The Gacha Addict of the Academy

Should I really be here?

That thought kept nagging at me. Reina and Hyeon-ah had both reassured me that it was fine, but… I couldn’t shake the unease. I knew who I was, and because of that, a lingering sense of discomfort wouldn’t leave me.

More than anything, I worried about my habits being noticed while staying at Reina’s dorm. What if they questioned why I did certain things? Or worse, what if they suspected I wasn’t really who I said I was?

“We’re here~!”

Hyeon-ah announced cheerfully as she stepped inside Reina’s dorm room, grinning from ear to ear.

“This is my dorm,” Reina muttered under her breath with a sigh, clearly exasperated. But with the way Hyeon-ah acted, you’d think it was her room.

Hyeon-ah probably found it interesting to compare it to her own dorm. Since she lived on campus too, it wasn’t surprising that she’d notice the differences.

Still, how does someone get so comfortable so quickly?

It was a world a loner like me couldn’t understand.

“Was it a mistake for me to come…?”

Flost’s voice broke the silence as she hesitated near the doorway, clearly unsure of herself. She looked so out of place next to these “insiders.” Honestly, I felt the same way. If anything, our shared awkwardness had built a strange sense of camaraderie between us.

To be fair, it’s no exaggeration to say that Hyeon-ah’s extroverted energy was the glue holding this group together. Without her, neither Flost nor I would have had the courage to reach out to anyone.

“… No, I feel the same way,” I said softly.

Flost sighed. “That elf… no matter how I look at it, she doesn’t seem to like me.”

“….”

She had a point. Reina’s earlier reaction had been reluctant at best, like she was tolerating Flost out of obligation.

Was it because of me? Did Reina only let Flost join because I asked her to? Flost hadn’t done anything wrong, so why was Reina so wary of her?

The only thing I could think of was that incident where Flost grabbed Reina by the back of the neck. But could that really be enough to explain her attitude?

Then again… knowing Reina, maybe it was.

“Well, now that we’re here, who wants to take a shower first?” Reina asked, changing the subject.

And so the time had come.

The dreaded “shower discussion.”

Of course, the showers were individual, so it wasn’t like anything weird was going to happen. But still…

Right?

“Before that…”

Hyeon-ah spoke up suddenly, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.

Everyone turned to look at her, waiting for her next words. She was definitely the center of the group, so whatever she said was bound to set the tone for the night.

“How about we decide who’s going to buy snacks with a game of rock-paper-scissors?”

“Snacks?” Reina frowned slightly at the suggestion.

There wasn’t any rule against bringing food into the dorm, but Reina didn’t seem too thrilled about it. Maybe it was the thought of cleaning up afterward, or perhaps she was worried about gaining weight.

Either way, the idea of snacks sounded amazing.

… Except for me.

“Ah… I can’t eat.”

I already had dinner, and my stomach was full. If I ate snacks on top of that, I might actually explode. The gym teacher had been nagging me to eat more and gain weight, but with my short stature, wouldn’t I just end up rolling around like a ball?

“I’ll pass. You can leave me out—”

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Hyeon-ah grabbed my arm before I could escape.

W-what? That’s not what I meant!

“And you too, Flost! Come on over!”

Flost hesitated, looking flustered but unable to resist Hyeon-ah’s unrelenting energy. It was impressive how effortlessly she roped us in.

Eventually, all of us gathered around, though everyone except Hyeon-ah wore slightly awkward expressions.

“Alright, ready? Rock, paper…”

At this point, I had no choice but to win.

…Or so I thought.

“…No way.”

Unbelievably, I was the only one who threw rock, while everyone else threw paper. Just like that, I lost in a single round.

I had thought my luck had improved ever since gaining this “gacha ability,” but I guess I was wrong. Either that, or all my luck was being used up in the gacha, leaving my real-life fortune in the gutter.

“Ah…”

I suddenly remembered I’d left my auto-spin running.

I should probably check on that.

But abandoning the snack run for gacha? That was out of the question. Still, I could always stop by my house and check before heading to the store… right?

If I retraced my steps, it wouldn’t be too hard. The problem was, what if I got lost on the way back?

“What should I do…?”

