The student cafeteria wasn’t overwhelmingly large compared to the other buildings in the academy.
Even if you gathered all the students, there were only about 600, and since not everyone came to eat at the same time, there was no need for it to be particularly big.
Still, it could accommodate around 300 people at once, so it definitely wasn’t small.
And the ceiling of that large building… was currently wide open.
So wide open that you could clearly see the cloudless, clear sky.
“Hey, Seria. What are we gonna do about this?”
“I don’t know either…”
It was all Seria’s fault.
To be precise, it was because Seria had suddenly blown off the cafeteria’s ceiling.
How much magic did she unleash to not just make a hole in part of it but completely blow it off like a lid? It was honestly impressive.
“Why did this happen all of a sudden?”
“It’s all Rudion’s fault.”
“What did I even do…?”
But she kept blaming me. What exactly did I do?
Let’s rewind the situation to a little earlier, when I barged in.
Seria was the first to notice me as I approached.
“Rudion?”
“Fancy seeing you here. Did you come to eat?”
“Yeah! Rudion, do you want to eat with us?”
“…What’s with the temperature difference?”
The chilly atmosphere instantly returned to normal the moment I barged in.
Lilith looked a bit dumbfounded, but the mood definitely lightened up.
After exchanging light greetings, I sat down next to Seria.
Shortly after, Grain joined us naturally, bringing my share of food…
“Is she the same person from earlier?”
He said that while laughing, looking at Seria, who was all smiles.
Compared to how she was earlier, she did seem like a completely different person.
After that, I was too focused on eating to hear what they were saying.
I hadn’t realized it, but I was hungrier than I thought.
The food here really went down smoothly. I knew it was supposed to be good, but I didn’t expect it to be this good.
While I was busy eating like I was filming a mukbang, my bowl was empty before I knew it, and I finished my meal with a full stomach.
But… after finishing the meal, I noticed Seria sitting next to me, staring at me intently.
“…Why are you staring at me like that? Did I do something wrong?”
The situation was so awkward that I couldn’t find the right words.
Grain and Lilith were whispering to each other, and it didn’t look like they were going to help me out at all.
As I sat there, speechless and staring back at her, Seria put down her utensils and asked,
“Rudion. I heard that after classes, you’re going to help Lilith with her training. Is that true?”
It seemed like a continuation of what Lilith had brought up earlier.
Since there was no reason to hide it, I nodded in agreement.
“Yeah… that’s the plan.”
“How long are you planning to do it for?”
The duration? I figured it wouldn’t take long before I’d think, ‘There’s nothing left to teach. Time to wrap it up.’ So I hadn’t really set a specific timeframe.
“…So you’re saying you’ll keep helping her indefinitely…”
At that moment, Seria—
He suddenly stopped talking and awkwardly shifted his gaze.
Then, as if he saw something, his expression stiffened.
“What’s wrong?”
“…It’s nothing. Really, nothing.”
It didn’t look like “nothing.” His face was even turning red.
Worried he might be sick, I reached out to check his temperature by touching his forehead.
Hmm, it’s a bit warm, but it seems like just average body temperature.
But suddenly, as if startled by the touch, Seria’s body jerked backward.
If she moved like that while sitting on a chair, she’d definitely fall.
“Kyaa!”
I knew it.
Since I anticipated this, I reacted quickly.
I stretched out my arm and caught Seria, chair and all, before she could topple over.
Quick reflexes. I’d say that’s pretty smooth of me.
While I was busy patting myself on the back, Seria didn’t seem to share the same sentiment.
“Ouch.”
Suddenly, she started casting a spell into thin air… Wait, why is she actually firing it?!
In that unexpected moment, it all happened so fast that I couldn’t completely stop it.
But if I left it alone, that spell would definitely hit the inside of the student cafeteria—and all the students inside. I had to do something.
It was too late for anyone else to help. I had to act since I was right next to her…
‘Ah, right! If I just change the direction, it won’t hit anyone!’
In a flash of quick thinking, I grabbed Seria’s hands, which were mid-cast, and pulled them upward.
The magical light surrounding her hands shook unstably from my pull, but I succeeded in changing its direction…
*Whoosh-boom!*
The powerful storm that shot out tore through the cafeteria ceiling, carrying the debris with it as it vanished into the sky.
After the roar of the storm subsided, only endless silence remained.
…And now, back to the present.
Seria, who had been blankly staring at the gaping hole in the ceiling, finally looked down and met my gaze.
“It’s really because of Rudion.”
What am I even supposed to say to this troublemaker who’s still blaming me?
She’s got such a relieved expression that I can’t even scold her.
Guess you can’t spit on a smiling face.
Whatever. She caused this mess, so she’ll figure it out.
Must be nice being a princess. You can wreck a building and still act so carefree.
///
I wasn’t feeling too great.
After realizing I had feelings for that guy, my already shaky emotions completely froze over because of one remark from an uninvited guest during dinner.
I’m not sure why. Well, I know, but I don’t really want to admit it.
It’s not that I dislike having feelings for him—it’s that I’m ashamed of myself for feeling this way.
Falling for a guy I’ve only known for a day? I must seem like such an easy girl.
The only consolation is that my current affection level isn’t that high.
