"Silly mushroom," Caius couldn't help but mutter. Then he carefully stowed away the Magic Array Plate, looked at Belle, and asked,

  "So, how did you spend the remaining two thousand gold?"

  "I haven't spent it yet," Belle replied.

  Caius raised an eyebrow. "Have you been eating properly?"

  Belle nodded earnestly. "Yes."

  "What did you have for lunch?" Caius pressed.

  "Scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Rice," Belle answered.

  "And?" Caius urged.

  "…"

  Belle fell silent.

  Watching her hesitate, Caius’s mouth twitched. "That's it? You call that eating properly?"

  Belle mumbled weakly, "There were eggs…"

  "Eggs? That's not what I call a proper meal!" Caius couldn't hold back, but after a moment's pause, he added, "No, wait, eggs are good. I like eggs too… but you can't just eat scrambled eggs with tomatoes every meal!"

  "At least have some meat, right?"

  Belle shrank her neck slightly. "Eggs are… meat."

  Caius: "…"

  "Fine, let's say eggs are meat," Caius said, sighing. "But even then, you can't just live on scrambled eggs with tomatoes!"

  He raised two fingers, emphasizing, "At least two dishes per meal, one with meat!"

  "That's the bare minimum for basic nutrition!"

  As he spoke, Caius turned to Holan, his tone laced with dissatisfaction.

  "Instructor Holan, why haven't you been taking care of her?"

  Holan looked a little aggrieved. "I've been really busy lately… I haven't even had lunch myself…"

  Caius: "…"

  "You’re all the same, huh?" Caius's mouth twitched again.

  "As researchers, you should be taking even better care of yourselves!"

  "No matter how busy you are, you can't possibly not have time for a few bites!"

  "If you don't even eat properly, what will you do if your health collapses one day? How will you continue your magical research then?"

  Listening to Caius’s mixture of concern and scolding, Belle clutched her little hands together, not daring to move.

  Holan pouted slightly, looking a little unconvinced, but she knew she was at fault and simply listened quietly without talking back.

  Seeing this, Caius exhaled deeply, his tone softening.

  "Your body is your most important asset, girls."

  "I'm older than you!" Holan pouted, her lips jutting out. She had endured being lectured, but she couldn't accept being called a girl.

  Belle also timidly stretched out a finger from her sleeve, silently indicating—one year older.

  Caius chuckled.

  Looking at Holan, he said solemnly, "Older than me? You're only eighteen, at best we're the same generation."

  Holan froze for a moment, then her eyes curved into a smile. "Yeah… you're right~"

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Then Caius turned to Belle.

  "So what if you're a year older? Don't you know mushrooms and humans can't be compared the same way when it comes to age?"

  Holan: "…"

  "I'm not a mushroom…" Belle said in a pitiful voice.

  "Then you're admitting you're silly," Caius declared. "And silly people automatically have two years deducted from their biological age. By that calculation, you're younger than me by a year, got it?"

  Holan: "…"

  Is that even a thing?

  Even Holan couldn't help laughing at Caius's ridiculous but hilarious logic.

  "So listen to me," Caius said with an air of maturity. "Instructor Holan, you’ll make sure Belle eats properly from now on, right?"

  "If I’m not watching her, this silly girl is just going to eat scrambled eggs and tomatoes every meal."

  "No problem," Holan nodded. She was thinking the same.

  What Caius said was absolutely right.

  Maybe to Belle, having eggs already counted as a good meal, but that simply wasn’t enough.

  "Silly mushroom, you’re good with that?" Caius asked.

  Belle nodded, "Mm."

  "Don't just say 'mm.' Say 'no problem,'" Caius instructed.

  Belle obediently said, "No problem."

  Satisfied, Caius gave a firm nod.

  Then he glanced around and asked Holan, "Is there a weighing device here?"

  "Hmm? Yeah, there is," Holan replied, a little puzzled. She brought over a Magitech Device usually used for lab weighing—many of their tools had such functions.

  Caius nodded and motioned to Belle, "Come on, step up."

  Belle obediently stood on the device.

  Caius took a look.

  Good heavens—47kg.

