The Gacha Addict of the Academy

After finishing the chicken, we each took turns showering and came out refreshed.

What really annoyed me was that none of the four of us remembered to bring a change of clothes or even underwear. As a result, we all had to leave briefly and go back home to grab our things.

If that was going to happen, then why did we even bother playing rock-paper-scissors earlier? And why was I the only one who ended up having to buy the food in the first place?

Anyway… I usually wear pajamas to bed, so I brought some as usual, but wearing them here feels kind of embarrassing.

What’s even more ridiculous is that the one who proposed this whole thing—Hyeon-ah —also forgot her clothes. She laughed awkwardly and apologized, but from my perspective, she was irritating enough to make me want to slap her.

Seriously, going back home for nothing earlier felt like a complete waste of time.

…

Let’s just call it extra exercise.

In her pajamas, Hyeon-ah, while not as well-endowed as Reina, still had enough of a figure that her curves were noticeable.

It made me feel a little guilty and uncomfortable, so I tried not to look. But since I’d never seen a real female body up close before, curiosity got the better of me.

The only real female body I’d seen was my own since inhabiting this one. But even when I looked at myself naked while bathing, it didn’t stir any particular emotions.

Not that I intended to look—at first, I even avoided showering entirely. But not bathing eventually leads to bad smells and discomfort, so I just forced myself to do it.

Maybe it’s because my body is so petite, or perhaps it’s just because this body is female, but I didn’t feel anything weird about it. That was kind of shocking in itself.

Now that I think about it, even earlier, when Reina came out of the shower and I accidentally caught a glimpse of her cleavage, I didn’t feel excited—just vaguely thought, Wow, that’s big.

…

It’s kind of sad, honestly.

“So… why did you gather us all here?”

Reina asked Hyeon-ah with a serious expression.

It seemed Reina assumed there was some purpose behind the gathering.

Hyeon-ah, apparently caught off guard, looked flustered and admitted there wasn’t any particular reason.

“…What?”

Reina, who had expected some sort of topic or activity, looked visibly disappointed.

Well, to be fair, it’s not like we have much to talk about right now. We haven’t known each other for long, and Flost only joined us today. Sharing a dorm room immediately after meeting must feel overwhelming for her.

Proof of this was Flost sitting quietly, unable to join in the conversation.

…And me too, honestly.

It’s not like I have much to talk about, anyway.

“Well, I usually don’t go this far, but since you all don’t seem interested in getting to know each other, I thought I’d bring us together,” Hyeon-ah said.

“…You’re such a busybody,” Reina remarked, looking exasperated.

Hyeon-ah just smiled brightly in response.

“In that case, how about we start with a topic that might interest everyone?”

A topic that interests everyone?

“Do you guys have anyone you like?”

Ah.

That’s… probably a minefield in this group. As expected, no one responded, and everyone avoided making eye contact. Naturally, I didn’t answer either since I didn’t have anyone I liked.

“Hmm… I guess that was a bad question.”

Yeah, it definitely was.

Awkwardly laughing, Hyeon-ah changed the question.

“Do you have any hobbies?”

Hobbies… hobbies, huh.

For me, my hobbies are gaming and reading novels. I’ve also practiced magic a bit, but doing it alone doesn’t really motivate me.

It’s not like I hate studying, but enjoying it is a different story altogether.

That applies even to magic, despite being a unique subject.

“I’d say my hobby is studying magic.”

That’s a lie.

It’s not completely untrue, but magic study comes second to relieving stress by hitting a punching bag. If I recall correctly, that’s something the protagonist discovers later when they find me practicing.

Of course, the protagonist had already noticed my punches flying earlier, but that was a long time ago.

Hyeon-ah , trying to lighten the mood, clapped enthusiastically, but she was the only one doing so. When she realized no one else was joining in, her applause gradually faded into awkward silence.

She was clearly trying to lift the atmosphere, but it was a tough effort.

…I feel bad. I wanted to support her, but the heavy atmosphere had completely crushed me. There were four of us in the room, yet it didn’t feel like a space where people were supposed to live.

Even I couldn’t take it anymore in such an oppressive environment.

“Uh… guys… um…”

The others turned to look at me, their faces full of surprise, as if they couldn’t believe I was about to speak. Sure, I’m shy and usually quiet, but I couldn’t just let this awkwardness go on forever.

I mean, it’s not like I’ll die for saying something, right?

“What’s up?”

“Hm?”

Flost and Reina were the first to respond.

“Uh… Hyeon-ah’s been, um… trying really hard to liven things up, so… maybe we could at least try to talk?”

I hoped this would encourage everyone to participate in the conversation. Surely they wouldn’t find it off-putting or annoying… right?

When I glanced nervously at Hyeon-ah, she winked at me and gave me a thumbs-up.

Phew, at least I hadn’t said the wrong thing.

“…Fine. I’m Flost Barnava, and I like books.”

“Oh! Speaking of which, Luna reads a lot of books too!”

“…Really?”

Flost’s eyes lit up as she turned to look at me.

Well… I wouldn’t really call what I read “books.” Last time, Hyeon-ah almost caught me reading, and it wasn’t just any book—it was a smutty novel. If anyone ever found out about that, it’d be the end for me.

Flost asked me what kinds of books I usually read. Honestly, I didn’t really have an answer for her…

I avoided eye contact, unable to respond.

Flost seemed to mistake my hesitation for shyness and began explaining the kinds of books she liked, rattling off the names of authors and titles I didn’t recognize.

Honestly, I couldn’t make sense of anything she was saying—it was all going over my head.

I couldn’t admit that I mostly read web novels or, worse, smut. That would completely kill the mood. So I just forced a smile, pretending to be too embarrassed to talk about it.

This lively atmosphere was so rare—I couldn’t risk ruining it.

Is this… what it feels like to be part of a social circle?

Still, seeing Flost genuinely enjoying herself was kind of nice, even though keeping the conversation going was leaving me a nervous wreck.

“…There’s only one bed.”

The rest of us would have to sleep on the floor.

Of course, there wasn’t much of a debate to be had. This was Reina’s dorm room, after all, so naturally, the bed belonged to her.

“…It feels a little weird to sleep here alone, though.”

Reina didn’t seem entirely happy with the arrangement either.

But having someone else share the bed wasn’t really an option. It was a single bed, and it would be too cramped for two people. Sleeping on the floor together also wasn’t ideal—there wasn’t enough space for all four of us.

Dorm rooms really aren’t spacious.

“Hm… what should we do?”

Hmm…

“Well, Reina’s the biggest, and Luna’s the smallest, so why don’t the two of them share the bed?”

Flost pointed at Reina and me.

…

Excuse me?

Did I just hear that right?

I tilted my head in confusion and looked at Flost, who was staring back at me with an expression that said, “What’s the problem?” From her perspective, this probably seemed perfectly logical. But from mine? Absolutely not.

There’s no way she knows who I really am…

“Th-that’s…”

“Actually, that sounds like a good idea. Luna’s size would fit perfectly,” Reina said, agreeing immediately.

W-wait a second…

Before I could protest, Flost and Hyeon-ah had already claimed their spots on the floor, leaving Reina and me to lie side by side on the bed.

They even turned off the lights right away.

“…This actually works.”

“Ugh…”

Just as they said, my small frame meant the bed wasn’t cramped at all.

But for me, it was still a problem.

Reina was so close I could feel her breath.

“This is the first time I’ve shared a bed with someone I just met,” Reina said.

“Y-y-yeah…”

What is this? Seriously, what is happening?

Reina probably thought of me as just another friend, but lying next to her like this filled my mind with random, chaotic thoughts.

…

I just want to go home.