As an Ordinary person (Why do I keep attracting Psychopaths?)

The moment the first spoonful of stew entered Yuna's mouth, she froze.

She chewed slowly. Swallowed. Waited.

Her body didn't reject it.

Her stomach didn't twist in agony.

Her limbs didn't feel weak.

The food—her food—was actually digesting properly.

Yuna inhaled sharply, staring at the bowl in disbelief. This… This is real.

A single tear threatened to escape. She sniffled. "I did it."

Yuna wiped an imaginary tear. "Thank you. I shall now savor this meal like a noble cherishing their last gold coin before bankruptcy."

Although she has not mastered much of the cooking technique, she can atleast learn the basic cooking technique. Later. Yuna promised to be a master at cooking mutated beast meat!

.....

As the days went on, the true nature of Evigheden Academy's cruelty became apparent.

More than fifty students had already abandoned the academy, unable to withstand the indignity of surviving without luxury. These were the ones who had never lifted anything heavier than a feathered quill, and the idea of hunting their own food was simply too much.

Some tried to endure by living off the academy's "provided" meals: stale bread, dry as sawdust.

The noble-born students, pampered from birth, had stared at the hard bread in horror. Some had even attempted to negotiate with it, as if staring hard enough would magically make it transform into a gourmet meal.

Spoiler alert: It did not.

And so, many had fled.

However, the truly ambitious nobles—those who dreamed of rising to power—remained.

Not because they were strong.

Not because they were capable.

But because the Crown Prince hadn't left.

And if he stayed, they had to stay. How else would they cling to him like desperate leeches?

Yuna had watched all this unfold with great amusement while casually enjoying her well-prepared mutated beast meals.

Ah, the joys of having commoner survival skills.

One evening, Yuna was contemplating whether she should take an evening nap—because who really needed a structured sleep schedule?—when she sensed people approaching.

She turned her head, expecting Celeste. Instead, she was met with a sight she hadn't expected:

Three familiar siblings and a nervous-looking student holding a wrapped package of meat.

Yuna blinked. "…Why do you all look like you barely survived a war?"

..Hmm…on second thought, they should have gone to hunt for their meal too but normal beast with their fighting capability should not pose this much harm to them…

The eldest sibling, a girl with a scar on her cheek, gave a sheepish smile. "We, uh… finally managed to hunt a mutated beast."

Yuna narrowed her eyes. "And let me guess. It didn't go smoothly?"

One of the younger siblings laughed nervously. His arm was bandaged, and he looked like he had been yeeted into a tree. "Not exactly…"

The student she had given an admission token to cleared his throat. "We… heard you only eat mutated beast meat, so we wanted to give you a portion."

They held out the package.

Yuna, who had long since abandoned the concept of pride when it came to food, accepted it immediately. "Thanks."

Processing mutated meat according to the cook book, the more advanced one became harder letting her waste many meal that she cannot consume as it lose its elemental property, more meat is heavily welcomed in her current predicament.

Taking the meat, silence descend...

Then—

"We really can't thank you enough—"

Oh no.

Here it comes. Really?

"—for everything you did for us."

Yuna's eye twitched.

"We wouldn't have made it this far without you—"

Oh gods, not this again.

"You saved us when no one else would—"

MAKE IT STOP.

Yuna resisted the urge to groan. She could feel Celeste's amused stare drilling into the side of her head as she approached her.

And sure enough, Celeste, who had been casually standing to the side, smirked. "Wow. Didn't realize you had a fan club."

Yuna shot her a look. "Don't encourage them."

Celeste ignored her. "Seriously, what did you do for them?"

Yuna sighed, rubbing her temple. "I… may have made a potion to help their youngest sibling's illness. And, you know, casually tossed an admission token at him." She waved vaguely at the student she had helped.

Celeste blinked. "That's it?"

Yuna who also didn't think much of what she done did not notice how casual Celeste tone is when she tells her about admission token, a token that is a rarity and cannot be procure even if one want to.

The student in question straightened. "It wasn't just that. Without her, I wouldn't even be here. Without her potion, my brother might not have survived. She didn't hesitate to help any of us."

Raising her brow, Yuna look at the four of them "Because you guys are pathetic" not wanting to continue on her deeds, Yuna change the subject "You guys formed a team?"

The guy who can enter the academy because of Yuna token smile "Umm…because of one common goal, we can form a team" He eyes looking at Yuna when he say that turn slightly deep.

Celeste turned back to Yuna with a raised brow. "You hate getting thanked why?"

Yuna groaned dramatically. "Because they never stop."

The siblings looked guilty, even after entering the academy, they approached her to beg for more potion, the teachers who only appear during class gave no chance for them to seek help "But we really are grateful—"

Yuna held up a hand. "No. Enough. I get it. You're thankful. But let's move on with life, shall we? No need to turn me into some saint. The potion is not even for free"

Yeah..she just gave them an IOU normal paper slip—hand-written that cannot be even used as a legal means of contract to pay back in the future.

