Damn Academy - Chapter 171

[Episode 171] Suspicion

That night, for the first time in a while, I had dinner with Trisha. She moved her fork relentlessly, her eyes glistening with tears at the modest spread before her.

“Have you been starving this whole time?”

“No!”

“Then why do you look so pitiful eating?”

“When I cook, it never tastes this good. And I hated eating dinner alone every night.”

Trisha had spent nearly a month alone in this dormitory. Given her nature, she must have felt the loneliness acutely.

“There are plenty of cookbooks. Just follow those… or is there a problem?”

“I followed them exactly, but the taste is just not there. Maybe the fairy of cooking is jealous of me.”

To follow a recipe and still fail in taste usually means a lack of skill. I cook by the book, too.

Despite her attempts to hide it, her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. Seeing her like that made me feel uneasy.

“Shall I teach you how to cook?”

“…I can manage on my own.”

“If I leave for a long time again, will you endure like this?”

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“…No.”

“Then you should learn and make use of it.”

“If you don’t leave, you can just stick to me like a limpet and cook stew every day.”

“Of course, I’ll cook for you when I’m here, but I’m not always free to play housemaid for you.”

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One of Trisha’s cheeks puffed out, seeming slightly vexed.

“Why so serious? Just saying it would be nice!”

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep. And I’ll be away for a day during the next break.”

“Why all of a sudden? What are you doing?”

“I have a commitment. I’m planning to spend a day at the professor’s residence.”

“I want to come too!”

It wouldn’t particularly bother me, but this was a matter of inviting Luna, not Trisha.

“I’ll ask.”

“Whose permission do you need? The professor is far away, do you really need his approval?”

“Yes, Luna and I planned to prepare a meal. It was supposed to be after the Transmutation class, but it got delayed.”

“Luna? Why haven’t you invited me? I want to join!”

“Luna helped me a lot during the Transmutation class. Since then, we’ve barely had a proper conversation. Besides, didn’t I treat you to dinner tonight? And I’ll keep doing so in the future.”

“But, that… no…”

Trisha seemed at a loss for words. She must know that expecting more is just being greedy.

It’s understandable that she would want to cling due to loneliness, but we can’t be together in everything.

Trisha ate listlessly, her eyes downcast, picking at her food with no energy. Seeing her like that made my resolve weaken again.

Maybe Luna and Trisha would benefit from getting to know each other. After all, they could share our daily lives.

I’ll have to ask Luna.

***

After classes, I devoted myself to gathering information about the lady’s illness at the library. Despite serious effort, I couldn’t find anything substantial. I contemplated seeking out the professors for guidance when Luna returned to our agreed meeting place.

I paused my research to talk with Luna.

Feeling a bit sorry for Trisha, I asked Luna what had happened during my absence and about her upcoming plans.

“Everyone’s busy preparing for the sparring evaluations. Especially the seniors; they’re training hard to set an example for the freshmen.”
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“Sparring evaluations…?”

Luna whispered cautiously from across the bookshelf.

“Yeah. All grades get mixed up and paired by drawing lots. Magic students with magic students… Combat students with combat students… A freshman might face a senior… So everyone’s taking it seriously.”

“Hmm… Is that why the campus atmosphere felt different?”

Is it anticipation in their eyes I see? Like people excited for a big festival, eager to teach the arrogant freshmen a lesson?

Luna covered her mouth with her hand, silently laughing.

“That’s… probably because of the upcoming Eternia ball.”
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“Isn’t the ball still a month away?”

“Yeah… but it’s normal to start preparing a month in advance…”

“Have you prepared, Luna?”

Luna nodded.

“I’m confident about the sparring evaluations.”

Luna is indeed skilled enough to immobilize even Sion without moving a muscle. As the top student in the magic department, the seniors might even fear her.

But what I asked about wasn’t the evaluations.

“What about the ball?”

Luna averted her gaze. Her tiny face, visible through the gap between the tomes, disappeared from my sight. Then she spoke in an even smaller voice.

“I’ll prepare…”

“…”

“Damian… what about you?”

“Well, I haven’t really thought about it. I am curious about how the others are preparing, though.”

Luna’s face brightened as she peeked through the bookshelf.

“When will we have dinner?”

“I was just about to talk about that… Would it be alright to bring one more guest?”

“Who…?”

“Have you heard of Trisha? She wants to hang out with us too.”

“…”

Luna blinked silently, giving no reaction.

She looked at me impassively. I couldn’t decipher her thoughts—it felt like speaking to a cat that doesn’t understand human language.

My intuition told me this wasn’t a positive response.
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Luna slowly began to speak, and her answer was not what I expected.
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“Alright.”

“Are you sure? It’s fine to say no, and I won’t tell Trisha you refused.”

Luna spoke as if she had made a firm decision.
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“It’s fine. Bring her along…”
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There was no expression, but her aura seemed a bit angry. It was only a hunch, but it certainly didn’t feel like joy.

Then Luna pulled out a book from the shelf.

“Two days from now, after all the classes, wait for me at the main gate. I’ll come to get you.”

“Okay.”

Luna ended the conversation shortly and turned to leave the repository.

I also left the place, becoming just another passerby in the library corridor.
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On my way out, I saw Luna talking to a librarian, clutching a book to her chest.

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“That book contains dangerous potion formulas and can only be borrowed by fourth-year Alchemy students.”

The book Luna held was titled ‘Murderous Potions’. Had she picked that up in a fit of anger?

I noticed she was uncharacteristically arguing with the librarian.

“I want to borrow it…!”

“As I said, that book is only for Alchemy students…”

Seeing this, I felt a twinge of guilt. Surely Luna wasn’t planning to use it to hurt someone. I could guess that she was upset.

I should not have brought up Trisha.

***

When classes ended and most students returned to their dormitories, I boarded the carriage bound for Silveryn’s estate.

I wondered if we could get through the day unscathed with Trisha and Luna together. What had become of Luna and the ‘Murderous Potions’ book, I couldn’t say. Surely Luna wouldn’t poison the food. She probably doesn’t even know how to decipher alchemical formulas.

As the carriage neared the promised location at Eternia’s main gate, I spotted a familiar figure with golden hair. Luna was waving from a secluded corner, holding a wooden basket.

A few steps away stood Trisha, alone. Seeing them apart, I sighed deeply.

Though they were both in the same theater club, it seemed they lacked sufficient closeness to bridge the distance.

Luna boarded the carriage first.

“Welcome.”

“…Thanks.”

Luna sat quietly beside me without further words.

Then Trisha, waving her arms, ran up to the carriage.

“Wait for me!”

Upon entering, Trisha glanced at Luna sitting beside me and frowned. She then sat down across from us.

An awkward silence filled the air. How to dissipate this tension?

Fortunately, Trisha broke it with her usual light-hearted chatter.

“I saw a huge crow while waiting!”

“That’s impressive.”

Luna also chimed in.

“I brought ingredients in this basket…”

The basket Luna held seemed heavy and packed with items.

“You shouldn’t have bothered with the expense. You could’ve just asked me.”

Luna shook her head.

“I wanted to cook something I’m good at… You’ll definitely like it.”

“I invited you to be a guest, not to work.”

“I want to help in the kitchen…”

A proud smile crept onto Luna’s face.

Then, seeing Luna’s expression, Trisha’s mood visibly soured.

“I want to cook, too!”

“No. Too many cooks in the kitchen will only make things difficult. Plus, you can’t cook.”