CH 7

Lately, Luna had been experiencing strange occurrences. Every morning when she woke up and went to her locker to fetch a book, there was a piece of bread inside. The bread was there yesterday, the day before, and even the day before that. Despite eating the bread for lunch, a new piece would always appear the next morning. It had kept her from going hungry, but Luna was starting to feel uneasy. Who could it be? Her father had told her there was no such thing as kindness without a price. Of course, he had said this to make the naive Luna stronger. Luna did not completely agree with his opinion, as she had met a magician who gave her a magic tome without asking for anything in return. People occasionally do good deeds without expecting anything in return. This was Luna's belief. However, it was true that this happened only rarely. A deed without an ulterior motive could be done once or twice, but if it continued, there must be a reason. "How strange..." Luna muttered as she stared at the piece of bread in her locker. Someone must be putting it there. If there had been bread in the locker since the first day she started using it, one could say it was a magical locker that duplicated bread. But the bread started appearing after she received a piece from someone else. A mysterious blonde-haired man. Luna suspected he was the one putting the bread there. But why? Why would he leave bread in her locker? To make a good impression on her? If he wanted to gain her favor, he would have approached her directly, but he never showed his face to her. "Hmmmmmm..." "Luna!" "Ah!" Someone rushed towards Luna, hugging her from behind. It was her friend, Rika. "Rika. Good morning." Although Rika was a commoner, she got along very well with Luna. To be honest, Luna considered herself closer to commoners than nobles because of her family's low status. Luna didn't think she was like the dignified nobles. She felt more similar to commoners, like the students she saw in magic theory class, rather than people like Rudy Astria. This mindset allowed her to get closer to Rika. "What's on your mind? You have so many wrinkles on your forehead." Rika playfully poked Luna's furrowed brow while still clinging to her back. Luna looked at Rika and opened her mouth to speak. "Rika, what would you do if an unknown person kept giving you gifts?" "…What?" Upon hearing that, Rika's expression turned sour. "No, no, it's not that serious...” "How are they giving you the gifts?" "No, it's not about me. I'm just wondering, what if something like that happens? You know?" Luna lied out of goodwill, fearing what Rika might do if she knew the truth. "Alright, alright. So, how did you receive the gifts?" Rika waved her hand dismissively. "Well...they were in my lock...” "Hey!" Rika immediately grabbed Luna's wrist and rushed into the classroom upon hearing her words. "Rika?" Ena, who had been reading a book in the classroom, turned around upon hearing Rika's voice. Unlike Rika and Luna, who were magic department students, Ena was an alchemy department student. "Listen, Luna was saying..." Rika hurriedly explained the situation to Ena. After listening to Rika, Ena contemplated for a moment before speaking. "A stalker, huh?" "Right? Isn't it?" "No... it's just a theory! A theory?" Luna continued to defend herself with flailing hands as she looked at the two of them seriously discussing the matter. "Sure, it's just a theory. But what if that person is a stalker?" Rika agreed with Luna's statement, but she offered a more realistic piece of advice. "Why don't you ask the student council or the disciplinary committee for help?" Ena agreed as well. Upon receiving such realistic advice, Luna began to consider her options. "But isn't that going a bit too far...?" "Luna! What if they suddenly try to harm you?" "Attacking... might be an exaggeration... but it's still better to be cautious, right?" Rika spoke fervently, and Ena added with a worried expression. Luna somewhat agreed with their words. It seemed like it was necessary to be careful. "I understand..." Even though she said that, Luna felt uneasy about suddenly accusing someone who had only helped her and not caused any harm. Luna hugged her pillow tightly as she pondered this before going to bed. "Alright... I should at least thank them for their help." However, she felt scared to wait in front of her locker in the morning. What if they attacked her, just as Rika had suggested? And if she waited in front of her locker, that person might not come upon seeing her. "Should I... hide and watch?" Luna decided to watch her locker from a hidden spot the next morning to identify the person. The next day, Luna woke up early and observed her locker while hiding. Although her disguise was a bit sloppy, it was hard to notice her if someone wasn't paying attention. "Huh?" The first person to appear near the lockers was Rudy Astria. He approached his locker and took out a few books. "He's earlier than I thought..." Luna had perceived Rudy as somewhat of a delinquent due to his strong impression during the magic theory class. She had heard no good rumors about him from others, so she simply thought of him as a troublemaker. However, seeing him get up early and take out books made him seem like a model student. "Well, he is the top student after all..." No matter his attitude, Rudy was the top student. Even if he achieved that through his incredible talent, it must have taken effort to earn that position. After all, he managed to beat the highly talented Princess Rie, who was rumored to be a prodigy. "Eh?" However, there was one strange thing. The small paper envelope in his hand. Luna didn't think for a moment that the person giving her bread would be Rudy Astria when she saw him. A completely unrelated existence. They only shared Basic Magic Theory and one general subject class. Their social status was also vastly different. Grades? That part wasn't even worth thinking about. 