The Aether Cultivation lecture I attend on Mondays is literally just about Aether Cultivation, so naturally, there were no separate exams.
Grades were purely determined by attendance and participation.
In other words, it was a free credit course.
Therefore, after finishing the Martial Arts lecture on Friday morning, I had effectively completed all my exams.
However, except for students like me who only had the Aether Cultivation lecture on Monday or had no classes at all, the rest of the students were fervently preparing for exams even over the weekend.
And so, the Monday evening meal after the exam period had fully ended came around.
“Now that the exams are over, how about we all go out and have some fun this weekend?”
This suggestion came from Reysir.
It seemed that just talking about novels one-on-one last Wednesday wasn’t enough for him.
Well, he’s eighteen, right in the prime age to go out and play.
Since he’d been stuck sitting and talking, it was understandable that he was itching to get out.
“Sounds good.”
“I-I want to come too…!”
Hailga responded with an air of obviousness as if she had expected this.
Vigdis revealed her excitement openly and accepted Reysir’s proposal.
Liolikin cautiously spoke up, glancing around at everyone.
“If it’s all together… does that mean I’m included too…?”
“As long as no one objects.”
I’d heard that Liolikin had finally appeared at the study group to study with them, so maybe that helped bridge some distance between them.
‘Or maybe he just didn’t want to be the bad guy who excludes a shy classmate.’
Neither Vigdis nor Hailga voiced any opposition.
Reysir’s eyes flicked over those two before landing on me.
“Karvald, you’re coming too, right?”
“I refuse.”
“Why not?”
“I never agreed to be your friend, did I? Don’t forget, we only agreed to dine together.”
Of course, I refused firmly.
But naturally, Reysir did not back down.
“But last Thursday, we had fun talking about novels together, didn’t we?”
“Fun? That was only in your head.”
“No, you actually seemed quite interested in my book review.”
“N-No, you’re mistaken.”
“Alright, fine. Let’s say I was mistaken. But still, we already hung out, didn’t we?”
“……”
‘Should I have never joined him back then?’
Late regrets surged, but it was too late.
Unfortunately, since this world wasn’t my novel, I couldn’t rewrite past events to pretend they never happened.
“My weekend’s already booked. Saturday, I’m assisting a professor with Sky-Blue Aether, so I can’t free up time, and Sunday, I have swordsmanship training with Vigdis scheduled…”
“I heard that swordsmanship training only takes place in the morning? After it ends, we could go out to lunch and hang out, then have dinner before heading back.”
“I never accepted your invitation, so why are you making plans without me?”
“But we agreed to eat together, didn’t we?”
“……”
Regret hit me again, leaving me momentarily speechless.
For some reason, I felt like I was getting pulled into things whenever I talked to Reysir.
No, I was clearly getting pulled in. Is this what the Original Protagonist’s influence feels like?
“And besides… your Familiar seems like it wants to come out and play too.”
As I felt a strange irritation rising, Reysir said this.
Instinctively, I shifted my gaze—not to the seat beside me, but to Yor, who was just floating in the air, occupying the space.
“F…!”
Startled by my gaze, Yor quickly turned his head and pretended to focus on eating the beef and vegetables in the hotpot with his chopsticks.
His act only made it more obvious.
Just as Reysir said, Yor definitely wanted to hang out with everyone.
But knowing I was reluctant to get close to the main characters from the original story, he was probably pretending not to care to hide that desire.
‘Once Reysir drops out of the academy, there won’t be anyone who’ll innocently suggest going out to play with me… If that happens, Yor’s chance to experience that kind of fun will never come again, will it…?’
I groaned softly in frustration but eventually forced the words out.
“…Exactly when and where do I have to meet?”
“Karvald, you really care about your Familiar, huh?! I already knew, but it still surprises me…”
“Enough with the unnecessary comments.”
“Alright, alright. Let’s meet Sunday at 11:30 a.m. in front of the carriage waiting area. Everyone okay with that?”
Reysir looked around at everyone as he mentioned the time and place.
Hailga, Vigdis, and Liolikin all seemed free—no one said no.
I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or not.
Glancing to my side, I saw Yor looking at me with bright, sparkling eyes and a wide smile.
Seeing the baby dragon’s reaction, my previously tangled thoughts seemed to clear up.
‘Right. Yor has been such a comfort to me all this time, so it’s only natural to grant him this wish!’
Trying not to smile unconsciously, I patted Yor’s head a few times and then grabbed my chopsticks.
As I was about to start eating, Reysir spoke again.
“By the way, you and your Familiar usually eat some pretty unusual food, huh? But today’s meal looks… really intense. What is that?”
“It’s called Yeolguja Tang.”
“Tasty?”
“If you’re curious, you can order it yourself and try it later.”
“Hmm… maybe I will…”
“……!”
Liolikin had once asked me about the food I ate and the chopsticks I used.
