Lately, Luna had been experiencing something strange.
Every morning, when she went to her locker to get her books, she found a piece of bread inside.
The same thing happened the day before, and the day before that.
Despite having eaten the bread at lunch, there would always be another piece the next morning.
This prevented her from going hungry, but she gradually started feeling uneasy.
Who could it be?
There's no such thing as a favor without a price.
That was something Luna had heard repeatedly from her father.
Of course, he said it to toughen up his naive daughter, but Luna didn't entirely agree with the statement.
The wizard she met didn't expect anything in return for giving her his magic book.
Luna believed that people sometimes offered favors without expecting anything in return.
However, that was only sometimes. If it continued, there must be a reason.
"How strange..." Luna stared at the bread in her locker.
Someone was definitely putting it there.
If there had been bread in the locker since the first day she used it, she might have thought it was a magical locker that duplicated bread.
But the bread only appeared after she received it from someone.
A mysterious blonde man.
She suspected it could be him since the bread in her locker was the same as the one she had received that day.
But why?
Why was he putting the bread there?
To make himself look good? If he wanted to win her favor, he would have approached her directly instead of remaining unseen.
"Hmmmm..."
"Luna!"
"Ah!" Luna was suddenly hugged from behind by someone. It was her friend Rika.
"Rika, good morning."
Rika was a commoner, but she got along really well with Luna.
Luna considered herself closer to a commoner than a noble since she belonged to a low-ranking noble family.
She didn't think she was like the dignified nobles.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Luna felt more similar to the commoners than people like Rudy Astria, whom she had seen in magic theory class.
This way of thinking allowed her to get along with Rika even better.
"Why are you frowning so much?"
Rika clung to Luna's back and poked her furrowed brow.
Luna looked at her and opened her mouth.
"Rika, what would you do if a stranger kept giving you gifts?"
"What?" Rika's expression soured upon hearing that.
"No, no, it's not a serious matter. It's just..."
"How do they give you the gifts?"
"It's not about me. What if something like that happens? Just what if? You got it?"
Feeling that Rika might cause trouble, Luna told a white lie with good intentions.
"Alright, alright. So how did you receive it?"
Rika dismissed the issue with a wave of her hand.
"Well... It was in my locker..."
"Ena!!!"
As soon as Rika heard Luna's words, she grabbed her wrist and rushed into the classroom.
"Rika?"
Ena, who had been reading a book in the classroom, turned around at the sound of Rika's voice.
Rika, a magic department student, was different from Luna since Ena was an alchemy department student.
"Listen, Luna said."
Rika quickly ran to Ena and explained the situation.
Ena listened to Rika's words and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"A stalker, huh?"
"Right? Isn't it?"
"Ah... no! It's just a guess, right? A guess?"
Luna looked at the two seriously contemplating and continued her excuse while waving her hands.
"Yeah, it's just a guess. But, that person is a stalker, right?"
Rika accepted Luna's guess but went on with a rather realistic piece of advice.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"How about asking for help from the student council or the disciplinary committee?"
Ena agreed as well. Faced with such realistic advice, Luna also began to ponder.
"But still, wouldn't that be going too far...?"
"Luna! What if they suddenly attack you?"
"Attack... seems a bit extreme... but maybe it's better to be cautious?"
Rika spoke animatedly while Ena expressed her concern with a worried face.
Luna somewhat agreed with the two.
It seemed necessary to be cautious.
"Alright..."
Even though she agreed, Luna felt uneasy about suddenly labeling someone who had helped her without causing any harm as a stalker.
Before going to bed, she hugged her pillow and pondered.
"Right... I feel guilty for just receiving their help, so I should at least thank them."
However, waiting in front of her locker in the morning was a bit scary.
As Rika had said, what if they attacked her?
And if they saw her waiting by her locker, they might not approach.
"Should I... hide and watch?"
Luna decided to hide and keep an eye on her locker the next morning. She wanted to find out who that person was.
The next day, Luna woke up early and hid, watching her locker.
