Aren't You Hungry?
Aren't you hungry?
"Ugh... I think my arms are about to fall off..."
Groaning and complaining the whole way, I staggered out of the private training room. No—calling it a stagger was generous. I was practically crawling.
"Even with mana, this is murder. And there are people back on Earth who do this with nothing but pure physical strength? Unbelievable."
I suddenly found myself impressed by every gym rat on the planet. If I'd known I'd end up like this, I would've built some actual discipline instead of just gaming all day.
"Ah, right."
I stashed the two cubes I'd been clicking and twisting beside me into my inventory. Now that I'd left the private training room, it was time to call it on the intelligence training. I had no intention of walking around advertising, Hey everyone, I've got Tao Power~, so packing them away here was the right call.
"Ugh, I feel disgusting. I need a shower, ASAP."
After tucking the cubes into my inventory, I activated Nature Realm. Since I couldn't keep turning the cubes, I might as well leave Nature Realm on and scrape together whatever intelligence gains I could...
"Huh?"
The moment Nature Realm activated, I sensed a peculiar energy I hadn't felt a second earlier—coming from right next door, from the training room beside the one I'd been using.
"This is..."
It was a hard energy to put into words. At its base it shared the same qualities as mana, yet it filled whoever sensed it with a heavy, sinking melancholy. The word "mana" alone couldn't cover it.
Sorrow.
Somehow, without any proof, I was certain that single word was the closest thing to describing it. In all my years of playing Grand Fantasia, I had never once encountered a being whose mana carried such a distinctive quality.
So who, exactly, was wielding this strange power?
"...Lady Elice?"
Nature Realm answered that the person using the room next door was Elice.
...If it's Elice, that actually tracks.
Elice was a hidden NPC I had never met even once in the game. It wouldn't be strange at all for her to wield some curious power I'd never seen before.
But did Elice always train at this hour?
Just then, the mournful energy bleeding from the neighboring room began to fade, and I felt her approaching the door.
— Rattle.
A moment later, Elice stepped out.
"...Oh."
Our eyes met. The light caught on the sweat along her throat and made it gleam. The way she looked under the lamps was a little too provocative, so I deliberately dragged my gaze elsewhere.
"Lady Elice! Running into you here of all places—what a coincidence."
"Yeah. Coincidence. You finished training too?"
"Yes, I have. Ugh, I must have overdone it—my arms are still shaking. If I arm-wrestled you right now, Lady Elice, I'm confident I'd lose. Or... was I always going to lose?"
She gave a small shake of her head at my answer, then swept her hair back as she spoke.
"...Looking at that flimsy act of yours, I guess you've fully recovered from collapsing last time."
"Ah, that. Well—"
"Just simple overwork, right? I heard it straight from the school nurse."
"Oh—come to think of it, Lady Elice, you came to see me when I collapsed, didn't you? Haha. It really showed me how much you value me. Thank you for worrying."
I reflexively tossed out one of my usual empty jokes.
"You don't need to thank me. You are someone precious to me."
"I—I'm sorry?"
Elice's blunt, straightforward reply was so different from everyone else's that I was the one who ended up startled. If I'd had anything in my mouth just then, I absolutely would have choked.
"Is it that strange? You're my ally. Of course you're precious."
"Ah—right. Of course. Obviously."
I fanned myself with one hand as I answered. Elice narrowed her eyes and fixed me with a look.
"...You didn't take that in some weird way, did you?"
"Haha, of course not. For someone like me to harbor those kinds of feelings toward Lady Elice would be a sin in itself, wouldn't it?"
"It wouldn't go as far as a sin. Whatever. I'm going to wash up."
"I was just heading to the showers myself. Shall we walk there together? Ah—walking with me isn't unpleasant or anything, is it?"
"I don't care. If you're coming, come."
Elice and I set off toward the showers attached to the training grounds.
"By the way, I never imagined Lady Elice would still be training this late at night."
At my question, Elice's brow furrowed slightly, and she answered in a faintly irritated voice.
"...Are you saying I don't look diligent?"
"Haha, that wasn't what I meant at all. I only said it because I hadn't seen you at the training grounds before."
Elice fell silent for a moment after my explanation. Then she tipped her chin up a little, gazing into empty air as she spoke.
"...It isn't that I've been slacking on training. It's just... to avenge my parents, I started thinking the amount I used to do wouldn't be enough. So lately I've been staying later."
"Oh. That's an admirable mindset. You have my full support."
"...It's definitely a compliment, but somehow it doesn't land well."
We kept up the small talk as we walked, and before long we arrived in front of the showers.
"Even an ordinary walk becomes a joy when it's with Lady Elice. Thank you for keeping me company."
"I enjoyed it too, in my own way. See you tomorrow."
Elice gave a small wave and disappeared into the women's showers, dark hair trailing behind her. I courteously deactivated Nature Realm, stretched, and headed into the showers myself. My whole body was soaked in sweat; I wanted to get clean as fast as humanly possible.
"Ugh... I closed my eyes for one second and somehow fell asleep. At this rate I'm worried I won't be able to sleep tonight."
After finishing my shower and changing clothes, I stepped outside with a long sigh. Moments ago my mind had been heavy and sluggish with fatigue; now it was weirdly wide awake. I'd dozed off right when I was about to get dressed after washing.
"Still, I do feel refreshed."
I stretched hard, working the knots back out of my muscles. Ahh—the air you breathe after a shower really is sweet.
"...Shion?"
A familiar voice came from behind me.
"Lady Elice! Meeting you again in a place like this—what a coincidence!"
"...Don't tell me you were waiting out here until I came out."
Elice looked at me for a second like she'd found a bug on the sole of her shoe.
W-wait! There seemed to be a catastrophic misunderstanding forming here.
