Chapter 227 Food and Hidden Agendas

Chapter 227 Food and Hidden Agendas

"One... Two..."

Pushing myself from the ground, I groaned as the satisfying pain shot through my muscles.

It felt as if my muscles would tear apart, however, I kept my body steady, ignoring the discomfort completely.

'Just another fifty...'

Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead, blurring my vision.

Nevertheless, I only stopped when the set was completed.

"Ughhh..."

Collapsing onto the ground, I allowed myself to lay still for a few moments, feeling the burn of exertion pulsating through my body.

Only after the first few waves of discomfort subsided, did I slowly sit up and take a deep breath.

My eyes automatically darted toward the clock on the wall, noticing that it was almost time for lunch.

I quickly went to wash myself for the second time this morning and left my apartment, heading toward the Cafeteria.

Approaching the massive building I could already hear the bustling sounds of students chatting and utensils clinking against plates.

"..."

Instinctively, my face started to tense and I could feel a slight annoyance building up.

People.

Approaching the door, I entered the massive room, taking in the sight of endless students hunched over trays of food, chatting animatedly with their friends.

The sight of the crowded cafeteria, filled with people and noise, made me feel uneasy.

Unhappy.

There was simply too much noise.

Anyway, I couldn't do anything about it hence quickly went and grabbed a tray, navigating through the sea of students to find an empty seat.

Luckily, at the corner of the cafeteria, there was a small table tucked away with a single person sitting alone.

The individual wore a hood, hiding his features from the rest of the world.

He also had a book resting by his side, indicating that he might prefer a quiet and solitary lunch.

'This is perfect.'

Approaching the table, I threw a glance at the figure, waiting for any reaction but he remained engrossed in his book, seemingly oblivious to my presence.

I wasn't annoyed by his lack of acknowledgment, in fact, I welcomed it.

This meant that I was free to enjoy my lunch in peace without engaging in forced social interaction.

Crunch...

Stuffing a bite of sandwich into my mouth, I glanced around the cafeteria.

In a far corner, I could see students huddled together, engrossed in a lively conversation.

Even from afar, I could see red and azure hair in the crowd.

Tess and Rose.

My eyes narrowed slightly as I observed their animated gestures and heard snippets of laughter.

Seems like they were having a good time.

Next, my eyes landed on a group of students sitting at a long table near the center of the cafeteria.

I don't know how or why but Kai and Drake were sitting there.

Both of them seemed drained, emotionally exhausted, and disinterested in their surroundings.

Kai's face was something similar to a massive frown as if he faced his biggest enemy while Drake was trying to survive the noise and chaos of the crowded cafeteria.

His social skills were not high enough for him to be thrown into such a loud and bustling environment.

He was flustered.

'At least he's getting better...'

I smirked looking at his strained expression.

At first, he could barely speak with new people, so this is a significant improvement for him and also good news for the future.

I needed him to be able to function in social environments, as social skills are crucial in various aspects of life.

'I can't have one of the protagonists unable to get a taxi...'

Giggling under my breath, I turned my head back towards the solitary figure at the small table.

I almost choked on my sandwich noticing that he had closed his book and was now staring directly at me.

"Hello?"

Pushing down the bite, I managed to squeak out a greeting.

"Morning..."

The figure also looked up and responded with a nod.

However, the voice that responded was not what I expected.

"..."

For a moment, I stared at the hooded figure in front of me, unsure of what to say.

The hooded figure also kept silent but I could sense a slight annoyance.

"Katarina?"

Raising my eyebrows, I observed as the figure turned the book's page.

For a moment, her hands froze as if she was caught off guard, however, she quickly snapped out of it.

"Who?" n((OveLB1n

Staring at the hooded figure, I felt the corner of my eye twitch slightly.

"Never mind."

Shifting my eyes from Katarina, I reached for the bottle of water.

I was 100% certain that the hooded figure was Katarina but if she wanted to pretend otherwise, I saw no reason to press the issue.

Crunch...

Chewing my food, I made sure not to leave a mess on the table and cleaned up any crumbs that fell.

"Have a good day."

I threw the last look at the hooded Katarina before gathering my belongings and leaving the Cafeteria.

Whatever she was doing, it seemed dumb.

'Everyone has to go through that phase...'

Shrugging my shoulders, I picked up my pace, heading toward the Mana Theory Class.

I didn't want to be late.

***

Click...

The sound of tongue clicking echoed in the corner of the cafeteria.

Katarina's emerald eyes tried to dig into the text of the book she had but her mind was elsewhere.

'Why did I act like that?'

Massaging her temples, she sighed.

As soon as she saw somebody approaching her table, she became annoyed.

Only when the figure got closer did she realize it was Aiden.

Now, two of her interests clashed.

Spend her lunch peacefully or try to deepen their relationship, try to gain his trust.

Ultimately, she decided to prioritize the book, however, she couldn't control herself from staring at him as he glanced around the Cafeteria.

Katarina followed his gaze and found out that he seemed to be looking for someone in particular.

The four 'protagonists' of this world.

"..."

Katarina's body tensed and she began to observe Aiden closer.

'What does he know...'

Her inner thoughts began to race and her insides churned.

For a moment, she reached for a dagger hidden in her hood, however controlled herself at the last second.

She knew that acting impulsively would only make matters worse.

Also, killing is prohibited.

At least if there were witnesses around and currently they were surrounded by other students in the bustling cafeteria.

!!!

Suddenly, Aiden redirected his glance towards Katarina, catching her off guard.

'Shit!'

For a moment, she wanted to divert her gaze but decided otherwise, maintaining eye contact with him.

"Hello?"

Startled by his direct address, Katarina hesitated for a moment before responding with a low tone.

She tried to deepen her voice to keep her identity hidden.

It was her first time doing that, so she wasn't sure how successful she was in disguising herself, however, Aiden's gaze didn't leave her.

'Please turn away...'

Her annoyance began to mount as Aiden continued to stare at her.

She felt uncomfortable being gazed at so intensely, especially by Aiden's eyes.

Their golden glow seemed to radiate a certain chill that made her back shiver even though she was wearing a robe.

"Katarina?"

Suddenly, Aiden began to speak and Katarina froze.

Barely for a moment but it was more than enough for Aiden to see.

Hiss...

She hissed at her own stupidity for not maintaining a composed exterior and began to quickly collect her thoughts.

Act as if you know nothing!

It was the first thought that came to her head and she stuck to it, not giving it a second thought.

"Who?"

As soon as Katarina heard what she had said, she wanted to kick herself.

"..."

Aiden's gaze intensified for a second before he shook his head.

"Never mind."

He let out a sigh and once again returned his attention to scanning the crowd.

It didn't take long for him to eat his lunch and rise from his seat.

"Have a good day."

Throwing her a last glance, he turned and walked away from the bustling Cafeteria without a second thought.

"..."

Katarina stared at his back as he left the building.

For some reason, although he had left, her annoyance kept increasing.

However, she knew that expressing her frustration would only draw unnecessary attention.

'Calm down...'

Letting her nails dig into her palm, Katarina relaxed her tense body and leaned back into her seat.

Aiden had proved, once again, that there was something underneath the layer of just a 'strong' student.

He was an Anomaly.

Either worth keeping or killing to prevent future harm.

Katarina already more or less knew the characters of most of the people she was going to fight alongside in the future so she could anticipate their strengths and weaknesses.

Aiden, on the other hand, was a complete enigma.

"I hate this..."

Katarina muttered under her breath, closing her book with a frustrated sigh.

Rising from the table, Katarina made her way out of the cafeteria and headed to her next class.

The Combat classes with Robbin.

Katarina's nose wrinkled.