After 2 hours of classes, [12:30 AM]...
Raven is now in the cafeteria with Eve and the others.
"There’s so many people... Ugh..."
Raven grumbled with a frown after seeing the place packed with people, be it students or academy staffs.
It’s his first time there, and as a matter of fact, Raven wouldn’t come to the cafeteria if not for Eve forcing him.
And although Raven found her sudden invitation weird—he didn’t think much about it because he thinks it’s bothersome.
"Do you hate people?"
Blake then asked Raven.
Alec, Adelle, and Aoi are curious about this too.
Curtis is just walking with Eve and he really doesn’t care. While Eve is timing her walking pace with Raven’s.
Raven scanned every corner of the cafeteria, then he shook his head without looking at Blake.
"I hate everything all about the same."
He answered. His voice and tone doesn’t seem like he’s joking, so the others squinted their eyes after hearing that.
"Especially tiring things."
He added, sounding uninterested.
"Then do you hate us?"
After that, Adelle asked Raven with a teasing tone.
Raven looked at her and the group, he massaged his chin as if he’s thinking about something hard.
Then after a while, he opened his mouth.
"You guys are weird so I like you all."
He said and shrugged his shoulders.
His response made the others frown.
’As we are saying... You’re weirder than any of us!’
Eve, Alec, Aoi, Blake, and Adelle thought in unison.
Raven, easily predicting what the group is thinking, spoke again.
"I’m not weird, I’m just so fucking special that you guys thought that I am weird."
Now the others have a complicated expression on their faces as they don’t know how to reply to his words.
"If you’re special, then what am I then?"
Just then, Curtis proudly and sarcastically asked that.
Raven glanced at him for a second then looked forward again.
"A virgin who doesn’t know how to flirt."
Then he bluntly said what’s in his mind.
Curtis was about to shout and curse at him, but he heard a laugh.
He looked at the group to see who it was...
But all of them have their mouths closed and puffing their cheeks as they struggle to hold their laughter back.
"Who the fuck was that?!"
Then the same laughing was heard.
"It’s you isn’t it?!"
Curtis exclaimed while pointing at Raven.
Raven’s face remained unchanged since entering the cafeteria, so he looked at Curtis and shook his head.
"I didn’t laugh, why would I? I didn’t even tell or hear a joke."
Curtis took Raven’s words as a provocation and was about to channel mana to his fist.
But he heard the laugh again, he’s looking at Raven this time—and he didn’t open his mouth!
Raven lazily said and looked in front of him again.
Curtis frowned and started to look at the other members of the group to find the one laughing.
And while that was happening... They reached a table for all of them to sit on.
Oh, the one laughing was Eve by the way—she’s in front of Curtis so he can’t see her face. Also, he didn’t think of Eve laughing, as he even barely sees her smile.
Though Raven saw that it was Eve was, he just didn’t tell Curtis because he thinks it’s annoying to talk to him.
Anyway, they’re now sitting in the middle of the cafeteria.
Raven looked at Eve and spoke.
"So? What do you want?"
He asked, he was brought here by Eve—she told him that she needed his help with something.
Raven thought that it might be connected to the story so he came with them.
Also, the group didn’t stop looking at him worriedly.
So he thought that there’s something really bad happening.
’But why in the cafeteria? Are they hungry or what?’
As Raven was thinking of that...
Eve took out a lunchbox from her spatial storage. It was fairly big, maybe the amount of food you can put in it is for two people.
Then she said that while her hand is placed on top of it. She’s looking at Raven with pleading eyes.
Raven asked, looking at the lunchbox with a frown.
"Damn, you eat that much? I’m surprised you’re not getting fat."
He unconsciously muttered after seeing its size.
His statement made the others shoot their eyes wide open. Eve is annoyed inside but is still smiling kindly, though in her mind... She’s beating the shit out of Raven.
Curtis was about to yell at Raven but Eve stopped him by punching him on his side.
"Why? Do I look fat to you?"
Eve asked while smiling, hiding her hostility.
Raven frowned at her words and looked around.
"No, you have a great figure. If you are considered fat, then there will be a lot of people who are gonna be called hippos."
He answered honestly, though his tone seems like he’s uninterested in such a topic.
His wording might be weird, but it’s definitely a compliment.
It surprised the group, even Eve—they thought that Raven would say something stupid, but he actually complimented her.
