Editor : Amethyst00



From the day after the opening ceremony, when the semester begins, Lumene is already buzzing with activity.

Especially during the second semester.

Since new academic schedules await, it's a flurry of busyness.

"That's why we need a hearty breakfast!"

Eliana declared energetically as she stepped out of the Knight Department dormitory.

"But do we really need to rush like this?"

Following Eliana through the hallway, Celia asked with a puzzled expression.

Running in the dormitory halls was forbidden.

Of course, using magic or summons was also not allowed.

"Of course we do! We came out right after curfew ended for once! That means we must be the first to arrive at the school cafeteria!"

"Is it really that important to be the first at the cafeteria?"

"Tsk tsk! That's not like you, Celia!"

Eliana shook her head in disbelief.

"Aiming to be the best is so you, Celia Zerdinger! Eating before anyone else! You don't know the joy of that victory? I'm disappointed!"

Celia looked at Eliana's back as if to say, she's spouting nonsense again.

"Why else would all the dorms be equidistant from the cafeteria? It's to allow fair competition!"

"……Who competes over something like that? It's just a balanced architectural design. More importantly, when did you even measure the distance?"

Celia gave her a bewildered look.

Just then, Chen Xia, who was walking with them, tilted her head.

"If you love the feeling of winning so much, then why are you always oversleeping?"

"Heh. That's because!"

"Because?"

"I just can't wake up."

Eliana shrugged, and Chen Xia looked at her knowingly.

"But starting this semester, I'll be different!"

Eliana clenched her fist with determination.

"New Eliana, reborn! Aiming to be the top honors student of the Knight Department!"

"Such lofty dreams."

Celia chuckled.

Ignoring her, Eliana picked up speed.

"Which means—I'll be the first to arrive!"

Step step step—

She quickened her pace.

"Instead of wasting your energy trying to be first at something meaningless, you should focus on studying."

As Celia slowed her pace with a click of her tongue, Chen Xia nodded in agreement.

"On the first day, you're letting me take first place! Taste the bitterness of defeat!"

Watching Eliana puff up with pride, Chen Xia laughed.

"You look happy though."

"Oddly enough, I don't like this feeling of losing."

Maybe provoked, Celia picked up her pace too.

Seeing that, Chen Xia burst into laughter.

"You're such a kid, Celia."

When they finally reached the cafeteria, Eliana slumped down.

"This can't be… Walden was already here…"

"Why did you bother running on those short legs?"

"Who are you calling short?! My legs are long! Look! See this sleek and long silhouette!"

Eliana widened her eyes and pointed dramatically at her legs.

"They're short, though?"

"That's because you have long legs! Compared to Chelsea and Chen Xia, mine are longer!"

"Pfft!"

Celia, who had followed behind, burst into laughter without meaning to.

"What about my legs?"

"What's so funny, Celia?"

"Ack?!"

"Ahem ahem!"

At that moment, Chelsea, who had just arrived, put Eliana in a headlock while Celia feigned ignorance at Chen Xia's question.

"Oho! You're all so energetic this morning! But could you do this somewhere else? You're embarrassing in front of the underclassmen."

Carl chuckled as he spoke, having arrived with Chelsea.

As Carl said, students had begun gathering around the cafeteria entrance.

"By the way, Walden, did you come early to be first too?"

Celia asked curiously, and Walden replied nonchalantly.

"I just strolled here casually."

"Height difference really matters, huh."

"That's cheating!"

Eliana pouted.

The cafeteria entrance was getting crowded.

"I wonder what's for breakfast?"

"Hope it's something tasty."

As students chatted about the morning menu—

"Wait a second."

Chen Xia tilted her head.

"Why can't we smell anything?"

"Now that you mention it…"

Normally, a mouth-watering aroma would waft from the cafeteria.

But there was no scent at all.

As everyone exchanged puzzled looks—

Creak—!

The cafeteria door opened, and a middle-aged woman in a chef's uniform appeared.

"Head chef! Hello. Did you have a good break?"

Carl greeted her. The Lumene dormitory cafeteria chef smiled awkwardly.

"Hello, Carl. I had a good break. But we have a problem."

"Huh?"

"Someone stole all the ingredients this morning. We couldn't prepare breakfast."

"…"

"…"

At her words, the students were left speechless.

bl

Standing in front of the mirror, Eliza examined herself.

Nothing unusual about her appearance.

After straightening her clothes, she opened her desk drawer to retrieve a letter and candy meant for Carl.

And froze.

'Where is it?'

The envelope and candy that should have been there were gone.

She opened the lower drawer.

Still nothing.

"What?"

Looking flustered, Eliza began rummaging through her drawers and desk.

'It's gone? Why? What did I do?'

Frantically searching her room, she still found no letter.

'What happened?'

She tried to recall yesterday.

'I wrote the letter and put it in the drawer… then I had dinner with Freyna, rested in the dorm lounge, took a shower, and went to sleep.'

She hadn't touched the drawer since.

'Did someone steal it? But breaking into the dorm is impossible… Wait.'

Eliza's shoulders trembled.

She suddenly remembered—her door had been left open before dinner.

