Mint Chocolate and Midnight Gratitude
Always a welcome piece of news. “…Depending on how you act, you might really get eaten—or eaten in a whole different way. I don’t particularly discriminate by race, after all♡”
Diora looked down at me with the most sinister smile imaginable. I could hear her tongue flicking against the roof of her mouth right by my ear. It was the sound of a starving predator licking its chops. Her expression was less that of a dragon and more that of a ravenous wolf. She really did look famished. A craving for a delicious dessert, perhaps? I felt as though I might be devoured at any moment—whether she sank her teeth into my flesh or satisfied her desires in an entirely different manner. That was exactly the look in her eyes.
We hadn’t spoken much, but I could instinctively guess her personality. She was the type of dragon who acted weak in front of the strong and mercilessly strong in front of the weak.
“Why aren’t you answering? Does that mean Sofia gets a pass but I don’t?”
Look at that. She bared her fangs at the weak without hesitation, threatening me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her tone was fundamentally dismissive of others, the kind that naturally stirred up rebellious feelings.
“…N-no, of course not.”
But I couldn’t voice any complaints. If this arrogant dragon decided to, she really might eat me.
“Then you’ll let me have a taste too, right? Using the dessert Sofia asked for?”
“Of course. I’d be more than happy to serve you.”
If she wanted mint chocolate that badly, there was no need for me to stop her. She could just deal with the consequences later. I couldn’t rebel right now, but the thought of getting back at her afterward helped me endure. Just imagining Diora’s reaction after tasting mint chocolate was already satisfying.
“Good. That’s more like it. If you complain later, you really will get eaten, got it?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Alright, you can head down now. I’ll be waiting with high expectations.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best to live up to them.”
“Ufufufu. If your cooking pleases me, then… I might just invite you to my room. Look forward to it♡”
A sticky voice brushed against my ear, sending a chill down my spine. I’d hoped she wasn’t serious, but she really had meant it that way.
“A-anyway, I’ll be going now.”
—Swish!
Only then did Diora’s arm finally release my shoulder. I’d been worried it would never let go, but somehow I’d survived. I felt like I’d aged ten years in a single night.
“Have a good night, everyone!”
I gave a quick bow and practically fled down the stairs. Lingering any longer might have invited disaster. This much was clear now—I desperately needed someone to protect me from these arrogant, violent dragons. If I kept spacing out like this, I really would end up eaten by reptiles.
On second thought, feeding mint chocolate to someone with that kind of personality seemed like a terrible idea. She might take it as an insult and devour me on the spot. Even if she somehow liked it, that would be its own problem. Being dragged off by a girl who didn’t even interest me for “another kind of eating” was definitely not on my list of desires.
‘I’m really not into reptiles!’
So before anything happened, I needed to secure a reliable ally. Right now, Sofia wasn’t quite close enough to be considered my perfect partner.
“Roll call complete. Have a pleasant night, everyone!”
I shouted while brushing away the goosebumps. Descending from the fourth floor helped me calm down a little. Forget everything else—I just wanted to rest.
—Creak!
Thud, thud…!
—Murmur, murmur……!
When my voice echoed through the dormitory hallway, the girls who had come out for roll call began retreating to their rooms. A few upperclassmen stepped outside to burn mana incense before bed.
—Click!
I paid them no mind and hurried straight to the night-duty room—my tiny little nest. My eyelids were unbearably heavy under the weight of fatigue. Once the tension faded, exhaustion hit even harder. It really had been a grueling day. The moment I lay down, I’d probably pass out instantly.
‘You expect me to endure this murderous schedule for fifty years?’
Don’t make me laugh. I was going to find a way out no matter what. For now, though, I just needed to close my eyes. No thoughts, just sleep……
“……”
I was about to collapse onto the bed and escape into dreams when—
—Knock, knock, knock!
‘What the hell? Who is it now? Can’t you just leave me alone for once?’
The moment my rear touched the mattress, another knock sounded.
“Who is it?”
Inside, every curse word imaginable flashed through my mind, but outside, only a polite voice emerged. In this academy, there were almost no people I could speak casually to.
—Creaaak…!
When I answered, the door slowly opened. I prayed it wasn’t Chief Berman. Two consecutive night shifts would kill me. At this rate, I’d rather bite my tongue and sleep forever.
“Ah, were you about to sleep, desu-yong?”
“Huh? Derke? What’s going on? It’s bedtime—why aren’t you asleep?”
The one who entered wasn’t Berman at all. It was Derke, dressed neatly in her uniform and clutching a file folder nearly as big as her torso.
“They told me to stand night watch, so I came to try it out—eiyap! It’s lonely doing it alone, desu-yong!”
“Oh, right. Night watch…… You’re not supposed to report to me in person before every shift, are you?”
