"The smell alone is delicious," Rafe said as he entered the food stall area behind the library.
There were several small stalls lined up neatly, and in the large area there were chairs and tables shaded by leafy trees. First year students could also be seen eating there, but the emblems they wore indicated only F, E, and D rank students. There were no students above rank D.
"Come here, young man!" some vendors called to Rafe as they offered their wares.
"What's good to eat?" muttered Rafe as he looked at the stalls one by one.
"Eat here, Rafe!" some Rank F students shouted.
"Yes!" said Rafe as he walked up to a stall.
"What would you like to order, son?" the vendor asked as Rafe approached him.
"This and that, just add that, sir," Rafe said as he pointed to some food.
"All right, you can wait at the table. We'll deliver it later," the merchant replied with a smile.
"It's not expensive here, is it?" asked Rafe in a half-whisper.
"Hahaha... don't worry young man, the food here is suitable for an F rank like you. The most expensive is only fifty silver coins, nothing more," the merchant replied with a laugh.
"Hehehe... that's good. Then add this and this," Rafe said, pointing at other foods.
"Woah, I like young people who like to eat. I'll give you an extra portion as a welcome for a first year like you," the merchant said.
"It's my pleasure, sir. May I know your name? I'll remember it as a thank you," Rafe asked.
"Just call me Toron," the merchant replied.
"Alright sir, I'll be over there," Rafe said, pointing to an empty table.
Toron just nodded his understanding as Rafe walked over to the table he was referring to and caught a glimpse of a teenage girl washing a huge amount of dirty dishes. All the dirty dishes from all the shops there seemed to be in the same place.
"Mei! Please help me deliver this food to Mr. Rank F's first year," Toron called to the dark-haired teenage girl who was washing the dishes.
"Yes, sir," the girl named Mei said as she approached.
"My name is Rafe, sir! Rafe Lostfield!" Rafe shouted from a distance when he heard that Toron didn't know his name.
"All right, boy! You have good hearing too!" shouted Toron with a laugh.
"That much?" asked Mei, a little surprised by Rafe's order.
"Yes. He seems to be a good customer here," Toron replied with a laugh.
Mei could only carry part of Rafe's order, Toron himself would carry the rest later. Rafe watched the way Mei walked with his order. Although she was a girl, her body looked well-built and her gaze was sharp.
Her face was pleasing to the eye, her long hair was tied back, but there was a little left on either side of her ears. Her slightly slanted eyes with lustrous lashes seemed to add grace to her appearance. But there was something that surprised Rafe after Mei was near him, Rafe did not feel the slightest emanation of mana from Mei's body.
"Here you go, sir," Mei said with a sweet smile as she set Rafe's food down.
"Are you an adventurer?" asked Rafe.
"Huh?" Mei said, surprised by Rafe's question.
"Why would you think that?" asked Mei as she put the food on the table.
"Your body looks very toned, and your eyes are sharp," Rafe replied as he helped Mei.
"Sir, I'm not an adventurer or anything like that. My body is like this because I work here every day," Mei replied with a smile.
"Hehehe... I still can't believe it. You can even hide your mana perfectly, I'm sure you're very good. Usually, no matter how little someone's mana is hidden, I can still feel it from this close," Rafe said with a smile.
Mei just smiled without answering Rafe's question. Then she bowed her head before leaving Rafe, and it was Toron's turn to put down the food he had brought.
"Eat to your heart's content, young man," Toron said with a laugh.
"Excuse me, Mr. Toron, was that your daughter?" asked Rafe, pointing at Mei.
"Oh, her name is Mei Li. She's not my daughter, but she's a kid who failed the Elexia Academy entrance test twice, she started working a year ago after failing the first time. She tried again this year, but still failed," Toron explained.
"It is a shame, even though she is very active in practicing and studying. She's also a persistent child, she said she would try again next year," Toron continued.
"Why did she fail? I thought she was very well trained," Rafe asked with a shocked look on his face.
"Don't tell anyone, she has no mana," Toron whispered quietly.
Suddenly, Rafe was surprised to hear this. But he immediately nodded his understanding to Toron. After putting Rafe's food away, Toron returned to his shop. Rafe started to enjoy his meal, but his eyes fell on Mei, who was washing the dishes again.
"This is the second time in my life I've met someone without mana," Rafe muttered with a smile as a glimpse of Lou Xi crossed Rafe's mind.
Rafe ate the food he ordered voraciously until it was gone. He spent only eighty silver coins on everything, after which Rafe immediately set off to find Hayato's whereabouts.
Rafe searched several places until he finally saw Hayato standing in an alley with a blank stare. Rafe approached him but Hayato didn't react at all, Rafe looked into Hayato's face but Hayato still didn't move his eyes.
"Hey freak, your behavior is stranger than usual right now," Rafe said.
"Rafe? Why are we still here? Aren't we going to the shop?" asked Hayato with a surprised look on his face, now his look seemed to have returned to normal.
"Hahaha... it turns out you just realized again after being affected by that woman's elixir that you suck," Rafe mocked with a chuckle.
"What do you mean, huh? You think a main character like me would fall for such a low trick?" grumbled Hayato.
"Wait a minute," Rafe said as he noticed an ink stain on Hayato's hand that was covered by his shirt.
"Fart," Rafe said as he read the writing on Hayato's sleeve.
"Hahaha... did you write that yourself?" asked Rafe with a laugh.
"Tch. What's that all about, huh! You wrote it down, didn't you?" grumbled Hayato as he took off his shirt.
"What happened to me!" Hayato shouted in shock as he saw his whole body covered in ink.
Rafe immediately laughed with satisfaction while holding his stomach, there were so many writings insulting Hayato, there were also writings insulting the F-rank, there were even writings insulting Rafe.
"You're like a walking blackboard," Rafe taunted.
"Bastard! Who did this to me, huh?" grumbled Hayato, giving Rafe a sharp look.
"Who else, you went to catch up with that woman named Lola. I think it was her," Rafe replied with a laugh.
"Son of a bitch. That damn woman, just because she has a pretty face! I'll pay her back later for sure," Hayato grumbled while clenching his fists.
"Eh look, that fart boy is getting crazy," said a first year B girl who happened to be passing by Rafe and Hayato.
"Don't look at him, he'll come after you just like he did Ms. Lola," the girl's friend said as she quickened her pace.
"What exactly did I just go through?" asked Hayato as he put his clothes back on, his face starting to turn red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.
Continued...