What are you looking at.
What are you looking at.
March was coming to an end.
Spring had come to the Academy.
Cherry blossom trees lined the road in front of the main building.
The trees, which had shown only branches until a week ago, were now budding.
They hadn't bloomed yet.
But it looked like they would soon.
In the morning, as I passed the school gate, two girls were looking up from under a cherry tree.
"Hey, I think they'll bloom this week!"
"Really? Let's go cherry blossom viewing!"
"My sunbae asked me to go together!"
"Oh my, which sunbae, which one!"
The girl next to her grabbed her arm and shook it.
"From the Chivalry Department. The tall one."
"Hey!!"
She shook her even harder.
"That's huge! Doesn't he like you?"
"He does not?! He just asked me to go together!"
"Your ears are red right now, though?"
"That's just because it's cold?!"
"It's March?!"
I walked past.
What changes when cherry blossoms bloom?
It's just a flower.
It blooms for a moment and then falls.
That's all it is.
Kkii-ik-
I entered the school gate.
The plaza in front of the main building.
There were five benches.
The benches that were usually empty were all occupied today.
In pairs.
Everyone was sitting in pairs.
Man and woman.
Man and woman.
Man and woman.
Man and man.
Woman and woman.
There wasn't a single bench without two people.
I walked past the benches.
Not that I had any intention of sitting.
There was no room to sit anyway.
'Is there some law that people stick together in pairs when spring comes?'
'In games, spring events mean double EXP.'
'Fuck. In reality, it's double the couples.'
I walked down the hallway.
"They say there's a cherry blossom festival this time!"
"Really?"
"Clubs are setting up booths."
"What are they selling?"
"Flower drinks? Cherry blossom rice cakes? I don't know."
I walked past.
"Sunbae, would you like to go see the cherry blossoms?"
"Yeah. On Saturday."
"It's a promise!"
I passed them and entered the classroom.
The very back.
The corner.
Both sides were empty.
The front was empty too.
Even with spring, my 2-meter radius didn't change.
'Thank goodness.'
Even if the world was pairing up.
This place was my own territory.
I looked out the window.
I saw the cherry blossom branches.
The buds were swollen.
'They'll really bloom soon.'
I caught sight of a man and woman standing under a cherry tree.
Here too.
And there.
'Fuck.'
'Wasn't dating officially banned at the Academy?'
'Was it not?'
'I don't know. I wish it were banned.'
'Should I memorize their faces and report them all?'
Lunch at the cafeteria.
I was eating alone.
A quiet spot at a corner table.
The seat I always take.
Potato soup.
Bread.
Grilled meat.
I looked around the cafeteria while spooning up soup.
I tried not to look, but I saw it.
Even in the cafeteria, everyone was excited.
Talk of cherry blossoms at every table.
"Let's take pictures together at the cherry blossom festival!"
"Where? In front of the main building?"
"No, the East Gate Street side is prettier. There are trees on both sides."
"Oh, that place! I saw the pictures the sunbaes took last year, and it was re~ally pretty."
I spooned up some potato soup.
'Oh.'
'It's good.'
'The school lunch is hitting the spot today.'
I took another spoonful.
'The potato melted well.'
Somewhere in the middle of the cafeteria.
I saw light purple hair.
Aria.
She was sitting alone in a corner.
A similar spot to mine.
We were each eating alone in corners on opposite ends of the cafeteria.
Aria was spooning up soup.
Head bowed.
Her hair covering her face.
Then a man approached.
To Aria's table.
"Aria, can I sit here?"
It wasn't Kaiden.
Just some guy I didn't know.
Aria lifted her head.
"Ah... yes!"
She answered quickly.
Then bowed her head again.
She only looked at her soup.
The man sat down.
He said something.
Aria nodded.
Small.
He said something else.
Aria said, "Ah... yes."
Again.
"Ah... yes."
The conversation wasn't working.
The man smiled and said something more.
Aria, while only looking at her soup, said, "Ah... yes."
'That guy's going to give up.'
Three minutes later, the man got up.
He went back to his own table.
Aria was left alone.
She spooned up her soup.
'Similar to me.'
'Similar, but the reason is different.'
'I'm alone because I'm not interested.'
'Aria is alone because she has a wall up.'
