“Ugh…”
The only reason I managed to escape from training was because it was lunchtime.
I have no strength in my body at all.
Is this really what it feels like to die?
The only saving grace is that since it’s still the first week, I can return to my dorm as soon as I finish my lunch.
“My academy life… where did it go?”
Forget about getting close to heroines or main characters; I just wanted to live in relative comfort, learn some magic, and enjoy a stable life.
Is there really no such thing as a free lunch in this world?
“Haa…”
At least, since I’m still young, my stamina seems to recover fairly easily.
In my previous life, it felt like I was forcing a used battery to recharge, and the efficiency was terrible.
Thud.
I tap my waist and take the porridge container that I brought to class before heading to the restaurant to sit down.
This is my first time visiting today, and the delicious smells wafting from every corner of the restaurant are enticing.
Some are savoring noodle dishes, others steak, and yet others various desserts, but my lunch is nothing short of pathetic.
Curry porridge.
Just yesterday, it seemed somewhat appetizing, but now it’s unappealing compared to the surroundings.
“……”
But I guess I have no choice.
It’s my fault for being born into such a poor family with these characteristics.
I can only hope that if I get another shot at this, I start in a wealthy family next time.
Pfft.
“Um…”
It feels a bit dirty even to say it, but as I taste it, it’s somewhat edible.
You can’t easily get this kind of cost-performance ratio. Really.
Just when I think it’s so delicious that sweat is about to come out of my eyes, someone sits down in front of me.
“Aesha.”
“Oh, Noah?”
“You can call me senior. We’re in the same academy, after all.”
“Noah-senpai.”
“Why are you eating alone? Don’t you have any friends?”
Ugh, that hits hard.
“Ah… unfortunately.”
Even if I had friends, I would have chosen to eat alone.
It’s not that I can’t make friends; I just don’t put in the effort to do so. Yes, that’s definitely the case.
“That’s a relief. I also had to eat alone today because my acquaintances are busy.”
“Is it really a relief?”
Well, we did agree to eat together earlier.
Training was so tough that I completely forgot.
“How’s the academy? Is it good?”
“Should I say it’s good… it’s not exactly what I imagined.”
“R-Really?”
I had hoped for a more blossoming and vibrant atmosphere, but here, it feels so heated that it seems the flowers are going to burn to death.
“I can’t help it; this is just the beginning of the academy year.”
Even if the atmosphere does become softer, I don’t think it will affect me.
“By the way, are you eating that for lunch too?”
“I don’t have money… so I have no choice.”
“Then would you like to share mine? I brought some side dishes from home.”
“Huh? Don’t you use the restaurant, Noah-senpai?”
From what I remember, Noah’s family is quite wealthy; I wonder if there’s a reason she doesn’t use the restaurant.
“Uh… I don’t have the luxury to use the restaurant as I please…”
“……?”
Could my memory be wrong?
Seeing my expression, she simply smiled.
“Besides, it’s actually cheaper to buy food directly.”
“Hmm…”
Am I unknowingly doing some kind of saving? I decided to move on that thought.
“Still, is it okay for me to eat this? After hearing that, it seems like I shouldn’t.”
“No, that’s not it. I’m not so poor that I can’t share.”
It would also be rude to reject her offer.
Without immediately refusing, I started to add a little of her side dish to my porridge and eat it together.
“Um, it’s delicious, senpai.”
“Glad to hear that.”
As I gulped down the porridge for a while, Noah opened her mouth.
“But can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Does your chocolate have something special about it?”
“……”
Uh-oh.
At the moment I heard Noah’s words, I felt all my senses tingling.
My small heart started to race slightly, and my head quickly turned white.
I have no idea why she would say something like that.
So what does she want? A confession? Or is she hoping I’ll deny it?
Am I perhaps overthinking this too much?
Thus, I cautiously asked back.
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, I just sensed a strange smell coming from it…”
Considering her personality that I know, speaking the truth here is unlikely to escalate the situation.
I might not get expelled even if I get disciplined.
“……”
But people always make mistakes.
Even though I know rationally that I should tell the truth, my mouth blurts out something else.
“Nothing really special. I’m just eating it because it’s tasty.”
“Really?”
Her eyes are fixed on me.
I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous in my life, not since the first time I entered the training camp or had a job interview.
Yeah, honestly, I wasn’t that nervous then.
Maybe she already knows everything about the chocolate and just wants me to say it.
And if I’m throwing that chance away…
“Actually…”
“Hmm, well then, I got it.”
Just as I was about to tell the truth, Noah cut me off.
She smiled as if she understood and went back to chatting casually while eating.
“……”
‘What was that, is it over?’
Rather than feeling over, it felt more like she accepted it. I’m not sure why I felt that way.
