“Luke! Is it true that you have Flexible attendance?”
“That’s how it turned out.”
“Wow! I’m jealous! I don’t want to go to the academy either!”
Mary said, pouting her lips in frustration.
But it seemed like she enjoyed life at the academy quite a bit.
She appeared to have many friends.
“Haha…”
At first, Luke didn’t avoid trying to adapt.
However, the more she talked with the kids, the more out of place she felt.
What’s your favorite song, what games do you play, what TV programs do you watch at home…?
She couldn’t possibly answer any of these.
Yet, the kids were so kind that even when Luke was hesitant, they kept trying to find something in common with her.
Luke thought she could pretend to meet their expectations, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
The more she talked, the more she felt out of sync.
Favorite song?
She had quite enjoyed ‘The Song of the Plains of Serenal and the Twelve Knights’ by a bard named Drinnis, which she heard in passing in the capital in the past, but now there was no such song.
Games?
Did they mean hide and seek, tag, or playing hero?
She only played those to entertain the kids, but at her age, she didn’t actually enjoy them.
TV? Well, she found the puppet show “Maruru the Spirit Girl” or was it “Meruru”? quite interesting.
However, because it was a puppet show for entertainment, its depiction of spirits and magic wasn’t exactly accurate.
So, despite its craftsmanship, Luke couldn’t really enjoy it.
Reacting to each thing was tiring, but with her unique appearance and aura, Luke was always dragged along by the kids.
She wasn’t very good at refusing a child’s request.
Didn’t you want to grant the kids’ wishes as much as possible?
Even if it exhausted her.
Thanks to this, she had been quite tired recently.
So, the Flexible attendance suggested by Zenpay was very welcome.
Luke would have missed the academy a lot if she had to completely sever ties with it.
Especially since the library and cafeteria were still quite useful.
“But why are you here at school? It’s lunchtime, are you here to eat?”
Mary asked.
Eating lunch… Well, she wasn’t exactly wrong.
Since she was here, she might as well eat.
***
“What is today’s menu?”
“Seafood cream pasta.”
“…….”
‘Seafood and pasta…….’
Luke, thinking that she must absolutely eat it, swallowed her saliva.
“You just gulped, didn’t you! Could it be that you came here just to eat?”
Oops, did she really gulped?
Luke awkwardly smiled and shook her head.
“No, I came to return the book I borrowed.”
“Book? Oh, right. You borrowed a lot last time.”
Mary nodded as she looked at the large bag Luke was carrying.
“By the way, where is Sirud?”
“Sirud should be in the classroom. Shall I call him if you want?”
“Hmm, that’s not necessary. You go ahead and play with him.”
“Hmm…….”
Is she embarrassed because of the rumors?
She doesn’t have to worry so much!
There’s already enough rumors about the two of them being an item.
No student missed seeing Luke always with Sirud during the few days she attended school.
If it wasn’t love at first sight, that closeness can’t be explained!
“Okay, then I’ll see you at lunchtime!”
“Yes, Mary. See you then.”
***
Luke returned the fairy tale book and went into the library to borrow some cookbooks.
‘Hmm, this one says even children can do it easily, so I should be able to manage something.’
If you asked Luke about her cooking experience now, of course, she would say she didn’t have much.
Luke originally wasn’t interested in cooking.
Meals were prepared by servants, and they weren’t particularly tasty. Of course, the servants served decent meals, but she didn’t really enjoy the taste at the time.
Moreover, as she lived longer, the frequency of drinking potions instead of meals increased.
By the end of her life, meals were completely replaced by potions, merely sustaining her life.
‘Taste fades as you age.’
A circle is a power, but not omnipotence.
No matter what, it is impossible for a human to escape the shackles of ‘mortality.’
There is no power to heal a person who naturally ages and dies.
That is ‘Providence.’
A Wizards uses Providence, but escaping from Providence is entirely different.
She is a ‘hero,’ not a ‘warrior’ who has escaped from Providence.
Even the ‘warrior’ Renye, who had escaped Providence, couldn’t avoid the passage of time.
