Ragnar strolled down the same familiar streets he always took on his way to school. The morning breeze brushed against his hair, and for once, the weight on his shoulders felt light — almost nonexistent.
He didn't even know why, but today… he just felt good.
Before leaving the house, Vincent had stopped him by the door.
"Ragnar, if you're going to keep running late, you might as well move your bed to the classroom," Vincent had said, handing him a sleek silver watch.
Ragnar just smirked. "You say that like I haven't thought about it."
Vincent sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just—try not to make a habit of it. You're my brother, not a time bomb."
Now, walking down the street, Ragnar chuckled to himself.
"Man, he really went full dad-mode this morning."
He reached the cozy little café he always stopped by before school. By now, every waiter and waitress knew him and Queen. They always kept a special table ready for the duo.
The bell above the door jingled as he stepped inside. The familiar aroma of roasted beans and baked pastries hit him like a warm hug.
"Morning, Mr. Gold!" Ragnar waved brightly.
The owner — a man in his fifties who looked like he had somehow tricked time itself — turned from behind the counter, grinning ear to ear.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite troublemaker! Good morning to you too, Ragnar!"
Ragnar walked over, smiling. "You look cheerful today, Mr. Gold. Business doing well?"
Mr. Gold rubbed his hands together proudly. "Better than ever! And I gotta thank you for that. Those financial issues would've sunk me if you hadn't stepped in. My employee up and quit last week — said something about 'following his dreams'."
Ragnar laughed softly. "Dreams of not working, maybe."
Mr. Gold snorted. "Exactly! That man couldn't even count the till without breaking a sweat."
Ragnar chuckled, slipping into the back office. "Alright, let me see what I can fix before class starts—" He paused halfway and turned around.
"Wait… where's Queen? Haven't seen him."
Mr. Gold scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Ah, right. He told me to let you know he's off on some important business. Might not be around for a week or so."
Ragnar froze for a moment. His expression softened, the brightness in his eyes dimming just a bit.
"Oh… I see. Important business, huh?"
Mr. Gold nodded, looking at him sympathetically. "Don't worry, he'll be back before you know it."
Ragnar smiled faintly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah… I'm sure he will."
He quietly got back to work — checking numbers, flipping through papers, organizing files — though his mind drifted every so often.
It wasn't the same without Queen around. That guy had a weird way of making silence feel comfortable.
After a while, a familiar voice snapped him out of thought.
"Ragy! It's time for you to go!"
Ragnar looked up to see Beatrice, one of the waitresses, peeking in with her hands on her hips.
"Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me," Ragnar said, glancing at his new watch. "Guess Vincent's gift came in handy."
"Tell him I said thanks for keeping you from being late!" Beatrice teased.
"Will do!" Ragnar called out, grabbing his bag and jogging out the café. "See you guys tomorrow!"
"Don't run with toast in your mouth!" she shouted after him.
"I'm not eating toast—" Ragnar tripped slightly, catching himself mid-step. "Okay, maybe a croissant!"
Laughter followed him out the door.
---
By the time Ragnar reached the academy gates, the bell was just about to ring.
He exhaled in relief. "Made it… barely."
That's when he spotted Lilia walking up the path, adjusting her bag.
"Morning, Lilia!" Ragnar called out.
She blinked, then gave him a teasing smile. "Good morning, Mr. Wryd. I see you actually managed to be on time for once."
Ragnar chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, I didn't… do that thing I usually do, so I guess I made it in time."
Lilia raised a brow. "If that thing makes you late, maybe stop doing it?"
Ragnar grinned sheepishly, hands behind his back. "Can't. It's important to me."
She sighed softly but didn't press further. "You're hopeless." Then, a small smile crept onto her lips. "But… I guess it's kind of admirable."
Ragnar blinked. "Wait, did you just compliment me?"
"Don't push it," she said quickly, but her ears turned slightly red.
There was a brief silence between them before Lilia glanced down at the small lunchbox in her hands.
"Oh, right… I have some extra food. Want some? I can't finish it by myself."
Ragnar's stomach betrayed him before he could answer — growling loud enough to make a few nearby students look over.
"...Yeah," Ragnar said with a nervous laugh. "I'd like some."
Lilia giggled — an honest, unguarded laugh. "Here. I made it myself."
They sat down on a bench near the school gardens, sharing the meal. The morning sun glimmered through the trees, and for a while, Ragnar forgot about everything else — the weight of Queen's absence, the upcoming battles, even Vincent's lecture.
"This is good," Ragnar said between bites. "Like, really good. You could totally sell this at the café."
"Then you'd just eat for free every day, wouldn't you?" Lilia teased.
"Exactly," Ragnar said proudly. "That's what friends are for."
Lilia paused at that word — friends. Her gaze softened just a bit. "Yeah… friends."
As they finished eating, a group of students walked by. One of them stopped, nudging another.
