Outside the academy, there was a well-known restaurant that most students loved to visit. At first, the academy had allowed students to eat for free, but once they were told they had to start paying, the restaurant's popularity exploded. Business had been booming—until the disaster struck. With so many students gone, the restaurant's customers disappeared almost overnight.
But even now, there was one lively customer who seemed determined to make up for all the restaurant's losses in a single day.
A tall, tanned girl with a toned physique was seated at a table, eating like she hadn't touched food in days. Her body was athletic and muscular in just the right way—enough to show her strength without losing her curves. She was dressed in her academy uniform, though the buttons on her shirt were straining dangerously from the sheer amount of food she was stuffing herself with. Thankfully, after having two past experiences where her buttons had burst open, she'd worn a sturdier bra today to prevent another wardrobe disaster.
It was none other than Maruti, devouring dish after dish without pause.
Despite eating a mountain of food, there wasn't even the slightest sign of chubbiness or a bloated belly on her. She seemed to have an endless appetite with no consequences.
"I have so much money now, I could literally buy this entire restaurant," she thought to herself while stuffing her mouth. After looting Trynne's treasure, even just half of the share was enough for her to buy a hundred restaurants like this one.
Around her, the other customers couldn't help but stare. How could they not? Maruti was beautiful, charming, and downright irresistible. The gaps between her shirt buttons gave teasing glimpses of her chest, while her skirt—though normal in length—looked much shorter on her tall figure, barely covering half of her thighs. Her carefree attitude only made her seem more alluring.
Many people wanted to approach her, to ask her out, or at least talk to her, but the academy uniform she wore made them hesitate. No one wanted to risk getting on the bad side of an academy student—especially one who could probably throw them across the room without breaking a sweat.
"Stop staring at her! She's a regular customer!" the restaurant owner scolded a group of boys who were openly ogling Maruti's chest without even trying to hide it.
His sudden outburst made them jump and look away in embarrassment, their faces turning red as they quickly tried to pretend they hadn't been staring.
The owner sighed before walking over to Maruti, rubbing his hands together with a polite smile.
"Haha... My lady, would you like anything else?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
The restaurant owner called Maruti "My lady" with such respect not just because she was a regular customer—but also because she was a student from the Academy, an awakened person with powers, while he was just a normal man. To him, she was not someone to take lightly.
"No!" Maruti shook her head, her mouth still full. "I'll come tomorrow! Just give me a chocolate shake. I'll drink it on the way back," she added, chewing on the last piece of meat with satisfaction.
She still wanted to eat more, but the sky was already turning orange. Evening was coming, and today was an important day—the ceremony where students would be rewarded.
"I wonder what I'll get?" Maruti thought, wiping her mouth with a tissue. "I saved that lolicon dragon queen, didn't I? It would be great if she rewarded me by saying Kailith will stop following me around. That would be the best gift ever!"
She stood up slowly, stretching her arms a little, and got ready to leave.
But just before she turned to go, the restaurant owner hesitantly asked, "Umm... I was wondering... how old are you?"
"Huh? Why?" Maruti raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised.
The man quickly got flustered. "O-Of course, you don't have to say! Asking a lady her age is rude! Very rude!" he looked away quickly, trying to act innocent.
Maruti sighed in irritation. "Huh? There's nothing rude about that. And stop calling me a lady..." Her voice turned colder, her face slightly annoyed. "I've been eighteen for a few months now. At least, that's what I remember."
"Ohh..." the owner nodded slowly, pretending to think deeply. "So two years since you became an adult... You should've been married by now! But I guess it's not your fault. The academy has rules—no marriage until graduation." He sighed, shaking his head.
Then, after a short pause, he leaned in a little and said, "I wonder if there's any boy you like... or maybe your type—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, a loud voice interrupted.
"Hey! You were scolding us for staring, and now you're flirting yourself, old man! Don't you have a wife already?!" one of the boys who had been staring earlier stood up and pointed right at the owner, clearly angry and embarrassed.
The owner's face turned red with panic. "Shut up, boy! I was just making conversation!" he barked like a dog, waving his hand. "And who are you calling old, huh?! I'm only thirty-eight! I'm still young!"
