'It's real!' My eyes widened further.
Picking up the box, I read the shabby note affixed to it. The handwriting was awful, as though it was written in a hurry.
~ This is your lunch. We never ate it. We are sincerely sorry for taking such a precious thing, please have mercy. We beg of you. Please don't report us to the authorities or take personal action. We'll do anything! That's a promise!~
"Pfft!" A laugh leaked out.
My lips curled up to make a broad grin the moment I realized who my benefactors were. If only they had done this sooner— those idiots.
Since my mood had significantly improved, I decided to let them off. Of course, this would only apply after they fulfilled their end of the offer rendered.
"… They'll do anything, uh? Interesting…"
****************************
Evening soon arrived and dinner was brought. Everyone strolled down to get their share— including Ivan and his squad. The first to reach the food site was me, causing everyone to look at each other strangely.
Surprised that I, who was never an early comer, got to the food site before anyone else.
I gave passive looks at the uncomfortable students as they each took their food and hurriedly left, the scene of this afternoon was still etched into their minds.
When it was the turn of Ivan's squad, they appeared even more nervous— Ivan most especially.
Quickly deciding to act like the rest and take their food quickly, they made for their boxes. However...
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked with an imposing tone.
At that moment, they all looked in my direction and saw me give them an evil smile. My grin stretched so far and wide that one could mistake me for a demon, but I didn't care.
Moving closer to them, I gave a slight huff— causing the group to shiver.
"I saw your note."
The moment I said this, Ivan's minions nodded respectfully and bowed their heads to offer sincerity. The ringleader looked surprised that his mobs were acting with allegiance, but before he said anything I interrupted.
"What are you waiting for, Ivan? Do you want another round? Or do you want me to report your actions to the authorities? Choose."
It seemed that even after his beatdown, the idiot still had a great deal of pride left. Using my imposing tone, I offered his choices. If he still planned on acting stuck-up, only a cruel fate awaited him.
Clenching his teeth in frustration, Ivan finally gave in. Bowing his head, just like the rest of the people around him, he offered an apology. Of course, it wasn't sincere.
'Forced or not, he apologized. I suppose this should for now...'
I wasn't a petty person who only wanted an apology, so it didn't matter if he offered his without meaning it. This was only a pretext for my actual desire.
"Your dinner. Hand 'em over!" I stated blankly.
Everyone's eyes bulged in shock the moment I said this. It was so forward, so crude, so imposing— but there was no way to ask for their meals, now was there?
Ivan and his mobs remained silent, looking at me with surprise. They probably didn't think of me as someone who would resort to something like this.
"What? You're not going to do it? I suppose you didn't mean what you wrote in that letter. If that's the case, then I should also-"
From my tone, they knew what I was talking about. The letter told me the group was willing to do anything in exchange for mercy. If that was true, then their dinner was only a small price to pay.
"N-no, please wait!" They yelled the moment I was leaving.
It was a difficult choice to make. Food was important to everyone, after all. However, if they knew what was good for them...
*****************************
Just as expected, they all gave me their dinner— even Ivan who seemed like he would rather die. In the end, none of them were keen on being punished for stealing.
Unlike them, I would receive no penalty for my actions since they gave their food to me willingly.
"Huu... I have twelve dinner packs here..." I mumbled, looking at the plates before me.
Of course, it would be impossible for me to finish everything in a single night. I had a large appetite, but— just like every human, I had limits.
Still, this much was necessary for what I would be performing tonight!
'During our stay here, I haven't meditated even once...'
The reason was due to the fact that we were being watched. I didn't want any eyes of suspicion to fall on me. Another pivotal reason was the limited food provided for all of us. A certain quantity of meals was given, and while they contained high nutritional value, and could be said to be enough for any student our age— the food supply was limited.
'Circulating the flow of mana in my body, strengthening and forming my Mana Core... they take a huge amount of energy and stamina!'
Even back when I was in my house, I constantly had food being delivered to me after every session. The household was all aware of the fact that I ate huge amounts of food.
It wasn't that I was a glutton— though the food brought to me was always delicious, I needed the energy to keep going in my mana circulation. If I didn't restock, I would run out of gas and pass out.
It was dangerous doing something like that here since food wasn't at my beck and call. However, now that I had highly nutritious meals... I could pull it off!
'Let's start by strengthening my already existing Mana Cores...'
I didn't care for supervision at this point. Getting stronger was more important— plus, they wouldn't even be able to notice what was going on within my body. If they were curious and asked, I could simply come up with an excuse and pin it on my family or something.
"Huu... let's begin." A whisper escaped my pursed lips.
It would be a long night, but if I was fortunate, I would be able to make significant progress. Even if I wasn't close to making a 4th Core, increasing the potency and capacity of my other cores took priority.
'Hehehe...'