'Ah, he probably just got it for himself to eat.' The paper envelope was just a regular one given out at the store when buying bread. An ordinary paper envelope with nothing special about it. As Luna had thought, Rudy took a book from his locker and turned toward the classroom. Well, that was that. Luna turned her head and started staring at the entrance again. It was about time for students to start arriving... "Oh, right." Heading towards the classroom, Rudy Astria suddenly turned around. Then, he slowly walked towards Luna's locker. '...' That's right. The culprit was Rudy Astria. Come to think of it, Rudy Astria's appearance was identical to the first-year student described by the seniors. Sharp-looking eyes and blond hair. Luna watched as Rudy placed the bread in her locker and disappeared. She walked over to her locker, wondering if he had put it in someone else's locker instead of hers. However, what she saw was correct. A paper envelope was in her locker. Upon opening the envelope, she found a warm-looking bread that seemed freshly baked. Only one question floated through her mind. Why? Why was Rudy Astria putting bread in my locker? Luna couldn't understand. "Hmm..." Discovering the culprit who was giving her bread should have eased her worries, but her concerns only grew. From that day on, Luna began paying attention to Rudy. Rudy Astria was more ordinary than she had expected. He diligently attended his classes and didn't pay attention to the people around him. He ate lunch alone every day, as if he had no friends. Once the classes were over, he would immediately return to the dormitory and not come out. He was way too ordinary compared to the rumors. No, rather than being ordinary, he seemed slightly pitiable. She had watched him for three days, but she had never seen him having a conversation with anyone. "Luna!" While she was deep in her thoughts, Rika approached her as the class ended. It was lunchtime. Rika and Ena invited her to lunch every day, but Luna would refuse, saying she had something to do or was on a diet. Instead, she ate the bread Rudy left for her in the empty classroom. "Do you want to have lunch...?" Despite her daily refusals, they still invited her to have lunch together. Lately, they seemed apologetic while inviting her, and their expressions weren't good. I should at least eat a proper meal with my thoughts being so complicated! I feel sorry for always rejecting them... "…Alright!" Rika's expression brightened. Luna headed to the cafeteria with her friends. When they arrived at the cafeteria, they saw Rudy eating alone without anyone around. Luna's eyes kept drifting toward the lonely figure of Rudy eating by himself. "Luna?" "Uh…what?" "So, did you report the stalker?" Luna hesitated at Rika's question for a moment. She was tempted to say it was just her imagination like last time. However, it seemed like neither of them would believe that. If she said it was her imagination, they would undoubtedly worry more. Should she tell her friends that Rudy Astria was the one giving her the bread? Even though she didn't know his intentions. Luna pondered for a moment but then decided against it. Rudy Astria's reputation at the academy was the worst. However, the Rudy she saw didn't seem like such a bad person. Although she had seen him for a very short time, she couldn't find anything odd about him. Luna stared intently at Rudy, who finished eating alone and left the cafeteria. And she made a decision. In the end, Luna decided to tell a white lie. "He doesn't put anything in it anymore." "Really? Did he overhear us talking?" "Maybe?" "That's creepy... Anyway, be careful for a while. He might follow you to the restroom." "Ugh... Okay!" After finishing her classes, Luna returned to her room. She couldn't figure out why Rudy Astria behaved like that. Luna reviewed the information she had gathered so far. First, it was incorrect, as Rika said, that he was a stalker. She had been keeping an eye on him, but they never made eye contact. He was just focused on studying hard. "Maybe… he needs a friend?" Rudy Astria couldn't get along with anyone. If he was an ordinary person, he wouldn't have introduced himself that way during class. It was a statement that would attract people's dislike. A normal person would have known that much. Luna hypothesized. Could it be that he lacked social skills? As a child of a high-ranking noble, perhaps he never had a chance to make friends normally? He might want to make friends but not know how to do it. And giving her bread could be an attempt to become friends with her. Thinking that way, the puzzle seemed to fit together. "That's it! I'll become friends with him." The next day, Luna's resolution wavered as soon as she saw Rudy. She spotted Rudy Astria walking ahead. And she tried to talk to him, just like she had decided the night before. However, a doubt crossed her mind. 'How... do I make friends?' Usually, friends became close without even realizing it. She had never directly approached someone saying, "Let's be friends!" Especially when the other person was a boy. Having never made male friends before, Luna wondered how to approach him. "Alright! Let's take the class together!" Anyway, this class is one that Luna would be taking with Rudy. She thought it wouldn't hurt to suggest taking the class together. Luna slowly approached Rudy and gently tapped him on the back. Rudy Astria turned his head and looked at her. "Ah!" Contrary to Luna's plan, her body suddenly stiffened. Rudy Astria stared at her as if to ask what was going on. Luna's mind turned to stone. "What was I going to say... Oh, right!" Luna barely managed to open her mouth. "Um...hello?" That's right. Start with a greeting and slowly... ...What should she say next? Her mind went blank. As Rudy Astria looked at her with sharp eyes, Luna slowly began to feel afraid. "We're in the same class this time. Do you want to take it together?" "This, this, this class!" Luna was so flustered that she couldn't speak properly and let out a single cry. Rudy Astria tilted his head and looked at her with a 'what are you saying' expression. Luna, thinking she had to explain, pushed the book she was holding towards him. "Th...this idiot!" Luna was shocked by her own actions and felt her face turning red. She quickly thought of her next move. "Let's...let's try again next time!" Without giving a proper explanation, Luna dashed into the classroom. Even after entering the classroom and after class ended, Luna didn't say a word to Rudy. She simply fled to her dormitory as soon as the class was over. Luna opened the door to her dorm room and entered, making sure her roommates were not there. "...What have I done?" Lying down on her bed, Luna pulled the blanket up to her chin. Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of Luna kicking the blanket echoed throughout the room.
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