Sophia hooked her arm around his and started dragging him forward.
"Come on! Move it! I'm starving!"
"Hey—! I can walk by myself!" Rhys protested.
"Nope. You walk too slow when you're confused," Caria said, pushing him from behind.
Aria walked beside him with a gentle smile.
"They even prepared a small banner for you in the cafeteria."
Rhys froze.
"…A banner? Why?"
Sophia smirked.
"Because you're the academy's new miracle kid. People love an underdog."
Lyra added as she walked on his other side,
"And because the cooking club wanted an excuse to bake extra desserts."
Puddle spun in the air excitedly.
"Desserts! Cakes! Sweet things! Celebration important!"
Rhys covered his face with one hand.
"…I'm never going to live this down, am I?"
Caria patted his back.
"Nope. This is your life now."
They moved through the hallway, students passing by and giving Rhys nods, smiles, and surprised looks.
"Hey, Rhys! Great job!"
"Nice fighting!"
"You were awesome!"
