Oden thought of himself as a confident person. As long as he had his eyes on the goal, he would reach it. That’s why approaching a girl would be easy. He stared at Ophelia who sat opposite Reni while they ate lunch.

I watched Oden, who was shaking in a corner. Al saw my face turn ugly.

“What’s wrong, Rael?” I glanced at him.

“I’m just looking at something unpleasant.” 

Oden was an arrogant person. He lived in a bubble where he thought could surpass anyone and anything so long he worked hard enough. His rash attitude, short temper, and sharp tongue made him a difficult person to handle. But when that said difficult person had to become friendly all of a sudden—

They froze up.

I pinched my nose bridge, cursing under my breath. When Oden wasn’t being rude or cocky, he was an awkward mess. I stood up.

“I’ll be back, I just need to do something.” I walked to Oden who was fidgeting and grabbed his shoulder.

“I told you to approach her, not stalk her.” Oden glowered at me as he slapped my hand away.

“S-shut up! I’m not good at talking to people without—“ He bit his tongue.

“Being an ass?” I finished for him and his glare intensified.

“I’m helping you right now and this is how you act towards me?” 

“Who’s helping who now!? Aren’t you the one who grabs my hand at night or else you’ll have nightmares?” 

“That was one time!”

“Still. This is a part of the deal. As long as you accomplish it, I’ll allow you to hug my hand and have nice dreams.” I grinned as I teased him. His face was bright red as he gritted his teeth. It was amusing to tease him.

“Watch me then! I’ll approach her right this instance!” He suddenly shouted. He began stomping towards Ophelia’s table. I watched him stop right behind her. Reni noticed Oden and said something. Oden froze.

Ophelia looked behind her and saw Oden. I walked closer to hear what they were talking about.

“—anything?” Ophelia said as I took a seat by the table closest to them. I looked at Oden who fidgeted. He opened his mouth and closed it.

“Y-you! You’re Ophelia Phorest, right?!” He shouted as he pointed at her. Ophelia blinked.

“Yes?”

“I have business with you!”

“What business?”

Oden’s fierce expression grew blank. It looked like he hadn’t expected her to ask that. He stared at her. And then he turned his heel and walked away. His ears were bright red as he left the cafeteria. 

“What was that…?” Reni said. Ophelia shook her head.

“I don’t know. Maybe he wanted to pick a fight?”

“Yeah, he seemed fierce. But he ran away all of a sudden.” 

“Strange,” Ophelia muttered. They dropped the subject and began talking about unrelated topics. I had my face buried in my hands, too embarrassed to even look up. 

I didn’t know he was this awkward! In the game, he was always the first one to pick a fight with people! He wasn’t kidding when he said that being nice was difficult.

I lowered my hands as I stood up from the table. Returning to my table, where my friends shot me weird looks, I tried hatching a plan. An awkward Oden was a no-go. But him being hostile wouldn’t work. I wanted to use Oden as a counterplan against Helm. I had to make Ophelia fall for him, or at least like him in a month.

But he couldn’t even talk to her! Frowning, I made a mental note to talk to him later. He’d probably avoid me at school so I’d wait until after school. Sighing, I took a bite of rice.

The rest of the day went by quickly as I spent the history lesson napping away. I returned to my apartment and found it empty. I went into my room and saw nobody there. I sat down at the desk and took out a few books I’d previously borrowed from the library. 

Opening them, I began reading as I took a few notes. ‘Mythical Monsters and Where to Find Them’. The book had a ridiculous title but I won’t complain. I had borrowed any book that might mention the monster I had to find.

‘Golden-Winged Tarantula are core-beasts as large as a horse. What makes them truly terrifying are their wings. Even an average golden-winged tarantula can overtake the fastest of carriages. As they are territorial monsters, they only attack if anyone steps inside their territory. They used to live mainly in tropical countries such as Urel in the Forti continent and Salzan in the Creati continent. But in the past centuries, these creatures have decreased over time. Some even speculate that they’ve gone extinct. But there are still traces of the golden-winged tarantulas. They’ve merely relocated to locations less populated by humans. Though they’re ferocious and can easily dominate humans, they’ve grown to fear humans. 

