The student cafeteria wasn’t overwhelmingly large compared to the other buildings in the academy.
Even if all 600 students gathered, they wouldn’t all come to eat at the same time, so it didn’t really need to be big.
Still, it could comfortably accommodate around 300, so it wasn’t small by any means.
And the ceiling of that large building… was currently wide open.
It was cool enough to see a completely clear blue sky without a single cloud.
“Hey, Seria. What are you gonna do about this?”
“I don’t know either….”
It was all Seria’s fault.
More precisely, it was because Seria suddenly blew the roof off the student cafeteria.
It was impressive how she not only made holes in one part but just outright blasted the entire lid off!
“Why the sudden chaos?”
“It’s all Rudion’s fault.”
“What did I do…?”
But she keeps blaming me! What the heck did I do?
Let’s rewind a bit to the moment I popped in uninvited.
As I got closer, it was Seria who noticed me first.
“Rudion?”
“Yeah, what’s up? You here for lunch?”
“Yeah! Rudion, do you want to eat with us?”
“…Nah, what’s with this temperature change?”
As soon as I barged in, the chilly air instantly returned to a normal temperature.
Lilith looked a little dumbfounded, but the atmosphere definitely lightened up.
I casually greeted the two of them and sat down next to Seria.
A little while later, Grain, who had brought enough food for me, naturally joined us…
“Was that the same guy from earlier?”
He said that while grinning at the smiling Seria.
For sure, she looked completely different from earlier.
After that, I got caught up in the meal and didn’t really hear what they were saying.
Without realizing it, I was hungrier than expected!
The food here went down really easily. I knew it was supposed to be delicious, but I didn’t expect it to be this good.
After indulging in my own private eating show, soon my bowl was completely empty, and with a satisfied belly, I was ready to finish my meal.
But then… after I polished off my food, I noticed Seria sitting next to me staring at me intently?
“…Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?”
The situation was so awkward that words failed me.
Grain and Lilith were whispering to each other as if they had no intention of helping me out.
With nothing to say, we just stared blankly at each other, and Seria put down her utensils and asked,
“Rudion, I heard you’re going to help Lilith with her training after class, is that true?”
It seemed to be a continuation of what Lilith had mentioned earlier.
Not that I had any reason to hide it, I nodded.
“Yeah… that’s how it turned out.”
“When do you plan to do it until?”
The period? I thought I might end up saying, ‘You’ve got no more to teach, you can leave now,’ soon, so I didn’t really establish a timeframe.
“…Not deciding that means you’ll keep helping indefinitely….”
At that moment, Seria abruptly halted her words, and her gaze awkwardly shifted.
Then, her expression seemed to harden as if she saw something.
“What’s wrong?”
“…It’s nothing. Nothing at all.”
That was definitely not a nothing expression. Her face was turning red.
I wondered if she was feeling unwell, so I held my hand to her forehead.
Hmm, it felt a little warm, but it seemed like just an average body temperature.
But maybe she got startled by the sudden touch, and Seria leaned back quickly.
If she moved that much while sitting, she was going to topple over!
“AAAGH!”
I knew that would happen.
I could react quickly since I had already anticipated the situation.
I reached out and caught Seria in her chair before she fell back!
Great reflexes! With this, I was a sweet gentleman.
While I was patting myself on the back for being clever, Seria didn’t seem to agree with that sentiment.
“Oh no.”
Suddenly she started casting magic in mid-air… Um, wait, was she actually going to shoot that?!
Out of nowhere, it happened so fast that I couldn’t stop it.
If I just let it be, it was sure to strike the cafeteria and everyone inside! I had to do something.
There wouldn’t be enough time for someone else to help. I had to do something!
‘Ah, right! Just change the direction and the people are safe!’
I quickly grabbed both of Seria’s hands and lifted them up.
The magic surrounding her hands flickered unsteadily as I pulled her, but in the end, I managed to change its direction…
BANG BOOM
A powerful storm blasted through the cafeteria ceiling, taking the debris along with it into the sky.
After the deafening sound from the storm faded, only a profound silence remained.
…And now, back to the present.
Seria, who was dazedly staring at the gaping hole in the ceiling, finally lowered her head to meet my gaze.
“It really is all Rudion’s fault.”
What on earth should I say to this troublesome kid who keeps blaming me?
She wore an expression of such relief that I couldn’t find any words to respond.
Is this what they mean by “you can’t spit at a smiling face”?
I don’t even know. She caused this mess, so I’m sure she’ll handle it.
Lucky princess, being able to be so calm even after demolishing a building.
///
I wasn’t feeling particularly good.
After realizing that I had feelings for that guy, my already wavering emotions went cold with a single word from a pesky intruder during lunch.
I didn’t really know why. No, I do know, but I didn’t want to accept it.
It wasn’t because I disliked the feelings I had for him, but rather because I felt embarrassed about having those feelings.
Having feelings for a guy I had only known for a day? That made me seem so easy.
The only consolation was that my current level of affection wasn’t too high.
[Current Affection Level: 8/100]
This much could be considered just a friend level.