So how could Luke, merely a hero, ignore it?
As she aged, her teeth weakened, and her taste buds faded.
With such a body, it’s natural to lose interest in food.
‘Has my body changed because it’s younger now? This is a good thing.’
Just a few days ago, she was dissatisfied with this body, but now, with the situation changed, she felt grateful for it. She thought that human hearts are indeed fickle.
She discovered the joy of eating delicious food too late.
In her previous life……
If she had researched making delicious food back then, how would it have been?
‘If I had done so, could I have seen your smile again, Renye?’
Looking back, what truly remains in my heart are these small moments of happiness.
At that time, the spirit Pie checked the book Luke had chosen.
After looking at the illustrations in the book, Pie seemed to still not understand and drooped, producing a gloomy tone as it looked up at Luke.
It seemed that the spirit was regretful that they couldn’t partake in meals.
However, when their eyes met, Pie tilted its head and relaxed its expression.
“Luke, are you looking forward to cooking?”
For spirits who do not eat, the concept of ‘cooking’ doesn’t exist, so they use the human language as it is.
Looking forward to it, huh?
Raising her hand to touch the corners of her mouth, Luke realized that she was smiling in anticipation.
Ah, is that so.
‘I ended up smiling again this time.’
“Hmm. Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”
-……!
Pie made a beep-like sound and averted her gaze in displeasure, and Luke spoke teasingly as if to mock her.
“I would love to treat you to a meal, but since spirits can’t eat, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
-……, ……, ……!
‘That might mean it thinks it’s unfair.’
***
‘It’s indeed delicious…….’
The bite of pasta she took was truly fantastic!
Not only was the seafood covered in cream delicious, but the chewy texture of the pasta that crushed delightfully in her teeth, the salty and smooth flavor, and the subtle sea aroma that wasn’t fishy made Luke feel like ‘this is cooking,’ giving her a goal to strive for.
How wonderful would it be if I could make such a dish at home!
And the person watching Luke from the side was Mary.
Seeing Luke eat with such sparkling eyes was always amusing.
Does she really enjoy eating that much?
I like eating too, but I could never enjoy a meal as much as Luke does.
‘How can she stay so slim while eating like that?’
That’s a real mystery.
No matter how much of a beastman she is, if she ate like that every day, she should become fat.
While she was thinking that, she heard a clattering sound from somewhere.
Someone was running towards them.
“Hey!”
It was Sirud, who had come to the dining hall.
“Hey, if you came to school, you should have told me!”
As soon as Sirud saw Luke, he immediately ran over, expressing his disappointment.
Luke, with her usual demeanor, calmly twirled her seafood cream pasta with a fork and swallowed it, ignoring Sirud.
In fact, it wasn’t that she was ignoring him, but Luke thought that talking while eating was against manners, so she acted quickly to finish her meal. However, Sirud felt sufficiently ignored.
“Don’t ignore me!”
Luke raised her hand to Sirud, and Mary spoke from beside Luke.
“Wait a bit. Luke will talk after she finishes her meal.”
At those words, Sirud was at a loss for words and just watched Luke eat in a daze.
Munch, munch, munch, munch……
While it could be seen as cute how she kept moving her mouth without resting while chewing thoroughly, Sirud felt a peculiar feeling as it reminded him of his grandfather.
‘Why could it be…….’
Whatever Sirud was feeling, Luke finally finished her meal and stood up with her tray, saying,
“Let’s go to the classroom.”
It’s not polite to occupy a seat in the cafeteria after finishing a meal.
“Huh? Oh…….”
In the end, Sirud, who had just been blankly watching Luke eat, found herself leaving the cafeteria.
Mary, on the other hand, was chuckling to herself, seemingly amused by something.
***
Upon arriving at the classroom, Sirud spoke without even sitting down.
“You didn’t come to school because of me, did you?”
Sirud was feeling somewhat guilty.
He knew that Luke had taken the blame and the punishment for his mistake.
Even though he later told the teacher it was his doing, Luke had already shown her magic and compared the traces, to which the teacher responded with disbelief.
