By the time Monday morning rolled around, Soren was finally cleared to leave the infirmary.
'Ugh, my back feels so stiff.'
After more than a full day lying on that thin mattress, every muscle in his body felt stiff and heavy.
But he knew better than to complain.
Compared to what could have happened, soreness was a blessing.
Now that he had been living in this body for nearly a month, classes were starting to feel easy.
Easier than they probably should have been.
At first, he had worried about the knowledge gap between Earth and Ivansia, different history, different systems, even the alphabet looked like a cursed version of cursive, but that fear turned out to be pointless.
There was also the factor that the original Soren had only attended for just under two weeks before Isaac took his place, meaning that he didn't miss much.
After all, he was in class F.
'But still, I wish it were a bit more difficult.'
"—Memorisation is a key step in constructing a magic circle. An incomplete structure may cause violent mana feedback…" droned the professor at the front.
Soren leaned forward, chin propped on his palm.
'At least I'll be able to keep the original Soren's scores steady.'
That much mattered.
He knew his acceptance into Stellaris Academy had to have come from theory exams.
With combat ability like his, there was no other explanation.
If he couldn't keep his written results near the top, he might actually face expulsion before he even got the chance to prove anything.
'But seriously, can't they teach something more useful?'
He sighed.
The more time passed, the more he realised that class F existed solely as an academic dumping ground.
At first, he had been thankful for it, no story characters, no attention, but now…
Shudder
'I… actually want to study?'
'Ugh, what's happening to me?'
Ever since Rena Forest, his thoughts had started to shift in ways that disturbed him.
– I can't wait to train.
– Studying magic sounds really fun.
He would occasionally have thoughts like those.
'Has transmigration finally broken my brain?'
He stared blankly at his desk for a few seconds.
Then…
Woooonggg—
A faint hum filled the air as an orange magic circle flared to life above his palm, a tiny flame flickering in its center.
'...But how has nobody noticed yet?'
Sizzle
He had been secretly casting [Ignition] throughout every class since morning, burning through his mana, letting it recharge, then starting again.
A full-day cycle of secret training.
Technically, anyone with decent mana sensitivity should be able to sense it.
Then again…
'Right. Class F.'
That explained everything.
He smirked and focused on the flame again.
The stability of the circle made him quietly proud.
This was thanks to the new skill he had bought, [Concentration].
He had been experimenting ever since the weekend, trying to push its limits.
If he had spent such a rare ticket on it, he wanted every bit of value he could get.
The results had been better than expected.
Not only could he maintain spells while moving, his original goal, but the skill also had side effects he hadn't anticipated: better multitasking, smoother mana control, even sharper focus during conversation.
It also paired perfectly with [Library of Memories], his unique skill.
Memorisation and concentration; an ideal combo for a student who refused to be useless.
'At least it was worth it.'
He closed the spell and glanced at his status window.
There was, however, something else he'd done during his infirmary stay… something far less rational.
When browsing the store, he had stumbled on a certain item.
[Random Stat-Boost Elixir].
The moment he had seen it, he tried to scroll past.
Really, he had.
But some habits died hard.
Five years of gacha addiction had left scars.
And at only 25 points, it had been impossible to ignore.
So, naturally, he bought it.
Immediately after, the price doubled to 50 points, mocking him.
At first, he told himself not to drink it.
His logic was sound: raising stats early gave diminishing returns later, so it would be smarter to wait until his base was higher.
The problem?
Soren had the self-control of a magpie staring at shiny things.
He had placed the bottle on the bedside table, then spent an entire day staring at it.
In the end…
'I couldn't help myself.'
He drank it.
Drinking it increased his agility by +0.3, which was fortunate as he had been slightly worried that it might raise his charm even further.
'I wonder if increasing charm would even do anything at this point.'
In the game, it only increased affection gains during dating events, but here, it didn't seem to affect anything.
If it was supposed to make people like him more, it had failed spectacularly, no one had greeted him once that morning.
'Whatever. I'll figure it out someday.'
Ding- Dong-♪ Ding- Dong-♪
"—That's all for today. Be careful on your way out."
The professor's words snapped him from his thoughts.
"Oh, and Soren, Professor Roseblood asked me to tell you to wait here for her."
Soren paused mid-motion, thumb at his lip.
'Wait, what?'
