" You mean I can choose whatever I want here without needing to pay?" Yu Xian pointed to his menu in disbelief
" That is correct sir" the waiter replied, " any and all expenses for East Imperial Academy's many food establishments are all reimbursed by the school treasury board. Therefore, students of this academy are entitled to zero financial obligations when it comes to procuring meals from board-certified places."
" This guy doesn't seem to be lying, look over there." Bei Xuan pointed towards the golden symbol placed underneath the logo of East Imperial Academy's Dawn Cafe
" If that's the case…" Aaron rubbed his hands together " I'd like a few servings of your best stir-fried mushrooms, cauliflower beef, mung-bean soup, kimchi-fried rice, and-"
" Hey! a boring order like yours should be written down last. I should go first." Bei Xuan berated
Both Aaron and the waiter turned to him
" For example, I'd like to have some sunny side eggs, one egg drop sandwich, two scotch-eggs, an egg-roll omelet…" he listed off
" That disgusting list shouldn't even be written down, in fact, it's downright horrifying." Aaron cut him off
" You picking a fight, Chicken-legs?" Bei Xuan stood up
He never was one to accept such a remark
" Only if you're ready to have floor tiles as your last meal?" and Aaron responded in kind
He also wasn't one to back down either
Yu Xian sighed
" If the two of you don't stop, you're both eating floor tiles today."
" … " " … " The two looked at each other before deciding to sit back down
The waiter looked at the interaction and smiled, " Would you like anything else?"
The two of them continued to list off their orders as the waiter wrote down each item with an undaunted air of professionalism
' As expected of the number one academy in the Prosperous East, even their service is impeccable'
" And what would you like to have sir?"
Yu Xian thought for a moment before answering..
" Everything."
" ?" " ?" The other two were dumbstruck
" Do you have any specific requests or dietary restrictions our chefs should be informed about?"
" No, everything's fine as is."
" Very well sir, your meals will be delivered to you shortly, though the order of the food served will be gradual considering the size limit of your party's table" the waiter bowed " but rest assured that the Dawn Cafe will offer a pleasant dining experience for you."
" As expected of Brother Yu.." " Big Bro Yu is truly the greatest.." the two muttered
After writing down and confirming the their orders, the waiter made his way to the kitchen.
The three of them looked around, even with how spacious the cafe was, it gradually started filling up with students.
" Before long, this place will definitely reach capacity." Aaron inferred
" Good thing we got a table when we did." Bei Xuan sighed in relief
" Since this place is near the entrance, there's a lot of freshman here." Yu Xian commented
" But I don't see many of our upperclassmen here- in fact, I can't find a single one." Aaron looked around
" You're right, It's a completely just us freshmen…" Bei Xuan stood up to observe
" There's probably a reason for that" Yu Xian guessed, " although I don't think it's because this place is bad."
" Definitely not, this place is amazing" Bei Xuan declared, " But maybe the seniors know of better spots with more delicious food…"
" Or it's part of the school's culture."
" What do you mean by that Aaron?"
Resting his head on his hands, Aaron articulated his own guess
" What if the areas within the academy have been divided up, at least unofficially, by the students?"
" That would mean that the second years, third years, and us first years may have different territories within the campus. For example, this very visible cafe near the school's entrance is probably for us freshmen."
" So it's like the gangs back at home?"
" …Most likely"
Yu Xian closed his eyes
' Damn it, if I'm not careful, we're gonna be roped into something troublesome'