Friday was always a good day.
Just thinking that if I could endure this, I'd have two days off starting tomorrow gave me some strength.
On days when I didn't have to go to the Academy, I wouldn't need to eat meals in the restroom, pretend to study while watching others, or be laughed at during practical exercises.
Of course, I wasn't planning to just relax mindlessly on my days off.
When you know monsters could appear at any time, probably only the Strange Ones could truly relax. That's why I needed to carefully plan where and what to check during specific times.
The time between the end of Academy classes and sunset when I returned home was too short.
On weekends, I could go out from morning, so I'd probably be able to look around more.
As I pondered these things while twirling my pen, time passed quickly today as well.
When the bell rang for lunch, everyone left to eat, and I absentmindedly watched their retreating backs.
Another week done.
On Monday's first lunch period, I'd felt overwhelmed wondering how I'd get through the week, but now that Friday had arrived, I felt like giving myself a reward for enduring so well.
Maybe I should go buy some bread now.
As I was about to stand up, a shadow approached me.
"Kanna, want to eat together today?"
What?
I looked up at the sudden question.
Following the familiar voice, I saw none other than Yoon Ha-min standing there.
...What sudden wind brought this on? Why would he want to eat with me?
Could it be because of yesterday? Does he have something to ask me?
It was a bit sudden, and moreover, since it was Yoon Ha-min, I found myself looking around nervously.
Fortunately—if you could call it that—most of my classmates had already left for lunch, so only a few pairs of eyes remained.
"...Eh."
I tried to answer "Why?" but accidentally bit my tongue, so the words didn't come out properly.
It's not like I had anyone to talk to at the Academy anyway.
"...Is that a no?"
He asked carefully, not in a "take it or leave it" way, which left me dumbfounded and made me turn my head slightly.
Sure enough, Orca was standing beside him, and I glanced at her nervously.
Orca met my eyes once but kept her mouth shut as if this wasn't her conversation, just staring at me intently.
To be honest, I wanted to refuse.
Being the Bottom Rank already drew enough unwanted attention.
While people pretended to ignore me, they'd immediately snicker as if they'd expected nothing less whenever they found something to criticize.
In such circumstances, eating with the Top Rank and Second Rank? That didn't seem like a good idea.
Even if I wanted people to think they were just helping me study, the world doesn't always work that way.
But suddenly, a thought crossed my mind that made my body freeze.
If I refused such an offer, people might look at me with "How dare you?" expressions, and the ostracism could get worse.
Stiff with tension, I groaned before finally nodding.
"...Y-yes, that would be nice."
"...Why so formal? We agreed to speak casually yesterday, remember?"
Because of the stares around us, why!
Read the room, please.
Honestly, if someone asked if there was any way I could be more ostracized, I'd say I wasn't sure, but I didn't want to experience unknown territory, so my heart was pounding.
I felt Orca's gaze narrow.
"Ah, r-right..."
Since what Yoon Ha-min said wasn't wrong, I quickly agreed and scratched my head.
After becoming accustomed to living in isolation, suddenly having someone to eat with was quite burdensome, perhaps because I had no immunity to such social situations.
The Academy cafeteria was enormous.
It operated on a system where students paid for one of two or three set meal options. In truth, this place was a sanctuary for those with many friends.
I'd tried to eat here a few times, but since there were only tables for groups and no places for solo diners, someone like me who ate alone would be an inconvenience.
Actually, people might have given me the cold shoulder not because they minded someone eating alone, but simply because they disliked me, the Bottom Rank.
But today was different.
Yoon Ha-min was beside me, and Orca was there too.
Everyone's gazes converged in one direction, but instead of focusing on Yoon Ha-min, the Top Rank, they were directed at me, which made me feel like throwing up.
I was already on the verge of panic whenever I received attention from my peers, and now with so many more eyes on me than usual, I wondered how I'd endure it.
I ordered the cheapest C set and groaned as I looked at the food on my tray.
French toast, bacon, and strawberry jam.
It was much better than what I usually ate, and eating in a different space gave me a completely different feeling.
As we began our meal, Yoon Ha-min, sitting across from me, carefully asked:
"Are you going to the town again today, Kanna?"
"...Ah, yes. I have to."
With Orca beside us and so many watching eyes, he spoke boldly, which suggested he wasn't an ordinary guy.
Didn't he think what I said might be a lie?
"What about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow... I'll probably go."
I said this while glancing at Orca.
Orca, who had been beside us, seemed interested in the conversation and was now listening attentively.
"...Hmm, it seems you two had some conversation on the rooftop yesterday?"
At those words, I felt caught and couldn't say anything, but Yoon Ha-min answered straightforwardly as if there was nothing to hide.
"We happened to have time to talk yesterday."
"I see. What's this about the town?"
"Ah, well..."
It was strange to see someone who usually spoke so openly about everything suddenly checking my reaction.
Honestly, why bother having these conversations when he doesn't fully believe me either?
I took a deep breath and accepted Yoon Ha-min's request for help by continuing:
"...Since monsters might appear, I'm preparing for that time..."