Her disguise was somewhat clumsy, but it was difficult to notice her unless one paid close attention.
"Huh?"
The first person to appear near the lockers was Rudy Astria.
He went to his locker and picked up a few books.
"He's up earlier than I thought..."
Luna had gotten the impression that Rudy was somewhat like a delinquent in their Magic Theory class.
She had only heard bad rumors about him from other people, so she thought of him as a troublemaker.
But seeing him getting up early and taking out books made him seem more like an exemplary student.
"Well, he is the top student after all..."
Regardless of his attitude, he was the top student.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Even if his talent was great enough to secure the top spot, it must have taken effort to achieve it.
He had even surpassed the rumored prodigy, Princess Rie, to become the top student.
"Huh?"
But there was something strange.
The small paper bag in his hand. Luna had never thought Rudy Astria could be the person giving her bread.
They had no connection.
They only shared the Magic Theory class and one elective.
Their social status was worlds apart. Grades? There was no need to think about that.
"Ah, he must have brought it for himself to eat."
The paper bag was an ordinary one given out when buying bread at the store.
There was nothing special about it.
As Luna had thought, Rudy took a book out of his locker and turned toward the classroom.
Luna shifted her gaze back to the entrance, waiting for the students to start arriving.
"Oh, right."
Rudy Astria, who had been heading toward the classroom, suddenly turned around and slowly walked towards Luna's locker.
'...'
That's right.
The culprit was Rudy Astria.
Come to think of it, Rudy Astria looked exactly like the description of the first-year student mentioned by the seniors.
Sharp eyes and blonde hair.
Luna watched as Rudy placed bread in the locker and disappeared.
She headed to her locker, maybe he had put it in someone else's locker.
However, she had seen correctly.
There was a paper bag in her locker, and inside it was a warm, freshly-made bread.
A single word floated in her mind: Why?
Why did Rudy Astria put bread in my locker? Luna couldn't understand.
"Ugh..."
She thought her worries would lessen once she found out who was leaving the bread, but they only grew.
From that day on, Luna began to pay attention to Rudy.
Rudy Astria was more ordinary than she had expected.
He listened attentively during class and didn't pay attention to those around him.
He seemed to have no friends, as he ate lunch alone every day.
After class, he immediately returned to the dormitory and didn't come out.
He was too ordinary compared to the rumors.
No, rather than ordinary, he seemed a bit pitiful.
She had been watching him for three days, but she had never seen him converse with anyone.
"Luna!"
While she was deep in thought, Rika approached her, signaling that class had already ended.
It was lunchtime. Rika and Ena had invited her to eat lunch with them every day, but she had always refused, claiming she had something to do or was on a diet.
Instead, she ate the bread Rudy had left for her in the empty classroom.
"Do you want to have lunch...?"
Despite her constant refusals, they still invited her to join them for lunch.
Lately, even their expressions seemed apologetic when they asked. Luna felt guilty for always declining and thought she should at least eat properly.
"…Alright!"
Rika's expression brightened. Luna went to the cafeteria with her friends.
Upon entering, she saw Rudy eating alone, with no one else around him.
Her eyes were drawn to Rudy, who was eating his meal quietly and all by himself.
"Luna?"
"Ah...what?"
"So, did you report the stalker?"
Luna hesitated slightly at Rika's question.
She considered saying it was just her imagination, like last time.
However, both of them seemed to not believe that.
If she said it was her imagination, they would worry even more.
Should she tell her friends that Rudy Astria was the one giving her the bread?
While saying she didn't understand his intentions.
Luna thought about it for a moment but soon gave up.
Rudy Astria's reputation in the academy was the worst.
However, the Rudy she saw didn't seem like such a bad person.
She had only seen him for a very short time, but she couldn't find anything strange about him.
Luna stared intently at Rudy, who left the cafeteria after eating alone.
Then, she made up her mind.
In the end, Luna decided to tell a white lie.
"Now, he doesn't put anything in it."
