Even Dogs Get Left Alone During Meals
I'd heard the saying that even dogs get left alone during meals, but since it was the first day, morning classes ended early. That left quite a bit of free time before afternoon classes began. I used the spare time to head back to the dormitory and change into a spare uniform, then made my way to the cafeteria with Na-rae to grab lunch.
Oh, right—I remembered that if you leave your uniform with the school's facilities, they'll clean and repair it perfectly. And thankfully, it was completely free. Well, it makes sense. If they made us pay to fix uniforms that get shredded during school exams, that would be pretty unreasonable.
The cafeteria felt less like a school lunch hall and more like a food court inside a department store. Every student at Baekhwa Academy could enjoy one free lunch and dinner, with various corners offering Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Western, and other cuisines so you could pick the day's menu. The tuition was expensive, but the student welfare was excellent. That was a nice touch.
"…."
"…."
We each got our food—udon for me, gimbap for her—and sat facing each other. I watched Na-rae, who had been wearing a gloomy expression and staying completely silent since earlier. Hmm, this wasn't what I'd intended… But we couldn't just stay like this forever.
I set down the chopsticks I'd lifted to eat my udon and spoke up.
"Na-rae."
"…."
"Na-rae…?"
"…."
"Grrraaawr!"
"Kyaaaah!"
"Kyaargh!"
Okay, there was no need to scream quite that loudly. I'd only meant to startle her a little, but I ended up getting more scared myself. After bowing my head a few times to the people giving us strange looks, we were finally able to sit back down and face each other calmly.
Ahem. I cleared my throat and tried again.
"…Na-rae."
"Y-yes…?"
"I didn't choose you out of pity."
Na-rae's eyes widened into perfect circles.
"It's not like I thought, 'She's F-rank, so I feel bad for her. I guess I'll team up with her.' That wasn't it at all."
"B-but… Seol, you're A-rank and ranked third… Even the princess asked you to team up with her…."
Na-rae hung her head with a dejected expression and mumbled quietly. Ugh, it's cute, but… I shook off the sudden urge to just leave her be for a while and continued.
"I simply chose you because I wanted to work with you. When you're told to form a team, isn't it normal to want to pair up with someone you actually like?"
"S-someone you… like?"
"Yes. I like you, Na-rae."
"…!"
Um, was that too direct? Na-rae's face flushed bright red at my words. She waved her hands around as if trying to say something, made a small "mm" sound, closed her mouth again, stared at the floor, then looked back at me.
"Th-thank…."
"Thank?"
"Thank you…."
Her face looked a bit strained, but it was a huge improvement from the gloomy slump she'd been in earlier. Good. And I hadn't been lying just to make her feel better. If it was for encouragement, this much service was fine, right?
I smiled brightly at Na-rae across the table.
"I'm the one who should be thanking you. For accepting instead of turning me down. Let's work hard together."
"Yeah, y-yeah… For your sake too, Seol… I'll do my best…."
Na-rae had been pressing the back of her hand to her flushed cheek as if checking its temperature when she suddenly gasped, as though something had just occurred to her.
"B-but you turned down the princess so bluntly… Is that really okay?"
"Hmm…."
I recalled the princess's face for a moment. That glare that looked like she wanted to burn me alive right then and there…
"Actually, doesn't it seem a bit ridiculous?"
"Huh…?"
"It's not like she had reserved the teammate spot with me or anything. We're not even close, so of course I could refuse. But the way she stared at me like she wanted to kill me just for saying no… I almost passed out from how scary it was."
"Ehh… S-Seol…."
"This isn't the Great War era where disobeying the royal family gets you executed. Honestly, it was too much, don't you think?"
"Absolutely. I completely agree."
"Right? I thought so—"
I whipped my head around in surprise toward the source of the voice. Sitting right beside me was a girl who had somehow snuck into the seat while holding a chicken mayo rice bowl.
"Hello?"
"…And you are?"
Messy grey hair that looked like it had been hastily combed, sharp round glasses, and a face that should have looked serious but was instead filled with mischief. The girl let out a small chuckle, then smirked with one corner of her mouth as she looked at me.
"Oh dear, I'm hurt. Didn't you see my face earlier? We're in the same class."
"R-r-r-r-r-right, of course."
What was this? Was she here to threaten me by saying she'd tell the princess what she'd overheard?
"Mm, sorry for startling you. I'm No Chae-a. And you're Baek Seol, right?"
"Ah!"
Now that she'd said her name, I finally remembered who she was. She was the student Wi Ha-yeon had chosen as her partner! I'd only heard her voice during the test, so I hadn't recognized her, but now it all clicked. She was definitely the B-rank student with the ability called Targeting. I'd remembered her because the name was so unique. I couldn't quite recall the test details, but… I think she'd walked up to a mannequin, tapped it a few times, and then… um… it had collapsed into a pile of rubble. Something like that.
…Wi Ha-yeon didn't seem particularly close to the princess, so this student who appeared close to Wi Ha-yeon probably wouldn't tattle to her either, right? Thinking that way on my own helped ease some of the tension.
"S-so, what brings you here…?"
"Since we're in the same class, we'll be seeing a lot of each other. I wanted to get to know you better."
No Chae-a smiled brightly and leaned in a little closer.
"Well… I won't ask you to believe it's a hundred percent pure approach. It's not entirely that. Our young lady seems to have taken quite a liking to you."
"…Young lady?"
"Yes. You know who I mean. Wi Ha-yeon."
