Chapter 8: Bricks Inside the Box

Lyr did not continue leaving.

He hesitated for a moment and finally walked back.

Before Yilu could react, she looked up and saw Lyr crouching down to meet her gaze.

“What are you doing?”

Lyr had helped her twice.

Yilu did not deny that, but his strangeness still made her wary of him, just like everyone else.

“If I said I want to help you, would you believe me?”

Lyr’s tone was casual, almost joking.

His hand naturally reached out, intending to help Yilu steady the suitcase.

Without even thinking, Yilu pushed his hand away.

“I don’t need help from anyone.”

Lyr gave a resigned laugh, having expected this.

After all, it fit her personality perfectly.

“If you really didn’t need help, you wouldn’t have been in such a pathetic state last time, nor would you have taken my cloak back then.”

“I already told you I left it at home!

I’ll return it to you the next time we meet!”

Yilu did not understand why this guy kept bringing it up, as if he were intentionally mocking her.

This only made her loathe the help of others even more.

“By the way, has anyone ever told you that your hair is beautiful?

To be honest, it’s my favorite color.”

Lyr changed the subject to distract her.

“Huh?”

Yilu’s eyes widened, a tide of confusion surging within them.

She was not happy about the compliment.

Instead, she felt the guy in front of her was becoming even stranger.

‘What kind of boy says such things to a girl he’s only met a few times?

It feels overly greasy, like he’s just forcing a conversation.’

“But if your hair could cover your ears, it would be better at hiding your emotions,” Lyr added.

Then, he tried to lift the suitcase from the ground.

After a brief pause, Yilu understood something and reached up to touch her ear.

She had not failed to notice the burning sensation caused by her embarrassment.

She had tried hard to mask her awkwardness with an indifferent expression, but she had not expected it to be so obvious.

Instinctively, Yilu withdrew her hand and brushed her long hair to cover her ears.

When she snapped back to reality, Lyr had already lifted the suitcase.

Looking at him, Yilu felt a complicated mix of emotions.

She was not sure if she was embarrassed that her stubborn facade had been seen through or if she wanted to thank him.

Before she could sort out her feelings, Lyr took a stumbling step back.

“What do you have in here?

Bricks?

Why is it so heavy?”

Lyr had thought his words would create a cool image, but as soon as he picked up the suitcase, he regretted it.

‘Good grief, it wasn’t that the suitcase was bad; on the contrary, the quality was so good that it could actually hold something this heavy.’

Yilu’s face immediately darkened.

What was wrong with this guy?

“Yes!

They’re bricks.

Do you have a problem with that?”

Yilu did not know whether to be angry or laugh.

For the first time, she felt this frivolous guy was somewhat interesting.

Lyr laughed again.

It turned out that when someone was speechless, they really did laugh.

He freed his other hand and gave Yilu a thumbs-up.

“Don’t just stand there.

Lead the way.

I can’t carry this thing for long,” Lyr urged.

He was helping out of the goodness of his heart and did not want to lose half his life in the process.

Yilu rolled her eyes but did not refuse his help again.

If she continued to argue over the suitcase, it would only attract more unwanted attention.

One followed the other.

Although they drew some attention along the way, the atmosphere was not that awkward.

When they reached Yilu’s dormitory, Lyr realized she lived in a single room.

This was a bit different from his memory.

“Is it always this comfortable?

A single room…

I remember hearing people say they were two people to a room.”

Yilu set down the small suitcase in her hand.

“You’ve never stayed in one?”

She walked to the window and pushed it open, letting the breeze blow in to clear out the stuffy air.

“No,” Lyr replied honestly.

The House Geno mansion was within the Royal Capital.

Unlike the children of some nobles who had to travel from other territories, he did not need to stay in the dormitories.

He had only heard rumors about the Academy’s housing.

“But this is my first time in a girls’ dormitory.”

This was quite a novel experience for Lyr.

However, Yilu’s room seemed excessively plain, lacking any decorations.

Normally, since students stayed at the Academy for so long, they would treat their dorm as a second room, especially a single one.

“Then you should be thanking me.”

Feeling the breeze, Yilu rarely showed a smile.

Only at times like this did she feel a bit more at ease.

There were no strange looks, nor were there any deliberate insults.

It really was better to be alone.

Except, unlike before, there was another person here now.

After a moment of silence, Yilu said, “I’m thinking of moving out later.”

“Why?

Isn’t it good here?

You can sleep in a little longer in the morning.”

This was the only thing Lyr had envied about the students who lived on campus back then.

He had to wake up early to take a carriage, and sometimes the lack of sleep combined with the bumpy ride nearly made him vomit.

Receiving no answer from Yilu, Lyr took a guess.

“You’re not planning to go out hunting in the middle of the night, are you?”

The Academy Dormitory prohibited students from leaving the Academy at night.

If Yilu wanted to move out, that was the only possibility.

“Yes,” Yilu nodded.

It was no longer a secret that she hunted outside the Royal Capital.

Even the people at the Adventurers’ Association had gone from being surprised to being used to it.

“I suggest you drop that idea.

If you hadn’t run into me last time, you would have been in danger.”

“Impossible!

I could have handled that guy even without you!”

Yilu’s tone turned stubborn at the thought.

She had never encountered such a situation when she was alone before; that day had been an exception.

Yilu turned around, wanting to continue her rebuttal, only to see Lyr crouching by the suitcase, fumbling with it as he tried to open it.

She rushed forward, raising her hand as if to strike him.

“Again!”

Lyr alertly took a step back.

“You did the same thing when I helped you last time.”

Once again, Lyr had retreated to dodge.

However, Yilu did not show as much intense hostility as before.

She stopped halfway and immediately pressed down on the lid of the suitcase, which Lyr had already cracked open.

“What are you doing?

Who goes through someone else’s luggage like that!”

Yilu bit her lip, looking a bit angry.

This guy had almost seen everything last time, and now he was rifling through her luggage.

Her underwear, which she had tucked inside, was about to be exposed.

‘He really is an insolent guy!’