The Anomaly's Path

The Top 10 building had private training rooms for each student, but their size and quality depended on rank.

The Primus got the best one, and the quality dropped the lower you were.

Because of this, most students outside the Primus prefer to use the general training halls instead of their private rooms. Using those halls costs academy credits points, but the Top 10 rankers have plenty of points to spend, so they do not mind paying for better facilities.

Roan was one of those who used the general hall regularly. Ever since they returned from the Magic City, he had been coming here every night to train. He wasn’t alone.

Alice, Riven, and Caster were always with him. The four of them pushed each other to their limits long after classes ended. Roan had tried to drag Leo along many times, but Leo always refused. Knowing Leo liked to train alone, Roan never forced it.

Tonight was no different.

The group was in the middle of a heavy sparring session when Alice suddenly dropped her weapon and groaned, clutching her stomach. She complained about being starving, which quickly stopped their training. As they gathered their things to leave, a loud, muffled explosion echoed from the kitchen area.

”Did that come from the kitchen?” Alice asked, her sharp amber eyes narrowing.

Curious about the noise, the group crept down the hallway. They reached the double doors of the dining hall and were about to push them open when they heard a familiar voice inside. It was Leo.

Moving quietly, they cracked the door open just a little to peek inside. Alice tried to barge right through, but Roan quickly threw out his arm, blocking her. He grinned, whispering for everyone to stay quiet so they could see what Leo and Seris were talking about.

They watched the whole conversation in secret.

When Leo started stammering and leaning forward across the table, the group pressed closer against the door. Alice narrowed her eyes, whispering that Leo looked like he was about to ask Seris out on a date. Roan could barely hold back his laughter, shaking with excitement.

But their luck ran out a second later. Leo’s head snapped toward the door, his blue eyes locking right onto the tiny gap.

_

[Leo’s POV]

I stood up from my chair so fast it scraped against the floor. My face was flat, a vein throbbing on my forehead as I glared at the doorway. I locked my eyes straight onto Roan, knowing this whole stunt was his idea.

Seeing they were caught, the group stopped hiding. The heavy doors swung open fully, and they walked into the dining hall like they hadn’t just been caught spying.

”Well, oh hello bro!” Roan said, clapping his hands together with a huge, unbothered grin. ”What a nice coincidence, right? We were just passing by. I mean, we came here to eat something because we are all hungry.”

Alice quickly letting out a forced laugh. ”Yeah! Exactly. So hungry.”

To make it believable, she elbowed Riven hard in the ribs. Riven grunted, his face twisting into a scowl, but he stayed quiet. Alice then sniffed the air, looking toward the counter. ”But seriously, what is that smell? We heard a big blast back here.”

I let out a long, heavy sigh, completely ignoring her question as I turned my gaze away from the chaotic duo. I looked past them, focusing on Caster who were standing nervously near the back.

”Do you also have an excuse, or are you actually just hungry?” I asked dryly.

Caster scratched his cheek, looking down at his boots. ”Well... I guess I am pretty hungry.”

Looking at these idiots who were still silently arguing and nudging each other, I couldn’t help but let out another exhausted sigh. But deep down, a cold sweat broke out on my back. It was a massive relief that I had caught them right at that exact second.

If they had heard what I was actually about to say to Seris, I would have died from sheer embarrassment. I would never have lived it down. Roan and Alice would tease me for years.

Roan suddenly clapped his hands together again, stepping right up to the table. He glanced between me and Seris, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

”Anyway, sorry to interrupt your little couple moment, bro,” he joked, leaning heavily on the back of an empty chair. He then looked down at the empty bowls. ”But since we are all here now, why don’t we all eat together? And of course, you are going to cook for us.”

”Shut the fuck up, you freeloader,” I snapped immediately, glaring at him. ”Why the hell would I cook for all of you?”

”Oh, come on,” Roan laughed, waving his hand dismissively. ”You already know none of us have any idea how to cook. You’re the only one here who actually knows how to handle a kitchen. Besides, you already cooked a whole meal for her, and we are your own team! If you can feed her, you can definitely cook for us.”

”Like hell I will. Go cook for yourselves,” I muttered, crossing my arms.

_

The next ten minutes were chaos.

Alice kept complaining about being hungry. Roan kept making jokes about me being a bad host. Caster looked like he was about to pass out from hunger. Even Seris sat still, blinking her crimson eyes, and said flatly, ”The kitchen needs someone in charge to stop it from exploding again.”

I gave up.

Grumbling and cursing Roan under my breath, I walked back to the counter and turned on the stoves. I made a big batch of meat noodles to feed these bottomless pits. And since I was already there, I baked a proper sweet cake using the ovens to speed things up.

The dining hall became loud and chaotic.

We all crowded around the long wooden table, eating, shouting, and listening to Roan tell exaggerated stories about training.

Even Seris ate her cake quietly, looking satisfied. She occasionally said something dead serious and blunt that made Alice burst out laughing. For a while, the stress from my mind faded.For a while, the stress from my mind faded.

Eventually, the food was gone, and the late hour caught up with everyone. The academy festival started tomorrow, and we all had a long day ahead, so we decided to call it a night.

We left the dining hall together and walked back to the residential wing. Since we all lived in the same building, we crowded into the large elevator. One by one, the doors opened on different floors, and everyone got off, waving goodbye until only me and Seris were left.

The elevator rose quietly until it reached the very top floor, which was only for the two of us. The hallway was dark and silent as we stepped out, our footsteps echoing against the carpet. Our rooms were just a short distance apart. As we walked down the quiet corridor, the silence felt incredibly loud compared to the chaos earlier.

”Hey,” I said quietly, to break the silence. ”About earlier... sorry about them. They’re complete idiots, but they’re good people.”

Seris paused, stopping in front of her door. She turned to face me, and to my surprise, a tiny, almost invisible smile touched her lips. ”You do not need to apologize. It was fun. You have very good friends, Leo.”

I blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the rare sight of her smiling. ”Yeah. I guess I do.”

”And... thank you for the cake,” Seris added smoothly, her hand resting on her door handle. ”It was truly delicious.”

She began to turn the handle, ready to step inside.

My heart started pounding. My mind was racing. Should I ask her? Should I just let it go? Roan’s advice about making real effort came back to me, pushing past my usual hesitation. I opened my mouth to speak, the words right there, but the awkwardness froze me. I was stuck in my own head.

Before I could say anything, the soft click of her door handle stopped.

Seris paused. Instead of going inside, she slowly turned her head back toward me, her deep crimson eyes locking onto mine with quiet curiosity.

”Ah...” Seris said softly, her flat voice cutting through the dark hallway. ”I remember you were about to say something earlier in the dining hall, but you stopped when the others arrived. What do you want to say?”

My stomach completely dropped.

Damn it, she noticed? Of course she noticed. My mind panicked, screaming at me to find a way out. I couldn’t just brush it off now. Her gaze was locked on me, waiting for an answer. There was no running away.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry, as I forced the words out, trying to sound steady.

”The festival... it starts tomorrow,” I stammered, rubbing the back of my neck as my face grew hot. ”And since I still owe you a big debt for what happened in the Gate, and I really pressured you back then... I was wondering. If you’re free, so I can repay you... would you like to go to the festival with me?”

A heavy silence fell over the dark hallway. Seris stood completely still, her face unreadable as she stared at me. The seconds felt like hours, making my chest tighten with anxiety.

Then, she slowly opened her mouth, her smooth voice cutting through the quiet.

”I...”