Hearing those words, I froze in place.
I had promised myself not to say anything, yet somehow he had pinpointed it exactly without me saying a word. I couldn't understand how.
More than that, it hurt my heart.
Stories about eating in the restroom or not having money—even near the sparsely populated Wall, hearing it directly made my ears ache.
It made tears well up in my eyes. My pupils trembled with emotion.
Seeing this, Yoon Ha-min reconsidered his words and panicked, waving his hands frantically.
"No, wait! I didn't mean it in a bad way! I just wanted to know if you needed help! Everyone else eats in the cafeteria, so it's strange that you're eating alone in a place like that."
His uncertain hands hovered in the air, almost touching me before pulling back repeatedly.
I fixed my twisted lips back to normal, then looked up at him once before lowering my head again.
No matter how clean the restroom was, I didn't actually want to eat there.
But the stares that came even while eating, the atmosphere that questioned why I was taking up a table alone—it all became too exhausting, so I chose that place as my escape.
That was my only known refuge, and whenever I had to eat bread because I had no money, I usually fled to that familiar place.
As I mumbled without saying anything coherent, Yoon Ha-min seemed frustrated and groaned before continuing.
"I can eat with you, whatever you're having. Those cream-filled buns would be nice to share. We can't always eat cafeteria food, right? Some students fill up at the school store anyway."
Watching Ha-min ramble on, I seriously wondered whether I should feel reassured or not.
I glared at him for a while before sharply averting my gaze.
"Forget it."
After dismissing him curtly, I walked away, but Yoon Ha-min followed right behind me. I knew he had to go the same way anyway.
As I walked along the wall, Ha-min babbled behind me, trying to soothe me.
He clearly thought I was genuinely upset, and honestly, anyone would react this way if someone mentioned them eating in a restroom during lunch.
Wait a minute... surely I'm the only one eating bread in the restroom? There couldn't be others like me in the Academy, right?
I broke into a nervous sweat.
"Hey, Kanna..."
"I said forget it, okay? Just stop talking about it."
I brushed him off sharply. Ha-min seemed flustered, but I figured he could handle it.
He clearly meant well and wanted to help, but I wished he understood that speaking so directly about such things could hurt someone.
We continued in silence as we rounded a corner.
Starting from the station, we traced a triangle pattern before returning—I realized this method would allow us to search all sections of the Wall near each station area.
We returned to our starting station, and it was about time to head home.
As the sun was nearly setting, Yoon Ha-min seemed to have almost given up trying to console me and followed behind with his head hung low like a guilty person before stopping.
"Um, are you heading back now?"
I nodded at his question. Then Ha-min pointed toward a cluster of buildings.
"Could we stop by the mart on the way back to pick up some groceries?"
"Do whatever you want."
At my response, Ha-min nodded with a somewhat solemn expression.
We walked together in silence until Ha-min started picking up various items at the mart. I didn't know if he was wealthy, but the way he casually grabbed beef and vegetables seemed impressive to me.
Since I never had reason to visit this mart, I just found his shopping skills remarkable.
After finishing his pre-home shopping, Ha-min lifted the heavy baskets with both hands.
My laundry basket was among his items, but most were groceries. I wondered if he always bought so much at once.
Still, I didn't want to ask.
I just wanted to consider today that kind of day.
I didn't want him bringing up the restroom or money issues again in the future.
"Kanna, aren't you hungry?"
But Ha-min seemed to have other ideas.
As if refusing to accept that this wasn't a day for conversation, he casually spoke to me again, making me groan.
I just wanted to be quiet today, but I was hungry, so my gaze involuntarily dropped.
In the ensuing silence, I lowered my head, worried that saying I wasn't hungry might mean going without dinner.
Of course, Ha-min probably wasn't that type of person, but it still felt awkward to deny being hungry.
Since I didn't have a big appetite, my stomach would quickly empty and start growling after a while, which was somewhat unfortunate.
Finally, I answered while looking away from Ha-min.
"I'm... hungry..."
Hearing this, Ha-min smiled wryly and replied.
"Then I'll make you something delicious."
"Thanks."
