The Gacha Addict of the Academy

Time passed, and it was soon lunchtime.

The moment the bell rang, I bolted from my seat and headed straight for the convenience store. Most people would eat at the cafeteria, but I didn’t feel like it today, so I decided to grab something quick from the store instead. The nurse even handed me money, asking me to pick something up for her.

Seriously…

I can’t even buy her anything.

While the teachers use cash, we students operate on a points system, so it’s practically impossible for me to buy anything on her behalf. Even if I tried paying in cash, they’d just turn me away. Oh well, I had more than enough points to spare.

When I arrived at the convenience store, I scanned the shelves and headed toward the triangular kimbap section. Most of the stock had been cleared out, but one lonely tuna mayo kimbap remained. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing, so I picked it up.

That’s when I heard a sharp intake of breath beside me.

Turning around, I saw the girl from earlier—the one who’d been lying in the infirmary bed without permission. If I remembered correctly, her name was Luna Crystal. It was on the log she filled out.

As soon as our eyes met, she tried to flee, but I grabbed her by the collar before she could escape.

“Hey, it’s you from earlier, isn’t it?”

“Ahhh, let me gooo…”

She was smaller than I expected.

I wasn’t particularly tall myself, but she was at least a full handspan shorter than me—maybe more. Her tiny frame made me wonder if she’d been malnourished growing up. Had she never had a glass of milk as a kid?

Her attempts to wriggle out of my grip were almost amusing.

Now that I thought about it, she’d asked for my name earlier, only to bolt as soon as I told her. It wasn’t like I cared much, but it did leave a sour taste in my mouth.

Maybe she needed a little scolding.

“Hey, you. If you’re going to ask for someone’s name, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”

“Ugh…”

She shrank back, looking intimidated.

What? I hadn’t even raised my voice or anything.

I guess grabbing her by the neck like this could be scary for anyone. Still, letting her go now would only give her a chance to run, so I held firm.

“Come on, just tell me your name already.”

All I wanted was her name—it wasn’t like I was demanding much.

She stopped trembling for a moment and turned to look at me, as if to confirm whether that was all I wanted. Normally, I’d have just ignored her and moved on, but today I felt unusually curious.

Maybe I was just being moody. Whatever the reason, I decided I wanted to hear her name directly from her.

“Uh… Luna…”

“Hey, you there! What are you doing?”

Before she could finish, someone else interrupted us.

A woman with long blue hair and pointed ears approached. Her striking beauty made it clear—this was the infamous Ice Witch. I’d heard rumors about her recently, especially about how she’d been seen escorting a certain girl around.

I hadn’t paid much attention, but it seemed that girl was this Luna.

Not that it mattered to me. What did bother me, however, was the way she was glaring at me.

“…What’s your problem?” I asked.

“Let go of her. Now.”

Let go?

If I let her go, she’d just run off again. All I wanted was her name, nothing more. I wasn’t doing anything wrong, so I stood my ground.

“Sheesh. Look, I’m just trying to talk to her, okay? Right, Luna?”

The girl I was holding looked horrified, shaking her head furiously. What the heck was she doing?

Before I could ask what her deal was, I followed her trembling finger and turned back to the Ice Witch, who was glaring at me with an even darker expression.

What now?

“…Prepare yourself.”

“…What?”

Before I could react, she lunged at me, swinging her fist. The blow landed squarely, sending me sprawling to the side. Obviously, I let go of Luna in the process.

Or rather, at that point, letting her go wasn’t the issue anymore.

The punch hurt like hell, and I was furious.

“R-Reina! Stop hitting her!”

“Why are you defending her?”

“I met her earlier. She’s not a bad person, so don’t hit her, okay?”

“…”

…Well, thanks for that, I guess.

I’d only been trying to ask her name. That’s all.

“Fine… whatever.”

If this Ice Witch was so protective of Luna, I guess grabbing her by the neck had been a bad move.

Her earlier words made it sound like I’d bullied Luna, even though I hadn’t done anything of the sort. But I suppose with my golden hair and slightly rough demeanor, it was easy to mistake me for a thug.

It seemed she hadn’t caught what I was about to say.

Not that I expected her to, but getting punched still stung.

Do I really come across as that bad?

“Seriously… Why the hell do I have to get punched? Damn it…”

Feigning frustration, I cursed under my breath, using it as a way to heal my injuries.

If I stood there muttering angrily while healing myself, people would just assume I was upset about getting hit—it wouldn’t draw unnecessary attention. Even so, the fact that I got hit in the first place made me angry. Shooting a glare at the elf, I muttered in a deliberately annoyed tone.

“…This is such a pain. All I wanted was to ask for her name. Why’d it have to turn into this mess?”

“You were the one who approached Luna first. She’s a delicate child, so don’t treat her so roughly.”

Wow. The audacity.

Now this ticked me off.

Without bothering to check the situation, she’d hit me and was now pinning the blame on me for simply acting the way I did. Sure, I might have been a little forceful in asking for her name, but I hadn’t done anything to deserve a punch.

“…What are you, her mom?”

“M-Mom?!”

Oh, did I strike a nerve?

I guess calling her “Mom” when she’s still young would rub anyone the wrong way.

If it upset her, great—that was the whole point.

“Whatever. I’ll let the punch slide. Just apologize.”

“Apologize? Fine. I’m sorry for hitting you.”

Her apology sounded nice, but her expression didn’t match her words.

It was obvious why she was so hostile toward me. She didn’t like that I’d grabbed Luna by the back of her neck.

I wasn’t about to push for a more sincere apology, though. I just wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

“…Fine, that’ll do. Hey, you.”

Before leaving, there was one last thing I needed to say.

“…Huh?”

The girl seemed surprised that I called out to her.

She turned to look at me, her expression a mixture of guilt and hesitation—probably because she felt bad for what had happened.

Technically, I had been in the wrong for grabbing her neck, but why was she looking at me like that? If anything, I should be the one apologizing for how I’d acted. To her, it probably came across as threatening.

Maybe I should clear things up a bit.

“I didn’t get hit because of you, so don’t worry. Now, tell me your name.”

…Why did it feel like I was weirdly obsessed with her name?

At first, I was just annoyed that she’d asked for my name but didn’t share hers. Somehow, though, this had turned into a strange fixation, making me seem unhinged.

…Am I the only one thinking that?

“Luna… Crystal.”

“Got it. I’ll remember that. See you around.”

I flashed a satisfied smile, gave her a little wave, and walked off.

“Luna Crystal, huh…”

I’d seen the name on the log earlier, but hearing it from her felt different.

It was a pretty name.

She was a bit timid, but there was something endearing about her. When I first saw her, she seemed almost otherworldly—her hair like moonlight, and her eyes glittering like stars. She didn’t feel like someone from this world.

Though, as it turned out, she was just really shy.

Okay, very shy.

“Well… I got what I wanted.”

I’d gotten a little stubborn about the whole thing, but now that I’d heard her name, I was satisfied. Luna Crystal—it suited her perfectly.

Smiling to myself, I pulled out the triangular kimbap I’d bought earlier and tried to open it.

For some reason, it wouldn’t tear properly.

“…”

Annoyed, I gave it a hard tug.

Rip!

“…Ugh. What a terrible day.”

The good mood I’d built up crumbled in an instant.