"Is that so?"
When I trailed off, Orca responded dismissively.
She didn't seem interested even though she hadn't heard any specific dates.
Living within a massive wall, surrounded by barriers, it did sound implausible that they could collapse beyond control.
I nodded.
Words from the Bottom Rank carried no credibility.
It might even seem like I was trying to take shortcuts because I lacked ability.
This was my position.
A place where I had neither power nor credibility, where no one would believe me even if they had doubts.
The fortunate thing was that Yoon Ha-min, the protagonist and Top Rank, didn't dismiss my words with an "I see" and move on.
Orca pondered my words for a moment before carefully directing a question to Yoon Ha-min.
"...Ha-min, what do you think about this story?"
"It might not be so far-fetched."
"Based on what?"
"I'm looking for evidence."
"..."
I hadn't said anything yet, but the gaze directed at me was too sharp.
We were just about to start looking for evidence.
Though the evidence was yet to be found, Yoon Ha-min said he would decide after seeing it. That was what was strange.
Normally, Orca's reaction would be the natural one.
"...Sigh. Yoon Ha-min. You may have played around for the first week, but you should be aware that there will be tests every week from now on."
"I know that. But..."
"There's no evidence."
At her cutting voice, Yoon Ha-min smiled bitterly and then closed his mouth.
"Then it's a far-fetched story. The barrier doesn't break that easily, and even if it did, monsters wouldn't invade immediately. And even if they did, it's not something for Miss Kanna to worry about."
It was a logical argument, and I hung my head.
At this rate, I'd have to quickly find evidence on my own and present it to Yoon Ha-min and Orca.
"...Yes."
With nothing else to say, I could only respond quietly.
"Miss Kanna, it might not be easy to rise in the ranks in such a competitive environment, but if you at least study Magicology and make an effort, you might be able to escape the Bottom Rank in the end."
Orca didn't stop there and offered me generous advice.
In essence, she seemed to be saying not to waste study time on nonsense.
"I understand, thank you."
Though she meant well, I had no choice but to acknowledge her words while disregarding them, as this was more important to me than studying.
Yoon Ha-min would survive, but Orca would die at the very end.
I really didn't want to be so focused on what was right in front of me that I'd miss what was coming from afar.
"Come to think of it, we're friends but we haven't exchanged contact information. Do you have a Device?"
Yoon Ha-min, perhaps trying to change the atmosphere, clapped his hands and showed me his Device.
A smartphone, though here it was called a Device.
"...I do have one."
"Then let's exchange. How about you, Orca?"
"That's fine. Let's exchange."
After I nodded, suddenly two new contacts appeared.
We exchanged contact information as friends and ate together, but for some reason, I didn't feel like this was a friendship.
If he had created this atmosphere when he first suggested being friends, would I have thought of it as friendship?
I looked at my Device for a moment before turning away.
"Should we form a study group later?"
Yoon Ha-min said jokingly with a smile, and Orca shrugged her shoulders.
*
The next day, Saturday, I got up early and put on my school uniform.
Though it was a holiday, I hurried my steps, telling myself there was no time to relax.
When I reached the high-speed taxi stop to travel, Yoon Ha-min was there, smiling brightly at me.
"Hello."
What? Why are you here?
"...Why are you here?"
As I asked while calming my startled heart, Yoon Ha-min lowered his greeting hand and answered clearly.
"Since you said you'd be doing this today, I thought I'd come just in case."
"...Since morning?"
"Yes."
How should I react to this?
Of course, having Yoon Ha-min around would allow for a more thorough search, but it was so sudden that I was speechless.
Moreover, even though I had asked last night if he wanted to help, I had declined his offer because I was afraid I'd be blamed if the Top Rank got a scratch on his record. Yet he had come anyway.
If Yoon Ha-min's grades suffered, that kind teacher might get angry, saying I'd talked nonsense, and above all, Orca would be furious.
Orca aimed for the Top Rank.
But she wanted to be the Top Rank when everyone had done their best, not because someone couldn't focus and slipped up.
With someone like her, if Yoon Ha-min couldn't study because of me and fell to the bottom? It was obvious that I'd no longer be even superficially called a friend.
I didn't want our relationship to deteriorate, at least.
"...Go back."
I waved my hand at Yoon Ha-min.
"Huh? Don't you need help?"
"No, I don't."
I replied curtly and turned around.
As I was looking around, deciding where to go first, Yoon Ha-min followed behind me.
"Two people would be faster, right?"
I sighed at his words and snapped at him.
"...It's just a far-fetched story anyway."
"But you're genuinely looking, aren't you?"
"..."
"I don't know what you saw or heard, but if it's serious enough for you to believe, then there must be some credibility to that information."
I couldn't say anything in response to his pointed words.
Contrary to my attempt to push him away, my reason for doing so suddenly vanished.
"Since we've already checked that side, shall we go this way?"
"...Ah, wait a minute."
"I'll buy lunch today."
That's tempting.
"Let's go!"
Yoon Ha-min exclaimed cheerfully and led me onto the high-speed taxi.