But just then, a cold, calm female voice came from behind.
"Oh? Still young, huh...?"
A cold hand rested on the owner's shoulder. His body froze.
His eyes widened in pure fear. He slowly turned his head, praying it wasn't who he thought it was...
It was.
Standing there was a middle-aged woman with a sharp gaze and crossed arms.
It was his wife.
The man's legs almost gave out as a nervous sweat ran down his forehead.
"You are coming with me!" the wife shouted as she grabbed her husband by the collar and dragged him across the floor.
"Wait! I want my chocolate shake!" Maruti called out from her seat, waving her hand in protest.
The owner's wife didn't stop. She marched into the kitchen, yanked open the door, shoved her poor husband inside like he was a bag of flour, then slammed it shut. A loud thud echoed across the restaurant.
A few seconds later, she came back, her face still red with anger. She grabbed a tall glass, poured in thick chocolate shake, shoved a straw into it, and slammed it down in front of Maruti with a loud thump.
"There!" she huffed. "No need to pay. Just don't come here anymore!"
Maruti blinked, confused. "Huh? Why not?" she tilted her head. "I'm a regular customer. I eat more than twelve people. Isn't that good for your business?"
The woman's face scrunched with frustration. "Why? Are you seriously asking me why?" She pointed her finger around the restaurant with a sharp motion.
"Look there, and there, and over there too! The whole place is filled with boys who only come here to stare at you! They order one cheap drink and sit here the whole day just watching you eat like they're at a show!"
The whole restaurant turned silent. Some of the boys awkwardly looked away, pretending to stare at their half-empty cups. A few tried to whistle or hide their faces with menus.
"Even the few girls who come here either get scared off by these punks or—worse—they come just to stare at you too!"
Maruti slowly turned her head and looked around. For the first time, she noticed. Almost every table had at least one boy, and most of them weren't even touching their drinks—they were just staring at her.
Still, she didn't feel awkward at all. After all, in her heart, she still saw herself as a boy. She didn't have the usual embarrassment or awareness most girls had when being stared at like that.
"But isn't that a good thing?" Maruti shrugged and crossed her arms under her chest, which only made her shirt stretch tighter. "I'm boosting your restaurant's popularity, right?"
The owner's wife let out a long, deep breath, like she was trying hard not to yell again. She raised her head to meet Maruti's eyes.
"No," she said firmly. "It's not good. It's ruining my personal life. It's better if you stop coming here."
Maruti stood up, her expression calm but a little disappointed. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a glowing gold coin, and tossed it onto the counter.
"Okay," she said softly.
The woman instinctively caught the coin and stared at it, eyes wide. That one coin was worth more than a hundred meals. She looked up again, surprised.
"I hate owing people," Maruti said simply as she picked up her chocolate shake. Without another word, she turned around and walked toward the door.
As she stepped outside into the cool evening air, she took a long sip from her shake. The sweetness didn't quite cheer her up.
She never thought someone's beauty could actually cause problems. But here she was—being asked to leave just because she was too attractive.
"Ugh... great," she muttered, dragging her feet. "Now I have to walk even farther just to find another place to eat..."
She was literally suffering from success.
--------------------
Maruti was walking back to the academy, sipping her chocolate shake through a straw, her steps light but carefree. Her chest bounced softly with each movement, and in between her large breasts was the shake cup, snugly held without her needing to touch it. The straw reached her lips, and she drank without using her hands at all.
Her hands were tucked casually into the pockets of her skirt.
"I finally know one use of these huge boobs," she muttered to herself with a smirk. "It's to hold cups. I'm a genius!"
She didn't care that people were staring—men, women, even children—everyone's eyes were following her. But she had grown used to it by now and didn't feel any embarrassment. In fact, she thought it was kind of funny.
But then, something caught her attention.
Up ahead, near the street corner, she saw a commotion.
A woman was being surrounded by three rough-looking men. Maruti stopped walking and narrowed her eyes.
The woman looked like she was in her early thirties but had the beauty of a noble. Her long blue hair shimmered under the fading sunlight like the surface of the ocean. Her white skin was soft and flawless, and her strong eyebrows and sharp jawline made her look like a proud and elegant lady.
