Chapter 30: Unexpected Connections

I hadn’t had many friends in either my past or current life.

If I traced back my memories, I did have quite a few friends back in high school.

After all, we spent at least a year together in the same class, so it was natural to talk with those seated nearby.

Through that, I got to meet people who liked the same things I did—like manga and anime.

But among the friends I met that way, only a few turned out to be the kind I could stay close to for life.

Though, since I died before even reaching half the average Korean lifespan, who knows how long I could’ve kept in touch with them anyway?

Then what about in this life?

Well, Siwoo is definitely my friend.

A close one, at that—we share quite a few secrets.

Having lived in the same house, we might even count as siblings.

Though he’s very conscious of my body now that I’m a girl, I’m confident I could change clothes in front of him without batting an eye.

As for others… Well, I wouldn’t say I have no friends besides him.

There’s the busgirl around my age who works at the inn-tavern we frequent, and some guild staff or adventurers I sometimes have a drink with.

But none of them are as close as Siwoo.

He’s the only one I can really share my thoughts with—especially those rooted in my past life.

We even chat about movies we watched before reincarnating, when it’s just the two of us.

So then, what about the members of my current party?

It had been a week since that accidental party played in front of the dragon.

“So, in your village, only bear and cat beastkin live there?”

I was at least trying to be friendly.

Making small talk over a meal wasn’t my forte, but I’d lived long enough in my previous life to know that being silent through the whole meal could be misunderstood.

“That’s right-nya.”

Sasha replied, then stuffed her mouth with a sandwich.

It was a sandwich made with thick cuts of deboned, salted, and pan-grilled fish tucked between slices of crispy, toasted baguette.

The bread was lightly buttered, and even someone like me—who didn’t usually enjoy fish—had to admit it looked delicious.

Since receiving her share of five gold coins, Sasha’s diet had been upgraded significantly.

Most notably, her meals now included a lot more protein.

Previously, her meals were practically all greens.

I guess that’s what happens after getting ripped off again and again on the way to the academy.

Narya also had a fish dish, though hers was a whole fish as big as my forearm.

She looked so much like a bear that I couldn’t help but imagine her ripping it apart with her teeth…

But instead, Narya tied a checkered napkin around her neck, and, with a fork and knife that looked tiny in her large hands, delicately carved the grilled fish.

When she finished one side, instead of flipping it over, she neatly lifted the entire spine and placed it to the side.

It looked incredibly refined.

“Don’t beastkin of different species have trouble living together? Like different dietary needs or something?”

“That’s just a stereotype-nya. The shape of our ears is no more meaningful to beastkin than hair color is to humans-nya. Do humans fight because they have different hair colors?”

Well, it could happen.

If someone like Hitler were born into this world, that is.

Though in this world, species-based hatred might come before racism.

And to be honest, that kind of prejudice already exists.

“So… Sasha, did you also look like that before you hit puberty?”

“Hmm? Nope-nya. Only bear beastkin looks like that before puberty-nya.”

“Ku-ung.”

Wait—doesn’t that just make them a different species entirely?

Besides, I still wasn’t totally convinced about that whole “beastkin puberty transformation” thing.

Mainly because I hadn’t seen any other bear beastkin besides Narya.

“But-nya,”

Sasha looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“That earring—you said Siwoo gave it to you, right-nya?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“Then is it really precious to you? Is that why you always wear it-nya?”

“Uh…”

I glanced at Siwoo, who was sitting next to me.

He was staring intently at the steak in front of him, pretending not to listen, but his ears were already tinged red.

He was clearly not used to this kind of conversation.

“Well… yeah, I guess so.”

At my answer, Siwoo nearly choked and coughed on his food.

“Oh my, then is that the item you treasure most out of everything you own?”

Chloe tossed in the question with feigned innocence.

I narrowed my eyes at her, but she only tilted her head like she genuinely didn’t know.

“Yes. It’s something I treasure.” I replied.

What, did you think I’d get all flustered and fail to answer?

Of course I wear it every day—I do care about it.

“I even got my ears pierced for it.”

“Kff!”

This time, Siwoo let out a much more obvious gagging sound.