They can be found near the equator, around Ilania, Dragner, Tempest, and Tiqr.’ I stopped reading and turned the page. I didn’t care about these, I already knew everything about them. I skimmed through the rest of the mythic creatures.

‘Ice-Wyvern are located in—‘

‘Geo Python are creatures known to—‘

‘Witches are creatures related to the banshees—‘ I stopped skimming. I reread the passage.

‘Witches are creatures related to the banshees and have an intelligence nearly akin to a 5-year-old human child. In the Age of Redemption, they began appearing all over Creati while assisting the banshees who grew hungry for power. With the two creatures teaming up, they devastated the south, and nearly took over half of Creati had it not been for the Archmages blocking their terrifying offensive line. The witches could cast wordlessly and with an unlimited amount of spells, backed up by the quick, sharp, and unpredictable banshees who wouldn’t hesitate in petrifying their opponents with their intimidating shrieks. Those who hear their screams will be stuck in place with fear and then sliced in half as the banshees reappear. 

While the witches have decreased, it seems that banshees have completely vanished. There are no traces left of them after the Age of Revelation which was over two thousand years ago.’

I let out a breath as I re-read everything. I made sure to copy the text so I’d still have the information even after I return the book. 

This was the only book to even mention banshees. Were they taboo subjects in history? Why, though? I glanced at the pile of books and let out a heavy sigh. The only way to find out is by reading.

---

 

Two hours later, I had my head buried in a book, ignoring my grumbling stomach. Just one more paragraph… I was sure to find something! Strangely, trying to find information was fun. When I read about a core beast I didn’t know about, my eyes widened and my blood boiled with excitement.

I didn't let my thoughts linger as I closed the book and picked up the last one. Right as I’m about to read it, I hear the door open. I see Oden walk in, looking disgruntled.

“What were you doing?” I asked as he paced around the room. He shot me a glare.

“I was trying to… approach that girl. That commoner girl that you fancy.”

“Huh? Fancy? Who, me? What made you think that?” Oden tilted his head, confused.

“Why else would I need to approach her? Isn’t it to protect her from big bad guys because you’re too weak for that?” My mouth was agape. Was that why he agreed to my deal so quickly!?

“First of all, I’m not weak!”

“It’s been a week and you can barely hold your shield for five minutes.” He said with a deadpan expression.

“S-shut up! It’s harder than it looks! But that's only regarding combat, I’m good with history!” I explained as Oden plopped down on the bed. He snorted.

“Since you’re always sleeping, it’s hard to tell.” I narrowed my eyes at him. 

“Either way, I don’t like Ophelia! Why would you even think that?” Oden glanced at me.

“Because I always spot you staring at her. And if she bumps into someone—and good god, she does that a lot— you look like you want to run up and save her.” Once more, I grew speechless.

“See? You’re becoming flustered!” Oden teased. 

“Shut up! I’m growing mad! You’re completely wrong! I don’t like her!”

“You’re this far into denial? Oh, how I fear for your love life.” He clapped his hands in a praying gesture. “God of luck, please grant my foolish roommate a chance in love. Thank you.” 

Feeling annoyed at all the teasing, I ran up to him. I grabbed one of the pillows and began smacking him with it.

“You shouldn’t even be saying anything! At least I can talk to people!” Oden stopped blocking my pillow smacks to retort.

“I can too!”

“Oh really? You spent over two hours trying to approach Ophelia and—wait, doesn’t that mean you stalked her?” His cheeks grew red.

“N-no! No, it wasn’t anything like that! It was just that she was walking around school and I followed after—“ He stopped talking, realizing he’d been stalking her. I lowered the pillow. 

“We really have to work with your atrocious socializing skills.” He glared at me.

“And we need to work on your flirting and accepting that you like Ophe—“ His reply was muffled by a swift pillow smack to the face. I bombarded him with as many pillows as I could grab, hitting him until I lost count. 

The reason I stopped was that I heard the door creak open. I turned and saw the three acolytes staring at me with amusement. Finally, Jake burst into laughter as Kieran nearly fell to the ground from the giggling.