Eliza yanked open the top drawer again.

Pens spilled out, and among them fell a candy wrapper—torn, as if something had chewed through it.

Picking it up, Eliza focused her spiritual energy on it.

A faintly glowing powder appeared.

'A fairy… A fairy took it!'

Having identified the culprit, Eliza clenched her fist.

If it was a fairy, she had an idea who.

'Leo Plov's mischievous fairy!'

If that prankster fairy saw the letter and gave it to the newspaper club or something?

No! Judging by the candy theft, maybe it just happened to grab the letter too.

But what if it ate the candy and tossed the letter—what if someone found it?

'They'll find out I'm dating Carl!'

Memories of relentless teasing from classmates flashed through her mind.

She had only agreed to keep the relationship a secret because of those devilish peers.

Eliza turned pale.

'I have to find that fairy!'

Without hesitation, she burst through her dorm room door.

"LEO PLOV!"

She screamed his name and sprinted through the dorm corridor.

Passing summoning department girls looked startled.

"Wow… Eliza-sunbae… so bold, even on day one."

"She really is aiming to take down the student council president…"

"Let's get ourselves together!"

"Yeah! Our goal is winning the dorm competition!"

The younger students were newly motivated.

"Unnie… You're amazing!"

Freyna also looked at her with admiration.

bl

The food theft wasn't limited to the dormitory cafeteria.

Even the dorm store, nearby restaurants, and cafés had reported stolen goods.

"Ugh! Why do we have to eat this pathetic bread on the first day?!"

In the first magic class of the semester, Eliana tore into a baguette like it was meat, scowling.

"If you don't want it, I'll take it."

At Carl's words, she stuffed the bread into her mouth.

"Anyway, who could've done this?"

Chelsea crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Chloe let out a deep sigh.

"Leo."

Students turned toward her.

"Leo is great at throwing students into chaos with surprise incidents."

Chloe closed her book.

"Maybe he's trying to stir up competition among students for the new semester."

"Like what?"

Carl asked, and Chloe replied calmly.

"Maybe it's a plan to induce scarcity."

"Scarcity?"

"Yeah. Like triggering a food scramble."

It sounded plausible.

The sudden disappearance of food was suspicious.

Someone had staged it—and Leo would absolutely do something like that.

At Chloe's theory, Eliana's eyes went wide.

"Then he's planning to cause a food shortage and trigger a food war between departments?!"

"Your voice is too loud. We don't even know Leo's true intention yet."

Chloe scolded her.

But Eliana's shout had already echoed through the entire classroom.

"A food war between departments?"

"Totally something Leo would do."

"We need to stock up before it's too late!"

As magic department students buzzed—

"This isn't the time to sit around!"

Eliana shot up from her seat.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to warn the Knight students to secure food supplies!"

She was enrolled in this magic class as a dual-class student, but she was officially a Knight Department member.

Not just Eliana—other knight-mages and magic-summoners stood up urgently too.

Magic students reacted quickly.

"Hey! Stop them!"

"We can't let that intel leak!"

"Block the exit!"

The classroom turned into chaos.

"Ah! They blocked the door!"

"Eliana! What do we do?!"

Other Knight students hoping to become knight-mages looked at their de facto leader, Eliana.

"If it's come to this…"

With a determined expression, she dashed toward the window.

"Block it with magic!"

Someone cast a barrier spell, but Eliana used aura to shatter it.

Crash!

The classroom window shattered.

"Guys! I'll go tell the Knight Department to secure food supplies!"

"Eliana! We're counting on you!"

A magic-knight student encouraged her solemnly.

Just then—

Click—!

"What's all this ruckus?"

The classroom door opened, and Len walked in.

He frowned at the broken window.

"What happened to the window?"

"Eliana broke it on her way out."

"Running away on the first day? Bold move. Professor Anna, deduct points."

"Yes."

At Carl's dutiful report, Len responded coldly.

The broken window repaired itself via magic.

"Everyone! Welcome back! Did you enjoy your summer break?"

Len's lecture began.

As they listened, Chelsea muttered.

"People are overreacting even though nothing's confirmed yet."

"Because Leo would totally do something like this."

"Yeah… Leo oppa is practically a pro at messing with students, even more than some professors. Still, why isn't he in class?"

"Hmm… maybe he really is trying to start a food crisis."

"…Maybe."

As Chelsea and Chloe spoke—

Thanks to Eliana, Lumene's students had already launched into a food scramble from day one.

bl

Leo picked his ear.

"Who's bad-mouthing me?"

Melina tilted her head at his frown.

"Would anyone really talk bad about you, Leo-nim?"

"Tons. Like those Tartaros guys."

Leo casually separated the fighting Kiran and Fiora.

"Still, is it okay for you to be missing class on the first day?"

Leo smirked at her question.

"Elena's there. She'll handle things fine."

"True?"

"Yeah. Honestly, they'd probably prefer I wasn't there—no chaos."

"Well, Leo-nim, your very existence causes chaos for students."

"You make it sound like I'm harmful."

"Hehehe~"

"Ridiculous."

Leo reached out and playfully pinched Melina's cheek.