hey. This time we’re splitting the bill, right? Right?”

  Daniel had the audacity to look shocked. “Are you crazy?! If we do that, they’ll never go out with us again!”

  Ethan’s eye twitched. “Then maybe we shouldn’t go out with them again.”

  Oliver chimed in, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Guys, I know I’m from a rich family, but that’s my family. My wallet’s still a commoner.”

  Ethan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “So... we’re doing this again.”

  “Apparently,” Oliver said grimly.

  Just then, Misha smiled up from the menu. “Ethan, what are you going to order?”

  He pstered on a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Probably water.”

  Anya raised an eyebrow. “Oh come on, live a little.”

  “Yeah,” Celica added. “You’re not going to make us eat alone, are you?”

  Daniel gave Ethan a thumbs-up under the table, as if this were some kind of glorious battle and Ethan was leading the charge.

  No, Ethan thought. This is not a battle. This is a massacre.

  Still he had to fight somehow, so he chose the cheesiest line he could think of—the kind that might preserve at least a fragment of his wallet’s dignity.

  “Seeing three beauties eat happily is enough to fill my stomach!”

  As soon as the words left his mouth, Ethan regretted everything. His ears turned red, and he had to fight the urge to crawl under the table and never come out again.

  But to his complete surprise… it worked.

  Misha’s eyes widened slightly before turning away, her hand lightly covering her mouth as she let out a soft, embarrassed giggle.

  “Th-that’s… well, if that’s how you feel, I won’t say anything…” Celica added in a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper. Her cheeks were visibly flushed.

  Even Anya, who was usually the boldest of the three, looked caught off guard. “That line was ancient… but kind of cute.”

  Ethan blinked. Wait… it actually worked?

  Somehow, impossibly, Ethan had escaped increasing the bill. He took a careful sip of water, still unsure how that cheesy line bought him financial salvation. Unfortunately, his two friends weren’t nearly as lucky.

  “What about you two?” Celica asked sweetly, her tone innocent—too innocent—as she looked at Daniel and Oliver. “Surely you’re not going to let Ethan carry the charm for the whole table?”

  Oliver, caught like a deer in headlights, clutched the menu like a shield. “Uhm… I… I think I’ll just get… tea.”

  “Tea?” Anya tilted her head. “But didn’t you say earlier you wanted to try the strawberry mousse?”

  “I-I did?” he asked, his voice cracking as the first bead of sweat formed on his temple.

  Anya leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands with the kind of expression that made people confess to crimes they didn’t commit. “You did.”

  Daniel, grinning like the backstabbing scoundrel he was, nodded solemnly. “You definitely did.”

  Ethan, suppressing a smirk, added dryly, “Didn’t you?”

  Oliver looked around for help, turning toward Misha like a shipwrecked man spotting nd. But Misha simply sipped her drink, eyes sparkling with amusement as she watched him fil.

  Resigned to his fate, Oliver sighed and spped the menu closed. “Fine! Strawberry mousse and… and the herbal tea. Happy?”

  “Extremely,” Anya said, grinning from ear to ear—already imagining the moment she’d casually ask for a bite of his mousse.

  But Oliver wasn’t going down alone.

  Feeling the sting of betrayal, he turned to Daniel with narrowed eyes. “And you, Daniel. If my memory serves me right, you were eyeing that chocote va cake…”

  Daniel’s confident smile wavered.

  “Oh! Is that so?” Celica chimed in before he could even raise a protest. She cpped her hands together. “Then don’t forget to give me a bite!”

  Daniel looked at Ethan for help, but Ethan just raised his gss in silent condolence. “You started this.”

  And so, the order was sealed.

  Three girls glowing with anticipation.

  Three boys slowly realizing what financial doom tasted like.

  …Strawberry, chocote, and cream.

  The night had ended with Ethan's savings halved once again. The group was making their way back toward the dormitories under the quiet cover of dusk, their ughter still lingering in the air, when sudden shouting broke through the night.

  “Did you hear that?” Anya asked, her hand pausing mid-gesture.

  They followed the sound, curiosity piqued, until they reached the mouth of a dimly lit alley. Shadows flickered against the stone walls, and raised voices echoed sharply between them.