“We wanted to know all of the commotions and we thought you guys were fighting,” Hina explained while wiping away a tear from her eyes. She chuckled. “But this is even better than a fight.” I dropped the four pillows in my hands.

“It’s not what it looks like!” 

“It’s exactly what it looks like!” I heard Oden say as I felt something soft smack me. The counterattack had begun. I couldn’t block as I was buried in soft pillows. 

“You need help?” Kieran asked as he grabbed a pillow. Oden grinned.

“Yeah.” 

And so, I was ganged up by thugs with pillows. Hina and Jake were eager to join in the bullying as they smacked me as hard as they could. 

Strangely, I began laughing in the middle of it, finding the situation so ridiculous. The others were also amused as they turned to each other. And the pillow punishment grew into a pillow fight.

Dodging a deadly pillow from Kieran, I threw a pillow at Hina who was hit. She fell to the ground, clutching her heart.

“Down! Man down!” Jake hit her with another pillow.

“Dead people don’t talk!” Hina tsked and sat on the ground, sulking.

I turned and saw Kieran was already lying on the ground, dead. Gasping, I tried to look for the culprit. I witnessed Jake and Oden in a stand-off. They clutched their pillows while staring each other down.

“It seems that it’s between you and me,” Jake said solemnly. 

Did they forget about me?

“Right. Whoever is quicker wins.” Oden clutched his pillow tighter. 

I bend down as they continue to say typical ‘before-fight’ phrases.

“Prepare to be taken down.” Oden threatened as he raised his pillow.

“Shouldn’t I be telling you this? You’re a few years too young to be winning against me, kiddo.” Jake smirked while using his height to stare Oden down. 

“You—“

“Good gods, start fighting already! Even the dead are finding this boring!” Hina complained. Kieran nodded as he sat up. The two looked back at each other. They raised their pillows and—

“Don’t forget about me!” I launched a surprise attack, using the two pillows I’d just picked up, and throwing them at them. They hit their mark and the two are out. They look at me in disbelief.

“Hah. You forgot about me, didn’t you?” I grin. Jake blinked.

“No. You died.”

“Haha, no I didn’t.” 

Jake raised his hand and pointed at a pillow by my feet.

“I threw that as you killed Hina.” 

I was silent for a few seconds. And then I fell to my knees, staring up at the sky. “Damn you, god." I collapsed to the ground, dead. 

Jake rolled his eyes. “Now you’ve just ruined this dramatic setup!” I wake up, giving him a guilty smile.

“Whoops.”

Hina stood up. “Alright, let’s stop acting like children and eat! That was our initial goal, wasn’t it?”

“Good because my stomach was ready to eat itself out,” Kieran said as he left the room with Hina and Jake. Oden hopped down from the bed and glanced at me.

“Now will you admit that you like her—?“ I smack him with a pillow, shutting him up.

---

 

The weekend was over and I was walking to class while yawning. Oden had gone ahead to find more opportunities to interact with Ophelia. I was impressed by his earnest attempts. Even though he’s failing, he keeps on trying.

I just hope that he’ll stop stalking her and approach her…

I spotted Weiss’ white hair and ran up to him. I lightly slapped his back with a grin.

“Good morning.” Weiss saw me and greeted me.

“Morning.” 

We walked to class together, chatting about our weekend. He and Al had tried inviting me out to hang but I’d been too busy studying in the library. He began retelling how they’d ended up in a strange alley where they watched a large cat, almost as large as a lion, chase mice around, killing them or slashing them into two. They were horrified but before they could escape, the cat had grown too agitated. It tore the cage effortlessly. It began chasing the viewers around, and Al was nearly caught in its claws. Thankfully, a grand mage (fifth-year student) stopped it in time. She reported the incident to the Academy, and the two laughed the traumatic incident off.

I gave him a worrying look.

“Are you alright?” 

He shrugged. “It was quite amusing being chased by a really cute cat that was extremely vicious.” 

I tried imagining it in my head but couldn't. Weiss snorted.

“You won’t be able to think of anything with that empty skull of yours.” He evaded my punch with a cackle.