Sirud couldn’t help but worry.
Was Luke avoiding school because she got scolded in his place and ended up hating him for it?
So she didn’t want to come to school…….
Luke shook her head and said,
“That’s not the case, so don’t worry. I talked to the principal and got legitimate permission for self-study attendance.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s fine…….”
Sirud let out a big sigh of relief.
“Ah, Sirud. Even though I might not come to the academy often now, if you ever have questions for me, you should contact me.”
“Huh? Oh, right. That’s true.”
“Let me see your phone. It’s better to exchange numbers.”
When Luke reached out her hand, Sirud hastily took out his phone and placed it on Luke’s small hand.
By now, Luke had become quite adept at handling phones, and she quickly dialed her own number to check for the vibration before handing the phone back to Sirud.
It all happened quickly, and Mary, covering her mouth, said,
“Hey, isn’t this the first time you’ve exchanged phone numbers with a guy?”
Luke, realizing that the only numbers saved in her phone besides Yerina and Dighton were those of the fellow forest rangers and Mary, nodded in agreement.
And they were all, coincidentally, women.
But Luke, completely unaware of the other connotations of exchanging numbers, simply nodded and replied,
“That seems to be the case.”
“Oh, so Sirud is the first!”
“It appears so.”
Luke said nonchalantly, handing the phone back.
“What?”
Sirud took the phone, blushing.
Seeing his reaction, Mary chuckled.
“Hehehe…….”
“Why are you laughing?”
“You two seem to be getting along well!”
“Of course, we’re not on bad terms. Right, Sirud? Do you dislike me?”
“……Huh? Oh…… no? I don’t dislike you…….”
What a timid fellow.
A boy giving such a feeble response, really.
“Mary, even when I’m not here, please take care of Sirud.”
“Leave it to me!”
Mary said confidently, pounding her chest, and Luke nodded in trust at her response.
“Who, who are you to just entrust me to someone!”
Sirud’s flustered exclamation was thoroughly ignored this time.
“Luke! Is it true that you have Flexible attendance?”
“That’s how it turned out.”
“Wow! I’m jealous! I don’t want to go to the academy either!”
Mary said, pouting her lips in frustration.
But it seemed like she enjoyed life at the academy quite a bit.
She appeared to have many friends.
“Haha…”
At first, Luke didn’t avoid trying to adapt.
However, the more she talked with the kids, the more out of place she felt.
What’s your favorite song, what games do you play, what TV programs do you watch at home…?
She couldn’t possibly answer any of these.
Yet, the kids were so kind that even when Luke was hesitant, they kept trying to find something in common with her.
Luke thought she could pretend to meet their expectations, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
The more she talked, the more she felt out of sync.
Favorite song?
She had quite enjoyed ‘The Song of the Plains of Serenal and the Twelve Knights’ by a bard named Drinnis, which she heard in passing in the capital in the past, but now there was no such song.
Games?
Did they mean hide and seek, tag, or playing hero?
She only played those to entertain the kids, but at her age, she didn’t actually enjoy them.
TV? Well, she found the puppet show “Maruru the Spirit Girl” or was it “Meruru”? quite interesting.
However, because it was a puppet show for entertainment, its depiction of spirits and magic wasn’t exactly accurate.
So, despite its craftsmanship, Luke couldn’t really enjoy it.
Reacting to each thing was tiring, but with her unique appearance and aura, Luke was always dragged along by the kids.
She wasn’t very good at refusing a child’s request.
Didn’t you want to grant the kids’ wishes as much as possible?
Even if it exhausted her.
Thanks to this, she had been quite tired recently.
So, the Flexible attendance suggested by Zenpay was very welcome.
Luke would have missed the academy a lot if she had to completely sever ties with it.
Especially since the library and cafeteria were still quite useful.
“But why are you here at school? It’s lunchtime, are you here to eat?”
Mary asked.
Eating lunch… Well, she wasn’t exactly wrong.
Since she was here, she might as well eat.
***
“What is today’s menu?”