He had already been scolded after waking up in the infirmary.
What could she want now?
'Did I mess something up?'
"Hmm…"
While Soren was lost in thought, the door flung open and in walked Lilliana.
"Ah, you're still here, Soren."
Her soft voice carried easily in the empty room.
Deciding to rip off the bandage, he asked.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Her eyes widened.
"No, no, it's nothing like that. I just wanted to ask you something."
Relief loosened his shoulders… until she continued.
"I was wondering if you were free to have lunch together?"
He froze.
'Huh?'
Maybe he had misheard, but one glance at her calm, expectant face told him he hadn't.
'It can't just be a game-to-reality difference anymore…'
Before he could gather a reply, Lilliana added quickly.
"If you already have plans, that's fine. I'm sure you're busy."
The faintly self-deprecating smile on her face pushed him into answering before she misunderstood.
"There's no way that's true," he said. "I'd be happy to have lunch with you—it just caught me off guard."
He technically had plans with Felix, but surely Felix would forgive him.
'I mean, if he got invited by Miss Rose, he'd ditch me too.'
Soren then looked at Lilliana once again, her petite figure catching his eye.
'On second thought… maybe not.'
He coughed to clear the thought.
"I'll go buy something and come right back—"
"No need," she interrupted gently. "I accidentally made more than I can eat, so we can share… if that's alright."
'Accidentally, huh.'
Soren almost laughed.
Nobody "accidentally" prepared a two-person meal at dawn, but the obviousness made it even cuter.
"I'll take you up on that. Thanks, Miss Rose."
"Then come sit down."
Pat pat
She tapped the chair beside her.
Soren obeyed, settling into the seat as she set a large lunchbox on the desk.
The moment she opened it, a rich aroma drifted out.
'Wow…'
His mouth watered before he could stop himself.
It wasn't fancy; sandwiches, omelettes, some sautéed vegetables, but everything looked perfect, hand-crafted, precise.
Compared to the academy cafeteria food, it radiated warmth.
He realised with mild embarrassment that he was staring.
He couldn't help it.
'It's not like I've been eating poorly, but… this is different.'
Soren's daily diet usually consisted of whatever the cafeteria offered for lunch, then snacking on some bread in the evening.
It was possible to eat at the dorms thanks to the maids, but Soren had a naturally small stomach, leaving him satisfied with just a single meal a day.
Before he even realised it, he was eating silently, completely absorbed.
Every bite seemed to melt away the stiffness that had lingered since the infirmary.
When he finally glanced up, Lilliana was watching him expectantly, eyes sparkling ever so slightly.
"Ah—sorry," he blurted, setting down his sandwich. "It was so good I forgot to say anything. Definitely the best meal I've had in a long time. Thank you, Miss Rose."
His tone carried no exaggeration, and because of that, it hit harder than any polite compliment could have.
Lilliana blinked, then smiled, a bright, genuine expression untouched by her usual composure.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
It was a smile that could melt the winter off stone.
A smile that, until now, had never once appeared on her face in the game.
For a moment, Soren just stared, quietly thinking.
It was a face that would have been impossible to see back in the game.
A face of pure joy, lacking the mask she always wore.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Once the meal ended, Lilliana folded her hands neatly in her lap and turned toward him.
"There was a reason I asked you to do this today."
Soren had already guessed as much and kept his expression neutral.
"The main reason," she said softly, "was to check up on you. I know the priests here are capable, but… the state you were in when I found you was difficult to forget."
She hesitated briefly before continuing, her voice lowering just a touch.
"It's rare to see a student that badly hurt, even once. But in your case, it's happened twice—ah, sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up."
'Twice?'
Soren blinked.
That word echoed in his head, muffling everything else she said.
Since transmigrating, he had only been seriously injured once.
Then it hit him.
'Wait. When I first woke up in this world… I was already lying in the infirmary, wasn't I?'
He'd brushed it off before, assuming it was a convenient starting point, but now…
'What happened before I arrived?'
Thinking that it was something he should look into later, he turned his attention back to the person in front of him.
"I'm fine now," he said simply. "All thanks to you."
She smiled faintly at that, though her eyes remained worried.
"That's good. But Soren…"
She trailed off, clearly hesitating, as if deciding whether what she wanted to say was appropriate.
"Yes?"
