"Excuse me, make some room!" Ryan pushed through the crowded mass of people.

  Under everyone's curious gaze, he pulled a folded bed from the spatial magic pouch at his waist.

  Once unfolded, it automatically spread out into a soft mattress, clearly a piece of furniture he had prepared specifically for watching the matches.

  "Mentor, you really came prepared!" Derrick leaned closer, unable to hide his amazement, giving Ryan a big thumbs-up.

  It was his first time seeing someone bring an actual bed to the tournament grounds. This move was even flashier than those noble students with their floating seats.

  "It's nothing." Ryan patted the edge of the bed casually.

  "You should've seen me before. Back in the day, I'd soak in a hot spring and eat snacks while watching the matches."

  As soon as he said that, the crowd around them let out a collective hiss of disbelief.

  Someone muttered under their breath,"A hot spring? While watching a match? Look at his apprentice uniform what a show-off."

  Others pointed at the bed, sneering with disdain at what they thought was a country bumpkin pretending to be elegant.

  Ryan ignored the stares completely. He took out a portable dining table from the same magic pouch and placed it in front of the bed.

  The tabletop instantly shimmered, conjuring several dishes into existence: a plate filled with caramelized nuts, honeyed fruit slices, and a jug of malt liquor.

  "Come on, everyone up there! Don't be shy, put on a good show for us!" Ryan called out toward the nearest arena.

  But the moment his voice faded, he realized that no one on the stage reacted at all.

  Apparently, the transparent barrier surrounding the arena not only blocked magical attacks but also had a one-way soundproofing rune.

  Sound from outside couldn't get in, though the sounds of battle inside could still be heard clearly, an effective way to prevent the audience from disturbing the competition.

  "I want some too!"

  A bright, clear female voice suddenly rang out.

  The next instant, a figure in a pink dress squeezed nimbly through the crowd and hopped onto the bed with a light thud.

  Without hesitation, she grabbed a caramelized nut and popped it into her mouth. The cherry blossom tassels on her skirt swayed gently, she was none other than Darlene, the same girl who had bickered with Derrick in the capital just a few days earlier.

  "You again?!" Derrick's eyes went wide the moment he saw her, staring at Darlene in shock.

  Chewing on the nut, Darlene deliberately put on a pitiful expression. In full view of everyone, she pinched the hem of her skirt, bit her lower lip, and let her eyes glisten with tears.

  "What's wrong~? It's only been three days, and you don't like me anymore? You promised to go to the market with me, remember…"

  "I-I never said I liked you!" Derrick stammered, panicking at her performance. Then he quickly waved his hands."No, wait! I mean, who said I liked you in the first place? We only met once!"

  The crowd glanced between Darlene's tearful expression and Derrick's flustered face, and their looks instantly turned strange.

  Someone immediately shouted angrily,"I thought that kid looked honest, turns out he's just another heartless scoundrel!"

  Another person chimed in,"He must've made promises to the poor girl and now he's denying it! Shame on him!"

  The mood spread like wildfire, fueled by gossip and righteous indignation.

  More and more people, unaware of the truth, began joining in the scolding. Some even started tossing small pebbles at Derrick.

  Fortunately, Derrick reacted quickly and blocked them in time.

  "Enough! Everyone, quiet down!" Ryan finally lost patience and shouted.

  His voice carried enough authority that the surrounding noise gradually subsided.

  Ryan watched Darlene's tearful face, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

  Raising his voice on purpose, he turned to the crowd and said with a laugh,"Didn't you say you and Derrick are close friends? In our etiquette, close friends greet each other with a cheek-touch. If you're really that close, why not show everyone?"

  Derrick and Darlene both froze, eyes wide in disbelief.

  Derrick's ears flushed bright red; he took half a step back and waved his hands in panic."No way! We've only known each other for a few days!"

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Darlene clutched the hem of her pink dress tightly, her face burning red. She even forgot to keep up her act of pitifulness.

  A cheek-touch greeting might not involve a kiss, but it still required the two faces to lightly brush against each other, far too intimate for people who had just met.

  "Yeah! Let's see that cheek-touch!" someone in the crowd shouted, and laughter broke out at once. To the onlookers, apprentices and townsfolk alike, the magic duels on the stage were exciting, but these little dramas were far more entertaining. It wasn't their problem, after all, so why not enjoy the show?

  "No!" Derrick and Darlene cried out in unison, their voices filled with refusal.

  "See?" Ryan immediately seized the moment, pointing at Darlene as he addressed the crowd."She doesn't even dare do the most basic greeting! Clearly, she made everything up to fool us! She's probably here to cause trouble, maybe even to steal something!"

  His words hit Darlene right in the heart. The looks from the crowd instantly turned suspicious, some even contemptuous.

  Having been raised in comfort and pride, she had never been humiliated like this before. Her nose stung, and tears welled up uncontrollably until crystal drops rolled down her cheeks, falling onto the bedding.

  "Mentor, just let it go," Derrick muttered, scratching his head awkwardly as he watched Darlene wipe her tears in front of everyone.

  He couldn't stand seeing girls cry, especially not one like Darlene, who, despite her sharp tongue, had bright eyes and delicate features. Now, with tears trembling in her lashes, she looked so pitiful that it made him soften.

  "No," Ryan said firmly. His tone left no room for discussion. His sharp gaze swept over Derrick's softened expression and then turned to Darlene, who was still wiping her tears.

