The school cafeteria is in a different building from the school building. Walking together with Carla and Bella, Arthur attracted attention as if he was a handsome lion who suddenly appeared, not only the men but also the women.
The latter party couldn't help but marvel, wondering if he was a new student. Being able to walk with two of the prettiest girls was one thing, but even with them, he didn't look awkward, or conversely, unduly proud.
He was very calm, walking in front as if he was just walking alone, without looking left or right.
In the end, it was Carla and Bella who became a little awkward since this was also their first experience — usually, the guys they walked with would act like watchdogs.
They quickly arrived at the cafeteria, which was still not very crowded as recess had just started.
Arthur who always liked the corner position walked over to the table by the window. It has four seats surrounding it. He sat directly on one of them, confusing Carla and Bella.
"Arthur, this is not a restaurant, we have to get our own food," said the latter, looking at the long table filled with trays of food. She couldn't help but be astonished since she too had only just now come to her senses.
Arthur naturally knew it, he looked at her and said, "cold tea and three pieces of meat, plus a plate of vegetables!"
"What do you mean?" Bella asked, confused, same for Carla.
"Do not understand?" Arthur smiled faintly. He explained, "You know, men make money and women prepare meals. I'm not talking about home life, — basically, when you're in my gang, you have to help with certain things in my life that suit you. In exchange, I'll help you take care of the things I can do."
"A-aaa!" Bella and Carla were stunned by his words. The latter wonders if he's still her cousin while the former asks "when did I become a member of your gang, and since when did you have a gang?"
"Since you followed me, of course!"
"..."
Bella was silent for a while and then she laughed, holding her stomach to keep the sound from spreading too far. She said "you seem to think of yourself as a boss, good, I like that, if you are, then I don't mind being even your mistress!"
She turned around, took a step to the long table. At the same time, she said to Carla. "Wait here, I'll get your food too!"
Carla sat across from Arthur as Bella left, her gaze never leaving his face.
"Arthur," she said.
Arthur responded with an expression as if to say 'what's wrong?'
The green eyed girl didn't immediately continue, she seemed to be contemplating what she wanted to say. In the end, she sighed. "I'm not used to you," she said.
"I'm still me," Arthur replied. He grabbed Carla's palm on the table, making her tremble for a moment.
She stared at her palm, thinking Arthur's touch made her feel a sensation that was hard to describe.
"Do you really want to be boss?" She asked.
Arthur chuckled at the question. He used the term gang because it was an easier word for schoolgirks, but, of course, that wasn't what he wanted.
He looked up at the sky through the window and replied, "There are no boundaries in seeking power, whether it be magic or people. Bella is an interesting woman, has quite a lot of strengths, so she can be a part of my journey."
Carla rolled her eyes with an expression at a loss for what else to say.
Meanwhile, Bella was quite eye-catching because she was carrying a tray full of various dishes.
It probably wasn't heavy enough to bother even a woman, but Bella seemed to have a weak physique. While carrying the tray, she quickened her pace as if she wanted to put it down immediately.
Carla who knew very well that Bella was lazier than Arthur in sports looked poor on her, she looked like she wanted to help her but Arthur's hand was holding hers as if signaling her not to do anything.
Arthur then flicked his finger at Bella who was still quite far away. A speck of spiritual energy shot out from his fingertip, flying towards Bella at a tremendous speed.
It entered her forehead and disappeared into her body. Bella who was feeling quite tired suddenly found her body seemed to have gotten stronger so that the tray she was carrying felt like it didn't contain much.
She was flustered, slowed her pace and ended up staying that way as she made her way to Arthur's table.
Of course, ehe wasn't really aware of what was going on.
Carla who knew what happened opened her mouth slightly.
"I thought you would be very arrogant," she said.
Arthur didn't answer, just smiled. He would be arrogant and vicious to his enemies, slaughtering even the very few that wouldn't weigh him down, but as for his own people, he would be good enough — the point is not to burden them with more than they could bear.
---
Class E, this is at the end of the fifth floor, the boys mostly enter this school because they excel in sports while the girls excel in music or dance.
Compared to other classes, the students in this class can be said to be quite naughty.
Cale frowned as he stepped inside the classroom. He even found men and women kissing in the corner of the classroom.
His gaze stopped on Alex, who was sitting at the very back, surrounded by the other students. They are reading adult magazines.
Seeing the gang, Cale hesitated a bit as he walked toward them.
They also turned their gazes towards him. Some looked at him doubtfully and some looked at him like a wolf seeing a cat.
Alex waved his hand, signaling his companions to open a path for him.
"The smartest student shouldn't have come here, is there something?" he asked Cale.
The latter took a deep breath before replying, "I have something to tell you."
"Oh, what is it?"
"About Bella, I think she likes someone, a guy named Arthur, Carla's cousin."
The expressions of Alex's friends became weird hearing that while Alex himself seemed to be thinking.
Because he was silent without showing any reaction, Cale became doubtful. He wondered what he was thinking.
After a moment of thought, he added, "they are currently in the cafeteria!"
Right after he said that, Alex suddenly stood up and took a step while saying, "let's go to the cafeteria!"
His companions thought there would be something interesting, so they quickly followed him like a pack of dogs following their king.
Cale was happy and he smiled with satisfaction.
___
When Bella arrived at the table, the first thing she looked at was Arthur and Carla's hands. The former had already withdrawn his hand but she was still watching from afar as he held Carla's hand. Her smile became strange as she said, "seems you guys got along really well now, more intimate than siblings."
Carla was embarrassed by her words, she snorted softly.
"Don't say nonsense, quickly put down the food," she replied.
Bella chuckled before putting down the tray. One of the things on it was a plate of three pieces of meat piled together, they were a bit too much for one person.
"You're not going to eat all this meat, are you?" Bella asked, she sat on the chair next to Arthur.
The latter didn't answer, he took the plate and the cup containing the iced tea.
A knife and fork were placed on the plate, he picked up the knife, then cut the pieces of meat into smaller pieces with skillful movements, leaving Carla and Bella spellbound.
Right after that, he poked one of the pieces of meat with his fork before bringing it to his mouth. Everything he did was swift but if you saw him, you would think it was a very elegant move — a noble would probably need a lifetime of practice to possess such an eating skill.