Still, as I slowly went back to eating my meal, she suddenly spoke up.
“Oh.”
“Aesha…!”
I saw something rectangular fall above me.
Thud.
A food tray fell on my head.
“Oh.”
Crash!!!
Of course, the cooldown on Power Release had already reset, so I launched it toward where the tray fell.
“Aaaaaah!!!”
And when I looked up, what I saw was…
“Who?”
It was a character I vaguely recognized; I couldn’t quite recall if I had seen them in a side story or if they just had little significance in the game.
Nonetheless, it was a face that seemed familiar from having seen it once before with Yoon Si-woo, but unlike him, this person stood there looking at me with a sticky expression from the soup they had spilled on themselves.
“Uh… hello?”
“You, what do you mean hello…!”
Why are they mad at me?
They’re the one who threw the tray at me first.
I thought such an act of deliberately spilling food on someone would happen only in novels.
“Do you have any idea how expensive this outfit is?”
“How would I know that?”
“……!!!”
I’m currently wearing cheap clothes I bought at a market, so how should I know about brand names?
I have no idea why they’re glaring at me like that.
“You spilled it on me on purpose, right? Can’t we just let it go?”
“Aren’t you… the second-year student council president?”
At that moment, Noah, who was in front of me, began to speak to the girl behind her.
“That wasn’t intentional… no, more importantly, shouldn’t the student council president behave accordingly? Anyone can see that I’m the victim here!”
“Do you really think that?”
“Then…!”
Noah slowly stood up from her seat.
And she remained silent.
“……”
In the middle of the suddenly cold restaurant, the girl couldn’t say a word and just stared at Noah with a frightened expression.
From my perspective, watching it from a step back…
‘Wow, that’s really scary.’
It was genuinely intimidating.
It was the epitome of the coldness and thoroughness I had only seen from her within the game outside the warm demeanor she had shown me.
At least, as long as she can judge for herself, she makes decisions as fairly and clearly as possible.
And right now, anyone could see that the other person had intentionally spilled the tray on me, and I had bounced it off with my Power Release.
Just looking at it sent chills down my spine.
“Ugh…”
The girl just gritted her teeth and accepted help from the other students to walk away.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes. But I still don’t get why they threw a tray at me.”
The aisle was wide enough, and I wasn’t even in the way, so I wondered if there was any reason to spill it on purpose.
Noah simply explained the incident to me.
“Oh, that. Recently, a fan club was formed for a certain student.”
“A fan club?”
“You know the one who got first place this time, right? Was it Yoon Si-woo? They said it’s a fan club for her.”
“I see.”
For there to be a fan club for someone like an idol in an academy seems completely unrelated to me; I just quietly listened to Noah’s explanation.
“That girl is probably one of them.”
“But does that relate to her spilling it on me?”
“I heard a rumor that you fought with Yoon Si-woo, right? That might be the reason.”
“Oh my.”
So they’re retaliating just because we had a sparring match? And they aren’t even the one who got involved?
What on earth are they thinking doing such a thing?
“Are you interested in the fan club, senpai?”
If that’s the case, it would be a bit sad.
“No, I’m too busy and not interested.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes.”
I finally realized that not everyone is working hard at the academy.
Some people will find ways to have fun regardless.
Well, if I trained hard enough to get into the academy, it’s natural to think that I should be able to have some fun now.
And this part is likely where the paths begin to diverge.
“……”
“Phew, I finally finished eating. Then I’ll be going.”
“Okay.”
After Noah left, I gathered my belongings and headed back to the dorm.
***
Just as I was about to reach the dorm, I saw a man handing out strange flyers.
“Ah, could you take a look at this?”
[Don’t you think your life is meaningless?]
It looked like some kind of cult flyer at first glance.
With Central Academy nearby, I thought there wouldn’t be such people around, so I wondered how they were even here.
“I don’t believe in religions.”
“That’s fine. You can just hold on to it.”
“I won’t look at stuff like this anyway…”
“Please just keep it for now.”
“Ah, okay.”
Feeling too lazy to argue further, I shoved the flyer into my pocket and returned home, collapsing on the bed.
“Ahh… home is the best.”
The muscle soreness was creeping in, which made me a bit uneasy, but for now, I indulged in my rest.
“Ahh!!”
I poured a drink that I had stored in the cool cupboard and vaguely looked through the flyer I received earlier.
[Don’t you think your life is meaningless?]
[Do you feel lacking in power?]
[Do you feel worthless?]
[Have you had any sad events lately?]
[If so, it would be good to join us.]
“Wow… this is definitely a cult…”
The slowly swirling intoxication made my head go hazy.
“Hmm…”
I somewhat wanted to call the number listed below, but the drowsiness that was creeping in first weighed down my eyelids.
“By the way, this looks familiar…”