"I just want you to know," she began, "that if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me. I may not be the most reliable professor, being the youngest, but I'll do my best to help. All you have to do is ask."
As if to emphasise her words, she reached out and patted his head, her movements uncertain, almost timid.
Soren froze.
'I… feel like there's a misunderstanding here.'
Even so, he didn't stop her.
There was something oddly comforting about the gesture, and the gentle worry in her eyes made him feel… reluctant to correct her.
"Thank you," he said, smiling softly. "You'll be the first person I come to if I ever need help."
"Promise?" she asked, her tone light, but her expression serious.
"I promise."
Her shoulders relaxed as she smiled again, clearly relieved.
'She's… really too cute...'
Then she stood up, taking her hand off his head and brushing her skirt, regaining her usual professional air.
When the warmth disappeared from his head he was left with a mild feeling of regret.
"We should finish up. Lunch will be ending soon. What's your next class, Soren?"
"Alchemy," he replied. "You?"
"That's a shame, I need to go to my office to prepare for next week's lessons, so we'll be heading in opposite directions."
"Then I'll see you tomorrow," he said, rising from his seat. "And… thank you again for lunch."
She nodded with a soft hum of acknowledgment, but as Soren turned to leave, her voice stopped him.
"Soren—"
He turned back.
Lilliana fiddled with her hands, her usual composure cracking just slightly.
"How would you feel about doing this again sometime?"
He blinked.
"I was thinking… maybe a couple of times a week?" she continued quickly, her voice gaining a nervous lilt. "If that isn't a hassle, of course. You mentioned your diet earlier, and, well, it sounded like you weren't eating properly, and… ah! It's also a good way for me to keep an eye on a troublesome student, so really, it benefits both of us—"
"Wait—hold on." Soren cut her off mid-ramble, eyebrows twitching. "Did you just call me a troublemaker?"
He pointed at himself incredulously.
Ever since transmigration, he had kept relatively to himself, perfectly completed every assignment given to him, and never once got in trouble.
Yet, here Lilliana was calling him a troublemaker.
He couldn't believe it.
Lilliana tilted her head with the innocence of someone explaining something obvious to a child.
"Yes? What else would you call a student who's already spent nights in the infirmary multiple times before the mock duels even started?"
Soren opened his mouth, then closed it.
…He couldn't argue with that.
"Pff, let's get moving then, otherwise you'll be late. I'll let you know ahead of time about lunch so that I don't interfere with your plans."
Saying those words, Lilliana turned and left with a smile on her face.
Soren stood there for a moment, watching her disappear around the corner, before letting out a quiet sigh.
He didn't have the heart to tell her he never had plans in the first place.
Felix's face floated briefly to mind, but he ignored it and began walking toward his next class.
As he went, his thoughts circled back to the scene that had just unfolded.
He was suddenly invited to lunch by Miss Rose—Lilliana Roseblood—the genius professor who rarely made personal connections, keeping everyone at arm's length.
That was surprising enough, but Soren could understand it by thinking about the fact that she was genuinely worried about him.
But then she cutely lied about making extra food so she had an excuse to share it with him.
After that, she even stroked his head, going out of her way to make sure he knew he could rely on her.
And then finally, even asking to make having lunch together a regular occurrence.
All of this together left Soren's brain a mess.
It was as if she were telling him to discard any information about her he might have gathered from the game.
'Her mask just flew right off back there…' he thought, shaking his head in disbelief.
In-game, she had always been a wall of professionalism, rarely smiling, never letting anyone close.
Yet here she was, laughing and talking freely, her gentle concern unmasked.
'I wonder if she even realises how different she's acting.'
But the real question gnawed at him.
'Why me?'
No matter how many times he asked himself, it didn't make any sense.
He wasn't anyone special, in fact, he was quite the opposite; one of the lowest-ranked student in the entire arcane studies major, with dismal stats…
'Stats?'
A thought clicked.
He froze mid-step, eyes narrowing.
.
[Charm - 8.7 (S-)]
.
"…In the end, it can only be that."
He exhaled through his nose, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
'Yeah. That's gotta be it.'
Completely ignoring the possibility that it wasn't true at all, Soren decided to accept that explanation.
It made him feel better about the absurdity of it all.
And so, in a strangely good mood, he continued down the hallway toward his next class, whistling softly under his breath.
————「❤︎」————