[Current Affection Level: 8/100]
At this level, I could just say we’re friends, right?
Alright, I’m not an easy one. This is just normal, you know.
Trying to pull myself together with some rationalization, I caught sight of a familiar face in my view.
“Hey, look who’s here. You came to eat?”
It was the guy I’d been thinking about all along.
…Honestly, I was glad to see him. All that rationalizing about being friends or whatever felt pointless now.
I even felt relieved when he naturally sat down next to me.
If he had sat next to Lilith instead of me…
‘What am I even thinking right now?’
I quickly brushed away that pointless assumption, not even knowing what it meant.
Then I glanced at Rudion sitting next to me again.
Now that I noticed he was empty-handed, I was about to ask what he wanted to eat, but someone else came over with his portion and sat at the same table.
It was a familiar face. A senior I’d seen in the Student Council.
His name was Grain, right? The guy who picked a fight with Rudion and ended up looking bad.
‘…Did they come together? Why is Grain buying him food?’
I had a lot of questions, but seeing Rudion quickly focus on his meal made me lose the urge to ask.
There’s no way I’d get a meaningful answer from a guy who’s more focused on his food while surrounded by three girls.
“…Hey, does she like Rudion?”
“I thought so too, but yeah, probably. I almost froze to death after saying one wrong thing earlier.”
“I saw it too. It was seriously intense.”
“Excuse me. I can hear you, you know? It’s rude to talk like that in front of someone.”
“Wow, your ears are sharp.”
“But you’re not even denying it, are you?”
These people… are seriously shameless.
But since they weren’t exactly wrong, I didn’t feel the need to say anything.
It was a bit embarrassing that it was so obvious to others, but at this point, hiding my feelings would feel even more awkward.
Honestly, it felt kind of good hearing people talk about me and Rudion, so maybe it wasn’t so bad to just go with the flow.
Hmm, but Rudion’s secretly offering to help Lilith with her training, right?
If someone sees that, it’s obvious what they’ll start saying, and suddenly I felt bad again.
Since Rudion seemed to be done eating, I decided to ask him about it.
“Rudion. I heard you’re going to help Lilith with her training after class. Is that true?”
“Well… yeah, that’s the plan.”
It was a straightforward answer.
He looked so clueless, which made me even more annoyed.
This makes it seem like I’m the one being obsessive.
I asked how long he planned to help, but he just froze and couldn’t answer.
He probably hasn’t even thought about it.
What a hopeless guy.
I was about to snap at him, but…
[You feel uncomfortable with the kindness the target shows to others. Affection level decreases by 1.]
[Current Affection Level: 7/100]
Thanks to the sudden text that popped up, I managed to regain my composure.
‘Why am I even like this?’
What Rudion does has nothing to do with me.
I’m just…
You don’t even have the right to tell me what to do or not to do.
What kind of nonsense are you pulling?
My face burned with embarrassment, turning red hot.
That’s when it happened. Suddenly, something cold touched my forehead.
“Are you really okay?”
For a moment, I was too stunned to understand, but when I came to my senses, I saw Rudion’s hand on my forehead.
Maybe it was because of the difference in our builds, but his hand felt really big, and it was kind of thrilling…
No, no, no, no. That’s not the point. Right now, Rudion’s hand is on my forehead… his hand… ah…?
‘Out of nowhere?!’
I instinctively jerked back to avoid it.
It was a stupid move because I didn’t think about the chair tipping over with me.
But I didn’t end up embarrassingly sprawled on the floor.
As if he had anticipated it, Rudion’s arm, which had already been extended, caught me.
At that moment, new text appeared before my eyes.
[Your temperature rises due to the target’s touch. Affection +1.]
[Your heart flutters at the target’s kindness! Affection +2!]
[Current Affection: 10/100]
As soon as I saw it, my mind went blank.
All the emotions I was denying were laid bare, and there was no way to explain them away.
I didn’t even know who to explain it to since it was only visible to me.
I just felt endlessly embarrassed and wanted to erase those words.
So, even though I knew it was pointless, I cast a spell.
Of course, I was in my right mind and had no intention of actually unleashing it here, so at the last moment, I tried to minimize its power and scale…
Whoosh!
“Huh?!”
Suddenly, Rudion grabbed both my hands and lifted them up.
What a ghostly guy. Even during the entrance exam, he somehow always knew when I was about to use magic.
I immediately understood his intention.
He probably wanted to redirect my magic so no one would get caught in it.
But his interference messed up the final adjustments I was making, and the spell I originally intended to cast went off as it was.
What could’ve passed without any damage ended up wrecking the student cafeteria’s ceiling.
Thanks to his completely unhelpful action, new text started appearing again.
This time, I thought it might’ve decreased, but it said:
[You laugh at the target’s absurd behavior. Affection +1.]
[Current Affection: 11/100]
…Annoying.
Whatever. I’ll just be an easy girl.
There’s no point in overthinking things with a guy like this.
So… it’s all his fault. The ceiling collapsing, me feeling this way.
It’s his fault, so he should take responsibility.
“What did I even do for you to keep blaming me?”
Even if he doesn’t admit it, that fact won’t change.
Looking forward to working with you, Rudion.
I decided to swallow any words that didn’t fit the situation or might make him uncomfortable.