We walked into our first lesson, which was Spell Casting. This was a new lesson as previously we’d only had three. Claus waved at us and we walked to sit next to him. Claus leaned in to whisper.

“Just a minute ago, I think I saw—“ He was cut off.

“Alright, I think nearly everyone is here?” A loud voice said. The professor closed the door and walked to the front of the classroom. He smiled. “Who here is ready to learn some powerful spells?”

A couple of students raised their hands. 

“Great! Because you won’t be learning any of it until you’re an acolyte!” He laughed as he watched the excited faces of his students fall. “But don’t slack off early on. In this course, you‘ll be learning the basics. Because without simple 0-tier and 1-tier spells, you’ll be a useless mage.”

He raised his hands. “For you see, to make a simple 2-tier spell such as a [Fireball], you need to master [Light] and [Fire].” 

Using both of his hands, one grew brightly with light while the other burned in his hand. He cupped both of his hands and the two 0-tier spells transformed into something more. 

“Only then can you understand the fundamentals of a fireball and how to create one.” His eyes lit up as he held the fireball in his hand. “Though it’s a tough journey and many struggle to catch up to the Academy’s high demands, the payoff is worth it.” 

He let the fireball die in his hand and looked up at us. “But that’s only if you’re willing to catch up.”

The look in his eyes made the students blurt out an answer, “Yes!”

His smile widened and he lowered his arms.

“Alright, enough with the enthusiastic responses! Before I begin teaching about spells, I have a few helpers. Some upperclassmen were kind enough to volunteer to help you.” Someone knocked on the door and it opened. Four students walked down, brimming with confidence that none of the apprentices had.

They stood next to the professor as he introduced them one by one. But I only had my eyes on the one in the middle. His distinct dark blue hair and mesmerizing green eyes coldly surveyed the classroom. Our eyes met and I looked away, feeling my heart rate accelerate.

Oh no.

“From the left to the right, we have Jane Chester who’s a talented mage, nearly rivaling the rankers.” A student raised their hand.

“What are rankers?” The professor blinked.

“You don’t know?” Some students shook their heads. 

“Rankers stand for the top students in Lore Academy. There are 102 rankers, all of who are granted houses. You’ve seen those houses, haven’t you? Only the best of the best get such luxury.” A different student asked a follow-up question.

“Does that mean that every fifth years—er, grand mages are on the list?” The professor let out a laugh.

“Of course not! There are not a lot of grand mages who become rankers due to how competitive it is. There has never been an instance where an apprentice becomes a ranker, due to their lack of experience and spells. But a handful of mages have become rankers.” He pointed to the left.

A/N: (Mages: second-year students)

“One of them is standing right here, eager to help you younglings with basic spells.” The person who was suddenly put on the spot didn’t react. He nodded at the curious students.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Ru said. The professor nodded. 

“Moving on, the student next to Jane is Ru Hasselt. But I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone of you have heard of him before?”

There were audible gasps in the crowd. The murmuring could be heard as they gossiped about rumors.

“Isn’t he the acolyte who mastered the invisibility spell in only a week?”

“Huh? Is that impressive?”

“Since he’s just a third year, mastering a 4-tier spell in only a week is more than just impressive!”

“And he defeated a Cursed who’d nearly snuck into the Academy!”

“There's even a fan club of his who keeps any hopeful girls away from him.”

“So he’s not taken?” 

“Just curious but… where is this fan club located?”

Being the nosy person I was, I eavesdropped and listened in on the chattering. I was mildly impressed that he already had a high reputation. But what was this about a fan club? 

The professor cleared his throat.

“Please save the gossip for after school.” Ru wasn’t reacting, as though the people were talking about a stranger. “Either way, the person after Ru is—“ He introduced the last two people but I hadn’t been paying attention. 

“Now, I’ll be giving all of you pamphlets of spells to learn from. Until the end of the month, you may learn as many spells as you want. However, keep in mind that you have to at least master four 0-tier spells, and one 1-tier spell. If you don’t… you’ll fail this course and be expelled.” He paused. “Unless you do well in the Mystic Legacy Trial, that is.”

