Chapter 20

Upon hearing the thoughts filled with boredom and annoyance, I immediately realized who was beyond this room.

There was no way I couldn’t.

The character had a personality that was hard to find in this type of game and was one of my favorites in the game.

Generally, students attending the Academy are mostly those who have a strong desire to grow.

Naturally, most students have an active personality, wanting to become stronger as quickly and as much as possible.

While there may be individual differences, most share that tendency.

However, as is often the case in life, among those attending the highly coveted Academy, there surely exist individuals who don’t want to be there but have no choice.

The owner of the previously sensed thoughts was exactly that vibe.

A default character set up as a lazy genius with incredible magical talents, devoid of motivation.

Stella Starname.

‘Why is she here… No, I guess it’s possible…’

There’s no rule saying default characters can’t be roommates, so it wouldn’t be strange for this to happen.

Yeah, considering probabilities, it seems unlikely, yet here we are.

With so many students, it’s hard to believe I would end up as a roommate with the default character.

‘At least it’s Stella, thank goodness…’

Since it’s more of a harem game where most other classes are female, if I had encountered a ranger or thief among them, I probably would’ve wanted to give up halfway.

Especially since those two personas are genuine hurdles to getting close…

The ranger, being an elf, has a personality that typically dislikes humans, making it even harder to forge a friendship.

It would be uncomfortable for both if we ended up being roommates, so this might be better…

‘Ha…’

No wonder they’re the heroes; they’re brimming with personality.

Especially this character named Stella is even more pronounced in this regard.

‘I can’t just stay here like this…’

Despite her hard-to-approach nature, I had past memories from the games. Countless times—dozens, hundreds, even thousands—I met, pursued, and had all sorts of experiences with the default character.

Of course, unlike before, she’s now a real girl named Stella, so trying to recall her habits as a default character to interact with her isn’t guaranteed to succeed.

That’s the fact I know all too well.

But…

‘Let’s give it a try.’

At the very least, it should help.

Considering that I had managed to think myself into situations with just my memory of the hero’s traits, it shouldn’t be impossible with Stella.

With that resolve, I firmly put the key into the doorknob.

And then,

Click, click…

“…”

Oh right.

She was the type to debut by miserably messing with the player right from the start.

‘Open the door!!!’

Not to mention, this crazy girl put up a barrier, claiming it was her room.

…

“Sorry.”

After pleading through thoughts for her to please open the door, she finally released the barrier and opened it.

Of course, she didn’t physically come out to open the door; she merely lifted the barrier.

Honestly, I wanted to hit her.

Even in the game, I was already baffled, but experiencing it firsthand really made me feel the absurdity. How can one reach the conclusion that in a shared room, just because it’s her space, no one else can come in?

What an impressive girl…

“…”

As soon as I entered, I was hit with a wave of magical items, scattered underwear, and academy uniforms, causing me to break out in a cold sweat.

So this is how it is…

Although it had been mentioned that rooms were messy in the game, it never felt bothersome since characters in games clean up. But now, encountering it for the first time, I felt a sense of frustration toward this character.

No matter how much it’s said she’s too lazy to clean, this is…

‘Does this mean my character cleaned all this up…?’

I’d never realized that just because it’s taken care of in game mechanics, this was actually quite a tough job.

But what can I do?

To persuade her and become friends to form a party, it had to be done.

With a touch of hesitation, I looked toward her.

Naturally, she seemed to be busy sleeping, clearly indicating, ‘I had the barrier down, so do it yourself now.’

Yeah… It’s something that has to be done anyway.

I sighed deeply and rose from my seat.

Since it had come to this, I planned to tidy up as comfortably and efficiently as possible, so she wouldn’t get angry if she woke up.

‘I’ve never cooked before, but…’

I had somewhat memorized cooking recipes from the game. If I made something moderately based on that, while it might not be gourmet, creating a home-cooked feel wouldn’t be impossible.

First…

‘Let’s start by cleaning up.’

I was giving all the tasks to someone so utterly blind and deaf.

Honestly, she seems like the type who has no compassion whatsoever.

*

Stella was what one might call a “genius.”

And she was well aware of that fact.

Every time she thought of her peers bragging, foaming at the mouth about her being the new star destined to elevate the magical realm or that she was the youngest prodigy to reach the level of a grand sorcerer, it made her teeth clench.

They never acknowledged how hard she worked or how much effort she put in; instead, if the results were unsatisfactory, they would immediately question what such talent was worth.

They never cared to see what efforts she made.

Even with incredible talent, everyone experiences slumps.

It didn’t take long for her to realize that others saw her not as “Stella Starname” but merely as a “tool” to elevate the wizard tower a little higher.

In the end, she was just a cog in the machine turning the tower.

Maybe this was why she had succumbed to complacency, neglecting her studies in magic…

Eventually, she was half-forced out of the tower for not producing results, with the suggestion to go to the Academy and study, yet she found contentment in that.

If she was going to sit on that prickly chair, she thought it better to choose a slightly bothersome path.

Stella opened her eyes.

‘What a nasty dream…’

Of all things, to dream about being at the tower…

As she rubbed her eyes and attempted to sit up, a delicious scent wafted through the air.

‘Ah… come to think of it, someone was here…’

Without thinking, she had put up a barrier saying nobody should come in, only to realize her roommate’s presence and unconsciously remove the barrier before returning to sleep.

But…

‘It felt like it rang directly in my head…’

Not through her ears but as if it echoed directly in her brain; it was a way of conversation she had never experienced before.

Who could it be?

More importantly, what was this delightful smell?

Curiosity began to rise within Stella, ultimately overpowering her, and she cautiously opened her eyes to take in her surroundings.

And then,

“[Ah, you’re awake.]”

The room she had left in ruins had somehow been tidied up.

Where she would instinctively turn her head to find her important magical items and books scattered around, they were now so neatly gathered that locating them was easier than if they had just been shoved into a corner.

Perhaps due to her lack of knowledge about magic, some books on entirely different topics were piled together, but the way they were organized felt considerate toward a sorcerer.

And…

“Is that… food?”

No, more importantly, why was someone preparing a meal here all of a sudden?

Stella looked up at the girl preparing the meal with a bewildered expression.

The girl, for some reason, was smiling while keeping her eyes closed.

And…

“[Just a moment, I’m almost done~♪]”

The very same method of conversation that had echoed in her head since earlier.

Only then did Stella realize who it belonged to.

‘What…?’

Who exactly is this girl?

Stella genuinely wore a surprised expression.

Aside from the first time she witnessed magic with her own eyes, this was the most shocking and astonishing moment of her life.