“Seafood cream pasta.”
“…….”
‘Seafood and pasta…….’
Luke, thinking that she must absolutely eat it, swallowed her saliva.
“You just gulped, didn’t you! Could it be that you came here just to eat?”
Oops, did she really gulped?
Luke awkwardly smiled and shook her head.
“No, I came to return the book I borrowed.”
“Book? Oh, right. You borrowed a lot last time.”
Mary nodded as she looked at the large bag Luke was carrying.
“By the way, where is Sirud?”
“Sirud should be in the classroom. Shall I call him if you want?”
“Hmm, that’s not necessary. You go ahead and play with him.”
“Hmm…….”
Is she embarrassed because of the rumors?
She doesn’t have to worry so much!
There’s already enough rumors about the two of them being an item.
No student missed seeing Luke always with Sirud during the few days she attended school.
If it wasn’t love at first sight, that closeness can’t be explained!
“Okay, then I’ll see you at lunchtime!”
“Yes, Mary. See you then.”
***
Luke returned the fairy tale book and went into the library to borrow some cookbooks.
‘Hmm, this one says even children can do it easily, so I should be able to manage something.’
If you asked Luke about her cooking experience now, of course, she would say she didn’t have much.
Luke originally wasn’t interested in cooking.
Meals were prepared by servants, and they weren’t particularly tasty. Of course, the servants served decent meals, but she didn’t really enjoy the taste at the time.
Moreover, as she lived longer, the frequency of drinking potions instead of meals increased.
By the end of her life, meals were completely replaced by potions, merely sustaining her life.
‘Taste fades as you age.’
A circle is a power, but not omnipotence.
No matter what, it is impossible for a human to escape the shackles of ‘mortality.’
There is no power to heal a person who naturally ages and dies.
That is ‘Providence.’
A Wizards uses Providence, but escaping from Providence is entirely different.
She is a ‘hero,’ not a ‘warrior’ who has escaped from Providence.
Even the ‘warrior’ Renye, who had escaped Providence, couldn’t avoid the passage of time.
So how could Luke, merely a hero, ignore it?
As she aged, her teeth weakened, and her taste buds faded.
With such a body, it’s natural to lose interest in food.
‘Has my body changed because it’s younger now? This is a good thing.’
Just a few days ago, she was dissatisfied with this body, but now, with the situation changed, she felt grateful for it. She thought that human hearts are indeed fickle.
She discovered the joy of eating delicious food too late.
In her previous life……
If she had researched making delicious food back then, how would it have been?
‘If I had done so, could I have seen your smile again, Renye?’
Looking back, what truly remains in my heart are these small moments of happiness.
At that time, the spirit Pie checked the book Luke had chosen.
After looking at the illustrations in the book, Pie seemed to still not understand and drooped, producing a gloomy tone as it looked up at Luke.
It seemed that the spirit was regretful that they couldn’t partake in meals.
However, when their eyes met, Pie tilted its head and relaxed its expression.
“Luke, are you looking forward to cooking?”
For spirits who do not eat, the concept of ‘cooking’ doesn’t exist, so they use the human language as it is.
Looking forward to it, huh?
Raising her hand to touch the corners of her mouth, Luke realized that she was smiling in anticipation.
Ah, is that so.
‘I ended up smiling again this time.’
“Hmm. Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”
-……!
Pie made a beep-like sound and averted her gaze in displeasure, and Luke spoke teasingly as if to mock her.
“I would love to treat you to a meal, but since spirits can’t eat, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
-……, ……, ……!
‘That might mean it thinks it’s unfair.’
***
‘It’s indeed delicious…….’
The bite of pasta she took was truly fantastic!
Not only was the seafood covered in cream delicious, but the chewy texture of the pasta that crushed delightfully in her teeth, the salty and smooth flavor, and the subtle sea aroma that wasn’t fishy made Luke feel like ‘this is cooking,’ giving her a goal to strive for.
How wonderful would it be if I could make such a dish at home!
And the person watching Luke from the side was Mary.
