Chapter 12. Han Chunsung, Grecia, and Leonhardt

***

As I turned my head at David’s words, I could see her.

A blue-haired woman looking at me while drawing the attention of many people around.

The white and gold mixed student uniform characteristic of A class students was elegant and luxurious, standing out compared to the blue and black uniforms of C class students around.

“Grecia?”

As I called out blankly, wondering why she came to find me, Grecia just looked at me silently.

With blue hair and eyes shining even more blue, she just met my gaze. For a moment, I was dumbfounded.

No, if you came to find someone, you should speak.

After maintaining eye contact for a while, Grecia finally opened her mouth.

“Han Chunsung. Do you have a moment?”
“Time… no, before that, what’s this about?”
“You’ll find out if you come with me.”

At these incomprehensible words, my brow furrowed for a moment.

I felt it when I first met her, but Grecia’s way of speaking was really strange.

It’s as if her speech is completely self-centered. She doesn’t consider the listener’s perspective at all.

She should clearly state her purpose and ask to go together so I can understand and go, but she seems to think I’ll naturally accept if she just says I’ll find out if I go with her.

…For a moment I thought about refusing, but that didn’t seem right.

Then I’d be embarrassing Grecia.

That wouldn’t do.

I needed to become friends with Grecia no matter what, and contrary to appearances, I was the one in a hurry in this relationship.

‘What could it be about?’

I think there must be some circumstances for her to come find me like this. For now, I had to smile awkwardly at David.

“David. I’m really sorry but… I don’t think I can look around the Academy with you. Let’s look around together next time.”
“Oh, oh. Okay… I understand. Han Chunsung.”

At my words, David tactfully made way even though he didn’t know the situation, and I approached Grecia and nodded.

“I have time. Grecia, more than anything else, I’d like to change locations first.”

Even as I looked around, the gazes pouring in were overwhelming.

After all, A class students tend to be far removed from here, so her presence alone draws a lot of attention.

Well, an A class student suddenly appearing between B and C classes, it would be stranger if it didn’t draw attention.

“Grecia. There are too many people’s gazes inside. How about we go outside to talk?”
“Alright.”

As Grecia calmly answered and started leading the way, I matched her pace and walked, feeling quite strange.

‘What on earth could she want?’

I certainly thought my connection with Grecia was important and considered it a big deal for me.

She was a figure who needed to be in my Academy life, and someone I should maintain a good relationship with if possible.

Still, this current situation of walking with her felt too abrupt. From her looking at me during the entrance ceremony, to her interrupting just when I thought I might make a proper friend by luck, I never expected Grecia to interfere like this.

…And above all, the main issue was that this wasn’t a good environment for me to be noticed by many people right now.

Step.
Rustle…

Even now, the gazes from around as I matched steps with Grecia. I felt too many gazes.

As passing B and C class students gave us glances knowingly or unknowingly, showing interest, those gazes felt burdensome to me, if not to Grecia.

‘If I had an outstanding Talent like Leonhardt’s Legendary or at least a Unique Talent, it might be different…’

But in reality, I just had a Common Talent.

With this excessive attention, and being associated with an outstanding student like Grecia becoming known. From my position, it would only draw unnecessary attention.

‘…It would be troublesome if people expect things from me or my name becomes known.’

After all, having a connection with an A class student stands out from the start.

And the Academy life I wanted was to maintain a stance of being like air, seemingly there but not, while taking care of the essentials I needed to.

But now.

That had been completely disrupted by Grecia’s approach.

ー!

At that moment, my thoughts were cut off.

Suddenly, I felt an intense gaze from behind.

A gaze so sharp it felt like it was piercing me.

As I reached Spearmanship level 3 and became able to handle mana, my senses surpassed the realm of ordinary people.

Given that Spearmanship is a Talent that emphasizes agility and tends to be sensitive to others’ gazes, this feeling was certainly not an illusion.

Slowly turning my gaze back, I saw one person staring at me from afar.

A blonde man surrounded by several people. Tall stature and an extremely handsome face that, as someone said, was annoyingly good-looking.

It was Leonhardt Loraiant, the protagonist of this world. He was looking at me.

‘Why is he looking at me so fiercely?’

There’s no way I would have any acquaintance with the protagonist, so of course, the protagonist shouldn’t know me.

Yet he was staring at me with a sharp gaze that was not at all friendly, making me feel strange.

“Han Chunsung. I think the C class uniform is prettier.”

At those words, my head turned blankly.

“Huh?”
“The C class uniform. It’s pretty.”

