This is the West Dining Hall.

The ceiling and half of the walls are made of transparent glass structures, giving it the appearance of an outdoor restaurant.

Sunlight can freely enter, making the interior bright and open. The brilliant sunlight doesn't make it feel stuffy; instead, it gives off a warm and cozy feeling. This is because the glass in the dining hall is created by alchemists and has the ability to filter out the fire element in sunlight.

The dining hall has an area of about 40*40 meters, with rows of simple long tables. Walls that are one meter high divide the dining hall into several main areas. There are many vibrant plants around, and vines climbing on the glass walls, giving the dining hall a garden-like atmosphere.

During lunch break, many students are seated in the dining hall, and most of the seats are occupied.

Allen and her friends are sitting at the 3rd table directly across from the dining hall's entrance, each with a plate full of food in front of them.

"So, it turns out Katie wasn't being bullied by the upperclassmen, meow."

"No... that's not it. I got lost, and the upperclassmen noticed my distress and approached me."

"But when you were surrounded by the upperclassmen earlier, you looked scared, didn't you?"

Well, when I'm surrounded by strangers, I do feel scared, so..."

"I see, as long as you weren't bullied. But Katie, being too timid is not good. It's impolite to those who are willing to help you."

"I'm sorry..."

Katie, who was criticized, lowered her head, looking very sad.

"Nina bullied the freshmen, meow. She bullied the freshmen during the exams, and Nina is a bad girl, meows."

"What is this stupid cat saying."

"Mia is not just a cat, meow. Mia is the proud Sphinx! Don't treat Mia as a cat, it's very impolite, meow!"

As Nina looked at the cat ears on top of Mia's head, the wagging tail behind her, the silly and greedy cat face with two sharp fangs, she narrowed her eyes.

"Do you want to eat this, Mia?"

"Thank you, Nina, meow. I knew you were a good person, meow."

Nina picked up a piece of cooked meat from her plate with a fork and shook it. Mia immediately pounced and took a bite, her cheeks bulging. She happily chewed twice and swallowed, showing a satisfied expression.

This satisfaction was only for a moment. The piece of meat was only enough for Mia to fill the gap between her teeth. She continued to greedily gaze at the remaining meat on Nina's plate. She hadn't even finished the food on her own plate.

Indeed, she's a gluttonous cat. Nina affirmed in her heart.

When Nina indicated that she wouldn't give any more, Mia pouted her lips into a pitiful expression.

"If you don't mind... you can have mine..."

Courageously, Katie sitting across from her said.

"Can I really, meow? This is Mia's favorite red-cooked pork, meow!"

Looking at the red pieces of cooked meat on Katie's plate, Mia's saliva overflowed.

"Just don't regret it. Mia is a glutton and she'll finish your food in one go," Nina advised.

"It's okay, I eat very little."

While Allen quietly ate her meal, she observed Katie who sat beside her. Katie had a petite body and a cautious demeanor. Even though she was three years older, she didn't look like it.

"Hello, Allen classmate."

Perhaps noticing Allen's gaze, Katie nodded and greeted her cautiously.

"Just call me Allen. Can I call you by your name too? My dad said that friends can call each other by their names."

"We're friends, um, yes, you can."

Although it was just a simple sentence, Katie's face blossomed into the brightest smile since they first met.

Indeed, she's very cute. As Allen chewed her food with her cheeks bulging, she thought about it and her expression became somewhat absent-minded.

"We are also Katie's friends," Nina added.

"Nyam, nyam, delicious! From now on, if Mia gets a portion of Katie's lunch, Mia will be Katie's best friend, meow!"Mia held a fork in each of her cat paws and launched an attack on the plate in front of her that did not belong to her. She continuously stabbed the braised pork and stuffed it into her mouth, even though she couldn't chew it all. Her cheeks were puffed up like balloons.

Because Mia leaned closer, Katie could clearly see the cat ears on top of her head, fluffy and adorable. Without hesitation, she reached out her hand and gently placed it on Mia's head.

"So soft..."

Katie exclaimed as she stroked Mia's head. It was just as she imagined, fluffy and irresistibly soft. When she saw her senior petting Mia before, Katie had wanted to touch her too, and now her wish was finally granted.

Mia, who was suddenly petted on the head, first froze for a moment before she put on an unhappy cat face and said:

"Don't treat Mia like a pet. The proud Sphinx is not a pet, you're not allowed to touch Mia's head casually, meow. Allen, what are you doing... Didn't you say not to touch me? Meow..."

Allen also placed his hand on Mia's head and joined in the petting. She couldn't hold back anymore, and indeed it was cute and good to touch.

"I want to touch too." Nina, unwilling to be left out, stretched out her hand towards Mia's head.

"You're all bullying Mia~ meow!"

"I can give some more meat to Mia."

"Wuwuwu, okay then, meow."

...

"That's great, Allen has made a new friend again."

"No need to be so touched, even tears are welling up."

Seeing Kloke looking at their daughter with tears in his eyes, a man sitting across from them shook his head.

He had golden fragmented hair, wore a metal necklace and earrings, and his staff uniform was specially tailored, making him look very fashionable.

Alexander Isado, a teacher at Hildaran College and one of Kloke's colleagues.

Kloke, Antavia, and Alexander sat in a corner of the cafeteria.

The three of them were young teachers, and because they were close in age, their relationship was quite good.

"What do you understand? It's worth celebrating that my daughter has made a new friend."

"Although I don't have children, even if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to understand this strange idea of yours."

"There's nothing I can do, Kloke is an incurable daughter lover."

"Indeed, it's Antavia. A goddess with both beauty and intelligence, her words hit the nail on the head."

In response to Alexander's exaggerated flattery, Antavia only habitually smiled gently. Alexander also showed a gentlemanly smile.

Originally, Kloke wanted to sit with his daughter for lunch, but after entering the cafeteria, he was grabbed by Antavia by the collar and pulled away. Antavia's reason was "as an adult, don't do something awkward".

Although Kloke was a serious daughter lover and late-stage patient, he was not a fool. He understood that if he really sat with Allen and the others, given his role as a teacher, they would feel restrained and it wouldn't be as harmonious as it was now.

So at this moment, the best choice for a dad was to silently watch his daughter's growth from behind. Although Kloke's gaze was too deep to notice, it was hard not to notice.