On the other side of the cafeteria, I saw blonde hair.
Camilla.
She was sitting with three girls.
She was laughing.
Switch ON.
But Camilla's eyes were looking somewhere else.
Out the window.
A man and woman were standing under a cherry tree.
The man was handing something over.
A bouquet.
The woman received it with a smile.
Camilla's eyes stopped on the bouquet.
0.5 seconds.
Then she looked at the stall in front of the school gate.
They were selling flower drinks.
There was a line.
Five couples.
Camilla's eyes measured the length of the line.
She looked at the stall's price tag.
3 silver coins.
Then she looked in front of the gift shop.
A man was coming out holding a wrapped box.
It had a ribbon on it.
Camilla asked the girl sitting with her.
"You know how clubs are setting up booths for the cherry blossom festival?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Are there any booth spots left?"
"I think there are a few left? Why? What are you going to do?"
Camilla smiled.
"It's spring. People's wallets open in the spring."
"............What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing. Just talking to myself."
Camilla smiled.
But behind that smile, her eyes were spinning.
Flower drink, 3 silver coins.
How much would the material cost be?
What if I change the packaging?
'The profit margin is spinning in that girl's head.'
I finished my soup and stood up.
I left the cafeteria and walked down the hallway.
Afternoon.
In front of the library.
The group meeting spot.
I sat at the table.
No one was there.
'Did I come too early?'
Five minutes later.
I heard footsteps.
Click-clack.
A steady rhythm.
I looked up.
Camilla.
She was alone.
Camilla looked at me.
"Are you the only one here, sunbae?"
'Since she called me sunbae, she did acknowledge me.'
"............Yes."
Camilla sat opposite me.
It was just the two of us.
It was awkward.
I felt awkward.
Camilla didn't seem to feel awkward.
Because she wasn't paying attention to me.
Camilla took something out of her bag.
Parchment.
A pen.
And a small crystal ball.
Camilla put mana into the crystal ball.
"Hello."
"Yes. It's Camilla. Did you check what I mentioned last time?"
She was on a call with someone.
"How many booth spots are left for the cherry blossom festival. Yes. Yes."
Camilla wrote something on the parchment with her pen.
"Does it have to be a club? Can't I open one individually?"
"Then I just need to borrow a club name, right?"
She wrote on the parchment.
"What's the market price for flower drink ingredients? 1 silver coin? How do I get a margin from that......"
"What about packaging? Is the ribbon included? Or separate?"
She kept writing.
"Please check the stock once. Yes. Thank you."
The call ended.
Camilla looked at the parchment.
It was packed with numbers.
I was sitting opposite her, and I tried not to look, but I saw it.
Material cost, packaging cost, expected sales price, profit margin.
'Fuck...'
'Is that a first-year?'
Camilla was organizing the parchment when she turned her gaze to the side.
I snapped my gaze away.
'Didn't see it. Didn't see it.'
Camilla flipped the parchment over.
It was quiet.
I looked at the wood grain of the table.
Camilla took out another parchment and was writing something.
Time passed with just the two of us.
10 minutes.
15 minutes.
Camilla's pen stopped.
She didn't look at me.
She looked at the clock.
Her expression stiffened slightly.
0.3 seconds.
'She's angry.'
Five minutes later.
Two people came running from over there.
Derek.
Marion.
"Sorry! Class ended late!"
Panting.
Camilla's hand moved.
She gripped her skirt on her lap.
Tight.
0.3 seconds.
It relaxed.
When she lifted her head, she was already smiling.
"We were just chatting ourselves, actually."
'We didn't say a single word. I was just observing the wood grain for 15 minutes.'
Derek sat down saying, "Sorry, sorry."
Marion sat next to him.
"It's okay! People can be late sometimes~"
Camilla smiled.
'Fuck.. What if I had been late? Would she have grilled me? No. She wouldn't even have grilled me. You have to acknowledge someone to grill them.'
Camilla looked at Derek.
0.5 seconds.
She read him.
Switch ON.
"Derek sunbae, I heard you took 3rd place in the swordsmanship tournament last time? That's amazing~"
"That was luck."
"Ayy~ You're being humble!"
She turned to Marion.
0.3 seconds.
She read her.
Switch ON.
