SRC 24

chapter 24

Since they say you should pull out a unicorn’s horn while it’s still warm, I went to find my sister as soon as I got home without hesitating.

Even after changing into casual clothes, she still had a neat and elegant aura about her.

There was a reason people said that a face completes fashion.

“What is it, Olivia?”

“Unni, do you remember we promised to have a meal with Lucas?”

“Of course I remember.”

“How about next Monday right away?”

“Sounds good.”

She answered readily without a moment’s hesitation.

“Then could you contact Lucas?”

Come to think of it, unfortunately I didn’t have Lucas’s contact information.

We had only promised to meet every Friday after school.

Of course, that was one reason I couldn’t contact him—but honestly, I also hoped that by using this excuse, Lucas and my sister might get a little closer.

“You still didn’t get Lucas’s contact?”

“Yeah. We can’t use communication devices inside the academy anyway.”

I really didn’t understand why the rule banning communication devices existed.

If we wanted to contact each other, we might as well send pigeons.

“Alright, then I’ll contact him.”

My sister took out her communication device and immediately contacted Lucas.

I’m not exaggerating—he picked up in less than three seconds.

—W-what, huff, is it?

He sounded so desperate, as if he had jumped from somewhere just to grab the device.

“Ah, Lucas. I was wondering how it would be to have lunch together with Olivia on Monday.”

—Yes, I’d love to.

“Is the time really okay?”

—Yes, of course.

“Alright, thank you. Let’s not eat at the academy cafeteria that day—let’s go out. I’ll treat you, so think about what you’d like to eat.”

—Anything is fine.

“Still, I’ll buy you what you want to eat.”

—…Then I’ll think about it.

Seeing how obedient he was to everything my sister said was both pitiful and admirable.

“Think about it carefully. Then let’s meet at the main gate during lunch.”

—Yes, understood.

“Have a good weekend.”

—H-have a good… weekend.

His final voice sounded oddly moved.

Was it just my imagination?

After the call ended, I couldn’t hold back my curiosity.

“Unni, is this your first time contacting Lucas?”

“No, I’ve contacted him a few times before.”

And yet he sounded like he was receiving his very first call.

Lucas really stirred up sympathy in many ways.

Don’t worry, Lucas.

You’ve got this noona(?) here!

I’ll definitely use this opportunity to help you!

As always, magic theory class was nothing short of torture for me.

Listening to Teacher Karen’s low voice made me sleepy.

I was pinching my cheeks, trying desperately not to doze off.

Ding—dong—dang—dong—

The bell announcing lunch rang.

Like hyenas ready to pounce, the students who had already shifted one foot out of position gathered all their concentration and stared at Teacher Karen.

“Alright, enjoy your lunch….”

Unable to withstand the intense stares, she put down her chalk.

“Thank you!”

After shouting in unison, the students bolted at full speed.

Kids at that age were practically starving wild animals.

And honestly, I was one of them.

The only difference was that instead of heading to the cafeteria, I ran toward the main gate.

Despite sprinting at full speed, I saw someone already waiting there.

Unbelievable.

“Huff, huff… did you skip class?”

“No, I just came straight here.”

Unlike me, who was out of breath, Lucas looked perfectly fine.

Following his swordsmanship skills, his stamina also passed.

I thought he was just the type who only studied, but he had unexpected sides too.

His face wasn’t just my imagination—it was flushed red.

Even while pretending to be calm, his eyes kept glancing toward the path from the second-year building to the main gate.

Fortunately, my sister appeared before long.

“You’re both already here? How did you arrive earlier than me?”

The academy’s main gate was closest to the second-year building.

Next was the third-year building, and the first-year building was the farthest.

Yet both Lucas and I had arrived first—meaning we had both sprinted at full speed.

Lucas because he was excited to meet my sister.

Me because I was hungry.

“Were you that hungry?”

My sister smiled kindly as she looked between Lucas and me.

At her words, Lucas shyly stared at the ground and couldn’t even nod.