Yeah, I’m not easy! This is a perfectly normal score!
As I calmed my mind with that rationalization, a familiar face caught my eye.
“Hey! You came to eat too?”
It was that guy I had been thinking about this whole time.
…Honestly, I was happy to see him. It made all my rationalizations about being just friends feel redundant.
I was relieved to see him sit down next to me.
If he had sat next to Lilith instead…
‘What am I thinking right now?’
I quickly shook off that pointless assumption.
I turned back to look at Rudion, who was now empty-handed, so I was about to ask what he was eating. But just then, someone came over with food for him and sat down at the table.
I recognized that face. It was a senior I had seen in the student council.
Grain, right? The guy who messed with Rudion and ended up looking bad.
‘…Did they come here together? Why is Grain treating him to food?’
I had a lot of questions, but seeing Rudion quickly focus on his meal wiped away any curiosity I had.
Asking a guy who was more focused on eating with three girls would yield nothing of value anyway.
“…Hey, does Seria like Rudion?”
“I was wondering too, but it seems likely. She almost froze to death when she said just one wrong word.”
“I saw it too. It looked seriously intense.”
“Excuse me. I can hear you, you know? Talking like that in front of me is rude.”
“Wow, you really have sharp hearing.”
“But you’re not denying it, huh?”
These people… are incredibly bold.
But I didn’t feel like needing to say anything since they weren’t saying anything wrong.
It was a bit embarrassing that it was so obvious to others, but hiding my feelings now would be more awkward.
Hearing others speculate about my relationship with Rudion actually felt pleasant, so I didn’t mind letting this flow continue.
However, Rudion is secretly agreeing to help Lilith, right?
I could just imagine what people would say if they saw that, and it suddenly made me feel bad again.
Since Rudion seemed to have finished eating, I decided to ask about that.
“Rudion, I heard you’re going to help Lilith with her training after class, is that true?”
“Yeah… that’s how it is.”
That was a straightforward answer.
He seems completely unconcerned, which just makes me angrier.
It feels like I’m being obsessive!
I asked how long he planned on helping, but he looked taken aback and couldn’t give me an answer.
He probably hadn’t decided on that either.
What an utterly clueless guy.
Just thinking of that made me wish to say something…
[The affection towards the other party’s kindness feels uncomfortable. Affection decreases by 1.]
[Current Affection Level: 7/100]
Thanks to the sudden pop-up text, I managed to regain some composure.
‘Why am I acting like this?’
What Rudion does has nothing to do with me.
I don’t have any right to tell him what to do.
What a mess I’m making of myself.
My face turned hot with embarrassment.
That’s when it happened. Something cold suddenly touched my forehead.
“Are you really okay?”
I didn’t understand at first, but when I regained my wits, I found Rudion’s hand resting on my forehead.
Maybe it’s due to the height difference, but his hand felt incredibly big, and it sent a thrill down my spine….
No, no, no! That’s not the important thing! Rudion’s hand is on my forehead… hand…oh…?
‘Suddenly?!’
I thought I should dodge, so I jerked my body back.
That was a foolish decision because I didn’t think about how I would tip over in my chair.
However, I didn’t end up face-planting onto the floor.
Just as I had anticipated, Rudion’s stretched arm was there to support me.
At that moment, new text began to appear before my eyes.
[The contact with the target is making your heart race. Affection increases by 1.]
[Your heart flutters from the target’s kindness! Affection increases by 2!]
[Current Affection Level: 10/100]
As soon as I saw that, my mind went blank.
All those feelings I had been denying were laid bare, and I couldn’t make any excuses.
I didn’t even know who I could explain it to since it was just showing for me.
I just felt endlessly embarrassed, wanting to get rid of those words that appeared.
So, I ended up using magic, knowing full well it was a pointless resistance.
Of course, I was completely sane and had no intention of actually using it here, so I tried to lessen its power and scale at the last moment…
WHOOSH!
“Urg?!”
Suddenly, Rudion snatched both my hands and lifted me up!
What a spooky guy! Just like the entrance exam, he somehow recognizes when I’m trying to use magic!
It was clear what he intended to do.
He was trying to redirect my magic away from hitting people.
But thanks to his interference, the spell I was adjusting finally twisted and broke, and the magic I originally intended to cast burst out.
Instead of slipping by without any casualties, I ended up taking out the entire cafeteria ceiling.
Once again, new text began to float up due to his completely useless actions.
At first, I thought it would just show a decrease but instead, it read:
[The other party’s ridiculous actions make you laugh. Affection increases by 1.]
[Current Affection Level: 11/100]
…This is so annoying.
I don’t care anymore. I’ll just be an easy girl.
Why would I put in the effort to think deeply about a guy like him?
So… it’s all his fault. The collapsed ceiling and the feelings I’ve developed for him.
Since it’s all his fault, it’s only fair he takes responsibility for it.
“What the heck did I do for you to keep blaming me?”
Even if he acknowledged it, the fact wouldn’t change.
Looking forward to our future, Rudion.
I decided to keep the words that might burden him to myself.
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