"Marion sunbae, I heard you're really good at fire magic! Our group is in good hands~"
"Really? Thanks."
Camilla's gaze came to me.
She was about to just snap it away, but her gaze went to the side.
Derek was watching.
Marion was watching.
0.3 seconds.
Camilla's expression changed.
Switch ON.
"Ian sunbae, let's do well together too!"
A bright smile she had never shown me before.
"............Yes."
Camilla took out a parchment.
Not the one where she wrote down business stuff, but a different one.
One she had prepared in advance.
"Now, shall we talk about the strategy for Friday?"
Terrain map.
Magic Beast appearance patterns.
Expected routes of other groups.
Group member analysis.
Derek's eyes widened.
"Where did you find this out?"
"It's recorded in the library. Last semester's subjugation data and the forest terrain map."
"You're a first-year, but that's impressive."
"It's nothing~ I just looked it up a bit."
I looked at the parchment.
[Group Member Analysis]
[Derrick von Grausen — Mana 534. Department of Swordsmanship top 8%. Suitable for vanguard.]
[Marion von Herpelt — Mana 412. Fire element. Suitable for mid-range.]
[Camilla von Edelweiss — Mana 487. Wind element. Support/harassment.]
Three people.
It's a 4-person group, but only three.
Camilla explained the strategy.
"If Derek sunbae pulls from the vanguard, Marion sunbae can chip away with fire from mid-range. And I think if I support with wind and maintain the formation, it'll work."
"That's a solid composition."
"If there's a group of 5 or more, Derek sunbae can cut off 2, and Marion sunbae can take the rest with area-of-effect. If I push both sides with wind—"
A first-year was leading two second-years.
Smoothly.
Derek asked, "But what about Ian?"
Camilla looked at me.
"I think it would be good if Ian sunbae supported from the rear! I heard you're good at terrain analysis and herb identification? That's reassuring~"
Brightly.
'She's clearly saying it brightly.'
'Translated, it meant: Don't get involved in the fighting.'
"............Yes. I will take the rear."
"Then, Friday at 10 AM. Let's meet at the entrance to the southern forest. Sunbaes, please manage your condition well~"
She stood up.
"Oh, right!"
Camilla took something out of her bag.
Drinks.
Three of them.
"Please take these!"
"Oh, thanks."
Marion took one.
"You didn't have to worry about it."
"It's nothing~ We're in the same group, so it's only natural."
One came to me too.
Derek left saying, "See you Friday."
Marion left saying, "Good work."
Camilla turned and walked away.
I also stood up and walked toward the dormitory.
It was the same direction.
Because the dormitory was the same.
I wanted to walk at a distance.
But there was only one path.
There were no side paths.
Taking a detour would be too obviously avoiding her.
I just walked.
Maintaining a 5-meter safety distance.
Camilla was walking in front.
Her blonde hair swayed in the wind.
Passing in front of the main building.
Three girls were standing under a cherry tree, chatting.
"Hey, they're holding a fan signing event for the author of 'Moonlight Gardener'!"
"Really?! Where?!"
"At the bookstore in the capital village! It's a special cherry blossom season signing event!"
"That's insane! Isn't that the first time the author's face is being revealed?!"
"Right! They say it's the first reveal!"
"We have to go! We absolutely have to go!"
"How many people?!"
"First 50 people!"
I tried to walk past.
But the footsteps of Camilla, who was walking in front, slowed down.
Slightly.
To a degree only I could feel.
Camilla's head turned slightly.
Toward the girls.
I couldn't see her ears perking up.
But I could see her pace slowing down.
"Don't we need to hurry and get tickets?"
Camilla's pace slowed even more.
It looked like she was about to stop.
'............'
'She's listening.'
Camilla didn't stop.
She walked.
But with her head tilted toward the girls.
"They say they're even doing personalized autographs this time!"
Camilla's hand moved.
She grabbed her skirt.
Her fist clenched.
'She wants to go.'
Then.
Camilla seemed to sense a presence behind her.
She looked back.
"...................."
"...................."
Our eyes met.
At a 5-meter distance.
'............'
Camilla's eyes widened.
0.3 seconds.
"......What are you looking at."
She snapped around and walked away.
Fast.
Much faster than before.
Her blonde hair swayed.