The youngest sibling, looking up at her with big, innocent eyes, mumbled, "But we adore you…"

Yuna immediately turned to Celeste. "See? This is the problem."

Celeste cackled. "You poor thing."

Yuna sighed heavily. This is why she don't like help people, people she is bound to meet again and again. It's better to help those she will never meet again. You know.

Yuna stood there, maintaining a calm and composed face while internally screaming.

She hadn't thought much when she helped them back then. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, one part vanity, one part amusement, and one part because she could.

It had been fun. Like tossing a coin to a beggar and watching their eyes light up, like a mysterious benefactor descending from the heavens. It felt good to do something simply because she had the power to do so.

But now?

Now, she was being forced to confront the consequences of her actions.

It was supposed to be a one-time thing. A passing interaction. Something that made her feel good in the moment and then faded into the background of life.

But these people—

These people were acting like she had saved their lives.

And worse? They kept coming back.

Again and again.

With gratitude.

So much gratitude.

Too much gratitude.

Yuna felt a strange itch beneath her skin. A creeping discomfort, like wearing a too-tight coat or standing under the weight of a gaze she didn't want.

It wasn't that she wanted them to be ungrateful—she wasn't that heartless. But was it really necessary to keep thanking her every single time they saw her? Couldn't they just… move on?

She wasn't a saint. She wasn't some noble-hearted heroine who went around doing good for the sake of kindness.

She had helped because she felt like it.

Because she could.

Because it had made her feel important in that moment.

But the longer this dragged on, the more it felt like she was being chained to something she had never agreed to.

She wanted to cut ties. To quietly fade from their memory. To be nothing more than a passing kindness they once received, not this ever-present figure they felt the need to worship.

But no—

Every time she saw them, their eyes sparkled with admiration, their voices were filled with so much emotion, and—

Dear heavens, the youngest one was looking at her like she had personally lifted them from the depths of despair.

Yuna felt the overwhelming urge to flee.

"Yuna, we really can't thank you enough," one of them said, for what felt like the hundredth time.

She smiled, stiff and unnatural. "Uh-huh."

Celeste, standing beside her, shot her an amused glance, clearly entertained by her growing discomfort.

Yuna ignored her. She needed to get out of here.

Her vanity had been satisfied long ago. Now, she was just suffering.

The siblings, despite her protests, still looked at her like she had single-handedly saved their family from ruin.

Yuna, defeated, decided that fine. If accepting their meat meant they'd stop acting like she was their personal savior, then she'd take it. Or so she thought.

She ruffled the youngest sibling's hair in a half-hearted attempt at comfort. "Just… don't get yourselves killed next time, alright?"

They nodded eagerly.

Celeste, watching the whole interaction with deep amusement, leaned over and whispered, "You do realize this only makes them love you more, right?"

Yuna froze.

Celeste grinned.

Yuna turned to leave before she could be dragged further into their weird admiration. "I'm going to cook. You, shut up."

Celeste just laughed, already planning how she'd never let Yuna live this down.

Yuna, still flustered from the overwhelming gratitude thrown her way, did what she did best when faced with emotions she didn't want to deal with—she ran.

Not literally, of course. That would be too obvious.

But she excused herself with a speed that could rival teleportation.

"I'm going to cook," she blurted, waving vaguely over her shoulder. "You all—uh, take care. Don't die. Bye."

She hurried off before any of them could protest, ignoring Celeste's muffled laughter behind her.

Too much attention. Too much admiration. Too many thank yous.

Ugh.

If she had known her small act of kindness would turn them into devoted disciples, she would've—

Well.

She probably would've done it anyway, but that wasn't the point!

The point was—

She was too annoyed (embarrassed) to deal with this any longer!

So, she left.

What Yuna failed to notice, however, was the figure standing quietly further away.

A tall figure, lingering in the shadows of the dimming evening light.

Austin.

In his hand, wrapped carefully in cloth, was another portion of mutated beast meat. A fresh catch. One he had meant to give her.

His grip on it tightened.

His warm, gentle demeanor—the one he always carried when he was with Yuna—was nowhere to be seen.The softness that colored his voice when he spoke to her had vanished.

Instead, his expression was unreadable. Cold.

The warmth she brought out in him had faded into something… somber.

And his dark, stormy gaze was locked onto the small group still standing in the courtyard.

The three siblings and the boy Yuna had helped.

They were still there, chatting excitedly, their eyes filled with admiration as they spoke about her.

Austin watched them.

Silent.

Unmoving.

There was no need for confrontation. No need for words.

But the air around him, though unnoticed by the others, seemed to darken.

He had always known Yuna was special. His special person.

She was his to protect, his to care for.

And yet—

These people.

They were trying to take a piece of her.

Austin's fingers curled tighter around the wrapped meat in his hand.

He didn't need to do anything.

Not now.

But the feeling in his chest was unmistakable.

Possessive.

Obsessive.

Dangerous.

Hidden.

He exhaled slowly, schooling his expression back into something neutral.

Then, without another glance at the group, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the night.