Chapter 19
A minor problem had cropped up.
It wasn’t like I had gotten insomnia, or like the maids had washed the blankets and hung them outside only for a sudden downpour to turn it into a national-level emergency.
Still, a problem was a problem.
Namely, Veronica sunbae had passed on.
“Sss... Is this okay?”
I thought about it for about five seconds.
I couldn’t imagine what kind of snowball effect touching the original story would create.
But when I thought about it carefully, it didn’t seem like much would happen.
“Depending on how you look at it, isn’t this basically like resolving one incident ahead of time?”
“Kyle’s survival rate increased by 0.1%!”
“...you could say that, right?”
“Yeah, if this isn’t Lucky Vicky, what is?”
It was a little unfair that I’d done unplanned overtime, but if I thought of it as securing future sleep time, it wasn’t all that bad.
When I pushed open the door to the abandoned building with the lantern in hand, three people pacing anxiously outside came into view.
“Let go of me. I need to see Veronica sunbae right now... no, I need to save Lunaris!”
“President, calm down! You even left the lantern behind, so where do you think you’re going? And I told you, you don’t need to worry about Lunaris?”
President Sylvia looked like she was about to rush straight into the building I was standing in at any second.
“Hhng, hic... my heart still hasn’t stopped...”
“Thomas sunbae, it’s normal for your heart not to stop. If it did, you’d die.”
Thomas, the vice president, was just groaning while clutching his chest.
Claire, stuck in the middle trying to stop one person and calm the other, really had her work cut out for her.
Then Claire spotted me and widened her eyes.
“Lunaris!”
The three of them rushed over in a flurry.
“I was really worried! I kept debating whether I should go in or not.”
“Yeah. Good thing you didn’t come in. Nothing’s uglier than someone who can’t swim jumping into the water to save a drowning person.”
“S-so? What did you do inside? There were so many loud thumps and booms! What happened? Did you fight Veronica sunbae?!”
An excited flood of words poured out of President Sylvia’s mouth.
She really was so consistently herself that it was endearing.
I swallowed a yawn and shrugged.
“Nothing special. I just talked Veronica sunbae into passing on and came back.”
“...what?!”
Claire gave a jolt and looked at me.
She was so startled she even hiccupped.
“Y-you didn’t forcibly dispel her with magic, did you?”
“I just talked her into it and sent her back.”
“I-I’m sure I heard sounds of an explosion and something breaking...”
“Just the usual scuffle that happens during a conversation.”
President Sylvia’s eyes sparkled as she grabbed my arm.
“You’re amazing, Lunaris! As expected of our ghost story club’s ace! Let’s go have a celebratory meal when we get back. Huh? Tell me all about it!”
“Ah, that would be difficult.”
Because I was dead tired.
My current condition? The moment my head touched my favorite pillow, I was absolutely in prime condition for blissful non-REM deep sleep.
If I hadn’t been driven by the determination to sleep in the world’s softest bed at Linea Hall, I wouldn’t even be able to stand on my own two feet right now.
“Whyyyy~ Anyway, we still have to write the activity report!”
“Next time, next time.”
I shoved the lantern into President Sylvia’s arms and staggered off this way and that.
President Sylvia’s voice came from behind me.
“Let’s go somewhere else next week too!”
I glanced back and answered.
“I’ll think about it.”
*
I woke up in a good mood to the warm sunlight spilling over my face.
“Today’s the weekend...”
A day when I didn’t have to do anything.
A pleasant warmth settled over my half-lidded eyes.
“Hwaaah...”
The breeze slipping through the crack in the window tickled.
Spring light seeped through the curtains and sparkled.
Every time I shifted, a springtime freshness seemed to rise up.
Come to think of it, today was one of those rare days of perfect weather you only get a few times a year.
“It’d be a waste to stay inside.”
On a day like this, I had to sleep outdoors.
Sleeping outside had its own charm.
Lying down with grass blades as your bed and a clear sky as your blanket was no ordinary pleasure.
The sound of the wind flowed like a lullaby, and the scent of spring flowers tickled your nose?
That was romance. That was fantasy life.
And while I was out, the maids would wash the bed sheets and blankets.
When I got back, I could sleep soundly again under freshly washed, fluffy blankets still carrying that soft, clean scent.
Have you ever seen such a perfect virtuous cycle...!!
In fact, Linea Hall didn’t even do sloppy magical laundry.
The pro maids handwashed everything with full sincerity.
That was the kicker. It was so good, yet hard to explain in words—the exact feel of a professional’s touch was something magic could never reproduce.
“Uhehe-”
Just imagining it made a pleased sigh escape me before I knew it.
*
While I was awake, I’d wandered around the academy whenever I could and found a few optimal nap spots.
All of that was buildup for a day like today.
The old library, with so few people around, had eerie lighting that would let me sleep soundly without any harsh glare hurting my eyes.
The only downside was that I might get tangled up with the Ghost Story Club people. So it was a 7 out of 10.
