20 hours after Ian fell into a deep sleep, he woke up in a daze. His room was like a fridge. He could see his breath as he looked around his room. The heat from under his blanket kept him warm. The cocoon that was his bed hugged him tight, keeping him in a half-asleep state. Even after resting for almost an entire day, his body was still heavy and sore.

  It wasn’t until Lucky popped out from under the blankets that Ian woke up a bit more. The past few days felt like a dream, but he still remembered everything.

  Turning his head to the side, Ian checked his clock and saw it was almost evening. He took a deep breath before throwing the blankets off. His body gave off a bit of steam. With a loud yawn and a big stretch, Ian finally got out of bed.

  However, before he could take his first step, his stomach started growling. Hunger filled his half-dazed mind. Though the sun was already going down, his belly craved breakfast.

  In the cafeteria, Kevin and Emmett were having dinner while chatting.

  “So, where’s Ian? I haven’t seen him in a while,” Kevin asked while taking a bite of his food.

  “Ellie said he was taking the nature survival test. Apparently, the test lasts for a few days.” Emmett took a sip of his drink.

  Kevin, throwing a fry into his mouth, said, “Didn’t all of the tests end already?”

  “I think so. Should we check up on him?” Emmett asked as he leaned back on “his seat to look up at the ceiling.

  The two of them stayed quiet, letting the question linger for a moment. Then, without looking at each other, they both said, “Nnaahhh, he can handle himself.”

  The two of them stay quiet for a while afterwards. The only sounds they made were those of eating food and slurping drinks. The silence between them was lasting longer than either of them would like to admit.

  After what felt like an eternity, Kevin broke the silence to say, “So…how many times have you and Zoey boned?”

  Before Emmett could fully process the question, a tray slammed down at their table, followed by the sound of someone taking a seat.

  “Oh, thank goodness, you finally showed yourself,” Emmett said once he saw Ian.

  Kevin seemed irritated at the sudden interruption of a very important question, but smiled when he saw Ian. However, his smile was soon replaced by an over-exaggerated look of disgust when he looked down at Ian’s tray.

  On the tray, there were three different plates of food. On the first one, there was a stack of pancakes. On the second plate, there was a large omelet stuffed with different ingredients. The last plate contained pieces of bacon, sausages, and ham.

  Kevin took a good look at the food before turning to Ian and saying, “Hungry much?”

  “I’m more than hungry. After everything that's happened these past few days, I deserve this,” Ian said as he started to eat his food.

  He grabbed a pancake from his stack, holding it like a tortilla. Then, using a fork, he cut off two pieces from his omelet, placing them along the pancake. Afterwards, he grabbed one piece of each meat and placed it on top. With that, Ian closed the pancake, holding it like a taco before finally biting into it.

  Both Emmett and Kevin watched him eat as if it were the most normal thing. The weird combination of foods was a typical sight for them to see. Even if it still disgusted them a bit.

  “So…what do you plan to do after you’re done…eating?” Emmett asked, trying to make light conversation.

  Ian stopped stuffing his face for a brief moment, turning his attention to Emmett. He swallowed what was in his mouth and said, “Nothing really. I’m still sore and tired.” Ian threw half of his pancake taco to Lucky.

  Kevin leaned back in his seat as he said, “Well, we have a week before our final grades are posted. How ‘bout we go out? We haven’t done too much sightseeing around the capital.”

  “Do we have to?” Ian sounded tired.

  “Not today. It's too late,” Kevin responded.

  “I can’t do tomorrow. Zoey and I have plans already,” Emmett added.

  “Okay, what about Thursday? Cause I can’t do Wednesday,” Kevin asked.

  Ian, taking a bite of his food, paused for a moment to think. “That works for me.”

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  Emmett also took a moment to think, then said, “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  “Alright, Thursday it is,” Kevin said, sounding happy about the arrangement.

  The following days leading up to the final grades being posted were as expected.

  Ian spent most of his time sleeping, training, and eating. Kevin was off being a mildly irritating individual, flirting with some girls, annoying Ellie, and annoying Ian. As for Emmett, he spent most of his time with Zoey.

  On the day they all agreed to hang out together, the three of them went into the city to check out some stores, see the market district, try new restaurants, and try their luck against a few street gamblers.

  Ian especially enjoyed his time at the restaurants and the market district. He was able to try different varieties of food. Besides that, he did browse around some weapon shops and toolsmiths. He ended up getting a new pair of daggers to replace his old pair, and he bought a multipurpose tool alongside a satchel.

  Emmett, on the other hand, didn’t spend too much time browsing for himself. He wanted to buy something for Zoey. Eventually, he bought her a golden necklace with rubies decorating it. Alongside that, he got her a new knife set.

