A dull thud echoed through the courtyard.
Everyone stopped.
Someone had crashed into a post.
It was Jânio.
Lauren's eyes widened.
His heart raced.
Without saying a word, he quickly stood up, clutching Ash'vour tightly, and ran toward the fallen boy. His black cloak billowed behind him, and he nearly stumbled along the way.
Jânio was lying on the ground, his cane several meters away.
"Ouch... ouch..." he groaned.
Lauren knelt beside him.
With trembling hands, he took Jânio's hand. It was still warm.
"Huh?" Jânio stirred.
"I feel a hand on mine... Is someone there?"
Lauren swallowed.
"Yo... Yo... You... are... okay?"
Jânio, still lying on the ground, smiled faintly.
"I'm fine... Thank you so much for worrying about me."
Lauren looked away shyly, fidgeting with his fingers as his face turned red.
Suddenly, a blur sped past them with a screech of tires.
"Jânio!" Felix shouted, skidding to a stop. "Are you okay?!"
"Of course," Jânio replied. "This guy here helped me."
He pointed toward Lauren.
"This is Lauren," Felix explained. "He doesn't talk much."
"Ah... That explains why you barely talked to me," Jânio said with a smile.
"Thank you anyway, Lauren."
Lauren nodded and tried to smile.
"But anyway," Felix said, "what happened?"
Jânio adjusted himself on the ground as if he were about to tell an epic legend.
"I was sitting peacefully when I heard some students talking behind me..."
"I heard it too."
"About what?"
"Today they're selling lasagna in the cafeteria."
"But only for the first TEN!"
Jânio suddenly threw his arms into the air as if he had just won the lottery.
"LASAGNA?!"
His scream echoed across the courtyard.
Everyone jumped.
"It's my favorite food! I had to run!"
He pointed dramatically toward the cafeteria.
"So I got up, aimed myself toward it, and ran like a rocket!"
"But the cafeteria is in the other direction," Felix pointed out.
"Yeah..."
Jânio paused.
"I ran straight into the lamppost."
At that moment, Beatrice hurried over.
"I was worried for nothing! I thought something serious had happened!"
"But it is serious!" Jânio argued. "They're only giving lasagna to the first TEN!"
Beatrice crossed her arms.
"Hmph. If I wanted to, my cooks could make as much lasagna as I wanted!"
"Oh, sure!" Jânio scoffed. "Rich, spoiled, and conceited!"
"WHO DID YOU CALL SPOILED, YOU BLIND MADMAN?!"
The two pressed their foreheads together, pushing against each other like quarrelling siblings.
Lauren stepped between them, raising his hands.
He didn't say anything at first.
He simply looked at both of them seriously and gave a small nod.
Beatrice stopped.
Jânio stopped.
Lauren took a deep breath.
Then, with great effort, he spoke.
"Le... Le... Let's... eat... together?"
Silence.
Beatrice's eyes widened.
"Mino... you... spoke again."
Jânio immediately broke into a huge grin.
"Then let's go! If Lauren said it, that's a royal order!"
"Only if there's lasagna!" Felix joked as he sped away in his wheelchair.
The four of them headed to the cafeteria together.
And for the first time, they ate together as friends, laughing side by side.
Far away...
Somewhere above the city...
A figure watched them.
"Lauren Valenheart."