Seeing Luke eat with such sparkling eyes was always amusing.
Does she really enjoy eating that much?
I like eating too, but I could never enjoy a meal as much as Luke does.
‘How can she stay so slim while eating like that?’
That’s a real mystery.
No matter how much of a beastman she is, if she ate like that every day, she should become fat.
While she was thinking that, she heard a clattering sound from somewhere.
Someone was running towards them.
“Hey!”
It was Sirud, who had come to the dining hall.
“Hey, if you came to school, you should have told me!”
As soon as Sirud saw Luke, he immediately ran over, expressing his disappointment.
Luke, with her usual demeanor, calmly twirled her seafood cream pasta with a fork and swallowed it, ignoring Sirud.
In fact, it wasn’t that she was ignoring him, but Luke thought that talking while eating was against manners, so she acted quickly to finish her meal. However, Sirud felt sufficiently ignored.
“Don’t ignore me!”
Luke raised her hand to Sirud, and Mary spoke from beside Luke.
“Wait a bit. Luke will talk after she finishes her meal.”
At those words, Sirud was at a loss for words and just watched Luke eat in a daze.
Munch, munch, munch, munch……
While it could be seen as cute how she kept moving her mouth without resting while chewing thoroughly, Sirud felt a peculiar feeling as it reminded him of his grandfather.
‘Why could it be…….’
Whatever Sirud was feeling, Luke finally finished her meal and stood up with her tray, saying,
“Let’s go to the classroom.”
It’s not polite to occupy a seat in the cafeteria after finishing a meal.
“Huh? Oh…….”
In the end, Sirud, who had just been blankly watching Luke eat, found herself leaving the cafeteria.
Mary, on the other hand, was chuckling to herself, seemingly amused by something.
***
Upon arriving at the classroom, Sirud spoke without even sitting down.
“You didn’t come to school because of me, did you?”
Sirud was feeling somewhat guilty.
He knew that Luke had taken the blame and the punishment for his mistake.
Even though he later told the teacher it was his doing, Luke had already shown her magic and compared the traces, to which the teacher responded with disbelief.
Sirud couldn’t help but worry.
Was Luke avoiding school because she got scolded in his place and ended up hating him for it?
So she didn’t want to come to school…….
Luke shook her head and said,
“That’s not the case, so don’t worry. I talked to the principal and got legitimate permission for self-study attendance.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s fine…….”
Sirud let out a big sigh of relief.
“Ah, Sirud. Even though I might not come to the academy often now, if you ever have questions for me, you should contact me.”
“Huh? Oh, right. That’s true.”
“Let me see your phone. It’s better to exchange numbers.”
When Luke reached out her hand, Sirud hastily took out his phone and placed it on Luke’s small hand.
By now, Luke had become quite adept at handling phones, and she quickly dialed her own number to check for the vibration before handing the phone back to Sirud.
It all happened quickly, and Mary, covering her mouth, said,
“Hey, isn’t this the first time you’ve exchanged phone numbers with a guy?”
Luke, realizing that the only numbers saved in her phone besides Yerina and Dighton were those of the fellow forest rangers and Mary, nodded in agreement.
And they were all, coincidentally, women.
But Luke, completely unaware of the other connotations of exchanging numbers, simply nodded and replied,
“That seems to be the case.”
“Oh, so Sirud is the first!”
“It appears so.”
Luke said nonchalantly, handing the phone back.
“What?”
Sirud took the phone, blushing.
Seeing his reaction, Mary chuckled.
“Hehehe…….”
“Why are you laughing?”
“You two seem to be getting along well!”
“Of course, we’re not on bad terms. Right, Sirud? Do you dislike me?”
“……Huh? Oh…… no? I don’t dislike you…….”
What a timid fellow.
A boy giving such a feeble response, really.
“Mary, even when I’m not here, please take care of Sirud.”
“Leave it to me!”
Mary said confidently, pounding her chest, and Luke nodded in trust at her response.
“Who, who are you to just entrust me to someone!”
Sirud’s flustered exclamation was thoroughly ignored this time.
