Following Kiana, Shu entered the Chiba Academy's dining hall.
Compared to the luxurious two-person dorms, the dining hall was underwhelming. Moreover, it was mostly empty, with only a few people scattered about.
Kiana headed straight for the corner with the most people. Shu could only follow.
On the way, Shu glanced at the other people in the hall. There was only one pair, while everyone else was sitting alone at a table far away from each other.
Then, he looked toward the direction where Kiana was going. A large table, filled with people happily eating.
Looking at it this way, Kiana was really lucky. She managed to gather all of her family and friends in this apocalypse. Shu was also lucky because he had a chance to be at that table, to be one of them.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" A familiar voice with an elegant tone called out.
Okay… Not as lucky as I thought.
"I slept well. It felt comforting with a bit of human presence, I slept much better." Shu ignored how he was scared awake that morning and calmly took a seat.
Otto nodded and continued to elegantly cut his steak.
Wait… he's having steak? For breakfast? And paired with red wine… He really can't change habits. Is that why the dignified Archbishop had to maintain his elegance, even in this apocalypse?
"Beef is hard to preserve, and there's a lack of power in the academy. What little power we have is precious. I think it's best to make use of everything and not waste it." Otto elegantly cut a square piece of beef, and then he paused, before putting it into his mouth, "It's best to not waste and use them all."
Throughout this whole ordeal, Otto didn't glance at Shu. He only focused on the food in front of him.
Shu, feeling cold, took a deep breath. He looked at the others, who looked at him with puzzled eyes. Shu then made sure that he hadn't said anything out loud.
Damn it, is this "dog" showing me his power? Do you have to go so far? I'm not even a big shot!
The beautiful morning ended with Shu being scared by that "dog".
Kallen's and Otto's food was different. They had only rich dishes, but Mei prepared normal porridge and breakfast foods for the others.
Shu took a bite of his noodles and felt amazed. As expected of Mei, a woman who could satisfy Kiana.
And that other white-haired guy that's part of the same script… tsk tsk…
Come to think of it, it seems that only Mei can cook around here? Could she be the special one?
Kiana's bloodline of being a lucky star just keeps on rising!
Clang! Kallen set down her eighth empty bowl and contentedly patted her stomach, before quickly covering her mouth, letting out a muffled burp.
At the same time, Otto finished his last piece of steak, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood up with Kallen.
"Theresa, I'll leave the academy to you for now. If anything happens, remember to do as we planned."
Shu raised his eyebrows, and he instinctively looked at Theresa. Her face, which had been filled with laughter before, was now filled with seriousness.
"I'll wait until grandpa comes back." Theresa looked up at Otto, her gaze filled with an unexplainable resolve.
"Huh?" Shu was confused.
Wait, what? Why did things suddenly become so dramatic during breakfast? You guys shouldn't do that, I'm scared!
It sounds like an enemy is about to storm the castle…
"Are you confused why Theresa calls me grandpa?" After a few seconds of silence, Otto suddenly said, "Theresa is my adopted daughter, it's that simple."
"It's also weird to me!" Kiana joined the conversation. "I was also surprised when I first saw Theresa calling you grandpa! I was wondering why Theresa has a grandpa who is so young!"
Shu stared speechlessly at Kiana, who was slurping down her fourth bowl of noodles, and then at Theresa, who didn't even seem to be tall enough to reach the top of her chair.
On one hand… it's also strange that a sixteen-year-old is calling a twelve-year-old aunty.
Otto, seeing Kiana and Shu arguing, exchanged a glance with Kallen and left the dining hall.
As Mei said, the academy was, after all, just a school. There weren't any high concrete walls, nor were there any broken glass or tetanus-infected barbed wire to prevent people from climbing.
But compared to the surrounding areas, the school had the most comprehensive facilities. There were storage rooms, the space was large enough, there was water and food. It had the foundations to take root.
If they could just reinforce the outer walls, the academy could become a great shelter. That was what the survivors were working on now.
"To think that… I would have a day where I would be moving bricks…" Shu said breathlessly, dropping a bag of sand by the fence.
Mei's food wasn't free…
Shu glanced at Kiana who was carrying two bags of sand and was still walking with an easy stride, a puzzled expression on his face.
Does eating a lot really make you strong?
Looking at everyone else, Shu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his physique was still better than most of the others, it was just that he couldn't compete with a monster like Kiana.
In the morning, Shu rushed to the dining hall because he was afraid Kiana would steal his food. In the afternoon, Shu rushed to the dining hall because he was afraid Kiana would eat all the food in the cafeteria.
When Kiana stormed into the dining hall and found that Shu was already at the table, her expression was priceless.
"Haha! Kiana!" Shu set down his tray and pointed a jojo finger at Kiana. "You were still too late!"
"Damn it! Why are you so fast?!" Kiana's face was full of frustration and she clenched her fist. "I was always faster than you before!"
Shu raised his hands. "That was then, this is now. You can't keep using the past as the present…"
"Shu snuck off." Bronya walked over to the table, pointing out the truth.
Shu: "…"
Kiana: "Ah! Shu, you really did sneak off!! You!!"
Shu looked at Bronya with a twisted face, not knowing what to do about this person who kept sabotaging him.
Mei smiled as she placed a bowl of food down on the table. She waved to Kiana. "Kiana, this is for you, hurry up and eat."
"Mei is the best!" Kiana said, and was about to run toward it when a sudden tremor cut her off.
"What is it?" Shu, not caring about the food that had spilled on his clothes, got up alertly.
Buzzzzz An ear-piercing hum came from the speakers, followed by Theresa's urgent voice, "Everyone! Gather at the back gate now! Hurry!"