Spice is low?

Asher woke up at seven in the evening. After taking a bath and changing into casual clothes, he played games for some time before heading toward the cafeteria around eight-thirty.

By the time he sat down with his food, the cafeteria was still fairly crowded, though most students had already settled into their usual groups.

Not long after, Noah, Aria, and Adam arrived at the same table; Asher merely glanced at Adam once before calmly returning to his meal.

Adam noticed the look immediately and frowned. "What, do you have a problem with me eating here? I'm here because we're a team for the whole semester now."

"Whatever, human fan," Asher replied while continuing to eat.

Adam's jaw tightened at the new nickname, but after several seconds of visible restraint, he decided arguing with Asher would only make it worse.

Noah let out a small laugh from the side, seeing this. Adam instantly turned toward him with an annoyed look. "You think this is funny?"

"A little," Noah admitted while trying not to smile. "Mostly because you're somehow losing an argument without even fighting back."

"I am not losing."

"You accepted the nickname in under thirty seconds," Noah replied. "That's basically surrender."

Adam opened his mouth to argue, then stopped halfway.

"...I hate that you might actually be right."

Aria ignored their exchange at first and looked toward Asher's hand instead. "Is your hand alright? If not, you should show it to a professional healer at the academy."

"It is alright," Asher replied without looking up. "I am a professional."

Then he suddenly stopped eating.

The pause was abrupt enough for Noah to notice immediately. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Asher said after staring at his food for a second. "I just think the spice level is too low. I prefer my food to be spicier."

He looked at the plate with a serious expression before adding, "Maybe I should file a suggestion to increase the spice level in the food."

For a moment, the entire table remained silent.

Noah blinked twice before slowly asking, "...That's what made you stop eating?"

"Yes."

Adam stared at him in disbelief. "I genuinely thought you sensed an assassin or something."

Asher tilted his head slightly. "Why would there be an assassin in the cafeteria?"

Meanwhile, Aria looked down at her own plate before cautiously taking another bite. "...This is already spicy."

"It has flavor," Asher corrected. "Not spice."

He looked around the cafeteria thoughtfully, his silver eyes scanning the nearby food counters as if evaluating a battlefield.

"The academy has students from dozens of species and regions," he said. "The cafeteria should logically provide stronger spice options."

Noah leaned back in his chair. "You sound like you're preparing an official report."

"I am considering it."

Adam's expression stiffened slightly. "Please tell me you're joking."

Asher ignored him and continued eating for a moment before adding, "Maybe I should also write a suggestion to add juice and ice cream for dessert."

"Yeah, do it," Noah said casually before continuing to eat.

Asher gave a small nod, as if Noah had just approved an important strategic decision.

"I will submit it tomorrow."

Adam nearly dropped his fork. "You were serious?"

"Of course."

"It was a joke!"

"I know," Asher replied calmly. "But the suggestion still has merit."

Noah laughed quietly into his drink, while Aria shook her head with faint amusement.

"You really like juice that much?" she asked.

"Yes."

"And ice cream?"

"Also yes."

Asher looked at her like the answer should have been obvious. "Or else why would I keep thousands of packets of juice and ice cream in my subspace?"

The table went quiet again, though this time the silence carried more exhaustion than shock.

Noah sighed lightly. "...We already know you carry juice."

Adam nodded immediately. "Yeah, that part isn't surprising anymore."

Aria added calmly, "At this point, it's basically part of your personality."

Asher paused for a second, then nodded as if acknowledging a fact. "Then there is no issue."

Noah rubbed his temple. "The issue is how many you carry, not that you carry them."

Adam leaned back in his chair. "I'm still stuck on the fact that you treat juice like emergency rations."

"It is efficient," Asher replied.

Aria shook her head slightly, though a faint smile remained on her face. "...You really don't see anything strange about it, do you?"

"No."

Noah let out another small laugh. "Yeah. That tracks."

Then, after glancing at his own plate, he suddenly leaned forward. "You know what? I actually support this mission."

"Thank you," Asher said seriously.

Adam looked between the two of them in disbelief. "I can't believe the cafeteria is about to become the victim of a dessert revolution."

Aria raised an eyebrow. "Victim is a strong word."

"It's accurate," Adam insisted. "He's literally planning to restructure the cafeteria's entire identity because the spice level offended him."

"I am not offended," Asher replied calmly. "I am making an observation."

Noah tapped the table lightly. "An observation that leads to official policy suggestions, apparently."

Asher nodded. "If a system is inefficient, it should be improved."

Adam sighed and pointed his fork at him. "That's not how cafeterias work. People eat, complain, and move on. They don't start reform movements over spice."

"That is their flaw ".

"...You're impossible," Adam muttered.

Aria leaned back slightly, watching the exchange with quiet amusement. "So what exactly would your improved system look like?"

Asher did not hesitate. "Tiered spice levels, region-based seasoning options, and separate dessert distribution channels for ice cream and juice variants."

Noah paused mid-sip. "...You've thought about this."

"It is logical."

Adam groaned. "He's building a cafeteria optimization model in his head."

Aria smiled faintly. "Honestly, it would probably increase satisfaction."

"That's not helping," Adam said.

Asher resumed eating as if the discussion had already concluded. "I will submit it tomorrow."

Adam stared at him for a long moment before slowly leaning back in defeat.

Noah suddenly asked, "Where are you going to submit it? Don't tell me you'll hand it to Professor Elisa."

"No," Asher replied, looking almost offended by the idea. "Why would I? It's not the professor's work."

Seeing the small smile on Asher's face, Noah immediately felt a bad feeling rise in his chest.

"...Then who are you going to hand it to?"

"The Student Council, of course. Who else?"

The table went quiet for a second; even Noah stopped mid-motion, his drink halfway to his lips.

Adam stared at Asher slowly. "...You're actually going to walk into the Student Council and hand them a cafeteria reform proposal?"

"Yes."

Adam's expression became even more strained. "You do know the Council President is the Crown Prince, right?"

"Yeah, so what?"

Asher continued eating for a moment, then added in the same casual tone, "I'll just go to the council room and hand it to Aron Astrean, my brother. No big problem."

The table became completely still as Noah slowly lowered his drink and Adam's fork stopped halfway above his plate.

Even Aria's expression shifted slightly for the first time that evening.

Asher, however, continued eating as if he had only mentioned something as ordinary as tomorrow's weather.