"No, I'm doing this because I feel bad."
Ha-min said this while slightly raising one of his hands. As if showing me the delicious ingredients inside, I heard rustling sounds.
Hungry enough that my head turned toward the sound without thinking, I accidentally made eye contact with Ha-min.
I flinched and looked away again. We entered the house in this awkward atmosphere, and I immediately took off my blazer.
"Phew."
Since it was important attire that proved my identity outside, I always wore it despite the discomfort. That's why I immediately removed it upon entering our resting space.
I hung the blazer on the hanger Ha-min had given me and placed it on the clothing rack.
"Well, I'll go cook now."
"Oh, um, I'll go wash up."
I answered with an awkward voice.
Was he mistaking me for someone easy to please? Did he think making dinner would fix everything after saying those things?
I glared at Ha-min's back as he walked away. He must have felt my stare because his shoulders flinched before he turned around.
I turned my head away at the same time and put my newly purchased laundry basket in the changing room.
This is Ha-min's, this is mine.
If I separated things like this, Ha-min wouldn't have anything to say about it in the future.
With that thought, I put my change of clothes in the drawer and neatly stacked my worn clothes in the laundry basket, planning to wash them all at once when I had time.
I could feel throughout my body that today's work was done. My legs, aching from walking all day, trembled noticeably when immersed in hot water.
There were regrettable and unfortunate things, but ultimately, I had to look forward to tomorrow.
With monster elimination right around the corner, how often would I need to subdue someone who might or might not act impulsively?
I consoled myself that the suspension of combat class was natural, finished washing my face with cold water, and stepped outside.
Being still spring, the nights felt a bit chilly. Steam rose from my body.
After drying myself thoroughly and drying my hair, I got dressed and was ready to go out.
"Oh, finished washing up? Perfect timing—I just finished cooking."
"Huh?"
Yoon Ha-min said this to me as I emerged freshly washed, then led me to where the dining table was.
I removed the towel from my neck, set it aside, and carefully sat at the table. He gestured slightly with his hand and grinned.
"Here, eat up."
Grilled meat patties? Bulgogi? Hamburger steak? Though I didn't know the exact name, I could see it was ground meat grilled with sauce.
I stared at it blankly for a moment, then nodded.
"Thank you for the meal."
As I picked up the knife and fork given to me and glanced at Ha-min, he smiled. Then he quietly continued speaking.
"Enjoy your meal. And starting tomorrow, should I pack you a lunch box?"
"Huh?"
What lunch box?
"At our Academy, we don't have to eat cafeteria food. Some students bring lunch boxes, so wouldn't it be nice if we packed lunches together?"
"But... I don't know how to cook."
"I'll make it for you."
"I don't have money for ingredients..."
"I'll just make it for you."
What's with him?
"If you're doing this because you feel bad about what you said earlier, you don't need to worry. I just like bread."
Cooking was something you could only do if you had the means. So for me, a lunch box was a luxury.
"Besides, with Orca around, suddenly bringing a lunch box would seem strange."
At my words, Ha-min's expression froze. His "Ah" suggested he hadn't thought that far.
"Just let me eat alone."
Since I hadn't been looking for sympathy or attention over such matters anyway, I could speak comfortably. Ha-min remained still for a moment before sighing deeply.
"I'll contact Orca about it."
"What?"
"Let's try lunch boxes for just one day."
"Wait a minute..."
As I hesitated, Ha-min abruptly stood up. He took out his device and made a call somewhere, seemingly really intending to tell Orca about this.
While it seemed like he was doing this for my sake, it was too burdensome and made me feel awkward.
Not long after, Ha-min returned with a grin and shared the response.
"Orca says she'll bring a lunch box too!"
"Oh, um, really?"
I truly didn't know how to react.
Ha-min spoke as if he'd accomplished something and began eating.
Afterward, as I quietly ate my meal, I realized I should mention something in advance, unlike yesterday's sudden approach.
"Oh, right, Ha-min."
"Yes?"
"Can I... sleep with you again tonight?"
The moment I said this, Ha-min choked on something and could only cough repeatedly, looking quite distressed.