From that perspective, the rooftop of the main building of the Magic Hall was a place where no one would disturb me while I slept.
Even couples sneaking off for secret dates would go to the annex if they wanted a rooftop; nobody bold enough would climb the main building roof.
Having lecture rooms nearby also made it nice for dropping in anytime and taking a quick power nap.
But the downside was that the sun hit it with direct sunlight during the day. I’d give it 8 out of 10.
After adjusting all those conditions appropriately and considering today’s weather, the most desirable place was, as expected, the park.
Normally it was an iffy spot that barely scraped 7, but on a day like this it became a perfect nap spot worthy of at least a 9.
Under the shade of a giant tree, I lay down on the grass with my arms as a pillow.
The soft grass against my back and the cool breeze brushing through my hair both felt wonderful.
There were quite a few students strolling around nearby, but that was just background noise.
“Niceee...”
The moment I let out a languid sigh, my consciousness slipped away.
“As expected... glad I came out...”
“Zzz...”
...
...
“...Ugh, noisy.”
I’d fallen into a light doze, but things around me were getting busy.
The chatter of people drowned out the sound of the wind.
Half-dazed, I frowned and shifted around, when suddenly a toasty, sweet fragrance swept over the tip of my nose.
Sniffing in my sleep, the smell became even clearer.
This was... the smell of bread baking.
“Hkyaaaah—”
In a flash, I sat up and stretched my arms and legs out wide.
Looking around, I saw rows of colorful tents lined up on one side of the park.
When I squinted and looked more closely, I saw students selling various things.
Old books, handmade trinkets, shiny magical devices, and all sorts of food.
Even a quick glance showed it was a sea of miscellaneous goods.
“...A bazaar?”
Curiosity piqued, I slowly walked over.
Students who looked like they were from the economics department were haggling with customers.
Students who looked like they were from the magical engineering department were touting the magical tools they’d made.
My feet naturally headed toward the side where the smell of baking bread was coming from.
Freshly baked fluffy breads were displayed in front of the stall.
They’d even brought in a small mana-powered oven behind it, so this was pretty serious.
“Hey, kid! Want to try a sample?”
As I stood staring blankly, the boy manning the stall suddenly waved me over.
“I’m not a kid, though...”
I approached with a sleep-deprived face, as if bewitched by something.
Well, the smell wasn’t bad even from a distance.
The visuals were passable too, I guess.
Not bad for something made with a makeshift oven.
As I looked back and forth between the displayed bread and the oven, the boy started explaining with a triumphant look.
“How’s that? Pretty convincing, right? This ‘portable output-regulating oven incorporating magic technology’ is what I made for my graduation project, and compared to the regular ovens on the market right now, its output—”
Before he could keep talking, the girl standing beside him gave him a sharp chop to the back of the neck.
“Your explanation is way too long and wordy. Nobody’s going to listen if you put it like that, you know?”
After that little dose of justice, she showed him what real promotion was.
“Want to try this?”
I stared blankly at the wheat bread held out in front of me, then tilted my gaze downward.
“If I’m sampling something, can I have that egg tart over there?”
“Huh? Ahaha! Sure, here.”
I took the egg tart the girl handed me and held it tightly with both hands.
Warmth touched my palms.
Sniff-sniff, and the smell of vanilla mixed half and half with egg tickled my nose.
I gently opened my mouth and took a bite.
“Mmm. It’s a little less fluffy than I expected? And I think there’s a bit of a burnt taste too.”
But the crisp, sweet flavor... was strangely addictive...
“Nom nom... this much is... about 0.5 Ria-level? Nyaaam...”
“Isn’t that rating a little too harsh?”
“This is pretty amazing. The key is that it tastes even a little like the egg tarts Ria makes.”
“Ria? Who’s that?”
“She exists. A girl who’s good at cooking.”
Ria always cooked for me. Mm-hm.
I was chewing on the remaining tart with my cheeks puffed out when...
Someone suddenly held out a silver coin in front of me.
“This bread, you’re selling it, right? One please.”
When I turned my head, quite a lot of people had gathered in front of the stall before I knew it.
“...Since when?”
“Doesn’t that kid eat way too adorably?”
“Like a squirrel...!”
“Sss- my mouth is watering.”
“I definitely ate something already, but my mouth still feels empty.”
“Excuse me! Let’s start taking orders already.”
“Give me one too!”
With the sudden surge of customers, the boy and girl just blinked with dazed expressions.
“What on earth...”
“How did this happen...”
The two of them, busy baking more bread in the makeshift oven and taking money, suddenly turned their eyes to me.
“Ah. So the problem wasn’t the technique or the taste.”
“What mattered was the walking advertisement...”
Before I knew it, while I was chewing away, the egg tart in my mouth had melted away.
One of these doesn’t even make a dent.
“Can I have one more?”
“Uh, y-yeah.”
The girl hurriedly held out another egg tart.
“How much is it?”
“You can just eat it.”
“Oh—”
I don’t refuse kindness like this.
These people, come to think of it, were really nice.