At this academy, every student gets two free meals a day—breakfast and lunch. If they want more, they have to dip into their own pocket money. Unlike Jay, who treats his stomach like a bottomless pit, Irvine saves every penny and survives on just those two meals. He even saves half of his lunch to eat at night, which is why he looks like a malnourished kid who just escaped a nutrition camp.
Jay, being the good friend he is, knows Irvine's situation well and has treated him to dinner more times than he can count. So, when he invites Irvine out, our frugal hero doesn't hesitate and rushes to get changed.
But then, in front of his wardrobe…
<< You should bring your weapons too! >>
Atniel's words throw him for a loop. He turns left and sees Jay waiting outside the room, humming like he's auditioning for a music record with Uncle Mike.
That's the only friend Irvine has in this academy—the dude with a personality so sunny that he could power a small city. But here's Atniel, telling him to bring his weapons as if Jay is about to pull a fast one on him.
"Bringing my weapons for what? We're in the safest place in Fracklosk!"
<< Just do what I say! Bring everything you have! >>
"Everything I have? What is this, a scavenger hunt? You think there's going to be a war?"
<< War? That's right! There will be a war, and you better be prepared before leaving your room! >>
Only then does Irvine realize this isn't about Jay. But he's still confused about the war Atniel mentioned. This isn't the first time Atniel has dropped a bombshell like this, and the last time was just a big fat lie.
Still, he figures there's always a purpose behind Atniel's madness. So, he dons his tactical clothes and hides two handguns under a military jacket.
He also grabs all six magazines—loot from his past two years of "adventuring." With a unique army knife tucked into a belt on his left thigh and a short saber strapped to his back, he looks like a soldier ready to storm the gates of a candy factory.
After finally getting out of his room and leaving the door unlocked, he declares, "Let's get some food!"
Jay, suspicious as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, rubs Irvine's jacket and notices the bulge of the two handguns. His expression goes from confusion to "What the heck?"
"Yeah, let's get some food! But what's with the sword and the guns? You think we're going to fight off a bunch of mafia chefs?"
"We never know what will happen once we step outside this building," Irvine tries to reason.
"But do you really need to bring all the artifacts from your treasure chest?"
Irvine decides to dodge that argument like dodgeball tournament and heads out. Jay, resigned to his friend's shenanigans, follows behind, shaking his head.
The friendly black dude accompanies Irvine to the canteen and treats him to a portion of fried rice. To his surprise, he spots Elea Adlen sitting by herself, surrounded by a mountain of grilled meat.
What strikes him as odd is that Elea keeps glancing in their direction—from the moment he orders until he and Irvine find a table. Then it hits him…
"No, wait!"
He realizes Elea is staring at Irvine with laser focus, which only strengthens his previous suspicions.
"Um, should I leave now?"
"Why?" Irvine asks, looking around curiously. "Is there a girl who's caught your eye?"
As soon as Irvine turns his head toward 10 o'clock, his face goes pale faster than a ghost at a Halloween party. The next second, he looks down and starts eating his meal like it's the last supper.
"Hey, hey! Calm down! I said you could leave, but you don't need to go with me! I'll skedaddle so you can be alone with Elea Adlen!"
"What are you talking about? Anyway! Is she still looking at me?"
"Yeah! She is! I didn't know she had this much interest in you!"
"Oh, man! Is this the war Atniel mentioned before?"
"Excuse me! Who said anything about war?"
Without further ado, Irvine hurriedly finishes his fried rice like it's about to sprout legs and run away.
After cleaning his dish and washing it down with some water, he's startled by Elea Adlen appearing right beside him, holding a plate of grilled meat.
The shock is so intense that he sprays Jay with all the water he just drank.
"Brooo~! Is this how you express your gratitude after I treated you to a meal?"
"No! I didn't mean to! Um, I'm grateful for the treat, but…"
Elea suddenly interrupts him by dropping her plate of grilled meat on the table. "You look so ready for a mission. But one serving of fried rice won't be enough. Eat this meat and get some rest. We're going to have a tough few weeks ahead."
With that, she turns on her heel and heads to the cashier, leaving both Irvine and Jay stunned, but for very different reasons.
"What did she mean by 'tough few weeks'? Are you two going on a long trip together?"
"Yeah!"
Irvine replies shortly, but this gets misinterpreted by Jay as confirmation that they're dating. So, he leaves Irvine alone, hoping Elea will come back and sit with him.
The generous Jay pays for their meals at the cashier and even takes a moment to give Elea a teasing smile before he leaves. This leaves Elea confused, wondering what's behind that goofy grin.
Not knowing what's going on in Jay's head, the elf girl turns back to Irvine, thinking they've made her the butt of some joke.
"How dare you?!"
She storms toward Irvine with two clenched fists, ready to smack someone upside the head. But just before she swings her hand, Irvine bolts away in terror, as if he has eyes in the back of his head.
Irvine even holds the hilt of his sword at his back. He looks so ready to defend himself, despite the fear clearly seen in his face.
"What was that? You trying to beat me up again? For no reason? Is this why you gave me this grilled meat? Just to catch me off guard so you can punch me in the head?"