Smiling mysteriously, he handed out the pamphlets to every student. I skimmed through the spells, using a pen to mark the most important ones. There were over thirty spells, and I narrowed it down to ten spells I had to learn.

“Alright, you may begin practicing the spells. Everything you need to know is on the pamphlet. But if you acquire any help, raise your hand and you’ll receive help from me or the upperclassmen.” 

I began looking through the necessary spells. Originally, I only had plans to pick seven spells, but I added three more. Those three might determine if I do well in the Mystic Legacy Trial. The ten spells were:

[Light]

[Levitate]

[Float]

[Freeze]

[Fire]

[Stone Dart]

[Breeze]

[Water]

[Sink Hole]

[Accelerate]

I looked through my list, noticing that three of the ten spells were 1-tier spells. Those three being [Freeze], [Accelerate], and [Stone Dart]. 

I frowned. Remembering how horrible my MP was (Grade-9, tier-low), even mastering one of these 1-tier spells would be difficult. But I had to learn these three or the Mystic Legacy Trial would be impossible to make it through.

However, I knew how to bypass my lack of talent. I had to visit the fountain and increase it. And I had to do it as soon as possible. So I’d wait with learning the 1-tier spells and focus on the 0-tier ones.

I started from the top of the list. [Light], huh? That wouldn’t be so hard. I looked at the explanation.

‘Visualize something bright. Bring your hand or wand close to you and turn the visualization into reality through mana. Once you’ve grasped it in your mind, chant the words and bring light into your surroundings.’

I looked around. It was best to use a wand as it made directing your mana far easier. I raised my hand and saw the professor approach me.

“Excuse me, professor…”

“Professor K.”

“Yes, where are the wands?” The professor frowned.

“What do you mean?” I looked around, seeing everyone holding a wand in their hands as they began practicing. “You were supposed to buy a wand by last week. I thought professor J covered that?” It clicked that ‘professor J’ was my history professor. I awkwardly smiled.

“Right. I seemed to have forgotten to bring mine.” I blatantly lied and professor K eyed me. 

“Make sure to bring it with you tomorrow.” I nodded as he left. My cheeks burned red. I looked down and saw Oden staring at me. He had a know-it-all grin. I wanted to wipe that grin off his face. I knew what he wanted to say. 

‘Should’ve stayed awake in your history lessons, huh?’ 

Gritting my teeth, I decided to try spell casting without a wand. I’m sure it wouldn’t be that hard, right?

---

 

I lied. It was extremely hard.

Half an hour passed and I had produced nothing. I’d tried to visualize all kinds of lights, like the light from a bonfire, the sun, or even a lamp from my world. But no matter how hard I wracked my brain, no magic was produced. I glanced to my left, watching Weiss and Claus diligently read their pamphlet.

I saw Claus effortlessly chant the [Light] spell in just a few minutes. Weiss was trying to learn the [Fire] spell and had already gotten a spark to appear. So this is what separates me from them. I’m barely a side character while those two respectively are a love interest and a love rival. 

Growing tired, I spectated the rest of the students. Half of the class was beginning to grasp the spells, while the others already learned a spell or two. I looked at Ophelia and she looked to be struggling. Was it going badly for her too? 

“Ophelia, you should’ve told me that you didn’t buy a wand,” Reni said. I perked up. She didn’t buy one either…?

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to trouble you,” Ophelia said as she looked at the ground. Reni sighed.

“At lunch, I’m dragging you with me to buy a wand and eat lunch at one of the restaurants.” Ophelia tried protesting but Reni wasn’t having it. Finally, Ophelia gave in and Reni smiled, emerging victorious.

Ophelia raised her hand, needing help. I saw Ru approach her, ignoring the four girls who were following after him like ducklings.

“Yes?” He asked. Ophelia looked up and saw him, growing wide-eyed.

“Um, I need help with [Freeze] spell. I can’t quite grasp how it works.” Ru grabbed her pamphlet and skimmed through the explanation. He shook his head.

