NOVPUBAs the line grew shorter and shorter, Luka's stomach grumbled louder.
He was just a few steps away from salvation—warm, greasy, cheesy salvation.
He turned slightly to his personal maid behind him and gave her a nod, signaling he'd get slices for both of them.
Finally, they were next.
But just as Luka stepped forward to grab their pizza, his eyes narrowed.
Only one slice remained.
It sat there like a glowing treasure, basking in the light of culinary divinity.
Luka hesitated. 'It's fine… I'll give it to Serene. She deserves it.'
Giving her the last slice felt right to him.
But just as his hand reached forward—
Snatch!
A hand shot out from the side, grabbing the slice right out from under his nose.
"Huh?" Luka blinked in disbelief and turned his head. His expression soured as he recognized the offender.
The main character.
"Sorry," Arthur said without even glancing at him. "But my childhood friend wants a slice of pizza."
Luka didn't respond… 'Is he serious?'
Without missing a beat, Arthur turned and began walking away, casually holding the tray like he didn't just commit food theft in broad daylight.
A small vein popped on Luka's forehead.
His forced smile barely held as he reached out and grabbed the main character by the collar, yanking him backward.
"Hey, you little shit," Luka said with calm venom.
"That was my personal maid's slice. Hand it over."
Arthur stopped mid-step, and his eyes widened slightly as he recognized the voice.
He turned his head just enough to confirm his suspicion.
"…It was you?" Arthur muttered, surprised.
He hadn't even looked when he cut the line—he just assumed the disheveled guy was some random student.
After all, the uniform was a mess: wrinkled, dusty, damp with dried sweat and speckled with something that might've been blood.
'I thought it was a commoner like me,' Arthur thought, slightly sheepish—but not enough to back down.
With a flick of his arm, he smacked Luka's hand away.
"Well, too bad. I got it first."
Luka's eye twitched as he stared at the hand Arthur had just slapped.
Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fist. "No, no. It doesn't work like that. You cut the line. I'll ask once more… hand over the damn pizza slice."
Arthur's expression darkened.
"Listen—no offense. Like I said, my childhood friend wants a slice. I promised her I'd get it, and I don't go back on my word. You get that?" His voice was firm, no longer casual.
He turned and began walking away again, clearly expecting him to just let it go.
A second later—
Luka kicked the main character hard in the shin.
Caught off guard, Arthur stumbled forward, nearly tripping over his own foot, but managed to catch himself.
As he recovered…
Luka smoothly stepped to the side, reached out, and snatched the pizza slice off Arthur's tray.
"I'll be taking that," he said with a smug grin, setting it neatly on his own tray before turning his back.
"You…" Arthur's eye twitched as he ground his teeth together.
'To be disrespected by this guy of all people!?'
The humiliation stung far more than the kick.
After all, this was the same guy who had somehow caught the attention of the Second Princess—a girl he believed should've been his.
Arthur didn't hesitate.
Fury fueling him, he strode forward, ready to return the favor.
But as he swung his leg toward Luka's, he vanished.
"What—!?" Arthur spoke.
Luka's figure shimmered briefly before reappearing a short distance away.
[Phantom Step].
Arthur's eyes widened. "This fucking bastard used a skill... over a pizza slice!?"
Before the absurdity could register fully, Arthur's pride refused to back down.
He activated one of his own skills.
[Air Escape].
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared directly in front of Luka, the space between them disappearing as if it had never existed.
His hand shot forward.
"I'll be taking that," Arthur muttered, grabbing the slice again.
But in that exact moment—
CRACK.
Pain exploded between his legs.
Arthur's eyes bulged.
His knees buckled.
He dropped the tray as a guttural "GUHH!" escaped his mouth.
He collapsed to the floor, holding the pizza slice above his head with trembling hands.
"You fucker… How could you aim for such a sensitive spot…?" Arthur groaned through gritted teeth, voice cracking.
Luka calmly grabbed the slice.
"I'll be taking that back," he said, chuckling as he placed it back on his tray.
"Next time— wait in line."
Luka turned to his personal maid and gave her the slice of pizza like nothing happened.
"Let's get more food. I wanna stack our trays up."
Serene blinked, mouth slightly agape.
She didn't say a word—because what could she say?
With that… They both walked away.
Arthur slowly pushed himself off the ground, still wincing.
He took a few shaky breaths and shot one last glare toward Luka.
'That bastard...'
Putting on his usual handsome smile, he composed himself and made his way back to his table.
Nike looked up as he approached, her head tilting slightly. "Was there no pizza left?"
She didn't seem too bothered, but a small pout tugged at the corner of her lips.
Arthur sighed as he sat down, his forced smile faltering.
"Hear this—I was going to get you a slice. But when I got to the counter, there was only one left… and some noble bastard stole it from me."
Nike's expression shifted. She lightly smacked her hands on the table. "A noble stole the slice? Seriously?"
Arthur gave a solemn nod, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Yep."
Nike stood up, her eyes blazing with irritation. "That's unacceptable. Everyone at the Academy is supposed to be equal! Tell me where this noble is—I'm going to have a word with him."
"…" Arthur's eyes widened slightly.
"Ah—No, it's fine. Just forget about it," he said quickly, waving a hand dismissively.
The last thing he wanted was for her to confront Luka… or worse, find out he was the one who cut the line and tried to steal the last slice of pizza.
"Wait. Are you… afraid of this person?" Nike narrowed her eyes.
Arthur bolted upright, practically slamming his palms on the table. "Afraid? Me?!" He shook his head furiously.
"Of course not! I just think—it's a waste of time, that's all! Not worth the effort."
Nike raised a brow, unconvinced. "Mmm-hmm…"
"Ahaha…" Arthur forced a laugh, sitting back down and crossing his arms.
"Seriously. Just some spoiled noble with no manners. He's not even worth your attention."
Nike sat back down slowly, eyeing him for a few more seconds. "If you say so…"
Arthur nodded, internally sighing in relief.
'No way I'm letting her get involved. She can never find out about this...'
