The Gacha Addict of the Academy

When it was time for dinner, as Hyeon-ah had mentioned earlier, the group from the incident began to gather. The guy came alone, while the girl who had invited me arrived with the smaller girl from earlier.

Were they close from the beginning?

Even though I wanted to see her again, I didn’t have the courage to start a conversation. Seeing my hesitation, Hyeon-ah seemed to smirk a little but didn’t say anything. Instead, we all silently began eating.

Contrary to what I expected, the dinner passed without any conversation.

I hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

After all, Hyeon-ah had been the one who suggested we gather to bond.

Yet now that we were here, she seemed more focused on the smaller girl and didn’t try to start a conversation. If this was how things were going to be, what was the point of gathering in the first place?

“…Was there even a reason to meet like this?” I muttered.

This couldn’t have been the reason for the gathering.

Startled by my words, Hyeon-ah finally looked up, as if remembering something. With an awkward smile, she replied, “Well… it’s about bonding with people in the same situation.”

She smiled as she said it, but if bonding was the goal, shouldn’t she have started a conversation herself?

Maybe hearing my frustration, another girl at the table, who had been quietly looking around, cleared her throat and spoke up.
“Well… since we’re here, how about we introduce ourselves? I’m Lee Hyeon-ah.”

Her explanation of why we were gathered seemed to make the guy respond as well.

“Alright… I’m Kang Jihyuk. Nice to meet you.”

And that was it.

I found it underwhelming, but I couldn’t blame him. In such an awkward atmosphere, what else could anyone say?
It was clear no one felt like talking.

What was the point of this?
Simply putting people together wouldn’t make them friends. If it were that easy, things like bullying or isolation wouldn’t happen.
Still, I could at least appreciate Hyeon-ah’s effort. Bonding with others in similar situations was, in theory, a good idea.

“…Just so you know, I don’t plan on getting close to anyone here.”

I made my intentions clear.

I had only come to talk about what happened earlier, nothing more.

For a moment, I thought about whether it might be okay to get to know them better. But the thought of dealing with the hassle of maintaining relationships made me quickly dismiss the idea.

I wasn’t willing to care about anyone else’s feelings anymore.

I had enough of that kind of life.

It would be better to leave this academy as soon as possible, even if it meant dealing with my father’s inevitable complaints. That man, who only cared about raising the family’s reputation, would probably nag me endlessly if I didn’t graduate at the top of my class.

But what could he do? As a half-elf, I was his only child, and humans like him couldn’t easily harm someone like me.

The top spot would likely go to Kang Jihyuk anyway.

It might be disappointing not to graduate as number one, but I’d rather leave this miserable place and face real monsters instead.
After I said I wasn’t going to get close to anyone, the conversation stopped again.

It seemed like I’d have to break the silence if this dinner was going to go anywhere.
But what could I even say in this tense silence?

…Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything at all.

“…Hey, Luna?”
“…Hiccup!”

As I sat there regretting my earlier words, Kang Jihyuk suddenly spoke to the smaller girl. She, startled and mid-bite, hiccupped in surprise.
The sight was strangely cute.

…No, I shouldn’t be thinking that.

“What?” “It’s just… you’re barely eating. I was wondering if something was wrong.”
“Oh…”

Now that he mentioned it, her eating habits were strange.

She would take tiny bites and nibble on them, almost as if she were forcing herself to eat. The more I watched, the more it seemed like she couldn’t eat properly, almost as if she were too ill to do so.

Shaking her head, the girl replied softly, “…I just don’t eat much.”
“Ah… I see.”
So she wasn’t sick.

If she were, the professor’s earlier healing magic would’ve helped her. In this era, diseases that couldn’t be cured were almost nonexistent. The only exceptions were cases where someone was too poor to afford treatment.

Relieved, I went back to eating.

But then, I felt someone staring at me.
I looked around and saw the smaller girl watching me. I didn’t know her name, so I wasn’t sure what to call her.
Part of me wanted to ask her name, but I stopped myself.

Hadn’t I decided not to get close to anyone here? Asking her name would only lead to familiarity, and that was the last thing I needed.
I tried my best to ignore her and continued eating.

At least until she spoke to me.

“Um…”
It was quiet, but my sharp elf ears caught it easily.

Sometimes, I wished I didn’t have such keen hearing. If I hadn’t heard it, I could’ve pretended not to notice. I tried to keep eating as if I hadn’t heard her, but the timid girl somehow gathered the courage to call out to me again, louder this time.

“Excuse me! Um…”

Why?

Why was she calling me?
Then again, maybe it wasn’t meant for me specifically. Perhaps something urgent had come up, and I was simply the closest person. With that thought, I turned my head to ask what was going on.

“Well… um…”
She was clearly struggling to speak, so I waited.

I thought she’d get to the point quickly, but instead, she fumbled with her words for a while longer.

How did things end up like this?

Had she been bullied as a child, leaving her with no confidence? I couldn’t believe someone like her would even try to talk to me.

“W-What’s your name…?”

My name?

Was she trying to get closer to me?

If she wanted to befriend me to gain some benefit, her actions this morning didn’t make sense. Then again, it’s hard to imagine someone going to such lengths just to get to know me.

It was just a name—there was no harm in sharing it.

“…Reina.”

“W-Wait, what?”

“It’s Reina. That’s my name.”

She repeated my name softly, almost as if savoring it, and smiled faintly.

Does she… like it?
Is she that happy just to hear my name?

Looking at her, she didn’t seem like an ordinary girl. The star-like gleam in her eyes, her distinct appearance, and her pale hair made her stand out.

But if she came from a wealthy or powerful family, her self-esteem wouldn’t be so low.
And then there was her mana—or rather, the complete lack of it.

As an elf, I’m extremely sensitive to mana. If I can’t sense hers, it can only mean one of two things: either her mana pathways aren’t open, or her mana is so powerful that it’s beyond my ability to detect.
The first explanation didn’t make sense, given the protective barrier she’d created earlier.
The second… didn’t match her shy personality.

“Uh… well… I just wanted to say… please take care of me…”

“…Likewise,” I replied instinctively.

Wait—did I just say that?

I was just as surprised as anyone, and Kang Ji Hyuk’s shocked expression didn’t help. He even pointed at me accusingly.
“What’s this? I thought you didn’t want to get close to anyone?”

“It’s not like that!”

Damn it!

I was already flustered from my accidental response, and his teasing only made it worse. His smug smirk, looking between me and the girl, irritated me even more.

What’s with that face?
This isn’t any of your business.

Determined to escape this situation, I started eating faster.

As soon as my plate was empty, I stood up and quickly left the table.

Someone called after me, suggesting we continue talking, but I ignored them.

…Her name. I didn’t catch her name.

But since we’re in the same class, I’ll see her again tomorrow.

I silently reminded myself to forget about what had just happened as I grabbed my things and headed back to the dormitory.