“The reason why you can’t understand it is because you haven’t learned the [Water] spell yet. How are you going to conjure ice without water? With 0-tier spells and 1-tier spells, they’re independent of each other to work.” He turned to the next page, pointing at the [Water] spell.

“So learn this first, and only then will you learn [Freeze]. Don’t rush it though, how many spells have you mastered already?” Ru asked, noticing that she didn’t have a wand. Ophelia stared at the ground.

“Uh, j-just… three spells.” Ru raised his eyebrows.

“Without a wand?”

“Yes… I forgot to buy one—“ Reni shot her a look, causing Ophelia to tense up. “—and that’s why I wanted to ask for help. Thank you, even though I’m a slow learner—“

Ru shook his head. “Slow learner? You’re the fastest one here by far, even without a wand. Well done.” His cold expression melted into a small smile. “Allow me to help you learn the [Water] and [Freeze] spell.” He stood by her seat, helping her out. However, when the professor passed by, he scolded Ru.

“You can’t help the same student for this long. That would be unfair.” Ru blinked and then he turned to Ophelia.

“It seems that I need to help somebody else. What a pity, since I wanted to help you learn more spells.” He turned to look at the clock on the wall. “Are you free at 4 pm?” Ophelia looked up at him.

“Yes?”

“Perfect. Would you mind coming here again around that time for more tutoring? You might even have the opportunity to learn a 2-tier spell.” He put a finger to his mouth. “Just don’t tell anyone.” Ophelia slowly nodded.

“Yes. I-I would like that.”

“Great. I’ll make sure to ask a few other students.” He walked away, approaching five other students one by one, all of whom were eager to accept his invitation.

Reni elbowed Ophelia gently. “Private sessions, huh?” She wiggled her eyebrows. Ophelia shook her head. “It’s not like that!” 

Reni kept wiggling her eyebrows until Ophelia elbowed her, causing the girl to groan from the pain.

“You’re so rough, Ophelia,” Reni said with a pout. 

“You deserved it.” She replied, focusing on the pamphlet. Her motivation to study looked to have doubled with Ru’s offer, seeing how her concentration increased.

I looked away, turning my attention back to my pamphlet. Thoughts were swirling in my head.

Why was Ru here? He never would’ve volunteered in the first place. Did it have anything to do with me? I glanced at Ru who was helping a student. 

No, he’s been ignoring me, so there had to be a different motive.

It was also strange that Ru, who was usually so cold towards strangers, became so eager to help first-years. 

How bizarre. 

The more I looked at Ru, it felt like he was a stranger. He wasn’t Ru from the game, nor the Ru who I’d gotten to meet. He was… unfamiliar.

I shook my head. I must be paranoid. Yeah, that had to be it. I raised my hand, looking at my pamphlet, re-reading the explanation. 

When I felt a shadow loom over me, I looked up and froze. The person who’d decided to help me was…

Ru Hasselt.

He stared at me. I stared back. Neither of us spoke. Finally, Ru lowered his gaze. He began speaking with a blank expression. 

“What do you need help with, Rael?” Hearing my name from his mouth felt strange. I snapped out of my daze, staring at my pamphlet. 

“Ah, uh—“ I failed to communicate words. I felt a hand hit my shoulder.

“He needs help learning [Light] because he forgot to buy a wand,” Weiss explained. I couldn’t help but give him a grateful smile.

“Yeah, can you explain how it works?” Ru nodded, as he showed me how to visualize ‘light itself’ and turn it into magic. After trying a few times, I nearly had the hang of the spell. I felt Ru’s eyes on me as I tried casting. But my concentration kept breaking off, and I had a hard time focusing.

The lesson was about to end, so I thanked Ru.

“Thank you.” He nodded.

“Of course.” He walked away. I stared at him for a few seconds. I felt the corner of my lips turn upwards. Even though our interaction was short, it felt like Ru didn’t hate me or blame me for what happened. Technically, the murder of his family had nothing to do with me, so I shouldn’t feel guilty.

Feeding myself more lies to feel better, I stood up. It was time for the next exhausting class.

---

 

I grabbed Oden before he could leave the classroom. He shot me a look.

“Let me go.” 

My smile tightened. 