"Yo… is that Ragnar Wryd? Eating with Lilia Meldric? Alone?"
"No way. Are they… dating?"
Lilia's face turned bright red. "W–What?! No! It's not like that!"
Ragnar blinked, mouth full. "Wait, what's not like what?"
"You—! Don't just eat calmly while people misunderstand!"
Ragnar chewed thoughtfully. "Eh, let 'em think what they want. Maybe it'll make me look cooler."
She groaned, burying her face in her hands. "You're impossible…"
He laughed softly, watching her pout. "But you're smiling, though."
"I'm not—!" She stopped midway, realizing she actually was.
For the first time in a while, Ragnar felt at peace.
Maybe it was the warm morning sun.
Maybe it was Lilia's laughter.
Or maybe… it was just one of those rare days the world decided to go easy on him.
Either way, it felt nice.
A calm morning before the storm.
The school bell rang just as Ragnar and Lilia walked through the front doors — side by side.
Students stopped mid-conversation, heads turning like a wave. Whispers rippled across the hallway faster than mana through a conduit.
"Wait… is that Lilia Meldric walking with Ragnar Wryd?"
"No way. The strictest teacher and the most chaotic student? That's gotta be a crime somewhere."
Ragnar glanced around at the growing attention and scratched the back of his neck.
"Uh… they're staring."
Lilia sighed, trying to keep her composure. "Ignore them. They always talk."
"Yeah, but they usually talk about me, not us," Ragnar muttered.
Her face twitched. "There is no 'us', Ragnar."
"Right, right. Just saying."
They reached the classroom. Lilia took her spot at the front, organizing her notes while Ragnar slid into his seat — right beside Magna, with Light leaning on his desk from behind, and Yuuki quietly unpacking his books.
Magna smirked. "Yo, Ragnar. Didn't think I'd ever see the day you'd walk to class with a teacher."
Light snorted. "Bro's already breaking school rules before the mock battles. Legend behavior."
Ragnar leaned back in his chair, completely unfazed. "Hey, what can I say? I'm just that charismatic."
Alys looked up from her notes, eyebrows raised. "Charismatic or lucky? Because if it were me, you'd be in detention already."
"That's the thing," Magna said dramatically, turning toward Lilia. "He's not in detention. He's walking in with her like they just had breakfast together or something."
Lilia froze mid-sentence, chalk in hand. "...Excuse me?"
Light leaned forward, grinning like a devil. "So… Miss Meldric, when did this teacher-student relationship blossom?"
Lilia's expression went completely still.
"There. Is. No. Relationship."
Magna nodded like a scholar taking notes. "Ah, the classic denial stage. Fascinating."
"Denial's a symptom of something deeper," Light added helpfully.
Yuuki blinked innocently. "Wait… so are they, like, secretly dating or something?"
Ragnar's face instantly lit up with mock horror. "Bro— no! We just shared food! She offered!"
Alys couldn't resist. "Shared food? Oh, how romantic. Did you feed each other too?"
The class erupted.
Lilia's face turned bright red, her composure cracking.
"ENOUGH!" she yelled, slamming her hands on the desk. The whole room fell silent in an instant.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke through gritted teeth.
"For the record… Ragnar and I are teacher and student. Nothing more, nothing less."
Alys raised her hand slowly. "But you did smile at him when you came in—"
"DETENTION!" Lilia snapped.
Light leaned back, laughing under his breath. "Worth it."
Magna smirked, whispering to Ragnar, "You've officially broken her patience meter."
Lilia turned her glare on Magna.
"You too. Detention."
Magna blinked. "Wait, what did I—"
"Don't make me repeat myself."
Yuuki hesitated, clearly nervous. "Um, Miss Meldric, does… everyone get detention or just the people teasing?"
Lilia exhaled sharply. "Everyone. The entire class. Congratulations."
A chorus of groans filled the room.
Ragnar tried to hold in a laugh but failed miserably. "You really outdid yourself this time, Miss Meldric."
She crossed her arms, glaring daggers at him. "You're in detention too."
"What? Why me?!" Ragnar exclaimed.
"Because you started this chaos!"
"I didn't even say anything!"
"Your existence caused it!"
The class burst out laughing again, the tension instantly melting away. Even Lilia couldn't help the faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Alright," she sighed, rubbing her temples. "Open your books. Maybe we can pretend to be a normal class for once."
Ragnar leaned back, a lazy grin forming on his face. "A normal class with you as the teacher and me as the student? Not a chance."
She shot him a look — not angry this time, but amused. "You talk too much, Ragnar."
"Maybe," he said quietly, eyes softening a little, "but at least you're smiling again."
Lilia blinked, caught off guard — then quickly looked away, pretending to check her notes. "Focus on your work, Mr. Wryd."
As she began the lesson, Ragnar leaned back in his seat, a small smirk still lingering on his face.
Even with detention looming, it felt like a good day.