But he hadn’t shown genuine interest in unfamiliar food or utensils.
He just wanted to strike up a conversation and grabbed the closest topic.
He had never ordered what I ate himself.
And I observed that during every meal, no one ordered any dish that didn’t fit this world’s setting—even Korean food.
Though everyone happily bought snacks from the cafeteria. I didn’t understand the difference.
Anyway, given the situation, the protagonist of this novel’s world wanted to try court cuisine from the Joseon Dynasty?
‘Well… yeah, he reads the paper version of the web novel, so maybe it’s not that surprising…’
Come to think of it, Reysir’s favorite web novel genre is hunter stories, most of which are set in the modern era.
‘So perhaps he’s heard of dishes with kimchi in the name, like Kimchi Fried Rice or Kimchi Stew, or at least Gukbap?’
Though having never actually seen them, he might not recognize them if served.
‘If the menu had familiar names from the novels, he might have ordered something once just because it looked interesting…’
I looked at the words covering one entire wall of the cafeteria menu.
With a menu like this, it seemed impossible for Reysir to find food names he’d seen in novels.
But if I subtly hinted, things could change.
‘The problem is… if I tell him this, it’s obvious he’ll feel even closer to me…?’
Even if Reysir found out these novel dishes really existed, the world wouldn’t be turned upside down nor would Senna’s influence vanish, so I’d better keep quiet.
Secretly, I wished Sunday wouldn’t come, but even in a world like this, that was impossible.
So, I had no choice but to face Sunday helplessly.
And now, I was walking with Vigdis, having left the Tower of Training behind, heading toward the carriage waiting area.
For reference, Vigdis and I had finished swordsmanship training earlier than usual.
We parted ways to our individual training halls, used the attached shower rooms to clean up, and changed into casual clothes.
Still, we didn’t stand out.
Probably because it was the weekend right after exams, and many students were planning to go out, there were plenty of extras dressed in casual clothes.
“Uh, what do I do…? This is my first time hanging out with those guys, so I’m… nervous…!”
As if proving her words, Vigdis clenched her fists tightly and stomped her feet in frustration, not knowing what to do.
Yet those feet were clad in heeled shoes.
Her skirt didn’t drag on the floor and reached just above her ankles, allowing some mobility, but it was still a noble-style dress.
Not exactly the best outfit for going out to play.
‘According to the original story’s description, Vigdis prefers neat pants outfits with minimal decoration rather than such flowy dresses… Did she dress up for her first outing with friends? Or does Count Shalbrady interfere even with her clothing?’
I unconsciously thought, ‘Should I give her a new outfit as a gift?’ but quickly dismissed the idea.
No matter how unfortunate the other’s situation, gifting clothes would be going too far.
“Kar, aren’t you nervous? It’s your first time going out with classmates outside the academy, right? Oh… wait, have you ever hung out with classmates even if not friends?”
“I haven’t hung out with anyone, neither have Yor, you, Reysir, nor Liolikin, so calm down.”
“Say it like that and it sounds like we’re forming a club of loners or something… that feels a bit…,”
Vigdis’s expression turned sour upon hearing that.
The tension in her clenched fists and her entire body melted away, and she stopped stamping her feet nervously.
It wasn’t so much calm as solemn, but at least her nervousness had eased, so no problem.
“By the way, didn’t you have lighter, more comfortable clothes? Or did you dress up on purpose?”
“You look more dressed up than I do.”
“This is the simplest outfit I have.”
“Oh… I see… same here.”
“If your father restricts your clothing, then buy something you can wear comfortably under the pretense of personal taste.”
Gifting clothes was definitely a no-go, but suggesting it like this probably wouldn’t make her feel pressured.
I thought so and said it lightly, but Vigdis’s reaction was strange.
“Y-Yeah… huh? Uh… uh uh…??”
“Why did you suddenly break down?”
“Well, um… I thought you were going to point out why I’m wearing this to hang out with friends, but….”
“Why would I bother with that? If it’s uncomfortable, it’s your discomfort, not mine.”
“Because I care about your discomfort, you told me to buy comfortable clothes as an excuse for yourself.”
“……”
I could think of a comeback, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
After all, in a world where the Demonic Realm could appear anywhere anytime, clothing could affect survival chances, or that it’s personally a character break for Vigdis to wear a dress when it’s not a party.
I couldn’t say these things out loud.
“Anyway, thank you. I didn’t expect you to pay attention to such details, considering my family situation… But how did you notice I have no choice but to wear this?”
“Unlike other students who wear all kinds of accessories, you don’t even wear small earrings with your uniform. It’s not like your family is poor. I just thought you didn’t like flashy things.”
“You seem quite interested in me…”
“I was. Last semester.”
“Ah…”
Maybe recalling Karvald Austri’s obsession after a long time made Vigdis lose her words.
Since I wasn’t inclined to continue the conversation with her, we walked quietly until we reached the carriage waiting area.