“When did you get it?”

“During the village festival. We danced together.”

Siwoo grabbed his cup and gulped down water.

Ah, this was kind of fun.

“Th-then, the two of you have been together since you were little?”

I could practically see the words “thump-thump” and “heart-pounding” floating above Chloe’s head as she asked.

“Well, yeah. We lived in the same house.”

Thunk!

It was like something heavy had dropped on the heads of everyone sitting around me—including Siwoo.

Not literally, but I could see it.

“My parents live there too.”

“Ah, uh—oh! I see!”

Chloe scrambled to respond.

“I-I knew that-nya!”

“Ku-ung!

Oh, come on.

Don’t pretend like that was what you all were thinking from the start.

It felt like if we kept going, Siwoo would start to suffer for real, so I decided to reel things in a bit.

“Besides, tons of people in our village have misunderstood us in the same way. So don’t think we’re getting flustered just because you said something.”

Sasha, Narya, and Chloe all turned their eyes toward Siwoo.

Seriously, why would you look away at a time like this?

I jabbed him in the elbow with mine, stifling a laugh, and turned my gaze elsewhere.

It was purely by coincidence that I caught a glimpse of Lady Arnburrow’s face.

The student cafeteria at Lionheart Academy looked a lot like a food court at a big mall.

There were tables gathered in the center for students to eat at, and the surrounding space was lined with various food stalls.

There wasn’t a ticketing system or anything—students had to queue up at the stalls, which was a bit of a downside.

But since this wasn’t the only cafeteria on campus, it wasn’t like every student gathered here at once.

Plus, over half of the students here were from noble families, and many of them hated standing in line altogether.

Some nobles didn’t line up themselves at all—they’d send someone from their clique to bring food for them.

One prime example was Lady Blackwood of the Borderlands.

This wasn’t the kind of world where you could expect social welfare or anything like that, so meal prices were actually quite high.

Some students brought their own lunch instead.

In that mix, the face of her highness, Rebecca Arnburrow, stood out distinctly.

Probably because of that unmistakably noble air around her.

“Hmm?”

“What’s up-nya?”

“Oh, nothing. I just thought of something for a second.”

I quickly said that before Sasha turned around.

She didn’t seem particularly lonely sitting by herself.

How many people would openly show that they’re lonely while eating alone?

So why hadn’t I noticed until now?

I tried not to give her too much attention.

I’ve eaten alone often myself, and when people keep staring at you, no matter the reason, it just feels uncomfortable.

Though, I’ll admit, it did bother me a little.

The next day, during lunch break.

As usual, I happily bought my meal and went in search of a table to sit at.

Once again, I saw Lady Arnburrow’s face.

She was sitting alone, far from the noisy crowd of students.

She was eating stew.

For a noble, her taste in food is pretty simple, I thought as I briefly looked away.

But I couldn’t help it and ended up glancing back.

Coincidentally, there were students nearby, chatting and laughing as they ate, and Lady Arnburrow looked a bit… downcast.

Her expression was neutral, though.

For some reason, I couldn’t stop remembering the smile she had given me when I had held her hand.

And then—

“Hmm? What?”

I quickly glanced at Siwoo, who was standing beside me.

Our eyes met.

He had told me before.

If you have the skill, develop it properly.

You’ll need it to help me.

Whether or not Siwoo developed his skills was his own problem.

I couldn’t force him to do something he didn’t want to do.

It was a bit of an overstep on my part, but it wasn’t like I said it out of dislike for him.

Sigh.

I let out a small breath and stepped forward.

I walked right up to the seat where Lady Arnburrow was sitting alone and placed my plate down on the seat opposite her.

“Hmm?”

She blinked, looking up at me.

“Is it okay if I sit here?”

“Hmm?”

At first, she gave me a somewhat aloof look, but as I was already sitting down before she could even agree, she let out a soft, surprised sound.

Well, it’s not like it’s a big deal.

It’s just that in class, we sit next to each other, right?

In high school, friends don’t become close because something special happens.

It’s usually because they end up sitting near each other.

And then, a few of them end up staying in touch for life.