I Became an Extra Without Growth in the Academy

Time to rewind a bit, back to when Rudion was knocked out by the magic explosion.

Boom!

Rudion flies helplessly and crashes into a tree.

Seria and Alkiné stare blankly, completely confused by the situation.

It wasn’t until they saw Rudion unconscious on the ground that they finally snapped back to reality.

“Rudion?!”

“Seria! What on earth did you do?!”

“I don’t know! I was keeping it stable for sure…”

Panicking, Alkiné started blaming Seria for the explosion, but Seria just wore a truly clueless expression.

In reality, it wasn’t Seria’s fault. Skilled in mana manipulation, she maintained the mana sphere in a very intricate and safe way, so there was practically no chance of it exploding.

But what about the current situation? What was supposed to be safe twisted for just a moment and exploded without any chance to respond.

Fortunately, since the amount of mana contained in the sphere wasn’t too much, the explosion was also small, but that didn’t change the fact that it blasted Rudion away.

“What did I just do…”

“C-Calm down for now. Checking his condition is the priority.”

Was it really something to worry about that much? Both of them slowly approached the collapsed Rudion, their faces as white as a sheet.

They could hear soft breathing, confirming he simply fainted.

Realizing this, both of them let out a sigh of relief.

“Worrying about others like this. What a funny guy.”

“…Wasn’t this all caused by your mana explosion?”

“What do you mean? It was Rudion who touched it first and made it explode! This isn’t my fault.”

Seria, who looked like the world was crashing down just a moment ago, suddenly spoke so casually now that they confirmed everything was okay.

But upon closer inspection, her hands were still trembling.

Alkiné couldn’t help but chuckle at this.

‘Ah, so there’s a reason they always hang out together.’

Maybe they were always similar from the start, or perhaps they grew to resemble each other over time.

While secretly worrying more than anyone else, they managed to act nonchalant just like that guy.

You might wonder how she knows, having only met him not too long ago? Well, after receiving his help a few times, you can’t help but catch on.

She realizes he puts up a front of nonchalance while being haunted by the fear of failure.

It’s just that he seemed okay because he hadn’t failed yet.

…How much effort does he put in to maintain that facade? And why is she a part of that effort?

‘Damn it. Here we go again.’

An overwhelming urge to hold onto something tightly swells up inside her.

Until now, it was there, but now that Rudion is fainted right in front of her, the feeling is even stronger.

She tried to calm down by clenching her fists, but it didn’t quite work.

Did she catch her mood? Seria approached her with a cold glare.

…Those are knowing eyes. She’s seen how Seria reacts to those who approach Rudion.

She never expected that gaze would turn towards her… Huh, can’t say she didn’t think about it.

After all, it seems like she has developed such feelings too.

“Alkiné. Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“You like Rudion, don’t you?”

….

She couldn’t answer. But that was the answer in itself.

Seeing this, Seria let out a deep sigh.

But on the other hand, she wore an expression as if she had been expecting this all along.

Seria opened her mouth first, looking at the silent Alkiné.

“Well, this works out perfectly. Let’s talk about what we were planning to discuss over here.”

“I didn’t expect to have time to talk separately like this.”

“Did you think I knew?”

Seria’s actions, her tone—all of it felt chilling.

She seemed to be trying to act normal, but she was very bad at hiding her emotions.

It couldn’t be helped. After all, she still couldn’t loosen her fists.

She just hoped it could somehow be resolved through conversation.

For now, they decided to properly lay Rudion down on the ground.

They could have just left him, but he kept drawing their eyes non-stop since earlier, and they couldn’t help it.

“Can you hold him for me, Alkiné? Um… support his head a bit too.”

But what was going on? Normally, Seria would take the lead, but this time, she stepped back.

When Alkiné looked at her in confusion, she subtly avoided his gaze and quietly explained.

“I’m still a little embarrassed to see his face.”

“Whoa.”

She’s attempting to brush it off, but it seems she truly feels responsible.

Of course, she knows that Rudion isn’t someone who blames others over something like this.

But still, it’s only natural that the discomfort remains.

You know what? The crazy thing Seria did afterward was because of this. She just wanted to feel relieved seeing Rudion respond normally.

It wouldn’t be a total lie to say her feelings didn’t play a role, but it was definitely the main reason.

Anyway, in the end, it was Alkiné who ended up supporting Rudion’s head.

Seria shot glances at Alkiné while not approaching at all.

Alkiné lightly smiled at Seria… only to suddenly look down at the sensation on his lap.

Rudion’s face is resting on his knees.

…Ah, this is quite…

He noticed that Rudion’s handsome features suited his size, but now that he saw it up close, the youthful signs were all too visible. It felt different from the usual view of looking up at him.

’He seemed so capable, but up close, he’s just another boy around my age.’

He used to seem so distant. Seeing him like this, he felt he might not be as far off as he thought.

After all, he’s someone who passes out from something like this.

’Wait a minute, thinking about it… it’s a bit strange for him to faint from such an explosion.’

This was magic that middle-class second-year students would use at most.

It would have been sudden, but the fact that he fainted, despite not being a magician, was odd.

’Then that means…’

He might not be that strong after all.

He might just look strong because he’s maximizing his excellent abilities.

’No, is that actually strong?’

He didn’t know. So many thoughts crossed his mind, but none seemed to connect well.

Forget it. What does it matter what he thinks? He saved her, which means he’s strong enough to do so.

’Still… wouldn’t he need my help at this point?’

No one is perfect, but he’s someone who fainted from this explosion.

She started thinking she could help him, wanting to protect him from getting hurt.

…She thought she wanted to be by his side.

‘Am I going insane?’*

[Current affection level: 17/100]

[3 remaining until the next reward.]

She had guessed this was coming when she saw the strange text, but feeling her heart race like this was another matter.

She couldn’t deny it anymore. The feelings she harbored were clearly romantic.

And realizing this made his face, which already looked different, look even more distinct.

This is… really…

“Hold on a second. I didn’t tell you to stare at me like that! And why are you patting my head?”

“Whoops. Sorry.”

He hurriedly pulled his hand back, having moved it unconsciously.

Seria, noticing this, furrowed her brow slightly as if she realized something, then sighed deeply before asking.

“Alkiné, you know you’re already an important person in Rudion’s life, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you also realize that for yourself?”

“…Yeah.”

He had just felt it moments ago. There was no way to ignore this feeling.

No matter how much he pushed it down, the emotion would spill out.

Seeing Alkiné nod, Seria seemed to ponder something for a moment before finally opening her mouth.

“I’ll just say it since you probably know already, but I like Rudion too. I end up feeling so helpless.”

He already knew that.

Alkiné couldn’t accept that even after seeing the affection level in front of his eyes, that was part of it.

Seria’s feelings were real.

She was already prominently showing that in the academy, there’s no way it could be false.

So if Seria said to give up, then that’s what he’d have to consider.

“However, regardless of my feelings toward Rudion, I’m genuinely glad that you’re here for him.”

But the things coming out of her mouth were beyond his comprehension.

What exactly was she trying to convey? What did she mean by needing someone to trust?

Listing conditions only seemed to add to the confusion.

“Alkiné. What do you want, right now?”

But with Seria’s final question, he could answer with clarity.

What he desired was…

“I want time to talk with Rudion alone.”

It was a moment to convey his emotions.

His feelings were still unorganized. He had no idea how to express them.

Yet, he wanted to express those messy feelings.

At Alkiné’s words, Seria merely said…

“Then do that.”

With a bitter smile, she simply nodded lightly.

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