I screamed internally that this absolutely could not happen. At this rate, I really might die from overwork. The dragons were right—I might actually have a short lifespan. After all, I was already on the verge of passing out from exhaustion.
“That’s not it, desu-yong!”
“Phew…… Then why are you here?”
“I had something to tell you, eiyap!”
“Huh? Something to tell me? Can’t it wait until tomorrow? I’m really tired right now……”
—Smooch♥
“Huh…? Derke?”
A warm, soft sensation pressed against my cheek. Before I could even stop her, Derke had dashed straight over and planted her lips on my cheek.
—Squish……!
While she was at it, she’d also thrown herself into my arms. After leaving a light kiss on my cheek, Derke looked up at me, her green eyes sparkling.
“It’s thanks for today, eiyap!”
“Thanks……?”
“Thanks to you, I got to become friends with everyone, desu-yong…! I’m really grateful you looked after me since yesterday, eiyap!”
The sleepiness vanished in an instant, replaced by a dazed feeling. It was more of an affectionate peck than anything else, but it had been so sudden that I was completely flustered. I never saw it coming.
“No, I got plenty of help from you too, you know? Anyway, I’m glad you made friends.”
“You’re always so kind, desu-yong! I wish I had a dad like you too, eiyap……!”
A daughter older than me? Where did she even get such nonsense? Still, I could understand where Derke’s feelings came from. At an age when she should be receiving parental affection, she was all alone here. Of course she felt lonely.
“A-anyway, sleep well, desu-yong! Derke’s going to go do her duty now, eiyap!”
When I didn’t respond to her comment about wanting a dad like me, Derke suddenly blushed and pulled away.
“……?”
“I have to check the temperature too! And make sure no one’s sneaking out of bed! Derke’s a busy body, eiyap……!”
Realizing how embarrassing her earlier statement had been, she dashed out of the night-duty room with flushed cheeks.
Watching her reaction somehow warmed my heart.
“Haha, alright. Just don’t go upstairs and get scolded by the seniors.”
“D-don’t worry, desu-yong……! Have sweet dreams, eiyap!”
With those words, Derke closed the door and fled. I’d thought she was just a clueless kid, but moments like this made her oddly endearing. She’d gone out of her way to come thank me in person.
—Flop!
That aside, I really needed to sleep now. The moment the door shut, I buried my face in the pillow and sank into the soft bed.
‘Haah, today was rough, but it wasn’t all bad.’
I always felt this way, but meeting Derke had been a stroke of luck. She was the one who brought me a sense of fulfillment and happiness amid the grueling routine……
‘I’m glad she made friends. Does that mean she won’t come by in the afternoon tomorrow? That’s a shame……’
She really was the shortest-term part-timer ever. Still, good things were good. As long as Derke was happy, that was enough. Now it was time to find my own happiness……
*
The night had been short, even if the day felt long. It felt like I’d only just closed my eyes before the morning sun was already shining. For a moment, I wondered if I’d time-slipped. I hadn’t woken up once and slept soundly, yet I still felt severely sleep-deprived.
—Clink, clack……!
After waking all the students, I skipped breakfast as usual and headed to the lounge. Morning coffee was more urgent than food.
—Drip, drip……!
The coffee brewed just for me. I wanted to inject caffeine straight into my veins. Maybe then the drowsiness that hit every morning would finally fade.
‘I feel like adding some sugar today.’
I was craving something incredibly sweet. Nothing beat sugar for recovering from fatigue.
“Haam—! I really am short on sleep, huh……?”
—Rustle, rustle……!
I yawned widely and rummaged through the hardtack bag. I wanted something to pair with my coffee.
—Crunch, crunch!
Even after a day, the taste hadn’t changed. The lethal amount of sugar brought me back to my senses. The hardtack alone was tasty enough, but it was so sweet that I got tired of it quickly.
‘I should prepare something to drink with it, after all. Today’s task is simple, so I’ll finish quickly and rest a bit.’
I downed the coffee in one go, just like someone else might, and began preparing what I’d been planning in my head since yesterday.
—Knock, knock, knock!
Man, this guy never gives up. He showed up every single morning without fail. At this point, I was starting to wonder why he hadn’t come yet.
“Yes, it’s open. Come on in.”
……
But today felt different from usual. Even after I told him to come in, there was no response. Worried he might be too short to see over the counter, I peeked below—but no one was there.
“Hey, Breeder—!! You need to come out here! Time to receive the supplies!”
Johnson’s voice rang out from outside the door. His gruff tone announced the delivery. Usually, “supplies” meant ingredients. But I knew exactly what it meant this time.
The ingredients and items I’d requested had finally arrived—the countless ingredients and supplies I’d written on that blank check.
—Bang!
Feeling like I was receiving a long-awaited package, I rushed to the door.
“Waaah! As expected……!”
When I flung it open, I couldn’t even close my mouth.