The plan was to get chicken, since delivery wasn’t an option here. Apparently, it was for “safety reasons,” but if they were that concerned about security, shouldn’t they have just banned outsiders from the dorm altogether?

This academy’s higher-ups must be out of their minds.

“Alright, let’s grab the snacks,” I muttered to myself, heading toward the store.

Chicken was, of course, the top pick. Reina, a half-elf, didn’t have any issues eating meat, which surprised me since the novel never mentioned it. Good to know.

Despite everyone having eaten dinner earlier, they all seemed excited about the idea of chicken. Clearly, their stomachs were bottomless pits.

Meanwhile, I was still full.

To distract myself, I opened my phone and started reading a novel. For people like me, walking while staring at your phone was the standard move. It was better than staring awkwardly at the ground and feeling self-conscious.

Even though I knew logically that no one was paying attention to me, I couldn’t stop myself from worrying about it.

“…I’m here,” I muttered to myself as I arrived at the store.

Walking while reading always made the trip go by faster.

“…..”

As soon as I opened the door and stepped inside, the rich aroma of fried chicken filled the air.

Before I could take another step, someone darted forward to greet me. Judging by their uniform, they were likely an employee of the chicken shop.

“…Luna?”

“….?”

Who knows my name here?

In this academy, only Hyeon-ah, Reina, Kang Ji hyuk, and Flost knew me, so I turned around, curious to see who it was. My eyes landed on Kang Ji hyuk, who was staring at me with a surprised expression.

What the…

Why is he here?

“Oh, so the four of you are hanging out in the dorms? Late-night snack run?”

“…Yeah.”

Meeting someone I knew here was unexpected but not unwelcome. Still, it left me wondering.

“What about you? Why are you here?”

“Oh, someone I know wanted chicken, so I came to grab some,” he replied casually.

Ah, makes sense.

This place is such a hassle—no delivery service at all. Why doesn’t the academy have a dedicated delivery person for students? It’s irritating, especially since it’s part of the novel’s worldbuilding.

I mean, why would the author set it up like this?

Because of it, I’m the one suffering.

…Well, to be fair, I lost at rock-paper-scissors, so it’s my fault.

I guess I should just be grateful I’m even trusted with errands like this.

“So, you’re…?”

“…Lost a round of rock-paper-scissors,” I admitted, sighing.

“Ah…”

Why does he look at me like I’m some sort of pitiful creature?

Shoo, shoo.

But now that I think about it, something feels off.

Why is he talking to me like this?

He’s not someone I’d normally want to get close to. Honestly, I find it a bit unnerving. If I get too friendly with him, there’s no doubt I’ll get dragged into whatever chaos he inevitably finds himself in.

Then again, looking at the people I’m already close to, it’s not like avoiding him will keep me out of trouble. At least with the others, I feel like I can manage.

Still, considering this is a harem story, there’s no guarantee I won’t somehow get entangled with him anyway.

Not that I’ve ever seen him as anything more than just another guy.

And frankly, there’s nothing appealing about someone who’s essentially just another stereotypical male protagonist.

Maybe it’s better to just escape while I still can.

“…Luna,” he called hesitantly.

“…?”

“Um… never mind. Just, uh, hang in there,” he said awkwardly.

“…Huh?”

Uh… okay?

Sure, I probably need to “hang in there” considering what’s likely to come, but what was that about? I tilted my head in confusion. He stammered something about just noticing me and saying hi, telling me not to overthink it.

Coming across him in a random chicken shop was weird enough, but now he’s telling me not to overthink it? That’s a tall order.

Still, I decided to let it go.

It was easier for me to just escape the situation entirely.

As I stood there, he picked up the chicken he had ordered and gave a quick wave before leaving.

…

Now that I think about it, I’ve been getting closer to the heroines for a while. Would it really be such a big deal to chat with him now and then?

Whether I like it or not, I’m going to get dragged into his business eventually. Maybe getting on his good side and asking him to watch my back wouldn’t be the worst idea.

He’s the protagonist, after all. Surely, he’d help someone like me if I needed it, right?

…Wow. What a selfish thought.

“….”

Oh well. I’ll figure it out somehow.