Was he trying to preserve his pride?

“I was starving. So what are we going to eat?”

My sister and I both turned our gazes to Lucas.

Lucas then pulled out a piece of parchment from his coat.

“I’ve listed the most famous restaurants around here in order.”

As he read out the list one by one, I felt a pang in my chest wondering just how much he had been looking forward to this.

My sister also seemed overwhelmed by the long list.

“Which one seems good to you?”

“Among those, what do you really want to eat, Lucas?”

Caught off guard by the question, Lucas panicked.

He scanned the parchment again and stammered.

“Ah, I think this restaurant, which has the highest rating among students, might be good.”

Thankfully, he didn’t hesitate too long before pointing to one place.

My sister and I leaned in to check the name.

“‘What Did They Do to the Noodles?’”

“What on earth… did they do?”

“Is there some secret to making them taste better?”

The name raised questions, but since Lucas said it was the most popular among students, we decided to try it.

Lucas even had a map prepared and led the way.

Just how much were you looking forward to this, Lucas?

When we arrived, the restaurant was indeed incredibly popular, just as he had said.

A long line of students stretched endlessly.

“T-this isn’t right.”

Flustered, Lucas alternated between looking at the parchment and the restaurant, sweating nervously.

To help him, I looked at the organized list again.

“Then let’s go to the second-ranked place that’s checked here.”

“‘Suspicious Research Restaurant’?”

My sister also looked puzzled.

“They serve fusion cuisine,” Lucas read from the notes beside it.

The signature dish was “Green Secret Soup.”

The name sounded suspicious, but trusting the student reviews again, we decided to go.

Thankfully, it wasn’t far. But once again, a long line greeted us.

Do they all really leave class before it ends?

Or are they using teleportation magic?

Lucas’s hand trembled as he held the parchment again.

Immediately, I pointed to a restaurant described as “decent enough,” rather than “popular among students.”

“Let’s try ‘The Restaurant That Came Back from the Dead.’”

“Sure. What about you, Lucas?”

“I’m fine with that.”

This restaurant was a bit away from the main street.

After turning through several alleys, we finally saw a worn sign with a spoon drawn on it.

Is this really the place?

When I looked back, Lucas wore a devastated expression again.

He had probably wanted to take my sister somewhere nice, but nothing was going as planned.

However, my sister didn’t seem to mind and smiled brightly.

“It feels like it could be a hidden gem.”

“If it tastes bad, I’ll take responsibility since I picked it.”

I decided to take the blame to ease Lucas’s burden.

“There’s no need. We don’t know the taste yet, so let’s just go in.”

My sister patted my head and opened the door first.

Surprisingly, there were no customers inside.

After we sat at an empty table, a woman who seemed to be the owner came out, practically tossed the menu onto the table, and went back to the kitchen.

“Oh, they specialize in stew.”

Was there some superstition around here that restaurants with normal names would fail?

Fortunately, the menu names were ordinary.

But there were only two items: vegetable stew and meat stew.

They say the fewer the menu items, the more confident the restaurant is.

Still, I was worried about the taste of this empty place.

“I’ll have the vegetable stew.”

“Then I’ll have the meat stew. What about you, Lucas?”

“I’ll have the meat stew as well.”

Somehow, it felt like Lucas had chosen to match my sister’s order.

Whether it was intentional or just coincidence, only Lucas would know.

As we waited for the food, an awkward silence fell.

But I was someone who didn’t forget her mission.

I spoke first.

“Lucas, thank you. Thanks to you teaching me so kindly, I understand the actual magic theory classes much better now.”

Of course, the fact that I had dozed off in class today was a secret.

“It’s nothing. I didn’t really do anything.”

Lucas modestly waved it off.

“It was a big favor, so thank you for agreeing, Lucas. If Olivia’s grades improve, I’ll think it’s thanks to you and treat you to another meal.”

At my sister’s words, it seemed like a strange light briefly flickered in Lucas’s eyes.