Yes, I was dead for, like, a long, long time, but, but, but I have returned to this novel, and I think personally I have become a better writer in that time, so I'm most likely going to edit previous chapters.
****
'Man...'
The First Year Class S dormitory was the smallest on the entire campus, simply due to the lack of people that lived in it.
It was more like a big apartment with lots of rooms, but underground state-of-the-art training technology was available only to the S Class.
'I wonder what they're all doing?'
I twisted the doorknob and...
there was nobody.
The lights were off. There was a small living room area and a kitchen area beside each other. Then there were doors lined across the hallway at the back.
At the very end stood an elevator which led down to the lower floors of the dormitory.
Mana slightly gleamed across the wooden floors and walls as the highest of protective spells were placed upon the house.
Me?
My first priority was the kitchen.
'I'm starving. I wonder if they stocked the fridge.'
Luckily, they did. And for the next hour or so,
the soft, sharp sound of vegetables being cut resounded in the eerily quiet dormitory.
Water rang as it flowed from the tap, the fridge opening and closing every other minute or so.
The sizzling and hissing of oil as my hand swished around with the wok in hand.
The vegetables and slight pieces of meat moving up and down like waves in an ocean of oil.
'After living alone for so long, cooking is relatively natural for me. I wonder if I should make more portions.'
I imagined the scene of me awkwardly eating as somebody walked by, watching me slowly put the spoon to my mouth in silence.
I shook my head. I couldn't let that happen.
But...
The meat hadn't defrosted yet.
I just had to cut more vegetables in silence, my hand bobbing up and down in a fast motion, slightly aching from the constant cutting.
'I never got how those chefs would cut it so fast. Aren't they worried they might cut themselves?'
I checked back up on the meat. It should've defrosted by now.
'Finally.'
I prepared the meat and cut it up as fast as I slowly cooked them in a bit of fat. Then a sauce slowly dripped down from out the bottle, covering the meat in flavor, and finally the vegetables came in to top it all off.
This time, the ratio of meat and vegetables was somewhat equal as I tossed it all around the pan and stirred it with a wooden spatula at times to keep constant movement.
"Damn, Sen, this is pretty good."
'Huh?'
My head snapped back, and Lucas was sitting right at the kitchen island eating the plate that I had originally made for me.
His golden hair slightly shifted as he moved, his piercing, narrowing red eyes locking onto my figure, yet they showed only friendliness and warmth.
His glasses were off, meaning he probably just couldn't see me too well.
"Ah."
I turned back around and just continued to silently stir and toss the meat and vegetables.
The sound of a door swinging open—Lucas immediately looked towards the door, and
Koen and Astria had just come back.
'Ah, this must be when they went on their little date exploration thing.'
Astria sensed an unusual disturbance fluctuating in the forest, so Koen, walking by, helped her figure out what was in there.
Turns out it was just Novius training his new pet in the forest, but it did ignite the spark between the two main characters.
"Would you like to eat?"
I asked simply, my tone low as I met Koen's clear, sky-blue eyes.
They gleamed slightly like little sapphires as he nodded his head.
'He reminds me of a child.'
I grabbed a plate from the cabinets and plated the simple stir-fry I had just been working on.
"How about you and Astria share since Lucas ate my portion already."
'I should give them a little nudge.'
Astria seemed hesitant, her galaxy-like eyes narrowing elsewhere, but Koen, being the dense protagonist he is, agreed immediately.
Her blue hair waved down her back. She was undeniably a gorgeous person, and she looked incredibly cute as she couldn't maintain eye contact with Koen.
"You should eat too, Astria. It's good for growth."
"Um, alright..."
'Ugh, they act just like teenagers.'
I gave a knowing glance to Lucas as he softly smiled at the dense but charming protagonist and his female lead.
"Ah, hey, Sen, so I found these two girls. They're total beauties. Wanna go on a double date?"
I pretended not to hear him as I sat down with my food and awkwardly ate as Lucas bothered Koen with some excuse to fight.
They had a duel set for tomorrow, and they tried to invite me too, but I adamantly declined.
'Idiots.'
"Hey, Sen, you know you're a total housewife. You could pull all the ladies."
Lucas' voice—rumbustious and loud—yet it somehow made me slightly more comfortable sitting amongst people I once thought of as only characters.
A little chuckle escaped my mouth, and I looked over towards Koen, who even seemed to be adored by the kitchen's light as it shined on him.
Highlighting his sharp features and smooth, unmarred skin even after countless wounds had been inflicted on his body.
'He really is a dashing protagonist.'
"Hah, if anyone could pull all the girls, I think it'd be Koen."
"Yeah, he's a total pretty boy."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
***
[1st Art: 10-Fold Slash]
His sword bolted across the field as a blur of white arced across the small arena. He immediately dashed out, a golden flicker dancing and slashing around a certain figure.
The figure of Koen—a radiant flame resonating from his blade, igniting in tendrils of crackling flame as he guarded against every attack Lucas launched at him.
[Unique Skill: Affinity]
Those brilliant flames suddenly shifted into an azure water as it flowed across, meeting Lucas' blade as an onslaught of attacks ran across the battlefield.
The hard metallic clanging of weapons clashing against each other—a raw cacophony of metal as they fought.
[Unique Skill: Affinity]
Like a bolt of lightning, an electrifying aura rang out of Koen as he made space between him and Lucas in an instant.
Lucas stood there with both a spear and a sword. His expert mastery over weapons allowed him to use both at once.
Whilst he carried a simple katana with one hand and a spear around 2/3 the length of your average one.
[1st Art: 10-Fold Pierce]
It looked as if he teleported across the battlefield—a golden blur that streaked across in an instant. He slammed his spear into Koen, and with his sword, he slashed across Koen's chest once again using his art.
[2nd Art: 100-Fold Slash]
His sword was just inches away from slashing across Koen's body, but I saw it.
I saw it as if time stopped.
Hesitation.
For a split moment, Lucas hesitated.
His eyes narrowed down as if deep in thought, and at the final moment, he pulled the power of his spear and sword.
Of course, I knew why, but Koen didn't, as he reacted immediately.
Koen snapped back, flipping into the air. Thunder rolled out, crackling in igniting tendrils of light.
[Koen Elemental Style: Thunder Burst]
Thunder and the blur of metal met arcs and jabs of white pulsating from Lucas' spear and sword as he finished his attack.
Normally, he'd be fine if Lucas' spear wasn't entirely made of metal from top to bottom.
Thunder rang through his spear, pulsating and thundering down its metallic body, and Lucas flew backwards as lightning entered his body.
Of course, I was a spectator to this match, along with Astria, who had come to see Koen fight.
'Main characters can really get any girl they like, huh? Soon enough, Lily will also be here watching Koen soon enough.'
I looked over at Lucas, who had gotten up with Koen's help, as they steadily made their way towards us.
"Class is about to start."
Koen quickly dashed out, instantly making his way to class, leaving me, Astria, and Lucas to follow after him.
"He's in such a hurry. We still have time, don't we?"
Astria commented, her voice hiding a slight disappointment as Koen had left without her.
'Hah... how am I supposed to help these main characters when I can't even help myself? I shouldn't force anything.'