  A group of thugs stood in a semicircle, surrounding a couple pressed against the alley wall. It wasn’t hard to tell who held the upper hand.

  “Lord Christopher!” Celica gasped, her voice slipping out before she could stop it.

  Daniel turned to her with a smirk. “Lord?”

  Celica instantly flushed. “I–It’s just a title! He’s from a noble family!”

  “Ohhh, reeeally?” Daniel said with a teasing drawl. “Someone’s got a crush.”

  “Shut up! If you were half as good looking as him, I’d call you Lord too!” Celica snapped—and punctuated it with a sharp kick to his knee.

  “OW—! Unprovoked assault!” Daniel cried, hopping on one foot.

  Ethan chuckled. “To be fair, you kind of earned that one.”

  “Yeah, yeah, ugh it up,” Daniel muttered, rubbing his leg. “Just wait ‘til I’m a famous healer. Then we’ll see who calls me Lord.”

  Ethan leaned forward, squinting. “Wait a minute... aren’t those Ronard’s thugs?”

  “You mean the bastard from the cafeteria?” Oliver asked, recognition dawning.

  “The same. Looks like he's settling the score the only way cowards do,” Ethan muttered.

  “Great,” Daniel said, folding his arms. “Thugs with daddy’s money.”

  “What are you guys talking about?” Anya asked, confused.

  Daniel filled her in on the cafeteria brawl between Christopher and a noble named Ronard, who clearly hadn’t taken his public defeat well.

  “Oh no! We’ve got to help them!” Celica said, taking a step forward without hesitation.

  But Ethan caught her wrist. “Hold on! You want to charge into a seven-on-one with no pn?”

  “But they’re cornered!” she protested.

  “Yes,” Oliver added, “and if we jump in now, we’ll just be the next ones on the ground.”

  Misha narrowed her eyes, peering into the alley. “There’s seven of them.... No weapons, but they are huge!”

  Ethan nodded grimly. “What did you expect? They're thugs, not assassins.”

  Anya looked between them. “Isn’t this illegal? What if the academy punishes us for fighting outside school grounds?”

  Daniel clenched his fists. “Well, I’m not about to let some noble hirelings beat up a guy for protecting his girl.”

  Anya stared at him. “You’ll get expelled.”

  Daniel paused, visibly defting. “...that would be bad!”

  At that moment, Christopher moved.

  Like a shadow gliding through fme, he stepped in with a sudden burst of speed, his palm shooting upward in a sharp arc. The blow caught the first thug under the chin with brutal precision—crack!—and the man colpsed instantly, his body hitting the ground like a sack of grain.

  The others froze, momentarily stunned. They’d come expecting an easy job. A helpless couple. Not this.

  Christopher didn’t give them time to regroup.

  Pivoting on one heel, he spun and drove a vicious kick square between the legs of the second thug, dropping him with a strangled cry.

  “Asshole!” one of the thugs roared, charging in with a wild, telegraphed punch.

  Christopher slipped under it smoothly, the motion almost zy, and rammed his elbow into the man’s ribs. A crack followed, and the thug folded forward, breathless, before Christopher shoved him aside like a broken doll.

  By now, Ethan and the others had shaken off their shock.

  Celica took a step forward, eyes burning. “We have to help him!”

  But Ethan raised a hand to stop her. “Wait. He’s got this.”

  Two more came together this time, one from each side, hoping to grab him. He made no effort to avoid both. Instead, he let one tch onto his arm while he swept the legs from under the second, bringing him down with a thud. In the same motion, he turned and twisted, pulling the first off bance and driving his fist into the man’s stomach before finishing him with a rising knee to the jaw.

  Only two thugs remained standing now.

  They exchanged a nervous gnce—then one growled and ran straight at Christopher, while the other turned tail, breaking into a sprint.

  Ethan didn’t hesitate. “Daniel! Now!”

  “On it!”

  Ethan darted forward and tackled the fleeing thug, his shoulder smming into the man's gut and knocking the wind out of him. The thug tried to squirm free, but before he could, Daniel caught up and delivered a clean, heavy punch to the side of his jaw—thud!—dropping him instantly.

  Meanwhile, Christopher dodged the final thug’s desperate strike and ended it with a single, devastating roundhouse kick to the side of the head. The man crumpled, out cold before he hit the ground.