  "Way too skinny!" Caius exclaimed.

  "As the saying goes, if a girl weighs less than 50kg, she's either flat-chested or short! You're so tall, how can you weigh so little?!"

  "One month from now, we'll weigh you again. If you’re still under 50kg, then…"

  "Then I'll take on a Mithril-ranked mission!"

  Belle's eyes widened. She didn't know exactly how strong Caius was, but she knew a Mithril-ranked mission had to be incredibly dangerous. She quickly waved her hands, panicking, "No… don't…"

  Caius chuckled smugly.

  "Scared now? Then you agree, right?"

  Belle nodded, "Mm."

  "Don't just 'mm'—say 'I agree,'" Caius insisted.

  Belle said quickly, "I agree."

  "Then it’s settled! If you agree to something, you have to follow through!" Caius declared.

  Belle nodded firmly.

  Watching the two, Holan couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Caius's "threats" probably only worked on Belle.

  Truly a silly mushroom.

  But the next second, Holan saw Caius grinning mischievously at her, gesturing toward the weighing Magitech Device.

  "Would Instructor Holan like to try it too?" he teased.

  Holan instantly felt a jolt in her heart. "I... I don't want to!" she blurted out.

  She had heard Caius’s earlier remarks loud and clear, and her heart gave a heavy thud.

  If her weight was under a hundred pounds, it meant either a flat chest or being short. Instinctively, she glanced down at her own chest, feeling a sudden lack of confidence.

  If she got on the scale now and it showed under a hundred, this shameless brute would definitely tease her about being flat.

  And if it showed over a hundred...

  Given the size of her chest, if she still weighed over a hundred, it could only mean she'd gotten fat elsewhere—which would also give this mischievous brute another excuse to laugh at her.

  Either way, she absolutely would not step on that scale.

  Caius looked a bit disappointed but didn’t push further.

  His hands were scales enough; he'd just find an opportunity to hug her someday and figure it out himself.

  Although Instructor Holan’s "altitude" wasn’t as high as the Boss Lady’s, her figure was absolutely flawless—no excess at the top, a slender waist... Where could she possibly be fat?

  Those who knew, knew~

  Then Caius stretched lazily and said, "Standing here is getting a bit tiring. Let’s find a place to sit."

  He had just been standing behind Belle for more than half an hour after all.

  Of course, with his physicality, such a short time was nothing. He just wanted an excuse to visit Belle’s dormitory.

  Holan saw through Caius’s little scheme but didn't refuse. Instead, she smiled and said, "Then let’s head over to Belle’s dormitory. It'll give you a chance to see her living conditions too."

  She knew Caius wanted Belle to live comfortably. Letting him take a look would put his mind at ease.

  And so, the three of them—and one cat—left the laboratory and headed to Belle’s dormitory.

  "This place isn't bad," Caius commented as he sized up the modest but cozy room.

  It wasn’t luxurious, but that was perfect for Belle. Something too extravagant wouldn't suit her, and a space too large would only be a waste. This place was clean, orderly, with a quiet environment—perfect for her.

  Still, one question lingered in Caius’s mind.

  "Why doesn’t Belle have a school uniform?" he asked.

  "The uniforms are custom-made," Holan explained with a shake of her head. "They cost fifteen hundred Gold. This girl thought it was too expensive, so she didn’t buy one."

  "I even offered to buy her a set, but she refused—she couldn’t bear to let me spend the money."

  Caius nodded, then asked, "Is it okay not to wear a uniform?"

  "The Academy doesn’t strictly enforce it," Holan said. "But the uniforms are quite cost-effective. They’re a full set of mage gear, with magic resistance properties. You couldn’t buy something this good outside for fifteen hundred Gold."

  "Plus, it’s a symbol of Hydis."

  "Wearing the uniform outside lets shops and other places know you're a student of Hydis, and you’ll often get special discounts. Various factions also show great respect to Hydis students. That’s why most students choose to wear it."

  "But it’s not mandatory. No one really discriminates because of it."

  "That’s good," Caius said, nodding thoughtfully. Inwardly, he was already plotting how to gift a uniform—specifically, a dress—to Belle without her refusing.