The Gacha Addict of the Academy

After the meal, the group that was supposed to bond quickly broke apart.

As expected, Reina was the first to leave.

I was surprised she even responded to me earlier, but when Hyeon-ah suggested continuing the conversation, Reina ignored her and left without a second glance. The “Ice Witch” lived up to her reputation.

“She’s not called the Ice Witch for nothing…”

“Ice Witch?”

Hyeon-ah seemed confused by the nickname.

Well, unless someone was really interested in Reina, it wasn’t something they’d know.

I only knew because I’d read about her in the novel. Honestly, she wasn’t a heroine I paid much attention to, so I didn’t know much about her. All I remembered was that she always kept people at a distance.

If even I only knew that much, it made sense that other students wouldn’t know her nickname.

“It’s just a nickname. She’s been famous since she enrolled.”

“Really? That’s interesting…”

Hyeon-ah looked curious as she watched Reina walk away.

I had to admit, even I found it strange. In the novel, Reina usually spoke harshly to everyone, so I expected her to completely ignore me or tell me to leave. The fact that she even acknowledged me earlier was shocking enough to leave me speechless.

Could it be that she’s only cold to others but warm to me? The cold, elegant elf… or maybe not just an elf but something divine. She’s definitely the kind of character you’d see on an exam.

“So… what about you two?”

“Well… I think it’s time to head back.”

Dinner was over, and it was time to leave.

Honestly, I wanted to go home as soon as possible. My new phone, which I ordered earlier, should have been delivered by now. I needed to sync it, install my game, let it auto-run, and—of course—do some gacha pulls to calm my nerves.

Today had been exhausting.

“See you tomorrow, Luna!”

Hyeon-ah waved goodbye and walked away.

This morning, I’d rushed out of my comfort zone without thinking, and I regretted it at first. But now, I felt like I’d made the right choice. After all, I got to become friends with a beautiful girl like her. That made it worth it, right?

“… Hey… Crystal?”

She hesitated when she said my last name, her expression slightly awkward.

It wasn’t surprising—Crystal isn’t exactly a common surname.

Still, I didn’t like being called that. I didn’t want to get too close to people. The closer they got, the more complicated my life would become. I just wanted to survive quietly.

“… Call me Luna.”

Wait.

Why is this happening again? Why do things always go the way I don’t want them to?

I wish people would just leave me alone. Every time I try to keep my distance, someone pulls me back in.

Building connections is supposed to help with survival, but I just want some peace.

“Uh… yeah… Luna?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Well… uh… I just…”

What’s this? Is she buffering?

She’s usually so confident, but now she was stuttering and hesitating. If this were a cute girl doing it, I might have found it endearing. But since it’s her, it’s just awkward.

Finally, she said, “I just wanted to say… let’s get along.”

???

I wasn’t interested in spending more time with her, but rejecting someone outright felt too harsh. Reluctantly, I nodded and extended my hand.

“Sure… let’s get along.”

As soon as we shook hands, I felt an ominous sense of doom.

This is definitely a mistake…

“Well, I’ll head out now.”

“… Okay. Take care.”

With that, Kang Ji Hyuk left. I waved half-heartedly and then started walking home.

The walk home felt endless, and I couldn’t stop complaining to myself.

“Why is my dorm so far away? This is so annoying.”

On my way back, I considered picking up some ingredients to cook at home. Eating at the cafeteria felt like a waste since I never finished the food. Cooking my own meals seemed like a better option.

The school’s point system didn’t help. The cafeteria charged way too much, and saving points for future exams felt smarter.

Yeah, cooking at home was definitely the way to go.

When I finally reached my dorm, a box was waiting by the door.

My phone had arrived!

Grinning, I grabbed the box and rushed inside. The mess I left in the morning was still there, but I ignored it. Cleaning could wait—this was more important.

I jumped onto my bed and tore open the box.

“Hehe… finally!”

Holding my phone felt amazing. I hadn’t realized how inconvenient life was without it. Not being able to game or read novels at the same time had been pure torture.

But now, that’s all over.

I could sync my phone, install my game, let it auto-run, and enjoy reading my novels in peace.

It was a perfect plan.