"No. Haha—it's a little embarrassing to admit, but I accidentally fell asleep inside the showers..."
"..."
At my honest explanation, Elice eyed me with clear reluctance, then gave a small nod.
"Yeah. With you, that actually sounds possible."
"That... was a compliment, right?"
"Don't know. Figure it out yourself."
Fortunately the immediate crisis seemed to have passed; Elice's expression returned to normal.
And then—
— Grrrgl...!
Somewhere, a stomach clock went off loud and clear. Whose was it? Not mine, at least. Which meant...
"........"
Elice said nothing, her face turning bright red.
"Oh my? Lady Elice, are you hungry?"
"...It's not something you need to worry about."
She could flush that hard and still refuse to deny it—she must have been starving.
"Hmm. Perfect timing, then. I was getting a little peckish myself. Lady Elice, how about we grab a late-night snack together?"
"A late-night snack?"
Her tone was questioning, but her eyes lit up unmistakably. A second later, though, for reasons I couldn't guess, her expression darkened again.
"...What shop is even open at this hour? Everyone will have closed already to prep for tomorrow."
Ah. So that was the problem. In that case, no issue.
"Heh heh heh. Lady Elice. If I told you there's still a place that hasn't closed... would you believe me?"
"Well, if you say there is, I guess I have to."
"...You say that so matter-of-factly that it's somehow making me awkward. Anyway—let's go! Late-night snacks are always a delight!"
I forced my energy up and led Elice toward the restaurant. The shop sat on a side alley where people rarely bothered to look. Standing in front of the cozy little storefront, Elice murmured,
"I've never seen this place before."
"Heh. It's a hidden gem most of the other students don't know about. Come on—let's go in."
Stepping inside, a gentle, spicy scent of chili powder drifted through the air.
"Ma'am! Still open?"
"Oh, Shion? We've still got a little of the business day left. One takeout order pending, too. Sit wherever you like."
"Yes, ma'am. Two servings of tteokbokki and one fried snack set, please."
If anyone asked why there was a tteokbokki shop at Luin Academy—in a fantasy setting, no less—I'd answer that it was because the developers of Grand Fantasia were a Korean company. In fact, Grand Fantasia was stuffed with little Korean elements, not just tteokbokki shops. Some players complained it broke immersion. I never cared. As long as it was fun, what did it matter?
"All right. But... who's the young lady with you? She's gorgeous. Your girlfriend?"
"If only that were tr—"
"No."
Elice cut in before I could finish. At her blunt tone, the owner gave an awkward little laugh and headed for the kitchen.
"Haha... If you shut it down that firmly, even someone like me gets a little wounded, you know."
"I just thought this was better than inviting a pointless misunderstanding."
"You only say correct things, so it's hard to pick a fight with you."
We killed time with small talk while we waited for the food.
"Lady Elice... do you have any of those?"
"If you talk that vaguely, nobody's going to understand you."
"You know—like, refusing to touch commoner food, that kind of thing."
Elice shook her head.
"I don't. I know how much people's hard work and devotion goes into getting food onto a table. And besides, in this country I'm a commoner myself. If anyone should have that kind of attitude, it'd be more natural for it to be you."
"Haha. I am something of an oddball for a noble, aren't I? Maybe that's why I enjoy this kind of simple food too."
Of course that was a lie. Obviously I preferred expensive food made with expensive ingredients. The only reason we'd come here was that the tteokbokki place stayed open late.
"You really are an oddball, yeah."
"Ghk—saying it that bluntly feels like driving a stake through my chest...!"
"Not enough? Want me to drive in more?"
"No. This amount is just right."
Even Elice's unusually cold reactions were refreshing in their own way; talking with her was genuinely fun.
"Well—I really am an oddball, I'll give you that. My half-sister, Lady Chloe, for instance, won't even touch commoner food. She says it lowers a noble's dignity."
Of course, that was only on the surface. Chloe absolutely adored commoner food—snack-bar fare, street snacks, all of it. She just had enough pride not to touch it in public.
"Here you go—sorry for the wait."
While we were chatting, the owner appeared and set a tray piled high with food on the table.
"Huh? Ma'am, I didn't order sundae."
"Service. Your young lady is too pretty not to."
"Haha, well, our Lady Elice is no ordinary beauti—"
Elice hit me.
"Stop saying useless things. Thank you."
"Hoho. You two get along so well. Enjoy it while you can. Eat up."
Still chuckling, the owner headed back past the counter into the kitchen.
"I always say this, but I am opposed to violence."
"I think so too."
"Your words and actions are complete opposites... Anyway—please, try some. This is one of my absolute favorites."
"Food you like somehow doesn't inspire confidence..."
Elice looked unconvinced, but she speared a piece of tteokbokki with her fork and put it in her mouth.
Chew, chew. Elice working through the rice cake.
"It's fine. But."
"But?"
"...Sp— koff. Spicy."
Elice squirmed, at a complete loss. Watching her head-on, I barely managed to smother my laughter and pushed a cup of water toward her.
"Haa... You came here on purpose, didn't you."
Elice blinked rapidly and glared at me.
"Pfft—n-no. Of course not. I only came because Lady Elice looked hungry and this place is open late. It seems tteokbokki is still too strong an opponent for you, Lady Elice. Here—have some of the fried snacks and the sundae. Those aren't spicy."
Ahh. That reaction was delicious. I hadn't eaten a single bite yet and I already felt full. How was she capable of making such a satisfying face?
All right. I'd had my fill with my eyes—time to satisfy my stomach.
Beaming, I speared a piece of tteokbokki and was about to put it in my mouth when—
— Jingle~!
Someone who looked suspicious at a single glance stepped into the shop.