  Christopher straightened, his breath measured, eyes sharp as he turned to the new arrivals—Ethan and his friends—assessing them in an instant.

  The silence that followed was thick, broken only by the groans of unconscious men scattered across the alley.

  Looking around, Daniel couldn’t help but whistle.“Genius indeed. Did you guys see those crazy moves? I’ve never seen anyone move like that before!”

  Ethan nodded, arms crossed and eyes fixed on the spot where Christopher had stood just moments before.“Yeah... makes you wonder what kind of training it takes to move like that.”A hint of jealousy welled up in his chest. Some people were simply blessed—while others, like him, were cursed.

  Oliver, on the other hand, still looked dazed.“Wait... what just happened? It was so fast... I—”

  Christopher stood three paces away, still in a guarded stance. His gaze swept over the group, measuring them one by one. His posture rexed slightly as he recognized the academy uniforms, but he didn’t drop his guard.

  “You’re... students?” he asked cautiously.

  Daniel quickly pulled out his student ID and held it up.“Oh, yeah. We’re first-year students from the Healer department. Don’t worry though—we’re not exactly healers just yet.”

  Christopher’s eyes flicked to the ID, then back to the group.“I see.”

  “We saw what was going on and wanted to help,” Daniel continued, “but, well... you pretty much wiped the floor with them before we could even move.”

  “Not all of them,” Christopher said ftly. He nodded toward the unconscious man beneath Daniel’s feet. “That one nearly got away.”

  Daniel gnced down, then grinned.“Well, I’m gd we could at least do something.”

  “Don’t be too gd,” Christopher warned. “You might’ve just gotten yourselves involved in something far more dangerous than a street brawl.”

  “You mean that Roberd guy?” Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “You know him?” Christopher’s tone sharpened with a touch of suspicion.

  “Not personally,” Daniel shrugged. “But we heard the rumors, and we saw your fight in the canteen before the Geography test. Didn’t take a genius to figure out what was happening.”

  Christopher regarded him for a moment, then gave a soft chuckle.“And you still decided to jump in? I don’t know whether to call that brave or reckless.”

  “Reckless, for sure,” Ethan muttered under his breath.

  “Hey!” Daniel turned to him, mock-offended. “You say that, but you were the first one to tackle the guy trying to run away!”

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t recognize my own behavior,” Ethan smirked.

  “Anyway,” he continued, “let’s get out of here before these guys wake up. The sooner we’re gone, the better.”

  “Agreed,” Christopher nodded.

  The eight students hurried through the streets, making their way back to the academy. Once they reached the school gates, they came to a stop for a final exchange.

  “Thanks again for the help,” Christopher said, his tone more rexed now. “Mind if I ask your names?”

  “I’m Daniel Rooks,” Daniel said with a grin. “This is Ethan Cross, and that’s Oliver Greaves.”

  Celica stepped forward with a polite smile. “Celica Wards.”

  “Anya Rivers,” said the short-haired girl beside her with a casual wave.

  “Misha Florentia,” Misha added softly, still gncing shyly in Ethan’s direction.

  “I’m Christopher Lightwatch,” he said, nodding at each of them. “And this is Angeline Fleur, my childhood friend from the same vilge.”

  “Eh!? So you're not a couple!?” Daniel asked, visibly surprised.

  Angeline immediately flushed bright red and hid slightly behind Christopher.

  “No such thing,” Christopher replied calmly. “I’m like a big brother to her.”

  Angeline's eyes briefly darted toward him, clearly betraying something more—but Christopher seemed completely unaware.

  Daniel turned to Celica with a grin. “Isn’t that nice, Celica? You still have a chance!”

  Celica’s eyes widened in horror, and she stomped hard on Daniel’s foot.

  “Shut up! That was uncalled for!”

  “Ow—ow! Okay! Sorry!”

  “Well,” Ethan cut in, chuckling, “it’s already night. Let’s call it a day.”

  “Yeah, see you next time,” Oliver said, stretching.

  “Take care,” Christopher added. “Hopefully next time we meet, it won’t be under such circumstances.”

  The group exchanged waves and farewells before heading off in different directions toward their dormitories. The night may have ended, but the semester had just begun—and with it, plenty more days of chaos, csses, and perhaps, a few more surprises.