(Well it’s really stupid though, the way he said it lol.)
Though Eve feels weird thanking Raven, she did it anyway.
"Why the thanks? I’m just saying the truth."
Then he replied, tilting his head and looking at Eve like she’s weird.
"No... just... You know... Ugh, whatever."
Raven’s actions today might have caught Eve off guard, but she’s still gonna go with her petty revenge.
(Raven is in a good mood because his body feels light.)
"So anyway, I’m learning how to cook."
Eve stated, looking at Raven and acting shy.
Curtis saw that, so his head snapped to his side.
"Bastard! What did you do to Eve?!"
Then he asked with a loud voice, if glares could kill, Raven might be dead now.
Not that Raven cared as he casually shrugged him off, not even looking at Curtis.
Curtis just shut his mouth when Eve told him to. Though he’s still glaring at Raven.
Eve sighed, then she faced Raven again.
"I heard that you’re very good at cooking."
Eve mumbled, still acting a bit shy.
Not that Raven noticed as he just nodded his head unenthusiastically.
"Yeah, people do say I’m good at it."
He confidently answered. Raven’s confidence felt rather unpleasant for Eve, but she just brushed it off and started acting again.
"You see, lately, I’m learning how to cook, and umm... I want you to taste one of the dishes I cooked and have your opinion."
She thought as she thinks her acting was top-notch.
The others who know that she’s acting felt admiration for her. While Curtis is now really dying of jealousy, the other students who are in the cafeteria were feeling the same, they can hear Eve and Raven’s conversation... Which is exactly her intention.
’Now, how will you react?’
Eve excitedly looked at Raven to see his face, but she just saw him looking at her calmly. This made her frown inside.
Raven asked in a rather confused tone.
"Yeah, sorry if I bothered you."
She apologized in the most sympathetic voice she can.
"Well, you really did bother me."
Raven immediately answered.
Eve’s fingers cracked as she clenched her hands so tightly because of his remark.
Curtis was about to do something but Eve stopped him again.
"But if it’s only that, then sure."
But surprisingly, Raven agreed without hesitation.
His answer was unexpected to others as they were sure Raven will frown first before being forced to agree.
But he actually agreed in a rather calm attitude.
"I didn’t know you’d agree immediately, because aren’t you like... Someone who doesn’t want to eat somebody else’s cooking?"
Raven was surprised that Eve knows that, but because she’s friends with Adelle—he didn’t need to think much to know how.
So moving on, he just shrugged and opened his mouth.
"It’s you who made the food, not just ’somebody else’."
Eve frowned at his answer and guilt hit her a bit, but she ignored it.
’Calm down, it’s all planned out... There’s no more going back.’
She then opened the lunchbox and placed it in front of Raven.
Raven looked down at the food.
"Aoi taught me how to make it."
And after hearing her name from her mouth... Aoi smiled awkwardly.
What’s inside the lunchbox is a simple curry and rice. The presentation of the dish itself is good—it’s easy to notice that it took some time to make.
It also smells good, stimulating one’s hunger.
If Alec, Blake, Aoi, and Adelle didn’t know that Eve did something to it—they would have begged Raven to give them some.
But Curtis didn’t know that so he asked Eve with sad eyes after seeing the food.
(He would probably still ask for it even though he knows.)
"You don’t know anything about cooking, you just eat everything that’s presented to you, so you don’t have some."
Anyway, Eve coldly replied to him.
Curtis then glared at Raven again while mumbling:
"I’ll learn how to cook better than you starting tomorrow."
Though Raven doesn’t really care. He just took the spoon and scooped some rice and curry.
He looked at the food on the spoon.
’Well, I’ll just probably taste something bitter.’
He thought as he smiled bitterly and placed the food in his mouth.
But then, his eyes widened!
He stopped moving for a second... And started to chew again not long.
’That surprised look, looks like he finally tasted the herb that I mixed in.’
Eve happily thought. She put a herb in the curry that has a rare, very salty taste.
She put that herb to avoid being accused of food poisoning. The effect of it is relieving the consumer’s body fatigue.
’I’ll just say that I put it as a consideration because he always looks tired.’
Eve smiled deeper as she had the perfect plan!
Then Raven swallowed the food in his mouth.
He declared that genuinely. He was smiling and looking at Eve.
And hearing his words, Eve couldn’t help but frown.