  "You tried to trick us, and you think you can just cry your way out of it? Tell me, what's your real reason for coming here?"

  He had already been suspicious. Darlene's appearance was far too coincidental, first arguing with Derrick back in the capital, now conveniently showing up at the academy during the tournament.

  Still, Ryan wasn't particularly interested in her looks. After being around Evelyn, with her long legs and icy elegance, Darlene's cute charm seemed harmlessly ordinary to him.

  Darlene sniffled and pointed at the table, her voice trembling."I just wanted to eat those…"

  For food? Well, that didn't sound so shameful. She had smelled the sweet caramelized nuts and the malty scent of ale from outside the square. The sugared fruits and crystal tarts looked so tempting that she had made up a story just to get closer.

  "So all that acting and lying was just because you wanted a snack?" Ryan raised an eyebrow, half amused, half exasperated.

  He had thought she had some hidden motive, but it turned out she was just a hungry girl chasing desserts.

  Darlene nodded, no longer pretending to be pitiful.

  She had realized that Ryan was far harder to fool than Derrick. His eyes were sharp enough to cut through pretense; the longer she acted, the worse she'd look.

  She risked a glance at Derrick, her red-rimmed eyes still glistening. The sight softened him again.

  "What are you looking at me for? You were the one lying!" Derrick grumbled, though his tone was much gentler now. He couldn't bring himself to scold her harshly, not when she still had tears on her cheeks.

  "If you want to eat, that's fine," Ryan said suddenly, holding out his hand with his palm up."But you'll have to pay for it. I'm not running a charity."

  Darlene blinked in surprise, then quickly understood. She fumbled with the space ring on her finger and took out a few Bronze Coins, placing them carefully in Ryan's open hand.

  Ryan held the Bronze Coins in his palm, his fingertips brushing casually against the magic ring on Darlene's finger.

  He hadn't expected her to own such a thing; clearly, she wasn't short on money. No reason not to take advantage of that.

  He deliberately lowered his voice."Bronze Coins won't do. What I want are Magic Crystals."

  "What?" Darlene's eyes widened, her voice rising in disbelief."You want Magic Crystals for snacks that don't even contain magical energy?"

  "Just say whether you're eating or not," Ryan said flatly.

  Darlene bit her lip, hesitating for a few seconds before giving in."Fine! I'll eat! But I didn't bring any Magic Crystals!"

  Her mother had only given her some Bronze Coins and a few emergency potions when she left home. Magic Crystals hadn't even crossed her mind, who would expect to need them just to buy snacks at a tournament?

  "No Magic Crystals, no snacks. Move along, don't take up space," Ryan waved dismissively, even scooting toward the edge of the bed as if to push her off.

  "Wait! Can I trade this instead?" Darlene panicked, quickly pulling a small crystal vial from her magic ring.

  Inside shimmered a golden liquid, faintly glowing with earth-element magic. The moment the lid came off, a subtle herbal scent drifted into the air.

  Ryan took the vial suspiciously and channeled a bit of detection magic through his fingertips.

  A second later, his eyes lit up, it was a body-strengthening potion!

  "Eat! Eat as much as you want! If it's not enough, I've got more snacks!" Ryan's expression flipped instantly from stern to cheerful as he tucked the vial neatly into his storage space.

  He even pushed the table closer to Darlene. Now, besides caramelized nuts and fruit tarts, there were smoked jerky, berry jelly, and a plate of mini chocolate cakes dusted with sugar.

  No wonder Darlene was willing to trade such a precious potion.

  Watching his sudden change of attitude, Darlene couldn't help rolling her eyes, but she still grabbed a piece of chocolate cake and popped it into her mouth.

  The sweet frosting and rich cocoa melted together on her tongue, instantly conquering her taste buds and washing away much of her earlier irritation.

  The three of them sat on the big bed, munching snacks as they watched the matches.

  Whenever an impressive magic duel unfolded, Ryan would slap his thigh and cheer, and even Darlene couldn't tear her eyes away, occasionally sighing at a contestant's mistake.

  "What is this stuff? It's bitter and spicy!" Darlene exclaimed after curiously opening a bottle of malt liquor.

  She took a small sip and immediately burst into coughs, fanning her tongue in panic as her little face scrunched up. The alcohol was far stronger than the sweet berry wines she was used to, the sharp, burning taste was unbearable.

  "You reacted exactly like I did the first time I drank that!" Derrick laughed out loud, remembering how he'd been left teary-eyed from his first sip until Ryan had given him a sweet to dull the burn.

  "What are you laughing at! Want me to punch you?" Darlene waved a tiny fist at him, her eyes full of mock fury.

  Derrick instantly chickened out, yanking Ryan in front of him and shouting from behind,"You try! My Mentor will knock your teeth out!"

  "Are you two natural-born enemies or something?" Ryan groaned, rubbing his forehead as he watched the bickering pair.

  Unbidden, Evelyn's face surfaced in his mind. He and Evelyn had been the same, constantly running into each other, always clashing, blades drawn every time they met. He had died by her hand eight times, and in his ninth life, her ice needles had nearly pierced his heart.

  But Derrick and Darlene were different. Their quarrels were full of childish energy, without the blood-soaked tension that had always shadowed his encounters with Evelyn.

  "Hiding behind your Mentor again? Coward!" Darlene stuck out her tongue but didn't actually move to hit him.

  With an annoyed huff, she turned away and focused on her snacks, eyes fixed on the duel happening in the arena.