Of course, she hadn't exactly ordered me to come. This is just my own meddling. She added that with a casual tone, but I could only stare at her in slight bewilderment. Hmm… She'd glanced at me during the test but hadn't chosen me as her partner, so I'd thought nothing would come of it… But it seemed she really was interested in me. That earlier incident before class started too…
"W-what's this about…? Wi-Wi Ha-yeon didn't even pick Seol…."
Na-rae, who had been fidgeting anxiously and watching us ever since No Chae-a sat down, spoke up. Her expression clearly showed she was forcing herself to speak despite her nervousness. But No Chae-a simply looked down at her with a curious gaze.
"Hmm. Actually, I strongly recommended she pick you… But our young lady said you'd refuse no matter who she chose, so I wondered what she meant. And now I see."
"…?"
"To think you'd actually turn down the princess and pick this little squirt instead. Were you two already acquainted? Or is there something I'm missing?"
"…!"
Watching Na-rae's face turn bright red, I frowned and said to No Chae-a,
"Excuse me, calling someone a squirt when we've just met? If you have something to say, say it quickly and leave."
It's not like Na-rae and I have that huge of a height difference. Does that mean I'm a squirt too? …She might be thinking that inwardly. Anyway, tall people never understand the feelings of short people.
No Chae-a waved her hands with an exaggeratedly apologetic expression.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. If I offended you, I apologize. But more importantly… I came to give you this."
No Chae-a rummaged through her pocket and handed me a small document. I took the rather elegant-looking paper and quickly scanned its contents.
Notification of Scholarship Recipients for the Daeseong Special Scholarship Program
Below that was a detailed explanation of the scholarship system run by the Daeseong Group. It offered to cover all academy tuition until graduation for students selected through a screening process among all Baekhwa Academy attendees…
After skimming the text, I looked back at No Chae-a.
"…I already applied and got accepted with the national scholarship. Why are you giving this to me?"
"Mhm. This notice is actually targeted at students who receive the national scholarship."
No Chae-a made an exaggerated gesture, pointing forward like an anime character, and continued.
"Out there, they praise ability users as the nation's precious talents or heroes who save the world… But as you saw with our homeroom teacher earlier, the way the country actually treats ability users is closer to how they view weapons or bombs. They're useful tools if used well, but they become problems if they slip out of control."
"…."
"Right? Why do all ability users have to enroll in the academy without exception at age seventeen? What about those who can't afford the expensive tuition? There's the national scholarship system, you say? That scholarship doesn't cover the costs—it's all turned into debt. To repay it, you either have to earn the money yourself or serve five years as a government ability user. Anyone can see that's tyranny. But since it doesn't affect them personally, people just shrug and move on."
No Chae-a's eyes sparkled as if she were telling an interesting story.
"But… the scholarship from Daeseong is different. It doesn't leave you with debt to repay. Once you receive it, that's it. The only condition is that you must work for Daeseong after graduation. But instead of being forced into low-wage, no-choice government service, you'd be working at the nation's top corporation with a salary that everyone envies. How about it? Tempting, isn't it? Normally this offer isn't given to brand-new first-years based solely on talent… But as I said, our young lady seems to have taken quite a liking to you. If you're interested, just let me know. There's no reason we can't get closer than we are now, share information, and spend our school days together, right?"
…Listening to her, it certainly sounded like an attractive option. But…
"Um… I understand what you're saying. But I've already applied for the national scholarship. Is it even possible to switch to the Daeseong one? That would be poaching talent meant for government service. I doubt the country would just sit back and watch…."
"Wow! Sharp as expected. That's exactly the point."
"…?"
When I raised an objection, No Chae-a clapped her hands together lightly as if that was precisely the important part.
"You know Daeseong holds a large share of Baekhwa Academy, right?"
I hadn't known that until this morning, but I nodded anyway.
"Originally all academies started as national institutions, but as times changed, corporations gradually increased their stakes. In Baekhwa Academy's case, Daeseong has a slightly larger influence now. You might have noticed the subtle tension between us and the princess's group—that's why. It'll probably continue until the student council president election next year. 'Poaching talent' is correct. What Daeseong wants is to pull promising individuals who would have gone to the government over to their side. And… I'm currently offering you a chance to stand with Daeseong. From the academy all the way through your post-graduation career."
"…."
No Chae-a pulled her head back slightly from where she'd leaned in and finished with a relaxed, cheerful tone.
"Of course, I don't expect an answer right this moment. You'll need time to look into things and figure it out, right? Just think it over, and if the conditions don't seem bad, contact me. That's all I came to say today."
With that, she turned to leave, but when her eyes met Na-rae's, she let out a soft chuckle and gave a sly smile.
"But our little young lady will need to work harder. If you want to stick with an A-rank talent that Daeseong is after, staying at F-rank probably won't cut it, will it?"
"Wh-what…!"
Having said her piece, she disappeared with quick steps before Na-rae could even respond.
"…Huh. She's gone."
After she left, an awkward silence settled over the table for a moment. Her attitude had been far too meaningful for someone who supposedly just came to deliver a document… I'd had no idea I'd even be coming to the academy, but now that I was here, it was so different from what I'd vaguely imagined in so many ways that it wasn't good for my heart… I just wanted to stay quiet without causing any trouble and graduate in peace…
At that moment, Na-rae, who had been trembling with a shocked expression, suddenly widened her eyes as if she'd made up her mind and shouted.
"S-Seol…! I'll work really hard…!"
"Ah, y-yes. Let's both do our best."
…It probably wasn't intentional, but at least it seemed I'd ignited some passion in her, so that was good. Watching Na-rae's eyes burn with determination, I decided to resume the meal I'd barely started and lifted a big mouthful of udon to my lips.
"Mm."
It's all soggy now…
Looks like I'll have to skip lunch after all…