36. What You Get from an Adult
36. What You Get from an Adult
For some reason, Noah was clearly getting busier than before.
He was definitely getting quite busy.
But regardless of that, he still comes to visit every single day.
"Hmm."
Of course, it's because Noah likes me.
I knew that he had feelings for me... more than I thought.
"Tsk tsk...."
But even so, I didn't think it was a good idea for him to keep coming to see me when there was no hope.
It was a waste of time.
Especially for a kid who has a lot of things to do, it would be even more so.
Just looking at the last few days... he's been coming once in the morning, twice during every break, and twice after the Academy finishes.
"......."
Of course, it must be the boundless energy typical of his young age.
So, that probably explains why he acts like that toward someone 11 years his senior.
"Sigh."
I really don't know what he's thinking.
It doesn't matter much, though.
I couldn't help but feel a little worried.
He wasn't a kid with a massive backer like a noble, and talent aside, he was still a commoner.
From my perspective, having come from a Snow Woman village in the countryside and establishing myself here, I couldn't help but feel that him constantly coming to see me was just a waste of time.
It might just be the difference between an adult and a child.
That's just how it was.
"Hmm... I think I can start cutting back on the ice cream now. The weather will get cold in a few months, too. I should probably prepare... warm coffee or other things."
But regardless of Noah, I had my own work to do.
It wasn't the time to only pay attention to him.
I had to check the Convenience Store inventory, keep track of the goods coming in next week....
Since the Midterm Exam season was approaching, I had to stock up on plenty of coffee and energy drinks accordingly.
*
"Noona. Would you like to have dinner with me?"
"......."
"...Can't we?"
Noah came to find me just as I was finishing up and getting ready to head home.
I don't know what got into him.
He wasn't even sweating that much.
Usually, when he comes to the Convenience Store at this hour, he's always drenched in sweat, having just come from training.
Of course, aside from that... it wasn't often that Noah brought up something like this.
So, I was a little surprised.
"What's this about dinner all of a sudden?"
"Ah, um... just because. I've been learning a lot from you lately, Noona, and I wanted to repay you in my own way. Plus, you treated my injuries before, and you always take care of me whenever I come to the Convenience Store, right? That's why."
"...Isn't it just because you're frustrated that you're not making any progress with me?"
"Ah."
"Sigh."
It seems I hit the nail on the head.
It's only natural, considering we met in the first semester of his first year.
Half a year had passed since then, after all.
"Sigh...."
"Haha...."
Since quite a bit of time had already passed and absolutely nothing had happened, he was probably doing this because of that.
It was to be expected.
Even if Noah's intention in visiting me every day was to build up favor, it wouldn't make a big difference.
"Sigh, a guy with no money trying to buy dinner."
"Still...."
"I'll buy. I'm not so destitute that I need to be fed by a kid."
"......Yes."
I understood his train of thought.
But there was absolutely no need for me to eat a meal bought by Noah.
It was a story full of Noah's intentions.
Honestly, it was easier to refuse.
After all, it was just one of a guy's annoying attempts.
But aside from that, he's just a kid without much money.
Today, too, he would obviously... just settle for Convenience Store food or some random cheap meal.
"Then... ah, first, clean up the remaining part of the floor here. I'm going to go drop off my apron."
"Yes, Noona."
So, I'll just buy him dinner as an adult and then we can part ways.
I'm not an idiot.
If he realizes that I have absolutely no interest in him, he'll naturally lose interest himself.
.
.
.
"Hmm.... I might get annoyed if I run into Academy students, so... maybe it's better to go somewhere expensive."
"You don't have to go that far...."
"It's because I'm annoyed. I run a business inside the Academy. How can I not care?"
"Ah."
I was taking a 17-year-old kid to a restaurant located outside the Academy.
It wasn't that I was worried about the price.
I just didn't want to get tangled up with students in an annoying way.
That was one of the reasons why I always cook at home.
I was one of the very few people who ran a business inside the Academy building.
So, I had no choice but to be somewhat mindful of the Academy students.
In that sense, I was looking for a restaurant slowly to avoid any unnecessary situations.
"What do you want to eat? Is there anything you want?"
"I'm fine with anything...."
"Sigh, you won't be popular if you say that."
"...It's because you're buying, Noona. Whatever you want to eat is enough for me."
"Sigh, sigh...."
What am I supposed to do with this blockhead?