“Oden. I didn’t want to remind you but my end of the bargain has a time limit. Currently, time is running out.” He crossed his arms.

“Well, I’ve almost approached her.” 

“That’s not good enough! At this point, the whole year will pass before you befriend her.” 

He looked at me in shock.

“You mean I have less than a year to befriend her?” I groaned. 

“I seem to have severely overestimated your socialization abilities. There’s only one solution to this…” 

I looked at him.

“Do you trust me?”

“No.”

“Good. Now follow me.”

I dragged a resisting Oden with me. Since plan A didn’t work, I had to go with plan B. 

---

 

Oden’s face was sour.

“What is this?” 

My smile was forced.

“It’s a pleasant lunch meal.” 

Claus and Al exchanged glances. They looked at Oden and greeted him. He grunted back a response, eating his food while ignoring them. I sighed as he blatantly ignored us.

I saw Claus and Al stare at me. “I thought he looked lonely so I—“

“I do not look lonely!” Oden shouted, shamefaced. I raised my eyebrows.

“Then what do you think you look like?”

Oden paused, choosing his words carefully.

“Like a mysterious, strong individual.” He responded seriously. 

Weiss and I burst into laughter at that ridiculous response. Oden’s mouth was agape.

“W-what?! I do!” 

I paused to respond; “The only time you look mysterious is when you’re hiding in a corner, trying to approach Ophelia. And I don’t mean mysterious in a good way.” 

“He means you look creepy,” Weiss added in.

Weiss and I high-fived. 

Oden was mortified. “Do I really…?”

We all nodded our heads sadly. Oden lowered the fork down.

“Then how do I… stop? I don’t know how to approach people otherwise.” I smiled.

“Just act like how you usually do with me.”

“And what’s that?”

I cleared my voice, forcing it to be more high-pitched. “Rael, can I please hold your hand—“ Oden stood up and leaned to block my mouth with his hands. He breathed heavily as his face steamed. He gave me a death glare.

“Finish that sentence and you’re more than dead.” He let go and I sighed.

“Are you embarrassed, Oden, my dear?” 

He bared his teeth at me.

“Since you like to say unnecessary stuff, why don’t I tell your friends that you like—“ I raised my hands.

“Alright, alright, we’re even! I’m sorry!” Oden crossed his arms.

“That’s what I thought.”

Claus let out a surprised sound. “You two are quite close.” Al nodded.

“I think Oden will fit well into our friend group.” 

Oden raised his head and stared at the two in surprise. He looked at me. 

“Was this your plan?” 

I nodded. “Having a few friends to depend on isn’t so bad.” 

Oden stared at us three for a while.

“I’ve never really had any proper friends. Mostly because I—well, I have a short temper. But if you guys don’t find me unbearing, I wouldn’t mind being friends with you.” Oden said shyly as he avoided our gazes. Finding it adorable, I let out a laugh.

“If you guys are fine with shorty joining us for lunch, then I am too.” Weiss suddenly said. His tone was snarky, and Oden’s head jerked up.

The two stared at each other.

“Shorty? Really? I told you to stop calling me that.” Oden said through gritted teeth.

“I’ll stop when you grow a few centimeters.” Weiss retorted.

Why was Weiss acting like this? Was he upset over something? I glared at him.

“Stop it, Weiss, you’re being mean.” 

He didn’t look at me as he took a bite of his food. “Whatever.”

Oden was still staring at Weiss before abruptly standing up. “I suddenly don’t feel hungry. I’ll see you in class later. It was nice meeting you, Al, Claus.” He grabbed his plate and glass. He paused, turning to look at Weiss.

“Too bad I had to meet you, Weiss.” He walked off, not waiting for a response. Weiss stared at Oden’s back, clearly tongue-tied. I narrowed my eyes.

“Don’t be mean to him for no reason. He’s a decent guy and you know it.” 

Weiss frowned. “Yes, but…”

“But?”

He paused. “Nothing.” 

I shrugged, still annoyed. 

“Fine.”

Hopefully, the two stubborn idiots would get along after a while. Because I didn’t have a plan C ready just yet.