The Gacha Addict of the Academy

“..Luna?”

Reina, who had been watching Flost leave, turned to me and called my name.

As she approached, she asked if I was okay.

Well, there wasn’t really any reason for a fight to break out inside the academy, and knowing her, it wouldn’t have escalated to that point. So, I nodded and reassured her I was fine.

“That girl just now…”

“Flost von Barnava.”

The protagonist, who had somehow approached without me noticing, answered with a serious expression.

Hyeon-ah was with them as well.

Now that I think about it, I probably know the names of all the key characters. Most of the promising students with bright futures were already familiar to me.

Flost was one of them. She eventually grew close to the protagonist and ended up helping save the world alongside them.

Although the protagonist took the initiative, Flost, too, came to understand her own feelings and fell for the protagonist, who truly appreciated her.

She wasn’t a main heroine, so her role wasn’t overly significant, but since this was a harem story, well…

“Do you know her?”

“We’re not close, but she’s famous. Known as the Saintess.”

“The Saintess?”

Reina looked puzzled and glanced at the protagonist.

The title “Saintess” would eventually spread among the public. For now, though, it was just a nickname known to a select few, so it wasn’t strange that Reina didn’t know. I, of course, knew from reading the novel, but Reina, being new here, wouldn’t have had a clue.

“Her ability is simple but incredible. It’s ‘healing.’”

“…I see.”

Reina seemed a little surprised at the mention of healing.

Healing-type abilities were incredibly rare.

There was another hero with the power to restore anything they punched, which was a strong ability capable of healing even magically unfixable wounds. However, it couldn’t cure diseases, fatigue, or poison. Flost’s ability, on the other hand, was pure healing, unparalleled in the field.

As mentioned earlier, apart from those two, heroes with healing abilities were almost nonexistent. While there might be unmentioned healers in the story, none came to mind at the moment.

“Well… The healing process is a bit… unique, though.”

“…?”

Ah… are they going to explain it?

The protagonist, having experience working on the frontlines with heroes, probably knew about her trigger. Or rather, they must have heard about it from other heroes.

“Why?”

Reina and Hyeon-ah, curious, pressed the protagonist for an answer.

The protagonist hesitated, wearing a complicated expression, but eventually decided to explain.

“Her trigger is pretty extreme. It’s random, but from the perspective of the person being healed, it’s like adding insult to injury.”

“…?”

“Ugh, could you just get to the point?”

Under the impatient stares of Reina and Hyeon-ah, the protagonist broke into a cold sweat and finally answered.

“…She has to curse while healing.”

“…What?”

Hyeon-ah tilted her head, clearly not understanding.

Well, that was expected. It’s not something you’d imagine.

When I first read it, I’d thought, The author is seriously twisted.

“Basically… her healing ability is triggered by swearing.”

“….”

Cue mental shutdown.

“Then… when she’s healing someone…”

“Well, stuff like ‘you son of a bitch’ or ‘you piece of shit’ is on the mild side. The stronger the swearing, the more powerful and effective the healing becomes.”

“…..”

“No wonder she wouldn’t want to use her powers…”

Even Reina, who had been glaring at Flost earlier, now looked in the direction Flost had disappeared with a gaze filled with pity.

“Some people in certain circles apparently consider it a blessing or something.”

If the protagonist had stopped there, it would’ve been fine. But, of course, they added more.

“…That’s disgusting.”

“Do… people like that really exist?”

“I’ve heard she suffers a lot because of her nicknames.”

Saint(ess) Queen…

A nickname born from the need to curse while healing.

“Seriously… There are so many weird people in the world.”

“…Ah, Luna?”

Reina, who had been staring in the direction Flost left, suddenly turned back to me.

Now that I think about it, I originally came here to eat lunch, but things had spiraled out of control… Did I still have time left?

“Judging by the rice ball that girl was holding earlier, she probably hasn’t had lunch yet.”

Ding-ding, we have a winner, alchemist.