After feeling thrilled by the success and the opportunities it brought, I also felt a wave of self-loathing. I had pushed myself one step closer to ruin.

Ah, you idiot…

“I’ll be off now,” Kang Ji Hyuk said.

“… Sure, take care.”

I waved him off with a small gesture and started heading toward my dorm.

It’s quite far, so it’s going to take a while to get back.

This morning, I complained about why my dorm had to be so far away. And now, as I head back, the frustration is hitting me again.

“Why does it have to be so far out? It’s so annoying.”

I thought about picking up some groceries on the way back. Cooking at home seemed like a good idea.

I usually ate at the school cafeteria because I was too lazy to cook, but thinking about my grades and points, it felt smarter to save as much as I could. I didn’t even know why I still had this many points left—it wasn’t like I did anything special.

Did I score well on my entrance exam or something?

In any case, it seemed better to buy ingredients and cook at home rather than keep spending points at the cafeteria.

Hmm… but what about the next exam?

I don’t know any magic at all.

“… Would Reina teach me if I asked?”

The thought scared me. Asking Reina for help felt like a gamble. I couldn’t imagine her agreeing to teach me.

How should I even approach her? It’s not just her nickname, “Ice Witch,” that’s intimidating—her entire demeanor is scary. Even the way she looks at people is enough to make anyone nervous.

Honestly, maybe her nickname came from how scary she seems.

“Alright, let’s just focus on getting groceries for now.”

I decided to buy things that could last a while. Drawing from my years of experience living alone, I planned to be as efficient as possible.

Even though I couldn’t avoid eating lunch at the school cafeteria, eating dinner there felt like a waste. The cafeteria portions were way too big for me, and I couldn’t finish my meals. It didn’t make sense to pay the same price as others for food I couldn’t eat.

The cafeteria’s pricing was ridiculous. I couldn’t understand why it cost so much.

Considering my eating habits, it was clear that cooking my own meals was the best choice.

Buying a bag of rice, for example, would last me at least a month. That was far more cost-effective than paying 5,000 or 6,000 points per meal in the cafeteria. Even the side dishes at the school store were surprisingly cheap, probably because of the points system.

Thankfully, the dorm had a microwave and a rice cooker. If I stocked up on rice and side dishes, I could easily manage my meals.

Some people preferred ordering delivery, but to me, that felt like throwing money away. If you live alone, you should at least learn how to cook.

…

Ah, now I want fried chicken.

“Ugh…”

Why doesn’t this place allow delivery?

It’s so frustrating.

I really hate this academy. Why is everything, including the dorms and living spaces, trapped inside the academy?

Apparently, the whole point system was designed to create competition among students. In other words, the lower-ranking students could barely afford to eat.

Sure, you could challenge others to duels to steal their points, but as a quiet person just trying to survive, I wasn’t interested in that. The only way to make it work was to save points and study harder.

Fine. Studying might be better than constantly struggling, but honestly? I hate it all.

If anyone dares to challenge me, though, I’ll use my gacha ability to completely destroy them. They’ll regret ever messing with me.

…

I just want to go home.

“Finally!”

When I arrived at my dorm, there was a box waiting by the door.

The delivery system here wasn’t much different from the one back in my old world.

I heard this world was a fantasy realm, but seeing things like this made it feel more like a modern convenience story.

Why even bother calling it a fantasy world if places like South Korea still exist?

Anyway, my new smartphone was here!

I grabbed the box and hurried inside.

My room was still a mess from this morning, but I ignored it. Living alone means you can get away with not cleaning up as long as it doesn’t bother you.

I threw myself onto my bed and tore open the box.

“Hehe… finally!”

The feeling of holding a smartphone again was incredible. Not being able to play games and read novels at the same time had been torture.

It’s like they say—you don’t realize how much you rely on something until it’s gone.

The frustration of wanting to read novels but needing to let my game auto-run was unbearable.

But that ends today.

… Oh, wait. Setting up this phone is going to take forever.

Once it’s synced, though, I’ll set the game to auto-run right away. Then, I’ll dive into my novels.

It’s the perfect plan.

As I smiled, I realized this was true happiness.