"This can't be real," Maruti thought. "She's too hot to be a random commoner. This has to be some kind of setup."
She looked around, expecting some hero to come flying in with a cool pose—maybe someone jumping from a roof like a superhero.
But no one came. No guards, no knights, no magic-user in a cape.
The woman slapped one thug's hand away. "Stop it! I said I don't want to go with you!" she shouted, her voice firm but filled with panic. "Why are you all just watching?! Is this the security of this city?, Can't someone help me? Where are the guards?!"
People nearby kept their heads down. No one wanted to get involved. Fear and cowardice filled their eyes.
Maruti just stood there, now holding her cup in her hand and sucking on the last bit of chocolate shake. "These guys must be from the lower street, All idiots comes from there, And from the level of her acting, Now I'm even more sure that this has to be some kind of pre planned show," she muttered as she took another sip.
She looked around up and down and back and forth,"Where's the hero?, Where's the men in action?",
Then suddenly, one of the thugs—he was standing a little off to the side—noticed Maruti.
His eyes widened.
His jaw dropped slightly.
He licked the tip of the dagger he was holding and took a step forward, a disgusting grin forming on his face.
"Hey guys," he called to his friends, his voice filled with excitement. "I found an even better girl…"
He slowly walked toward Maruti, his knife gleaming in the orange glow of the evening light.
His eyes roamed over her body shamelessly, and he tilted his head.
"I wonder what you're doing tonight, Ms. Gal?" he asked, licking his lips again.
His voice was greasy and full of hunger.
But Just as other thug's eyes landed on Maruti, something changed.
His face turned pale.
Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"You idiot!" one of his fellow thugs shouted from behind him. "Look at her clothes!"
But it was already too late.
A large shadow loomed over the thug. Slowly, he looked up—and froze.
Maruti stood in front of him, cracking her knuckles, then her neck, with a loud pop-pop.
Her calm eyes stared at him like he was nothing more than a bug.
The thug laughed nervously, trying to hide his fear. "H-Haha... I didn't know you were so tall…"
But Maruti didn't laugh.
She didn't even smile.
She grabbed his face with one hand, her palm completely covering it. Then, with ease, she lifted him into the air like he weighed nothing.
"Better not come into my sight again," she said coldly.
And with that, she threw him.
His body flew through the air and crashed into the ground a good distance away. A loud *thud* echoed in the street, and it sounded painful. He rolled on the ground, groaning as one of his arms hung limply—possibly broken.
The other two thugs were already gone, running down the street and cursing the one who got them into this mess.
One of them had tears in his eyes. "We're lucky to be alive after meeting an awakened… I swear I'll never harass a girl again!"
---
After everything calmed down, Maruti walked toward the woman she had saved.
"So… it wasn't a fake show after all," she muttered to herself, letting out a small sigh. "Guess I should've stepped in earlier."
The blue-haired lady was still shaken, but her beautiful face showed relief as she looked at Maruti.
"T-Thank you so much! I was in real trouble today!" she said, her voice full of gratitude.
Maruti gave her a side glance and raised one eyebrow. "You don't look like you're from around here."
The woman almost jumped, then smiled brightly.
"I'm Brenna! I came here for—"
But before she could finish, Maruti waved her hand.
"No need for details. I'm running late to the academy," she said bluntly and turned around.
Without looking back, she began walking away.
However, Brenna quickly caught up and started walking beside her, matching her steps.
"So, you're an academy student? That's great! I'm going to the academy too!" she said cheerfully.
Maruti blinked in surprise. "What? For enrollment? Isn't it too late for that?"
Brenna giggled softly, then shook her head. "No, I'm not enrolling. I'm going to meet my son!"
That answer made Maruti stop in her tracks.
She slowly turned her head toward the elegant woman beside her.
"A son?" Maruti repeated in disbelief. "You don't even look old enough to have a kid who goes to the academy… If you said you had a toddler, I might believe it."
Brenna placed a hand on her cheek, looking a little embarrassed but proud.
"Oh, I get that a lot," she said with a soft laugh. "But yes, I came to meet my son. His name is Ethan… Ethan Rothslayer."