Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: What's up with her?
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After walking for about ten minutes, I arrived at the student cafeteria. I naturally blended into the crowd of already bustling students and slowly pushed my way deeper inside.
"…Huh?"
I barely managed to squeeze through the throng of students and spotted a very familiar figure near the cafeteria exit.
Neatly trimmed black hair, overwhelming presence from his features that made you question if he was even human, and even the female students surrounding him.
The guy wasn't saying a word, just smiling.
But even that made the area around him feel brighter.
'What the hell, isn't that Kim Do-yoon?'
I hadn't expected to run into the protagonist this soon.
Originally, I planned to prepare a bit more for any possible situations before seeking him out.
"Do-yoon, I heard you only got one wrong on the entrance exam? That's insane."
"It's true you can use both magic and swords?"
"Well, I just did my best with what I could."
Do-yoon was casually fielding the students' questions.
His humble tone. But somehow, that only seemed to excite people more.
'Damn… he really is handsome as hell. Even as a fellow guy, at that level, no wonder the girls are losing it.'
Looking at the female students swarming around him, I felt oddly intimidated for some reason.
The protagonist was the protagonist for a reason.
Superior looks, attitude, talent. Even every line he said screamed that he was different from everyone else.
'Yeah, he has to be on that level to go around devouring all those peerless beauties.'
I hadn't planned to fight him from the start anyway.
But even before any fight, I felt this crushing sense of defeat as I tried to find a kiosk to order food.
And then, at that moment.
"…Huh? Hyun-sol?"
"!!!"
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind me. I slowly turned my head to check who it was.
Sure enough, I spotted a female student with turquoise hair waving at me as she approached from the direction of the cafeteria entrance.
"So… Sophia?"
"There you are. I was bummed I couldn't get your number back at the training grounds, but this works out."
Sophia smiled softly as she came up to me and confidently snatched the phone from my pocket, entering her number.
And then, as if she just noticed the commotion in the cafeteria.
She peeked her head out and glanced at Kim Do-yoon, who was still surrounded by girls bombarding him with questions.
'Ooh… is this finally the protagonist and heroine's first meeting?'
Originally, Sophia and Kim Do-yoon were supposed to meet for the first time not in the student cafeteria, but in the Understanding Mana and Magic lecture.
Of course, that route only played out if the player set the protagonist's class to Archmage.
Whatever. This wasn't a game where everything followed a set path anymore.
Anyway, this was the historic moment of the first heroine and protagonist's meeting…
"Have you decided on a menu? Wanna eat together?"
"…Huh?"
Sophia, who had been watching Kim Do-yoon for a bit, looked back at me with eyes that said her interest had completely vanished.
"It's not very gentlemanly to leave a lady eating alone, is it… or is it different in Korea?"
"N-No… of course it's not. Eating together is no big deal."
'…What? What's going on here right now?'
I couldn't make sense of the situation at all and ended up responding in a dazed voice.
Sophia nodded in satisfaction.
She lightly grabbed my arm and casually dragged me to an empty table inside the cafeteria.
"Wait… hold on a sec!"
The surrounding students' attention snapped to us in an instant.
"Huh? Isn't that Sophia Litwell?"
"Yeah! That S-Rank Awakener from England! But who's the guy next to her?"
"Boyfriend? Lucky bastard…"
The commotion grew louder, and soon even some of the students who had been watching the protagonist turned to murmur about us.
'No way, why me!! Kim Do-yoon's right there—go to the protagonist, not me!!!'
"Ahem~"
But Sophia sat down at the table, placing a magic tool on it as if she couldn't care less about the stares.
She naturally pointed to the seat across from her.
"Sit. It's uncomfortable if you keep standing."
"Ah, uh…"
I swallowed tears and half-forcibly took a seat.
At the same time, my eyes met Kim Do-yoon's, who had apparently been watching us from afar.
He tilted his head curiously for a moment before turning back to answer the girls' questions.
'……He saw that, right? That guy definitely looked at me. Our eyes met, didn't they?'
Meanwhile, Sophia calmly picked up her chopsticks and continued the conversation.
"Korean cafeterias are so interesting. You can order right from your seat."
"…Yeah, it's pretty convenient."
"Hyun-sol, recommend something for me?"
Her gaze was still fixed only on me.
And that fact was making the atmosphere around us even hotter.
"Dude, am I dreaming? Sophia's actually smiling and chatting brightly with a guy?"