I'm grateful for his consideration.
But aside from the consideration, usually, in times like this, you're supposed to go back and forth, have a little banter, and make a decision.
He's full of enthusiasm, but he's a kid who lacks sense.
I naturally thought that girls like Iris or Katrina would have a hard time in the future.
"Then, what do you usually eat?"
"I usually just settle for something simple. Sometimes I buy things at your Convenience Store, Noona, and sometimes Iris makes me sandwiches. Other than that, I just... settle for a small shop right in front of the Academy's main gate."
"What kind of shop is it?"
"A place where you can easily have a meal for under 50 Coopers."
"Hmm, so a place like that exists? Students must visit it often. It's cost-effective, and it probably tastes decent enough, right?"
"Yes, that's usually the case. So on some days, it's packed with Academy students... and I have no choice but to go somewhere else."
So, we were able to choose a menu while talking.
A menu is a menu, and a restaurant is a restaurant.
Choosing a decent menu and a restaurant that students can't easily visit was easy enough.
"How is it? Is it okay?"
"...It's divided into private rooms."
"It's a place that nobles frequent. It's better to have a place like this than an open space if you want to talk comfortably, right? That's why quite expensive restaurants often have all their tables divided into rooms like this."
The place we found was a decent casual dining restaurant.
It wasn't too expensive, but it was a decent place where you didn't need to stand on ceremony.
Moderately expensive, and moderately high-class?
"If there's a menu you want to eat, order anything. It's not that expensive."
"...The price of one menu is......."
"It's a shop that targets students, but I'm the owner, okay? Just order comfortably. Don't be annoying."
"......Yes, Noona."
He looked burdened, but it was fine for a 17-year-old kid to be a bit more relaxed.
After all, he's just a 17-year-old kid.
There was absolutely no need for a kid to feel burdened by receiving something from an adult.
"By the way, is the Academy quiet these days?"
"The Academy?"
"Yes."
"...The Academy is always normal, isn't it?"
"Hmm.... Is that so?"
After roughly ordering the food, I asked Noah a question.
We had to wait a bit for the food anyway, and I was bored and curious.
"In my day, the Academy was quite noisy. There were accidents and incidents every single month."
"...The Academy?"
"Yes. It's weirdly quiet these days. It's a place where a lot of high-ranking nobles gather, right? If anything, it should always be noisy. Plus, about 10 years ago... there were way more fights between nobles and the lower-class people than now."
"These days...."
"Yes, these days... it feels like there's a pretty strong sense of equality inside the Academy, right? In my day, demi-human students like beastkin couldn't even make eye contact with nobles."
It was true.
Although my case was a little different.
Anyway, it was a fact that the Academy was a bit more comfortable and quieter than before.
Noah seemed quite interested in the story I brought up.
I wonder if he's curious about the old Academy... or more accurately, my past stories?
It's a bit different from the case with Katrina, but he showed interest when I told him stories about my days as an Adventurer, too....
"But Noona, isn't your friend a noble too?"
"Ah, Vivian? She's... a special case, though."
"...A special case?"
"We were just living our lives, and she was the one who wanted to get close to me first."
"Aha...?"
"Actually, Vivian. Aside from her, there were many times when noble guys tried to talk to me. It started with asking to have a cup of tea later, and there were quite a lot of them. Hmm, thinking about it now... it was really annoying. I should have just frozen them all. It's a shame I couldn't do that."
"......."
"Of course, I refused them all because they looked annoying at a glance, though?"
He must be interested in 'my' story.
Aside from understanding that, it was funny to see him focus so much on such trivial stories.
It was amusing, too.
"Anyway. Aside from that... ah, right. I said there were a lot of incidents in the Academy in my day, right? Back then, there were often kidnapping cases or terrorist attacks inside the Academy targeting certain nobles."
"......Really?"
"Of course. If you can find old newspapers, look them up. They'll really be there. It was really annoying to solve those. They said they'd give a reward if I found a student, so I worked hard on it, though."
So, without realizing it, I ended up talking more.
Except for Vivian, who attended the Academy with me, these were stories I had no one else to tell.
Now, they were just empty old stories that didn't matter much.
"It wasn't that interesting of a story, but is it fun?"
"...Because it's your story, Noona. It was all fun."
"Sigh, you're very good with words."
Well, at least it seemed like he was capable of having a normal conversation while eating dinner.