"Really? Did he hear our conversation?"
"Maybe?"
"That's creepy... Anyway, be careful for a while. He might come to harass you."
"Uh... Okay!"
Luna finished her day and returned to her room.
She didn't understand why Rudy Astria acted like that.
Luna sorted out the situation with the information she had gathered so far.
First of all, as Rika said, it was wrong to think he was a stalker.
She had been watching him constantly, but their eyes never met.
He was just studying diligently.
"Maybe... he needs a friend?"
Rudy Astria couldn't get along well with anyone.
If he had been an ordinary person, he wouldn't have introduced himself like that during class.
His words were very provoking.
An ordinary person would have known that.
Luna made an assumption.
Could it be that he lacked social skills?
As a child of a high-ranking noble, had he never made friends in an ordinary way?
He might want to make friends but not know how.
And giving her bread might be an action showing he wanted to be friends with her.
When she thought about it, the puzzle seemed to fit.
'That's right! I'll be his friend.'
The next day, Luna's resolve wavered when she saw Rudy.
Luna spotted Rudy Astria walking ahead.
And she tried to approach him, just like she had resolved the night before.
However, she had a question.
'How... do you make friends?'
Usually, they became friends without realizing it.
She never directly approached someone and said, 'Let's be friends!'
Moreover, the other person was a boy.
Luna, who had never made a male friend, wondered how to approach him.
'That's right! Let's go to
class together!'
Anyway, this class was one they took together.
She thought she could at least suggest taking the class together.
So, Luna slowly approached Rudy.
Then, she tapped him on the back.
Rudy Astria turned his head and looked at her.
'Ah!'
Contrary to Luna's plan, her body froze in place.
Rudy Astria looked at her, as if to ask what was happening.
Luna's mind turned to stone.
'What was I going to say… Ah, right!'
Luna barely managed to open her mouth.
"Um... hi?"
Yes. Start with a slow greeting...
...
What should she say next?
Her mind went blank.
As Rudy Astria's sharp gaze pierced her, she began to feel scared.
'I wanted to ask if you'd like to attend this class together.'
"Th-this, this class!"
In her panic, Luna couldn't properly articulate her words and ended up blurting out a single scream.
Rudy Astria tilted his head, looking at her with a 'What are you talking about?' expression.
Feeling the need to explain herself, Luna thrust the book she was holding towards him.
'Th... this idiot!'
Luna was shocked by her own actions, and her face began to redden.
She quickly thought of a new plan.
'Let's... let's try again next time!'
Without properly explaining herself, Luna dashed into the classroom.
Even after entering the classroom and after the class ended, Luna didn't say anything to Rudy.
She simply ran back to the dormitory as soon as the class finished.
Luna entered her dorm room and confirmed that her roommates weren't there.
"...What did I just do?"
Luna lay on her bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
-Thump! Thump! Thump!
Only the sound of Luna's feet kicking the blanket filled the room.
***
Yay site is pretty much done! Ads won't be up for a while I think but everything that I wanted is here. Next would be stuff like profile pictures for comments and some loading optimizations but time to focus on some other things like this mobile video editing app I wanna try making.
Anyways, I've re-edited all of the s for all novels. I've decided to completely follow to the author's sentences and spacing. I used to simplify filler text and try to format some sentences to be more impactful or readable especially big blocks of text. But I think its better to be as close as possible to a 1:1 translation even if I think it sounds/looks better in English a certain way.
Some changes to ASS:
-daughter of the Imperial Family Spirit Chief, ‘Serina Rijnsburgse’ -> daughter of the Royal Head Spirit Mage, 'Serina Rinsburg'
-Professor George Mackenzie, in charge of Basic Magic Theory -> Professor George Mcguire, in charge of Basic Magic Theory
-Luna Railer of the Railer Viscount family -> Luna Railer of the Railer Baron family
I'll be doing a mass release if I get ads up this weekend to get the novels going. If not well whatever I'll probs just release em anyway
Enjoy the chappy!