"Ugh… I don't know who that dude is, but I'm so jealous. I haven't even gotten one of her cold stares."
'Oh man, go nuts, just go nuts.'
Seeing the guys making a huge fuss and acting all envious only ramped up my stress—no superiority complex here.
Part of me wanted to scream at the top of my lungs that I had nothing to do with Sophia!!
But looking at her smiling face waiting for my menu recommendation, I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"Hoo… If you're in Korea, you gotta start with bulgogi, obviously."
As soon as I recommended it, Sophia nodded like she'd been waiting and ordered via the tablet on the table.
A moment later, steaming bulgogi set meals were placed on our table.
"Mmm~ Smells amazing."
Sophia clumsily gripped her chopsticks and barely managed to pick up a piece of meat.
When she took a delicate bite, the surrounding guys audibly swallowed.
'Come on, tone it down, you crazy bastards. It's embarrassing as a fellow man.'
"Delicious. Can't even compare to England."
"Well… glad it suits your taste."
I made small talk, but my eyes kept drifting toward Kim Do-yoon.
He was still surrounded by the girls, tirelessly answering every question.
'…But why is Sophia, who should be right there next to him, eating with me…?'
No matter how I thought about it, my head just wouldn't sort it out.
Setting aside extras, restraints, and all that— I needed to figure out why Sophia wasn't interested in the protagonist.
Otherwise, if some other variable popped up, who knew how the main story would twist going forward.
In the end, I set down my chopsticks and cautiously spoke up.
"…Sophia."
"Yeah?"
"I know this is a pretty nosy question for a guy to ask…"
I glanced around once and asked in a very quiet voice.
"…Why aren't you interested in Do-yoon? I heard rumors he's got insane magic talent too."
"Hmm…"
Catching her completely off guard, Sophia's smile vanished in an instant, and she set the bulgogi back on her plate.
She made an indescribably subtle expression and spoke.
"Not sure what your intent is, but are you asking because he's super handsome and talented, so shouldn't I obviously like him? Something like that?"
"Like those girls over there squealing and fawning?"
"…No, not that bad… Sorry, my bad."
Realizing I'd crossed a line, I hurriedly apologized.
I'd just said this was reality, not a game, and here I was asking something so stupid.
Seemed like the anxiety about the future I knew possibly changing was making me impatient.
'Nah, that's just an excuse.'
"…"
Sophia accepted my apology but kept staring at my face with a half-stern expression.
She picked up the bulgogi again, ate a piece, and slowly opened her mouth.
"…No need to apologize that much. Doesn't seem like you meant it badly. Honestly, that quirky, honest side of yours is kinda appealing?"
"…What?"
"Everyone else just babbles about ecstasy from a single smile or fate… trying to win my interest with shallow words. But you're different."
Sophia continued with eyes that seemed somehow amused.
"…Never imagined I'd get a question like this in my life. Wondering why I'm not interested in some other guy when I'm paying attention to you."
"Uh… I see."
'Uh…? This feels kinda off, doesn't it?'
Sensing something was seriously going wrong, I quickly wolfed down the rest of my bulgogi and tried to leave first.
But.
"Got some time before afternoon classes? Let's go to the library! I'll teach you how to handle mana."
"You… right now…? Wait, hold on? What is this?"
Where had that fragile girl gone who was awkwardly eating one piece of bulgogi?
Before me was a predator who had flawlessly used chopsticks better than me to devour the rest in seconds.
"Heh~ Chopsticks are essential in Korea, so of course I practiced a ton. How was my acting? Your face says I totally fooled you."
"…"
I stared at her blankly before finally speaking.
"No way… All that clumsy chopstick stuff was an act? Why?"
"Just 'cause? The concept of a cute, chopstick-challenged foreign beauty. Didn't it look adorable?"
"…"
Sophia winked and stood up first.
Feeling like I'd been duped in some massive con, I shoveled down the rest of my food.
"Well, thanks to you, I enjoyed the bulgogi and had fun. Alright, let's go."
"Go where?"
"The library! I told you earlier? We've got time before afternoon classes, so I'll teach you mana control."
"…"
I thought it over for a moment before deciding to follow her.
'I messed up once, so I should go along this time.'
The stares from around us still stung, but Sophia's eyes sparkled innocently, like none of it mattered.
'Haa… but is this really okay?'
And so, I left the cafeteria side by side with Sophia and headed to the library.