Well, technically, it’s more like she stole the rice ball I was going to eat… Wait a minute! The rice ball I wanted… She just took it in the chaos of everything that happened!

…I’m furious.

I don’t think I’ve been this angry since coming here.

My uselessly sensitive tear ducts were acting up as I stood before the display case, half-sniffling. Reina, who was watching me from above, patted my back and offered to buy me something else to calm me down.

… Curse her. I’ll jinx her so every time she opens a rice ball, the seaweed rips apart completely.

“Huh?”

PE class..?

“Oh my, didn’t you know? You didn’t forget to bring your PE uniform, did you?”

I… had no idea.

“This is bad… That teacher is going to chew you out.”

I vaguely remembered hearing that the teacher was known for being harsh, saying that physical fitness was the foundation of hero work. That muscle-bound teacher was already on my dislike list.

Isn’t the first day supposed to be more laid-back, like an orientation or something?

“I heard from upperclassmen that anyone who forgets their PE uniform gets pushed extra hard. Apparently, you should prepare to feel like you’re going to die that day.”

“…..”

Devastating.

When I looked at her with a despondent gaze, Hyeon-ah avoided my eyes, unable to say more. I hated her. No, I hated myself more. For spending my time laughing at games and novels instead of preparing for this.

I hated myself so much I wanted to go back in time and smack myself over the head.

“Why not try to find someone who could lend you a uniform?”

“Hmm… but Luna doesn’t seem like the type to ask for something like that.”

Correct, you alchemist of truth…

It reminded me of that time in school when I accidentally forgot my PE uniform. I didn’t have anyone to borrow from, and when the teacher scolded me for not bringing or borrowing one, I couldn’t respond.

It wasn’t like I didn’t want to borrow one; there was just no one to ask. But the teacher made me feel like it was my fault.

What a jerk.

“Well… in that case…”

“I guess there’s nothing you can do…”

“…Good luck.”

You’re the worst.

“Hey, since you’re not in good shape anyway, maybe this is a chance to build some stamina, huh? How about it?”

You’re worse.

Time passed, and PE class arrived.

Predictably, the teacher asked why I wasn’t wearing a PE uniform. I tried to come up with an excuse, but I wasn’t good at talking to people, let alone this muscle-bound teacher.

When I failed to respond, the teacher accused me of not even trying to borrow one and sentenced me to run laps around the field.

They hadn’t even seen me attempt to borrow a uniform, yet their mouth worked just fine to criticize me.

My weak body and poor stamina were already a problem, and this academy’s claim to be “the best in the world” wasn’t for nothing—the field was absurdly large.

Being forced to run laps around this place with my body was…

“Huff… Huff… Gah… Ugh…”

Impossible!

I felt like I was going to die.

I tried to endure the feeling of suffocation, but no matter how strong my will, my weak body wouldn’t listen. I hadn’t even been running for long, yet my legs were already trembling, and sweat was pouring down my face.

I’d seen this future coming from the moment I realized I had forgotten my PE uniform, but it was still too miserable. I wanted to quit, but I couldn’t risk throwing a tantrum here—if I did, I might literally die.

And I meant that in a very physical sense.

“Hah… Huff… Ugh…”

I should’ve just stayed in the infirmary this morning. My body had felt so awful that I could’ve easily gotten away with resting for the day.

Why… Why did I have to feel better?

I should’ve just pretended to be sick and taken the day off. But now, I was here, and tears were welling up for no good reason. If this were my old body, I might have struggled through, but with this one, it was impossible.

“Huff… Huff… Ah—Ack?!”

Suddenly, my legs gave out, and I collapsed.

Reina had once told me that covering my body with magic could help protect against injuries, but I was so exhausted that I hadn’t even thought about it. I fell hard, scraping my knees against the ground.

“….”

Lying there on the ground, all I could think was how badly I wanted to stay down. My weak body, the fact that I forgot my PE uniform, and the teacher forcing me to run laps all made me feel utterly hopeless.

I should’ve built up my stamina.

No, I hated everything.

I wanted to cry.