Meeting Grecia’s gaze as she said something out of the blue, I nodded blankly.

“Is that so…? The design with black and blue is pretty, but Grecia, isn’t the uniform you’re wearing much better?”

As I answered, my gaze naturally went to the uniform Grecia was wearing.

A uniform that exudes a subtle dignity to the extent that anyone would feel it’s high-class.

If someone who didn’t know it was an Academy uniform saw it, they might think it was a high-class formal dress for attending a banquet? It was such a stylish outfit.

Incomparably so to the dull uniform I was wearing.

“Really? I’m not sure.”

As Grecia suddenly turned her head like that.

…I wondered what kind of attitude this was.

Feeling that Grecia had an amazing talent for cutting off conversations, I just decided to let it be.

Glancing back again, Leonhardt, who had been glaring at me fiercely just before, was no longer looking at me.

He was smiling brightly at the A class students gathered around him, chatting cheerfully… Tilting my head at that sight, I felt oddly uneasy.

The reason Leonhardt looked at me.

Based on the circumstances, there was only one possibility.

Grecia walking calmly by my side right now. Because of her.

‘Is he displeased that Grecia is with me now?’

If not for that, there was no reason at all for Leonhardt to glare at me like that, I could guess the reason roughly but couldn’t be certain.

In fact, I was confused about what was going on in this situation too.

Originally, Leonhardt, the protagonist of this world, had no particular connection with Grecia.

Because even the people he encountered within the same class had complicated relationships, he didn’t have such a wide network of relationships.

Now that the situation has changed and flowed so strangely. I just felt uneasy.

‘Wait. Isn’t this a big problem?’

It felt, no, it was more like an intuition that the future I knew had changed.

Right now, Grecia and Leonhardt, and Luna and Milia in the same class as me. Too many parts were different from the world of the novel I knew.

Then wouldn’t even the few elements I could utilize all change?

While feeling greatly worried inside, I thought for now.

‘…Stay calm.’

For now, I needed to focus on why Grecia wanted to see me.

…

As Grecia and I left the grand hall, we reached a sparsely populated area within the vast Academy grounds.

Thud.

As Grecia stopped walking, I also stopped following her.

Rustle.

As a cool breeze blew, slightly disheveling her blue hair. Grecia turned to look at me.

Calmly meeting her gaze, I nodded slightly.

“……”

Amazingly.

Grecia said nothing.

Grecia seemed to be waiting for me to speak first. No, as if hoping for me to ask first, she just looked at me.

That… was really ridiculous, and finally, I spoke first.

“Grecia, so what’s the reason you suddenly came to find me?”

At my words, Grecia looked around and hesitated. As if unable to speak easily. At that sight, I had to tense up for a moment.

What on earth did Grecia come to tell me, and why did she want to talk separately like this?

Thinking about it, all of it was strange.

‘Is there some serious issue I don’t know about?’

Or is there something related to Leonhardt? As I was unknowingly getting very tense, Grecia’s mouth finally opened.

“…Just because.”
“Huh?”
“I said, just because.”

As she kindly answered again in case I didn’t hear, I could only blink at the ridiculous content.

After blankly staring at Grecia for a moment, I let out a small sigh and opened my mouth.

“Grecia. So you’re saying you called me… just because?”
“Yes.”

No, I wish she would stop giving such short answers.

Your words now are enough to make the listener’s insides boil…

Of course, while only thinking that inside, I let out a dry laugh.

Really…

What kind of woman is this Grecia?

Thinking that, I found myself opening my mouth.

“So just because. You want to talk to me?”

If I didn’t ask, this woman.

It seemed like she wouldn’t say anything again.

***

“…”

After Grecia disappeared, Leonhardt’s mood in the grand hall was indescribably strange.

It was a first.

Encountering a woman who showed no reaction to my words.

Looking at the cadet sitting next to me by chance, I found myself unconsciously speaking to her.

Elegant and dignified.
A woman with a sophisticated beauty at that.

So I took a liking to her at first sight.

To the extent that I spoke to her first.

But the response that came back was silence.

Or a series of short answers like “Yes” or “No”…

“…Leonhardt!?”
“Huh?”
“We’re going to look around the Academy now. Come with us!”

Even as I looked at Yumia speaking to me familiarly, I smiled awkwardly.

“Okay. Let’s go together.”

Even as I moved to act together… it kept flickering before my eyes.

The sight of Grecia approaching and directly speaking to a man who clearly seemed to be from C class.
The more I thought about it, Grecia was strange.

A type of woman I had never encountered before.

‘And what on earth was that man?’