  Though he was thinking about how to make Zoey happy, Emmett didn’t forget to have fun. He still joked around and got a bit rough with Ian and Kevin.

  For as much of a nuisance, Kevin can be, he did focus on having fun with the other two. He cracked jokes, made comments, and was generally being a goofball. His overzealous personality made it difficult for the group to have any downtime from the fun.

  The three of them were quite the group. They bounced off each other’s jokes, comments, and actions flawlessly. They were truly the best of friends.

  However, there was one small incident where Kevin tried to scam a street gambler. The results ended with them running for their lives as five really angry men chased them.

  They did manage to get away safely and make it back to the academy, but not without some difficulties. Even so, once they all caught their breath, the three of them burst out laughing. It had been so long since they could just let loose and have fun.

  The day came to an end with them getting some drinks from the cafeteria, going outside to enjoy the cool breeze, and watching the night sky as they reminisced about the past year.

  As the night dragged on and the city began to fall asleep, the three of them silently enjoyed their time.

  “No matter what happens, you guys will always be my best friends.” Kevin took a swig of his beer.

  “Jeez, didn’t take you for the sentimental type,” Ian jokingly said,”

  “Shut the hell up. You know I’m not.” Kevin lightly punched Ian’s arm

  Emmett took a sip from his beer before saying, "Yeah, yeah, we know, but you’re right, we’ll always be best friends, no matter what.”

  “Yeah…and if either of you are in trouble, I’ll be there to save you. Unless you get thrown into jail *cough* Kevin…” Ian added.

  “Oh, come on, I’m not that bad.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, you’re far worse. But then again, I don’t think we have to worry. Even if we can’t keep you in check, Ellie has us covered. Hell, even Amanda can make you kneel.” Emmett jokingly said.

  “That was one time! Jeez, you do one thing and people don’t stop talking about it.”

  Ian took a sip from his drink, staring at the stars. “So…should we call it a night? It's almost one in the morning.”

  “Just one more drink, okay?” Kevin asked, not looking away from the sky.

  “Sure thing. Works for me,” Emmett replied.

  …

  The following morning, Ian woke up and got dressed. As much as he wanted to go do some training, he agreed to meet Kevin and the others so they could check out their final scores.

  After getting a quick breakfast, Ian met up with everyone near the entrance of the main building. Many students were pouring in to get a look at their grades already.

  Amanda, Ellie, and Kevin were already waiting near the entrance. Now they were just missing Emmett and Zoey.

  While the four waited, they discussed what they might have gotten for their final scores. Not long after, Emmett and Zoey showed up.

  With the whole group fully gathered, they all ventured inside, excited to see their grades. They were all confident in their ability to get good grades at least.

  The first classes they visited were the basic math, history, and other similar assortment of classes. Each class had a board with both final grades and final test grades on it. The names of the students were organized from highest grade to lowest.

  For the classes Amanda was in, she was always in the top 5, placing mostly in first or second place.

  Kevin, who took some of the same classes as Amanda, placed in the top 10, rarely placing in the top 5. This surprised some people, but as for the group, this was expected. For as much of an idiot Kevin can be, he’s not someone to take lightly. His carefree attitude is meant to keep others guessing.

  Next, the group checked Ellie’s grade. They weren’t surprised to see her in the top 25 of her class. Ellie is no slouch. She was a fast learner, able to keep up with the more advanced students. However, those were her normal classes.

  Once the group checked her more physical classes, they were blown away. Ellie was at the top of all her classes. Even though she was taking intermediate classes, she was still outshining nearly everyone. Only one other person, named Zeke, seemed to keep up with her.

  After checking Ellie’s grades, the group went on to look at Emmett and Zoey’s grades. The two of them shared most of the same classes, so they didn’t have to search far.

  In their normal classes, Emmett wasn’t doing too well, averaging a C in his classes. He didn’t even reach the top 100. Zoey, on the other hand, was doing a lot better. She had fairly high grades, averaging high Bs in her classes.

  However, that all changed when they looked at their culinary classes. Emmett had really high grades in these classes, averaging high Bs. But Zoey outshone everyone. Her grades were nearly perfect, landing her at the top of the classes.

  Finally, it was time for them to look at Ian’s grades. They all had high hopes but were not ready for what they saw.

  In the normal classes, Ian got high grades, placing him in the top 15. He wasn’t the smartest in his classes, but he didn’t struggle with the material like most students. His test grades were almost perfect. If the group had to guess, Ian most likely missed one or two questions.

  Everyone knew Ian was smart and expected these grades from him, but that all changed when they went to check his physical classes. Since the outdoor classes didn’t have a proper classroom, they had to go to the main office building to look at them.